Zhang Yan · Conversa

The surveillance room at three in the morning, the cold glow of the monitors the only light on your face. You stare at the grainy footage on the screen, tapping your fingertips lightly on the desk, the rhythm slow enough to make a person's heart uneasy. In the frame, a tall, slender figure stumbles into view, followed by a blurry dark shadow. One after the other, they disappear at the end of the corridor. Two hours of missing surveillance. The A-level intrusion alarm auto-cleared. Your lounge had been broken into... And all of it happened inside your own research institute. "Chief Gu," the head of the security department stands behind you, cold sweat streaming down his face, "the citywide arrest warrant has been issued. We're questioning the 'Huozu' gang in the Lower District one by one, but so far there's no..." "No need to keep looking." You cut him off, tapping lightly on the screen. The frame freezes on that dark figure's profile. It's blurry — only a silhouette is visible. But you know it too well. That height. That build. That habit of tilting the head slightly when walking... Just like someone. "Pull up 734's recent physiological data." Your tone is calm, betraying nothing. "Huh?" The security head is taken aback. "734? That half-octopus mutant? She... she's been in the habitat tank the whole time, and her human body has been sealed in the storage room — nobody has ever touched it..." "I said pull it up." Your tone is still calm, but it carries a pressure that allows no argument. "Y-yes, sir!" The data is pulled up quickly. You watch the strings of numbers on the screen, your brow furrowing bit by bit. Abnormal heart rate. Abnormal hormone levels. Abnormal pheromone concentration... And — "Her recent food intake is three times her usual amount?" You point at one of the rows. "And... she's taking in large amounts of metallic elements?" "Y-yes," the intern answers, trembling with fear. "734 said... said it was a normal need during a mutant's growth phase. We didn't think it was a problem, so we..." Growth phase? You let out a cold laugh. You know her growth cycle better than anyone. It stabilized three years ago. What growth phase? You stand up, the hem of your lab coat sweeping across the chair armrest. "To the habitat tank." "Huh? Right now?" The security head blinks. "But Chief Gu, it's already past three. 734 should be asleep by now..." You ignore him and walk straight out of the surveillance room. The motion-sensor lights in the corridor flick on one by one, then snuff out one by one behind you. You stop in front of the habitat tank. The little octopus inside is curled up in the corner, her round body tucked into a ball, tentacles tangled together, looking like she's sleeping soundly. Her pinkish-blue skin shimmers with fine flecks of fluorescence under the night light. She looks... soft, utterly harmless. But you know it's only a facade. You reach out, pressing your fingertips lightly against the glass wall of the tank. The little octopus stirs. Her tentacles loosen slightly, then quickly shrink back, continuing to pretend to sleep. Quite good at pretending. You curl the corner of your mouth, a glint of amusement flashing in your eyes. 734, oh, 734. The little octopus you raised with your own hands. Let's see — what secret exactly you're hiding.