Coveted After Becoming a Monster [Quick Transmigration] 18

Chapter 18:

The jeep stopped downstairs. With the sound of a door closing, the chaotic noises from outside were shut out.

The little octopus was placed on a table, a soft pillow underneath her. Although this gesture was thoughtful, it did nothing to soothe the little octopus’s mood. She remained listless.

The reason was that, after settling the little octopus, a certain person had turned and left without giving a reason, only saying that she would be back soon.

Her previous emotions had not been resolved. Instead, they had intensified.

All eight tentacles flopped down, pressing a hollow into the pillow. Then she buried her head, trying to drown herself and her emotions in it.

Annoyed, very annoyed.

She couldn’t figure out why, nor could she stop herself from thinking, from being annoyed.

The little octopus rolled over, did a somersault in the pillow, then another, rolling from the middle to the edge. She looked up and saw the other side.

Peeled and diced shrimp were arranged on a plate, with a glass of freshly squeezed watermelon juice beside it.

In times of peace, these were the most ordinary things. But after the species had mutated, only a few ordinary seeds had been preserved.

In a situation of scarce resources, deteriorating land, and extreme living conditions, the focus of cultivation was more on grains like rice and wheat. Fruits had become extremely precious, their price even comparable to tier-three beast meat.

But no matter how precious, they were carefully prepared and placed in front of the little octopus, becoming a common snack for Ji Yulin to coax her pet.

Li An stared for a while, then rolled over to the other side, deliberately ignoring them.

A breeze blew past the window. The juice in the glass swayed, creating ripples. The sweet scent spread.

A tentacle twitched, then was forcibly held down.

Although she had eaten so much mutated beast meat—tier-two, tier-three, and even tier-four after the raid that night.

But one bite had made her sleep for a whole day, so Ji Yulin didn’t dare to feed her any more, saying that her current body couldn’t handle that much.

But that was beside the point. The main point was that Li An’s favorite food was shrimp. Even though they were the lowest-tier mutated beasts, they often made the little octopus squint her eyes in happiness.

Therefore, Ji Yulin often fed her shrimp as a snack before and after meals.

She held it in and held it in, but in the end, she rolled back over and reluctantly climbed up.

The little octopus’s face was downcast. She mumbled to herself, trying to convince herself that she just didn’t want to waste food, not that she was afraid of wasting Ji Yulin’s kindness, and certainly not that she was afraid of making Ji Yulin angry.

She probably wouldn’t be angry anyway. After all, in her eyes, Ji Yulin had always been the epitome of good temper. Even the last time she was angry, it was only a momentary loss of control, and then she had hurt herself.

It had made Li An feel guilty for a long time.

At this thought, she remembered Ji Yulin’s injury.

It must have been the special medicine of this world, using mutated plants as raw materials. After just a few sprays, Ji Yulin’s fracture had completely healed.

Even the red marks on her neck and lips had been treated with a special ointment and had disappeared in a day.

At that time, Li An had been relieved, saying that it was fortunate that her mischief hadn’t caused Ji Yulin to wear a mask every day.

But thinking back now, she felt angry again.

I should have sucked harder. No, I shouldn’t have let Ji Yulin apply the medicine!

Her azure eyes darted around, and an idea popped into her head. Her gaze fell on the cabinet opposite her.

After I finish eating, I’ll throw that stupid medicine away!

The little octopus silently made up her mind. She propped herself up on her eight tentacles, stood up straight, and nimbly jumped off the pillow, pattering toward the plate.

One shrimp after another. She hadn’t even savored the taste of the precious watermelon juice before half the glass was gone.

After gobbling it all down, Li An could vaguely feel a little energy flowing, but she didn’t care much anymore.

After eating so many good things, these ordinary tier-one beasts could no longer make the little octopus feel sleepy. So she slid down the leg of the table, and with all eight tentacles working in unison, she headed for the cabinet that held the ointment.

Opening the cabinet and taking the medicine was done in one smooth motion. Soon, a little octopus with a tube of ointment on her head was seen, both guiltily and hastily, running toward the window.

Throwing it in the trash can might be discovered. It’s better to just throw it outside.

Her plan was thorough, and her execution was swift.

But when the ointment was thrown down, and Li An looked out the window, she felt a sense of confusion again.

She didn’t know where these complex emotions came from, nor did she understand what she was doing.

Her body slumped. The little octopus leaned against the window, her mood not improving at all.

She took a deep breath and looked out the window, trying to shift her attention.

The thin fog still lingered. It seemed to have thickened as the red sun set, mixed with the strong, fishy smell of the sea, making people feel inexplicably irritable.

The town was very close to the sea. Standing by the window, she could see the coast where they had come from.

This was something the little octopus had been curious about on the way. Since there were frequent attacks from sea beasts, why didn’t they live further away?

Ji Yulin’s explanation was that food was hard to come by now. Although the seaside was dangerous, at least low-tier mutated beasts were concentrated there, such as shrimp and fish. Although it was more difficult than before, they could still be caught in large quantities. Life inland was even more difficult.

This was also the reason why the Research Institute went to great lengths to deal with the beast tides.

