System: No, no, Linzhi can still hold up. You'll see when you go there.

…

Guo Xiaoxiao ate something in the tent, still worried about both sides. Arthur hadn't arrived yet, and she couldn't contact Lin Zhi. She decided to go check on the place where Carlos was being held.

Ian had previously used his abilities to contact Carlos, who was still unconscious, demonstrating just how brutally Ian had attacked him.

She then used psychic communication to call upon him.

"Carlos, Carlos!"

Carlos had already woken up, and he answered, "Xiaoxiao..."

"You're awake? That's great!" Guo Xiaoxiao asked. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

He was only knocked unconscious and otherwise unharmed. He's currently being held in a dungeon-like cave, warm from the sun. Thorny plants provide some shade above his head, and the space is just big enough for him to fit alone.

Even without transforming into a beast, this place can't hold him, but there's a kind of red vine in the cave that can sense his movements. Whenever he tries to climb up, the vine will entangle him.

Only when he relaxed would the vine loosen its grip. After several attempts and being pulled down, Carlos decided to sabotage it.

He could escape by making these plants lose control.

He tried cutting the red vine, but it was incredibly resilient. He then tried attacking other vines, only to find they were impervious to blades and spears.

Left with no other option, Carlos had to wait for an opportunity to act.

"I'm not hurt. What about you? Did the leopard beast bully you?"

The tent was piled high with food and animal hides, gifts from male orcs as a gesture of goodwill. She received all the privileges a female should have; being beautiful and advertised as possessing witchcraft, she naturally received even more gifts, Guo Xiaoxiao said.

"Fortunately, they were quite friendly to me, almost too friendly, bringing me food and trying to become my mate."

Guo Xiaoxiao was used to it. Although she found it a little strange, she still agreed. Being in an unfamiliar place, resisting too much would only cause trouble for herself and Carlos.

Moreover, the males of the White Stone tribe forcibly gave Guo Xiaoxiao the gifts they brought, without even asking if she wanted them. She eventually stopped refusing, realizing that arguing was pointless.

Carlos, still seething with anger, asked her, "Who was it? Was it the leopard that attacked us?"

Guo Xiaoxiao: "No, I haven't seen him since I arrived at this tribe. He's not interested in me. It's just that other single males in the tribe have been coming in one after another."

It's definitely a case of playing hard to get. In Carlos's eyes, Guo Xiaoxiao is flawless, stunningly beautiful, and universally adored. How could any male not like her? Ian is absolutely faking it.

"Be careful of that leopard beast. He might be using this to get your attention, Xiaoxiao. Ignore him and don't say a word to him."

Guo Xiaoxiao sensed the sourness in Carlos's words and said with a smile

"Yes, I understand." Then: "Where are you being held? I'll come find you."

Carlos looked up outside. He himself didn't know that he had woken up in a cave, and he couldn't pinpoint his exact location.

"Wait patiently for me to come out, don't make any rash moves, I'm coming to find you."

Guo Xiaoxiao: "I want to help; I'm worried about you being locked up."

What if the leopard beast decides to kill, and Carlos can't defeat it?

The unprecedented care warmed Carlos's heart; he was an orc with females, after all, and a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

"Don't worry, I can protect myself. You, on the other hand, need to be careful."

Guo Xiaoxiao nodded: "I know, I won't be a braggart."

…

Guo Xiaoxiao cut off communications

Carlos collapsed into the grass like a punctured balloon, his head resting on his elbow, staring blankly at the vines above the cave.

He wanted to see Xiaoxiao and talk to her; the feeling of being apart was truly unbearable.

The leopard beast's special ability prevents Carlos from transforming into his beast form; the ability is continuous, and he still cannot change his beast form.

Absolutely unlucky; anyone would be doomed if they encountered this skill.

…

Arthur and the others hadn't crossed the sea yet, and they were anxious. Qianye was even more anxious; they were supposed to return in eight days, and how long had it already been? Would Linzhi be alright?

The underwater volcano was erupting continuously. I had swum about a third of the way and it seemed to be going smoothly when a big wave knocked me back.

The sea creatures were in complete disarray, busy coordinating between the females and their young, and barely had time to attend to Arthur and his companions.

As the leader of the Great Ocean Clan, Qianye cannot ignore his people. Even though he cares about Linzhi, he also has to attend to clan affairs, leaving him with no choice but to focus on his duties.

Arthur was furious that she couldn't swim in the sea for long. He'd promised to go help, but before he could even get anything done, the female had disappeared.

Alright, now that we're separated by distance, who will help Xiaoxiao if she encounters danger?!

Arthur was so angry he wanted to smash things, but Qianye, knowing he was upset, stopped him.

"Calm down."

"How can you expect me to stay calm? How can you expect me to stay calm?"

Arthur roared, wanting to hit him again. Mickson, Cang Jue, and Randy all gave Qianye the same unfriendly look.

It was all his fault. He came to ask for help, specifically requesting Guo Xiaoxiao to come in person, but then he disappeared.

It's all his fault. If he hadn't come looking for people, none of this would have happened. He might still be living a carefree and leisurely life in Beast City.

Qianye was also helpless. Who knew the tsunamis would become more frequent? He didn't want it either, but he still had to save Linzhi. He said...

"I'm very anxious too. My female is over there too. I didn't do it on purpose with all these frequent tsunamis."

Mickelson took a deep breath, calming his anger, and began to speak.

"Qianye, send a few braver Star Ring high-altitude warriors to escort us across the river. If they come back after just one wave, they'll never make it across."

Qianye: "It's not that easy. We live underwater year-round. We can protect ourselves from tsunamis and underwater landslides, but we can't maintain stability while carrying you all."

Randy: "How long will that take? The longer it drags on, the more dangerous it becomes."

Cang Jue: "Damn it, I can't fly."

Qianye observed the water level; it seemed calm for now, but this bottleneck couldn't be maintained. Another tsunami would occur soon, and this had happened several times already.

He was truly speechless that this happened so suddenly at such a crucial moment.

Qianye: "It's getting dark, it's definitely not going to work today, we'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"We still want more!" Upon hearing this, the men glared angrily at Qianye, who shrank back, afraid of being beaten.

The orcs on land are far too violent. Like other males in Linzhi, they resort to violence at the drop of a hat, taking advantage of his inability to exercise his power on land.

Why don't you go with him to the sea? I'll show those orcs why flowers are so red!

…

Meanwhile, Guo Xiaoxiao was still being pursued and intercepted. At first, they were quite polite and didn't force her to choose a partner.

Everyone came to him to give him gifts and express their feelings.

As long as she doesn't resort to violence, Guo Xiaoxiao tries her best not to offend anyone and has been very polite.

Things changed overnight. The White Stone tribe's veterinarian, an elderly orc named Tu'er, entered Guo Xiaoxiao's tent.