Chapter 104 A Girl's Thoughts...

At first, when Rou Rou was still in her mermaid form, he could still see her relationship status with him.

Although the relationship wasn't particularly intimate, it was at twenty-nine percent.

After she absorbed those two mermaid pearls, the panel disappeared...

No... No, that's not right!

It was even earlier than that!

It was after the first monster appeared that Zhou Yan discovered he could no longer see Rou Rou's panel!

"So... that monster is hiding inside Rou Rou's body?"

Zhou Yan's gaze didn't linger, drifting past Rou Rou inadvertently...

That damn thing—if you called it stupid, it really wasn't all that smart...

But if you called it smart, damn it, this one knew how to hide well...

Zhou Yan didn't dare alert the enemy; if he spooked it and it seized control of Rou Rou's body, she would truly be beyond saving...

Rou Rou was spreading her arms, eyes narrowed, enjoying the wind blowing against her face.

Afterward, Zhou Yan sighed softly, looking with a touch of melancholy at Wang Youde, who was staring at The Ark with an excited expression.

Old Wang... could he handle this news?

Up until now, Zhou Yan had never seen anyone survive after being parasitized by a monster...

The current mortality rate was one hundred percent...

But Rou Rou's condition was very special!

Her current habits, facial expressions, and memories were all Rou Rou's!

This meant that the monster was still trying its best to hide, not having seized control of Rou Rou's body.

"Is there still any hope?"

While he was deep in thought, the speedboat had already arrived at the stern of The Ark.

Professor Li Guoming couldn't understand the ship's design philosophy or stylistic appearance, but he was greatly shocked: "This structure... these materials... this is... this is... this is just too awesome!"

Wang Youde and Zhang Xiaotian were much more simple-minded; their eyes were wide as saucers as they pointed at The Ark, which had no windows and looked like a starship, exclaiming: "Holy crap!"

Zhou Yan was calculating when exactly he should make his move.

Taking action on board was high risk; if this thing hid on the ship, would he even be able to keep the ship?

If the monster became desperate and destroyed the ship's critical equipment, Old Wang might not be able to fix it...

Better to...

The ship's AI operating system detected Zhou Yan's approach. As the commander with the highest authority on the ship, he naturally didn't need to request the people inside the cabin to open the door.

The stern gate opened, and the bottom of the hull began to flood so the speedboat could drive in...

Watching the three of them—Old Wang, Professor Li Guoming, and Zhang Xiaotian—get off the boat, Zhou Yan called out to Rou Rou.

"Rou Rou..."

Rou Rou turned to look at Zhou Yan, revealing an exceptionally clean smile with a hint of dependence...

Blue light flickered at Zhou Yan's fingertips, and sharp water blades began to form in the water...

"Unknown biological intrusion detected! Activating Protocol α-1! All security personnel on all levels, maintain high alert!"

It was still that gentle female voice; it was the AI's announcement.

"Protocol α-1, Shadow Intrusion!"

The AI's voice switched from the gentle female voice to an emotionless male voice. The equipment that was still draining water stopped working, and the entire bottom deck instantly lit up with purple light.

Zhou Yan moved, naturally positioning himself in front of the three of them, raising his finger as the water blades quickly floated up, hovering in mid-air...

But to Zhou Yan's surprise, Rou Rou didn't look very panicked, and the monster inside her was still pretending even at this stage?

Two beams of light shone from the walls on both sides of the cabin onto Rou Rou.

Amidst a rising mist, that familiar foul stench wafted over again.

When she smelled that familiar rotten egg odor on herself, Rou Rou understood.

She also realized.

She had just been wondering why Zhou Yan had called out to her, and why Zhou Yan had been looking at her with such a regretful expression.

She understood everything now...

She took steps backward, putting a safe distance between herself and Zhou Yan.

Rou Rou closed her eyes and spread her arms, mimicking the action she had made minutes ago on the speedboat while feeling the wind.

However, five minutes ago when she spread her arms, she was welcoming the wind, the wind of freedom. Five minutes later, she was welcoming death...

"No... impossible... Rou Rou!" Old Wang's eyes were filled with heartbreak as he looked sadly at the girl he had raised.

The AI's voice sounded again, but the information it conveyed left everyone around stunned in place...

"Protocol α-2! Separation and capture program initiated!"

The cabin ceiling automatically opened to the sides, and two silver-gray metal blocks quickly descended and unfolded; they were two tiny, miniature drones...

"Hum!" "Hum!" The two drones flew toward Rou Rou, continuously spraying a kind of pink mist onto her...

"Squeak... squeak!" "Squeak!!" Sharp, strange cries came from behind Rou Rou. Rou Rou squeezed her eyes shut, trembling all over in fear, not daring to look back at all...

She knew that thing was on her! She was so scared that tears streamed down her face on the spot...

The pink mist possessed a very special adhesive ability. As soon as it touched Rou Rou's body, a layer of violently wriggling, semi-transparent gelatinous substance immediately appeared on the surface of her skin, just as if it had been splashed with revealing liquid! Once the gelatinous substance was covered in that pink material, it seemed to melt, congealing into a puddle of pink "liquid" beneath Rou Rou.

The two drones coordinated with exceptional synergy; one continuously sprayed the pink substance onto it, while the other extended a straw-like tube, jamming it directly into the pool of gelatinous matter.

"Gurgle... gurgle... gurgle..." An indescribable sound echoed in the empty cabin, making the men frown.

"Separation and capture program complete! Biological sample Shadow has been sent to the biological laboratory!" the emotionless male voice rang out.

Following the gentle female voice saying the words: "The Ark welcomes you!" the purple light went out, and the cool white light turned on! The lighting on the entire bottom deck instantly returned to normal...

"Rou Rou!" Wang Youde was crying so hard that snot and tears were streaming down his face, mixing together into a messy, dirty smear, but he didn't bother to wipe it off, his heart filled with the joy of recovering his daughter...

He spread his arms and ran straight toward Rou Rou.

Rou Rou raised her hand to wipe the tears from her face, sobbed a few times, then smiled, rushing toward Wang Youde.

Professor Li Guoming examined the cabin in amazement; he had never heard of an AI of this level! He and Zhang Xiaotian were busy studying the various devices in the cabin that were full of Future Technology, letting out exclamations from time to time.

On the other side, Wang Youde wore a bitter expression, watching helplessly as Rou Rou spread her arms, brushed past him, and threw herself into Zhou Yan's arms...

Zhou Yan was initially resistant, but it was clear that Rou Rou needed some comfort and support at this moment, and he could understand that. He stopped his retreating steps...

[Analysis Result: Constitution: 19 (Strong) Spirit: 15 (Healthy) Psychology: 9 (Healthy) Relationship Analysis with User: 65% (Confiding)]

"Oh? Her constitution and spirit are both this high? It seems those two pearls had quite an effect!"

Her stats had more than doubled compared to before!

For Rou Rou, this ordeal could even be described as coming back from the dead! So, he let Rou Rou hold him.

Rou Rou buried her face in Zhou Yan's solid chest, feeling that reassuring warmth and his strong, powerful heartbeat; an unprecedented sense of security enveloped her.

A small hand, however, "inadvertently" brushed lightly across his well-defined abdominal muscles, bringing a slightly ticklish sensation...