Cooking in the Monster Sanctuary - Chapter 3 - Part 1

Compared to the living area, the sixth underground floor felt much more cramped and oppressive.

Upon descending the elevator, a vast and deep corridor stretched ahead, with cold white lights extending all the way to the corner.

This floor was extensive, intricate like a labyrinth, where every corner seemed like a gaping maw of a giant beast, shrouded in mysterious unknowns.

The space was divided by copper walls and iron barriers into several interconnected enclosed rooms, each room labeled with a numbered door plate.

To the left of the iron doors were holographic projectors, and when activated, deep black blocky letters projected onto the walls, introducing visitors to the detailed information about the contained entities.

At a glance, it truly resembled the appearance of a prison.

With nothing else to do, Lin Yu wandered aimlessly through the corridor, occasionally activating one or two holographic projectors.

Mermaids were sinister and cunning, adept at using their singing voices to bewitch hearts, luring ships into deadly waters; ghouls lacked self-awareness, instinctively gnawing on living creatures, reminiscent of zombies from apocalypse movies; snake women possessed eyes that could petrify, and when the security team captured one, they found nearly a hundred male stone statues in their nest.

Most contained entities were categorized as B-level, and the higher-risk A-level were scarce, while S-level entities were almost non-existent—she hadn’t found a single one.

Most contained entities were bizarre and novel, but she merely smiled and moved on, not leaving a deep impression.

It wasn’t until she accidentally pressed another button, and her gaze swept across the wall, that Lin Yu paused.

This projection not only lacked records of containment procedures, habits, and precautions, but it also didn’t provide any information about its attributes or classification. The empty wall displayed just two words—

“??” (Young man).

…Young man?

She mentally chewed on this seemingly ordinary term, unconsciously furrowing her brows.

Could it be that they also collected human samples in the containment facility?

However, considering the danger posed by human youths, how could they be assigned to the sixth underground floor?

The most peculiar aspect was that the introduction projection was empty, as if harboring a secretive mystery.

Uncontrollable curiosity welled up from within her, and Lin Yu stood in front of the door for a while, taking out her employee card and placing it on the electronic identification slot on the iron door.

With a crisp “beep” sound, the power supply immediately started running, and the iris recognition system activated.

After confirming her identity, the iron door opened automatically.

A strong scent of blood rushed at her, the rust-like stench of decay consuming the air which caused her to furrow her brows slightly.

The room was dim, with the central light set to the lowest setting. The dim yellow light swallowed soundlessly, diluted in the vast environment around and becoming even more stifling and oppressive.

The floor and walls were covered in bloodstains, dark red liquid splattered everywhere, forming a continuous river.

And at the source of this crimson river, a figure was leaning against the wall in the corner. Its head lowered so its face couldn’t be seen clearly.

Presumably, that person was the owner of this room.

The air conditioning continuously supplied cold air, making the temperature too low for the current midsummer, and the spreading bone-chilling coldness felt like being in an ice cellar.

Lin Yu breathed hot air into her palms, then walked slowly towards him.

The person was wearing a blood-soaked oversized T-shirt, the hem still retaining traces of its original snowy white color.

Butterfly-like collarbones were stained with a large amount of blood, and the arms visible beyond the cuffs were so thin that the bones were visible.

The dark red bloodstains contrasting with the cold white skin, along with bluish-gray blood vessels.

Flowing blood dropped from his hair, gathering on the floor into a sticky pool, and creating ripples with each movement.

This was a scene akin to hell, yet Lin Yu strangely perceived a touch of almost cruel beauty.

The closer she got, the stronger the smell of blood became, like invisible hands covering her mouth and nose. She had grown accustomed to this scent, so she didn’t feel disgusted by it.

With a hint of anticipation, Lin Yu crouched down, resting her hands on her knees.

Her voice was clear and gentle, carrying a light laugh as if unaffected by the somber atmosphere around her: “Hello, are you awake?”

Unpredictably, almost in an instant.

As her voice fell, a sudden gust of wind swept past her ears.

The pale arm of the young man lifted rapidly, his fingertips about to touch her delicate neck. He still kept his head lowered, looking sickly, yet his movements were filled with a murderous intent.

In the same fleeting moment, Lin Yu smiled slightly and accurately grasped his wrist.

Her grip wasn’t strong, it could even be considered gentle; with a slight push, and she pressed his arm against the wall.

He obviously hadn’t expected a stranger woman in front of him to react so swiftly in such a short time. When he raised his head in haste, their gazes met just inches apart.

Only now did Lin Yu manage to clearly see his appearance.

His eyelashes were slender, black as raven feathers, slightly upturned at the ends and covered in dried blood.

The lamplight mixed the blood color and shadow into his thin, elongated eyes like willow leaves. His pupils were pitch-black, his gaze sharp and fierce.

He was extremely thin, his facial features carrying the clean and smooth look unique to young people. Although his appearance was beautiful and captivating, the dagger-like coldness in his expression made people hesitate to approach.

Lin Yu chuckled lightly, “You’ve lost so much blood, probably don’t have much strength left, right?”

His movements just now had been smooth and fluid, indicating good skill. She hadn’t expected him to be so weak, easily losing his resistance with a gentle squeeze.

It seemed like she was bullying him.

“You don’t need to worry, I’m just here to say hello.”

She continued, maintaining her posture of keeping the young man cornered against the wall.

The bones on his thin wrists were poking painfully, the uncongealed blood feeling ice-cold in her hands, wrapping around her palm.

He looked up silently, his gaze slightly bewildered when it touched Lin Yu’s cheek. It was as if calm pond water was suddenly hit by a heavy rain, creating ripples in his eyes.

The young man silently stared at her for a while before finally letting out a self-deprecating smile.

He seemed to have expended all his strength, his voice was low and hoarse as he asked, “Are you from the management… or the captain of the special task force?”

“The second one,” Lin Yu answered without hesitation, “How did you know?”

“Other staff don’t have permission to enter this room.” He raised a corner of his lips, but there was no amusement in his eyes. His gaze was as dark as the night sky, “I didn’t expect the special task force to appoint such a little girl as captain. Truly absurd.”

Lin Yu retaliated by exerting a bit more pressure on his wrist. Her fingertips pressed onto the prominent bones of his hand, responding in a calm tone, “I also didn’t expect the containment facility to categorize a powerless man like you as a priority target. Truly absurd.”

The young man was momentarily stunned by her words, then chuckled lightly.

His voice was low, hoarse, and rough, like sandpaper. It’s accompanied by faint gasps and intermittent coughs, not particularly pleasant to listen to.

But with a curve in his willow leaf eyes and his pale lips slightly pursed, he looked quite good.

He said, “You’re more interesting than Jiang Zhaonian. Since you’ve taken over his position, he must be dead.”

Jiang Zhaonian was the previous captain of the special task force.

Upon hearing this name, Lin Yu’s brain halted for a moment, as if gears were rusting, then she simply replied, “Yeah, he’s dead.”

She brushed past this topic lightly and then leaned in with a smile, changing the subject abruptly, “Do you want to eat caramel pudding?”