Monster Pet Evolution

by Stayrr

Three years ago, the animals and plants on Earth underwent crazy and unexplainable changes that included transformations, reversions, and the addition of otherworldly species. And it was the start of a brand-new type of profession in the new generation of humanity – Monster Trainers, people who specialized in taming monsters. On his 18th birthday, the protagonist of the story, Gao

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Chapter 161: Return Trip

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Shatuoman Man-eating Earthworm succeeded in being promoted to the Lord tier, so the task could also be considered to be completed. Although a pseudo-lord tier monster had appeared in the middle, the final result was still within expectations.

Perhaps… It was within expectations, Chen Xuehe thought.

The Blood Eye Whisker Vulture grabbed the female spider that had already lost its mobility and flew into the air, leaving the forest.

In the middle of the forest, a huge black ape that was 1.9 meters tall climbed to the top of a tree that was at least 100 meters high. It picked a green fruit and devoured it. After eating that fruit, the fur of the black ape gradually stood up. Green smoke appeared at the ends of the fur and floated into the air.

It had perceived the presence of several not-so-weak beings appear in the periphery of the forest before vanishing again. However, none of the presences dared to enter the depths of the forest to challenge its position as the king of the forest. It snorted triumphantly.

The Lord of the Dark Ember lay on a branch of the tree. It closed its eyes and pretended to sleep with its legs crossed, shaking them lightly. It seemed to be in a good mood.

After a while, rhythmic snoring came from the branches of the tree.

After leaving the forest, Gao Peng bid farewell to Uncle Liu and Chen Xuehe's group. Gao Peng refused the materials that Chen Xuehe promised to give him.

Two days ago, Gao Peng's grandpa told him that he should just let him know if he needed any materials. When it came to his maternal grandfather, there was no such thing as being courteous. By then, he would also upgrade Uncle Liu and grandpa's familiars.

The only problem was that it wasn't convenient for the materials to be sent over at the moment, so Gao Peng was prepared to do all these things after he reached Yuzhou. He would also let his grandpa know in advance what ingredients he wanted.

In terms of helping Director Chen, Gao Peng meant to return a favor. Whether he was willing or not, at least the Director had genuinely wanted to help him back then, and that was enough for Gao Peng.

This should be enough to repay the deep favor he owed to Director Chen, right?

After leaving the forest and saying goodbye to Director Chen, Gao Peng and Uncle Liu headed straight back home.

"Uncle Liu, you never told me that you have a Lord tier familiar," Gao Peng said to Uncle Liu snappily.

Uncle Liu glanced at Gao Peng and chuckled. "You never asked."

Gao Peng was speechless.

Who would ask that for no reason?!

"Uncle, is this Lord tier familiar your first familiar?" Gao Peng asked curiously.

"No, my first familiar was a Shadow Japalura," Uncle Liu answered while shaking his head.

"Actually, the Blood Eye Whisker Vulture only appeared on the island a while after the Cataclysm. When I picked it up, it was covered in blood and missing some feathers. Later, after I brought it back home, I fed it daily, and before long, it voluntarily signed a blood contract with me."

After a short pause, Uncle Liu continued, "It actually isn't very talented. Old Ji helped me measure it before…" As Uncle Liu spoke, his voice suddenly turned soft.

Their surroundings were very spacious. Apart from a few familiars, no one else was there.

He stopped for a moment, and seeing that he did not get a shocked response from Gao Peng, Uncle Liu coughed awkwardly. "After we get back, we can get Old Ji to measure the talent of your familiars."

Gao Peng was shocked. Could it be that Grandpa can also see the data frame?

After a moment of hesitation, Gao Peng asked, "How does Grandpa… measure it?"

"He needs to prepare some materials. Familiars and monsters can all be measured. Don't worry, it won't hurt your familiars," Uncle Liu assured him.

Gao Peng nodded. It seemed like Grandpa did indeed have a different way to measure talent.

"However, even if it doesn't have great talent, it is fine!" Uncle Liu's right hand patted Gao Peng's shoulder. "The Blood Eye Whisker Vulture isn't very talented, but it still reached the Lord tier."

"How did it do it?"

"Training."

"Training?"

"All kinds of heavy weight training. Training every muscle of the body. Repeatedly breaking through one's limit. However, it looks like it has reached its limit with this kind of training; it has been a while since it grew stronger," Uncle Liu lamented.

Gao Peng suddenly thought of the Boxing Ape. The two were different, but they grew through the same method.

If it were before the Cataclysm, pure muscle training would never induce such terrifying chemical reactions. However, after the Cataclysm, the rules of the world changed.

Gao Peng suddenly remembered that there was a strength and power evolution pathway for the Blood Eye Whisker Vulture. If it chose that path, would its final evolution form be the Devil Brawn Bird? Gao Peng's mind raced with inspiration.

He turned around and looked at his familiars. In that battle, Da Zi, Flamy, and Stripey had just been side characters.

However, the level of the battle had indeed far exceeded their range of abilities.

On the road, a monster hunting squad was headed back to the city. Several familiars and the corpses of some monsters were in the container of the large truck. Those were their haul from the last two days.

They exposed themselves to the danger of encountering Commander tier monsters and experimented in the periphery of the forest.

They sneakily took out a few Normal grade monsters, occasionally getting Excellent grade monsters or picking common herbs that could be sold later. In the process, they had to pay attention and ensure that their familiars avoided serious injuries; otherwise, the treatment cost would be too high.

If they encountered a Commander tier monster, then it was down to their luck. All they could do was hope that the monster was already full.

The proceeds collected from selling their hunting haul were dispersed equally to all members of the monster hunting squad. After deducting the amount for the household, the remains had to be used to groom and raise the familiars. Otherwise, if they failed to keep their familiars up to speed in terms of evolution, then they would no longer be going to hunt monsters, they would be going to the monsters as extra food.

This was the livelihood of most monster trainers in the world right now.

"But today's haul sure is awesome—a whole nest of just born Yellow-striped Gray Wolf cubs. Once we bring them back and sell them, I'll already have the tuition for my kid's next semester," a thin-faced man exclaimed loudly.

"Hey, Old Huang, your kid is almost 18 years old now, right? Have you thought about what kind of familiar you're giving him?"

The face of the man who kept quiet at the back of the car showed warmth when his son was brought up. "I've already come to an agreement with Boss Liu. He agreed to leave a Shatuoman Man-eating Earthworm baby to me."

"A Shatuoman Man-eating Earthworm, huh? An earthworm is pretty nice. It would be able to hide in the ground. It should be quite convenient in catching monsters," replied the man seated on his right.

He suddenly noticed that everyone in the car was silent. "Why aren't you guys talking?"

"Look over there… What is that?"

Old Huang pointed at a lawn in front of a small villa beside the suburban road.

"Isn't that just a villa? It can't be that you haven't seen a villa be…"

The voice of the man beside Old Huang suddenly froze. After that, he stared dumbly at the two humongous beasts in the front lawn.

The large spider's body would be 20 to 30 meters in diameter when fully expanded. At that moment, it lay limply on the lawn, and an incomplete halo rotated slowly beneath its body…

On its back stood a huge bird. Although there was no halo beneath the feet of the huge bird, it firmly suppressed the spider.

But the spider alone was enough to stun them.

"That… Is that a Lord?!"

Everyone in the car froze.

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Chapter 162: Pork Ribs Soup

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Why were there Lord tier monsters in the suburbs?

Everyone was frozen stiff. The driver could no longer hold the steering wheel firmly.

The familiars in the back of the truck shivered and hid in the corner of the container as if it would bring them a sense of security.

The familiars were more sensitive and perceptive than the monster trainers. With two Lord tier familiars so close to them, the deadly and threatening feeling almost made the familiars collapse.

It was a good thing the ground of the suburbs was flat; even if the driver failed to hold the steering wheel firmly, they weren't likely to crash.

As the truck drove further away, the pressure that had laid heavy over the vehicle gradually disappeared. A solemn silence fell inside the truck after the driver regained control of himself.

Everyone kept quiet.

They suddenly felt that their earlier conversation was meaningless.

By the time Gao Peng and the others reached the villa, it was 7:30 in the evening, and the sky was already dark. In front of the villa stood several vertical lamp posts emanating white light. In the light, the blood stains on the female spider were visible.

The task Uncle Liu gave the Blood Eye Whisker Vulture was to guard the female spider and prevent it from healing its injuries.

So, the method that the Blood Eye Whisker Vulture used was to eat!

If the spider grew some tendons, then the vulture would eat some tendons. The Blood Eye Whisker Vulture was almost full. It lay lazily on the back of the female spider.

Of course, Gao Peng and the gang did not know any of that. To them, the female spider just seemed very fatigued. For insurance, Gao Peng checked the information of the female spider from 50 meters away.

On the condition bracket, it showed that the female spider was heavily injured (Mobility impaired).

The other attributes did not change much, and Gao Peng focused on the options of Grade promotion. After all, it was only a pseudo lord, so it was one step away from becoming a Lord tier monster.

On the grade promotion bracket, there was only one option. It meant that it only had one option when upgrading.

Gao Peng was a little disappointed. Perhaps this meant that it had lost a significant amount of potential, which was why its evolution path was lacking.

[Monster Name: Horrifying Violent Female Spider (Pseudo Lord).

[Promotion to Lord: Required ingredients: One jin of Perfect Stone, Earth Core, and Flowing Earth Marrow Serum.

He had heard of the Flowing Earth Marrow Serum before, but the other two ingredients were completely foreign to him! It seemed like getting them would be entirely dependent on luck.

Although he could identify the ingredients as long as they came into his field of vision, the problem was that the ingredients had to appear in his field of view.

What kind of person would know where to find such obscure ingredients?

If he could not find these ingredients, then this Horrifying Violent Spider's level would forever be stuck at level 40.5, and its potential would be fixed to its current value. As time passed, its value would gradually decrease.

Regardless, it was still a pseudo lord, and apart from Lord tier monsters, it barely had any opponents.

"Uncle, do you want this female spider?" Gao Peng asked.

Although Uncle Liu had said that he would give the female spider to Gao Peng as a gift, Gao Peng still wanted to ask for his opinion.

"Why would I want a spider? It's so d*mn ugly," Uncle Liu said as he shook his head.

After he finished speaking, Uncle Liu noticed that Stripey was staring at him. Uncle Liu paused briefly and said to Stripey, "Of course I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about the female spider."

Stripey: "…"

Stripey crawled back to the house in silence. It pushed open the door using its claws, walked in front of a floor mirror, and observed itself. Occasionally, it would use its claws to rub its face. In the end, it turned around and left, satisfied.

"Then I'll give it to Grandpa as a gift." Gao Peng scratched his head. If even Grandpa did not fancy it, then this female spider could only serve as a test subject. Or could it be stored as high-quality food?

In the evening, Gao Peng was busy cooking in the kitchen.

He opened the fridge. A lot of vegetables and meat were in there, but no bones. Da Zi crawled over childishly, raising its tail and head and staring at its master. Gao Peng noticed it and turned around, only to see Da Zi giving him a pitiful look.

"What's wrong?"

"Eat, eat pork ribs!" Da Zi excitedly waved both its claws.

"There are no pork ribs left at home," Gao Peng said helplessly.

"Eat. Eat!" Da Zi did not give up. It moved in circles anxiously, making it look just like a purple donut.

"How? Do you think I can create pork ribs out of thin air?!" Gao Peng said without any restraint.

Da Zi was a little sad. Both the antennas on its head drooped downwards weakly.

Suddenly, Da Zi thought of something. It sneakily glanced towards the unnoticing Dumby…

Da Zi's action attracted the attention of Gao Peng. "What are you looking at?"

Gao Peng looked in the direction Da Zi was staring. His hand movements slowed as he saw Dumby seated on the sofa, watching TV without noticing anything. A blue flame floated and burned quietly in the empty skull.

After that, Gao Peng lowered his head and locked gazes with Da Zi. A man and a beast, weird emotion filling their eyes.

"Come here. Dumby, come here." Gao Peng kept urging Dumby from the kitchen.

Dumby went to the kitchen as Gao Peng tricked it.

A huge pot was in the kitchen. Boiling water filled the pot, and in the water were onion, ginger, garlic, wolfberry, angelica, and various spices.

Is this something the master prepared for me? Dumby was slightly excited, even a little bit grateful. Although I am just a skeleton, and I cannot eat anything, the master still did not forget me!

"Dumby, come here. I'll help you wash your hand." Gao Peng called Dumby over to the sink. He rubbed Dumby's bones gently to clean off the dirt on them. The grey and silver bones seemed to be shining.

Dumby watched the scene unfold in silence. Warmth filled its heart. Although its bones were cold and its soul flame did not have any heat, its mind burned fiercely.

Master looks so cool when he's serious!

Dumby swore in its heart, Master, I will definitely protect… Eh? Master, why are you pulling me?

Dumby did not understand why it was tugged over to the side of the pot.

"Dumby, come here and test the temperature of the water," Gao Peng said to Dumby.

Dumby nodded and put both its hands inside the pot without any hesitation. At the same time, Gao Peng observed Dumby anxiously; if Dumby showed any sign of not adapting, he would immediately lift Dumby's hands.

However, it looked like the temperature at this level was nothing to Dumby, and Dumby did not express any discomfort. On the contrary, it seemed to think the experience was interesting.

As time passed, the soup in the pot gradually began to give off a pleasant fragrance.

Da Zi raised its head excitedly, shaking its head in joy.

After half an hour, the pot of soup was finally ready.

In the living room, Da Zi licked the soup happily while Dumby stood quietly in the corner and leaned on the wall. They… As long as they like it.

It was also very happy that it could contribute to something that they liked. The soul flame in Dumby's eye sockets became peaceful and tranquil.

The next day, Gao Peng only woke up when the sun shone high in the sky. He left the villa and locked the main villa door. The familiars carried big and small bags on their backs. They turned around and looked once more at the villa.

Gao Peng sighed a long sigh and felt an odd melancholy. "Let's depart. Onwards to Yuzhou!"

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Chapter 163: Yuzhou

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It was precisely ten o'clock when the plane arrived. If it were before the Cataclysm, flying from Chang'an to Yuzhou by plane would take an hour at most. However, after the Cataclysm, the distance between the two places increased, and a plane would need exactly three hours to get from Chang'an to Yuzhou.

"Sir, familiars are not allowed inside the airport." The security guard blocked a boy who had a familiar with him and politely denied him entry.

"Eh? Then why are so many people bringing their familiars inside?" The boy was a little annoyed, and he pointed towards another access point. In that area, an old man and a younger man both brought several familiars into the spacious hall.

"That's the departure area for private jets. The Alliance Laws do not have any regulations that restrict carrying familiars on private planes right now," the security guard answered in a roundabout way.

Basically, what he meant was that private planes were the personal property of their owners, and so the owners could do whatever they liked. What they did with their property didn't affect anyone else.

As such, the lanes for private planes were different from those of commercial planes, and their flight paths were differentiated as well.

The change of expression on the boy's face was very interesting. After a while, he lowered his head bitterly.

"I've already told your grandpa, and he will send someone to transport the female spider to Yuzhou," Liu Shaotang said to Gao Peng. "That female spider is too big. It needs a specialized plane to transport it… I will leave the Blood Eye Whisker Vulture behind to accompany that plane. In case of accidents."

Gao Peng nodded to indicate that he understood.

After half an hour, they got on the plane. The plane gradually flew into the air, easing them further and further from the ground.

In the trunk, all the familiars were wrapped in chains to prevent any mishaps.

Of course, they weren't afraid the familiars would be in danger; they were more afraid that the familiars would tear a hole in the plane cabin…

Through the glass, the scene outside gradually turned monotone as waves of white clouds blocked the view. After that, the plane broke through the clouds and rocketed on upwards.

Gao Peng adjusted his seat to a comfortable angle and put on his eye mask so that he could rest.

After three hours, the plane prepared to land.

The flight attendants walked to Gao Peng's side and gently reminded him that they were about to land in Yuzhou.

Are we there?

Gao Peng removed the eye mask and pulled up the visor. Through the window, one could vaguely see the peaks of towering mountains touching the clouds.

Gazing downwards, one could see layers of mountains connected to each other, and the wide Yangtze River that seemed to go on forever. It was like looking at a huge dragon flying between the mountains.

In the midst of mountains, a huge city stood out. It spanned all the way from the foot of the mountain to the mountainside, only to be split apart by the Yangtze River. The surface of the river actually had ten bridges that connected the city to both sides.

Beside the river was a row of high embankments. Apart from that, there were also steel railings that protected the coast of both sides. Occasionally, armored cars could be seen driving along the coastal road.

The plane flew past the river and continued gliding forward, and the city beneath them was getting closer.

The cement and steel buildings of the modern city had a technological aura, with their external glass walls refracting lights. The plane flew over the city and headed south. Later, the plane circled around and slowly landed on the track.

A spacious airport appeared through the window. The signal lights on the ground shone, and the plane flew downwards. Their sense of gravity distorted slightly.

Finally, they landed peacefully.

Upon getting off the plane, Uncle Liu picked up the phone and talked for a while. He then quickly hung up the phone. He turned around and said to Gao Peng, "Old Ji is caught up with something and can't come and pick us up. However, he has already made arrangements with the company. We can head straight over there."

"Okay. I'll just follow your arrangements, Uncle." Gao Peng did not have any opinion.

Upstream of the Yangtze River.

After the Cataclysm, rivers all over the world became wider and longer, as if the planet was constantly "growing." The Shanchuan River upstream also gradually grew. It was a fantastical phenomenon.

Rivers thundered, and waves raged.

A sharp fin broke through the water surface like a sword, setting off huge waves.

Through the clear river water, a dark shadow was visible, circling in the depths of the river. From the surface, it looked like it moved here and there without any purpose, but based on the calculations of the military, its final destination was downstream of the Yangtze River, the city of Yuzhou!

"This little fella sure is naughty." In the military region of Yuzhou, a bearded high-ranking military officer was wearing a single black eyepatch. He looked at the video recorded by an unmanned drone and smirked.

Based on the dynamic images taken by satellites, the monster in the depths of the river made circles underwater, and sometimes it would even swim upstream. However, when one combined all the images of its swim path into a dynamic moving image, one could precisely calculate its final destination as Yuzhou City, located downstream of the Yangtze River. The seemingly meaningless movement all over the place was only an attempt to lower human vigilance.

Unfortunately, under the constant surveillance of both the unmanned drone and the satellites, its hidden agenda was not hidden at all, so it all seemed fairly hilarious in the end.

It was like a thief behaving suspiciously as he tried to sneak into a castle. He would pretend that he was only a passerby, but in truth, every move that he made was constantly and clearly monitored by the security camera hanging on the wall…

A group of security guards would sit quietly in front of the security footage, observing the acts of the dumb thief, chatting casually with each other while snacking on melon seeds.

In the depths of the river, the raging splashes produced a strong undercurrent. Bubbles appeared from the movements of the dark figure but were immediately popped. The blackish gray scales had a dark luster underwater.

A five-meter long water snake was sucked into the ridiculously strong undercurrent. The water snake did not even have time to react before getting pulled into it. The current battered the snake as it dragged it in.

It took some effort for the snake to finally regain its senses. The water snake opened its eyes, and a warm yet dim yellow light suddenly appeared underwater, and then a red carpet quietly appeared beneath its body…

The water snake looked down at the red carpet, puzzled. It looks familiar…

And in the next moment, water raged, and the red carpet flipped suddenly, and the water snake lost consciousness.

"So, this trivial monster is the one that interrupted my reunion with my grandson, huh?" Ji Hanwu stood on the deck of the boat. He looked calmly at the "island" in front of him that was gradually growing nearer.

At the highest point of the "island," a sharp white horn that looked like a spear pointed towards the sky. Sharp black spikes spread everywhere over dark gray scales. Its body was covered.

The part of the monster exposed above the water surface alone was over ten square meters, but the larger part was hidden beneath the river. As if it had noticed the boat, the speed at which the "island" approached the boat increased.

Ji Hanwu's expression did not change as he gazed at the approaching monster.

The monster slowly rose from the depths of the river. Its large body created huge waves, and the boat shook. Ji Hanwu placed both his hands behind his back. He looked calm. Both his feet were planted firmly on the deck of the boat as if he had grown roots. If one observed more carefully, one could see that two hoops had been used to fix Ji Hanwu's feet to the boat deck.

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Chapter 164: Southern Sky Group

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

A greedy mouth broke through the surface of the river. Streams of water flowed down from the hollowed gaps of the lips, creating multiple waterfalls. The humongous pitch-black mouth looked like an entrance to the depths of hell.

"White Dragon," Ji Hanwu said casually.

The air froze instantly as if the world had stopped moving.

Accompanied by a crackling dragon roar, a white aquatic dragon's claws suddenly appeared from the depths of the river. Three dragon claws struck the gigantic mouth and left huge claw marks on it.

Fresh blood burst outward.

Incredible strength tore the gigantic mouth open.

A fog covered the surface of the river, cloaking the river in white mist.

"Again. Every time. There's fog, and we can't see the scene of the battle," the one-eyed general of the Yuzhou military area said with an uninterested expression. He then threw a half-eaten piece of watermelon into the rubbish bin beside him.

After that, he waved his hand and left the monitoring room. "There's no need to show me the infrared footage anymore, I'm bored of it!"

From afar, the fog covered the area above the river surface, blocking the line of sight. Visibility was less than five meters. On occasion, a huge shadow could vaguely be seen moving through the mists, accompanied by the roars of a dragon and a beast.

After some time, the sound gradually disappeared and calm returned to the river. A white shadow broke through the fog and flew towards Yuzhou City. The fog that covered the surface of the river also gradually vanished. The raging river continued roaring tirelessly.

On the river surface, the remains of a boat that was broken in half were left afloat, slowly sinking downwards…

A huge dark shadow floated on the river surface. Thick pools of fresh blood spread in the water before quickly being washed away by the waves.

In the lower stream of the Yangtze River, two large ships drove towards the area. All the staff on board the vessels wore white work overalls and moved everywhere on the ships. Two words were printed on the sides of the vessels. "Southern Sky."

Several monkeys with bluish fur and carrying red bags sat on the ships' edges obediently. They shook their legs cleverly, wearing bell-type headphones while shaking their heads with the beat of the music. They looked extremely happy.

The ships gradually drew closer to the corpse floating in the river. Some staff members waved bamboo poles and hit the edge of the ship.

The blue monkeys obediently took off their headphones and carefully put them inside the red bags on their backs. They bent down and picked up the iron hooks on the edges of the ships, then leaped into the water.

The hooks were connected to thick alloy chains that sunk into the water steadily.

As the aftermath of the earlier battle was too big, no monsters dared to get close to the riverbed.

An employee who had just begun his work on the ship wondered what kind of music these monkeys listened to every day. They were high and energetic the entire day. He picked up a headphone and put it on his head. A familiar tune started ringing in his ear.

"Houge, Houge, you are awesome~ Even the five elements mountain failed to contain you. Out comes a Sun Wukong~"

The song was very catchy. The new employee could not help squinting his eyes before humming along.

In the river, the blue monkeys moved around agilely and keenly avoided several undercurrents. Finally, they swam up beside the monster's corpse, found a good spot, and firmly fixed the hooks on the joints of the monster's corpse before pulling at the chains. After confirming that the hooks and chains were firm, the blue monkeys swam to the surface and made a signaling sound.

The ships started moving slowly backward, and the chains extended, making clunking noises.

A few hooks that were not fixed firmly enough broke loose. The blue monkeys signaled to the ships to stop so that they could look for new areas to fix their hooks and chains. After several repeats, all the problems were finally resolved. So, the engines of the ships started.

The corpse of the Lord tier monster gave off a scent that scared away monsters and ensured that they were at least a dozen miles away. The blue monkeys crawled along the chains towards the ship deck. They then gently shook their bodies. The soaked armor-like fur that stuck to their bodies suddenly expanded outwards, releasing a shower of water droplets.

Their external layer of fur was soaked, but the internal layer of fur was still dry.

They put their headphones back on, then laid lazily on the ship deck, listening to the song that kept repeating itself while staring dumbly into the sky.

After getting off the plane, Uncle Liu called for the airport transport service, and they headed towards the Southern Sky Group. Otherwise, it would be really inconvenient for them to take a cab with all their familiars.

The Southern Sky Group headquarters was located in a suburban area, surrounded by tens of thousands of acres of land. It consisted not just of huge office buildings but factories as well.

The Southern Sky Group had also constructed some entertainment facilities in the surrounding areas. They used the headquarters of the group as a center that helped the economic development of the entire region.

The car stopped in front of the main entrance of the Southern Sky Group. The driver turned sideways and said helplessly, "I can't go further; the security of the Southern Sky Group is very strict."

Uncle Liu chuckled and nodded to indicate that he understood. He then paid and signaled to Gao Peng and the familiars to get out of the car.

The Southern Sky Group was surrounded by tall, thick walls, and a layer of electrified wires wrapped the top of the walls.

A security guard was stationed on each side of the entrance. Beside the security guards were two familiars, which were rare plant familiars. The familiars crawled up the tall metal poles. Their strong, thick vines covered the metal poles like pythons, and on the surface of the vines were large white flower buds. The flower buds were sealed shut, and on the tip of each sealed bud, one could vaguely see a protruding sharp spike.

Gao Peng was left speechless. It seemed a little too wasteful since these plant familiars were Lord tier.

Uncle Liu walked forward and produced a blue identity card from his pocket. He then handed it to the security guard. The security guard swiped the card on a machine.

His face changed color almost immediately. He quickly nodded to Uncle Liu, and at the same time, he opened the large automatic door.

"Let's go. We'll go inside first and continue waiting." Uncle Liu waved to Gao Peng. "Don't be so formal. Just treat this as your home, alright?"

Gao Peng nodded. "Alright."

Laughter that someone had failed to contain came from behind them.

Gao Peng turned around and saw a lady in a red dress covering her mouth as she laughed. One could almost see wrinkles in the corner of her eye from her laughter.

The lady should at least be around 27 or 28 years old. Gao Peng thought about it seriously.

"Excuse me." The face of the woman stiffened as she saw Gao Peng headed towards her. She forced her giggles down as she returned to her previously calm and cold demeanor.

"There's a waiting room inside the group headquarters. Please wait for me for a while in there. I know I promised to accompany you today, but there's an emergency at the group…" said a man wearing black casual overalls who stood beside the woman. He looked to be in his thirties.

"Okay, no problem. Work is more important." The woman nodded and smiled.

After entering the group building, Uncle Liu took Gao Peng around the place twice, before finally going back to the same spot awkwardly.

Cough cough. "It seems like the place has changed a lot in the two years that I've been in Chang'an," Uncle Liu said awkwardly. He ignored the suspicious and vigilant gaze of the security guard at the main entrance and continued leading Gao Peng inside.

"See what I mean? I thought the employee building should be here, but now I don't think we've gone in this direction before. This Old Ji, he's almost turned the factory into a maze," Uncle Liu complained.

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Chapter 165: Human Resources Department

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Please take a seat." The secretary wearing a suit poured water for Gao Peng and Uncle Liu. "Do you want anything to eat? I'll get the people downstairs to prepare something."

"There's no need, we'll be fine sitting here for a while," Gao Peng said as he shook his head.

"Ugh, secretary Han, leave these trivial matters to us," the clerk in the waiting room responsible for service said ingratiatingly to secretary Han.

Secretary Han glanced at him. A smile appeared on his face. "There are other guests in the waiting room, don't neglect them."

The clerk looked disappointed and followed instructions.

The lady in the red dress they met earlier at the main entrance of the company was coincidentally also seated in the waiting room. She sat by the window with a magazine in hand, her gaze sweeping past Gao Peng and Uncle Liu. A profound look flashed past her eyes before she lowered her head and continued reading her magazine.

After half an hour, secretary Han hurriedly walked inside. His steps were joyous, and as soon as he entered the room, he looked directly at Gao Peng and walked quickly towards him. He then knelt down and said softly, "Chairman Ji is back. He's waiting for you guys on the top floor."

Gao Peng nodded, got up, and departed the room. Uncle Liu was right behind him.

A clerk who was closer to them was dumbfounded. In his mind, two words lingered.

Chairman Ji!

There was only one Chairman Ji in the Southern Sky Group.

After entering the elevator, secretary Han took out his identity card and swiped it in the elevator. He then pressed the 99th floor. The elevator started moving upwards calmly. It was practically soundless.

A pleasant sound rang gently from the door of the elevator, then the door gradually slid open. As the door opened, a spacious living room came into view. The living room was decorated with two sofas, a tea table, and two pots of flowers in a corner.

The overall layout was straightforward and clear.

Several processed and well-preserved monster skulls hung on the wall.

There were the skulls of bears, tigers, eagles, and even the skull of a shark.

"Little Peng, you're here." Ji Hanwu, who stood beside the window, turned around to look at Gao Peng. A sense of warmth emanated from the usually cold face, as if an ice glacier had just melted.

"Grandpa." Gao Peng smiled politely.

Ji Hanwu was delighted at Gao Peng's arrival. He patted Gao Peng's shoulder and asked him to take a seat.

"Have you applied to a school?" Ji Hanwu inquired. Last time, the little rascal had said that he wanted to go to Sakura University, which really frightened him.

Cough cough. "I've applied. I've applied to Yuzhou University." Gao Peng sneaked a glance to observe Ji Hanwu's expression.

Ji Hanwu's face had been tense all the while, but it finally relaxed a little. Ji Hanwu coughed twice and nodded concisely. He said in a bright tone, "Before your term starts, you will temporarily work in the Southern Sky Group. I'm already old, and perhaps an accident might befall me one day. The Southern Sky Group is going to belong to you in the future, and how you destroy it then is your business. I can't do anything about it, but for now, you must learn how to manage the group."

Gao Peng was silent. In that instant, he did not know how to answer.

"Oh, right. I have not yet disclosed your identity to the other members of the senior management. I've called them over today… Would you like me to help you hide your identity?" Ji Hanwu asked hesitantly.

Gao Peng was baffled. "Grandpa, why would you say such a thing?"

Ji Hanwu said calmly, "I heard that young people nowadays like to play the pig and eat the tiger."

Gao Peng shook his head and said, "That's for other people. I don't have such a disgusting interest."

Ji Hanwu nodded in satisfaction. No wonder he is my grandson. He does not have that type of disgusting, weird habit!

"What position would you like?" Ji Hanwu asked Gao Peng directly.

"I'm much more well-versed in cultivating familiars, so I'd like to experiment…"

"Alright, then you're off to the human resources department!" Ji Hanwu made the decision.

"…Didn't you ask me what position I'd like?" Gao Peng was speechless. He somehow had a feeling that all elders came from the same mold.

"It's a habit," Ji Hanwu answered mischievously. The wrinkles in the corner of his eyes bundled together.

"Even if you are my grandson, you'll have to progress step-by-step after joining the company. It's too high-profile to let you manage a laboratory immediately. It's best if you head to the human resources department and stay there for two days first. After that, I'll look for a chance to transfer you to the research department, and we'll build a lab especially for you," Ji Hanwu consoled Gao Peng.

"I'm guessing it's because the lab that you're building for Little Peng isn't ready yet, is it?" Uncle Liu said, mercilessly exposing Ji Hanwu's plan.

Ji Hanwu did not get angry, he only laughed.

After a while, secretary Han knocked on the door and entered after getting permission. "Chairman Ji, they've arrived."

"Alright." Ji Hanwu nodded. He then turned around and told Gao Peng, "Come with me, and I'll introduce you to the members of the senior management team."

Gao Peng followed Ji Hanwu downstairs.

Gao Peng saw a familiar face among the members of the senior management of the group. It was the male partner of the lady who wore a red dress that he had seen earlier in the morning. The man seemed to recognize Gao Peng. He looked surprised, and upon learning Gao Peng's identity, the surprise magnified without limit.

Perhaps he thought of Uncle Liu's previous words, because the man's expression became quite interesting.

The senior management of the Southern Sky Group was not big. There were only a dozen or so people, and some of them were general managers of other base cities who did not come due to the long distance.

In truth, some of the members had already caught wind of the matter, so they were not all that surprised.

Concerning Gao Peng's sudden entry, these people maintained their smiles. Apart from that, no other emotion was shown. Everyone kept clapping their hands as if they really welcomed Gao Peng.

It was regrettable that these people hadn't pursued careers in acting.

For Gao Peng, who had the power of the data frame, the emotions of these people were clear as day to him. Of course, he also did not show that he knew. He quietly stood beside his grandfather and listened to the older man speak. He heard from his grandpa earlier during a chat that there were people who were against him in the first place, but these people had already been cleaned out in the past two years, and those who remained were his close aides.

When he talked about these things, Ji Hanwu did not try to cover up anything, since everyone in the building was his own people. There was no need to mention Gao Peng. As for Liu Shaotang, he had been his chamberlain for 30 years, and he was also his most trusted aide; otherwise, Ji Hanwu would not have sent him to protect Gao Peng.

Ji Hanwu allowed Gao Peng to know these things because he wanted Gao Peng to be mentally prepared early. The world had changed, and one could be compassionate and kind, but one also had to possess a firm hand.

Finally, his grandpa waved off most members of the senior management. "You guys go and do your thing. Oh, that's right, Liu He, stay back."

