As soon as they stepped out, Yu Zhizhi stuck close behind Tang Luo Ke.
She stepped on the sticky, damp ground, splattering her white shoes with grime.
The deep, dark corridor was eerily silent.
Yu Zhizhi couldn't see the path ahead clearly. She didn't dare to walk too fast, but she was also afraid of being left behind.
She could only grit her teeth, summon her courage, and grab Tang Luo Ke's wrist.
Tang Luo Ke wasn't walking fast to begin with, but he paused. "Haven't you eaten? Why are you walking so slowly?"
Despite his words, he stopped walking.
He felt a warm touch on his wrist.
Her hand was small and soft, just like the rest of her.
"Tang…"
"Hm?"
"What's a new-type mutant?"
"Contaminated kin."
"Kin?!" Yu Zhizhi's eyes went wide.
Tang Luo Ke led the way. The dim red lights on either side flickered occasionally. They rounded a corner and came to a staircase.
The ancient wooden steps were flanked by a blood-red mist.
'So you can go up from here…'
Yu Zhizhi moved a little closer to Tang Luo Ke.
'I don't remember any stairs from when I came down.'
'Could it be that the B13 Floor has multiple elevator entrances?'
Yu Zhizhi tailed him closely up the stairs. Just as she reached the landing, she heard a series of heavy, repressed roars.
"Yu Zhizhi."
The man in front of her suddenly called her name.
Yu Zhizhi answered, "Here."
"Stand further back."
"Oh…" She nodded, uncomprehending.
At the top of the stairs, the first thing she saw was an elevator.
A dark shadow stood before them—
It had a human's body and a mantis's arms, along with a long, pointed face like some terrifying alien. Its eyes glowed blue, and its bone-white fangs were exposed in its gaping mouth, from which a foul, viscous green liquid drooled…
This was the first time Yu Zhizhi had ever seen such a "creature." She pressed herself tightly against the wall, her eyes wide with shock.
'Beast World Planet, Valoran Empire, mutants…'
'Imprisoned Beastmen, and contaminated kin…'
"BEEP! Friendly reminder! This side mission requires you to obtain the crystal-clear Jade Treasure Pearl. The carrier will appear shortly."
The system's voice echoed in Yu Zhizhi's mind.
Tang Luo Ke glanced back to check Yu Zhizhi's position.
He saw the little female obediently leaning against the wall, far from the elevator entrance.
Her hands nervously twisted the fabric of her clothes. Her rabbit ears drooped, trembling slightly.
'As expected of the Rabbit Clan—timid by nature.'
'He rarely paid attention to such a weak clan. After all, the Rabbit Clan was born to be food for the Wolf Clan.'
'Usually, the most he considered was whether to have them steamed or spicy.'
'To think he was now keeping a live one with him. Hiding in the corner all by herself, she looked a little pitiful.'
Tang Luo Ke was used to Hunting and rarely felt much of anything when facing new-type mutants.
But this time, something was different.
He felt a rare excitement.
The mutated mantis monster, over two meters tall, roared and charged—
Tang Luo Ke raised his hand. His fingers elongated, becoming as sharp as five daggers and glinting with a bloodthirsty light.
A wolf's claws can tear through anything, no matter how hard!
The mutant mantis's chest was brutally ripped open. It let out a sorrowful shriek as its entire body convulsed and collapsed…
Vile green fluid splattered across Tang Luo Ke's face, neck, and clothes.
He wiped a streak of the fluid from his cheek with the back of his hand, his scarlet eyes grim. The moment he caught the scent of the blood, he realized something was wrong and froze on the spot.
"This is…"
He sniffed the blood on his palm, his brows suddenly knitting together. "The source of the contamination?!"
In the past two years, Tang Luo Ke had killed countless mutants.
Even SSS-level contamination meant nothing to him.
