Chapter 17: The Human Face

As Ye Luo hesitated, the little deer crept even closer. It seemed especially fond of Ye Luo, not sparing a glance for anyone else, instead nuzzling up against her incessantly.

"Ye, um, Sister Ye..." Lin An glanced nervously at Ye Luo.

They had only just entered the herbivore area. The rules were still a mystery. What should they do now?

Ye Luo made no move at first. After a while, the little deer seemed to grow impatient. Its eyes started to flush with a tinge of red that spread rapidly.

The deer was about to go berserk!

Everyone tensed immediately.

Right now, the deer looked cute and harmless. But if it went wild, it would be an entirely different story.

Ye Luo watched it calmly for a while, then suddenly reached out and stroked the little deer’s head.

She petted it gently, again and again.

The deer immediately revealed a look of bliss, and the red faded from its eyes, little by little.

It let out a happy, contented call and pressed its whole body into Ye Luo’s arms.

"Good boy," Ye Luo murmured in soothing tones, continuing to calm it.

The little deer closed its eyes, nestling against Ye Luo with utter trust.

So, the animals here liked having their heads petted? And they didn’t seem dangerous at all.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally, an animal house that wasn’t so complicated. Now, all they needed to do was seek out the animals and complete their tasks.

Suddenly, Huo Qianqian let out a small gasp, quickly clapping her hands over her mouth in fear that she’d been too loud.

What happened?

Everyone looked over cautiously, their hearts skipping a beat.

The little deer’s face had changed!

At some point, its face had become unmistakably human. The features were twisted and bizarre—disturbing to behold.

If it had looked like this from the start, perhaps they would have been mentally prepared. But now, this abrupt transformation from adorable to grotesque startled everyone.

The rules of the Pet Paradise:

"All pets in this park are ordinary animals. If you see a pet with a human face, look directly at it until it leaves on its own."

Though they were unnerved, there was nothing to do but force themselves to stare at the deer.

Lin An grew anxious.

They were lucky—the deer’s main target wasn’t them.

But what about Ye Luo?

Would she be all right?

Ye Luo’s expression was unchanged. She continued stroking the deer, her voice soft and gentle, "Good boy, you’re the sweetest little darling."

Her gaze never wavered from the deer’s eyes.

The deer with the human face cocked its head. Its mouth suddenly stretched wide, revealing dozens of razor-sharp, horrifying teeth.

A deer, with such a face, such a mouth, such teeth!

Lin An nearly lost control and cried out, but Luo Yaonan quickly clapped a hand over his mouth.

The little deer opened its mouth wide, a twisted smile on its human face, and lunged at Ye Luo’s arm with its jaws.

Those teeth were deadly sharp—if they bit down, she would lose her arm for sure.

The sudden, violent movement made Ye Luo’s hair stir from the wind, but she did not move, not even a muscle. She kept the same gentle smile on her lips, stroking the deer rhythmically.

The sharp teeth brushed against her arm but, at the last moment, stopped.

The little deer rubbed affectionately against her, its uncanny face shifting back to normal.

As Ye Luo petted the deer, she kept track of the time in her mind.

Five minutes passed.

The little deer gave her one last nuzzle, then turned and trotted away.

A notification sounded in Ye Luo’s mind.

"Number of animals befriended: 1."

When the little deer had gone, everyone finally dared to let out the breath they’d been holding.

There was only one thing to be said: a true master is a true master.

If any of them had been in Ye Luo’s place for those five minutes, they would likely already be dead.

Ye Luo stood up, her expression unchanged. She looked at the group’s shaken faces in confusion. "What’s wrong with all of you?"

Their feelings were mixed.

"Boss, weren’t you afraid the deer would actually bite you?" Luo Yaonan couldn’t help but ask.

Ye Luo raised an eyebrow. "If it bit me, at worst I’d lose an arm. Dodge or fight back, and that would be a dead end."

She was certain that if she’d tried to escape, the deer would’ve gone wild on the spot.

And fighting back would have broken the rules—death would come even faster.

Luo Yaonan scratched his head. "That makes sense, but..."

In truth,

Now that he thought about it, it did seem logical.

But humans are driven by instinct—panic, fear, dread.

Those emotions are unavoidable.

And when ruled by them, it's nearly impossible to make a calm, rational decision in the heat of the moment.

But Ye Luo—

It was as if she simply didn’t possess those emotions, always able to make the most fitting choice in the most dangerous situation.

A sudden thought flashed through Luo Yaonan’s mind.

Ye Luo—

It was as if she was born for these game worlds.

"But?" Ye Luo arched her brow.

Luo Yaonan quickly shook his head. "Nothing, I just meant—you’re incredible, boss."

Ye Luo didn’t press. She said directly, "From what we’ve just seen, petting the animals’ heads is an effective way to build rapport. If an animal’s face turns human, remember: you must look it in the eye until it leaves, and do not let yourself feel any fear. I suspect that if you’re afraid, it won’t work as well."

Lin An scratched his head. "But...not being afraid at all, that’s not really possible."

"Why not?" Ye Luo looked puzzled. "They’re all quite cute."

A silence fell.

Cute...?

Well, perhaps that was the difference between them and Ye Luo.

She was about to say more when—

Another little animal approached.

This time, it was a half-grown elephant, nearly as tall as a person.

The elephant ignored everyone else, ambling straight to Lin An.

His heart skipped a beat.

It was his turn now. And his nerves were nothing like Ye Luo’s.

Yet, under the expectant gaze of the little elephant, he reached out with a trembling hand and patted its head.

The elephant’s eyes closed in enjoyment.

Lin An’s hand shook even harder.

He kept repeating to himself: If the elephant’s face turns human, you must stay calm. If it tries to attack, you absolutely cannot dodge.

But the more he told himself this, the more his hand trembled.

The elephant lifted its head, and everyone could clearly see a flash of displeasure in its eyes.

In the next instant, the elephant suddenly let out a loud trumpet.

Lin An’s hand jerked, his stroking halted.

In that moment, the entire world seemed to tremble.

For, not far away—

A herd of more than a dozen elephants was charging rapidly toward them.