A clean-shaven man in his early thirties sat in place. His hair was parted neatly in a seven to three ratio, and he looked to be very clean and neat.

After everyone left, Liu He said to Uncle Liu respectfully, "Dad."

This is Uncle Liu's son?

Gao Peng looked at Liu He. He thought he had seen the man's face before, so it was probably when he visited his grandpa back when he was a kid.

Ji Hanwu said to Liu He, "I'm prepared to let Little Peng stay in your human resources department for two days. Please remember to take good care of him."

"Yes, Uncle Ji." Liu He nodded.

When no outsiders were around, Liu He called Ji Hanwu Uncle Ji.

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Gao Peng didn't stay at the dormitory. He moved in with Old Ji straightaway.

Old Ji was living in a large villa that was about one meter away from the Southern Sky Group's headquarters. It was located in a very convenient location because the Southern Sky Group had constructed several highways that went directly to the city center.

After chatting with his grandfather, Gao Peng went downstairs with Liu He.

They took the elevator to the human resources department.

In the human resources department, Gao Peng met someone unexpected.

A man in his 30's dressed in black.

When he saw Gao Peng, he quickly walked over. He completely ignored Liu He and looked at Gao Peng with a look of relish. "Young master Gao, I've been too presumptuous in the morning."

In Gao Peng's data frame, the man's status was shown as [Healthy (Calm)].

This caused a large ruckus in the human resources department.

A large number of workers there were shocked. All of them knew who the man dressed in black was. He was the head of the Southern Sky Group's marketing department. He was at the same level as Liu He, the head of the human resources department.

He was a very calm person. Gao Peng looked at Cao Xiang, who had his head lowered. News of him bowing down to Gao Peng would definitely spread throughout the entire Southern Sky Group.

He had definitely thrown away some of the respect others had for him. But in truth, he had not lost anything at all. Cao Xiang was very good at grasping the correct timing to do things.

Gao Peng was actually somewhat confused. He wasn't angry because of what happened that afternoon. If Cao Xiang hadn't come and apologized to him, he probably would've forgotten about it.

Wait a moment… Gao Peng suddenly felt shocked. A department head had suddenly come to him, bowed to him, and apologized. This was very uncool. His identity as the chairman's grandson had been revealed.

Gao Peng felt that this wasn't a good thing.

Gao Peng did not know why he felt that way. After all, he hadn't experienced office politics yet. This was just too high profile for him. It made him look like he was some sort of strongman. A department head apologizing to him in public right after he came.

This was his first day at the Southern Sky Group, after all.

Gao Peng walked forward two steps and lifted Cao Xiang up. He said warmly with no hint of arrogance, "Department head Cao, you must be joking. It was just a small matter. In fact, what you are doing now is making me even more nervous."

Cao Xiang got up and said that he would buy him a meal. He then left.

Gao Peng was paying attention to Cao Xiang's emotions. Besides being calm and experiencing a slight sudden shock during the conversation, he did not display any other emotions, such as hatred.

He didn't know if it was because Cao Xiang was very good at controlling his emotions, or he was actually this calm of a person.

However, Gao Peng's identity was revealed through this incident.

When he looked around the department and saw the expressions of his future colleagues, Gao Peng felt tired.

Liu He did not anticipate this incident would occur. He thought for a while and said to Gao Peng, "How about this. You go to Baiye District and handle recruitment there. It is a bit of a mess over there, but in terms of management, you will have an easier time there."

Gao Peng nodded. He just started here, so he would just do as Liu He instructed him.

Baiye District was a district in the northern part of Yuzhou City. It was relatively remote, and most of the buildings there were old. Some of the old wires passed through the gaps in the houses, and the electric poles stood on both sides of the road. There were layers of advertising on the poles.

The air on the street had a foul stench. Gao Peng furrowed his eyebrows. There were big sacks of black plastic bags at the corners of some of the houses. It was a hot day in June, and Yuzhou city was like a steamer.

The stench of the garbage spread very far. A large number of flies were flying around the garbage bags. When pedestrians passed by, the flies would spread and fly around.

Every shop on the street had their doors wide open. They couldn't stand this ridiculous heat. They had to absorb the relentless heatwaves.

"It seems to be a bit hot." Gao Peng wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"It is much better now. In the past, before the Cataclysm, Yuzhou City would become a giant steam basket! It is because the Yangtze is right next to the city. Summers here would be wet and hot. It is hotter indoors than outdoors. After the Cataclysm, the amount of forest near the city grew, and the Yangtze also got bigger. The summers now aren't as hot as before." Next to Gao Peng stood a spectacle-wearing man. He was a senior worker from the human resources department who had been sent along as Gao Peng's assistant.

Gao Peng nodded. It wasn't just Yuzhou City. Before the Cataclysm, the summers were hot in every part of the nation. This could be counted as a small benefit of the Cataclysm. At least the summers weren't as hot anymore.

"Young Master Gao, we are about the arrive. This is the Southern Sky Group recruitment department in Baiye District." Wang Liang nodded his head and bowed. With his golden spectacles hanging on his nose, he looked like a modern-day henchman.

Gao Peng was speechless. "Don't call me Young Master Gao."

"As you wish, Young Master Gao."

Gao Peng didn't bother correcting him anymore. He had already corrected him a few times while on the way there.

He left Da Zi and Stripey with his grandfather for two days. He couldn't take so many familiars with him all the time. Because Da Zi was the only familiar that had been passed down by his parents, Da Zi was extremely happy.

In the beginning, Da Zi was not happy. He wasn't happy that his master didn't want to take him along even though he was his master's first familiar. It took Gao Peng a long time to comfort Da Zi before he was willing to go with his grandfather.

This is the master's grandfather!

His Grandfather!

Dumby was Gao Peng's current strongest familiar, so of course, he would accompany Gao Peng. The five-meter-tall figure stuck to Gao Peng like glue wherever he went. On Gao Peng's shoulder was the green Silly. On his right was a fat crane that was hopping along.

Although Flamy was still a bit fat, he did not look like a penguin anymore. At least he somewhat looked like a crane. His fat body, shiny feathers, and thick neck all made him look like the spoiled son of a rich man.

"Actually, Baiye District is one of the districts in Yuzhou City that… is lagging behind economically," Wang Liang whispered to Gao Peng. At the same time, he also observed Gao Peng's facial expression when he told him that information.

"How far are they lagging behind?" Gao Peng asked. One couldn't tell whether he was happy or angry.

"A lot of people died during the Cataclysm. The social makeup changed drastically. Many people here are not able to adapt to the changes." Wang Liang lowered his head and sighed.

"Why is this place called Baiye? It is because the people who were waiting for jobs came from all sorts of professionals and industries before the Cataclysm. Some of the people were unwilling to resign themselves to their situation, so they worked hard and left this place. The ones that remained were…" Wang Liang laughed. What he implied went without saying.

Gao Peng nodded and looked around him. There weren't a lot of pedestrians in Baiye. He hadn't seen many pedestrians while walking on the streets.

They turned a corner in front of them. Wang Liang pointed to a two-story building and said, "Young Master Gao, this is the Southern Sky Group's branch in Baiye District. It is responsible for the human resources management in this district."

Gao Peng's attention was drawn to a hall opposite the building. There was a large awning in front of the hall. A dilapidated flap extended from the hall to the outside. A large black fan kept making a loud, Buzz, buzz, buzz.

Under the awning, there were people sitting down and lying around. It was crowded with people. Their clothes were old and their hair messy. They were there to rest. To get some air.

Sometimes, someone would walk into the hall or come out of the hall. People inside were moving around. Many were frowning, and they looked like they had a chip on their shoulder. The way they walked look like they were afraid of stepping on a mine. They moved around very hesitantly.

"What is that?" Gao Peng was somewhat shocked.

"Oh, that is Baiye City's recruitment hall. The people inside there are Baiye's best." It was unclear what kind of tone Wang Liang was speaking with.

"Baiye's best. What is that?" Gao Peng was somewhat suspicious. The people inside didn't look like they were the best at anything.

"It's just sarcasm. Many people here have lost loved ones, their houses have been destroyed, or they are unwilling to sign the Blood Contract. They think it is the curse of the devil. Who the hell knows. They are just trying to get by. They live their life one day at a time." Wang Liang shook his head.

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Chapter 167: Fat Happy Crane

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Degenerates. They were rotten, addicted to short-term pleasures, and had no hope for the future.

This was the impression Baiye's best gave Gao Peng.

Gao Peng nodded his head and didn't say much else.

After entering the Baiye branch of the Southern Sky Group, Gao Peng was able to quickly finish the procedures of taking over. It was a straightforward process. There weren't any power struggles.

Xue Hong, the manager of this division, was a married woman in her 30's. She had two sons studying in junior high school. Her attitude towards Gao Peng was neither indifferent nor enthusiastic.

"Recruiting workers in Baiye district…" Gao Peng said with a frown.

"There are subordinates who will handle that. Young Master Gao can rest assured," Wang Liang said as he nodded.

"Call me Head Gao in the future. I will deduct your pay every time you call me by the wrong name." Gao Peng gave him a glance.

"Understood, Head Gao!" Wang Liang answered very cheerfully.

"…" Gao Peng suddenly found this to be very interesting. He had found this fellow's weakness.

For some reason, what he was feeling felt very familiar.

"Head Gao, you don't need to worry about the day to day running of the branch. You will have subordinates who will report to you about what's going on. You only need to worry about specific recruitments and the transfer of personnel. This position gives you a lot of free time."

Gao Peng couldn't deny this. He only nodded.

What Gao Peng hadn't expected was the training center for familiars at the back of the big warehouse, which even included some training equipment. It looked like there wasn't a lack of people using the training center. Much of the equipment had visible wear and tear.

"Does every branch have such equipment? Gao Peng asked.

"Yes, basically every branch has some, but there are very few people who use it. Only those who have nowhere to go will come here." Wang Liang smiled. "Those who are in the Department of Security and the Central Security Bureau have more advanced and luxurious training venues. They are regularly required to go to the forest for field training."

Gao Peng muttered to himself. He looked at the worn out training equipment in the training center. He then went into deep thought.

"Okay. You can go do your work. If anything thing comes up, just report to me." Gao Peng didn't have the time to micromanage people.

"Flamy, come here." Gao Peng waved at Flamy.

Flamy hopped over and flapped his wings.

Flamy had already reached level 20. He had very fast growth; he was a young familiar destined to be a Lord tier monster, after all. He only needed to train for about a month before he could be promoted to the Commander tier.

If Flamy was promoted to the Commander tier, it would mean Gao Peng would have a very holistic fighting strength. Flamy could also fly. This got rid of Gao Peng's problem of not having a flying type.

There were a few iron poles in the training center. Rings were attached to the tops of the poles. The rings had a diameter of four meters, and they looked very large when one looked up at them.

This equipment was used to train a flying type monster's agility and foundational skills. The poles could be arranged in different patterns to create different routes.

"Can you still fly?" Gao Peng asked Flamy seriously.

Flamy had a blank expression on his face. He looked down at his round belly and used his wings to touch it. He looked very troubled.

Cheep, cheep?

"Try to fly for a while." Gao Peng walked forward. He arranged the rings into an uncomplicated S-shaped route.

"Fly through these rings. I want to see how much agility you have left," Gao Peng said to Flamy, stepping back.

Flamy stepped back two steps, opened his wings, and started flapping his wings furiously. His single leg stretched out and leaped. There was a surge of wind in the training center.

The dust on the ground started to swell up, creating a gray dust storm. Gao Peng covered his nose and closed his eyes.

Flamy struggled to perk up his neck and then gracefully flapped his wings. He then flew through the rings like a missile.

Bang!

One of the rings was hit hard. It flew a few meters and fell to the ground, along with the fat crane. Flamy was knocked into a daze from the impact. He rolled over a few times on the ground. He then looked at the fat on his body in despair.

Gao Peng, on the other hand, was unfazed, as he was mentally prepared for this…

"Let's try something simpler. It's fine, don't be discouraged. You need to believe in yourself. You can definitely do it!" Gao Peng walked forward to pull Flamy up and gave him some encouragement.

The rest of the training in the afternoon was filled with the sounds of Gao Peng cheering and the sound of Flamy puffing. After two hours of training, Flamy could finally fly, although barely. At the very least, he was able to fly in the correct direction.

A fat crane was circling in the air. He glided through all of the rings, then landed steadily on the ground.

Flamy widened his eyes and suddenly looked up to the sky and laughed.

Cheep, cheep, cheep!

As he was laughing, he suddenly let up a hiccup. A blaze came out of his long beak. Immediately after, a bright red light shot out from his whole body. Dazzling red flames emerged between the white feathers.

[Monster Level: Level 20 Level 21

He increased a level just like that?

Gao Peng's eyes twitched.

However, in a sense, this wasn't too out of the ordinary. Flamy had consumed a large number of items, he had gone through "harsh" training, and he was naturally gifted, so it was not unreasonable that he would be promoted.

But Gao Peng couldn't help but feel that something was strange.

The corner of Flamy's eyes was condensed with fire. They turned into light that scattered into the sky.

There was a squeaking sound in the sky. Strong flames sprouted out of his wings, then scattered about. They gathered together on the wings, connecting like threads. All the flames then merged together and ignited!

Within the flames, Flamy put in a great effort to lift up his neck and point his beak towards the sky. He spread his wings. Orange flames surrounded his whole body, and bathing him in the flame.

The fire also attracted people from the office. Some of them thought that there was a fire and rushed over with a fire extinguisher.

They then realized it was a familiar that was engulfed within the flames. Those who walked over did not know whether to stay or walk away. They could only stand there awkwardly.

In the end, it was Wang Liang who came over to ask them to go away. "Go back and do your own things. Don't make a fuss. This is Head Gao's familiar."

The people left the training center.

Wang Liang stood in the distance and smiled at Gao Peng. He then nodded and left.

Gao Peng hadn't thought that Flamy's promotion would cause such a big spectacle.

This greatly increased Gao Peng's anticipation for Flamy. It seemed that Flamy's fire attributes had woken up. Compared to Da Zi's half-baked electric attributes and Stripey's earth attribute that only used his muscles, Flamy's fire attribute was extremely powerful.

The flame lasted for ten minutes and then slowly died out. Flamy stood in the same place. His stomach was still very round… The only change was that the feathers on his body had turned light red. His figure had also gotten a little bit bigger after the promotion.

After Flamy was promoted, he flew up into the air with ease and confidence. This flight was much easier than before. Although he was still a bit round in his tummy, he was much more agile than he had been.

He flew through each of the rings with ease. It was hard not to feel happy when watching this.

Seeing Flamy's simple joy made Gao Peng think of a phrase.

I will never feel lonely as long as I am happy.

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Chapter 168: A Shadow in the Training Center

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Gao Peng checked Flamy's attributes. Unsurprisingly, both Flamy's ability and characteristics were changed. His true potential was unlocked.

The first passive ability was easy to understand, but Gao Peng was unsure about the active ability.

[Monster Name: Flaming Red Crane

[Monster Level: Level 21

[Monster Grade: Perfect

[Monster Attribute: Fire

[Special characteristic: Fire Feather (Passive effect: The feathers increase resistance against fire. Active ability: The feathers can leave the body and fly towards the enemy. The feathers will ignite after combining with the elements in the air and cause an explosion.)

[Requirements for Promotion to Epic Grade: 500 Jin of Burning Heaven Crystals, three or more Prime Mystery Fruit, Fire Marrow Pulp.

It only said the feathers exploded, but it didn't say how powerful the blast was. The blast didn't come from the feather itself, but from combining what was in the feather and what was in the air. This should mean that the explosion should be quite big. However, the training center was not a suitable place to test it out. It wouldn't be good to start a fire.

The only downside was that this ability would use up the feathers on Flamy's body. If this ability was used too often… Gao Peng couldn't help but feel a tremble in his heart when he imagined a bald crane flying in the air.

Flamy was flying recklessly in the air, feeling happy, completely unaware of what was going through his master's head.

Gao Peng lifted up his head to look at Flamy's figure. His lips pursed to the side.

When Flamy first came to Gao Peng, he had a look of great bitterness. As if the world had abandoned him. He only thought about having his revenge. Although vengeance was a motivation, living in hatred would make life a bit too difficult.

Why couldn't one smile while taking one's revenge? Making oneself wallow in misery and hate would mean falling into the trap of one's enemy.

Gao Peng didn't want Flamy to get rid of his hatred for his enemies, but he didn't want him to live in bitterness, either.

Flamy being happy every day. This was something Gao Peng should ensure as a monster trainer.

"Flamy, did you know that the figure you were in when you got promoted will be your permanent figure?" Gao Peng said loudly to Flamy.

Flamy, who was flying joyously, suddenly became stiff. It was fortunate that he didn't hit one of the poles. A look of terror couldn't help but appear on Flamy's tiny face. The more he thought about it, the deeper he fell into despair.

He started to whine in despair.

"Hahaha, I'm just messing with you." Gao Peng laughed when he saw Flamy's reaction.

Flamy trained for another dozen minutes or so to familiarize himself with his new form. He was then called to leave by Gao Peng. At the same time, Gao Peng also said to Dumby, who was weight training, "Let's go Dumby."

There were dozens of iron sandbags tied to Dumby's body. He held giant dumbbells in both his left and right hands. He nodded silently and threw the giant dumbbells on the ground. The earth let out a dull bang.

Dumby took the rest of the iron sandbags off his body and followed his master out of the training center.

The training center got quiet again, and the air started to turn stale.

The sky had darkened.

A period of time passed, and then a board in the corner of the training center started to move. It was then pushed aside. The backside of a small head could be seen.

There were walls on the three sides of the training center. The only exit led to the staff quarters and this branch's warehouse. Going forward were some of the company's factories. The location of the training center was very remote, so very few people came here.

So why was it that the equipment in the training center looked so worn out?

Gao Peng stood quietly behind a bunch of dense trees. He looked at the board that was pushed aside. From it came a blood red colored rat. Or at least, it should have been blood red. It was so dirty that the color had turned to reddish brown, and the fur on its fingers was clumped up.

The first thing the rat did was sniff the air. It then recoiled its neck in fear. Its eyes showed a very human-like expression of anxiety. It then turned in Gao Peng's direction and sniffed in suspicion. It didn't detect anything.

It then let out a few squeaks towards the wall.

After a while, a little boy climbed out of the wall.

The boy's hair was very dirty, and his face was, too. His clothes were very simple, and there were a few small holes in them. What was striking about him were his extremely bright eyes.

After climbing out, the boy looked over in the direction of the staff quarters. He let out a sigh of relief after confirming that there was no one there.

He then ran over to the corner of the training center and equipped the rat with some training equipment. The rat then started to run nimbly across the training center. From its familiarity with the training center, one could tell that it had been training here for a long time.

Whether it was from the exertion of power from its movements or its healthy body, every time it moved, its muscles would start to flex.

The boy trained for an hour straight. It wasn't a long period of time, but perhaps because of a lack of nutrients, the blood red rat's movements started to slow. It panted as it slowly came to a stop.

The boy walked toward the blood red rat and took off the training equipment. He then placed the equipment back in its original locations. He went to the corner of the center, picked up a broom and a dustpan, and started to clean the training center. Finally, he picked up a mop and mopped the whole place clean.

For a young boy, this sort of work was quite tiring. He was covered in sweat when he finished cleaning. The little boy bowed three times in the direction of the staff quarters, took the rat, and sprinted away through the hole in the corner of the walls.

Gao Peng suddenly remembered what Wang Liang said to him. The people who were dissatisfied with their condition in Baiye had already worked hard and left Baiye District. The ones who were left were just muddling through life without any expectations towards life.

It seemed that wasn't true for all of them…

There would always be those who were born in hell, but wanted to move towards the light.

They would be full of life even when living in a difficult situation.

The little boy crawled through the wall and put up the board again. He almost hit something when he stood up. He moved backward and almost fell to the ground.

When he looked up, he saw a huge figure blocking his way.

A faint flame could be seen clearly in the dark.

The little boy's eyes widened. The blood red rat who was standing behind him suddenly slammed forward and showed his fangs to Dumby.

"How long have you been coming here?" Gao Peng asked the little boy, walking out behind Dumby.

The little boy stiffened up in an instant. His whole body froze. He lowered his head and dared not look at Gao Peng. He muttered, "I've… I've… been coming here for half a year."

"Let's just forget about this. Don't come through the hole in the future," Gao Peng said.

"I understand. Thank you, brother." The little boy's voice was as soft as a mosquito.

"Come through the front door next time. I will have someone make you an identity card." Gao Peng turned around and left. "Come in the day tomorrow. Say that Gao Peng told you to come."

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Chapter 169: Blood Scavenger Rat

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Head Gao." Wang Liang ran over. Gao Peng was currently training Flamy and had his back to Wang Liang. He said to Gao Peng, "The boy you instructed me to look for has arrived. I've already made an identity card for him. He has been waiting for you downstairs."

"Understood." Gao Peng nodded and threw the frisbee in his hand. Flamy turned his head and opened his beak. Hot fire sprang out and instantly hit the frisbee, burning it in midair. The flames dropped liked water to the floor.

The frisbee flew for another ten meters before hitting the wall. It then fell to the floor. The white frisbee had been burned black.

"Bring him to me… Nevermind. I'll go to him myself." Gao Peng thought for a while and decided that it was better for him to go personally.

He was the one who had asked the boy to come over, after all. It would be strange if he didn't go personally. After all, the only ones who knew of his identity at this branch were Wang Liang and Xue Hong.

Gao Peng told Dumby to help train Flamy. The training was very simple. It was just to toss the fireproof frisbee so that Flamy could spit fire at it. This was to train Flamy's accuracy.

Even with his powerful flames, he would still have to aim to hit his enemies. Although Flamy had grasped the use of his skills, he still required a little bit of training to reach his potential.

Gao Peng paused for a while and then said to Wang Liang, "Go get me another 200 of these fireproof frisbees. Just charge my account."

The fireproof frisbee was a piece of very basic training equipment. It was also very simple to produce. Many companies made their own, and the Southern Sky Group was no exception. This was why they could be found in the company's warehouse.

Wang Liang nodded to show he understood.

Gao Peng came to the office building. A small figure was standing there timidly. He looked very out of place.

The little boy recognized Gao Peng when he saw him. He secretly glanced up at Gao Peng. When their eyes met, he quickly lowered his head.

"You're… a girl?" Gao Peng asked softly.

"I am a boy!" What Gao Peng said hurt his ego so he replied very loudly. His voice was very clear, but maybe it was because he hadn't reached puberty, his voice sounded a bit feminine.

Gao Peng laughed. He wanted to relax the boy a bit because he looked very tense. It seemed that the boy's courage had grown after speaking loudly. Although he was still nervous, he could now at least lift up his head and look Gao Peng in the eye.

"We have been expanding our factories recently, so we are short on manpower. We want to recruit more workers, but we don't seem to have any luck on that end." Gao Peng spoke slowly, "How about it? Are you interested in helping me out? Of course, your wages will be lower than the others because you are a child worker. The people who are more able-bodied will work more. Rent and food are covered by the company, and you will be able to use the training center for free after work. This is a basic benefit for workers."

The light in the little boy's eyes got brighter and brighter. His heart was beating fast. He nodded furiously.

"What is your name?"

"Li Junzong!"

"Good name."

"Head Gao, do you want me to place a recruitment notice in the recruitment hall?" Wang Liang asked quietly.

Gao Peng's gaze shot over to him. "Have we ever placed recruitment notices at the recruitment hall?"

Wang Liang stood still for a while and then shook his head. "No, we recruit quarterly. It is handled by the human resources department."

"Then don't place the notice." Gao Peng shook his head.

He helped Li Junzong because he admired Li Junzong for cleaning up the training center after using it. That was why he reached out to help him.

Southern Sky Group wasn't a charity organization. Those who wanted to come work here would have to get in during the quarterly recruitment. Those who had the will and the talent wouldn't need his help to get in.

"Oh right, when is the next recruitment period?"

"Two weeks from now."

Gao Peng muttered, "Did we recruit child workers in the past?"

"Most large companies don't take in child workers," Wang Liang answered carefully.

"Let's relax the age limit just this once. His basic salary will be lower than others by 30%. The other benefits are unchanged." The factory had a minimum amount of work each worker had to fulfill. Once that minimum was fulfilled, extra work done would be considered as a bonus. The more someone worked, the more they got paid. It was very straightforward.

Gao Peng let out a long sigh and said to Li Junzong, "Where is your rat? You didn't bring him?"

Li Junzong hesitated for a moment and said carefully, "It searches for food in the sewers during the day."

"Understood." Gao Peng nodded.

Gao Peng became very interested in that rat when he saw its attributes.

[Monster Name: Blood Scavenger Rat (Heavy Metal Variant)

[Monster Level: Level 4

[Monster Status: Mild Injury (Exhausted)

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Attribute: Gold

[Monster Weakness: 1. Fire-type 2. Light-type

The Blood Scavenger Rat was a heavy metal variant. This was the first time Gao Peng had seen something like this.

This monster was able to get along with a little boy. It even seemed like it was this little boy's familiar. There was definitely a story behind this.

However, Gao Peng was not interested in slowly going through his story. If Li Junzong wanted to share his story, he would share it. If he did not want to share it, Gao Peng wouldn't ask about it.

After they arranged for him to come in and start work officially tomorrow, Li Junzong left.

"Are you sure he went to the Southern Sky Group?" In a two-story house, a yellow-faced man with a flat top hairstyle who was wearing a yellow short-sleeved shirt asked, looking unhappy.

The room was very dim. Only a small stream of light from the window gave the place a little light.

"Yes, I quietly inquired about it. He seems to have been recruited by a senior executive at the Baiye District branch. He was given a position as a factory employee."

"He must be crazy!" The yellow-faced man looked very unhappy. "I encouraged him to join us due to the kindness of my heart, but this kid is stubborn. He'd rather eat the trash his familiar gets him. Now that he is a worker at the factory, he definitely won't join us."

"Boss, what should we do? Why don't we teach that little punk a lesson?" asked the small man next to him.

"What the hell are you saying! Use your brain to think for a second!" the yellow-faced man scolded him. The Southern Sky Group was not a company that they could mess with. Even an executive from a branch office was someone that they shouldn't touch.

The Southern Sky Group had a subsidiary company called the Southern Sky Security Company.

What did they protect?

They provided protection to the large and small criminal organizations in Yuzhou! They collected security payments from them regularly!

The yellow-faced man lowered his head resentfully. "Forget it. The next time we see that little boy, we will just pretend we don't know him."

He initially wanted Li Junzong to join his organization because he had a monster. More importantly, the monster was very fast. It should be quite strong. He did not expect Li Junzong to be able to find someone so powerful to help him.

This caused him great annoyance.

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Chapter 170: Underground Sewer

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Southern Sky Group had a few factories that were used to manufacture various kinds of products.

Moreover, the manufactured products were mostly equipment for familiars' basic training, which was also a very popular type of product. A large amount of finished product would be produced daily before being transported to large shops in each city.

The amount of the product that Gao Peng used was so little compared to the daily output of the entire factory that it was negligible.

At night, Gao Peng looked down on a Blood Scavenger Rat, a tiny, dirty-looking fellow.

"Wash it." Gao Peng pointed at the water tap on the side of the training ground.

Li Junzong hesitated a little, then grabbed the Blood Scavenger Rat and headed towards the water tap. He took the hose that was wrapped around the water tap down and washed the Blood Scavenger Rat.

The Blood Scavenger Rat seemed uncomfortable after getting soaked with water. It squeaked in irritation, running all over and around the water tap, soaking the employee uniform that Li Junzong had just changed into.

Even if the employee uniform was the smallest size, it still looked big when Li Junzong wore it, like a child wearing his dad's clothes. One couldn't help but laugh a little.

The dirt on the Blood Scavenger Rat was cleaned off with some effort. Its fur stuck in patches on its body after it was rinsed, shrinking the rat to around one-third of its original size in an instant.

Li Junzong glanced at Flamy as the bird spouted flame in admiration. He then bowed down and touched the Blood Scavengers Rat's head, his eyes filled with yearning.

Apart from speaking a sentence to Li Junzong in the beginning, Gao Peng did not speak another word to the boy. He just focused on training to increase the accuracy of Flamy's flamethrower.

The range of Flamy's flame wasn't small, and the fireproof flying disc was made of a special composite material that had a strong resistance to flame. If the flame were to be fired toward other familiars, especially those that had fur, it would be a real threat.

The training ground was filled with the sounds of familiars training and the noise of the two very focused monster trainers. The two only stopped training when the lights of the dormitory not far away lit up. The workers of the factory had already left work.

"There are a lot of monsters in the sewers. I picked up the Blood Scavenger Rat there," Li Junzong said suddenly as he looked at Gao Peng's back.

Gao Peng slowed his steps.

"There are a lot of monsters down there, so people from the city are afraid of going there. The last time I went down there was because I was really hungry… Then I met the injured little blood rat," Li Junzong exclaimed loudly.

Many people had asked where he got the rat, such as the small gang from the town that sold drugs. They had invited him to join them, but he knew they had only invited him because of the blood scavenger rat. After all, this rat hadn't signed a blood contract with him, it followed him because it relied on him.

"I don't dare to go down the sewers. Only the blood rat goes down, 'cause it's more flexible than me. A lot of people have gone down there before, but they were generally eaten by the monsters."

Gao Peng nodded, indicating that he understood where Li Junzong obtained his blood rat. He never would have imagined that so many monsters survived in the sewers of Baiye District, living on all kinds of garbage from the city.

After Gao Peng went back, he asked Wang Liang if he knew about the familiars in the sewers. Wang Liang's reaction was unexpected. "Of course I know. Relax. They don't dare to come above ground."

Seeing that Gao Peng's expression looked odd, Wang Liang coughed and said, "In the beginning, the monsters came up above ground, but after a few of them were killed by the monster trainers of Yuzhou City, they became afraid. Now they don't dare to come up anymore."

Gao Peng frowned. "So they just leave them alone? Let them reproduce down there without a care in the world?"

Gao Peng could not help but think about all kinds of scenes in disaster films. Mutant rats that flooded the ground, and mutant cockroaches that surrounded the entire city.

"I don't know how other base cities take care of them, but in Yuzhou City… I may know a little." Wang Liang glanced at Gao Peng secretly as he said, "It is also related to Chairman Ji."

"Just say it." Gao Peng frowned. He didn't like things to be left hanging.

"Chairman Ji has a familiar that lives in the sewers, and its food source is the monsters living down there. I'm not sure what familiar it is, I only know that it lives down there permanently, and it is responsible for maintaining underground safety," Wang Liang said as he forced a smile.

It'll be better to ask Grandpa when I have time.

However, Gao Peng became slightly interested with the familiars in the sewers. Unlike monsters in the wild, these monsters were urban dwellers, even if they only lived in the sewers. The difference between them and wild monsters was like heaven and earth.

Humans controlled the light of the city, while they occupied the shadow of the city. Stealing the garbage and waste thrown away by the humans, living secretly.

After a week, Li Junzong's work at the factory was already on track, and he was also getting more familiar with his job.

With a chest-level height, he wore a huge worker's uniform as well as a pair of rubber gloves. No matter how one looked at him, he seemed awkward standing beside the workbench. He worked hard every day. Mixed in with a bunch of adults, with him not even taller than their chests, no matter how one looked at it, he seemed funny.

Gao Peng also took the chance to return to Grandpa's place. He picked up Da Zi and Stripey, who had grown larger.

Da Zi and Stripey had grown bigger, but not the traditional meaning of FAT!

They grew stronger, more muscular. Maybe this was the difference between Grandpa and Uncle Liu.

Da Zi and Stripey were far from reaching the peak of their potential in the current species. So, their current leveling was at a rapid growth period.

Da Zi's level had reached level 25, and it became the first ranked familiar among all of Gao Peng's familiars. It might also have been the first time Da Zi led the entire pack in terms of level since Gao Peng signed the contract with Dumby.

As expected, there were a lot of benefits under Grandpa's care. Da Zi had already felt the benefits from it. Deep in its heart, it had already labeled Ji Hanwu as the friendliest human being around, aside from its owner.

As for Silly, who always only played a small role, it had also been promoted to level 20. It was just restricted by its quality by still being in the Excellent Grade, so it could not break through to the Commander tier.

The Levitating Jellyfish was always a useless familiar at Pengcheng, and almost no one wanted to sign a contract with a Levitating Jellyfish and make it their familiar. The basic reason was that apart from flying, it did not have any attack or defense skills. Its space attribute was also useless! It could only carry one small item with its body, and the volume of the space was not even big.

However, Silly was a wood spirit jellyfish evolved from a levitating jellyfish, it had a wood type healing attribute as well as the space attribute. It was far from being comparable to a normal levitating jellyfish.

"So, this is your healing skill?" Gao Peng looked at Silly floating in the air, speechless. One of its tentacles lifted up, and a green light was emitted from the end of the tentacle. The wound on the back of the white lab rat in front of him healed about one third.

But the problem is that I cut this wound just using a nail clipper!!

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Read Monster Pet Evolution Chapter 171 - King Red Carp online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 171: King Red Carp

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Puchi!" Silly nodded its head proudly. This made it extremely pleased.

