After ten years in hiding, I finally emerged, only to find the story had ended long ago. This post-apocalyptic novel was in its final chapters. The hero, Quaid Cole, had established a small-scale human sanctuary, and civilization was beginning the slow, arduous process of rebuilding itself. But none of that good fortune was for me. On my first day in this world, I made a shocking discovery: I was a pet jellyfish Quaid kept in a tank. That’s right. No eyes, just a basic light-sensing system. Even my thoughts felt flattened, simplified. But I never forgot my keeper. He would feed me the most delicious little shrimp. He would mix the saltwater to the perfect, most comfortable salinity. He would gently poke my bell and tentacles with his finger. Then one day, he just… never came back. And I… missed him. Damn it. A human had me completely wrapped around his little finger. 01 When the apocalypse hit, every plant and animal on Earth underwent some form of mutation. Monstrous tsunamis and famine followed, swallowing eighty percent of the world's landmass. I knew none of this. All I knew was that one day, my tank suddenly became infinitely larger, big enough for me to roam the entire house. At first, everything was a blur. Gradually, the shapes of furniture began to resolve. Straining my mind to access my past life’s intellect, I determined this was the home of a single man. Before the end, it must have been a beautiful place. But now, the vast picture windows were shattered, and wooden furniture drifted bizarrely beneath the ceiling, along with a collection of medals, creating a strange, submerged wonderland. During my explorations, I found a photograph, laminated and preserved. It showed a handsome man with a sharp buzz cut. His white lab coat was flung open with an air of defiance, and he wore a pair of strange-looking goggles, his brow furrowed as he stared into the camera. …He looked so kind. He must be a good person. Yup. I gently touched the photo with a small tentacle, and my body began to glow faintly. I had to find him. A keeper who abandons his pet is no good. Besides, I was so, so hungry. If I could just find him, I was sure I could eat all the shrimp I wanted. 02 The first time I tried to leave, I swam headfirst into a piece of furniture and nearly bruised my bell. The world outside was far too dangerous for a little jellyfish. It took I don’t know how long, but I focused all my energy on transforming myself into my previous human form. A jellyfish is mostly water, a boneless, floating creature. By constantly absorbing the water around me, I slowly managed to create a shimmering, translucent human shape. The massive expenditure of energy left me even hungrier. Dizzy with hunger, I pushed aside the overgrown algae and barnacles and “swam” out through the shattered picture window. Before me lay a resplendent, silent, underwater city. Schools of fish darted through the skeletons of once-mighty skyscrapers, where clothes, gnawed down to threads, drifted like ghosts. I noticed that even the once-harmless fish were different now. Some had evolved to monstrous sizes, others had developed deadly venoms, their very colors screaming danger. No matter how glorious human civilization had once been, it was utterly fragile against the might of this new ocean. The moment I emerged from the house, a dark swarm of fish changed course, and the seaweed lunged toward me like grasping hands. 03 Back when Quaid was taking care of me, if the water temperature dropped by a single degree, I would droop my bell and play dead for him. Jellyfish are delicate creatures, after all. The slightest mistake, and it's curtains. Now, the water was so cold it made me shiver. "Ooh, seaweed. I was just getting hungry," I said, plucking a large handful and munching on it as I swam. "This fish probably doesn't have many bones… let's see…" I noticed some fish trying to bite me, but my body regenerated almost instantly. A jellyfish's healing ability is formidable. "Doesn't taste great, though… hiccup." Grimacing, I ate everything edible in the vicinity before pulling out the photograph again. On the back was an address… It seemed to be where my keeper used to work. I clapped my hands and set off with a determined swagger. "Captain Cole, we're detecting an anomalous magnetic field in Zone Z!" The man at the screen had a grim expression. "You need to see this. It's coming from the Dead Zone, the area with the most severe marine mutations. We’ve lost personnel on every reconnaissance mission we've sent there…" But now, the glaring red on the screen had faded significantly, which usually indicated a drop in the danger level. Yet, no one in the observation room looked relieved. A deep, cold voice cut through the tension. "A new apex predator may have emerged. Once its mutation is complete, it will dominate all other life in its environment. We need to prepare." Quaid Cole stared at the screen, his eyes darkening, his lashes casting a small shadow on his cheek. "Return to Base for now." 04 My keeper's workplace was also flooded. Not a soul in sight. I clutched my empty stomach, completely at a loss. Just then, a waterproof radio crackled to life: "Broadcast Number 27803… crackle… The year is now 30XX… To any humans still surviving on this planet… do not give up… crackle… please head east… this is the Base… we are still conducting search and rescue operations…" Yes! I clenched my fist. I’ll go to the Base and find him there. I grabbed a white lab coat and threw it on, completely oblivious to the fact that an invisible dead zone had formed around me, a space so empty that not even a single shrimp dared to swim near. On a desk, I found some documents in a sealed bag. The handwriting on one was sharp and powerful: How to Care for a Fussy, Spoiled, and Prideful Jellyfish 1. Change the water regularly. 