'It just meant going Berserk and slaughtering indiscriminately for a while—'
Having just witnessed a "slaughter" up close, Yu Zhizhi's legs felt nailed to the spot, completely immobile.
'Looking at Tang Luo Ke, he seems… 'in disbelief'?'
'Didn't he win…?'
'I heard him shout something about 'the source of contamination'... what does that mean?'
Tang Luo Ke looked far from normal. His back was slightly hunched, as if he were desperately trying to suppress something.
'Satan! Satan! What's wrong with him!'
Yu Zhizhi called out in her mind.
System: "He's about to go Berserk."
'Berserk?'
System: "When a member of the Beast Clan enters a Berserk state, they lose all reason and kill indiscriminately."
Yu Zhizhi murmured, "…He'll attack me?"
System: "You could say that."
Of all the mutants Tang Luo Ke had killed, the source of contamination was almost always the heart.
But for this mantis, it was its blood—
He covered his face with one hand, his whole body trembling.
The thought of the small female still in the corner made Tang Luo Ke turn his head. His scarlet eyes grew feral, his gaze burning with madness.
Yu Zhizhi stared at him blankly.
Tang Luo Ke's breathing grew heavy. His back hunched over, and fangs sprouted from his mouth.
'I want to…'
'Kill…'
'The urge to kill… every living thing, whether mutant or Beast Clan… anything that breathed… I want to kill it all.'
The beast within Tang Luo Ke was becoming impossible to suppress. He started walking toward Yu Zhizhi.
Just then—
The numbers on the closed elevator nearby suddenly began to change.
Soon, it stopped on this floor.
The elevator doors opened.
A young girl in a light blue princess dress stared blankly at the scene before her.
She was petite with a slender waist and skin as white as snow. Her large, sparkling eyes were bright, and her long, curly hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Adorned with glittering jewels, she stepped trembling from the elevator.
"Lord Locke…" she called softly.
Her cat ears twitched. The girl introduced herself: "I was chosen by Housekeeper Qiao. From today on, I am here to serve—"
The final word, "you," never left her lips.
A black shadow shot in front of her, sharp claws raised high—
The new Cat Clan female let out a violent scream as her body was instantly pierced by the claws!
"So damn noisy…!" Tang Luo Ke's hoarse voice was filled with vicious aggressiveness.
He panted heavily after killing the female before him. 'Just one life… it's not enough…'
'Far from enough!'
Yu Zhizhi had witnessed the slaughter firsthand.
She clamped a hand tightly over her mouth, not daring to make a sound.
System: "Focus on your side mission. The item you seek is on the body of that Cat Clan female."
Yu Zhizhi: "…"
'Who would dare go over there?'
'Going over there now would be suicide!'
But Yu Zhizhi desperately wanted to complete this mission!
She needed the elevator key!
Especially after seeing Tang Luo Ke in his Berserk state, she realized she had to get as far away from him as possible!
Yu Zhizhi regulated her breathing, pushing off the wall to force herself to stand straight.
"You…" Tang Luo Ke pressed his sharp-nailed hand against his right cheek, his scarlet eyes glinting from between his fingers.
He stared intently at Yu Zhizhi. "…Come here."
A chill ran down Yu Zhizhi's spine.
"What for?"
"Don't waste time, get over here now!"
Yu Zhizhi pointed to herself. "Who am I?"
Tang Luo Ke: "Yu Zhizhi."
'He can say my name, so he must still be rational… right?'
Yu Zhizhi still hesitated.
She then heard a deep laugh rumble from Tang Luo Ke's throat.
Suppressing the fear in her heart, she slowly walked in front of him. "Tang, what happened to you just now? Why did you suddenly—"
The next moment.
She was pulled into Tang Luo Ke's arms.
"Don't move." Tang Luo Ke held the female in his arms tightly.
She really did carry the scent he liked; just smelling it was enough to calm him.
It was as if both his body and soul were simultaneously being Healed.
"Let me hold you for a while," he said hoarsely.