Then, it fished out a cup of fruit juice from its personal dimension, rewarding its own excellence.

Gao Peng was in despair. Healing a third of a fingernail-sized knife wound. Just how weak was this guy's healing ability? Most importantly, he still seemed so proud of himself.

Don't you have any self-awareness at all?! It's the level; it has to be because the level isn't high enough…

Gao Peng could only try to comfort himself in this manner.

When the level goes up, it will become useful.

It seemed that the items that he had asked Grandpa to help him collect had mostly been obtained. When he got back, his familiars would again be strengthened a good deal. Perhaps Silly's abilities could be heightened as well.

Gao Peng brought Silly along as he went downstairs. There, he ran straight into Xue Hong.

Xue Hong did not have any special opinions towards this second-generation head of the company. She treated him simply like a normal person, neither fawning over him nor being antagonistic.

Either way, she had no plans of climbing the corporate ladder. Her position right now was pretty good. Hence, without any special ambitions, her attitude towards Gao Peng had always been plain and simple. She never questioned what he did.

"Puchi puchi?" Silly floated in mid-air, making its squishy sounds.

Xue Hong slowed down her pace, and she could not help but glance at Silly. He was a transparent, round, and cute little fella, so he was always tempting others to squish his cute little head.

Gao Peng realized that recently, Dumby seemed to like staring dumbly at nothing.

It would stand there in the middle of the night, raising its head towards the starry night sky. Its sapphire blue soul flames and the bright Milky Way seemed to be shining at one another.

Gao Peng felt that there was something on Dumby's mind.

"What's the matter Dumby?"

Dumby turned its head downwards at its master, and moaned in a low, raspy voice.

"Want… to go back and see, miss… miss her."

Gao Peng was stunned at first. Back to Chang'an? Then he threw away that idea. It wouldn't be Chang'an.

After some thinking, Gao Peng suddenly remembered that Dumby was initially caught and brought over as an experimental subject. It should have been living in its own family group in the wild.

The "her" that was mentioned made Gao Peng feel that there was a story behind all this.

"Your mate?" Gao Peng asked curiously.

"No, not." Dumby shook its head. "Daugh… daughter."

Daughter? Gao Peng could not help taking a second glance at Dumby.

He could not tell!

To think that Dumby was already a father ape.

Dumby had been fiercely loyal ever since it became his familiar, and it did everything without complaint. Never once had it voiced any requests. Now, during this rare moment that Dumby had asked for something, Gao Peng naturally found no reason to object. "Alright, let's go visit your hometown then."

Dumby was very happy, smiling like a fool. It just kept on smiling dumbly at Gao Peng.

"Where's your hometown?"

The atmosphere suddenly became awkward…

Dumby and Gao Peng stared at each other, a large pair of eyes staring straight into a small pair of eyes.

"Red, red water, big trees!" Dumby struggled hard to describe.

Gao Peng began thinking. After furrowing his brows in thought for a moment, he took out his phone and searched for pictures. Biggest populations of Red River Apes.

"Is it here?"

"No." Dumby shook its head.

"What about here?"

"No."

"Here?"

Dumby froze this time, then brought its head close, trying hard to distinguish the scenery shown in the picture. Then, the soul flames in Dumby's eye sockets shone brightly with excitement.

At the ground floor of the dormitories, a giant skeleton let out an excited howl towards the heavens.

"You want to go to the Red Sand River in Chuanshu? Why the sudden urge to go there?"

"One of my familiars was caught from that area. It wants to visit its hometown now. As its trainer, of course I have to accompany it there."

"Hmm… If I remember correctly, I think that the company has some plans to purchase some goods over at the Red Sand River. Han Qiu!" Ji Hanwu shouted outside the door.

Secretary Han hurried in immediately. "Yes, Chairman Ji. The company has been purchasing superior quality Red Heart Sand from the Red Sand River. It would be best if we could come to terms for long-term cooperation," said Secretary Han, in an absolutely serious manner.

Such a coincidence? Gao Peng was surprised.

"Someone else from the company was supposed to go, but since you wish to make a trip there, then help out on the way and negotiate a deal. This will be good training for you. It's alright even if you are unable to negotiate a deal, the experience is the most important." Ji Hanwu spoke plainly.

"Alright." Gao Peng was still surprised.

The Southern Sky Group's private jet slowly descended, landing securely on the ground.

Along with a few elites in suits and leather shoes, Gao Peng got off the plane.

In front of the plane, a row of black commercial cars were parked along the side of the airport. Right in front of them was a young man with a round belly.

The young man was wearing a black shirt. His hair was dyed brown and spiked towards the back. He wore black-rimmed glasses and smiled with his eyes in a squint, which made him look like a jolly old man. "This should be Young Master Gao, I presume. It's a pleasure, a pleasure. I am Zhao Jialiang, the representative from Qingchuan Company."

Gao Peng greeted Zhao Jialiang and made some small talk. As for the actual plans for striking a deal, Gao Peng expressed that a professional would handle the discussions.

He had never learned how to do business. If business deals were left to him, he was afraid he would lose all the company's earnings.

Zhao Jialiang laughed out loud when he heard Gao Peng. "You talk with sense, Young Master Gao. We'll leave this professional stuff for the professionals then." He raised winked Gao Peng and said, "We'll go have our own fun."

Gao Peng then asked Zhao Jialiang, "Oh, Brother Zhao, do you know where the Red River Apes gather within the Red Sand River area?"

Red River Apes? This kid has a unique taste.

Zhao Jialiang was stunned. The question stumped him.

If you asked about the best high-end places around Lizhou, or which places had the prettiest girls, he would have all the answers. To be frank, people called him the whoremonger of Lizhou.

But why would this guy ask about such ugly monsters…

Stumped, Zhao Jialiang turned around and waved. Immediately, a female secretary in a white suit strode over.

"Where do the Red River Apes gather within the Red Sand River area?"

After only a brief pause to think, the secretary replied, "The two patches of forest along the midstream area of the Red Sand River have a number of areas where Red River Apes gather. If you wish to obtain a Red River Ape, I can contact a monster capturing agency."

Zhao Jialiang turned and hinted to Gao Peng, "If you need any kind of help within the local areas of Lizhou, my Qingchuan Company does have a fair share of influence."

Gao Peng shook his head. "No need to go through such trouble, thanks." And with that, he took Dumby and the rest and left the airport, leaving Zhao Jialiang and company perplexed.

Wasn't he supposed to strike a deal here? Why does it feel like this guy is even more unreliable than I am?

The Red Sand River cut right across the area outside of Lizhou City, which was within the boundaries of Chuanshu Province. It contained large amounts of red shale, hence the reason its waters were red.

After the cataclysm, red shale went through transformations. One could now extract a rare material called Red Heart Sand from deep within areas containing large amounts of red shale.

Renting a large ship, Gao Peng sailed along the river.

The banks of the Red Sand River lay low against the river, and large expanses of dense forest were often visible from the ship. On the river surface, many ships, both large and small, were sailing along. The reddish-brown river waters were extremely turbid.

"Uncle, are there monsters below the river?" Gao Peng asked uncertainly. The ships here seemed to be rather daring. He could even see small ships, barely more than a dozen meters long, boldly sailing along the river.

"Of course, why wouldn't there be?" The old sailor chuckled. "But don't worry, all of our ships here have one of the King Red Carp's scales attached to the bottom. As long as we do not attack any of the monsters, they won't attack us."

King Red Carp?

Gao Peng asked curiously, "A familiar?"

"Nope, but His Excellency, King Red Carp, is good to us. All we need to do is offer it some monsters as tribute, and then we are rewarded with some of its scales. Its scales can protect us from being attacked by monsters while we sail along the river."

This was the first time Gao Peng had heard of such a thing. Why had he never heard of this on the news?

It was just that such behavior… did not seem much different from the old legends of humans offering tributes to mountain or river deities to appease them.

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Chapter 172: Here, She Is Free

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Is the duration of the scales' effect unlimited?" Gao Peng asked further.

"Of course not. The scales can repel monsters because they give off the scent of His Excellency, King Red Carp. After being used for some time, the scent will naturally become faint," explained the elderly man matter-of-factly. "We don't have to give many monsters as tribute, and one scale can be used for one year."

Gao Peng nodded. This King Red Carp was pretty intelligent. It knew how to obtain freebies. And with this, it did not even need to tire itself every day to hunt for food. Humans would naturally go up to offer it food. All it had to do in return was shed scales that it did not need anymore.

By now, Gao Peng could more or less understand why the Alliance Government would not publicize such news. It would do no good for the government's reputation if it became widely known that the government was unable to protect its citizens even under the alliance, and even resorted to worshipping monsters for protection.

But in order to maintain the security of a base city, they would need a familiar or a monster of at least Lord tier in order to do so.

As a human himself, Gao Peng could not help but fall into silence.

In the places he had been before, Yuzhou and Chang'an both had the best human Monster Trainers protecting the place. Hence, there was no need to fear invasions from monsters coming from surrounding forests.

But in this small base city, that was not possible.

"Boss, we're here." The old sailor slowly berthed the ship along the river bank. The river waters rose and receded gently down the bank. In the murky waters, a green softshell turtle could be seen lying in the shallows.

Seeing the ship, it did not seem scared. Instead, it approached curiously to sniff the ship. Then, as though smelling something horrifying, it squinted its tiny beady eyes, withdrew its turtlehead, and dove into deeper river waters with a turn of its body.

"Are you familiar with this place?" Gao Peng asked Dumby. If Dumby had lived here before, he should remember the surrounding area.

Dumby bent over and came out of the ship's cabin. Each step on the deck made a crisp thumping sound. Dumby looked around, then leaped off the deck, landing on the riverside. Stepping on the wet ground, his silver-white toe bones sank deep into the mud.

Dumby bent down, picky up the mud with its two hands. The damp mud slowly seeped through his fingers.

Dumby's soul flames flickered in his eye sockets. At that moment, he felt as though he had returned to a year ago, where he was still playing and making a ruckus along this familiar river bank.

A large net had dropped from above. Its sharp hooks had latched tightly onto his fur. Being the strongest, Dumby had become a prized prey in the eyes of the hunters, who sought to catch him at all costs.

Dumby howled in rage, warning his family to leave the riverside and flee deep into the dense forests.

Dumby witnessed with his own eyes his three-month-old infant daughter being carried away by her mother and hiding in the forests. Who knew if she still remembered him.

Dumby slowly stood back up, pulling his thick, strong bones out of the mud. With each step, a large patch of sandy mud was unearthed.

One step at a time, Dumby walked determinedly into the forest.

Gao Peng paid the sailor, and then arranged a time for him to pick them up again. Then, he got the rest of his familiars on shore.

After around 10 minutes of walking, Dumby stopped under a large, thick tree.

This was a forest of thick trees. Each thick tree trunk seemed to have emerged out of the ground like a giant snake, twisting outwards and covering the sky. The dense canopy blocked out the sunlight, causing the light in the forest here to be dim.

There were familiar markings on the branch of the tree. Dumby climbed up, then gently ran a finger over the marking left behind.

Dumby was feeling anxious, and he jumped down from the tree branch uneasily.

"It's alright, perhaps they have moved elsewhere," comforted Gao Peng. "Search carefully again, maybe you can find traces of a trail they left behind?"

Dumby nodded. The mark here was probably left behind a few months ago. In this forest, a period of a few months could erase all traces left behind by a monster. But Dumby was, after all, a Red River Ape. Having been a Red River Ape, he was all too familiar with the habits of Red River Apes.

After receiving words of comfort from his master, Dumby no longer felt set back. He picked himself up again and continued to search for traces left behind by his family.

The group of Red River Apes might have left their original location, but they would still be living along the Red Sand River area. Of this, Dumby was very certain, because only this area supported the foods and environments that were comfortable for them.

As they searched, they ran across a group of Red River Apes. Dumby stared at them carefully for half an hour, before regrettably leaving. This was not his family, for there was not a single familiar face amongst them.

Unless his family had been totally eradicated, he should still find at least a few familiar faces, no matter where the group drifted to.

As if not feeling any fatigue, Dumby continued to walk through the forests. In front of them came the sounds of Red River Apes.

Dumby immediately became alert, and he walked quickly over. Up ahead was a cliff that was not too high, just over forty meters tall. Below the cliff grew a patch of dense forest. Large numbers of vines draped down from the top of the cliff.

There were a few Red River Apes playing amongst the tree branches.

Dumby suddenly froze. He stared dumbly at the group of Red River Apes.

Gao Peng had never seen Dumby so emotional before.

In his chest, the Blood Thread Heart beat frantically, swelling and shrinking repeatedly. The Blood Threads between his bones were drawn taught, wrapping tightly around all his bones.

Gao Peng wondered if Dumby's bones would fall apart from the stress of the emotion.

"Do you want to go over and meet them?"

Dumby felt the urge to go, but then he lowered his head and took a look at his skeleton body. He fell silent.

"Go take a look; they are your family, after all. Didn't you say you were once the king of your tribe?" Gao Peng encouraged Dumby.

Dumby frantically waved his hands. "No go! No go!"

His voice sounded panicky, and it did not matter how Gao Peng tried to persuade him. From within his eye sockets, clear blue light seemed to be flowing out, as though he was crying.

This was the first time Gao Peng had seen Dumby cry.

He never thought that a skeleton could shed tears too.

Dumby gripped the tree bark tight with his two hands, hiding behind the large tree. He carefully poked his head out and secretly observed the small female ape within the group.

Dumby was in a daze.

She was happy and that was good enough.

Daddy was useless. He got caught away when you were only three months old, and he could not be there to protect you.

But… Daddy still loves you.

Dumby's face no longer had any flesh, so he could no longer produce a smile.

Instead, his mouth opened as he dumbly stared into the distance, looking like a fool.

Gao Peng did not disturb Dumby, but allowed him to quietly enjoy this beautiful experience.

Finally, Dumby let go of the tree reluctantly. He bent over, carefully hiding behind the tree so he would not be discovered.

"We're leaving like this?" Gao Peng was surprised.

Dumby nodded vigorously.

"Do you not want to bring your daughter back? Don't worry, I'll give her the best possible life," Gao Peng promised Dumby.

Dumby was moved, but in the end, he shook his head vigorously again. "With me, she is not free. Here, she is free."

Gao Peng suddenly felt his heart clench. He suddenly didn't know what to say.

Dumby's large hand gently patted Gao Peng's shoulder, as he looked seriously at his master. "But with master, I… I am very happy!"

Gao Peng felt a warmth in his heart.

After making sure that his daughter was alright, Dumby was already very satisfied. He turned around and left with Gao Peng and the rest.

Stripey's mood seemed affected as well. It seemed a little unhappy, as though recalling something.

Bang!

The sound of a gunshot rang behind them.

The gunshot echoed across the forest, followed by the pained howls of Red River Apes.

Dumby, who had his head hung low, suddenly froze…

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Dumby slowly turned his head. His stiff spine made loud kacha kacha sounds.

With every inch his head turned, the bones in his neck gave off a sound like a firecracker going off. Dumby's gently burning soul flames were frozen.

At that moment, the world seemed silent.

Just like his name, Dumby dumbly turned his head around slowly, facing backwards.

The soul flames in Dumby's eye sockets suddenly shrank back inwards, and then exploded outwards in the next moment.

Flames burned fiercely from his eye sockets, and his Blood Thread Heart began to beat wildly, as though it would explode out of his chest cavity.

Roar!!!

A thunderous roar reverberated across the dense jungle, echoing on and on.

Dumby turned his body around, planting his right foot down forcefully. Dust and sand were sent flying into the air, and leaves fell from the trees above. A black shadow cut through the falling leaves, generating a strong wind that blew past the leaves, before scattering them all around behind the shadow.

Dumby crossed seven to eight meters with each stride of his legs.

She will be fine, she will be fine!

Dumby's chest cavity whistled like a bellows as wind passed through.

It was a monster hunting squad of around a dozen men. They were fully armed, wearing helmets and carrying rifles in their hands.

Nearby them, familiars were agilely sprinting through the dense trees. These familiars were mainly canine monsters. Canines had an extremely acute sense of smell, and coupled with their agility, flexibility, and fierce loyalty to their masters, they were one of the most common types of familiars.

Although the Huaxia areas still strictly controlled gun ownership as they had before the Cataclysm, enforcement wasn't very tight anymore. With some effort, and through the right avenues, it was still possible to get simple firearms such as hunting rifles.

"Brother Li, why are we going through such trouble to catch these Red River Apes? They aren't valuable monsters anyway," asked a burly member of the squad.

Brother Li was the captain of this monster hunting squad. As he inserted bullets one by one into his rifle, he replied plainly, "Miss Zhou of the Zhou Family has recently developed a taste for Red River Ape hearts, and that's why they are offering a high price for the monsters. Their market price has already tripled."

The Zhou Family! The burly man who spoke earlier backed down after hearing this, and a hint of admiration flashed across his eyes.

Lizhou City was a small base city. There were only a few powerful business entities there, and one of them was the Zhou Family. But that had nothing to do with the monster hunters. All that mattered to them was the tripled price!

No wonder Brother Li had brought them here to hunt Red River Apes. At that moment, these Red River Apes were no longer apes in their eyes, but living, moving sacks of cash.

The initial attack left the Red River Apes unable to react.

Elite tier monsters and above all had strong defenses against firearms, and Commander tier monsters were practically immune to normal rounds. But for a normal tier monster, guns were still very dangerous. Just like how ferocious beasts like tigers or leopards could hunt down common folk but could also be killed by a single bullet to a vital point.

Brother Li squinted as he raised his head to look at a fleeing female ape in the distance. Her fur was smooth and glossy. From one look he could tell that her heart would definitely fetch a good price.

He raised his rifle, took aim through the sights, and…

Bang!

The shot was a miss. The bullet dug into the ground five or six meters away from the female ape.

Brother Li shuffled another shell and squinted once more as he aimed through the sights, following the movements of the female ape.

This barely felt like a hunt; it was more like a game.

These were just a bunch of normal tier monsters on the shores of the Red Sand River. There was practically no chance of running into any powerful monsters here, so there was no worry of encountering…

Suddenly, he could hear something rustling through the jungle behind him. He could almost feel the heavy thumping of powerful footsteps. From the commotion it was causing, this monster was definitely not small. It was drawn by the sound of gunfire.

Brother Li's facial expression darkened.

He motioned to his Iron-Backed Wolf familiar, signaling it to stop the monster rushing up behind them. At the same time, he slung his rifle back on his back and immediately ran towards the nearest large tree. With his nimble body, he climbed up onto a branch in just a few movements.

Most monsters were unable to climb trees, and trees also had plenty of leaves which were good for avoiding being seen. Brother Li carefully poked his head out, and cautiously looked in the direction that his Iron-Backed Wolf had run.

Suddenly, through his blood contract, he felt immense fear from his Iron-Backed Wolf, and right after that, he lost connection with it.

Brother Li's pupils shrank, and he quickly climbed higher.

The more alert members of the squad followed suit immediately, climbing up nearby trees.

These were all veteran hunters used to the wilderness. They knew what to do at the right time, and they weren't likely to succumb to greed when hunting prey, because greedy people always ended up dead.

A black shape flew out of the jungle behind them. The shape drew an arc in the air, before landing on the ground solidly.

Crash.

It skidded through the leaves, then finally came to a stop under Captain Li's tree.

All of the Iron-Backed Wolf's limbs had been broken. Its head was bent unnaturally, turned 180 degrees and facing backwards. Its eyes were opened wide, staring at Captain Li up on the tree. Its tongue hung limply out of its mouth, with blood flowing out from the side.

It looked like a broken rag doll. Bones were sticking out of some of its joints, and the wounds were leaking continuous streams of fresh blood.

The atmosphere of the jungle became immediately still.

This Iron-Backed Wolf was one of the strongest familiars within the squad. Even amongst Elite tier monsters, it would be considered extremely powerful.

Seeing the pitiful state of the Iron-Backed Wolf, all the squad members hiding in the trees felt a chill run deep into their bones.

A burly figure pushed aside the trees. Its strong heart made a dull thumping sound, as though it was heavily beating on all of their hearts like a drum. When they got a clear look at Dumby's appearance, the squad members were all stunned. Since when did Lizhou have ghoul-type monsters?

Dumby's strong aura could not be faked; this was definitely a Commander tier monster!

All the squad members lamented. How bad could their luck be, to actually run into a Commander tier monster! Right now, they could only pray that the monster would not notice them, or that it could not climb trees.

Dumby looked all around him, then walked straight ahead in a random direction, all without making a single sound in the process. Dumby did not say anything, so the people up in the trees dared not either, much less the familiars still below the trees.

A small female ape trembled as she looked at the approaching Dumby with eyes that shone brightly. On the female ape's arm, there was a patch of broken skin. As though smelling something, the small female ape tilted her head as she looked at Dumby. He was not as frightening as she had imagined.

Dumby bent over, picked up the small female ape, and gently put her on his shoulder.

Some Red River Apes roared angrily, starting to rush forward to save the female ape.

Dumby gave a low growl.

All the charging Red River Apes stopped in their tracks, terrified, doubtful, and staring at Dumby with disbelief in their eyes.

At this moment, Stripey leaped high and landed on the ground, breaking apart the leaves on the ground. Gao Peng was sitting on Stripey's back.

Feeling the Commander tier aura from Stripey, the faces of the squad members up in the trees turned pale. But then, they saw Gao Peng who was sitting on top of Stripey's back. Suddenly, their will to survive welled up again!

"Brother, save us." Captain Li frantically signaled to Gao Peng, pleading for help.

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Chapter 174: No Right or Wrong in the World of Adults

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

As though hearing Captain Li's plea, Gao Peng gave a meaningful smile.

"Save us, Brother?" Sorry, but I am not the big brother that you offended.

That smile gave Captain Li a bad premonition.

Dumby went walking straight towards Gao Peng.

Captain Li did not even blink as he stared at the scene.

Dumby knelt down, and gently placed the small female ape onto the ground, right in front of his master. Then, his large hand gently caressed the small female ape. Using Red River Ape speech, he uttered, "Don't be scared, Papa will protect you."

The female ape's eyes widened. Papa? Skeleton? She took two deep breaths, then her eyes fell shut as she simply fainted.

Poor child…

Gao Peng knew that the small female ape would need some buffer time to properly digest such news.

Captain Li fell into desperation after witnessing the scene.

They're on the same side!

Up in the air, Flamy was flapping its wings, circling above their heads. It was not hiding its Commander tier aura at all. All the monsters that had dared to venture close were all driven away.

It was indeed as the old sailor had said. Along the banks of the Red Sand River, Commander tier monsters were extremely rare.

Dumby took large strides towards the Iron-Backed Wolf on the ground. It was right below Captain Li's tree, hence he was getting closer and closer to Captain Li.

Captain Li covered his nose, slowed his breathing, and dared not even look at Dumby.

A pity…

Unless he had no heartbeat, it would make no difference. With his Blood-Thread Heart, no living creature with a beating heart could hide from Dumby.

Captain Li's position was currently over a dozen meters off the ground. After the cataclysm, trees had become much larger and stronger than before. All around the base city, trees that were forty to fifty meters tall were everywhere.

Dumby threw a vicious punch at the tree trunk.

This tree that would have taken two grown men to hug around it shook violently.

Showers of leaves fell from the treetop.

Captain Li was almost shaken off the tree, and he instinctively hugged his branch tightly. Beads of sweat began to emerge on Captain Li's forehead as he swallowed in fear. He could only pray that this giant skeleton could not climb trees.

Dumby raised his head. His line of sight went through all the leaves and landed straight on Captain Li's body.

He let out a furious roar. Climb trees? Of course I can climb up.

But I don't need to. I just need you to feel terror. And repent!

Dumby's left and right fists drew arcs as he tirelessly attacked the tree trunk like a roaring pile driver. The sharp bone spurs on Dumby's fists pierced into the tree bark, shredding the tree trunk and sending bits of wood flying.

The tree shook and seemed about to fall.

Such mental torment made it even worse for Captain Li.

I'd rather you end me with a single stab of a knife.

Following a long creak, the large tree fell to the ground with a crash. The branches broke as they tangled with one another, making crisp cracking sounds.

Captain Li felt a vicious impact in his chest.

His heart almost ruptured from the impact. He felt intense pain in his ribs, which should have been caused by the impact from the fall.

Before he even had time to react, he felt something tighten around his throat. A large cold hand held him by the neck, and in the next moment, he felt his feet leave the ground as he was picked up into the air.

Captain Li looked straight into Dumby's eyes. It was the first time he had ever locked eyes with a ghoul-type monster at such close proximity. The living would always have a natural fear towards the dead, stemming from the fact that death was the end that everyone would eventually meet.

Carrying Captain Li, Dumby took large strides towards the center of the area. Dead Red River Apes lay on the ground and up in the trees, their corpses giving off a cold aura.

Also, there were injured Red River Apes, clinging to tree branches in panic, their eyes filled with fear.

Crash!

Captain Li was viciously thrown by Dumby, right next to the corpse of a Red River Ape. Captain Li's head hit the ground, knocking him dizzy. By the time he recovered his senses, he found himself face to face with a dead Red River Ape, staring at him with unblinking dead eyes.

Even a man like Captain Li, who had seen plenty of death, could not help having his hair stand on end.

In the empty clearing, all that was left was Dumby's silent figure.

Then, Dumby went to each and every tree, not punching them down this time, but agilely climbing up the trees and capturing every member of the monster hunting squad, before tossing them all together like rubbish.

Stripey slowly crawled over, spewing its spider silk and holding all the prisoners in place.

At this point in time, there was no way that Captain Li had not figured out that Dumby was Gao Peng's familiar. With a face full of snot and tears, Captain Li pleaded, "Spare me, please spare me. My mother is already seventy and my father is seventy-two. My older and younger brothers both died during the cataclysm. Right now there's only me in the family. Without me, my parents and my thirteen-year-old child will starve to death."

"We're all humans, don't kill us. We will do anything for you, even be your slaves."

"Please, mercy!"

All the captured squad members joined in the pleading.

Gao Peng remained silent.

As though sensing something from Gao Peng's silence, a glimmer of hope flashed in Captain Li's eyes. "Killing is against the law, big brother, and we can do anything for you. From now on, we can be your most loyal servants. Even if you tell us to kill, we won't even blink or hesitate!"

At the same time, Captain Li swore bitterly to himself, "You won't have things your way all your life. Just wait 'til I find the chance; I'll have you begging for death."

Seeing this bunch of people pleading profusely but secretly plotting to harm him, Gao Peng suddenly smiled. "What's your name?"

"My name is Li Fangxu." Captain Li squeezed out a smile on his face.

"Captain Li, why are you killing all these Red River Apes?"

Captain Li was stunned. You're doing all this for the Red River Apes? You must be mental! Just for this bunch of monkeys!

"Because the Zhou Family's second daughter has a Black Gold Leopard that likes to eat the organs of Red River apes, especially the hearts. The family is offering high prices to buy them, or else we wouldn't have come to hunt them; they aren't worth much otherwise," said Captain Li softly.

So that's why.

Gao Peng nodded, now that he understood the reason. Captain Li didn't matter; if he did not take care of the problem at the source, then tomorrow it might be a Captain Zhou or a Captain Wang coming to hunt the apes.

"Dumby, you take care of this as you see fit. We'll wait for you by the river," instructed Gao Peng. Then, he patted Stripey on the head, indicating for Stripey to leave.

Captain Li's face turned ghastly pale. "You can't do that! I told you everything! You're not honoring your word!"

Gao Peng shook his head. "Captain Li, you're already an adult. You should know that in the world of adults, there's no right or wrong. Those who argue about who's right or wrong are children. How are you so naïve at such an old age?"

Captain Li's eyes showed despair, which turned to hatred, and then finally bitter loathing.

Dumby did not act directly, but instead motioned for all the Red River Apes up in the surrounding trees to come down and gather.

The Red River Apes looked at one another, hesitating for a long while. Finally, two daring Red River Apes hopped down from the trees and carefully approached Dumby.

Dumby gathered the rifles of all these hunters and ground them to bits. Then pointing to the group of hunters securely held to the ground by spider silk, he gave a few commands.

Afterwards, Dumby left without even turning his head. He was no longer the king of these apes. They would have to rely on themselves to carry on in the future.

After Dumby was far away, the Red River Apes looked at one another. After a short moment of silence, a few apes which were hurt by the hunters before could no longer hold back. Their expressions turned to rage as they bared their fangs and approached Captain Li and his men…

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Chapter 175: Dragonblood Red Sand Carp

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

(Author's Note: The main character is not standing on the side of monsters, nor is he against humanity; he is not that complex. At the time, the main character was not thinking of anything too complicated. He was just standing on Dumby's side.

If I had written it such that the main character stops Dumby and keeps him from killing the humans, would everyone have liked that instead? I fear, even more people would have ended up scolding me.

Main characters that decisively kill all their foes are liked by many. I like them too, because they are enjoyable to write about; little brainpower required, simple and violent. But with how the story has developed, I think it's unreasonable for Gao Peng to turn into such a character. It's just too sudden. Personality change is a process, and it requires time.

As a person ages, their personality and views on the world will change.

I will learn from this lesson. In the future, I will try my best to avoid such plotlines, and simply write about my little monsters.)

Standing by the river, hearing vague screaming sounds coming from behind him, Gao Peng's facial expression became calm again. Although he fought hard to look calm, at that moment, Gao Peng's heart was still beating very fast.

Standing by the river, Gao Peng lowered his head to look at the reflection in the water. The reddish-brown water dyed the reflection of his face blood red, making him look fierce, like some demon.

When he stretched out his hands, his palms looked blood red as well. As the water flowed and made ripples, his hands looked distorted.

Gao Peng suddenly realized.

From start to finish, he could not be considered a good person.

Earlier, he could have stopped Dumby from going back. He believed that if he had enforced an order, Dumby would have obeyed him.

But he hadn't stopped Dumby.

Because he was a person who would rather be on the side of those that he cared about than on the side of reason.

From behind him, he heard Dumby's footsteps. The plants along the river shook, and the reeds were pushed aside as Dumby approached with large strides.

There was no sign of blood on Dumby. He then knew that Dumby must have considered his feelings and not killed the men by his own hand.

Gao Peng let out a long sigh.

"The Zhou Family," Gao Peng thought with a distant look in his eyes.

The Zhou Family was the source of all this, but against the Zhou Family, he couldn't use plain violence to settle matters like he had just now. Causing a larger disturbance would result in greater consequences.

And besides, Dumby's precious daughter was not hurt either, just in shock. Thus, there was still room for less extreme measures.

Gao Peng gently patted the head of the small female ape placed on Stripey's back.

The female ape was not large, only 1.3 or 1.4 meters tall, with long slender arms and bright lustrous fur. She was still unconscious.

Dumby looked at his daughter, then he could not resist any longer and lifted her from Stripey's back. Throughout this process, he was extremely careful, as though he was carrying the world's most precious treasure.

After around an hour of waiting, a familiar ship came sailing down from upstream.

The old sailor anchored his ship along the riverside and pushed the wooden plank from the deck forward onto the shore.

Gao Peng, Dumby, and the rest quickly boarded the ship.

When all the familiars were on board, the ship slowly began to sail.

Sitting on the ship, Gao Peng gazed at the river's surface, allowing the strong winds blowing across the river to make a mess out of his hair.

After returning to Lizhou, Gao Peng told his grandpa about the whole affair regarding the Red Rive Apes and the Zhou Family. Gao Peng was simply lost in regards to how he should handle such a situation. He thought he might as well let his grandpa handle it, and learn how to handle such situations in the future.

Hearing the story, his grandpa immediately ordered for the group of Red River Apes to be captured and brought back to Yuzhou to be reared in captivity. After all, Dumby was concerned only for this one group of Red River Apes. With this, potential conflicts would be avoided, and Dumby's interests would be protected.

As for what happened with Captain Li, Grandpa's opinions were simple. "Do you regret it?"

Gao Peng shook his head, then nodded his head. "I don't know."

Grandpa did not mind at all, and laughed brightly instead. "Then let's change the question. If you could do this over again, would you stop your familiars?"

This time, Gao Peng answered very decisively. "I wouldn't."

In Gao Peng's heart, Dumby was not just his familiar; he was a friend, a companion.

When his friend's loved ones were in mortal danger, he found it hard to say things like, "Put down that weapon in your hand."

"Isn't that your answer right there?" Grandpa laughed "Boy, you are such a faker."

Gao Peng was at a loss for words. Is that a word you use to describe your own grandson?

"Stick true to your beliefs, and do what you wish to do. In the outside world, you won't lose out by being a bit more ruthless. I'd rather others lose than have you losing to them!" Ji Hanwu earnestly offered advice to educate his grandson.

Hearing his grandpa's words, Gao Peng suddenly understood where he got his personality from.

Putting down the phone, Ji Hanwu smiled at Uncle Liu who was sitting next to him. "This grandson of mine is a chip off the old block."

Uncle Liu rolled his eyes. "Look at that smile on your face. You're speaking as though you've got such a great temperament."

"What do you know? It's good that he's like me. He won't lose out no matter where he goes." Ji Hanwu laughed happily.

