The award ceremony quickly passed. From beginning to end, Qiao Jianshan stood silently on the side with a smile, not saying a single word.
Moments later, everyone dispersed.
Long Xia shouted about wanting to have a dinner party and drinks together to celebrate Class D's first Beast Breeding Competition championship.
Qin Shou didn't agree. Drinking with these immature kids was pointless.
It's always gossip about Cuihua or other classes—completely uninteresting.
Speaking of nourishment, Qin Shou remembered he hadn't eaten yet. He was starving.
Taking a car back to the settlement area, Qin Shou briskly walked toward home.
As he passed by an alley, a cold voice called out to him.
"Qin Shou."
Qin Shou froze mid-step, turned his head toward the pitch-black and silent entrance of the alley, his expression shifting.
In the next second, he flipped a middle finger, turning to leave without hesitation.
Lunatics—anyone lurking in a dark alley must be some villain. No way I'm dealing with you!
"Stop!"
The voice suddenly turned slightly irate.
Immediately, several thick green vines bristling with thorns shot out from the dark alley, slicing through the air as they sped toward Qin Shou.
"Swish swish!!"
Qin Shou was prepared. Azure star power erupted, accompanied by a sudden dragon's roar, as multiple dragon-shaped star powers surged forward to meet the incoming green vines.
"Thud thud thud…"
The dragon-shaped star power was easily pierced through by the vines, dissipating into nothing.
Qin Shou's face tensed. Before he could react, the green vines accelerated, instantly binding him tightly in place.
The thorns on the vines secreted a milky-white liquid that penetrated Qin Shou's skin, immediately paralyzing him, rendering him unable to move.
"Beast Tamer!"
Qin Shou looked toward the dark alley entrance, frowning.
"Tap, tap…"
A middle-aged man in a crisp suit slowly stepped out from the alley.
Star power surged from all ten fingers of his hands, forming vines that emitted a faint green glow. The powerful star power waves made Qin Shou feel a chill in his heart.
At the very least, he was a Newborn Nine Stars Beast Tamer!
"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Liu Chao, from the Demonic Group. I work at the West City Demonic Division," Liu Chao said with a calm smile.
"Demonic? The world-class beast breeding group?" Qin Shou's face showed alarm.
Liu Chao raised his head proudly and smiled. "That's right!"
"But you're just an employee of the West City division. I suggest you should act low-key," Qin Shou suddenly retorted.
Liu Chao: "..."
"Let's get to the point. Why are you here?" Qin Shou asked.
"I'm here for you."
"For me? What do you want with me?"
"For your Undying Beast!" Liu Chao replied.
So that's what it was!
Qin Shou maintained a neutral expression and said, "Are you looking to rob it?"
"I wouldn't rule out that possibility," Liu Chao said while closing in step by step.
"Which means there's still room for negotiation then," Qin Shou laughed.
Liu Chao stepped up to Qin Shou and smiled, "Of course."
"As long as you're willing to let us research the beast and join us, everything will be fine..."
Before he could finish, a Space Gate suddenly tore open above Liu Chao's head, and a ferocious dragon head lunged out.
"Roar!!"
Simultaneously, a Space Gate appeared beneath Liu Chao's feet. Countless green vines shot out, transforming into a massive green shield that enveloped him completely.
"Boom…"
The dragon head slammed violently against the shield. Liu Chao remained firmly grounded, unphased by the greedy snake's collision.
"A decent Dragon Beast," Liu Chao said with a calm smile.
But in the next second, his smile vanished abruptly.
Qin Shou was nowhere to be seen. In his place was a strange little werewolf.
The little werewolf moved like a boneless creature, easily breaking free from the vine bindings, retreating ten meters back.
"This is…" Liu Chao froze.
Suddenly, as though he'd figured it out, he burst into laughter. "Haha, it's that Undying Beast!"
Having transformed into Big Big Wolf, Qin Shou sneered coldly, raised his hand, and shouted, "Greedy Snake!"
The greedy snake received the command, its mouth gathering flames before unleashing them violently.
"Boom!!"
The entire settlement area trembled subtly. Intense flames illuminated the night sky, shining brightly in the darkness.
"This is bad! Could it be a monster invasion…"
"Crap, get up quickly…"
"Inform the Guard Team immediately…"
The settlement area residents were thrown into alarm.
Soon after, heat waves swept across the area, dragon roars faintly heard in the air.
The awakened Qin Guofang and Hua Ping exchanged glances, their faces filled with shock.
"It's our kid's Dragon Beast!"
...
By now, the alley had been completely destroyed, the ground scorched black. The green shield's light had dulled.
Liu Chao stood pale-faced, staring at the Dragon Beast circling in the air, his heart filled with terror.
"This Dragon Beast is even more troublesome than the intel reported. The Guard Team will be here soon—I need to retreat…"
With this in mind, he bellowed, and the green shield dissipated into vines, enveloping him entirely before retreating underground and disappearing without a trace.
As Liu Chao fled, Qin Shou returned to his original form, his expression tinged with helplessness.
These guys move way too fast, don't they?
Thankfully, he's just from West City's Demonic Division. Otherwise, this would've been a real headache.
...
Demonic Group, West City Division.
In the office, the phone suddenly rang.
The night-shift staff picked it up.
"Hello, this is…"
"Tell Liu Chao to return."
When the staff heard the familiar voice, they straightened up and replied seriously, "Sir, Liu Chao has already departed."
The voice on the other end of the phone paused briefly, then said, "Never mind. When Liu Chao returns, tell him to go apologize to Yu Shusheng."
"Understood, sir."
...
Lin Xiaomei, her hair in disarray and not even bothering to change out of her pajamas, hurried downstairs and ran into Qin Shou.
"Qin Shou, just now—was that…"
"Nothing, just a small monster that wandered in. It's already taken care of," Qin Shou said with a smile.
Lin Xiaomei let out a sigh of relief. "Good. Did you see the message I sent you?"
Qin Shou looked puzzled, "Not yet, what is it?"
Lin Xiaomei said, "It's like this. Tomorrow, I've arranged with two classmates from the Beast Ability System to go hunting Black Ape Beasts outside the city. I sent you the info."
Qin Shou nodded. "Alright, I'll go. It's getting late, time to rest!"
"Mm. Tomorrow morning, meet outside Beast Power High School. Don't forget."
"Don't worry."
As Qin Shou spoke, he suddenly leaned forward without warning, moving closer to Lin Xiaomei.
Lin Xiaomei was startled and instinctively shrank back.
"You… What are you doing?" Her face showed an unusual expression.
Qin Shou chuckled and reached out to pull a stray hair from her shoulder, saying with a grin, "Young people losing hair already—that's not a good omen!"
Lin Xiaomei: "..."
...
Back in his room.
Qin Shou looked down at the message just received on his watch.
[Yu Shusheng: Tomorrow, Liu Chao will come to school to apologize.]
Qin Shou thought for a moment and replied.
[I'm taking leave!]
[Yu Shusheng: ...]
Qin Shou shook his head with a chuckle, opening the system interface and storing the Merfolk Gene into the gene bank.
On the interface, the Merfolk model was successfully constructed.
The Merfolk was half-human and half-fish, an oddly hideous appearance completely at odds with the stunning beauty depicted in legends of mermaids.
Thinking about it, he took out Lin Xiaomei's stray hair and tossed it into the interface.
[Merfolk Gene]+[Lin Xiaomei Gene]=[Mermaid]
Lin Xiaomei's looks weren't exactly nation-stoppingly beautiful, but she was at least a female.
A female was good enough. Qin Shou's requirements weren't high.