"Let go... don't touch me...."
She struggled desperately; suddenly, a brown bear burst out and tore the man to shreds. Just when she thought the crisis was over, the bloodied brown bear turned and lunged at her!
Fortunately, there was a cage separating them.
After that, many males charged onto the stage one after the other, scrambling to snatch the girl in the cage for themselves.
The bars of the cage were bent, and a bear paw reached inside.
Qiao Suisui instinctively closed her eyes, but no pain came.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a blond man riding on the back of the brown bear, a silver sword in his hand, thrusting straight into the brown bear's eye.
Ruka exerted force again, the silver sword piercing through the bear's eye and out the back of its skull, splattering Qiao Suisui with blood. He pulled out the sword and neatly slid it into the sheath at his waist. The brown bear fell silently, reverting to human form.
At this time, other Beastmen who had entered a frenzy were quickly subdued by Angsi and his men.
Qiao Suisui watched Ruka open the cage and walk in; she thought he was going to take her away like the men before him, but in the next second, she saw the tall man kneeling on one knee before her, his left hand touching his right shoulder, bowing his head slightly as if to pay respect.
"I apologize for frightening you."
At the same time, a notification sounded in her mind—
[A matching Beastman male detected: Spirit: SSS, Talent: None, Gene: Superior. Host is advised to conceive as soon as possible.]
Qiao Suisui froze, focusing on the words 'Beastman' and 'conceive'. Pushing aside many questions, she grasped the crux of the matter.
[Am I in a game? Can bearing his child send me back to my original world?]
[For each birth, the System will reward the host with items and points to aid your survival in this world. Once you accumulate 2000 points, the Transmission function will be activated.]
[How much for one child?]
[Points are awarded based on gene quality: Superior 100, Good 80, Average 60, Poor 40.]
She didn't want to listen to the voice in her head and had no time to pay it further attention. She had been injected with two drugs and was just barely holding on; her body felt extremely heavy now.
The second before she lost consciousness, she felt herself fall into a firm embrace.
Ruka carefully held her in his arms, making sure she had no external injuries, then wrapped her from head to toe with his cloak.
He looked down and saw her brows furrowed in unease, as though even in unconsciousness she couldn't forget to clutch at something. Her slender arms hooked unconsciously around the back of his neck, her petite body curled up in his embrace.
The closer he was to her, the more intense the fragrance he smelled, and Ruka's body started to burn with desire. Her faint voice reached his ears; even though she spoke a language he couldn't understand, it was enough to soften Ruka's heart.
His breathing grew heavy, his arms instinctively tightening around the person in his embrace. Realizing his lapse, Ruka decided not to linger and promptly lifted her horizontally.
Angsi stepped forward and said, "Colonel, all the illegal traders have been arrested, but the boss of the underground auction escaped in the chaos. Was it the scent of this little female that triggered the rampage? Luckily, we administered suppressants in advance, otherwise the mission would have been compromised... Colonel?"
He noticed an abnormal redness at the corners of Ruka's eyes. Just as he was about to ask, Ruka said, "If there's nothing else, we can retreat."
Angsi said, "What about the other females who were auctioned? How will they be accommodated?"
Upon hearing this, Ruka turned his gaze to the rescued females. Most looked dazed and foolish; some couldn't even speak. He glanced briefly at their number and then strode forward.
"Leave them to the Female Protection Association, the Military Department doesn't handle such matters."
"Understood. And the one in your arms...." Angsi reached out to take her but was avoided by Ruka.
"She's different."
Having said that, he left the underground area with Qiao Suisui in his arms.
A soldier came over, watching Ruka's receding figure and shaking his head in sympathy at Angsi.
"Ah, it's no use the boss taking her back; he's not..." His words trailed off as he started winking.
Angsi punched him. "What nonsense are you talking about!"
"Isn't that the case? The Colonel, with his strength and high status, a fine male, was rendered infertile due to his proximity to the pollution during the war. The scent of that female drove the entire floor mad, yet look at the Colonel, he's utterly unaffected, no wonder he never uses suppressants. Rumor around is that the Sikoses Family bloodline will end with him."
Angsi blinked, looking at the receding figure of Ruka, his expression peculiar.
Was that so? But just now, he clearly saw the Colonel holding that little female, desperately trying to endure.
...
Lego Palace.
This was the domain of Duke Sikoses, and besides the Military Department, it was the place Ruka frequently returned to.
The butler and male servants were always ready to serve. Right now, seeing their master bring a female into the residence, an absolute first, they were collectively shocked.
"You've returned, do you require anything?"
Ruka, holding the person, headed straight to his room. The butler hurried to follow, noticing his expression was more tense than usual.
"A medical kit, water, nutrient liquid, call Leberli to come over, and..."
Ruka had already reached the door when he suddenly stopped, turned his head toward the butler, and said, "Suppressants, as many as you have."
Following his instructions, the butler opened the door and then withdrew. It didn't take long for everything needed to be prepared and brought in.
The male servant quietly asked, "Does the master need suppressants? When the Princess stayed here last month, she just happened to be in her heat cycle, but the master just said a few words in her room before leaving, infuriating the Princess to the point she returned to the Imperial Court that very day. Since then, rumors about the master... cough cough."
With a composed smile, the butler dismissed the male servant and then looked towards the tightly shut door, his gaze profound.
Inside the room.
Empty suppressant syringe casings were scattered on the floor.
Ruka's face was flushed, his sleeves haphazardly rolled up, as he injected himself with another shot. The longer he stayed with her, the more he struggled to remain lucid, with lapses in consciousness becoming more frequent.
In truth, he could have easily handed Qiao Suisui over to the Female Protection Association, but thinking about the disturbance her fragrance had caused, Ruka couldn't feel at ease. There were plenty of cunning males in the Female Protection Association who used official business as an excuse to lure females into becoming their mates. Sending her there would be like jumping out of the tiger's den into the wolf's lair.
However, this man was overlooking the fact that he himself was also a 'wolf'.
At that moment, the girl's eyes and cheeks were suffused with crimson, even her ear tips, neck, and chest were reddened, as she intermittently spoke in a language he couldn't understand.
"...Water...hot..."
"Mom... I'll give it to my brother... tuition... dowry... go to school..."
"...It hurts... little mermaid..."
Ruka saw her curled into a small ball, seemingly in great discomfort, and approached to check her condition.
When he lifted the girl, his fingertips recoiled upon touching her burning skin.
Qiao Suisui's skin had become extremely sensitive, a light touch could provoke a shudder. The man's gaze focused on her pale neck, as his pupils began to dilate. The fragrance of Lily of the Valley enveloped him, a voice incessantly telling him—
Mark her!
Kiss her.
Ruka suddenly widened his eyes and rushed into the bathroom, splashing his face with cold water repeatedly.
Just now, it was only by virtue of his strong spiritual power that he managed to regain his senses. What kind of magic did this little female's fragrance possess that it could ensnare him as well?
Coming out of the bathroom, Ruka looked at Qiao Suisui with more investigative intent.
Afterward, he placed her into a bathtub filled with cold water, but as he watched the little female curl up and soon sink under the water, he feared she might drown and had no choice but to hold her as they both soaked in the cold.
Qiao Suisui felt the intermingling of cold and heat, comforting yet burning.
The persistent System notification sounded in her mind, which she didn't want to respond to at all.
The slip dress now clung to her skin, clearly outlining the girl's figure. Ruka's gaze deepened, then he looked away, picked up the suppressant, and injected himself with another dose.