With Dumby's matters resolved, Gao Peng was supposed to prepare to head back to Yuzhou. But the King Red Carp that the old sailor described to him had piqued his interest.

Coincidentally, the sacrificial ceremony for the King Red Carp was only a few days away. Hence, Gao Peng continued to stay in Lizhou to take a look at this legendary King Red Carp. And to see if it looked anything like the monsters in a particular anime.

In the room, the small female ape slowly regained consciousness.

Groggily opening her eyes, she found herself in a completely foreign environment. Her first reaction was to cry out loud in panic.

Then, hearing the noise, Dumby entered the room. She saw Dumby and her voice gradually grew softer.

Dumby sat next to the small female ape, and spoke softly to his daughter in Red River Ape speak, comforting her. She panicked at first, finding it hard to believe. Then that slowly changed to doubt, and then belief.

For the next few days, the small female ape followed Dumby around as though she were his shadow. She was with him no matter where he went, her arms wrapped around Dumby's neck, swinging around.

Within those few days, Zhao Jialiang also came to look for Gao Peng. He kept trying to take Gao Peng to look for women. But sadly, Gao Peng had no interest in such things and simply refused him.

In the morning, after a change of clothes, Gao Peng rode on Stripey and took the rest of his familiars to head downstream along the Red Sand River. As they moved downstream, the Red Sand River became broader and flowed more slowly. Of course, the waters were much deeper as well.

Along the river banks, there was a good number of large buses and cars. Some of the people were tourists who simply wanted to take a look at the King Red Carp, but even more of them were there to prepare sacrificial offerings.

All the sacrifices were sorted and recorded by specialized personnel. The sacrificial monster's level and grade were used to determine the level of contribution.

Finally, the scales would be distributed according to the number of scales awarded by the King Red Carp and the level of an individual's contribution. This seemed like a rather fair way of managing the event. After all, the King Red Carp could not possibly act as a vendor and exchange its scales one by one for its sacrifices.

As a Lord tier monster, it would not have the time to do so, and more importantly, it would not have the patience.

Very soon, it was the promised time for the sacrifice. A giant whirlpool appeared in the middle of the river. In the middle of the whirlpool, a giant red figure slowly emerged.

Its red back was like a small hill. Its dark red dorsal fin broke through the surface, revealing bright red scales, smooth and shiny like mirrors. The whole scene was as though a tiny island had emerged in the middle of the river…

[Monster Name: Dragonblood Red Sand Carp (Red Sand River Lord)

[Monster Level: 44 (Lord tier)

[Monster Grade: Perfect

[Monster Attribute: Water

[Monster Skills: Water Mastery Lv3, Hardened Scales Lv2

The eyes of the Dragonblood Red Sand Carp were very bright. The first thing it did after rising to the surface was to look at the river banks. Its mouth made "gulu gulu" bubbling sounds.

The people on the banks hurriedly displayed the prepared sacrifices.

Seeing the sacrifices, the Dragonblood Red Sand Carp's eyes shone even brighter, like two spotlights.

It opened its mouth wide. River waters burst out of the surface to form two columns of water that wrapped around the sacrifices. Just like that, the sacrifices were dragged into the river waters.

This was the first time Gao Peng had witnessed a seasoned Lord displaying its monster skills. The level of control over the water shocked Gao Peng to the core. It was just like demons in fairy tales.

The mouth opened wide, (the Dragonblood Red Sand Carp's mouth could open really wide), and it swallowed all of the sacrifices into its belly.

As though very satisfied with the sacrifices this time, the Dragonblood Red Sand Carp nodded in a very human-like manner.

It spat out a large bubble from its mouth and then slowly descended into the depths of the river. The bubble floated to the surface, and slowly drifted to the riverbank before finally bursting with a loud pop. Rows of pale red scales were stacked neatly on the riverbank.

From the happy, smiling faces on the sailors and businessmen, it seemed as though the returns this time were pretty good.

So that was a Lord tier monster.

Seeing the fear and respect that these people had for the Dragonblood Red Sand Carp, as well as the looks of delight that they had now, Gao Peng finally had a deeper understanding of Lord tier monsters.

So what kind of familiar is Grandpa's Lord tier monster? Gao Peng wanted to hurry back to Yuzhou right now.

A wild Lord could not be observed up close, but he should be able to at least touch one that belonged to the family, right?

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Chapter 176: White Aquatic Dragon

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

By the time Gao Peng returned to Yuzhou, it was already the next day.

The Horrifying Violent Female Spider had already been flown to Yuzhou City a week ago. Grandpa seemed to be very happy, and he praised Gao Peng a good deal.

At Grandpa's villa, there was a small lake. It was not large at all and seemed manmade.

The lakeside was open and unobstructed, and the air was clear and fresh. The endless blue sky and white clouds were reflected on the mirror-like lake surface. The surface was calm without a single ripple, as though it was in deep slumber.

Along the grassy patch by the lake were a few beach chairs. There were even a few fishing poles set up by the lake, with fishing lines leading deep into the water.

This scene looked extremely satisfying and peaceful at the same time.

Seeing such a beautiful lake, and one owned by his own family, Gao Peng could not resist running back to the bedroom to change into a pair of swimming trunks. On such a hot summer day, soaking in the lake for a bath would definitely be very comfortable.

Gao Peng happily jumped into the lake and was immediately enveloped by icy-cold lake water.

Then, Gao Peng found himself rising higher and higher, higher and higher, until he gradually flew out from the river surface…

FLEW OUT?!

Gao Peng immediately looked around him, but found that he could not move at all. When he looked down, he saw that the clear lake water had turned into a rope that was binding him tightly. The rope of water rose from the lake's surface and dragged him up into the sky.

A strong sense of weightlessness enveloped him, and Gao Peng was too stunned to act for a moment.

Has the lake come alive?

Gao Peng shouted loudly, "Flamy, Flamy!"

He saw that he was already forty or fifty meters above the surface of the lake. If he fell from such a height, it would not be much different than falling onto concrete.

Even if he emerged unscathed because of the Blood Contract, it would still hurt!

From inside the villa, Flamy got the signal and flew out. It looked fearfully at the bottom of the lake first, then got over its fear and bravely flew towards Gao Peng.

"White Dragon!" From the second floor of the villa, Ji Hanwu stood on the veranda and shook his head at the direction of the lake. "That's your little master, so play gently."

Only then did Gao Peng feel his ascent slow down. Below him, the water was trickling back down into the lake. By this time, Flamy had already flown to Gao Peng's side. Gao Peng grasped onto Flamy's single leg and was brought safely to the side of the lake like riding a hang glider.

Still in shock, Gao Peng turned around and looked at the depths of the lake.

The calm lake suddenly frothed, and a slithery black behemoth slowly rose to the surface.

A giant snake?!

The corners of Gao Peng's mouth twitched as he realized that such a giant snake had been hiding below the lake he was just swimming in. From the looks of it, it was definitely no less than a hundred meters long.

It seemed as though he had wandered right into the giant snake's nest.

But immediately afterwards, Gao Peng found that he could not be more wrong. This was no giant snake.

A snowy white head erupted from the water's surface, with most of the body still hidden within the lake. Water dripped down from the top of its head to the sides, causing its white mane to stick to the sides of its neck. Large droplets of water dripped down. Its nostrils flared as it snorted out a ball of mist. The mane that was sticking to its neck suddenly became erect, spraying mist into the air. The mane regained its smooth and flowy appearance, drifting in the wind.

The creature hiding under the lake was clearly an aquatic dragon.

Gao Peng suddenly recalled the words he told himself the other day, and his jaw dropped. Grandpa really did have a dragon.

Even though it was an aquatic dragon, it was still considered a dragon.

Gao Peng suddenly thought of the various myths and legends that were passed down from Huaxia's long history. Now that he had seen an aquatic dragon, did that mean that ghosts, fairies, phoenixes, qilins, and other such creatures were not merely myths?

Moved by such a notion, Gao Peng turned to look at silly little Flamy. Flamy had realized nothing, and was currently perched by the beach chair, pecking at the fruit on the table.

In ancient times, there had been a bird, shaped like a crane, one-legged, with red markings, a green body, and a white beak. Its name was Bi Fang. Its cry was the same as its name, and where it appeared, strange fires occurred.

It's shaped like a crane, it's one-legged, and it can spit fire. Flamy is already very close to the mythical bird Bi Fang in the legends.

But… in the legends, Bi Fang shouldn't have been that fat, right?

Gao Peng doubtfully observed Flamy.

Flamy noticed its master looking at it. As though agitated by the strange look that Gao Peng was giving it, Flamy glared indignantly back at Gao Peng and chirped loudly.

What are you looking at? I'm just this fat!

So what!

You don't like that I'm fat?

Gao Peng had nothing to say. He turned away, not being bothered by the little fatty.

These familiars of his were getting more attitude every day.

Flamy was currently still pretty far from the mythological bird Bi Fang, but it seemed to be evolving in that direction.

When he turned around, he found that the aquatic dragon in the lake had come up on the shore of the lake and laid down without him noticing. Half of its body was on the shore, and the other half was still in the lake. It was lazily rolling on the ground.

With its giant body, just the portion that was revealed above the surface of the water was already a frightening sight. But it was a sight that moved Gao Peng nonetheless. He could not resist the urge to stretch out and pat it.

He had never touched an aquatic dragon before. Perhaps the number of people in the world who had ever touched an aquatic dragon could be counted in one hand.

[Monster Name: White Aquatic Dragon

[Monster Level: 50 (Lord tier)

[Monster Grade: Perfect

[Monster Attribute: Cloud/Water

[Monster Condition: Healthy (acting cute)

[Monster Skills: Water Control Lv4, Cloud Control Lv4, Hardened Scales Lv3

[Special Characteristics: Cloud Walker, Rain Armor (Effect 1 Passive Skill: when within clouds, fog, or cloud-type environments, the aquatic dragon's agility and speed will be greatly increased.

Effect 2 Passive Skill: when within, lakes, oceans, rivers, storms, or other water bodies and water-type environments, the aquatic dragon's scales and claws will become much harder and more powerful.

Note: effects can stack.)

[Requirements for Promotion to Epic Grade: 1. Pureblood evolution 2. Calamity evolution 3. Water-type evolution…

There weren't many evolutionary paths, only coming up to a total of five evolutions. Gao Peng realized that as the monster's level increased, the number of evolutions decreased.

But even so, five types of evolutions was still considerable.

Gao Peng had also considered the possibility of there being other evolutionary paths other than those listed in the data table.

But he still had a very long way to go before he could actually practically consider such things.

Gao Peng committed to memory the materials needed for each of the five types of evolutions and prepared to hand over the information to Grandpa when he could find the chance.

The White Aquatic Dragon was the highest leveled familiar that Gao Peng had ever encountered. Perhaps because Gao Peng was an ally, the White Aquatic Dragon had fully held back its aura. It looked very gentle at the moment.

This monster's special characteristics were both passive skills: one that increased its speed and agility, and another that increased the hardness and power of its scales and claws.

This meant that the White Aquatic Dragon's physical capabilities were absolutely terrifying.

Gao Peng still intended to carry on. He carefully inched towards the White Aquatic Dragon, hoping to touch it while it was still unaware.

Although both had the blood of a dragon, the White Aquatic Dragon would definitely easily suppress the Dragonblood Red Sand Carp both in level and ability.

As he crept closer, the White Aquatic Dragon remained sprawling lazily on the grass. Suddenly, it opened its eyes and turned around. Large dragon eyes the size of water tanks stared directly at Gao Peng, causing his sneakily extended left arm to hang awkwardly in mid-air.

Coming up with an idea spur of the moment, Gao Peng stretched out his right arm as well, pretending to do some stretching.

He looked with regret at the white dragon. It seemed like there was no chance to pat the dragon just yet.

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Chapter 177: Spatial Rift

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Then, a shadow fell over Gao Peng's head as a giant dragon claw came down from above. When the claw touched his head, it felt as though his scalp was being thoroughly patted by an enormous chunk of metal.

After the pat, Gao Peng's scalp hurt a little, and his body felt like it was just too stunned to move.

Was I… was I just patted on the head by a dragon?

By the time Gao Peng turned around to look, the White Dragon had already retracted its claw and silently slipped back into the lake, leaving behind only a few ripples on the lake's surface.

After returning to the villa, Gao Peng told his grandpa all the possible evolutionary paths and the necessary materials for the White Dragon, and his grandpa recorded all of the names of the materials. Although some of the names were totally foreign to him, he still took a small notebook from his pocket and wrote down all of them.

"Oh, that's right. The materials that you wanted me to help you look for have been mostly found. See if you can put them to use. But I must say, if you want to raise your familiars, you can look for the advanced level Monster Breeders in the company. We have two of them in the company's experimental department. Consulting with them should be better than experimenting on your own," said Grandpa.

Gao Peng did not argue back about how much better he was than those two advanced level Monster Breeders. It wasn't like he had any proof, anyway. It was best to wait until the results come back from the lab. That would be more effective than mere words.

Gao Peng took the list that his grandpa passed to him and checked the materials on the list. Practically all of the materials that could be purchased with money were there. The remaining materials were so rare that either there was hardly any market for them or money alone couldn't buy them.

This was the first time Gao Peng realized that money could not get one everything. Some things were just so valuable that they could not be bought, not even with monster core crystals. It was simply because no one was selling them, or because they did not even exist on the market.

But either way, the materials needed to raise Silly to perfect grade were all gathered. This meant that Silly had a chance to break through to Commander tier.

Gao Peng was determined. Silly was now level 20, and its personal space was already as large as a refrigerator. If it managed to promote to Commander tier, the personal space would definitely balloon in size. At that point, it would really be like a portable mini-warehouse.

The procedure to raise Silly's grade was not complicated. Gao Peng borrowed one of the company labs used by some other personnel and busied himself for half a day in order to prepare the required materials.

Gao Peng looked at the reddish-brown experimental serum in his hands. The lights in the lab shone through it, scattering into clear, brilliant colors. Gao Peng diluted the solution with water, then let Silly fly in.

The last time, the green serum had caused Silly to turn into its current jade-green. This time, this red serum should allow Silly to change its color at will, Gao Peng had hoped.

The serum was poured into an experimental container. The reddish-brown color gradually spread, and the faint scent of green apples wafted out, leaving a nice aroma in the air.

Without needing any reminders from Gao Peng, Silly smelled the fruit fragrance and its eyes immediately lit up. It hurriedly jumped in, drinking up the liquid in big gulps.

Its jade-green skin was slowly covered in a layer of red, looking as though it was being dyed with wine.

Gao Peng was delighted. His method had indeed worked.

After half an hour, the water in the container slowly became clear again. Silly slowly drifted out of the container, and Gao Peng's expression darkened. The color had turned to a dark green!

But dark green was still much better than jade green.

At least in poor light conditions, it would just look like some dark color.

[Monster Name: Dimensional Jellyfish

[Monster Grade: Perfect

[Monster Level: 20

[Monster Attribute: 1. Space 2. Wood

[Monster Weakness: 1. Electric-type 2. Ice-type 3. Afraid of fish

After an elevation in grade, Silly quietly floated in the air. It hovered there for a moment, stunned. Then it leisurely flew onto Gao Peng's head and fished out some juice to drink as it always did.

After that, Gao Peng prepared the materials and raised Da Zi and Stripey's grade to perfect as well. Their grades had dropped by one when they reached the Commander tier, and now they had regained their perfect grade.

All that was left were the materials for promotion to epic grade. The materials were rare, and some of the key ingredients still hadn't been obtained, but at least he had a start on gathering them.

After the cataclysm, the African continent had become more primitive and rough. It was filled with the scent of wilderness, and human cities were rare. The cities that existed were congregated on flatlands.

One by one, they formed gigantic flatland style megacities, filled with unique elements from all parts of Africa. The walls of the buildings were covered with colorful, patterned graffiti.

The major city in the south of Africa was Lusaka. It was the world's largest exporter of copper, and it was thus also known as the Copper Capital.

There was a large number of copper mines close to Lusaka, so many of the city's buildings made out of copper, and they glimmered brightly under the sunlight.

Five hundred miles outside of Lusaka Base City was a patch of open plains. These were the plains of Lusaka's northern border, and they were occupied by tribes of White-Capped Honey Badgers. Even lions and tigers would not carelessly enter these open plains, because this was a tribe of animals that fought like berserkers.

In the middle of the open plain, a rift suddenly split open from top to bottom, like a vertical slash.

The rift was only as thick as a strand of hair, but from it came clouds of thick black fog that did not dissipate. The black fog grew heavier and heavier, spreading madly outwards.

In Lusaka Base City, a certain building's red warning light suddenly lit up. The building was a small, low-lying hut, built to the south of the city center.

"Quickly, go see what's going on!"

"Which area is it now?"

The hut was in an uproar.

"High energy spatial reaction! The White-Bellied Space Worm became agitated, and there's a high energy spatial reaction nearby! It's most likely a spatial rift."

This was said by a soldier in a black, skin-tight combat suit, who had quickly come upstairs, bursting hurriedly into the office.

"Akil." The burly commander in military uniform spoke to the young black man sitting in the corner of the office.

The young black man raised his head, set aside the game console he was holding, and lazily got to his feet. "Akil, standing by and ready!"

The young man was a full 1.9 meters tall standing upright, his burly figure tightening the seams of his uniform.

"Take a White-Bellied Space Worm and check out the target location… And be careful."

"Yes, sir." Akil smiled, revealing a row of shiny white teeth.

"Oh, d*mn." Up in the air, atop a Red-Spotted Falcon, Akil looked down with displeasure at the plains beneath him.

The earth was covered in pitch black fog, as though the air itself had been purposely painted over, completely colored by black paint. Within the black fog, nothing could be seen, and it was impossible to see out of it as well.

Akil had his familiar lower the altitude of their flight. The black fog seemed to have a life of its own, and it gathered thickly on the ground, not thinning at all. Instead, it was slowly spreading outwards.

He was not interested in coming into contact with the black fog to see if it was poisonous or anything. That was a job for the researchers.

Suddenly, some sort of sound began to come from within the black fog.

Akil's expression changed. He had the falcon fly higher, and he turned in panic to look at the black fog beneath him. The noise was getting closer and closer, and it sounded like horse hooves on the grassland.

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Chapter 178: Permanent Spatial Rift

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Akil patted the falcon on its head. "Fly higher."

For some unknown reason, he felt a premonition of danger within his heart.

The falcon flapped its wings to fly higher. Suddenly the sound of hooves below them became more rapid and drew closer to them.

Not good!

Akil's pupils suddenly shrank.

Reflected in his eyes was a black figure breaking out of the dark fog, leaping out like a burst of lightning, becoming larger and larger rapidly in front of his eyes.

Roar!!! The creature's thunderous cry sounded like it came from a devil from the depths of hell.

The image of a black blade cut through everything.

"No!"

In the air, both human and falcon were cut in two, right down the middle. Innards and blood splattered down like rain.

Pata.

The body of a dark figure landed firmly on the ground, making a dull thud as it landed.

Its body was slim and toned. It had a human torso, but its lower body was shaped like a horse's, just like the centaurs of Western mythology. But its head was different from a human's. Its head was strangely streamlined, and from the side, it looked almost like the head of a donkey.

A layer of thin black fog surrounded its entire body. Under the black fog, its body looked illusory, fading in and out of view. Through the black fog, a pair of blood-red eyes could be seen shining. In its left hand, pointing downwards, was a three-meter-long sword with saw teeth down its edges. The monster was holding the sword diagonally downwards and dragging it across the ground.

The monster stood right next to the fog, and its body and face began to fade out of view again. The black fog behind it wrapped around it, swallowing it up whole.

From the black fog came the sound of chains, and the sound of a blade being dragged across the ground…

On the television, an international news story was playing. Lusaka had experienced a high energy reaction. A new active spatial rift had appeared there, and Lusaka warmly welcomed Monster Trainers from all across the world to head over to the city.

"Grandpa, shouldn't the appearance of a spatial rift be treated as something very serious? Why does it feel as though it's something very good…" Gao Peng blinked. He did not really understand the situation.

Ji Hanwu casually replied, "The are many spatial rifts across the world, but there are also many different types of spatial rifts."

"Among the many differences, the major difference is whether the spatial rift is temporary or permanent. You can probably figure out what each type is just by hearing the name. Temporary spatial rifts only appeared during the early periods of the Cataclysm, and none of them have shown up within the last two years." Ji Hanwu shook his head. "But there haven't been many permanent spatial rifts, either. Up until now, only three have been discovered, and that includes the current one."

So that was the long way of saying that permanent spatial rifts were very rare.

"Spatial rifts all have their limitations, like the fact that creatures that are too powerful are unable to pass through. If you imagine worlds as rooms, then a spatial rift is like a small hole that connects two rooms."

"A small hole? Why is it not a door?" Gao Peng was surprised.

"A door is too predictable. If a door was made for the creatures in the room, then they would be able to pass through it without any trouble. All creatures should be able to pass through. But a spatial rift, on the other hand, has limitations. Creatures that are too strong are unable to pass through, and only little bugs are able to squeeze into the hole."

"Of course, spatial rifts can still be dangerous, but what part of the world isn't dangerous these days?" Ji Hanwu shook his head again. "Spatial rifts mean new familiars, and more importantly, new familiars from other worlds. New things are always popular. You should understand this; this logic is the same no matter where you go." Ji Hanwu seemed rather emotional when he mentioned this last point.

Gao Peng had already been back in Baiye District for a week. It was already the time for Southern Sky Group's Baiye District Branch's personnel recruitment.

Today, early in the morning, Gao Peng had arrived at the office building. The plaza outside was filled with people, and the office was extremely crowded. The number of people loitering outside the recruitment hall the other day paled in comparison to this.

Why are there so many people? Gao Peng was shocked.

Even though Wang Liang had told him that there would be quite a number of people, Gao Peng still did not expect there to be so many.

"Head Gao, you've arrived." Wang Liang, who was idly chatting with others, saw Gao Peng's figure and hurriedly left the others, jogging over.

Wang Liang's face was practically overflowing with a bright smile. Gao Peng wondered, Is there a need to be this happy?

"Who is that? That kid looks so young," said an old man in a blue shirt to the person next to him. He pursed his lips after he spoke.

"Don't know. Must be some important person, I guess," answered a short-haired old man next to him with a sigh. There was a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Wang Liang was in charge of recruitment, so for these potential applicants, he was an important figure who they needed to impress. But now, this important figure was speaking so respectfully to this young man, who was even younger than their own children.

Such a strong contrast with their expectations left them feeling thoroughly conflicted. Gao Peng knew none of this, but he could feel a bit of it from the looks that the people standing around gave him.

The recruitment process began very quickly. Applicants joined the queue after obtaining a queue number and were interviewed one by one. With the help of a seasoned veteran like Wang Liang, after half the day went by, Gao Peng pretty much had a clear understanding of the process.

The recruitment process would last a total of three days. After observing for a few hours, Gao Peng had some understanding of how things worked. It was interesting at first, but after a while, things started to get rather dry.

He had thought that he would get to see some talents, but after listening at the side for a while, Gao Peng was disappointed. After some thought, it was understandable why things were like this.

After informing the rest that he was going to be absent for a while, Gao Peng left the recruitment grounds.

This work was just a job, just like his job as a Monster Breeder. Raising his familiars, and thereby making Da Zi and the rest as strong as possible, was Gao Peng's main goal.

Gao Peng would not forget the things that were most important to him.

When he arrived at the training grounds, there was already a small figure working hard.

"You're here rather early," said Gao Peng with a smile. After speaking, he opened the safe at the side of the training grounds and pulled out a giant purple basket. Inside were tons of white flying discs.

Li Junzong pouted his lips slightly and smiled back at Gao Peng, his forehead dripping with sweat.

Gao Peng casually took out a flying disk, and with a flick of his wrist, sent it spinning out into the air in a lazy arc.

Standing behind Gao Peng, Flamy was conditioned to react. It opened its beak and spat out a ball of flame. Then, without any pause, another ball of flame was spat out. Two continuous fireballs!

The two fireballs struck the flying disc one after another. The first one hit the disc, then exploded, scattering red-hot flames across the sky. Just as the disc was about to change direction, the second fireball had already arrived at the target.

The flying disc was sent flying like a baseball struck by a bat. It collided heavily with the wall and fell to the ground, bent and misshapen.

Flamy's flames had grown significantly more powerful since the previous week. But what made Gao Peng glad was that the results of his training were evident. Right now, firing two continuous fireballs was easy for Flamy.

The sky was dark by the time Gao Peng ended their training session. It was worth noting that training a fire-type familiar in the summer was a form of torture…

Fire-type familiars naturally had high body temperatures, and training their fire-type abilities often involved spitting fireballs. Even if they only trained their fire abilities for a little while, it was still really hot!

Gao Peng's shirt was drenched in sweat and sticking to his body, and strands of hair were plastered on his forehead.

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Chapter 179: The Underground Monster

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The recruitment drive would be ending in three days. This time, a lot of children had been recruited. Ever since the Cataclysm, child labor was no longer frowned upon by society.

The Cataclysm had left lots of children without parents. Even though the New World Allied Government had provided financial assistance to these children, child labor still existed in this world.

These orphans were often stereotyped as rebellious delinquents, so in truth, the government viewed child labor as a good thing. These orphans would not have the time to fool around if they were all given stable jobs.

However, children were less physically competent than adults. Most companies and other profit-minded entities would not employ minors, as it would only put them at a disadvantage.

Most of the people in Gao Peng's company assumed that he was simply being generous.

Their gossiping soon reached Gao Peng's ears.

"Let me know if there are any promising talents this time," Gao Peng ordered Wang Liang.

"Of course, I'll be focusing on character above all else!" replied Wang Liang.

In the Southern Sky No. 7 Factory, mask-wearing workers toiled while listening to the metallic hum of the machinery around them.

Black fumes were expelled into the air from the factory. A thick, black cloud circled above the factory, absorbing the black flumes into itself. Liquid waste was expelled through a couple of large drainage pipes into the underground sewage system.

Since the Cataclysm, all existing plant life in the world had grown hardier and capable of absorbing all kinds of chemical contaminants through their roots. Some plants even derived nutrients from these contaminants.

Liquid waste flowed out of the pipes with a hiss through an alloy gate and instantly flooded the underground sewage system.

After lunch, Gao Peng went to the factory and saw a couple of people huddled together outside, talking to each other in hushed tones.

"What's wrong?" Gao Peng asked one of the workers.

The worker saw Gao Peng's nameplate and hurriedly replied, "A monster suddenly appeared in the factory. It's killed a lot of workers. The security supervisor will send his people in to get rid of it shortly.

There's a monster in the factory? Gao Peng could not believe his ears. A high wall had been built around the factory. Surveillance cameras had been set up everywhere. There was no way a monster could get in without anyone knowing.

The worker then said that he did not really know what the monster looked like. He had only heard about it from the others.

After thinking about it for a while, Gao Peng decided to go back and bring his familiars into the factory. The workers quickly stepped aside to allow Gao Peng's party to pass through.

Someone in a security uniform bumped into them at the factory's entrance. A Four-Winged Jade Devil Mantis followed close behind him.

The man immediately recognized Gao Peng. Who let this spoiled brat in? he silently cursed.

"Supervisor Jiang, did you find the monster?"

"Yes, but it's a slippery thing. It fled into the underground sewage system," said Supervisor Jiang, sighing.

Sewage system? How did a monster manage to enter the factory through the sewage system? Gao Peng thought.

"Were the underground defensive installations damaged?" asked Gao Peng. That would need to be resolved quickly. Otherwise, other monsters would take advantage of the security breach and enter the factory from the sewage system.

"Head Gao, there are no defensive measures placed in the sewage system, other than an alloy gate that lets liquid waste flow out of the factory," said a man named Zhou Wu in a corner, glancing at Supervisor Jiang with a hint of glee in his eyes.

"The underground water pressure should be enough to prevent other monsters from entering the factory," said Supervisor Jiang awkwardly, while silently cursing Zhou Wu. He knew that Zhou Wu had been eyeing his position for a long time; the man would gladly blame him for today's fiasco.

Gao Peng frowned. He was not interested in whatever was going on between these two. He only knew that there had been a security breach in the factory, which had resulted in the deaths of a number of workers and a delay in the factory's function.

Gao Peng would give an honest report of today's worker attendance to his superiors later. Whatever they decided to do next would be entirely up to them.

Gao Peng then made his way to where the monster had disappeared. There was a gaping hole in the concrete floor, from which wafted a nasty smell.

Da Zi scuttled over and poked his head into the hole curiously. Gao Peng ordered it back, fearing that the monster might still be lurking nearby.

Da Zi chirped unhappily at Gao Peng. "No danger, no danger at all."

After thinking about it for a while, Gao Peng grew more convinced that there was no lord tier monster living in the sewage system. Also, he recalled that his grandfather had a familiar living in there. All potentially dangerous monsters had been exterminated by the familiar long ago.

"I'll go take a look," said Gao Peng, summoning his familiars to his side.

Supervisor Jiang quickly stopped him. "Best leave this sort of thing to us…"

"I don't think your Devil Mantis is cut out for the job," said Gao Peng, shaking his head. Devil Mantises were not exactly suited for combat in damp, dark places.

Gao Peng tried to advise Supervisor Jiang against bringing his familiar into the hole. However, his words had injured the man's pride.

He was the factory's security supervisor, after all. The facility's safety was his responsibility. Now the head of Human Resources was doing his job for him.

"Worry not, I believe in my familiar. It can adapt to all sorts of environments. Right?" Supervisor Jiang said to his Four-Winged Devil Mantis.

The Devil Mantis shook its head. Your words, not mine.

"Every familiar has its limitations. Four-Winged Devil Mantises usually prefer wide, open spaces. Besides, I still need you to maintain order in the factory," said Gao Peng.

Supervisor Jiang was stunned for a moment by his words. He could not believe that Gao Peng would actually help him out.

He then let out a deep sigh and said, "Be careful, Head Gao. It's not a high-level monster, but its movements are quick and agile, and it can also climb on walls. Once you're down there, walk westward and you'll reach the alloy gate…" said Supervisor Jiang.

Gao Peng hadn't decided to help Supervisor Jiang on a whim. He simply thought that Stripey and Da Zi were more suited for combat in such a damp and dark place. Given that there were no wild commander tier monsters living in most urban areas, both of Gao Peng's commander tier monsters could definitely handle whatever was down there.

After waving a hand at Supervisor Jiang, Gao Peng led Stripey, Da Zi, and Flamy into the hole.

They dropped onto a cold concrete floor. The walls around them were damp, and water trickled down from cracks between the bricks. Turning on the flashlight that Supervisor Jiang had given him, Gao Peng began walking westward.

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The deeper they went, the worse the air smelled.

Apart from the light from the torchlight, everything around them was dark. The underground tunnels were spacious, much bigger than Gao Peng had imagined. The walls were covered with brick, although the bricks had fallen off in some areas, exposing the mottled rock wall beneath it.

Da Zi and Stripey's hard claws impacted the ground sharply as they walked, making crisp and clear footstep sounds that reverberated in the air, echoing very far away. Of course, amidst that steady rhythm of footsteps were the sounds created as Flamy leaped along and chirped occasionally.

After ten minutes or so, they reached a tightly shut giant alloy door. When the light from the flashlight moved over the surface of the large door, the copper alloy emanated a hazy color.

Da Zi suddenly straightened its head and almost at the same time, Stripey also raised its head in alarm and began making threatening noises from its mouth.

Gao Peng immediately shone his flashlight above him. Two gigantic cockroaches with black and crimson colored shells crawled sneakily along the top of the large alloy door. As a beam of light suddenly fell on their bodies, they froze.

They stood there dumbly without moving a muscle. Moving forward was not good, and retreating wasn't an option either. After a moment of hesitation, they released their grips and spread the wings on their backs, producing a high-frequency flapping sound as they lunged towards Gao Peng.

Stripey's reacted extremely quickly. It raised its head and opened its mouth. A bunch of sticky, white-colored spider web shot out of its mouth.

There was a frenzy of spider web spitting. The gigantic flying cockroaches did not manage to dodge in time and were caught head on, getting hit directly in the face. After that, with a huge bang, they slammed into the wall of the underground sewer violently and found themselves firmly stuck there.

The impact of the spider web was ridiculously powerful, and the web itself was also extremely sticky. No matter how the gigantic cockroaches struggled, it was all for naught.

Da Zi shrieked and raised its two antennas high into the air. They became two straight lines, and a purple electric arc appeared between its antennas.

The electric arc became denser and grew louder by the second, producing crackling explosive noises.

Finally, when the building power reached its peak, and the electric arc between its antennas shot out a stream of lightning. The purple electric arc hit one of the gigantic cockroaches. Upon hitting the target, the electricity spread outwards along the cockroach's body before sinking down into its flesh.

The gigantic cockroach spasmed and vomited out white bubbles, shrieking crazily.

Only after a while did the gigantic cockroach stop struggling. Its body had already turned to ash, and the light smell of fried food came from the body. Perhaps because they usually stayed in the sewer, all the gigantic cockroaches were filled with oil. Even their wings were oily, and they shone vaguely under the light.