2. Provide sufficient food. 3. Gentle touching. … Gentle? He poked my head like he was trying to pop a balloon. 05 I headed east for a long time, and the water seemed to be getting shallower. Along the way, I found a light blue shoulder bag and carefully filled it with beautiful conches, shells, pink coral flowers, and strangely shaped stones. They were a gift for my keeper when I found him. The last remnants of humanity had gathered on the final piece of land on Earth. Unsure if I could survive out of the water, I cautiously swam upward and extended a hand above the surface. No pain. So, I clambered ashore, dripping wet. My body had lost much of its translucence, but I felt clumsy, not as agile as I was in the water. With the human population so drastically reduced, I hadn't encountered anyone on my journey. But not long after reaching land, I came across a small group. They were men and women, protectively guarding a fishing net full of food. When I asked for directions, they just stared at each other. "You want to go to the Base?" The man in the lead let out a sarcastic laugh. "Do you have any idea how dangerous the road is? And what makes you think the Base will just let you in? People are dying to get in there!" He was about to say more when the woman next to him nudged him discreetly. She turned to me with a warm smile. "Why don't you come with us? We're heading there too. It's good to have company." I nodded obediently. "Okay." That night, by the campfire. Faint whispers carried from behind the trees: "You idiot! Didn't you see she's alone? To have survived this long and gotten this far, that bag of hers must be full of good stuff." "Besides, a woman like that… you know how much gold she could fetch on the black market? We might even be able to buy a Base access card outright!" "Let's just starve her until she's weak, then sell her…" In the darkness, two pairs of greedy eyes watched the girl sleeping soundly. This area was a settlement that had sprung up around the Base. The Base provided some aid to all humans, like medicine and food, but not everyone could live inside. Only those who passed the Base's assessment could become a member. The next morning, we set out for the Base without even eating breakfast. Along the way, the woman, who called herself Belle, chatted with me endlessly. "What are you going to the Base for? How did you get here?" I wanted to say I was looking for my keeper, but I was afraid of revealing I was a jellyfish. I wracked my brain and said, "I'm… I'm looking for my family. I swam here." Belle scoffed internally. She can't even lie properly. As if anyone could swim through that deadly stretch of ocean. What an idiot. "What's in your bag? It looks heavy. I can carry it for you." I patted my little bag proudly. "No, thank you! These are my treasures." My keeper will be so happy when he sees all the pretty flowers and stones I found. "…" "By the way, sister, how old are you? Where do you usually hang out?" I blinked, asking my own curious questions. 06 We traveled for several days. Belle said that with food so scarce, they only ate one meal a day. I couldn't stomach the compressed biscuits anyway, so every night, I would sneak off to a nearby stream to catch fish. The fish and crabs in these freshwater streams had also mutated; they were vicious, leaping out to bite my legs. I unfurled two of my tentacles and caught half a basketful, eating until my belly was round. So, while I followed them with boundless energy, Belle and her husband, who had started out at a brisk pace, were soon practically holding each other up just to keep walking. They had food with them. Why weren't they eating it? Humans were so hard to understand. After three days of this, we finally reached a small town. The town was in ruins, the air thick with the smell of oil and gunpowder. People on the roadside watched us with unfriendly eyes. Belle's husband said he needed to get his weapon serviced and left us. "You see how things are now. It's not like the old world. Especially for us women… if we don't find a safe place, who knows what could happen…" Belle said, taking my hand in a sisterly fashion. "You're so young, it's too dangerous for you to be wandering around alone. I have an idea. This town is great. There are a lot of powerful men here. If you could stay, you'd be rich and safe!" I looked at her, confused. "Huh? Isn't this the Base?" "Silly girl, what's so great about the Base?" She patted my head. "This is where everyone wants to be. You just sit here in the park and don't wander off, okay? Wait for me to come back." I watched her walk into a shop with a black sign. I thought about what she'd said and frowned. Belle was