The Creature Keeper - Chapter 2

Tang Rou washed away the scent of the sea from her body, wrapped herself in a bathrobe, and climbed onto the soft bed. She shed the fatigue of the day and sank deeply into sleep.

But the dream she had was not a pleasant one.

In her dream, Tang Rou returned to that pitch-black night ten years ago.

Heavy dark clouds carried sharp, terrifying lightning. Thunder crashed against fragile eardrums. The cruise ship drifted helplessly on the sea, completely powerless, paralyzed like duckweed on the surging waves.

All her family perished that night in the shipwreck.

Amid cries and screams, the massive ship slowly sank to the bottom of the sea.

In despair and on the brink of death, Tang Rou was saved by a mysterious and legendary beautiful creature-a Mermaid-who brought her to a deserted island, where she survived for seven days.

The Mermaid fed her, healed her, and brought her out of feverish nightmares.

The moment she opened her eyes, Tang Rou thought she had entered heaven.

Otherwise, why would she see such a beautiful being?

So close to her was a pair of platinum-silver eyes.

Like deep gems soaked in cold seawater.

The Mermaid was resting her chin in her hand, observing Tang Rou. Damp, long hair clung to her skin and draped over her shoulders, and her skin was pale from years without sunlight.

But what truly astonished Tang Rou was the Mermaid’s lower body.

Iridescent scales, a wide, dreamy tail fin.

It was a creature her limited vocabulary could not describe.

It was a stunning Mermaid.

The Mermaid liked her very much and cared for her attentively.

Yet, when the Mermaid entered the ocean to find food for her, Tang Rou was taken away by a rescue helicopter-and she was gone for ten years.

The seven days on the deserted island became a fragile, illusory dream, gradually fading with time.

To this day, she has never seen such a creature again.

.

Early the next morning, tormented by nightmares all night, Tang Rou arrived at the laboratory.

She had just started preparing nutrient solution when someone knocked on the office door.

Aselan, dressed in a silver-white uniform, walked in and said regretfully, “The notice has arrived. Your Number 17 is scheduled for the Division Experiment.”

Tang Rou frowned.

The Division Experiment, as the name suggests, involves repeatedly tearing apart the subject with weapons to test its regenerative abilities.

Aselan couldn’t help but remind her, “Rou, don’t get too attached to the Experimental Subjects.”

“I know.”

Aselan was a bioengineer; Tang Rou was only responsible for feeding and studying biological habits.

Tang Rou did not agree with the view that these creatures had no emotions.

She could feel the strong emotions of her Experimental Subjects.

They felt joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. They grew attached and reluctant to part, clinging to her like children, even trying various ways to get her attention.

Tang Rou approached Number 17’s cultivation tank and spoke softly,

“Number 17, I just received notice. I have to take you for testing.”

The young man surfaced the moment she came near.

His long, thick eyelashes were like feathers wet with water, half-shielding his eyes as he gazed at her intently. His exquisitely inhuman face showed no warmth.

But the hand hanging by his side trembled faintly.

He wanted to touch her, but restrained himself.

No one knew his excitement.

He was not like the Sea Rabbit, who would act spoiled, nor would he use reddened eyes to win her sympathy and pity, nor employ those childlike tricks to get her attention.

He could only silently, lonely, watch her, exchanging day after day of waiting for a single glance from her.

But going for the experiment was different.

Every time after the experiment, Tang Rou would pay special attention to him.

The pain of the experiment could earn her gaze and care, and that was happiness enough for him.

At one o’clock in the afternoon, Experimental Subject A-17 was promptly sent to the testing area.
The high-density water tank locked him away layer by layer. The staff responsible for escorting him were fully armed, wielding laser weapons, as if the young man inside the tank were some terrifying weapon.

Tang Rou followed along. Inside the water tank, the young man displayed an unprecedented calmness, causing the escorting personnel to marvel in spite of themselves.

“Miss Tang’s methods of raising are truly renowned. The transportation of other Experimental Subjects has always been difficult.”

Tang Rou did not reply, only soothing the Experimental Subject inside the transport vehicle with a gentle voice.

Due to insufficient clearance, the process was not permitted to be watched.

Tang Rou waited outside the door.

The Division Experiment was cruel, repeatedly severing Number 17’s tentacles, exposing him to concentrated biochemical weapon attacks to test his reaction speed and regenerative abilities.

When these alien creatures were first discovered on Earth, they were not powerful.

Most appeared in the form of juveniles or eggs, salvaged, bred, and controlled by biotech companies and the Military.

Their DNA fragments were not homologous to any known organism. Some conspiracy theories claimed these creatures had come to Earth from another world.

But that did not stop those in power from seeing immense value in them.

Perhaps it was the age-old confidence of those standing atop the food chain, the desire to control this planet, yet forgetting that the Tower of Babel ultimately failed due to God’s intervention.

The experiment paused for a break to collect data.

At the moment the main door opened and closed, Tang Rou caught sight of the pale young man, bound to a metal frame behind the protective barrier, barely clinging to life.

His handsome, cold face was splattered with a few drops of pale blue blood. Damp, dark green hair hung over his forehead, obscuring his eyes and brows.

A metal collar encircled his neck, silver chains binding his beautifully contoured body, creating an inexplicable sense of fragile beauty.

Researchers surrounded him, full of admiration, their faces alight with excitement and joy.

Clearly, the test results were perfect.

From a great distance, the young man suddenly lifted his gaze, looking in Tang Rou’s direction.

His dark green eyes reflected the cold white incandescent lights overhead, like a stray cat abandoned at the street corner, gazing at its merciless owner.

His weakened antennae twitched, the tip pitifully curled, stained with blue blood, as if waving to her.

As always, he never cried out in pain.

The door closed again, beginning the second round of experiments. Number 17’s face vanished behind the cold metal door.

Tang Rou pressed her lips tightly together.

Her fingers, hanging at her sides, clenched one by one.

But the accident happened in an instant.

“Bang-”

A loud crash snapped Tang Rou’s attention back.

Very close to the testing area, a huge commotion suddenly erupted, even causing the lights overhead to flicker.

Many armed personnel rushed over, looking tense, followed by countless bioengineers on high alert.

Tang Rou looked toward the source of the noise.

The explosion came from Sector S, the most mysterious and dangerous area of the entire Babel Tower Experimental Base.

Behind massive seamless walls lived the most terrifying creatures known to the world, their danger level unimaginable.

Moments later, the tightly shut doors of Sector S were pushed open from within. Tang Rou saw the highest, most unapproachable professor of Babel Tower, Xu Shihong, being hurriedly escorted toward the evacuation passage.

His left arm looked as if it had been violently torn apart by something, pressed with gauze by trailing medical staff, yet blood still gushed out in torrents.

From behind the opened doors of Sector S came shrill, hair-raising screams.

Someone stopped a researcher fleeing from inside, urgently questioning,

“What happened up ahead?”

“Special Grade Creature has gone out of control!”