Stripey looked at the cockroach, which had been burned to a crisp by the electric current, and swallowed its saliva. It stood up like a human and moved towards the top of the wall, where the cockroaches were hanging. Its sharp spider claws carved deeply into the stone wall as if they were metal hooks. Stripey's claws had the unique ability to cut through spider webs gracefully without being stuck to them.

With a light cut, the pitch-black spider claw easily freed the stuck cockroach from the webs.

The instant the gigantic cockroach was freed, despite the fact that it had been burned as black as coal by the electric, it suddenly spread its wings violently before making a high-pitched shriek. It then immediately flew away.

Stripey, who was prepared to put the cockroaches in its mouth, froze with fright. Two of its front limbs hung in the air, and it remained in that pose while all eight of its eyes stared, amazed, at the back of the escaping cockroach.

Flamy's eyes shone. A flying disc! A giant flying disc!

It opened its sharp beak, and two streams of flame shot forward consecutively, accurately hitting the cockroach!

Boom!!

The gigantic cockroach was squarely hit. Flames struck its body, and it ignited. The wings on its back caught fire, then burned all the way back to their roots. The only things left were its two big skeletal frames where its wings had once been.

The cockroach fell on the floor limply. The flames still burned fiercely on its body, and in the end, it was reduced to a black lump of coal.

Hmpf, tiny bug. Flamy raised its head high in the air pridefully, then wrapped its wings around its waist triumphantly.

Wasn't it already burned to a crisp by the electricity…? Why was it alive again?

Stripey's tiny brain capacity was simply not sufficient for it to comprehend this sort of fantastical reality. And then, Stripey slowly turned its head around and suspiciously stared at the other gigantic cockroach trapped in the spider web.

This one can't also be alive, can it?

Stripey moved its head forward to inspect the cockroach in detail. Eight eyes turned slowly, inspecting every inch of the insect.

The gigantic cockroach felt utter despair in its heart. Its partner had already escaped, but it was still stuck in the spider web. Now, it did not even dare to move; it could only play dead.

Pa.

Stripey used its left claw to poke the head of the gigantic cockroach. The eyes of the gigantic cockroach were without color, and no matter how Stripey teased or poked at it, nothing happened.

Stripey was delighted. It was good that it was dead since Stripey liked eating dead ones, not live ones.

Puchk! With one bite, the head of the gigantic cockroach disappeared.

The two cockroaches were probably the monsters that had sneaked into the factory previously.

Gao Peng now understood what had happened. The large alloy door would probably only open when the factory discharged dirty water; normally, the alloy door would be tightly shut. The two monsters had slipped through the alloy door when it was opened and the water was discharged, coming in by going against the current.

Gao Peng was a little puzzled. The two cockroaches were actually able to withstand so much water, and even move against the current to go through the door? What exactly had made the two cockroaches so determined?

Gao Peng moved forward and unlocked the metal lock on the alloy door. He flipped the cover open and exposed the digital lock before entering the password. The alloy door made a crisp beeping sound and slowly opened.

Under the sound of the mechanical door opening was a loud noise, as if many things were rubbing against each other. When Gao Peng turned his head sideways to listen to the sound, the rubbing sounds disappeared.

The gap in the center of the door slowly widened. Through the gap of the door, Gao Peng saw many red dots from within the darkness.

An ominous feeling rose in Gao Peng's heart.

He shone his torchlight towards the opening. Pitch black. It looked as if cockroach larvae were crawling all over the floor and walls of the sewer, and even on the ceiling, pushing against each other.

The door opened, but none of the monsters rushed towards it. It was as if the aura of Da Zi and gang increased the vigilance of the insects.

A short cry suddenly came from behind the monsters.

The group of cockroaches hesitated for a short moment, and then they stopped hesitating. They rushed forward in a ferocious swarm.

"Flamy," Gao Peng said, then he, Da Zi, and the rest retreated two steps backward.

Flamy stepped forward and took a deep breath. Its chest puffed up as if preparing to roar. The next moment, its beak opened quickly.

Boom!

Fierce flame shot out of its mouth like a flamethrower shooting uncontrollably.

The sewer wasn't very spacious. Moreover, it was a straight track, so the cockroaches in front of them had no way of avoiding the flames.

The flames covered the group of cockroaches. Normally, these gigantic cockroaches lived in an underground environment, which had two things in abundance: dirty water and underground oil. These cockroaches loved leftover food, so they had naturally got a lot of oil stuck on their bodies.

Typically the oil helped defend them against the attacks of other monsters, but now, it had become the thing that destroyed them.

The flames instantly swallowed the entire underground sewer.

The gigantic cockroaches wailed in pain and flew all over the place. They only wanted to run for their lives.

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Read Monster Pet Evolution Chapter 181 - The Dark Dodder online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 181: The Dark Dodder

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Squeaks from gigantic cockroaches filled the underground pipeline as they were burnt by the fire. The chaotic squeals completely drowned out all other noise, even the sound of their leader…

The fire burned fiercely, accompanied by columns of thick smoke. Gao Peng covered his nose, coughing as he retreated.

The fire was really fierce, and it seemed to have burnt off much of the oxygen in the air, causing him to have difficulty breathing.

Gao Peng saw a cockroach that was double the size of the other gigantic cockroaches ordering the other cockroaches anxiously. He presumed that it was their leader.

Gao Peng's eyes lit up. "Stripey!" This giant cockroach was only level 18, and its grade was only Excellent.

Stripey was completely capable of implementing its decapitation tactics on cockroaches.

Stripey shook its claws lightly and rampaged straight towards the cockroaches as if it was a tank.

All the gigantic cockroaches along the way were thrown off by Stripey's hard outer shell. As its claws rose up and swept sideways, several gigantic cockroaches were sent flying. The other few bent their limbs downward and sprang up high as their limbs tightened as much as they could.

Although quite a few were burned by the fire, a large number of them were still in rest mode, so when they suddenly saw Stripey barging in, they were instantly spurred on and rushed forward fiercely.

They moved towards and hit Stripey's shell like raindrops, making muffled sounds.

The intense and continuous attacks only left insignificant white marks on Stripey's hard shell. The method of attacking these gigantic cockroaches was monotonous; it was simply tearing with the mouth and attacking with tiny sharp claws. The cockroaches relied on their numbers.

A Perfect Grade Commander tier's defense completely overwhelmed the group of gigantic cockroaches.

This was not a game, and there was no such thing as a forced armor break that caused a drop in health points.

If one couldn't break through the defense, then they would never be able to cause any harm.

Breaking a stone through water droplets also required a certain time frame.

Gao Peng frowned, for he sensed that it was gradually becoming more difficult to breathe. Although Shifting Constellations could divert damage, he didn't want totest if the damage of not being able to breath could be diverted. Although the underground sewers had ventilation facilities, the loss of oxygen for even a short period was not something that could be replaced in a short amount of time.

Retreating backward, he moved some distance away from the battlefield.

Stripey rushed to the front of the gigantic cockroach leader and lifted up its spider claws fiercely, as if it was surrounding the gigantic cockroach with iron rods, forming a cage that trapped the gigantic cockroach in the center.

No matter how hard the gigantic cockroach tried, it just couldn't escape Stripey's grip.

With its head lowered, the tip of Stripey's tail and mouth ejected a large amount of spider silk. There was no way to avoid it at such a short distance.

Finally, Stripey brutally bit off the gigantic cockroach leader's head.

Even though gigantic cockroaches' healing ability was abnormally powerful, and their vitality was extremely stubborn, nevertheless, losing their heads meant death.

Without their leader, the morale of the rest of gigantic cockroaches dropped, and they ran for their lives.

It seemed like these gigantic cockroaches were the cause of the factory's accident. It was just hard to figure out why the gigantic cockroaches had surrounded and blocked the alloy door. Once the water of the flood gates was released, they would flock towards the door, facing the current while moving upstream.

The numbers were there. One to two of them would have coincidentally rushed into the door.

Gao Peng could imagine what had happened after that.

Stripey suddenly squealed loudly with its mouth wide open, sounding as if it was in agony. Then it knocked against the wall continuously.

"What's the matter, Stripey?" Gao Peng enquired quickly.

Full of fear, Stripey replied, "Something is moving in my mouth, it's moving, it's moving."

Had that cockroach's head transcended into a higher being? Gao Peng was shocked.

While comforting Stripey nonstop, Gao Peng was able to clearly see what was in Stripey's mouth; it was a bunch of earthworms that were wriggling constantly.

[Monster Name: Dark Dodder (Parasitic Sub-body)

[Monster Level: Level 19

[Monster Grade: Perfect

[Monster Attribute: Dark

[Monster Hobby: Eat Metal

[Monster Weakness: Hates Sunshine

[Parasitic Characteristic: Suck up blood and fat beneath the skin of host as nutrition. Enable the host to recover their physical strength, repair their inner wounds, and upgrade their outer skin's defensive power.

Yet another type of parasitic plant.

Gao Peng's face twitched slightly.

The grade of this parasitic plant was rather good, and its strengthening attributes weren't bad either.

Recuperating the physical strength of the parasitic host was equivalent to increasing its ability to continue in combat. Enabling internal healing was also considered a healing effect. Upgrading external defensive power meant a direct increase in combat strength.

All in all, these abilities were rather useful.

"Come here, Flamy," What was urgent at that moment was to remove the Dark Dodder from Stripey's mouth.

Stripey's defensive power was strong, but only its external shell. If this Dark Dodder made it into its brain, it could be rather troublesome.

Naively, Flamy was tricked into coming over. Gao Peng looked at Flamy and sighed, "Sorry."

Feelings of ominous dread rose from the bottom of Flamy's heart.

Gao Peng couldn't help but pat Flamy's head. "You're still very young, yet you have so much to bear…"

Flamy looked at its master, puzzled, as it wondered why its master's expressions looked so terrifying.

The next scene caused Da Zi's eyes to squirm. It turned its head, not bearing to look at it directly, and glanced at it with its small eyes secretly.

Flamy's trim beak cut inside as if it were a double handled surgical scalpel.

Finally, Flamy's beak grabbed onto a bunch of black silk threads that kept wriggling and squirming in Stripey's mouth and pulled them out.

Leaving Stripey's mouth, Flamy spat the black silk threads on the ground, then it leaned against the wall and vomited until its face was green.

Anyone who saw or heard it would be affected by the misery from its voice and the brutality of the movements. "Cough, Stripey, then we'll see that you aren't in the habit of rinsing your mouth regularly," Gao Peng scolded Stripey.

Stripey squealed woefully.

Gao Peng coughed twice; he had been at his wit's end just now, since only Flamy had such an ability.

The Dark Dodder that had been thrown on the ground looked like rolls of messy hair, with black-bean-like things scattered unevenly on the black hair strands.

Initially, the Dark Dodder squirmed viciously on the ground, then with great caution, it escaped. Gao Peng pretended not to see it and instructed his familiars to ignore it.

Only when the Dark Dodder had travelled a distance away did Gao Peng signal for them to catch up with it. With Da Zi's sharp smelling ability, he presumed that the approximated route wouldn't be too far off the mark.

They met some other monsters along the way, but their levels weren't high, just of a normal grade. Gao Peng didn't bother with them. He only depended on the breaths released by Da Zi that were sufficiently making these monsters evade them on their own.

After walking for half an hour, making right and left turns in the sewer, they faintly heard the sound of flowing water.

The sound grew louder and louder. It seemed like the underground water converged in a point somewhere in front of them. Water flowed from several places and merged in this hall, and because of the quick flow, a whirlpool was formed.

Along with this came a strong and terrible stench.

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Chapter 182: Dark Dodder (2)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The area was a circular underground space, and around it were pathways that led in other directions. A constant stream of rubbish flowed along the dirty water in the direction of other channels, emanating a pungent stench.

Gao Peng had been disgusted by the smell in the beginning, but after a while, he got used to it. He thought that the smell was only a little strong.

Gao Peng appeared with his familiars alongside him.

Da Zi's antennas wobbled left and right, using the blood contract to deliver its thoughts to Gao Peng. "Master, it's here. The scent disappears here."

"They didn't leave using the sewer?"

"No." Da Zi shook its head in confirmation.

Gao Peng nodded slowly. The Dark Dodder was a plant, so after it mutated, it had adapted to underground conditions, but it shouldn't have been underwater. Gao Peng took out his flashlight and shone it over various pathways.

In the gap of a corner, a few big black vines shrank back slowly, attempting to hide deep inside the corner without leaving any trace.

"Found you," Gao Peng said quietly. His sound reverberated in the sewer. A strong beam of light shone straight toward the corner. The black vines that were moving slowly suddenly stiffened, then it moved as quick as a python, wanting to escape into the water.

Flamy spouted a pillar of fire and predicted the direction the black vines were headed, a path that it would have to go across when trying to escape the sewer.

The black vine was so scared that stood up from the ground, then turned around and escaped in another direction.

Da Zi had long been ready to rush over. Although the vines were fast, they were still a lot slower than Da Zi.

A surging sound suddenly came from a stream of water on the side. Immediately after that, a splash appeared, and a huge black rat jumped out from the stream. It was a shiny huge black rat, at least ten feet long.

The huge black rat jumped up and opened its mouth, exposing its teeth, which were as sharp as knives, before hurling itself towards Da Zi.

Da Zi didn't stop its footsteps. With each of its sharp limbs held firmly to the ground, it turned sideways, a powerful aura emanating from its gaze. It growled viciously as it stretched its dagger-like teeth outwards. Then it closed them quickly!

The two gigantic monsters collided together. Da Zi was struck and forced to move back. The huge black rat's cheek was almost bitten through, blood flowing from its wound.

The huge rat's front tooth hit Da Zi's back, making Da Zi's shell cave inwards and creating cracks around the sunken area.

However, the huge rat was also in severe pain from biting Da Zi. It was in so much pain that tears came out. It held its front tooth, nearly crying.

A spark flashed over Da Zi's body, pushing the huge rat away. The huge rat felt as if the centipede in front of it had suddenly transformed into something else as it produced a bright purple light. In the dark underground space, the light was particularly glaring.

The huge black rat had never witnessed such bright light before, as it had lived in a dark environment its entire life, so the light almost blinded its rat eyes.

It was so frightened that it leaped seven or eight feet off the ground.

Then it turned around and attempted to escape. It didn't matter how the black threads located in the head of the huge rat urged, it didn't work.

This monster had probably become the host of the Dark Dodder; however, the current type of parasitic relationship was more similar to symbiosis, meaning the Dark Dodder couldn't give a forced command to the host.

So this huge black rat had its own thoughts, and it would get scared when it faced danger. It would also escape, and when things became too dangerous, situations like the current one would also happen.

However, this was also good, as Gao Peng only needed the ability of this Dark Dodder, not its thoughts. It was the parasitic monster that he wanted.

Da Zi had already caught up, its sharp and strong limbs firmly stopping the vines of the Dark Dodder in place like a row of nails.

In the end, it was dragged back like a dead snake. When the Dark Dodder saw Gao Peng, it still tried to fight back, attempting to wrap itself around Gao Peng's body, but it was taught multiple lessons by the familiars. At long last, it seemed to have accepted its fate, lying on the ground limply.

Gao Peng had noticed a special characteristic of these monsters, and it was that they always covered their ears while they were stealing bells. In short, they blinded themselves, thinking that others wouldn't be able to notice them.

The Dark Dodder was put on Stripey's back.

To be able to obtain something from underground was a pretty decent result.

The Dark Dodder on Stripey's back kept waving its vines cautiously, wanting to sneak into the gaps in Stripey's shell. Unfortunately, even if it was already in a bad situation, it still wouldn't behave.

Then Stripey stopped and rolled on the floor two times.

The Dark Dodder was flattened and looked weak.

Gao Peng turned around, wanting to leave the sewer. A sudden roar came from behind him. Like a truck driving through the drain, Gao Peng's face twitched. The sound gradually came closer and grew louder.

Gao Peng lowered his head. It was blueish beneath his feet. The dark shadow beneath his feet expanded in front of him as if someone had turned on their phone flashlight and projected it on his back.

The area suddenly turned silent. Only Gao Peng's footsteps were left. A faint rustling sound came from behind him, as well as the looming sense of a threat.

Gao Peng's expression turned solemn.

"Purr?" A sound filled with doubt came from behind Gao Peng.

"Boss, there's a big guy back there," Da Zi said in a panicked tone.

"But it looks like that big guy isn't malicious," Flamy asked, puzzled.

Gao Peng turned around, and behind him was an enormous figure that almost filled up the entire sewer. Beams of lightning surrounded its body like snakes, penetrating the air and making buzzing sounds that sounded like high-pitched hisses.

The lights that he saw in front of him came from these electricity sparks. He could only vaguely see densely-packed claws sticking out from beneath it.

The big monster didn't seem malicious, as it only stared curiously at Gao Peng like there was something about Gao Peng that puzzled it.

Purring sounds kept coming from the mouth of the monster. Due to the bright lights from the electricity, one could only vaguely see that the giant monster had a tough shell on its back.

In the end, the monster retreated slowly and didn't start a conflict with Gao Peng.

Gao Peng wiped away the sweat on his forehead.

It had been too scary. The monster just now had been level 39. If they had really fought, Gao Peng's group definitely couldn't have defeated it. In that kind of narrow and limited space, their only option would be to escape.

Why would such a scary monster be in the sewer?

Gao Peng was shocked and still not calm. It was like two blonde thugs going to a primary school to take money, then, upon opening the classroom door, seeing a group of muscular and tough-looking fellows with tattoos on their arms seated at the tables.

Wait, Gao Peng suddenly remembered that his grandpa had a familiar living in the sewers. Perhaps this was that familiar.

When they were back aboveground, Gao Peng took the Dark Dodder to the training ground first. Then, he grabbed the water pipe, aimed at the creature, and washed it.

Smelly and murky residue continued to come off the body of the Dark Dodder under the constant rinsing. Gradually, the black-colored Dark Dodder became brighter.

After it was cleaned, a light gray vine that was about twenty-five feet long lay on the floor. The vine had a lot of branches, and along the branches were dark green fruits. The surfaces of the fruit were covered in complex black patterns. This was what the Dark Dodder had originally looked like.

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Chapter 183: A Laboratory that Belongs to Me

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Do you understand what I'm saying?" Gao Peng said.

The Dark Dodder crawled ignorantly in the same place. The surrounding trees and bushes attracted it greatly, so it tried to move towards them, but whenever it crawled a little distance away, it would be dragged back violently by Dumby.

Then a fruit from its body would fly out, exploding on Dumby's body before splitting into black silk threads that emerged from within the fruit and entangled themselves quickly to Dumby's bones, attempting to absorb blood and fat.

Unfortunately, Dumby only had a skeletal frame.

The threads became confused, as it was the first time it had encountered such a situation.

Where is the fat? And what about the blood? No matter how poor you are, at least give me some flesh!

The thread flailed about desperately while seeking something.

At last, it found blood threads. Since it couldn't pierce through the thick bones, the blood threads were the only option left. The blood threads did seem similar to blood vessels.

By rubbing the blood threads, it seemed to be tickling Dumby. With his palm spread out, he slapped down violently. Pah!

The threads were turned into a pile of flattened meat.

Finally, the Dark Dodder seemed to have given up the idea of running away. It curled itself together into a messy bundle of threads.

Gao Peng frowned and chatted for a while more. It looked like he was talking to himself, and no one even knew if the Dark Dodder understood at all. Regardless, it didn't react to Gao Peng's attempt at communicating with it, or it might have simply been that it was too lazy to bother.

Gao Peng knew that he couldn't tame it in such a short amount of time, so Gao Peng called someone to bring over a bulletproof glass box and threw the Dark Dodder inside, not giving it any soil and locking it in an underground room without any sunlight.

He didn't believe that this b*stard would still be as stubborn after starving it for some time.

After Gao Peng finished his errands, he went home and showered so that he could wash the strange smell off his body.

The factory resumed work after the underground issues were resolved.

The next day, Gao Peng received a transfer order from the headquarters of the company. Gao Peng had worked hard these few weeks, working with a serious attitude. The human resource department had transferred him over to the headquarters, but as for his designation and responsibilities, none of those had been disclosed yet.

The other employees that received the message were all stunned.

Gao Peng returned to his seat to pack his belongings, although there wasn't much to pack…

The other company employees that he saw as he walked had unreadable expressions on their faces.

Wang Liang teared up. Head Gao had been transferred, but he was stuck there.

Although he had been promoted to the head of the human resources department, he still felt resentment. He wanted to continue to follow Gao Peng.

It was already two o'clock in the afternoon when Gao Peng reached the headquarters. He went directly to the highest floor, where Old Ji had been waiting in his office for some time.

"Grandpa, isn't this a little too high-profile?" Gao Peng said helplessly.

He hadn't thought that it would be this fast. He had thought that he would spend a few months, but now it hadn't even been a month…

Gao Peng didn't even have the strength to complain. It was really a bit…

"Haha, it doesn't matter; actually, everyone knew," Ji Hanwu said. "And also, who would dare to say no?"

As long as you're happy. Since grandpa had already said that, what else could Gao Peng say?

"Your laboratory has been completed. It's furnished with all the best materials and equipment in the industry. Let's go, I'll take you to the laboratory now to have a look." He was a man of action. Ji Hanwu got up quickly in anticipation, seeming like he was more anxious than Gao Peng.

He couldn't wait to see his grandson's surprised expression.

As they left the company building, Ji Hanwu brought Gao Peng to the back door of the company, but as they went further, Gao Peng gradually felt that something wasn't right. Was this not the way to the villa?

Along the way, the employees all greeted Ji Hanwu as they saw him. It looked as if everyone there knew his grandpa.

They walked through factories, dormitories, and research bases.

The more they walked, the more Gao Peng felt strange. This was almost outside of the company's district. He remembered that moving further forward would bring them to his grandpa's house!

Did grandpa build the laboratory in the villa? Gao Peng suspected.

Gao Peng was led to the door of the villa. Gao Peng thought, It seems like it really is inside the villa.

Grandpa said calmly, "You wait here for a while. I'll go upstairs and get the keys."

After he grabbed the keys, grandpa led Gao Peng through a lake and walked towards the mountains at the back. Finally, he stopped in front of a cave.

He passed the key to Gao Peng. "You go down and see it for yourself. These old bones will not be going any further with you."

Gao Peng took the key from his grandpa and looked at the cave. It was a cave, but it actually wasn't gloomy. In contrast, the entrance was very well-lit. The ground in front of the cave had been cleared away and flattened, but there were still some tire prints on the ground.

Moving inside, only the sound of Gao Peng's footsteps was left.

He looked around and assessed his surroundings. There were several steel rings fixed on the inner walls, and cement had been poured over them.

Continuing further inside, the light became weaker as more lights began to slowly appear above his head. Over a dozen steps further inside, after making a turn, Gao Peng stopped.

A closed alloy iron gate stood in front of his eyes. The silver gate looked very advanced. There were also white light beams outside the gate. Gao Peng moved forward, then stopped suddenly. He suspiciously reached out and felt a cool sensation after.

There was actually a piece of glass here.

He was speechless. He had almost walked straight into it.

At the place where he had put his fingertips, a surge of red ripples appeared, as if a stone had just been dropped into a lake.

Then the ripple continued to expand outwards. Finally, a green light appeared on the top of the glass wall, a straight line going from the top all the way to the bottom. Along the green line, the glass door was gradually split open from the middle as the two sides moved away from each other. The glass door gradually opened.

Gao Peng watched this high-technology scene, speechless.

This was way too posh.

He walked inside, the glass door shutting slowly. At the center of the metal gate, there was an obvious keyhole. Gao Peng inserted the key, and the key turned automatically by itself after being inserted. Ka-cha.

The silver metal gate opened slowly…

When Gao Peng saw the scene inside clearly, his heart suddenly tightened.

The inside of the room was entirely white. The moment the metal gate opened, the lights inside the room correspondingly lit up.

The white shadowless lamp shone brightly in the laboratory. This was a room that looked like a living room. Gao Peng could even see a coffee machine, a leather sofa, a projector, and other amenities.

At two sides of the room were doors that Gao Peng went to and took a look inside. This cave laboratory was quite large, as there was the main control room, the experiment room, the freezing chamber, and even an enclosed chamber.

Enclosed chambers were commonly used to lock up monsters, and the monsters used in research were all locked inside enclosed chambers.

A lot of the equipment in the laboratory were things Gao Peng had seen on TV or in magazines, and now, all of them had become a reality in front of him.

Gao Peng made an approximate estimation. The laboratory wasn't gigantic, since at least when compared to large-scale laboratories, it was still lacking in terms of surface area.

But Gao Peng didn't intend to recruit any assistants for this laboratory. He was enough.

His fingers slid over the surface of the equipment. In his mind, Gao Peng had already determined his next test subject.

Gao Peng had thought of numerous experiments before in his mind, but at that time, he was still alone, so he did not look much further into it. Now that he had the Southern Sky Group, many of his imaginings could perhaps become reality.

And the Southern Sky Group had also the strength to support Gao Peng!

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Chapter 184: Bloody Butcher Reagent

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"How was it? Are you satisfied with the laboratory? If you aren't, we can build another one." Ji Hanwu watched as his grandson walked out of the cave, a sense of gentleness emanating from his eyes.

"I'm very satisfied." Grandpa must have pushed himself to the limit preparing the laboratory, so how could Gao Peng not be satisfied?

Later, Gao Peng told his grandpa that he possessed the evolutionary pathways of several commonly seen familiars. They had all been discovered in his past experiments.

These familiars had been the most common familiars at the time. Moreover, their evolution methods were relatively easy. One could directly create a experimental drug, and if they could produce standard drug agents, one could definitely make a considerable haul selling it while increasing their reputation.

Out of common sense, Ji Hanwu didn't really believe him, since it wasn't easy to create a stable familiar evolution agent, not to mention that Gao Peng had stated that he could create evolution agents for several types of familiars.

However, out of reason, he had complete trust in the words from his grandson.

So, Ji Hanwu fell into silence.

"Really? My grandson is so damn good! A real genius! I'm so happy! Haha." Ji Hanwu patted Gao Peng's shoulder violently without any intention of hiding his brimming praise.

Gao Peng looked at Ji Hanwu, who was laughing in an embarrassing manner, with a disgruntled expression on his face.

Grandpa, you're really suited for acting. Maybe you should go learn it from Uncle Liu?

Uncle Liu, who was reading the newspaper at that time, suddenly sneezed.

Gao Peng sighed. It seemed like he still needed to produce results to make his point.

The monsters needed for this experiment were not expensive. He could buy a bunch of them anytime from the market. The only thing was that the monsters that populated the areas around Chang'an City became rare in the regions surrounding Yuzhou City.

This was a point that Gao Peng had not foreseen, so it was his error.

When a thing is scarce, it becomes precious. The price for the materials and monsters needed were also slightly higher than the prices in Chang'an City.

When the materials were all assembled, Gao Peng had already started to mix the agents. After he put a recorder to the side and began recording, Gao Peng put on a white coat and a pair of white gloves before proceeding to operate the not-so-complicated equipment in preparation to make the reagents.

Not long after, a few reagents were completed, one after another.

Every time Gao Peng finished producing one reagent, he would stop the recording and then restart it, implying that the preparation video of every reagent was independent from the previous one.

"Grandpa, the reagents are ready. You should come over and give them a test," Gao Peng said in a phone call to Old Ji.

Old Ji arrived hurriedly. Behind him were an elderly man and a middle-aged man. The two individuals hadn't even had time to change into their lab coats.

"Chairman Ji, my experiment was only halfway through." The middle-aged man sighed as he spoke to Ji Hanwu, his gaze showing a little resentment.

Although the words were directed at his grandpa, Gao Peng knew clearly in his heart that it was for him to hear.

Why hadn't he talked about it on the long way there? Instead, he had waited until they had reached Gao Peng's laboratory to stand beside him before opening his mouth to say what he wanted to say.

Gao Peng smiled in his heart.

"Twenty percent increase in the experiment budget this month," Ji Hanwu said.

The middle-aged man looked joyful, the resentment and sadness on his face nowhere to be seen. "Chairman Ji sure is wise." A barrage of *ss-kissing proceeded.

"Little Peng, these two are the only two advanced monster breeders in our company, Deng Yimiao and Xu Heming," Ji Hanwu introduced them to Gao Peng, smiling.

Deng Yimiao was the older gentleman. He looked to be filled with vitality.

Xu Heming was the name of the middle-aged man. The top of his head seemed to be balding a little, and under the bright shining of the lights in the building, it seemed even brighter.

It was actually a bald top-class researcher!

Gao Peng's eyelid twitched. He looked at Xu Heming carefully with a solemn gaze.

"This is my grandson, Gao Peng, an Intermediate Monster Breeder!" When Ji Hanwu mentioned the three words "Intermediate Monster Breeder," his voice was exceptionally loud, his face a little red.

The two of them couldn't help but look at Gao Peng a few more times. The little kid looked young. No matter what, he didn't seem to be over 20 years old. An Intermediate Monster Breeder who wasn't even over 20 years old.

Deng Yimiao and Xu Heming were impressed on the inside. If in the beginning, they had looked down on him, by now, the contempt had vanished entirely.

The both of them were initially researchers. Before the Cataclysm, they had been researchers in the field of zoology, and they had many years of research experience between them. As such, they caught on pretty fast in this respect. Although one was an animal, while the other was a monster, they were fundamentally similar, and they had many common features.

On the other hand, Gao Peng was so young that even if he had learned the relevant knowledge systematically beforehand, it still would be limited. It was simply a matter of talent.

People in the same occupation always tended to value those who were more outstanding.

"To be an Intermediate Monster Breeder at such a young age!" Deng Yimiao praised.

"Hahaha, not at all. This kid's talent is just normal, actually. You guys should stop praising him; otherwise, this kid will become arrogant." Ji Hanwu laughed loudly. He was happier than anyone else.

Xu Heming's heart tightened. He couldn't help but take a few more glances at Chairman Ji. Was this the same Chairman Ji he knew…?

Ever since he had begun working as a subordinate under Chairman Ji, he had never seen Chairman Ji laugh this happily before.

He almost thought that he had met a different chairman.

"Follow me." Gao Peng led the way to the laboratory. On the lab table was a bottle of reagent.

Gao Peng hesitated for a moment, then he grabbed one of the red reagents. The reagent was so completely red that it looked like thick plasma that couldn't melt.

The first experiment. Naturally, he wanted to give them an experiment that left an exceptionally deep impression.

When leaving the laboratory, Deng Yimiao, who was the last person out, glanced at the leftover reagent bottles on the rack curiously. He then smiled and closed the door.

"I call this reagent the Bloody Butcher." Gao Peng introduced the agent in his hand, at the same time briefing the others. "The main ingredients in this drug agent are Bloody Fruit, Golden Thread Fungi, and organs of the Black Magic Spider."

Gao Peng just mentioned the other materials briefly.

They arrived at the room containing monsters. Gao Peng pointed at the monster separated by the glass window and said, "The test subject for this Bloody Butcher Drug experiment is a commonly seen Ape type monster—the Black Raging Kong."

The Black Raging Kong lay quietly in the center of the room. It didn't move, its belly facing upwards. It sometimes patted its belly lightly, looking extremely lazy and not paying any mind to the people looking at him through the window, even after noticing them. It only picked its nose calmly before casually flinging its booger towards the window.

Then it held its belly and laughed mockingly, rolling around on the floor like crazy.

Gao Peng pressed the red button beside the room door calmly. Immediately after that, at the top of the room, several nozzles popped out and sprayed a large amount of anesthesia into the room.

After a dozen or so seconds, the laughter of the Black Raging Kong grew softer as it fell asleep.

After another five minutes, when Gao Peng confirmed that the anesthetic spray had all been ventilated by the exhaust equipment, he opened the door and walked into the room.

He injected the reagent into an artery of the Black Raging Kong.

After that, Gao Peng left the room.

In the room, the Black Raging Kong that was lying on the ground started to twitch. In the beginning, only its arm jerked, as if it had a spasm, then the jerking grew more powerful and frequent.

"Hmm?" Ji Hanwu was the first to notice an unusual phenomenon.

A bean-sized bead of blood appeared on the exposed skin of the Black Raging Kong that wasn't covered by fur. Following that, the bead broke apart and formed a dense blood mist that surrounded the body of the Black Raging Kong.

The blood mist became denser and denser, while the muscles of the Black Raging Kong continued to spasm like crazy. It was as if a giant python was swirling around in a frenzy underneath its skin. It looked extremely grotesque and weird.

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Was this the effect of the reagent?

Deng Yimiao looked over at Gao Peng. Regardless of whether it would work, he could at least look at the intense reaction. The Black Raging Kong would have an intense reaction when the reagent was used. It would definitely be interesting to watch.

After all, if a person poured a drop of water into a pot of hot oil, would there be a reaction?

Definitely.

With the same logic, such violent reactions that occurred when two things were mixed together were worth researching.

This was what Deng Yimiao valued. He wasn't afraid of failing. Even if it failed, he could still discover many useful things from this experiment.

As time went on, the reaction of the Black Raging Kong became more and more intense. Its fur grew wet, as if the blood from its body had dampened it. This made it look especially fierce.

The previously unconscious Black Raging Kong had woken up. After it woke up, it became extraordinarily violent and roared crazily towards the sky.