trying to be kind, I guess… but I didn't want to stay in this town. 07 After some hard bargaining, Belle finally settled on a price. To her shock, when she returned excitedly to the park, I was surrounded by several heavily armed men. "This is her?" one of them grunted. Seeing Belle, I beamed and waved. "Sister, I found someone for you! You can stay in this rich and safe place now!" Belle froze, her jaw dropping. "This kind uncle heard a woman wanted to stay, so he came right over with me," I explained to the men. "That's her." "You— I'm not—" Belle's eyes widened in fury, but before she could scream, two men grabbed her arms, pinning them behind her back. Another clamped a hand over her mouth. "Oh, and there's a brother, too. He wants to stay in town as well," I added earnestly, seeing Belle's tears of joy. "No need to thank me. You two took such good care of me on the road." Belle was already dizzy from hunger. The sudden shock and rage were too much, and all the fight went out of her. "Right, I get it. We can always use more labor in town…" The uncle nodded. He was a very kind man. Earlier, when the shells and conches had spilled from my bag in the park, he'd seen me picking them up and had gone pale. When I told him about the brother and sister who wanted to find a rich and safe place to live, he had immediately pounded his chest and said to leave it to him. "Oh, and here's your finder's fee. Two pieces of gold. Fifty grams for the woman, ten for the man." "Thank you, uncle," I said with a sweet smile, tucking the two gold bars into my bag. Now I had money for the rest of the trip to the Base, and the brother and sister got to stay in town. What a wonderful day. When the Base finds out about this, they'll think I'm the smartest, kindest little jellyfish in the world. They'll definitely let me in. 08 I spent another half-day in town, stocking up on food and a few dresses. I considered buying a weapon, but I didn't know how much farther I had to go and didn't want to weigh my bag down. Now that I'd found other people, the way to the Base wasn't hard to find. I fell in with a stream of survivors, all heading in the same direction. "You have to pass an assessment to get into the Base. I just hope I don't get Captain Cole as my examiner…" someone prayed. "I heard he built the Base with his own two hands." A heavy silence fell over the group. Everyone knew the chaos of the early days. The kind of person who could forge a sanctuary from that chaos was not a man of mercy, but a man of iron will. "I was only seven or eight when the world ended. My mom used to scare me with his name at night." "Me too! She'd say if I didn't go to sleep, she'd let him come and get me…" I trailed behind the group, shivering. I never imagined my former keeper, now Captain Cole, could be so terrifying. I pictured him with giant fangs, razor-sharp claws, and fierce, red eyes… Weighted down with worry, I finally arrived at the gates of the Base. It was imposing and fortified, its cold white walls reflecting in my eyes. Everyone surged forward to line up at the checkpoint. I hurried to the back of the line. But the guards who usually stood watch were gone. The iron gates were sealed tight. 09 Inside the Base, alarm bells were shrieking. The sound of running footsteps echoed through the halls. "SSS-level alert! SSS-level alert! Unknown high-intensity mutant approaching!" For days, their sensors had tracked a dangerous mutant lifeform on the move. It had traveled all the way from the Dead Zone and was now right on their doorstep. "Report! Sir… Captain Cole, we've checked the perimeter. There's a group of survivors at the gate seeking entry… besides that, nothing unusual. I suspect one of them might be the high-intensity mutant, or perhaps has been parasitized by it. We still don't know what this thing looks like…" Quaid calmly glanced at the monitor, his gaze lingering on the group of survivors. His eyes quickly found a girl in a white, floral-print dress. She stood out starkly among the grimy, armed crowd. Many in the line had also noticed her, their expressions growing wary. But the girl seemed oblivious, happily trying to clip a seashell into her hair like a barrette. A creature that fragile couldn't survive in this world. He coolly looked away. "Captain Cole?" "Place them in the temporary shelter. I'll conduct the assessment myself," Quaid said, his voice low and firm. 10 I was trying to clip a blue shell into my hair when a young man with a friendly smile approached me. He was slender, with glasses that gave him a scholarly air. "Here, let me help you." He looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place him. "Thank you. What do you think is going on? Who do you think will assess us?" The man seemed thoughtful. "Could be Quaid Cole himself." Just as he spoke, the iron gates began to slide open. We followed the guards into a wide, open space. As I looked around, a figure appeared on a high platform. A buzz cut, sharp features, and a scar I didn't remember slicing through the tail of his eyebrow. He wore a uniform, and the brim of his black cap cast a shadow over his strong jawline. His presence alone silenced the crowd. