Jiru...?
Yu Zhizhi had heard him say the name twice. It sounded like the name of some kind of cannibal, and she couldn't help but shiver.
The Wolf Clan monster sensed her recoil. He cupped the back of her neck with his left hand, his thumb gently caressing her earlobe.
The little female before him always carried a faint, sweet scent.
Like jasmine mixed with fresh milk...
The desire in his heart began to stir.
In the past, he had hated any living creature coming near him, especially females. He always found they emitted a "disgusting" stench.
But this female before him was different...
She was soft and fragrant.
'Letting her live a few more days doesn't seem so bad.'
"What's your name?" he asked, taking the rare initiative.
"...Yu Zhizhi."
"Don Locke K."
Yu Zhizhi's body fell backward, landing on the soft bed.
She just realized he had told her his name.
Before she had a chance to speak, a sharp pain pricked her neck.
"Just stay here obediently for the week. If you dare run... I'll bite you to death," Don Locke warned viciously.
Yu Zhizhi was speechless.
"BEEP—BEEP—BEEP—"
An announcement broadcast from outside.
"A new type of mutated species is about to arrive on the B13 Floor. All personnel, please proceed to the elevator entrance for the Hunt upon hearing this broadcast."
Don Locke leaped to his feet, grabbed his jacket, and left without a backward glance.
Yu Zhizhi was dazed. "A new type of mutated species?"
After such a long ordeal, she felt like her stomach was completely empty.
While Don Locke was gone, she said, "I want a filling Nutrient Liquid."
A translucent, light-blue screen materialized.
A small, slender glass vial emerged from it and fell into Yu Zhizhi's hand.
Without a second thought, she gulped it all down.
With one swallow, a sweet and sour taste was followed by a satisfying feeling in her stomach.
It was extremely filling!
Yu Zhizhi went back to examining the other items in her inventory.
She had only one Time Stop and one pheromones left. She hadn't used the Eavesdropping Heart Card yet, and she still had two of them.
What confused her most was the [Host's Heartbeat Seal Rune (No Time Limit)].
Yu Zhizhi took out the glittering golden rune.
"Satan, what is this?"
System: "To better complete the mission, the host can choose to use this rune. You will be unable to develop romantic feelings for any male."
System: "Friendly reminder, this seal has no time limit. To remove it, you will need the top-tier Holy Medicine, [Mandala Flower Essence]."
"...Oh." Yu Zhizhi hadn't made up her mind yet.
Just as she was about to put it back in her inventory, she noticed the rune had started to glow.
Within seconds, it transformed into a wisp of golden light and shot into her chest.
—Right where her heart was.
"What? It activated automatically?" Yu Zhizhi asked, stunned.
'But I was still hesitating...'
System: "Once removed from inventory, the item is considered consumed. No refunds."
"Fine."
Yu Zhizhi sat on the bed. She lowered her head, and her two fluffy rabbit ears drooped as well.
The seal didn't seem to have affected her body physically.
'Whether I develop feelings or not, it doesn't matter. Males are just tools anyway!'
'I have to finish the mission quickly and go home soon!'
Yu Zhizhi had been frail and sickly since childhood, suffering from an extremely rare form of blood cancer. To pay for her treatment, her parents had sold off all their family assets.
The year she turned eighteen, her father died in a car accident.
To this day, Yu Zhizhi still remembered the sight of her mother kneeling and begging their relatives for money.
With no money for treatment, Yu Zhizhi's condition became critical several times.
The last time she ate a birthday cake in her life, she had secretly made a wish.
[I hope to have a healthy body and earn lots and lots of money.]
The system said she could go home after completing the mission.
When that time came, the first thing she would do was return to her mother's side. She would tell her not to blame herself, not to cry secretly at night, that the baby she gave birth to was very healthy and beautiful.
Yu Zhizhi made a silent vow. 'I'm all grown up now. I'm going to give Mom a good life!'
Familiar footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Soon, the sound of the door pushing open followed.
Yu Zhizhi had just looked up when a carrot was tossed into her lap.
At the doorway stood Don Locke, covered in the marks of battle. His scarlet eyes glanced sideways at Yu Zhizhi on the bed.
The Hunt was over.
He had exchanged his spoils for deer meat and a carrot.
"Where did the carrot come from?" Yu Zhizhi asked curiously.
"Found it on the way."
"Oh..."
This was the first time Yu Zhizhi had gotten a clear look at him.
Don Locke looked to be around her age. He wore a black uniform, his face splattered with the blood of the mutated species he had just slaughtered. His handsome features were filled with aggressiveness, and his scarlet eyes, like a Devil from a painting, were terrifying to behold.
His human form had almost no bestial features.
Unlike her, who couldn't hide her rabbit ears and tail no matter what.
"Why aren't you eating? Don't rabbits love these things?" Don Locke frowned.
Yu Zhizhi had just finished the Nutrient Liquid not long ago, so she was still quite full.
Besides, she had never liked carrots.
But now, looking at the carrot in her hand, she couldn't help but swallow.
'Could it be because I'm part of the Rabbit Clan now?'
She grasped the carrot and took a small bite.
The young woman sat on the bed, holding the carrot with both hands. As she nibbled on it, she had to exert a little force, causing one of her eyes to squint slightly. Her fair and delicate face was exceptionally lively, and the rabbit ears on her head twitched along with her movements.
Watching her eat the carrot, Don Locke felt a rush of blood, and his body began to react.
He walked over.
His tall, slender figure cast a shadow over Yu Zhizhi.
She had just looked up when the carrot, which she had taken two bites of, was "snatched" from her hand.
"We're not finished with what we were doing earlier," he said, tugging at his collar.
"...What?"
The next second, he lifted her up and placed her on his lap.
...
「Ten hours later.」
Yu Zhizhi could only think that this wolf was a pervert.
He must have been locked up for a long time to become so psychologically twisted.
He was asleep now, so Yu Zhizhi quickly got out of bed.
Her legs were trembling.
The light purple, cinched-waist dress she was wearing had already been restrictive, and now its hem was torn to shreds. Yu Zhizhi simply took it off.
From a chair next to the medical equipment, she found a large black sweatshirt. It was so big that when she put it on, it could be worn as a short, straight-cut dress.
Enduring the aching weakness in her legs and waist, Yu Zhizhi tiptoed outside.
'I have to find a way to leave early...'
'If I wait a week and don't get pregnant, won't I be as good as dead?'
The outside corridor was dim, red, and quiet. She hugged the wall, slowly feeling her way forward.
She remembered the elevator was in this direction—
But for some reason, though she walked for a long time and turned down several hallways, all she found were walls and corridors covered in graffiti and spattered with blood.
She came to a room.
Unlike the "operating room" she was staying in, this one was filled with medicine.
"Host, please be advised: do not deviate from the main mission," the system prompted.
"I want to take the elevator and escape..."
"Escaping requires unlocking the [Key] item. Otherwise, even if the host finds the elevator, you will be unable to use it."
"How do I unlock it?"