It pounded on its chest with its strong arms and produced a loud drumming noise.

The Black Raging Kong was obviously in pain. It kept ramming the wall. The walls there were made out of a special kind of alloy, so they were very sturdy and there was no risk of the Black Raging Kong being able to break it. It would have been scary if a Normal tier monster was able to destroy an alloy wall.

Even with the soundproofing system, the screams of the Black Raging Kong still seeped out.

In the end, a thick blood-colored light started to appear beneath its fur. The light engulfed its entire body.

"It's evolving. It's actually evolving!" Xu Heming's heartbeat suddenly quickened.

He had all sorts of emotions going through him, though he couldn't say what they were. There was jealousy, envy, and all sorts of other complex emotions.

The experiment had actually succeeded.

The sound coming from the Black Raging Kong that was engulfed in the blood-colored light gradually became muffled and hoarse.

A pair of thick blood red hands came out from the light. It tore through it, and from it, emerged the Black Raging Kong.

However, it was no longer a Black Raging Kong.

[Monster Name: Blood Raging Kong (Special Bloody Evolution)

[Monster Level: Level 10

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Attribute: Blood

[Monster Preference: Quiet and light music

[Monster Weakness: 1. Septic Blood Berry. 2. Grasshoppers.

[Requirements for Promotion to Perfect Grade: Advanced Bloody Evolution

It only had one way to evolve further. That was to say, if Bloody Evolution was used once on a monster, it could only use Bloody Evolution again if it wanted to evolve once more.

This was one of the reasons that Gao Peng had chosen to take this route. Bloody Evolution was a very exclusive method. Choosing this meant that the monsters wouldn't be able to choose anything else.

In other words, if someone bought a blood drug here, they would need to buy another advanced blood drug if they wanted to evolve their monster to the Perfect grade.

The Blood Raging Kong had attracted a few people's attention.

Its red fur looked glamorous and eye-catching. Strength was only temporary. Being handsome was for life.

Compared to the black fur it'd had before, the blood red fur it had now was extremely striking. It would definitely be admired by junior high students.

"Did you invent this drug?" Deng Yimiao asked in surprise.

"Yes, including researching and developing the materials. I also found the right ratio for the mixture of the ingredients." Gao Peng looked very calm as he spoke. This was his personal talent after all.

Deng Yimiao was even more surprised. The younger generation would definitely surpass the current generation in the future.

Ji Hanwu coughed. "No one has discovered this monster yet, right?"

"No, there are no such ape types that are currently known." Deng Yimiao shook his head after thinking about it.

"Have you given this monster a name?" Ji Hanwu asked. "You're the first person to create this type of monster, so you should give it a name."

"Blood Raging Kong." After thinking for a while, Gao Peng decided to just use the name that was in the data frame. This made it easier for him not to become confused.

"Does the drug cost a lot to make?" Xu Heming asked.

"Not very much. The production cost is only seven Alliance credits."

One Alliance credit was equal to 10,000 Alliance dollars. Seven Alliance credits equaled 70,000 Alliance dollars.

It wasn't exactly cheap, but it was for familiars. The familiar industry had always been high-end.

"We should test the grade of the Blood Raging Kong." Xu Heming made a call. Not long after, a beautiful girl wearing black glasses came with a black box. The lab coat she was wearing couldn't hide her graceful figure.

"This is my niece, Xu Qingzhi, a sophomore student at Yuzhou University. She came to work here during summer vacation," explained Xu Heming, smiling. He then took the black box and opened it. Inside were nine pieces of specially treated black stone. Xu Heming took out a stone and then locked the black box.

The look on Ji Hanwu and Deng Yimiao's faces showed that they knew what the stone was for.

Gao Peng wondered, Is this stone capable of testing a monster's grade?

"This is a Soul Crystal Obsidian. It's a natural stone that has been treated. After being treated, it can be used to test the grade of any monsters below the Lord-tier." Xu Qingzhi suddenly appeared next to Gao Peng and explained it to him. When she saw Gao Peng looking over, she smiled at him.

"How are they treated?" Gao Peng asked curiously.

Xu Qingzhi pushed her lips to the sides and thought for a while. "I wouldn't be able to explain it to you in an hour. Why don't we find a time where I can explain it to you in detail?"

"There's no need. I was just asking." Gao Peng shook his head. He had the data frame to look at the grades of the monsters. He didn't need to use the Soul Crystal Obsidian to do that.

Xu Qingzhi was slightly stunned, but she maintained the smile on her face.

"The results are out. It's an Excellent grade! It's a shame that we didn't test the Black Raging Kong's grade. Otherwise, we would've been able to confirm the effects of the drug right away. Even so, this does prove to a 99% degree the effectiveness of the drug," Xu Heming said regretfully, passing the Soul Crystal Obsidian over to Gao Peng.

The Soul Crystal Obsidian had been polished until it could have been used as a mirror. There was a faint blue light floating in the center of the reflection.

"Does the blue indicate that the monster is an Excellent grade monster?" Gao Peng asked curiously.

"Yes. If it were a Normal grade, the color would have been white. Excellent is blue. Perfect is purple, and Epic is orange," Xu Heming explained.

As Gao Peng listened, his expression started to change.

"What color are Legendary grades?" Gao Peng couldn't help but ask.

"Haha. Legendary grades are too rare. Most people won't see one in their entire lifetime. However, I had the luck of seeing one once. I think Legendary grade monsters have a red light," Deng Yimiao chip in.

"This Soul Crystal Obsidian… doesn't feel proper."

"That's fine. Since you guys have a tool for testing a monster's grade, let's test all of the drugs." Gao Peng turned around and headed to the laboratory after speaking. When he came back, he had three drugs in his hands, each with their own color.

They were mustard, grayish white, and dark gold. The three tubes of drugs in Gao Peng's hands looked very colorful.

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Chapter 186: Royal Drug

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Looking at the three tubes of drugs in Gao Peng's hands, the onlookers started to breathe heavily.

They didn't take him seriously at first. After all, it wasn't difficult to create reagents. Even elementary school students could make dozens of them if they wanted. Of course, there was no guarantee of the quality of what was made.

However, Gao Peng was not a typical youngster.

His talent had been proven by what had just happened with the Blood Raging Kong.

Could it be…

Even Ji Hanwu couldn't help but stare. He was extremely aware of the value of these three tubes of reagent.

His grandson had really given him a shock…

Ji Hanwu had only laughed it off when Gao Peng looked for him to ask for materials. He had thought that he was just doing something at the level of a child. It seemed that that was not the case.

What if that wasn't the case? He's my grandson! He is Ji Hanwu's grandson!

Ji Hanwu changed his tone to a serious one after clearing up his thoughts and fully comprehending the situation. He gave all of those who were there a sharp look. "What happened today is a company secret. It's forbidden to share what happened to anyone."

"Understood," one of them said. "Chairman Ji, I understand," said another. All of them were nodding to show they understood.

Ji Hanwu nodded, as Xu Heming was one of his trusted aides. Xu Heming's brother, Xu Heti, was the head of the security department of the Southern Sky Group. One could imagine the amount of trust Ji Hanwu had for Xu Heming to trust his brother as head of the security department.

To Ji Hanwu, these reagents were trivial. It didn't really matter, even if the benefits of these reagents brought him benefits. What he really valued was the safety of his grandson.

If others knew of his grandson's talents, it could bring danger to his grandson.

As someone who had a severe case of being overly protective of his grandson, he wouldn't allow Gao Peng to come in contact with any sort of danger.

"I have named these three drugs Earth Drug Type One, Petrochemical Drug Type One, and Royal Drug."

The Petrochemical Drug was meant for a Giant Ant.

A Giant Ant was a common ant-type monster. Its whole body was yellowish brown, its forelegs were long, and the feelers on its forehead were full of muscles. It was generally between five to seven feet in length.

Its special characteristic was its strength, and its advantage was that it was strong. The Giant Ant had inherited the talents of its predecessors, and that was the ability to carry things that were 30 times their weight. Considering its weight, being able to carry something that was 30 times its weight was a terrifying thing.

The only disadvantage was that it wasn't very quick. It also had a weak defense and lacked ranged attacks.

"A lack of long ranged attacks is a common characteristic among monsters from the earlier periods," Gao Peng said.

Even Flamy, who was able to fly around and shoot fire, had only had the range of a lighter before it had been promoted to the Commander tier. It had only been able to use its beak to peak at its enemy pitifully.

"It's hard to change their agility, as that would involve changing their whole body structure. However, it isn't hard to raise their defenses," someone added on to what Gao Peng was saying.

After being injected with Petrochemical Drug Type One, the Giant Ant slumped on the ground, and impurities started to condense around its body. However, these impurities didn't disappear after being discharged from the pores of the Giant Ant. They were like a layer of armor laying over the surface of its body.

The color of the Giant Ant body gradually faded, and its outer shell gradually hardened, as if it were becoming a statue.

Ten minutes later, the statue split open.

What came out was a grayish white ant. "I name this ant the Stone Heart Ant."

[Monster Name: Stone Heart Ant

[Monster Level: Level 7

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Preference: 1. Sweetened Water. 2. Tree Saps.

[Monster Condition: Healthy (Inflated)

This newly evolved Stone Heart Ant was like a bully. It kept walking back and forth in its room, beating its hardened shell with its limbs from time to time.

"Sweetened water? That's just water with sugar." Gao Peng called Silly over.

He then parted Silly's tentacles and used his right hand to reach into his body and fumbled around with his hands.

Silly looked at his master in suspicion. It would use its tentacles to lightly tap on Gao Peng's arm from time to time.

"Ah, found it." Gao Peng knew that Silly would've hidden many fruit juices within its body.

The moment his right hand came out, before anyone else could react, Silly had already smelled the aroma from the fruit juice!

"Mine! My fruit juice! Stu-stupid Gao Peng!" As quick as lightning, Silly used its tentacles to grasp Gao Peng's arm, trying to pull the fruit juice away from his hands. Its body was almost parallel to the floor. Since Silly was quite strong, Gao Peng was being dragged across the floor.

Bang! Gao Peng hit Silly lightly on the head, "Don't make a fuss. Let go. I'll take one fruit juice from you today, but I'll give you ten tomorrow."

Silly suddenly stopped moving and scratched its head in confusion. It then took out five bottles of fruit juice from its body.

Since Gao Peng had already made a promise, it handed them to Gao Peng.

He paused. Gao Peng looked at Silly with amusement, "You never lose, do you?"

Silly paid him no mind. It was only concerned with giving all its fruit juice to its master.

It then raised all its tentacles and started to dance around. "Ten, ten, ten, ten, ten bottles of fruit juice!" It rushed towards Gao Peng and used its tentacles to wrap itself around Gao Peng's face. He couldn't get Silly off, no matter how hard he pushed.

After tidying up his somewhat dirty coat, Gao Peng let out a cough. "Okay. While I was researching earlier, I found out what the Stone Heart Ant liked. It likes fruit juice."

As he spoke, he threw a glass cup into the dark. The glass shattered when it hit the floor. The fruit juice inside spilled onto the floor, mixing with the broken shards of glass.

The Stone Heart Ant lifted up its head and sniffed the aroma in the air. When it caught wind of the fruit juice, the Stone Heart Ant started to move. It turned around and stared at the fruit juice, then walked over. The pieces of glass on the floor shattered when it stepped on them.

The Stone Heart Ant started to examine the floor. The glass on the floor had all been shattered.

It lowered its head and calmly started to drink the juice. The swaying feelers on its head showed that it was happy.

Gao Peng then showcased the Earth Drug Type One and Royal Drug. They would be used on a Golden Light Dog and a Wolf Mountain Bird, respectively.

The Golden Light Dog was a common canine type monster. Its IQ was relatively higher than monsters around its level, and it had a gentle character. It was good for children to play with and an excellent canine type monster.

After the Earth Drug was used, the Golden Light Dog became the Earth Golden Light Dog. Its grade went up by one, while its strength and toughness both went up considerably. Perhaps the only flaw was that its fur had become a little dull, not as attractive as before. However, it did give it a look of maturity.

The other Mountain Wolf Sparrow was a common bird type monster that was commonly seen in Shancheng. It had evolved from the russet sparrow that had existed before the Cataclysm.

Before the Cataclysm, the russet sparrow had been in decline because of air pollution. However, relative to other bird species, its population was still high, with a high reproductive rate. Their population raised dramatically after the Cataclysm.

The Wolf Mountain Sparrow wasn't very big, but it was fast. Moreover, it had a fierce temperament. The inside of the bird's beak was covered with sharp teeth. After the Royal Drug was used, it evolved into an Emperor Wolf Mountain Sparrow, and its grade went from Normal to Excellent.

[Monster Name: Emperor Wolf Mountain Sparrow

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Level: Level 5

[Monster Attribute: Yin

[Monster Preference: Meat, bloodshot meat!

[Requirements for Promotion to Epic Grade: Because the Royal Drug was used, it requires the usage of the same drug in order to evolve to the Perfect grade. Usage of the drug also makes it harder for it to be promoted to the Lord tier.

After witnessing the advancements of these monsters, the observers were stunned.

Xu Qingzhi had spent some time in the laboratory with her uncle. The more she learned, the more she felt that the monster breeder profession was really dependent on one's talents.

She now looked at Gao Peng the same way she looked at a monster.

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Chapter 187: Thunder God Snail

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Ji Hanwu was very happy. This was the kind of pride elders felt when they saw the younger generation achieve something.

Ji Hanwu decided that these three tubes of reagent—the Bloody Butcher Drug, the Earth Drug Type One, and Petrochemical Drug Type One—would be mass produced and sold after they were further researched by Gao Peng.

"The Royal Drug has more value, so we won't sell it yet," Ji Hanwu said softly. He then touched Gao Peng's head. "In the future, if you need any materials, just ask your grandpa. Also, you only need to tell me any of the results from your future experiments. You don't need to report it to anyone else in the company."

Although Ji Hanwu was Gao Peng's grandfather, from the point of view of the other three people there, it didn't seem like he had spoken out of love and care for Gao Peng.

When they left the laboratory, Deng Yimiao let out a sigh. "It seems like he will surpass us within two years."

"Yeah. Youngsters nowadays are terrifying." Xu Heming had an unreadable expression on his face. "I'm afraid that he's not that far off from me."

Xu Qingzhi followed behind her uncle. She went into deep thought while listening to their conversation.

"Grandpa, are there any expeditions being organized by the Southern Sky Group?" Gao Peng tried to probe his grandfather after the three left.

Unlike other researchers, his research on the evolution of monsters didn't require experimentation. He only needed to glance at them once with his eyes, so staying in the lab was simply a waste of time for him. He was there just to enjoy the air conditioning.

Gao Peng thought of the mysterious and unknown wild and the number of monsters there, as well as a variety of novel plants and extraordinary metals.

There was a very special group in the monster hunter world known as the World Hunters.

Every world hunter had their own title. They were celebrities in the monster trainer community. They were also one of the most unique and powerful monster trainer organizations.

Unlike most inactive monster trainers, they would go deep into the mountains and explore unknown areas where humans hadn't set foot yet.

They were the explorers of the world and the warriors of the wilderness.

The military needed to defend the base cities and protect humanity. Nearly half the known areas that humans had explored so far had been scouted by the World Hunters.

Expeditions? Ji Hanwu stared at Gao Peng.

"You've always been wild, ever since you were young," Ji Hanwu jokingly reprimanded Gao Peng.

Ji Hanwu remembered that during New Years in the past, Gao Peng would always climb trees, catch fish in the pond in the backyard, and catch dragonflies.

"It isn't that you can't go out to the wild, but you need to train your familiars more. The way your familiars fight is too crude," Ji Hanwu said to Gao Peng.

Ji Hanwu wouldn't force Gao Peng to stay in the laboratory to conduct experiments just because he was a talented monster breeder.

On the contrary, in this respect, Ji Hanwu was very progressive.

"The real wilderness isn't a grove near the base city. Danger lurks everywhere, so before you get my permission, you can't go into the wild. Otherwise, I'll break your legs and have you stay in bed!" Ji Hanwu said to Gao Peng coldly.

Gao Peng thought to himself, I have a secret technique, Shifting Constellations. If you wanted to break my legs, you would need to break all of my familiars' legs first…

Gao Peng couldn't help but think of the hundreds of legs on Da Zi, Stripey's eight legs, and the countless number of tentacles on Silly.

As for Flamy… there was no need to mention it.

"Your Da Zi is an electric type. Although it doesn't have a lot of electric abilities, it could still use them in battle. The way it uses them now is too rudimentary," Ji Hanwu shook his head and paused for a while. "Wake up tomorrow at six o'clock. Bring all of your familiars. Right, there's some sportswear in the cabinet in your bedroom. Wear it tomorrow."

The next day, at the break of dawn, Gao Peng was already dressed in sportswear and bringing his familiars down to the lake.

Grandpa was already waiting at the lake. He looked at the time, 5:57 A.M.

"Do 30 push-ups first," Ji Hanwu said softly.

Gao Peng gave a look of confusion.

"I asked you to come at six o'clock, and you really came exactly at six o'clock. You're quite punctual. Since you're so punctual, I want to reward you with 30 push-ups."

Although Gao Peng was dumbfounded, he still did as he was told.

With his physical strength being boosted by the Feedback from his familiars, Gao Peng was able to easily finish the 30 push-ups. When he finished, his heartbeat was normal, and he wasn't red in the face.

"In the world today, the most reliable thing isn't money or power. Those are just objects." Ji Hanwu stared into Gao Peng's eyes. "The only thing that can really be relied on is one's own strength."

As he spoke, Ji Hanwu extended his right hand, spread his fingers, and then clenched his fists. "Strength is the most reliable thing! Without strength, how else would I be able to control the vast Southern Sky Group!"

"It's not just the familiars that need training. You also need to train your body."

"Uhh, but we humans can never beat a familiar, no matter how hard we train," Gao Peng said awkwardly.

"Is that so?" Ji Hanwu said with a big smile. His left leg suddenly shot out like a long whip. Only a blurred image of the leg could be seen. It was accompanied by a piercing sound. The tree next to them suddenly burst.

This strong and sturdy tree had been destroyed by a kick!

Gao Peng was dumbstruck. This was too outrageous.

Even a Normal-tier Black Raging Kong wouldn't be able to destroy the tree with just one kick.

"I've only used 30% of my strength just now." Old Ji had both his hands behind his back. A touch of golden light shone from the sky on Ji Hanwu's short, silver grayish hair. A breeze came from the lake, and Old Ji's clothes swayed.

He was just enjoying the worshipping gaze his grandson was giving him.

In the lake was the reflection of Gao Peng gazing at Ji Hanwu in confusion. Is this the person I knew?

"Although the strength that comes from the Feedback from the familiars is small, if our familiars are strong enough, the amount of power that is given to us through the Feedback will also greatly increase.

"A strong body will also allow us to run away faster when faced with danger!"

Gao Peng nodded furiously. He felt that what grandpa said was extremely correct. After hearing what grandpa said, Gao Peng suddenly became very interested in exercising.

"We're monster trainers. Protecting our own lives is the most important thing. As long as we're still alive, we will have a chance to change the tide of a battle."

After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Gao Peng's familiars. "Da Zi is an electric type. What a coincidence. I have a familiar who may be able to help it."

"Thunder God Snail!" Ji Hanwu said softly.

Huge waves started forming at the end of the lake. They were accompanied by thunder and lighting as a huge figure slowly climbed up from the lake.

Gao Peng's eyes widened. He had seen it before. It was really his grandpa's familiar!

Its sharp purple horn pointed high, the spiral pattern on it ascended high up into the sky. Its huge back shell was the horn of the Thunder God Snail. A glaring arc of electricity ran along its body, and a pair of giant, heavy claws came out of its back shell, resting on the shore of the lake. Two deep pits were created by the electric light that shot out of the claws.

The data on the monster immediately appeared in front of Gao Peng.

[Monster Name: Thunder God Snail!

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[Monster Name: Thunder God Snail

[Monster Level: Level 39

[Monster Grade: Epic

[Monster Attribute: Electric/Water

[Monster State: Healthy (Stable)

[Monster Skills: Thunder Mastery Lv3, Water Mastery Lv2, Harden Shell Lv3

[Special Characteristics: Electric Shell (Ability 1, Passive Ability: Thunder Mastery 1, Ability 2, Active Ability: Fully releases all the electric energy saved in its electric shell, creating a catastrophic thunderstorm within a certain range.)

[Requirements for Promotion to Legendary Grade]

Bluish-green feet stuck out of its back shell. A trace of electricity could be seen dancing on it. On its dark shell, there was a faint silver-white light that slowly flickered.

"I found the Thunder God Snail in the ocean," Old Ji said while pointing at the Thunder God Snail. "It isn't very strong, but it has a very gentle character. That should be enough to train Da Zi."

Da Zi looked at the Thunder God Snail with fear. It then quietly moved behind Gao Peng's legs. However, it was too big, so no matter how it tried to hide, it was always very visible.

"Thunder God Snail, you will be responsible for training this centipede's electric abilities."

The Thunder God Snail nodded. One could see its shell move up and down twice.

"Go on. The Thunder God Snail's attribute is similar to yours. You should know that it's your senior, and you need to listen to your seniors, understand?" Gao Peng said gently as he turned around and softly patted Da Zi on the head.

Da Zi was still terrified. It cautiously looked at the Thunder God Snail through the gap in Gao Peng's legs. It just couldn't bring itself to go over.

Gao Peng had no choice but to ask Dumby to carry Da Zi over.

Da Zi, who was being held up in the air, struggled for its life. Gao Peng kept hearing its voice in his head. "You don't want me anymore! You changed!"

"I haven't changed! Gao Peng said unhappily. "It's only because you're too scared! How could I have a familiar who's this cowardly!"

"I learned it from you!" Da Zi started to make threatening gestures, looking exasperated.

"Ridiculous! When have I ever been afraid? I'm an indomitable spirit. I have never retreated in my life!" Gao Peng immediately gave Dumby an order to shut Da Zi's mouth. He turned around and said righteously to the Thunder God Snail, "I will be handing this disobedient familiar to you to train. Please don't hold back!"

He specifically emphasized his last four words.

The Thunder God Snail beat its own shell with its claws and made thumping sounds.

Ji Hanwu turned his head, smiled, and said to Gao Peng, "Thunder God Snail said it's no problem. Just hand Da Zi over."

Da Zi was able to transmit its thoughts to Gao Peng through the Blood Contract even though its mouth was sealed shut. Gao Peng turned around and pretended not to have heard.

"Grandpa, what about Stripey, Dumby, and Flamy?"

Ji Hanwu clapped his hands at the lake. A loud shocking sound followed, and a White Aquatic Dragon appeared from the waves. The dragon flew into the air, its huge body casting a large shadow on the ground. The wind that was produced by the dragon's flight flattened the grass around them.

Besides Flamy, this was the first time the other familiars had been this close to a White Aquatic Dragon.

All of Silly's tentacles straightened, and its body became stiff, causing it to fall onto the floor. It whispered faintly, "What a big fish…"

"Dumby is a ghoul type, and he has a close range fighting style. How are you planning on developing Stripey?"

"Our team's formation still needs someone in the center position," Gao Peng said without the slightest bit of hesitation.

Stripey would become more and more resistant to attacks as it evolved. Nowadays, it was hard to tell if Stripey was a spider based on its outer appearance. It looked more like a giant crab.

Stripey could also shoot out spider webs. In the last few battles, Stripey had been able to make good use of its spider webs. Most of its enemies' movements were greatly limited after they were hit by Stripey's webs.

"It's a tank that has the ability to limit other's fighting capabilities." Ji Hanwu nodded.

Gao Peng was weirded out after hearing his grandpa use internet terminology so effortlessly.

"We need to train its control and counter-attack abilities. White Dragon, go and train with Dumby."

The White Aquatic Dragon in the sky glanced disdainfully at the guys on the ground. However, it was an order from its master, so it would have to comply.

Ji Hanwu glanced over at Silly, not paying any attention to it.

Ji Hanwu naturally knew of Flamy's abilities. He was silent for a while and then said, "Flamy, go and train with Da Zi. Although the Thunder God Snail is a water and electric type, you both are both elemental types, so there are a lot of similarities."

After Ji Hanwu finished giving out the tasks, Flamy dilly-dallied over towards the Thunder God Snail.

On the other side, the White Aquatic Dragon had also begun training.

Dumby didn't feel any fear, since he didn't know what fear was. He growled fiercely at the White Aquatic Dragon in the sky.

The White Aquatic Dragon yawned lazily. It whipped its tail, its shadow moving quickly over the ground. The whip created level eight wind speeds.

Dumby quickly fell onto the ground. His body smashed on the grass by the lakeside, and the ground shook furiously.

Stripey blinked twice, synchronized with the shaking. It swallowed its saliva and used its claws to dig at the ground furiously. It was able to use an earth type ability without having actually learned it. The ground beneath it became soft, and Stripey was able to quickly dig a hole to hide in.

The White Aquatic Dragon used its claws to dig Stripey out. It was able to accurately dig at the place where Stripey was located. It tossed Stripey aside so hard that Stripey rolled over seven or eight times when it hit the ground.

Stripey became agitated. It thought, I've been patient, why do you need to force me?

Stripey lifted its claws towards the White Aquatic Dragon. Rows of sharp spider claws grasped the ground, the two claws in front smashing into the ground. Using the force of the rebound, it flew into the air. Stripey's blood red eyes flickered. The fierceness within me has been thoroughly stimulated. Under such circumstances, even if I get hurt—

Bang!

A flick from the White Aquatic Dragon's claws hit Stripey square on the forehead. Stripey was knocked to the ground by the strong force.

In the air, the White Aquatic Dragon's three claws still maintained their shape after the flick.

On the ground, Stripey slowly got up. I don't want to train anymore. I'm going to go home and sleep.

While the White Aquatic Dragon had flicked Stripey in the head, Dumby had taken the opportunity to jump towards it. He had lifted both his fists and thrown them towards the White Aquatic Dragon like missiles. They had landed underneath the dragon's abdomen. When both fists had landed, it made a sound that sounded like metal clashing.

Dumby felt like he had just punched a sheet of metal. The rebounding force from the punch came back towards Dumby and pushed him into the air. The White Aquatic Dragon had a look of astonishment on its face. It had actually been hit.

The area where its abdomen had been struck showed two white marks from the fists. After it breathed a few times, the white marks disappeared.

The flames in his eyes lit up. If he was able to hit his target, it meant he had done well! He lifted his fists, ready to battle.

In the distance, a small red jellyfish hung on a tree branch, its watery eyes staring at Dumby. It muttered, "Dad, daddy, so powerful!"

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Chapter 189: Change

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

It was as if he had heard his daughter cheering for him. Dumby became more and more daring. Every time he was hit, he would bounce back and attack.

Every punch and kick he threw produced a violent whistling in the wind. Only a blur of Dumby's attack could be seen in the air.

Since it was just training, the White Dragon had greatly suppressed its strength. It was just playing with Dumby, relaxed.

After Stripey ran a dozen steps, electricity shot out from afar and hit the ground around it. It created a blast, and the blast created a pit in turn. The electricity overflowed, and a spider-like pattern of lightning spread to the surrounding area. It was entangled around Stripey's legs. The electricity had numbed the soles of its feet.

Stripey turned its head and saw its master looking at it unhappily. Stripey blinked and said, "I'm trying to look for the big snake's weak point." It had never seen a dragon before, so it thought the White Dragon was just a big snake with legs.

After it finished speaking, Stripey turned around and stared intensely at the White Dragon.

Gao Peng stopped looking at Stripey and turned to look at the Thunder God Snail, which was teaching Da Zi and Flamy.

Being monsters of similar natures, they had a much easier time communicating with one another.

In front of the Thunder God Snail were five fist-sized electric balls floating in mid-air. The silver-white electric balls were dazzling and moved as the Thunder God Snail wished them to. They lined up in a circle and moved slowly around. From time to time, they would form different shapes, such as a sphere, a cube, and a triangular pyramid.

The most important thing was that these five electric balls were moving together. The Thunder God Snail was able to control all five of them at the same time.

It was terrifyingly awesome.

Da Zi was only able to shoot electricity in a straight line, so it was stunned by what it saw.

So it can actually be done this way…

Da Zi felt for the first time in its life a sense of… inferiority?

No, no, no. Da Zi immediately shook its head. That was definitely not the case.

When Gao Peng saw how immersed Da Zi was, he couldn't help but think that Da Zi had grown up and was becoming more and more mature.

"Actually, it's not as complicated as you think. You have the same abilities as me. If I can do it, so can you."

Da Zi was at a loss for words. It stared at the Thunder God Snail and said, "You are very powerful. I am… not as powerful as you."

"What I am showing you is something that I could do when I was at your level," the Thunder God Snail said calmly. The sound of thunder could be heard in the air as the Thunder God Snail spoke. The electricity in the air became very active. Balls of electricity kept forming in the air.

More electric balls filled the sky until there were at least a thousand of them. They were as bright as stars, and all the balls were connected by lightning, which made them look like one giant spider web.

The violent electricity suddenly became calm, as if it was a lamb that was sleeping on a bed of grass.

"This is my true power."

Da Zi gulped. It was both jealous and looking forward to learning what it saw. Would it be able to reach this level one day?

"You only need to achieve something simple. You just need to control these five electric balls, which I will consider as passing the test," the Thunder God Snail said to Da Zi.

Da Zi nodded, confused.

"It's not as hard as you think it is. For us, controlling electricity is a natural talent. You will be able to do it if you practice, just like how you don't find it difficult to walk with the hundreds of legs you have. But for this bird next to you, walking with hundreds of legs at a time is something impossible."

That sentence was like a bullet that went straight into Flamy's heart.

Flamy, who trained beside them, cursed at them in its heart. What does him having legs have anything to do with me?!

Flamy opened its beak and shot out flames. However, they didn't come out in a straight line as they had before. Instead, the flames slowly gathered right in front of its beak, turning into a huge fireball.

It was able to create a fireball on its first try.

Even the Thunder God Snail was surprised. It'd had to try that a few times before it succeeded, but this one-legged bird was able to do it on its first try.

Da Zi looked at Flamy enviously. Hmph! Even this one-legged fellow can do it. I'm definitely better than him!

Da Zi closed its eyes and tried to feel the power in its body.

A faint power started to flow through its body. Yes, this is my power!

Da Zi immediately joined the power it felt together. It tried very hard to push it together and have it circle around its body.

Da Zi gradually became more and more relaxed and felt more and more at peace. The next step was to release the power in its body in a relaxed manner.

Da Zi pushed this power out in a slow and controlled manner.

"Pffffff…"

The fart that came out was long and melodious.

Da Zi tightened its facial expression and squeezed both of its eyes shut nervously.

Flamy looked at Da Zi with eyes of ridicule. This stupid centipede. It had used to see Da Zi as its biggest competitor, but now, it seemed like it wasn't a threat to anyone.

After half a month, half of summer vacation had passed.

Loud booming sounds kept coming from the lakeside.

A five feet tall skeleton frantically ran on the ground. He was trying to evade being hit by the large volumes of water that were being dropped on him.

The water had been condensed until it was even heavier than rocks. It was falling onto the ground at a rate of hundreds of feet per second. The ground was filled with holes that had been created by this falling water.

Although Dumby had a strong defense, he didn't dare to get hit by any of this water. If he was hit, his rhythm would be thrown off, and he would get hit by even more of the water bombs.

From time to time, a sneak attack of heavy winds created by the dragon's tail would accompany the water attacks.

The veins in Dumby's chest pumped like crazy. He fell flat on his back to avoid the dragon's tail, then used his fists to hit the ground to bounce up, throw a hook punch, and hit the White Dragon in its abdomen.

All of this happened within the span of a few breaths.

After throwing the punch, Dumby used the rebounding force of the punch to turn 360 degrees in mid-air. He then landed on the ground. Stripey, who was standing behind him, was slightly slow in its reaction. Stripey waved its claws to cheer. Is the battle over?

The White Dragon in the air stopped its water controlling ability, curled up its tail, and said calmly, "Not bad. Your reaction and speed have reached a certain standard. The water controlling ability I used just now was at the level of most Commander tier water type monsters. If you can get close enough to them under such conditions, it means that you've already won half the battle."

"As for you…" the White Dragon moved its gaze towards Stripey.

Stripey flexed its chest and showed its claws.

"Since you're just a tank, you just need to be able to withstand attacks."

On the other side. Flamy flew above the lake. Surrounding it were ten fireballs. From time to time, a fireball would fall into the lake, creating a blast that caused waves that were a few dozens of feet tall.

On the shore, Da Zi's two feelers tightened up, its body bent into the shape of a bow. Five electric balls the size of ping pong balls came out from the front of its feelers and flickered. They seemed like they would disappear at any time.

"It's quite impressive that you were able to learn this in half a month," the Thunder God Snail praised Da Zi.

On the other side of the river, Ji Hanwu and Gao Peng stood side by side. They were looking at Flamy, who was flying in the sky. "Are you sure you really want to go to the forest?"

"Yes, I want to go and see what it's like. Relax, I'm only going to observe from the outside. I won't go inside." Gao Peng nodded.