At this thought, Li An’s gaze shifted back to the surrounding houses.

The town was not large. It was more like a slightly larger village. The houses were uneven, and the further out they were, the more dilapidated they became, some even built with just a few pieces of sheet metal, all showing signs of repair.

Their current temporary residence, in times of peace, would only be considered an ordinary house, but in the town, it was already a relatively good building.

Her gaze fell, landing on the sunflowers that every household planted by their doors.

They were both hardy and edible, and they were the only splash of color in the dilapidated town.

She imagined that those who risked their lives to go out to sea, after disembarking and returning home, would feel the taut strings in their hearts relax a little at the sight of these flowers.

The little octopus’s mood eased slightly. She leaned more heavily against the window’s edge.

Her azure eyes were fixed on one spot, and the previous decision resurfaced in her mind.

Stay or go?

Their relationship was still unknown. Li An didn’t even understand why Ji Yulin was so good to her, let alone whether she would continue to be.

At sea, she had been both confused and unable to stop herself from indulging in it.

But now they were on land, and tomorrow they would return to the Research Institute.

What if?

Her tentacles tightened, gripping the window sill.

Before, Ji Yulin only had her, but now…

The image of Ji Yulin falling to the ground in pain flashed before her eyes again.

To stay felt unsettling.

To leave, she would worry about Ji Yulin.

Li An’s thoughts were in a mess. The two choices pulled at her, making it impossible for her to decide.

But soon, her attention was drawn elsewhere.

She saw two people walking downstairs. One was wearing a white coat over a shirt, exuding a serious, meticulous air. The other was in a combat uniform, her movements brisk. Although their styles were very different, they were strangely harmonious.

Li An immediately ducked, hiding behind the window sill. Only after making sure the people below couldn’t see her did she cautiously peek out.

Ji Yulin and Ling Yun seemed to be talking about something. Although Ji Yulin didn’t respond much, she wasn’t completely silent either. They talked as they walked, and even stopped at the bottom of the stairs to talk for a while. Then she saw Ling Yun hand something to Ji Yulin.

Li An squinted, her gaze fixed on the bag.

She still didn’t know what it was, but it didn’t stop the little octopus from being dissatisfied.

But in the next second, Li An saw Ji Yulin look up.

The guilty creature panicked and quickly retreated.

She hid for a moment before daring to peek out again. When she looked down, the two were gone.

The little octopus’s scalp tingled. She had no time for anything else. Her eight tentacles were as if they had been licked by fire, and she scrambled back into the room.

She climbed down the wall, then the table leg, and finally fell heavily back onto the pillow before she could breathe a sigh of relief.

She hadn’t run away, but she was still guilty.

—Click.

The sound of the door opening was heard at that moment, and then footsteps from outside to inside.

Li An remembered, a beat too late, that she was angry. She turned her head and buried it in the pillow again.

Bad human. Little octopus will not talk to you for a whole day.

The person who had entered stopped midway, her gaze falling on the dirty octopus tentacles. Then she looked around. It was unclear if she had guessed where the little octopus had been. Only after a minute did she start walking again.

The little octopus, who had just started to feel a little puzzled, didn’t have time to think and immediately went back into angry mode.

All eight tentacles were stretched out straight, her big head tilted into the cotton, pressing the hollow even deeper, like a piece of dried octopus stuck straight into the pillow.

It was clear that she was very angry.

Ji Yulin, who had already walked to the table, her eyes curved. Then she saw the clean plate and glass.

“So good,” her voice softened, and she praised, “You ate it all.”

She didn’t know what was so praiseworthy about that.

Li An, who considered herself an adult octopus, was very disdainful, but her whole body had softened a little.

But on second thought, she remembered her persona as a mentally challenged child. Her body stiffened, and she awkwardly waved a tentacle.

Like a shy little dog wagging its tail.

Human, little octopus is very happy.

Really happy, I guess…

Ji Yulin found it amusing and patted her head.

The little octopus was now determined. She buried herself deeper into the pillow, resolutely expressing her extreme displeasure.

Fortunately, the little octopus breathed through the gills on her head. No matter how much she buried herself, half her head was still exposed, which saved her from the tragic fate of suffocating herself.

Human, if you don’t explain and coax little octopus today.

You! Are! Doomed!

But Ji Yulin didn’t coax her. Instead, she turned and went elsewhere.

Li An couldn’t help but perk up her ears. She heard her put down the bag, take off her coat, and then go into the bathroom. The sound of water started and then stopped, and then the footsteps grew closer…

Sitting on the bed?

Why isn’t she coming to coax her yet?

The little octopus waited anxiously but refused to look up, wondering if she wasn’t being obvious enough.

A tentacle slapped the pillow hard, making a thwack.

But the other side still didn’t move.

What is Ji Yulin doing?

Why is she so quiet?

Why isn’t she paying attention to me?

When you can’t see or hear anything, it’s easiest to let your imagination run wild.

The little octopus brooded and brooded, tangled in thought for a long time, and finally, with a swoosh, she lifted her head.

Human!

Little octopus is very, very, very angry now!