The pilot, Shenmu, the girl Kasha, the guard, and the helicopter pilot were all eating fish.
The leader ate in confusion and asked the pilot: "How did you catch all these fish?"
The girl quickly replied: "My sister, the mermaid, threw them to us."
The leader laughed and said: "These fish may have lost their way—just like your imagination when it wanders astray. Pilot, is what this girl says true?"
The pilot replied: "Yes, she was talking to her sister, who appeared in the form of a mermaid."
At that, the commander jumped up and shouted: "You seem delusional! I won't let you fly the plane. Why haven't I seen this mermaid myself?"
The pilot laughed and said: "Imagine yourself driving a car on a desert road in the summer, going fast. What do you see in front of you?"
The commander paused, then answered: "Water."
The girl laughed and said to the pilot: "Perhaps these smooth tunnels travel around the world, sent by a mermaid. Those rockets froze. Isn't that right, pilot?"
The pilot chuckled: "It might all just be from your water bottle."
The pilot then patted the commander on the shoulder and said: "Our words are like a mirage. Speak—what do you want to say?"
The commander replied: "Yes, I see a mirage before me, as if it were water flowing from a waterfall, or a flame of fire."
The pilot grabbed him and said: "You speak of flames of fire—are you saying you see a war?"
The commander answered firmly: "No."
The pilot sat him down and said: "We stood before that mirage, and we saw what was inside it. We saw a mermaid, and the girl spoke to her. I will tell you something more: she herself is also a mermaid. In the mirage, you are witnessing a war you wish to extinguish—and it may descend upon us like a waterfall. Do you understand this, even a little?"
The commander looked at pilot Shenmu wistfully and said: "Yes."
The girl, Kasha, then asked the pilot, Shenmu, to go quickly to the edge of the rock so she could see the mermaid again.