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Chapter 190: Elementary

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"This is for you." Old Ji took a black plastic bag out of his pocket. From the shape of the bag, he could guess that it was something like a notebook or a cell phone.

Gao Peng took it and opened it in front of Old Ji. The bag contained a beige map that felt coarse, though it was unclear what it was made of. There was also a tablet and a very precise compass.

"This tablet is solar powered. There's an electronic version of the map on it. You can also use it to make calls… if there's a signal. I'll teach you how to use the map and compass in the next few days. It's a map of the interior regions that shows the terrain of Yuzhou. It also shows where the dangerous places are. You should refer to it often.

"You have a flying type monster, so you have more protection than most monster trainers on expeditions… You need to learn to make the correct decisions when facing danger. As long as I'm here, I'll always be there to be your shield. Just do everything that you want to do with confidence." Ji Hanwu's usual stern disposition suddenly seemed to have softened. A warm smile appeared on his face.

Gao Peng turned his head and looked up at his grandfather. His grandpa's silver-white hair was neatly groomed.

Gao Peng remembered that his hair had once been black.

"Okay," Gao Peng said.

It was worth mentioning that Silly had finally been promoted to the Commander tier in the last half month. Its portable space had grown massive in size, as it was as big as the containers that were carried by trucks. It could have been said that the qualitative change had finally ushered in the quantitative change. It had also finally become what Gao Peng wanted it to be, a moving warehouse.

After the portable space was filled with food, medicine, tents, and a series of items that were essential to surviving in the wild, Gao Peng waved at Old Ji, then turned and strode away.

Ji Hanwu stared at Gao Peng's back. He wanted Gao Peng to turn around once more, but he didn't know what to say. In the end, he could only sigh softly, turn around, and leave.

Gao Peng opened the map and tried to figure out where he was.

"I should be here right now…" Gao Peng frowned and muttered to himself.

Before the Cataclysm, Yuzhou City had held the nickname of mountain city since it was located between the mountains. It kept changing after the Cataclysm. The mountains grew even higher and became even more majestic. It was a serene and tranquil place.

On the map, the Yuzhou city was located at the center. With Yuzhou at the center, the map extended towards the four corners of the paper. Many of the peaks were painted with portraits of monsters, along with a description of those monsters.

Red circles were drawn on certain areas of the map, and inside the circles were red crosses. They marked the presence of a Lord tier monster!

The red crosses were locations that Lord tier monsters regularly appeared in.

Gao Peng had a headache from looking at the map… There are way too many red circles on the map, and they're located so close together. I think I can see at least ten of them in one glance.

Gao Peng continued to scan through the map carefully. Just a week ago, Gao Peng had discovered an interesting new feature in the data frame. If he put his focus on certain materials, he would be able to learn where the materials came from.

However, he remembered that he hadn't possessed such an ability before.

Gao Peng couldn't figure it out. He just assumed that it was his increase in soul strength that allowed him to use a new ability with the data frame. As his soul strength increased, so would the ability of the data frame.

Besides Silly, who was an Excellent grade Commander tier familiar, all of Gao Peng's other familiars were Perfect grade Commander tier familiars.

Gao Peng's main goal right then was to have Stripey and Da Zi move up to Epic grade so that they could awaken their special characteristics.

"In order for Stripey to get promoted to the Epic grade, it would need to swallow an Earth Spirit Core, then sleep for 72 hours in black soil. After that, it would evolve into an Earth Shield Spider." Gao Peng kept looking at the map. He was trying to look for a place where there might have been an Earth Spirit Core.

Earth Spirit Core, Earth Spirit Core…

Here, here, and here. These three places have the right conditions to contain Earth Spirit Cores.

After thinking for a while, Gao Peng decided to go to the one that was closest to him.

"Slow down! Flamy, fly slower!

"Da Zi! Don't run too far, and that's a smelly fruit, you can't eat that!

"Stripey! Get up quickly! That's just a normal Iron Boar, not some sort of god boar! You better not kneel in front of it!"

Throughout the journey, Gao Peng had to put in a lot of effort to take care of each of them. It was extremely tiring, as he felt like he was both their dad and their mom. Each familiar had their own thoughts. As they grew older, their personalities also became more lively. They wouldn't just roll around and act cute as they had before. However, Gao Peng would rather they just continued rolling around and acting cute…

After half a day of traveling, they hadn't even traveled more than three miles.

Gao Peng wiped the sweat from his forehead. If they kept going at this pace, he didn't know when they would reach their destination.

Fortunately, the trees were tall and the leaves were big. All of the sunlight was blocked by the trees and leaves, plus the air was quite cool.

Usually, such a cool environment would have a lot of mosquitos. However, there were no mosquitos around. Gao Peng wasn't used to this.

Flap, flap, flap.

The sounds of wings flapping came from the distance.

Flamy, who was flying above the forest, said to Gao Peng through the Blood Contract, "Master, there are a lot of mosquitos. A lot of very big mosquitos!"

A lot of very big mosquitos? Gao Peng felt a thump in his heart. Could it be that he had jinxed it when he had thought about mosquitos earlier?

There were usually a lot of mosquitos in a group. They were some of the more difficult monsters to deal with. He had just been randomly thinking mosquitos before, but he didn't actually want any mosquitos to be there.

The dark jungle was full of thick trunks and dense shrubs that were stacked on top of one another. He could only determine the position of the mosquitoes from where the sound was coming from.

"Flamy, come down first," Gao Peng ordered Flamy.

Flamy pierced through the treetops and landed next to Gao Peng. It turned around and stared intensely in the direction the mosquitos were coming from.

Flamy then opened its beak. Yellow flames started to condense around its throat.

"There's no need to do that," Gao Peng said as he gently stroked Flamy's back.

Chirp, chirp, chirp.

Flamy swallowed down the flames.

Flamy had recently had a crazy growth spurt. It was six and a half feet tall while standing on the ground. Gao Peng had to stand on his toes and really stretch out his hand just to pat Flamy on the head.

"We need to be smart when dealing with such monsters," Gao Peng took out a giant sachet from the portable space that was a foot and a half tall.

"This is a mixture that was made with the telosma cordata plant after the Cataclysm, including purple gold lavender, scorpio gold sunflower, giant citron, and orange jessamine. They're mixed to become a super mosquito repellent." Gao Peng lifted up the sachet and the strong scent of different flowers started to spread around.

"Now, it's time to witness a miracle."

In the distance, the Giant Black Iron Mosquito that was flying at the front suddenly smelled a strange smell in the distance. The Giant Black Iron Mosquito almost fainted when it got a whiff.

Its wings shook violently, its bones almost broken by this stench.

"Blargh." After vomiting, the Giant Black Iron Mosquitos quickly turned around.

The Giant Black Iron Mosquito leading the group was the spearhead of the mosquito army. The direction of its flight was the direction the other giant mosquitoes would follow.

The sounds of the mosquitos slowly disappeared. Gao Peng grinned and put away the sachet with the mixture. He looked at the familiars, who were gazing at him with admiring eyes, and said, "This is elementary. Simply elementary."

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Read Monster Pet Evolution Chapter 191 - Three Times online for free - AllNovelFull

Chapter 191: Three Times

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"At this rate, we'll have to walk for a week to reach our destination," said Gao Peng to his familiars after chasing off the swarm of mosquitoes. "This is the wilderness. All of you better behave yourselves now!"

When he was done reprimanding the familiars, Gao Peng produced a square fur blanket from Silly's portable space. There was a piece of rope on all four corners of the blanket, and Gao Peng proceeded to tie the ropes around Stripey's legs. The familiar's movements wouldn't be impeded, as the ropes themselves were quite thin.

Gao Peng then mounted Stripey and shifted his rear a few times until he was settled in a comfortable sitting position.

"Dumby, wrap Da Zi around your waist. We'd best get a move on and find a place to sleep for the night."

After hearing his order, the familiars quickened their paces.

At first, Gao Peng had a bit of motion sickness while riding Stripey. After a while, he grew used to it.

Along the way, they startled a couple of monsters in the area. However, Gao Peng's party was moving at such a high speed, and the monsters sensed the Commander-tier auras of Stripey and the others, so as a result, they simply let Gao Peng's party through their territory.

A fierce wind slapped against Gao Peng's face. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the scenery flying past him.

In front of them was a stream. A couple of mossy rocks jutted out from the middle of the stream. Gao Peng suddenly saw a black silhouette out of the corner of his eye when Stripey entered the stream.

In the next second, he felt himself flying into the air.

It was as if someone had sent him flying with a punch to the chest.

It didn't hurt much, though. Only after Gao Peng fell into the water with a splash did he see what had attacked him.

A black lump was stuck firmly to his chest like jelly. For a moment, he couldn't even tell what it was.

Dumby rushed over and pulled the unknown object off his chest. Only then was Gao Peng able to clearly recognize the assailant.

[Monster Name: Mountain Leech

[Monster Level: Level 12 (Elite)

[Monster Grade: Normal

[Monster Attribute: Water

[Monster Weakness: 1. Electric attacks 2. Salt-based substances

Gao Peng had been knocked off Stripey's back by this monster. He looked around him.

A number of translucent shapes in the water were now circling them.

"Let's get out of here," said Gao Peng as he clambered up to Dumby's back. Everyone quickly got out of the stream.

A couple of Mountain Leeches were still clinging onto Da Zi, Stripey, and Dumby after they were out of the water.

With a burst of electricity, Da Zi electrocuted the leeches on his back into ash.

Dumby threw the leech in its hand to the ground with a splat. The leech continued to squirm on the ground, covered with a thick layer of sticky, transparent fluid. Its skin looked coarse and granular.

The leech now looked like a fish out of water. It began crawling desperately towards the stream after figuring out where it was.

A thick mound of leeches had piled up on the edges of the stream. Their bodies had appeared translucent when they were immersed in water, but after leaving the water, their bodies immediately turned black. However, none of them dared to leave the stream. A few leeches cautiously touched the wet dirt before shrinking back, as if going any further would mean death.

A thought suddenly sprung up in Gao Peng's head after seeing this curious phenomenon. He took out his tablet. There was still one signal bar showing on it.

Gao Peng set his position to his current location, then tapped on the tablet a few times before pressing "Save."

Putting back his tablet, Gao Peng once again straddled Stripey and said, "Let's go."

After travelling another two miles through the forest, another black shape flashed before them. Gao Peng suddenly felt as if he had been plucked off his mount. Everything went dark around him, a pungent smell assaulting his nostrils. It nearly knocked him out.

Dumby had taken the hit for him. A sickening crunching sound came from its skull. Dumby then slammed its right foot into the ground and swung its left arm out in one fluid motion.

The Storm Panther that had attacked them was sent flying into a tree. At that moment, Gao Peng fell to the ground.

Before the enraged Dumby could do any further damage, the Storm Panther quickly got up and slunk back into the shadows.

[Monster Name: Storm Panther

[Monster Level: Level 26

[Monster Grade: Excellent

[Monster Attribute: Wind

None of the familiars specialized in speed. Dumby's specialty was close-range bursts of movement. However, long-distance sprinting was simply beyond it.

Flamy wanted to chase after it. However, the forest was just too dangerous. Gao Peng didn't dare let Flamy pursue the panther in the forest by itself.

Gao Peng glanced at where the Wind Panther had disappeared and spat on the ground. "Don't let me catch you, panther. The next time we meet, I'll definitely skin you alive."

Then he mounted Stripey, and his party continued moving towards their destination.

The sun gradually sank in the west. The temperature had also dropped considerably.

"Let's keep going for ten more minutes, then we'll find someplace to rest," said Gao Peng encouragingly to his familiars.

Suddenly, another black form flashed before them. Gao Peng tensed up and reflexively lowered his head. However, the black figure had moved way too close to him. Gao Peng was once again knocked off his mount.

Stripey came to a halt and began looking around his surroundings in confusion.

Where did my master's assailant disappear to?

Gao Peng got back to his feet, anger now burning in him. This was the third time!

The third time!

Damn it, I'm the only one being targeted. Do they really think I'm the weakest link of this party?

Gao Peng was about to lose his temper.

They were now standing in a wide clearing with only a huge palm tree in the middle.

Gao Peng's eyes were fixed on the palm tree. His lips were curved up into a cold smile.

So you like playing games, huh? Let's see how long you can keep this up then.

Gao Peng called his familiars back, then gave an order to Da Zi and Flamy through his Blood Contracts with them.

"Burn it to the ground!"

Flamy's eyes lit up. It flew up into the sky, the air around its wings visibly distorted. Seconds later, flames appeared out of thin air and began swirling along with the wind until they turned into fireballs.

The spinning fireballs hurtled towards the palm tree.

Boom, boom, boom…

The fireballs struck the tree so its leaves were on fire. The palm tree, which had been standing motionlessly all this time, suddenly began shaking its trunk, branches, and leaves violently.

[Monster Name: Golden Palm Tree Spirit

[Monster Level: Level 29 (Commander)

[Monster Grade: Normal

[Monster Attribute: Wood

[Monster Weakness: 1. Fire 2. Electric

Balls of electricity burst forth from Da Zi's forehead.

The tree spirit was now covered in flames. Despite gaining consciousness, it was still merely a tree.

The Golden Palm Tree Spirit howled in pain under the flurry of fire and electricity. Finally, it was reduced to nothing more than a smouldering pile of ash.

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Chapter 192: A New Companion

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

A large pile of ash lay on the ground. It was still giving off heat when Gao Peng walked up to it.

As he rummaged through the ash pile for a while, Gao Peng's hand grazed against something solid that he quickly pulled out.

It was the Golden Palm Tree Spirit's core crystal, which was as big as a goose's egg. It was also gleaming with a bright green light.

Monster core crystals contained extremely high element concentrations. These elements usually rejected one another.

As a result, these crystals were impervious to elemental attacks. The only thing capable of breaking them was physical attacks.

The core crystal in Gao Peng's hand belonged to a plant-type Commander-tier monster. Its market value was at least a few thousand Alliance credits.

Only those who were truly strapped for cash would sell one. Ordinarily, Monster Trainers would trade these crystals for something else.

Soon after, Gao Peng found a mountain cave, which was essentially just a 17-foot-deep crack in the mountain.

It had originally been an Adamantine Duck's nest, which Gao Peng now claimed as his own.

"Quack! Quack!" The Adamantine Duck stamped its feet furiously outside its nest.

This is my home! My home!

Damn you brigands!

Gao Peng impatiently waved a hand at it and said, "I'm just borrowing your place for a day, no need to make a fuss about it. You might want to leave before my familiars start feeling hungry."

The Adamantine Duck's eyes widened, as if it wasn't at all intimidated by Gao Peng's threat. It stretched its neck out and began quacking loudly. "Croak, croak, croak…"

"Quack!" retorted Gao Peng when he realized that the duck wasn't even quacking like a proper duck.

"Croak? Quack? Quack? Quack, quack, quack!" The Adamantine Duck silently ruminated on Gao Peng's quack, which had sounded natural.

Boom!

The Adamantine Duck simply stood there with an incredulous look on its face, as if it had been struck by lightning.

Its own quack was even less natural-sounding than Gao Peng's!

Who's really the duck here? it thought. The Adamantine Duck cautiously approached the cave.

It strained its eyes at Gao Peng in the darkness of the cave.

As hot tempered and stubborn as most Adamantine Ducks might have seemed, there hadn't been any record of them devouring human beings.

Gao Peng poked his head out of the cave so that the duck could take a better look at him. However, he didn't pay it any mind. He simply ordered his familiars not to let their guards down and pulled out his sleeping bag, ready to rest for the night.

The Adamantine Duck's eyes nearly popped out in surprise when it saw Gao Peng pull such a big sleeping bag out of Silly's body.

It looked at Silly, then at Gao Peng. Its duck bill was hanging wide open.

Flamy was giggling happily at the sight of the creature who looked so taken aback by this.

One night passed. Dumby, who had stayed up all night at the cave's entrance, got up and entered the cave.

It then woke Gao Peng up by patting his sleeping bag.

Gao Peng opened his eyes and yawned, looking at the watch on his wrist. It was half past five in the morning.

He then curled back up inside his sleeping bag. Ten minutes later, he opened his eyes again and unzipped his sleeping bag.

Outside the cave, the Adamantine Duck was staring at the entrance. It hadn't slept a wink the whole night.

Here he comes! The Adamantine Duck kept its eyes fixed on the cave expectantly.

That's the one! That's the one!

The duck's body shook excitedly when it saw Gao Peng push his sleeping bag back inside Silly's portable space.

It stamped its feet on the ground and waggled its tail in excitement.

Gao Peng swallowed a bit of salt and then some water before walking up to the Adamantine Duck and patting its head lightly. He then spat out the salt water in his mouth and said slowly, "There's no point in looking. You won't be able to learn that."

"Quack?" The duck looked at Gao Peng dumbly.

Gao Peng smiled at it, then beckoned to his familiars. "Let's go. We'll be able to reach our destination today."

He said to the Adamantine Duck, "Silly thing, don't be so quick to approach other humans next time. You never know when you could get yourself killed."

The Adamantine Duck was indeed fearless. Not only had it not run when it saw Gao Peng, it had even been bold enough to approach him.

"Master, I'm hungry. I want to eat duck," said Stripey pleadingly.

"Hungry, want to eat duck! Eat duck!" said Da Zi.

"Dumby's the one carrying you around. You have no business saying that you're hungry," said Gao Peng with a frown.

"You're the one riding Stripey," retorted Da Zi.

Gao Peng paused and turned around. A yellow, absent-looking duck, half as tall as a person, was waddling towards him, its wings flapping wildly on both sides.

Upon seeing Gao Peng turn around, the Adamantine Duck's eyes lit up. "Quack, quack, quack!"

Without a Blood Contract, Gao Peng had no idea what it was quacking about.

He frowned, wondering what the duck wanted from him.

"Master. It's calling you," said Flamy suddenly.

"You can understand it?" said Gao Peng, looking at Flamy in surprise.

"I am a Level-8 master in bird language after all," said Flamy, who puffed up its chest proudly.

"What's it saying?" asked Gao Peng.

"It's saying, 'Wait for me, duck, wait for me,'" said Flamy. "Gao Peng, I assume you're not a duck."

"That's rubbish, of course I'm not."

Gao Peng frowned, somewhat troubled by this. Had this Adamantine Duck really thought he was also a duck? Why? He had only corrected the duck's quacking last night.

The Adamantine Duck was on the verge of collapsing after waddling and flapping its wings for so long. It lost its balance completely when it started quacking.

The duck's wings thumped its sides twice before it fell and rolled a couple of times in the grass.

The Adamantine Duck's head was covered in dirt and grime.

Ow… That strange duck left… I knew it, it must not have liked me…

The Adamantine Duck buried its head deep in the grass, extremely sore everywhere. At that moment, there was complete blankness in its head.

Suddenly, it felt itself being hoisted up.

Eh, it's you! Duckie! Gao Peng's frowning face was the first thing the Adamantine Duck saw when it lifted its head up.

Flamy was eagerly waiting to translate the duck's quacking for Gao Peng once more.

"Shut your beak, I don't need you to translate for me this time," said Gao Peng as he pressed Flamy's beak shut with one hand.

"Why did you come after me?"

"Quack, quack, quack."

"What do you want from me?"

"Quack, quack, quack."

"Is this the only sentence you know?"

"Quack, quack, quack."

"All right then. Translate for me." Gao Peng loosened the hand that was around Flamy's beak.

Flamy immediately reported, "It said, 'Duckie, I knew you wouldn't leave me like that.'"

With Flamy as an interpreter, the remainder of the conversation between the man and duck was able to proceed smoothly.

From his conversation with it, Gao Peng found out that that this Adamantine Duck had been abandoned by its parents and that it had been living on its own in the wild ever since.

However, Gao Peng was still curious about how such a simple-minded thing as it had been able to live out there for so long.

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Chapter 193: A Strange Mountain

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

This Adamantine Duck must have led a difficult existence in the forest.

At least, this was what Gao Peng thought until he read the monster's description.

[Monster Name: Adamantine Duck (Deviant type)

[Monster Level: Level 10

[Monster Grade: Epic

[Special Characteristics: Gui power (Passive effect: When it is being attacked, it has a chance to expand its body for a certain period of time. Its strength, defense and speed will also be amplified at the same time.)

[Monster's current state: Healthy (Tired)

No wonder it had been able to keep itself alive for so long. Despite its slow-wittedness, it seemed to be quite formidable.

Gao Peng sensed that he had struck gold with this one.

"Say, 'I'm not a duck, I'm a human male who just happens to be a bit more good-looking than the rest.' Tell it that it can come along if it doesn't mind me being a human," said Gao Peng to Flamy.

Flamy seemed to be completely astonished by Gao Peng's order. It then reluctantly translated what he had said to the Adamantine Duck.

A conflicted look came across the duck's face as he listened to what Flamy said. It looked at Gao Peng uncertainly.

Finally, it shook its head and body. "Quarck quarck?"

"It's 'Quack,'" corrected Gao Peng.

The Adamantine Duck laughed happily. "Quack!"

Gao Peng didn't know what was going through this absent-minded duck's head. In any case, it seemed that his party had gained a new member.

Though its Monster Grade was Epic, the fact remained that it was still Level-10, meaning it wasn't as agile as the other familiars.

It was also stubborn. Despite being the slowest in the group, it refused to let anyone help.

The Adamantine Duck skipped and bounced around at the back of the group happily.

It would sometimes sniff about here and there, poking its beak around.

The hair on the back of a black cat stood up as it was in the middle of mating with a female cat. It turned around and saw a duck giving it a strange look from behind a tree.

It was a calm, unfeeling look. What kind of creature was capable of such an apathetic look? The black cat was stunned.

The female cat below it let out a purr, somewhat annoyed that its mate had abruptly stopped what it was doing.

The black cat lightly pressed its paw on the female cat. "Shhh, quiet now. This duck has intrigued me. Its eyes give me goosebumps. I've never felt this feeling before…"

Thwap! The female cat slapped the black cat with its paw, sending it flying away. "Go then! Go be with your precious duck!"

After saying this, the female cat disappeared into the forest, leaving the black cat dazed on the ground.

The black cat turned around to look for the duck, only to realize that it had disappeared.

In another corner, a rabbit was happily digging a hole in the ground when it suddenly sensed that something was staring at it.

The gray-furred rabbit turned around and saw that something was poking its head out from behind a clump of trees. The head was staring at the rabbit unblinkingly with its lifeless eyes.

The head belonged to a duck.

The gray-furred rabbit let out a sigh of relief and continued digging its hole.

However, it began to feel the duck's eyes squirming on its back like maggots. At first, the rabbit was able to endure being stared at by the duck, but finally, it couldn't take it any longer.

It turned around, sprang forward, and gave the Adamantine Duck a powerful kick.

The Adamantine Duck staggered and fell on the ground. Then a purple light flashed across its body. In an instant, its body expanded like a balloon.

Surprised by this, the gray-furred rabbit immediately bolted from the scene.

"It's just standing there, staring at nothing… I think the name Dumby should have been given to it instead," Stripey said quietly to Da Zi.

Thirty feet away, the Adamantine Duck was squatting at an odd angle on the ground. Its eyes were wide like saucers as it absently watched a line of ants crawling by, as if there was some deep meaning to be taken from them.

Da Zi looked at it. It just couldn't figure out what was going on inside the duck's head. Then it looked away. "Food."

"Earth Spirit Cores are usually formed deep in the caverns of mountains," muttered Gao Peng to himself.

Before him stood a 2,000-foot-tall mountain. Black stone gleamed from one side of it. The black stone was riddled with dark and mysterious caves.

Plant life was scarce on the mountain. Only a few hardy types of plants had managed to survive in such a harsh environment. From afar, the mountain looked like a huge beehive that was riddled with holes.

One could tell from its appearance that there was something unusual about this mountain. It didn't seem like a place where one could find any Earth Spirit Cores. Gao Peng shook his head.

As he was about to turn and leave, Gao Peng suddenly heard running footsteps from deep within the forest. The trees in the distance were shaking violently at the same moment.

Gao Peng frowned and waved a hand at the others to pull back.

Balls of red light burst out from the trees and hurtled towards the strange mountain. Silhouettes could be seen in the light.

The closer the caves were to the ground, the larger they seemed to be.

Gao Peng even saw a couple of caves at the foot of the mountain that were as tall as 65 feet.

There was no sign of activity after that.

Ten minutes later, another monster entered the mountain from another direction. The strongest among the monsters entering the mountain was around Level-30, while the weakest among them was in the Elite-tier.

This strange mountain seemed to welcome all who entered it.

Suddenly, Silly, who had been hovering beside Gao Peng all this time, began slowly drifting towards the strange mountain.

Gao Peng immediately grabbed a hold of Silly and took out some juice from its portable space.

In an instant, the entranced Silly regained its senses and happily picked up the juice.

"What happened to you just now? Why were you flying towards the mountain?" asked Flamy.

Silly scratched its head with a tentacle. "Dunno. For some reason, I thought that there was delicious fruit juice up in that mountain."

"Master, there's lots of fish up there…" Flamy suddenly pointed at the strange mountain.

"There are… Yin cedar needles too?" said Dumby in confusion.

"There's lots of Stripeys in there!" said Da Zi, whose feelers twitched excitedly in the air.

Stripey glared at Da Zi, who realized that it had said something it shouldn't have said. It quickly covered its mouth with its feet and looked away from Stripey.

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Chapter 194: The Nagging

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Stripey couldn't believe what he had just heard. I've always thought of you as a brother… How could you…

Da Zi lifted one of its maxillipeds to Stripey's mouth.

"Here! You can have it." Da Zi gave its limb one final look before stuffing it inside of Stripey's mouth.

All of Stripey's eyes gleamed in bewilderment. Da Zi's character was beginning to confound it. Just which one was Da Zi's real side?

Stripey's little brain struggled to figure out this centipede.

In the end, Stripey decided not to eat any of Da Zi's limbs. From his experience, Da Zi was a centipede that tended to hold grudges.

If one of its limbs was actually torn off, Da Zi might have held it against Stripey for a long time.

After giving it much thought, Gao Peng realized that this mountain was luring other monsters into it.

He was now even more wary of it. He had no interest in solving its mystery. Such a suspicious-looking thing needed to be left to others to figure out.

Gao Peng began leading the other familiars away from the mountain. Just then, he was seized by the sudden impulse to continue walking towards the mountain. He suddenly felt as if all of his wants and needs would be met if he went inside.

The mountain's trying to tempt me, thought Gao Peng. Climbing up Dumby's ribs, he said to the others, "Let's go!"

Something was definitely trying to influence his thoughts from deep inside the mountain. Gao Peng decided that he needed to put some distance between himself and the mountain.

When he had left the mountain far behind him, Gao Peng finally let out a sigh of relief and looked back at it. Suddenly, a curious thought occurred to him. This mountain really looked as if…

Gao Peng had marked out three regions on the map where he thought he would be able to find plenty of Earth Spirit Cores. The first region had seemed way too shady. There hadn't seemed to be any Earth Spirit Cores to be found. However, this wasn't a huge problem. Gao Peng was still patient enough to search the other two regions.

After three days, they finally reached the second region.

It was a mountainous region, which was conducive to the formation of Earth Spirit Cores. However, the soil there didn't seem fertile enough. The entire region was just an empty shell.

"Am I really that unlucky?" said Gao Peng with a heavy sigh.

The last region was only a day's trip away from the second region.

After climbing past a small hill, Gao Peng found himself standing in front of a stone forest. Gray-white stone jutted out from the ground in disorder. Hardy fern-like plants grew in the cracks between the stones.

If there was one thing Gao Peng had learned in the past few days, it was that monsters usually lurked in peculiar terrains like the stone forest in front of him.

The stranger the terrain, the more monsters one could find.

Gao Peng's main priority now was to find the necessary ingredients for Stripey's evolution. Everything else was secondary. The core crystals that could be obtained from killing other monsters didn't mean much to Gao Peng at that moment.

He was now able to earn an astronomical sum from selling the drugs that he had developed through the Southern Sky Group. Anything that could be bought with money held the same value to him at this point.

Suddenly, Gao Peng heard the sound of pincers clacking somewhere. The sound resounded clearly and rhythmically from the stone forest.

A gray scorpion crawled out from the stone forest. Its color was almost the same as the surrounding gray stone. It let out a threatening hiss as it waved its thick tail incessantly.

The Adamantine Duck fearlessly quacked back at it.

The scorpion furiously lunged at the duck. Da Zi cried out, its eyes flashing dangerously. It had accepted the Adamantine Duck as its new brother. Anyone who tried to bully any of its brothers would have to answer to it.

Gao Peng waved a hand at Da Zi before it could do anything. The striped rock scorpion was only Level 13. Even though it was three levels higher than the Adamantine Duck, it was only a Normal-tiered monster. Gao Peng also wanted to see just how strong the duck really was.

Ten minutes passed.

Both the scorpion and duck simply hissed and quacked angrily at each other for ten minutes. Neither one of them knew what the other was saying. However, both of them seemed to be having the time of their lives.

Flamy yawned. Just how long can these two continue this shouting match?

"Let's just go," said Gao Peng, shaking his head.

The Adamantine Duck turned around and warningly quacked at the scorpion, telling it not to come any closer, or else it would be sorry.

The striped rock scorpion wildly waved its pincers back at it.

Back on the road, Gao Peng gave the Adamantine Duck a strange look. "How on earth did you manage to survive for so long?"

"Quack quack?" The Adamantine Duck tilted its head at Gao Peng, as if it hadn't understood a word that Gao Peng had just said.

"Forget it," said Gao Peng. Sooner or later, an answer to this question would present itself.

Before the group stood a tall mountain range with lush mountain peaks. The mountain range encircled a small hill, upon which grew all kinds of plant life.

Gao Peng's eyes were now fixed on this small hill.

"Let's go up there," said Gao Peng. He then added, "Be careful, everyone."

Along the way, they encountered a couple of low-level insects, which were cleared away easily by Da Zi.

They finally reached the foot of the hill, which seemed larger than most hills.

After going around the hill a number of times, Gao Peng found a small cave at the back. The cave was only two feet tall. Stripey, Dumby, and Flamy were unable to enter, as only Da Zi and Silly could wriggle into it. Gao Peng could also crawl into it. However, he feared that he would get stuck inside it.

"Da Zi, could you take a look inside the cave?" asked Gao Peng.

Without a moment's hesitation, Da Zi began crawling towards the cave's entrance.

"Be careful. Come out quickly if you come across any monsters in there. Don't push yourself," reminded Gao Peng.

Da Zi impatiently waved its claws. Gao Peng was nagging more every day.

Gao Peng tensed up as Da Zi began wriggling into the cave.

Before the Cataclysm, Gao Peng had never had a pet. Back then, he had found it difficult to imagine how human beings could connect to animals.

Gao Peng smiled bitterly. He now understood the relationship between man and animals.

Ten minutes later, he heard Da Zi's voice in his head.

"Gao Peng, I killed a huge rat," it said triumphantly, as if expecting praise from its master.

"Didn't I just tell you not to do anything if you came across any monsters in there? What if you bit off more than you could chew?"

"The rat started it," said Da Zi.

It had originally thought that Gao Peng would praise it for a job well done after killing the rat. Instead, what Da Zi received was more of its master's nagging. It felt bad about what it had done.

"All right, the rat started it. Keep on looking. Can you sense anything in there that's giving off an earth-elemental aura?" said Gao Peng, trying to console it.

After a while, he heard Da Zi's voice again. "Gao Peng, I've found it!"

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Chapter 195: The Relationship between One's Weight and Strength

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Good job!" exclaimed Gao Peng.

Da Zi seemed to have entered a rebellious phase. Its personality had become pricklier recently. As Da Zi grew older, its sense of self and desire to become more independent grew more intense.

Of course, human teenagers and familiars tended to enter this phase for different reasons. Human teenagers would rebel against their parents to prove their own existence to the outside world.

On the other hand, familiars entered this phase to prove their own existence, for fear that they might be neglected by their masters.

This was one of the main differences between humans and familiars.

"Can you bring it out?" asked Gao Peng.

Happy to be praised by its master, Da Zi replied, "No problem."

Ten minutes later, Gao Peng felt slight panic from Da Zi through their blood contract.

Half an hour passed. Da Zi's panic intensified and eventually turned into anger. "Damn it, damn it!" cursed Da Zi.

"What's wrong?" asked Gao Peng, frowning.

Da Zi seemed reluctant to answer at first. Then it replied, "I can't get out."

Did it not know the way out?

Gao Peng was stunned. He began to worry that the centipede might actually have been lost.

Gao Peng ordered Dumby to stamp on the ground outside the cave's entrance and send out vibrations to Da Zi, who was especially sensitive to vibrations on the ground.

After ten minutes of sensing the vibrations, Da Zi's feelers poked out of the cave, followed by its beady eyes.

Seeing Da Zi carrying nothing out of the cave, Gao Peng asked, "Where's the thing that's giving off earth-elemental energy?"

"Squeak?" Stripey was looking expectantly at Da Zi. It knew that the thing its big brother was supposed to bring out from the cave was going to help it evolve.

Da Zi opened its mouth and began making retching sounds.