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to get a better look, and pulled out my photograph to compare. Hmm. No fangs, no claws… that was my keeper, all right. "I am Quaid Cole. I will be your examiner." 11 The man with the glasses saw my confusion and whispered, "Don't be scared. After the apocalypse, many animals mutated, but so did some humans. The Base is looking for people who have awakened special abilities." The next moment, Quaid announced the test: defeat a megalodon in the simulation training room. We entered the training room one by one, according to our place in line. Since I was last, it would be a long wait. My bag felt heavy. Remembering something, I scampered up the stairs. "What do you think you're doing?" A guard blocked my path. "I need to talk to your captain…" "Let her through." Finally, a chance to talk to my keeper! I was ecstatic. "I finally found you! I've been looking for you for so long." Quaid stared at the girl before him. "What?" he said, his brow furrowing. "Do not attempt to fraternize with the examiner." His voice was cold, and the girl seemed to freeze in place, too intimidated to come any closer. I hung my head and carefully took out the conches, shells, pink coral flowers, and colorful stones from my bag, placing them on the ground. "I'm not trying to fraternize. I found these in the ocean. They're my treasures, and I wanted to give them to you." As an afterthought, I tucked the photograph under one of the stones. Afraid he would scold me again, I didn't dare say another word. I turned and bolted back down the stairs. Quaid stood there, stunned for a moment, his gaze fixed on the small pile of treasures. I couldn't believe how mean he had become. He didn't even apologize for not feeding me a single shrimp and just abandoning me. "Stop." I ran faster. 12 Ignoring the voice behind me, I rejoined the line. Agonized screams periodically echoed from the simulation room. When the man with the glasses was the first to emerge, his lenses spattered with blood, a smile playing on his lips, I suddenly realized who he was. Liam. The main villain of this post-apocalyptic novel. I should have recognized him at first glance. But ten years as a jellyfish in a tank, with no one to talk to, nothing to read, no contact with other humans, had caused my language and memory skills to deteriorate. My human way of thinking had faded. By the end, I truly thought of myself as just a jellyfish with a few stray thoughts. Only after the apocalypse allowed me to leave the tank did I slowly begin to recover my "human" abilities. In this base-building novel, Liam was the ultimate antagonist. He had a legion of fanatical followers born from the chaos of the apocalypse and possessed powerful mutated abilities of his own. He was the secret commander, his true identity unknown to anyone. In the novel’s finale, he was betrayed by a subordinate and cast into the sea— Everyone thought he was dead. Liam sat down next to me. He glanced up at the platform, then took off his glasses to wipe them, a small smile on his face. "Don't be afraid. I don't know what your ability is, but the megalodon in there has a weakness." What villain? This was a top student, sharing answers and looking out for his classmates! What a great guy. I looked at him with stars in my eyes. "Ahem," he said, looking away uncomfortably. "Its mutated attack pattern has a flaw. Every 90 seconds, it has a moment of slight hesitation. You can either attack then, or… use that moment to trick it into attacking someone else." Liam watched me diligently taking notes, his gaze drifting to my skinny arms and legs. "If you can't do it, just forfeit. I'll find a way to get you in." One by one, the other candidates stumbled out, dazed and injured. Finally, it was my turn. After another short wait, I stepped into the simulation room. The room was filled with seawater. I jumped in gleefully. It had been so long since I’d been in the ocean. I instantly felt a current of power flow through me. It was wonderful. Then I saw my opponent… a palm-sized pufferfish?! Wait, what happened to the megalodon?! 13 I poked the little pufferfish. It puffed up into an angry, spiky ball. I played with it for a bit, then swallowed it in two bites. Battle over in five minutes. I kind of wished it had been the megalodon. That would have been a proper meal. Why did the test change for me? And so, I passed the first assessment in last place. There were two assessments to get into the Base. Combat ability was one, and professional skill was the other. If you had a specialized expertise, like a doctor or a mechanical engineer, you could also get in. The second assessment was to fill out a form with your specialty. Three hours later, a very sad little jellyfish handed in a blank sheet of paper. 14 "Captain Cole, why is this one blank?" a subordinate asked, flipping through the papers. Quaid said, "She's honest. Unlike those who would lie just to get in." "…" The subordinate paused. "Her combat score seems average, too. One-star difficulty. The strongest in this batch is the one with the glasses… Liam. He must be the dangerous mutant." Quaid didn't answer, his eyes scanning the combat recordings of each candidate. Suddenly, a series of bloodcurdling screams erupted from outside the training room!
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