Chapter 8

It was Elara's fault that this had happened. She was finally allowed back into her lab, and the test subjects were excited to see her. No.17 stared stubbornly at her, his dark eyes swirling with an unspoken vortex of emotion. No.11 was already crying—he clambered out of his water chamber, almost falling to the floor as he called her name in a soft, trembling voice. Elara couldn't respond to them just yet, though. She headed straight to the deep-water zone, where No.4 was. He slowly swam to her from the deepest parts of the blueish-hued water. His semi-transparent body was gentle and ethereal, and his ribbon-like tendrils brushed past where she stood. They tenderly traced the outline of her form. "What's going on?" she murmured dully. She couldn't wrap her mind around the situation. No.4 had always been gentle and aloof—he'd never drawn close to her or displayed any hint of aggression. So, how could this be? She was confused, unable to see through the enigma of the giant jellyfish. … Blue bottle jellyfish mutant—that was the name indicated on No.4's card. No one knew the beautiful and gigantic creature had a deep, dark secret. He loved his keeper dearly but couldn't touch her. He had hundreds of tendrils with millions of stingers. They would stick out upon stimulation and pierce the skin of the people who touched him; it wasn't something he could control. The venom would instantly stop a human's heart and end their life. The mutated jellyfish had an almost human-like intelligence. He loved Elara deeply and knew he couldn't withstand her touch. It was a joyful stimulation, but he was afraid he would hurt her, so he merely watched her silently on the other side of the glass. He didn't have any sensory organs but knew where she was. He had no eyes, but every cell in his body could sense her when she approached. However, this intense love was destined to never be voiced. No.4 didn't have the necessary organs to express his love for Elara. At the same time, his fatal toxins decreed that he would never be able to touch her. Ultimately, he could only bury his feelings for her deep inside him, making it a secret that he would take to the grave. He loved Elara more than life itself and constantly reminded himself not to touch her. That sort of restraint ceased to exist around others, though. His beloved had been switched out for someone else, but he wouldn't allow anyone to break their bond. Finally, she returned, but the price was his death. Elara looked at No.4 through the glass and traced a finger on it. His tentacles followed her finger and brushed against the glass. It was almost as if he was touching her. She knew nothing of his love and admiration. All she knew was that he was low-maintenance and never made a sound—he'd never sought her presence and attention, unlike Nos.11 and 17. He merely watched over her silently, always alone as he floated behind the glass. When she came, he would wave his tentacles, displaying a secret hint of shyness and joy. … Sentencing No.4 to death was a huge loss to the research base. The researchers gnashed their teeth as they released venom into the expansive water chamber. Before that, Elara opened the hatch for the first time. No.4 floated to the surface and carefully tucked away his tendrils. He ensured none of them could get close to Elara before sticking his soft head above the water. She stroked him gently and realized he was trembling. His tendrils shuddered in the water, causing slight ripples. She asked, "Are you scared?" Of course he wasn't. He was just experiencing immense, incomparable joy mingled with intense reluctance to part. This was his first time coming into direct contact with Elara—he trembled while controlling his tendrils. He couldn't touch her. This would be his first and last time being so close to her. "Prepare to execute." "Commence execution." "Commence countdown." "Please leave the chamber, Ms. Turner. Do not interfere with the execution." Elara heard the executioners' urges through her earpiece. She shut her eyes. … Unexpectedly, No.4 proved to be more toxic than they'd imagined. He continued to drift in his watery domain after the first poisoning attempt, seemingly unhurt. So, they tried it another time. Then, a third time. Each time, the poison was stronger than the last. After the third time, a portion of No.4's body tissues melted away. Despite that, it miraculously adapted to the potent toxins. What did this adaptation imply? This was a groundbreaking discovery. Even without proper testing, No.4 displayed capabilities beyond anyone's imagination. He was beautiful and transcendent, yet also terrifying. He'd absorbed the potent toxins that could've killed all marine creatures within thousands of cubic feet of water! After absorbing all the poison, No.4's body underwent some changes. Blue and white stripes formed on his head, looking almost like an ancient, mysterious curse. This mutation instantly changed the research base's mind about his execution. They started conducting tests on him within Elara's zone. However, when she was asked to leave, No.4 became depressed. He stopped struggling and fighting back, allowing the toxins to harm his tentacles and melt away his body tissue swiftly. The researchers were surprised and asked Elara to return. When she stood outside the glass, No.4 was revitalized. He started fighting against the toxins again. This was amazing. They'd never believed a creature like a jellyfish could develop emotions. This was Zone A's biggest surprise in recent times, big enough that they falsely reported No.4's death to pacify Stone Corporation. Then, they renamed No.4. He was now S-103. … The three-story high screen displayed the latest staff movements. Elara's name had disappeared from the list. People wondered whether she'd been removed from the research base because the test subject under her care had harmed Eva. The rumors spread like wildfire, and people started believing them. Some even stopped Ashley, whom they knew to be on good terms with Elara, to ask her what she knew. She merely blinked and told them to mind their own business. Finally, a few days later, someone saw Elara again. She wore a new uniform, and her access privileges went from requiring a card swipe to just an iris recognition scan. She entered the tightly sealed, highly fortified Zone S. … Elara was tidying her new office when Ashley knocked on the door and entered the room. As she approached Elara, she said happily, "Congratulations! Everyone's talking about you out there. You should've seen the looks on your old colleagues in Zone A—they looked hideous! "Someone even spread rumors about you bribing your superiors. Honestly, don't they have any common sense? Do they think Zone S is a place they can bribe their way into? Don't you get along with them? Why are they so jealous of you?" Elara was unbothered by them. Her new office gleamed with the pristine sheen of high-level fortifications, and one of the walls was made entirely of glass. Beyond the discreetly tempered patterns was a vast expanse of deep blue water. Her jellyfish—once known as No.4 and now designated as S-103—floated within it. Its long, graceful tendrils occasionally brushed against the glass, seemingly wanting to catch Elara's attention.