Half a minute later, a yellow object no bigger than a coin fell out of Da Zi's mouth. It was dripping with a sticky fluid.

Gao Peng blinked at it, then looked at Da Zi.

Stripey seemed conflicted about this. It remembered its master saying that it was supposed to swallow this stuff in order to evolve.

How was anyone supposed to swallow it like that?

Stripey began panicking. It frantically dug a hole in the ground and stuffed its head inside.

The object that Da Zi had spit out was as big as a coin. At a closer look, Gao Peng realized that its surface was uneven. The intricate carvings on it made it look like a little heart.

[Item name: Small-scale Earth Spirit Core

[Item effect: Rich in earth-elemental energy, it has the ability to allow earth-type monsters to evolve.

It was just a small-scale Earth Spirit Core.

Gao Peng seemed hesitant about using it. Would it really work?

He remembered reading that Stripey required only an Earth Spirit Core to evolve. There had been no mention of how big the Earth Spirit Core needed to be.

Black Blue soil was easy to find. One had a higher chance of finding it in places rich in Yin and earth element. Black Blue soil also had a unique smell. A typical monster wouldn't be able to forget such a smell.

Gao Peng had no idea what the soil smelled like to his familiars. However, the first time he had smelled it, he had thought it smelled like grass being ground to a pulp in the wet earth.

He had only smelled a sample of the soil back in the laboratory.

"Let's go." There were other places where Gao Peng believed they could still find Black Blue soil. He began leading his familiars back the way they came.

Just as Gao Peng turned around, he saw a couple of trees shaking violently. A brown wolf-like creatures stepped out of the low trees and made eye contact with Gao Peng. It was stunned for a moment, then it turned around and scampered away.

They didn't encounter any danger in their search for Black Blue soil. They finally found it in the first region they entered as they retraced their steps. Stripey's sturdy legs pushed aside the dirt beneath it to reveal a layer of black and blue soil. A pungent grassy smell wafted from the soil.

Gao Peng handed the Earth Spirit Core to Stripey and moved away from the soil with his nose pinched.

"Lay on it. We'll wait by your side for three days," said Gao Peng. He had decided to wait three days until Stripey evolved.

Stripey obediently lay on the Black Blue soil, swallowed the Earth Spirit Core, and fell into a deep sleep.

Gao Peng said to the others, "We'll be standing watch over Stripey here."

He began tidying the place up by sweeping away the dried leaves on the ground and putting up his camouflage tent.

While Gao Peng laid out his mattress inside the tent, Da Zi's head poked inside, waving its feelers sheepishly.

"What's wrong?"

Da Zi began tugging at Gao Peng's pants with its claws. It was wagging its tail like a dog.

"Are you hungry again?!" said Gao Peng, dumbstruck.

Da Zi nodded eagerly.

"Didn't I just give you a fried chicken two hours ago?" said Gao Peng with a sigh.

"Hungry! Hungry!" Da Zi's voice resounded in Gao Peng's head.

"The only thing you think about is food!" said Gao Peng angrily. "Let me ask you, does Dumby eat as much as you do?"

"No," answered Da Zi, its head hanging down.

"Is Dumby thin?"

Da Zi began imagining Dumby's skeletal figure. "Yes."

"Is Dumby strong, then?"

"Yes."

"The reason why Dumby is so strong is because he doesn't eat so much!"

"But, but…" Da Zi wanted to refute its master's logic.

"No buts. Let me ask you again, is Flamy fat?"

"Yes! He's a fatty!" answered Da Zi excitedly.

"Is Flamy strong?"

Even though it was always at odds with Flamy, Da Zi replied without any hesitation, "He's strong!"

"Flamy gets to eat so much only because he's strong!" said Gao Peng with a huff. He knocked on Da Zi's head a couple of times.

Da Zi was left speechless.

"One final question. Is Stripey fat?"

This time, Da Zi didn't give a response immediately. After careful deliberation, it replied, "Yes, he's as fat as a crab!"

"Then tell me, is Stripey strong?"

Da Zi began thinking about the fat spider, who was only ever good for target practice and carrying its master around. "No, he's a weakling!"

"Hmph, he's weak because he's fat. And you still have the nerve to ask me for food? Go drop a few pounds now!" Gao Peng kicked Da Zi out of the tent.

Da Zi, who had been chased out of its master's tent so cruelly, shivered as a cold wind blew past it.

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Chapter 196: Gui Power

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

After leaving Gao Peng's tent, Da Zi saw Flamy standing on a tree branch on one leg. The crane was pulling insects out of a hole in the tree with its beak.

Something worth mentioning here was the fact that despite having undergone mutations, some monsters saw no drastic changes in size.

Insects in particular hadn't changed much in terms of size.

Flamy was straining its eyes at the tree hole as it searched for food. Suddenly, the centipede below it let out a bitter laugh. "Still eating, eh, fatty?"

Flamy stared at Da Zi in surprise.

Feeling somewhat attacked, Flamy looked down, only to see the back of a centipede crawling away.

When night came, a silverback millipede emerged from the trees in the distance. It was carrying bundles of roots and saplings on its back. It saw that its den was currently being occupied by someone else.

Panicking, it shook its load off of its back and scuttled hurriedly towards its den. Such a damp and dark place hadn't been easy to find. It had no intention of moving out.

Most monsters would become extremely territorial when they found out that their territories had been invaded by an intruder.

At that moment, the Adamantine Duck, who had been staring blankly at nothing near a tree hollow, suddenly felt a sharp pain in its rear.

Its passive effect was immediately triggered. With a flash of purple light, its body expanded.

Turning around, it saw a ten-foot-long silverback millipede viciously biting its rear. The millipede had pulled some of the duck's feathers off its tail. A few yellow feathers were now sticking out of the millipede's mouth.

"Quack?" questioned the Adamantine Duck strangely. Why did it bite me?

The millipede ignored it and sank its fangs deeper into the duck's buttocks. There was another flash of purple light, and the Adamantine Duck's body expanded even more.

Looking at the millipede in confusion, the duck kicked it away.

Though its body had expanded twice, the Adamantine Duck was still smaller than the millipede. Its normal size was around five feet tall. Now, it had grown to be seven feet tall.

The millipede opened its mouth wide and released a red vapor. The Adamantine Duck cried out in pain when the red vapor came into contact with its eyes. Tears were now rolling out of its eyes.

The millipede grinned triumphantly. The duck had no idea how many of the millipede's enemies had fallen victim to this attack.

Anyone affected by its acrid vapor attack would be blinded. Every enemy the millipede had encountered had been susceptible to this attack.

The Adamantine Duck's Gui power allowed it to inflate its own body while it was being attacked. Its own strength, defense, speed, and other stats would increase drastically as well.

Its passive effect would only activate once if the millipede's red vapor was a one-time attack.

However, the vapor was inflicting continuous pain on the Adamantine Duck. Every two seconds, it would feel an intense pain in its eyes, where the red vapor still remained.

Then, something terrifying happened.

The Adamantine Duck in front of the millipede began expanding its body with each breath.

The millipede raised its head and saw that it couldn't even see past its chest.

When it blinked, the only thing it could see was the duck's legs.

The flashes of purple light didn't stop. The duck had grown 20 feet tall, and its growth was showing no sign of stopping.

"Quack!" The duck's quack resounded loudly in the forest.

A 23-foot-tall yellow duck now stood in the middle of the forest. As it grew, the red vapor that had initially affected its eyes began losing effect.

The Adamantine Duck finally stopped growing.

Startled by the commotion outside, Gao Peng came out of his tent and saw a 23-foot-tall duck towering over a trembling millipede.

Gao Peng finally understood why this simple-minded duck had been able to live for so long on its own.

At first, he had assumed that the duck's Gui power would only allow it to expand its body size to a certain extent, and that this effect couldn't be layered.

He now realized how terribly wrong he had been.

Gui power was the first passive ability Gao Peng had ever seen with only one effect. He had thought that it was a useless ability, when in truth, it was an ability that surpassed all others.

Truly, fortune favored the dull-witted.

No matter how dim-witted and good-natured the Adamantine might have seemed, it still had a temper.

After being tormented by the red vapor for so long, the Adamantine Duck was now extremely angry. It raised a leg and viciously stamped its foot on the ground.

The millipede tried to run, but a shadow fell over it, and the duck's foot soon fell upon it.

Squish!

It was crushed into the ground.

The duck lifted its foot up to reveal a deep impression on the ground. In it, the millipede's body writhed about, struggling to escape. However, the duck's foot fell on it once more!

Finally, the Adamantine duck swallowed the millipede alive.

Half an hour later, the duck's body began to shrink until it returned to its normal size.

Da Zi swallowed and turned away when it saw the duck walking towards it.

Gao Peng was impressed by this, thinking that maybe he could sign a blood contract with the duck. He called it over.

The Adamantine Duck waddled towards Gao Peng, its head bobbing up and down.

Gao Peng brought it into his tent and took out his blood processing equipment. Placing his right hand on the duck's head, Gao Peng felt a blurry consciousness seeping into his body.

Gao Peng was now communicating with the Adamantine Duck in its mindscape.

The duck's consciousness was feeble, like a child's. It would look Gao Peng up and down curiously for a moment before running off to look at something else in the corner.

A living being's mindscape was where its emotions reigned supreme, where its thoughts were most active.

All of its emotions were revealed there.

The Adamantine Duck's emotional spectrum could be described as a colorful candy wrapper. Happy feelings were in full bloom in its mindscape.

Here, a tree could suddenly sprout a pair of wings and fly off, while the grass beneath the duck's feet could begin chatting happily with it at any moment.

Suddenly, Gao Peng noticed the Adamantine Duck's world was gradually growing darker, until finally all the colors around him turned a dull gray.

He then heard two Adamantine Ducks softly whispering to each other somewhere else.

For some reason, Gao Peng could understand what they were talking about.

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Chapter 197: Earth Shield Spider

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

"Is this our child?" asked the Adamantine Duck from the left.

"Yes, it is. Look at how big its eyes are," the Adamantine Duck on the right replied, nodding.

Then their faces froze, as if they had just seen something horrifying.

Even with his human eyes, Gao Peng could see the fear on their faces.

"It has five toes! What a ghastly thing!" the Adamantine Duck on the left cried out.

The duck on the right widened its eyes and began shouting angrily.

The two then began quarrelling. The duck on the left wanted to dispose of their newborn, but the duck on the right stubbornly refused.

Half a month later, the duckling's siblings hatched from their eggs.

The siblings, too, gave the first duckling no relief from the stress.

It was, after all, a five-toed freak. It would usually be forced to eat the leftovers left by its brothers and sisters.

Sometimes, it wouldn't even get any food. It was normal for its parents to sometimes not be able to find enough food for everyone. The adult ducks needed to make sure they had enough sustenance in order to function as the backbone of the family.

As a result, the five-toed duckling sometimes had to starve for days inside its den.

Unlike the monsters at the top, low-level monsters like Adamantine Ducks had to worry about food all the time.

They could only grow up strong and healthy with proper nutrition.

One day, all eight Adamantine ducklings had to share a two-foot-long fish with each other.

This wasn't enough for all eight Adamantine ducklings, considering they were still growing.

The deformed duckling was pushed out, forced to watch its siblings eat. Maybe they would be kind enough to leave a few fish bones for it when they were done.

However, it had only had a bit of fish the day before. It was now extremely hungry.

Cautiously, it approached its siblings, hoping that they would let it have a bite.

"Don't come any closer!" said the duckling closest to it while kicking it away.

"Freak, back off." Another duckling gave it a kick.

Suddenly, a purple light flashed across its body.

When the two adult Adamantine Ducks returned home, they saw duck feathers scattered across the ground and their children trembling in a corner. In the middle of the cave lay an Adamantine Duckling, seemingly pleased with itself after it had devoured the entire fish.

It was the five-toed freak.

The other ducklings began telling its parents about its cruelty and violence. Their parents' faces darkened.

The five-toed duckling was then chased out of its home. Its childhood ended at that point, before it could even begin.

Abominations like it were usually disposed of by by their parents right after they were born.

A minority of them were cast out and left to die. An even smaller number managed to survive in the harshness of the wild.

It might have seemed as if this strange duckling's childhood had ended right then and there.

In truth, its childhood hadn't ended. Thanks to its inherent ability, it would be able to overcome any danger it encountered.

Gao Peng reckoned that in order to deal with the Adamantine Duck, it would be best not to trigger its passive ability multiple times. Otherwise, the duck would probably be out of his control.

This would explain why its quack had sounded off. It probably hadn't learned from its parents how to quack properly.

It was also why it had begun following Gao Peng after he had taught it how to quack like an actual duck.

Gao Peng didn't know whether to laugh or cry about this.

Being cast out by its own parents had also made it sensitive and somewhat unstable.

As the memory faded away, a blood contract slowly burned and dissolved in the duck's mental landscape.

No one had ever had the patience to listen to its story until now.

Gao Peng blinked and looked at the Adamantine Duck. He now felt a stronger connection with it.

"I'll call you Goldie, since your feathers are all yellow," said Gao Peng.

The duck didn't object to this. Rather, it seemed to be too lazy to give him a proper response. Signing a blood contract with Gao Peng mustn't have been such a big deal to it.

The Adamantine duck then waddled out of the tent.

Three days later, a slumbering consciousness abruptly woke up in Gao Peng's mind.

The earth beneath his feet suddenly shook, as if something was about to pop out of it.

Gao Peng stepped out of his tent and saw that the soil beneath him had bulged upward. Huge cracks had also appeared beneath him. The cracks began spreading out, then a black shield-like fang burst out of the ground.

The other fang came out moments later. Both fangs were attached to an oval-shaped shield. The two fangs were sharp on both ends and wide in the middle. They also seemed to be curving downwards.

A huge spider emerged, following its fangs out of the ground.

Its black and green exoskeleton glinted with a metallic light. It still looked almost the same as it had before, but its body had grown by a third.

Sharp, tiny barbs had also appeared on the joints of its legs.

Stripey excitedly snapped its pincers as it breathed in the fresh air.

[Monster Name: Earth Shield Spider

[Monster Grade: Epic

[Monster Level: Level 25 (Commander-tier)

[Monster Attribute: Earth

[Special Characteristics: Earth Spirit (The Earth Spirit Core has replaced its heart, increasing its affinity with the earth element and making it lose its ability to merge with other elements.)

Passive effect 1: Earth Mastery Level 1

Passive Effect 2: It is under the earth's constant protection. As long as it is standing on solid ground, it will be able to absorb the earth's power and form an earth-elemental armor around its body. The armor's defensive power is determined by its Earth Mastery ability level.

[Monster Ability: Earth Mastery Level 2

[Monster's current state: Healthy (Happy)

Stripey had finally evolved and also gained a new ability. Gao Peng sighed in relief. The mission he had set out to complete in the mountains had been a success.

"Come on, let's go back."

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Chapter 198: Forbidden Magic Stone (Water)

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Gao Peng had entered the forest with five familiars. Now he was going back with six.

Gao Peng frowned at the Adamantine Duck waddling at the far back of his party.

Anyone else might not have thought much about it. After all, no one knew what it was truly capable of.

Only Gao Peng knew its true potential.

He then began wondering if he would be able to encounter more powerful creatures by staying a little longer in the wild. After much thought, Gao Peng dismissed the idea.

Da Zi and the others were already quite a handful to take care of. Gao Peng didn't think he was physically capable of raising any more.

It would also be impossible to bring along a huge entourage of familiars everywhere he went.

If that were to happen, people miles away would see the pillar of dust raised by his herd of familiars and scream, "It's him, the guy with the familiars! He's come again!"

When they finally reached the edge of Yuzhou City, Gao Peng found his grandfather, who was clad in traditional clothing and wearing a pair of sunglasses, fishing on the river bank. There was not a single ripple on the water's surface.

"You're back," said his grandfather, who took off his sunglasses and put away his fishing rod and stool. He got up and said to Gao Peng, "Let's go. I'll cook you your favorite chicken soup."

Gao Peng looked inside the fish basket, where a couple of fish were swimming around in the water.

"I see you've caught some fish."

"Well, my fishing skills have improved," said Ji Hanwu with a smile. He glanced at Gao Peng's party and immediately noticed the Adamantine Duck and the newly evolved Stripey.

There was a slight change in the old man's expression. However, he didn't say anything else.

Silly, who was floating above Gao Peng's shoulder, noticed Ji Hanwu's short gray hair, and its eyes lit up. Sitting on that man's head must be really comfortable, it thought.

It hadn't been worn by anyone as a hat for a long time.

Ji Hanwu's eyes flashed warningly at Silly as it began floating towards him. Silly froze in the air, then circled in the air before landing on Gao Peng's head with a plop.

Gao Peng reached up to touch Silly's slippery body, which felt cold and elastic.

"Grandpa, how are the drugs selling?" asked Gao Peng as he and Ji Hanwu began walking home side by side.

Ji Hanwu glanced at Gao Peng a few times. His body now exuded an indescribable air. The old man smiled to himself. Gao Peng's time in the forest had changed him for the better.

"Not bad. The blood drugs are selling quite well. I've sold more than a hundred of them in the last fifteen days. I've also sold more than a hundred of the Earth Drugs. With both of them having received favorable reviews, I think we'll be able to sell more of them in the coming days. The Petrochemical drug isn't selling as well, but compared to other drugs in the same price range, it's doing quite well…

"I've already applied for patents for all four drugs. Since you're the one who invented them, the Monster Breeder Division invited you to apply for a Monster Breeder license. Did you?" asked Ji Hanwu.

"Nope," said Gao Peng

"All right then, I'll let them know," said Ji Hanwu, chuckling.

After dinner, Gao Peng began checking the attributes of each of his familiars. Da Zi was no longer the highest-level familiar. That title belonged now to the Level 26 Flamy, who would continue to grow at such a fast pace until it hit Lord-tier.

Below Flamy were Dumby, Da Zi, and Stripey, who were all Level 25. Flamy, Dumby, and Stripey all had their own special abilities. Only Da Zi, who didn't have its own special ability, now seemed weaker than the other three.

Gao Peng frowned. Da Zi had been his first familiar. He pinched its feelers a few times as he began thinking about the fact that he would have to focus his efforts on helping it level up from now on.

Silly was now only Level 22. It couldn't grow as fast as the others, seeing that space-type food was hard to come by.

The Level 10 Goldie was at the bottom of the familiar hierarchy. Gao Peng shot a glance at the Adamantine Duck, who was absently looking at its reflection in the lake.

The Adamantine Duck had great potential. Its sturdy bones and flesh complemented its passive ability well.

Gao Peng had his own plans for it. The ingredients needed to help a monster reach Legendary grade were extremely rare. Also, the higher a monster's level was, the more ingredients it would need.

The Adamantine Duck was only a normal-tiered Level 10 monster right then.

Maybe I could help it reach Legendary or higher? thought Gao Peng.

He memorized all the ingredients required in order for the Adamantine Duck to reach Legendary. He would ask his grandfather about it the next day.

Suddenly, Gao Peng heard a sharp cry from the lake. He turned around and saw the Adamantine Duck flapping its wings excitedly, as if it had seen something astonishing.

"Classes will begin in two days. Do you still need me to drive you to school?" asked Ji Hanwu. He was on a morning jog with Gao Peng beside the lake.

"It's just school. Nothing to fuss about," said Gao Peng.

"All right then. After registration, be sure to come back home for dinner. I'll wait for you at home," said the old man. Entering university was no longer an important stage in people's lives these days. However, he knew that his grandson had always been looking forward to enrolling in one.

Ji Hanwu also knew that some things didn't live up to one's expectations. Gao Peng would have to experience university life for himself in order to come to this realization.

"By the way, I've asked around about the ingredients that you asked for, and I may have a lead or two on some of them. After this, I'll give you the information you need."

"Okay."

After their morning jog, Gao Peng went back and took a bath. His grandfather had placed a piece of paper beside the steaming plate of breakfast on the table. There was even a note beneath a glass of milk, on which was written, "I'm needed at the company. Here's breakfast and the information you wanted."

Gao Peng looked at his grandfather's bold handwriting and smiled.

After finishing his breakfast, he opened up the piece of paper and began reading what was written on it. "Groups of divers discovered an unknown shiny object at the bottom of the Xihai lake that drew swarms of huge carp to it…"

There were also a couple of pictures on the piece of paper that seemed to have been taken from the sky, some of them blurry. When Gao Peng laid his eyes on the first picture, lines of numbers began appearing before his eyes.

[Item Name: Forbidden Magic Stone (Water)

"That's it," breathed Gao Peng.

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Xihai Lake was located in the Xihai province of the Huaxia region.

It was also the largest saltwater lake in the area. Surrounded by Mount Datong, Mount Riyue, and Mount South Xihai, the lake was located in the vicinity of Qingtang City, a strategically positioned city in the northwest of the Huaxia region.

Gao Peng knew all of this. He also knew that a certain type of carp had lived in the lake before the Cataclysm.

After the Cataclysm, the fish had rapidly multiplied until they became the dominant inhabitants of the lake.

The fish had gradually evolved into other subspecies, such as amphibious carp, winged carp, purple-backed carp, and giant carp.

All these different types of carp had been in a constant struggle to prove that their own way of evolving was superior to the others.

The Forbidden Magic Stone was one of the ingredients required to allow the Adamantine Duck to reach Legendary status and evolve into a Forbidden Adamantine Duck.

Though all the other ingredients required for the Adamantine Duck's evolution were rare, they could be found at the market. The Forbidden Magic Stone was especially difficult to find. However, it seemed that luck was on Gao Peng's side.

All kinds of Forbidden Magic Stones existed. In theory, all of the existing elements could have been contained in them.

A Forbidden Magic Stone of a certain element would repel other substances of the same element, as well as other elements, to a certain extent.

He had to have it!

Gao Peng licked his lips. Once it reached Legendary grade, the Adamantine Duck would be able to awaken a second monster effect.

Just then, the telephone rang. It was his grandfather.

"Is that the ingredient you needed?"

"Ah, yes it is. Thanks, grandpa," said Gao Peng, nodding.

"That's great. I'll send someone to retrieve it for you. You just stay at home," said his grandfather, before ending the call.

At that moment, Gao Peng felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Shouldn't he have been the one out there fighting a battle of wits and brawn with the dangerous monsters in the wild in order to obtain his prize?

Sometimes, Gao Peng also had to be wary of others who sought the same things as him. If he wasn't careful enough, he could incur the wrath of a lot of people.

So why was he so excited about this?

Thousands of people had gathered beside Xihai Lake in uneven groups. The largest group had more than ten people, while the smallest ones only had two to three people.

Xihai Lake was extremely wide. Before the Cataclysm, it had been around 1,700 square miles wide, which was twice the size of Lake Tai.

After the Cataclysm, Xihai Lake's surface area had expanded drastically. It was now almost as big as an ocean.

Ripples appeared on the blue-green surface of the lake as a soft breeze blew across it. A faint salty smell wafted from it.

"Chen Laoer? Aren't you in the pharmacy business? What are you doing here?" said a red-haired woman standing beside the lake. Clad in a leather jacket, she was calmly smoking a cigarette while a smile played on her lips, her eyes squeezed together into long slits.

"Save it," said a man not far away who simply waved a hand at her. He was a lanky man with short hair and a faint moustache. "Everyone here's thinking the same thing. Let's not waste each other's time."

The red-haired woman chuckled and casually threw her cigarette to the ground, then stepped on it with the heel of her high-heeled shoe.

"Everyone should be here by now," she said. A huge truck had stopped at the side of the road, a couple of men jumping out of it. One of them, likely the group's leader, was wearing a black short-sleeve shirt. There was a dragon tattoo on his arm that spread to the base of his ear. The man was called Gao Heng, and he was the head of the Blackgate Group's sales division and the representative of the group as a whole.

"The Blackgate Group will be buying the object that has riled up the fish in Xihai Lake for three hundred million Alliance dollars and three Commander-tier Monster Core Crystals. Anyone who can get it out of the lake will be compensated for his or her efforts on the spot," said Gao Heng coolly.

Everyone's eyes lit up when they heard what he had just said.

There was no doubt in anyone's mind at that moment that whatever had upset the fish in the lake was a prize worth killing over.

However, without knowing what it could be used for, the object in question was just as worthless as any other pebble at the bottom of the lake, especially to those who had gathered at the lakeside that didn't own laboratories.

Three hundred million Alliance dollars and three Commander-tier Monster Core Crystals was an astronomical figure to these nobodies.

This was an extremely profitable deal for the Blackgate Group, as they only needed to pay a huge sum of money in order to retrieve a rare and valuable object from the lake.

Also, seeing that the object had been found near Qingtang City, where the Blackgate Group was based, they just had to have it.

To the northeast of Xihai lake, huge waves bulged out from the surface. One could see large fish-like silhouettes swimming about in the lake.

"My god, just how many of these things are in there?" said one of the monster trainers, who was staring at the black swirling mass in the water from the deck of a boat.

"There's a carp infestation in the lake!" said someone beside him. They had always known that lots of carp lived in Xihai Lake. They had just never known how bad the carp infestation was until then.

Dark shadows surged in the water, darkening the entire lake. At times, a massive carp would leap out of the water and rock the boat back and forth before diving back into the lake with a huge splash.

"Forget it, let's turn back. Even if we might be able to pull the prize out from the bottom of the lake, we might not make it out alive… The only way we could do this is with a flying-type familiar."

"I don't think a flying-type familiar will be of much use," said one of the trainers calmly. He then pointed at Mount Riyue in the distance.

There were two mountain peaks on Mount Riyue. The left peak symbolized Yin, while the right peak represented Yang.

Mount Riyue was actually a mountain pass into Tibet. It was also known by other names, such as "the folding screen of Xihai" and "the gates into the grass plains." It was situated between the Huangtu and Tibetan Plateaus, where the border between the monsoon and non-monsoon regions lay. A pastoral zone lay on one side the mountain pass, while an agricultural area lay on the other.

The mountain, which had acquired many names over the years, had gained an even more profound air of mystery after the Cataclysm.

Suddenly, a flock of black-feathered birds swooped down from Mount Riyue. The bird in the front was as big as a passenger plane. The front end of its wings was white, while the other end was black. Its eyes were a shade of golden red.

"It's the Golden Goose King of Mount Riyue!" shouted someone on the boat, immediately recognizing the huge bird. "Let's just get the hell out of here. I'm not risking my neck, even for three hundred million dollars."

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Chapter 200: Just As Planned

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Golden Goose King that was flying in the front suddenly turned around and struck a goose behind it with one of its wings. The people on the ship saw the goose slow down, and the flock of geese realigned themselves into a proper v-shape.

Trainers on the other ships had also noticed the flock of feathered tyrants from Mount Riyue flying towards the lake.

The flock of Golden Geese had quite a bad reputation in Qingtang City. No one knew what had gone wrong in their evolutionary process that resulted in them being so foul-tempered. These birds would attack anyone at the slightest provocation. They were also an extremely curious type of bird that would scoop up anything that piqued their attention on the ground. Short of hiding inside the lake until these birds lost interest, there was absolutely no running away from them.

Gao Heng didn't seem at all upset about the arrival of these creatures. Rather, he looked quite happy about it. This meant that whatever was at the bottom of the lake must have been worth a lot!

The thought of whether any of the trainers could retrieve Gao Heng's prize for him had never crossed his mind. Any of them could outsmart these brutish creatures with a bit of strategic thinking.

Creativity was a human's most powerful asset, after all.

Gao Heng stroked his beard. He could feel that everything was just within his grasp.

A small purple-backed carp with a golden-tipped dorsal fin was swimming around the Forbidden Magic Stone, which was giving it a peculiar sensation. Maybe this is fate, it thought.

It had heard that its mother had been able to become extremely powerful by swallowing a strange fruit. Since then, she had given birth to a number of powerful purple-backed carp. I want to give birth to a lot of powerful children just like mom! thought the little fish.

Not far away, a couple of 30-foot-long purple-backed carp noticed a huge figure in the distance.

"Giant one, stay back. This is our territory," warned one of them.

Three hundred feet away, a massive carp swam by. From it came a deep, croaky sound. "Who are you to tell me to stay back? Watch your tongue, or I'll swallow you whole."

The purple-backed fish who had spoken strained its eyes at the giant carp. It shivered when it realized that it was a sub chief of the giant carp.

Every major tribe of carp living in Xihai Lake had a chief of its own. Each tribe was divided into several branches, which were in turn governed by a sub chief.

Why had a sub chief under the giant carp come all this way?

The purple-backed carp said warningly, "Don't come any closer. Behind us is our chief's most beloved daughter. If you dare lay a fin on her, our king will be very angry!"

The giant carp eyed the little purple carp that was swimming around the Forbidden Magic Stone, then roared with laughter.

It didn't care who the little carp was. Would a bear fear the repercussions of eating a tiger's cub?

Of course it wouldn't.

A tiger would do the same thing to the bear's own child if given the opportunity. All monsters were driven by the simple logic of survival of the fittest.

"Run!" shouted one of the purple-backed fish. The giant carp in front of them was now swimming towards them.

"The chief of the purple-backed carp slaughtered many of my kind. Today, I will have him pay for his misdeeds with the blood of his daughter!" said the giant carp, which then opened its mouth and bared its sharp teeth at the purple-backed carp.

Some of the purple-backed carp began trembling in fear. Still, they maintained their formation around the giant carp while shouting at the small purple-backed carp behind them to flee.

Currents of water began swirling around the giant carp, which was soon trapped inside an underwater vortex.

"You're all abominations! Your evolutionary line is all wrong!!!" roared the giant carp. It then took in a huge gulp of water, expanding its gills and muscles drastically.

Its muscles began undulating like waves. Its blood vessels squirmed beneath its skin like earthworms.

"Brute strength is the only thing that matters in this world!" it roared. Its thunderous roar broke through the first layer of the vortex!

The giant carp then swung its tail and pierced through the vortex's remaining layers. A black shadow now loomed over the purple-backed carp, who were all overwhelmed by fear.

After seeing the little purple-backed carp fleeing, the giant carp lowered its huge head and hurtled towards the Forbidden Magic Stone.

A Forbidden Magic Stone would repel other objects with the same element as itself. Since this Forbidden Magic Stone was endowed with the water element, it had repelled all the water around it and carved out a dry spot at the bottom of the lake.

However, the giant carp had evolved to rely more on its muscles than the power of the elements. The Forbidden Magic Stone would have little to no effect on it.

The giant carp swallowed the magic stone and immediately left the scene.

The lake sank into darkness when the Forbidden Magic Stone entered the giant carp's mouth.

There was a cry from the Golden Goose King circling in the air. The glowing rock at the bottom of the lake had disappeared.

It pulled its wings in. Gradually, wind began gathering around it. In the next second, it swooped down like a sharp blade from the sky and let out a sonic boom in its wake.

Boom!

A 30-foot-tall geyser shot up into the air.

Ripples began emanating across the lake's surface from the bird's point of entry.

The fleeing giant carp suddenly felt a sharp pain in its back, as if someone had stabbed it with a sword. It began writhing in pain in the lake.

The giant carp eventually managed to shake off the Golden Goose King. As it wasn't in its element, the bird propelled itself towards the surface of the water with a powerful stroke of its wings and launched itself out of the lake.

There was a deep wound on the giant carp's back that blood was flowing profusely out of.

The giant carp then vanished into the depths of the lake.

On the shore, Gao Heng was furious. "God damn it, where is the thing? Where is it?!"

"Brother Gao, I think a giant carp just swallowed it."

"Where's the bloody fish?!"

"…It's gone."

"What are you standing there for? Go get me that fish!"

The sub chief of the giant carp had managed to blend into a large group of its own kind. There was no way to tell which one of them had swallowed the magic stone.

The sub chief furtively approached another giant carp. Both of them pressed their mouths together.

The other giant carp were all stunned by this scene.

After doing "mouth-to-mouth" with the sub chief, the other giant carp swam through the crowd of fish until it came out the other end. It then disappeared into the dark depths of the lake.

Half an hour later, the sub chief's head began wobbling. Its vision had also become blurry. The pain in its back tormented it still! It was as if a sword carp had pierced through its body!

There was now a commotion on the shore of Xihai lake. Everyone had already made their own preparations to retrieve the prize from the bottom of the lake. However, it had suddenly disappeared.

"It was definitely swallowed by the sub chief of the giant carp. Don't worry, brother Gao, we'll get that fish for you," said one of Gao Heng's underlings while thumping his chest.

On the other side of the lake, a giant carp suddenly emerged from the water. A couple of people were standing near the shore in cloud-patterned clothing. "Go get it," said one of them. "Also, number three, next time you're controlling these things, I would appreciate it if you could tone down your dramatics. I'm getting secondhand embarrassment just listening to you talk."

"Heh." A short red-haired boy grinned.

The giant carp's pupils dilated as it obediently opened its mouth. A blue light radiated from its mouth.

Someone immediately took the blue stone out of the fish's mouth and put it inside a box.

The blue light disappeared when he shut the box.

"Let's go. These people can search for the stone for as long as they want," said one of them, who shot a scathing look at the crowd of people on the other side of the lake. They got on the backs of their cloud birds and put on their safety belts.

With a powerful flap of their wings, the cloud birds flew into the air. Soon, their figures receded into the sky.

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