The Creature Keeper - Chapter 18

Tang Rou took a piece of candy from her pocket, unwrapped it, and fed it to him. The young man obediently opened his mouth, his face still expressionless, but his whole body radiated joy.

Seeing how happy he was, Aselan reminded him, “It was me, I was the one who asked her to apologize to you. I’m on your side, shouldn’t you thank me?”

Number 17 instantly frowned, extremely displeased by her interruption, and glanced over coldly, his eyes full of warning.

Aselan, who was being cast aside, “…”

Sorry, she spoke out of turn again.

Tang Rou couldn’t help but laugh. After soothing the Little Octopus, she ruthlessly ignored his wet, sticky, pleading gaze and put the glass cover back on.

She wanted to visit the Sea Rabbit.

Aselan asked, “Are you going to Zone A?”

“Yes, that child is timid. If I don’t go back for too long, he might go on a hunger strike.”

Tang Rou packed the freshly prepared Nutrient Solution into a sealed box.

Besides the Nutrient Solution, she had also bought a small, exquisite gemstone earring as a gift for the Sea Rabbit boy.

All these marine creatures liked shiny things. The Sea Rabbit had once taken a crystal stud earring from Tang Rou. She thought he just wanted to play with it, but unexpectedly, he raised his hand and put it on his own ear.

With a sudden pierce through the flesh, Tang Rou was startled and hurried to check, only to find that the wound had healed in the blink of an eye.

For these Experimental Subjects, the concepts of “pain” and “injury” were different from those of humans. The pain from a needle prick was almost nonexistent to them, and ordinary wounds would disappear instantly.

Instead, they often worried about Tang Rou, because her injuries always took a long time to heal.

When she was scalded by hot coffee, the back of her hand stayed red for two days.

When binding files, a sharp paper edge cut her finger, and it would take three or four days to heal.

They were constantly on edge, frowning and getting upset for half a day over any bump or scrape she suffered, leaving her rather confused.

Tang Rou was probably the only Feeder who made the Experimental Subjects worry all day long.

Seeing she was about to leave, Number 17 hooked her finger with his tentacle.

“Let go.”

“…” The young man hesitated for a few seconds before slowly releasing her.

It was hard to watch-such a cold, noble face paired with such humble behavior, the contrast was striking.

The Jellyfish followed Tang Rou’s figure, floating behind the connected glass, escorting her all the way to the edge of Sector S.

Tang Rou walked all the way to Zone A. The Security Officers guarding the outside put away their weapons and opened the gate. Under their silent gaze, Tang Rou slowly walked inside.

She was greeted by a former colleague from Zone A, Zhang Ning, who had recently been promoted to Deputy Director.

“Xiao Tang, you’re here,” Zhang Ning stopped and, for once, greeted her. “Are you here to see your former Experimental Subject?”

Tang Rou nodded, “Yes, I made some Nutrient Solution for him.”

In the past, Zhang Ning never paid attention to Tang Rou. He came from a family of biologists, had a fiancée who was the heiress of a biotech company, and carried the arrogance of a privileged youth. He always sneered that Tang Rou must have used some underhanded means to earn her gold rating. Unexpectedly, now he greeted her proactively, even with a smile.

“Oh, by the way, I’ve been in charge of your Number 11 lately. He’s quite stubborn.”

Tang Rou nodded, “I kept hearing he was on a hunger strike recently, so I wanted to check on him.”

But Zhang Ning said, “Hunger strike? He’s fine. Maybe he got better by the time I took over.”

“Oh, really?” Tang Rou was a bit surprised. “I thought he’d be upset for a while.”

Zhang Ning laughed, “Cold-blooded creatures don’t have feelings. At most, they’re just a bit familiar with you, but they’ll forget in no time.”
Tang Rou frowned slightly, feeling that his words made her even more uncomfortable.

“Mm, then I’ll go see him.”

Zhang Ning stepped forward, as if to block her. “He’s resting. He just underwent a test today, so it’s better not to disturb him for now.”

This man kept trying to stop her.

But Tang Rou found herself with no grounds to refuse. After all… Number 11 was no longer her Experimental Subject.

Just then, an alarm suddenly blared, its sharp sound echoing through the vast, empty metal corridor. At the same time, Tang Rou’s communication terminal rang.

Aselan called her, sounding anxious. “Come back quickly, Sector S is going into lockdown. Number 17 is acting strange.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s agitated, a bit out of control. He just broke out of his tank… injured several of our colleagues.”

“What?”

Although Aselan said this, Tang Rou knew very well that if Number 17 went berserk, the consequences would be far more serious than just a few injured colleagues.

Things sounded urgent on Aselan’s end, with chaotic background noise and faint shouts. “Just hurry back. It’s not just Number 17 that’s out of control-there’s trouble throughout Sector S.”

Could Number 17’s rampage be related to the sudden alarm?

Tang Rou hung up, her expression grave. Zhang Ning had heard the whole conversation and tried to reassure her. “It’s alright. Just give me the Nutrient Solution. Number 11 is my responsibility now anyway. Go handle the important matters-I’ll pass on your concern to him.”

Tang Rou glanced at him a couple more times. The man’s expression was gentle, as if trying to ease her worries.

“Then please give these to him, alright? They’re all his favorites.” She hesitated for a moment, thinking she could visit Number 11 another day. She also decided to treat Zhang Ning a bit better, lest he mistreat the Sea Rabbit. “Sorry to trouble you, Deputy Director Zhang.”

“Don’t mention it,” he replied, sounding friendly. “Go on, get busy.”

Tang Rou handed the items over and hurried back to Sector S.

The man carried the sealed box containing the Nutrient Solution, his smile slowly fading. He opened the box, looked at the half-tube of pale yellow Nutrient Solution inside, examined it for a moment, then tossed it into the nearby trash bin.

After that, he turned and walked toward the laboratory in Zone A.

Inside a glass vessel, a fair, slender youth sat with his back to the door, hugging his knees at the bottom of the tank. His delicate, beautiful shoulder blades resembled butterfly wings poised for flight, and his light brown hair drifted gently in the water like soft, supple seaweed.

Even just his silhouette was enough to stir the heart.

He was one of the most harmless creatures in the entire Experimental Zone, wholly restorative, incapable of harming humans, and could even serve as a life-saving remedy.

What was even more astonishing was his exquisite, gentle appearance-so fragile, seemingly unable to withstand the slightest blow. His eyes were pure and innocent, like the clearest gems in the world.

Zhang Ning still remembered the shock he felt the first time he saw this beautiful Experimental Subject. He was dazed for a long time, unable to compose himself, like a pilgrim witnessing a miracle.

That youth was as pure and pristine as freshly fallen snow upon the earth.

It made one want to paint him, to defile him, to stain him.

Especially men-most male creatures seemed to have a natural urge to both cherish and ravage such pure beings. On one hand, they enjoyed the satisfaction of protecting the weak; on the other, they relished conquering and destroying.

To leave one’s mark on such a blank canvas-wasn’t that a most delightful thing?