Chapter 449 - 448: "I’ve Come to Find You.

In the pitch-black confinement room, the floor was damp. The light that streamed in when the door opened silently illuminated a pool of water.

Yu Zhizhi heard a distinct splash, like a single wave, that quickly faded into silence.

Buli said softly, "It’s in there."

Perhaps sensing Miss Rabbit’s confusion, he explained, "We encountered it during a war in the sea region. The circumstances were unusual, so we brought it back. But it has a very violent temper, so we could only lock it up for now."

When he first saw the mutated octopus, Buli didn’t make the connection to Miss Rabbit.

He just thought the red octopus looked incredibly familiar at the time.

Buli was from the Deep Sea Empire and had seen many octopuses. He assumed it was just someone he had met in the Empire and forgotten, until he saw the mark of the Beast God’s Homeland on its body.

Only then did he suddenly remember—

’It’s Miss Rabbit’s Little Octopus!’

Yu Zhizhi looked at the pool. Aside from the splash she heard when the door opened, it was now completely silent, as if the confinement room were empty.

The Cat Clan youth clearly sensed Si Hao’s aura. His gaze fell upon Buli, and he slowly made a connection to the Moon Rising Empire’s Extreme Ice Palace.

’So that’s how it is.’

Many people had gone to the Extreme Ice Palace that day, so Zero hadn’t paid him much attention. Now that he had a good guess as to his identity, the hostility radiating from Zero slowly dissipated.

Yu Zhizhi turned to look at him. Zero smiled and nodded at her. "Go on, go see it."

Buli stepped aside, his posture extremely respectful.

Watching Miss Rabbit slowly walk into the confinement room, he couldn’t help but glance at the Cat Clan youth standing opposite him. ’So this is the number one envoy of the Divine Hall. His choppy black and white hair is particularly striking. I’ve heard he’s the only Prophet on the Beast World Planet and has intricate connections with many people.’

’The Divine Hall’s white mask is minimalist to the extreme, yet it exudes a cold indifference. And yet, he’s willing to accompany Miss Rabbit to find the lost Young Master octopus.’

’Hmm...’

’Looks like Lord Shen He’s ranking is going to have to slip back a bit more.’

Zero didn’t mind being sized up in the slightest.

He simply smiled and asked, "Is your master here as well?"

Buli’s tone didn’t change. "The boss is always here."

This terrifying giant warship was the stronghold of a faction from Sun Ridge. The war on the sea’s surface had lasted for seven days and seven nights—though, of course, that was just what it looked like. In reality, the warship’s boss had been replaced long ago.

Buli’s expression remained unchanged, and there was no fault to be found in his words.

But the Cat Clan youth seemed able to see right through people.

He said slowly, "I think I should pay him a visit."

Buli just smiled.

He looked into the confinement room, his attention focused entirely on Miss Rabbit.

Yu Zhizhi’s footsteps echoed clearly inside the confinement room.

She walked slowly toward the pool.

As she drew closer, a faint ripple could be seen spreading across the surface of the water.

It was extremely light, extremely shallow, as if afraid of startling her.

Yu Zhizhi reached the edge of the pool. It was huge, taking up most of the confinement room’s area. Perhaps because many people on this giant warship were from the Deep Sea Empire, even the solitary confinement cells were built with pools.

The surface of the pool, unlike the sea outside, was an inky black. It was like an abyss, making it impossible to see what lay at the bottom.

But her intuition told her the Little Octopus was hiding down there.

Yu Zhizhi hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "It’s me."

Her voice echoed through the confinement room.

"I came... to find you."

The pool remained silent.

Like it was filled with ink.

A look of helplessness crossed Buli’s face. ’If I had gone through a mutation like that, I’d probably be hiding right now too.’

Although Yu Zhizhi couldn’t see what was in the pool, she didn’t leave. She just stood at the edge, gazing into the water.

Suddenly, she thought she saw something—

Without a moment’s hesitation, she bent down and grabbed it.

It was soft and sticky—it felt like an octopus tentacle!

"SPLASH—"

Yu Zhizhi pulled the tentacle out of the water. It wasn’t the red she expected, but rather looked as if it had been dyed with thick ink.

It also bore clear marks of decay, making it look terrifying.

She froze.

The Little Octopus hadn’t expected her to dare reach right to the bottom of the pool. After a moment of shock, it began to struggle.

Yu Zhizhi quickly used her other hand as well.

She held on tightly to the dripping tentacle, refusing to let the Little Octopus escape.

Buli watched from outside.

Miss Rabbit’s strength was small, but it was obvious the octopus wasn’t using its full power. If it had unleashed the same force it used in the sea, it could have dragged a dozen Miss Rabbits into the pool.

But it didn’t do that.

He recalled the Mutated Beastmen who had died at its tentacles during the sea battles. The octopus had seemed exceptionally frenzied then. Mutation affected the cranial nerves, causing drastic changes in a person’s temperament and mental state.

To avoid further casualties, they had locked it up in the pool inside the confinement room.

Yu Zhizhi gripped the tentacle with both hands. She realized that compared to the Little Octopus she remembered, this tentacle was several sizes larger. She even had to hug it just to hold on.

"You..."

She murmured, "Your spiritual power has increased!"

Wasn’t this the spiritual power the Little Octopus had always obsessed over? Yu Zhizhi had often tried to heal its Beast Bone, but she had never succeeded.

There were two types of Mutated Beastmen. In one, their spiritual power decreased, like Mr. Hamster.

The other was like the Little Octopus, where their spiritual power increased.

At the same time, their true form would become incredibly dangerous!

However, Yu Zhizhi did not Perceive any unsettling aura from it. All she knew was that the Little Octopus was struggling, so she hugged the decaying tentacle for dear life, bracing her feet against the pool’s edge, absolutely refusing to let go.

’I won’t let go! If I do, the Little Octopus will get away!’

As the two remained in a stalemate, bubbles started to rise from the inky depths of the water.

The Little Octopus didn’t dare use its strength, or it would pull the little rabbit into the water. This pool had originally been clean; it had only become so foul because of it.

It didn’t want to contaminate Tutu.

Because it was holding back, Yu Zhizhi was able to drag one of its tentacles, trying to slowly pull it out of the pool.

The Little Octopus didn’t want to hurt Tutu, nor did it want her to see its hideous appearance. Seeing her stubbornly trying to drag it out of the cold water, it panicked and let out a loud, wailing cry, "WAAAH!"

Yu Zhizhi froze.

She stood there for a long moment, hugging the tentacle without moving.

The entire confinement room echoed with the Little Octopus’s deafening sobs.

Outside the door, Buli scratched his head.

’Looks like this is going to take a while.’

He looked at the Cat Clan youth from the Divine Hall and asked, "Should we go see our boss first?"

"My thoughts exactly." Zero turned to the side.

Suddenly, a guard’s voice called out from the distance—

"Sir! Sir! Something big has happened at Sun Ridge!"