The Mermaid’s expression flickered when he heard this.

Although he couldn’t see anything at the moment, he could sense that the scent wafting from the young female today was different than usual.

’...In heat?’

Females of the Beast Clan released potent pheromones when they were in heat, allowing males to track them by their scent.

Besides their natural cycle, there was also a drug that could forcibly induce a heat.

Yu Zhizhi curled up in Louis’s arms, her face pressed tightly against the Metal Badge on his dark green military uniform. The faint coolness it offered was not nearly enough...

Sweat soaked her long, curled eyelashes. The girl whimpered like a newborn kitten, a choked sob in her voice.

"I... I want the Mermaid..."

Yu Zhizhi was in agony. She felt as if a fiery tide was surging through her, completely overwhelming her senses. She couldn’t think straight anymore; all she knew was that a voice deep in her heart was calling out for the Mermaid—

’Sob... I need the Mermaid...’

’It has to be the Mermaid...’

Louis replied softly, "Alright." He slowly bent over and gently placed the young female from his arms into the water.

His deep eyes fell on the young female’s face, which was flushed as red as a ripe cherry. Her misty eyes were welling with tears, making her look utterly pitiful. A stray lock of hair clung to her cheek, and Louis gently brushed it away.

As she was lowered into the tub, Yu Zhizhi instinctively grabbed hold of the Mermaid in front of her.

The water was clear, azure, and refreshingly cold. She couldn’t help but let out a soft moan of relief.

In that instant, the fishtail in the tub went rigid.

Louis stood to the side, his gaze fixed on the young female’s delicate, quivering body. The straps of her dress had slipped down slightly, revealing a shoulder as smooth as alabaster.

She was draped over the male Mermaid’s body, her soaked dress clinging to her skin, making her curves all the more enticing.

A dark look flashed in Louis’s eyes. He turned his back and started to walk out.

The Mermaid’s brow furrowed. "Take her away!"

Louis paused at the doorway. "Didn’t you hear her? She just said she needs you."

"...I haven’t differentiated yet! What can I possibly do?!" The Mermaid let out a laugh of pure exasperation. The young female’s body was scorching hot, and the moment she got in the tub, her hands began to wander, stoking fires everywhere.

"That’s your problem." Louis shut the door.

He stood outside the door, and as he looked down, his short black hair fell to nearly cover his eyes.

Even through the door, he could smell the potent scent of the young female’s pheromones. The jasmine fragrance had never been so sweet and alluring.

Louis felt a strange sense of irritation stirring deep inside him.

He tugged at his collar and walked away.

Louis was going to the courtyard to watch the snow.

He would leave this place to them.

In the water, iron chains rattled.

The Mermaid grabbed the young female’s wandering hands. Hearing her soft gasps, he felt a sensation in his chest like someone was gently tickling him with a downy feather.

The young man lowered his head, the mole on the tip of his nose hidden in the darkness.

"Are you in pain?"

"If you are, then climb out and go find Louis."

"He won’t be able to resist."

’Even without his sight, he could tell from her scent just how enchanting and seductive the young female must look right now. What male from the Beast Clan could possibly resist that?’

Yu Zhizhi was in no state to understand what anyone was saying. Even with her wrists restrained, she had to nuzzle and press herself against the cold Mermaid before her.

She tilted her neck back, her lips lightly brushing against his Adam’s apple.

"I don’t want Louis..." she whimpered, her voice soft and sweet. "I want the Mermaid..."

The young man could feel the female’s passion and attachment. ’She’s burning up with fever, and yet she keeps repeating ’I want the Mermaid’ over and over...’

He remembered the auction, how the young Rabbit Clan female had spent seven broken dreams to buy him.

Every Beastman living on the Beast World Planet knew the value of a broken dream.

—And she hadn’t hesitated for a second.

After being brought to the cabin, the young female had never forced him to do anything. When he refused to have the prosthetic eyes installed, she had stopped the physician.

And now, she was unabashedly showing her deep affection for him.

Even though the fever had clouded her mind, she still tried to burrow into his embrace, gently rubbing her cheek against his jaw again and again.

"Hold me..." Tears streamed from the corners of her eyes, her soft voice thick with desire. Her entire body trembled like a pear blossom in a spring breeze.

The Mermaid’s throat bobbed.

He dragged his chains, tilting the young female’s chin up. His voice was deep and hoarse. "...You like me?"

’She’s completely lost her senses.’

’So why does she still want the Mermaid?’

’Why is she holding on to me so tightly?’

Yu Zhizhi clung to the cold Mermaid. Just the contact was comforting, but it was far from enough.

She wanted more. So much more—

Her voice was thick and nasal as she followed her body’s instincts, gently moving her hips. The cold iron chain scraped against the tender skin of her inner thigh. She closed her eyes and offered up her lips, her rabbit ears flattened slightly back as she whispered almost inaudibly.

"Ki... Kiss me..."

’She’s right here.’

’Utterly defenseless, his for the taking.’

The little rabbit female was draped over him so delicately. The soft press of her chest against his was so distinct, a perfect handful.

A blush slowly crept up the young man’s cheeks.

He had never been alone with a female in heat before.

The waves of that overwhelmingly sweet and alluring jasmine scent tested a male’s sanity, especially when the young female was being so clingy.

The Mermaid’s hand went to the nape of her neck, pulling her up slightly as his teeth grazed her shoulder.

’This is insane.’

’Both of them. This Rabbit Clan female, and that guy, Louis.’

’How could he just leave her here alone with me?’

’Even with the medicine he’d taken, he could still wrap the chains from his wrists around the little rabbit’s neck. With just a little pressure, she would die right here in this clear, azure water.’

A sharp sting of pain shot through her shoulder.

Yu Zhizhi opened her misty eyes, realizing the young man before her was doing something intimate.

Gentle bites, soft licks, slow caresses.

Her lips parted, and soft, broken moans escaped.

Her mind felt like it was about to explode.

"Yusen."

Yu Zhizhi vaguely heard the young man’s voice, thick with passion. "...My name."

"Sensen..."

She sobbed softly, hugging the Mermaid even tighter.

"Kisses aren’t enough..."

Yu Zhizhi rubbed her cheek against his, hoping for more fervent treatment.

A faint blush had already appeared on the Mermaid’s pale skin. His light blue fishtail was gradually deepening in color, turning a rich, dark blue, like the unfathomable undersea depths.

This was a trait unique to Mermaids.

Disgust would tinge their tails with a layer of frost.

Joy, however, would deepen the color.

The young man’s hoarse voice enunciated each word. "Say. You. Like. Me."

Yu Zhizhi whimpered.

The young man tempted her in a low voice, "Say it, and I’ll satisfy you."

Between choked sobs and light pants, she said, "I like you..."

*Sob—*

Yu Zhizhi sobbed. ’I feel like such a liar.’

’—The young female likes him so much.’

’Look at her, crying and begging for my touch.’

The Mermaid’s tail slapped gently against the surface of the water. A thread of pleasure bloomed in his heart, spreading like glittering ripples on the ocean on a spring day.

This small, dim cage suddenly seemed much brighter.

"Ngh!" The young man’s brow furrowed as he let out a muffled grunt.

He felt a strange sensation from his tail and knew... he was starting to differentiate.