The black snake on the operating table was coiled up like a mottled bundle of hemp rope.
Su Su stared at it for a long time, completely stunned.
After a long while, she finally found her voice again. “You mean, a Tier 6 battle pet can automatically take human form?”
“You can’t put it that absolutely,” Sister Yun said seriously. “According to our limited research data, battle pets that spend more time with humans tend to have a higher desire for transformation after reaching Tier 6. So, when they first consume a Grade 6 crystal, they often exhibit human-like traits uncontrollably.”
“Of course, some battle pets are very fond of their original forms. Take Boss Jiang Hong, for example—his pet cheetah prefers its majestic feline form and absolutely refuses to turn into a human.”
“Coincidentally, that cheetah is male, and Boss Jiang doesn’t need it to turn into some beautiful woman. Neither of them has the need for transformation.”
“As for your giant python…”
Sister Yun attempted to lift the black snake’s tail again, but in the next second, her palm was ruthlessly slapped away.
She raised an eyebrow. “Maybe it just prefers its original form too.”
Does it?
Su Su didn’t think so.
She distinctly remembered—under the sea—when a pair of strong arms had wrapped around her waist. Before she lost consciousness, she had fallen into an embrace that seemed like something out of a dream.
Thinking back now, maybe it wasn’t an illusion after all.
Some snake was lying.
Su Su stared fixedly at the black snake playing dead on the operating table and took a deep breath. “I see. Then I can rest assured.”
“You don’t want your battle pet to take human form either?”
Su Su smiled. “I’m already used to its original form. If it turns human, I wouldn’t be able to adapt.”
If the black snake had ears, they would definitely be standing upright at this moment.
Not used to it turning human?
That won’t do!
But Su Su had already unilaterally “declared” its future. She affectionately hugged her beloved snake back into her arms. “This is just perfect.”
Just perfect?
The black snake stared blankly at the female in front of it, then suddenly flicked its head.
It disagreed!
But it couldn’t speak or express its thoughts. All it could hear was a nearby stranger chuckling. “Not transforming is fine too—saves a lot of trouble.”
Those ability users who formed partnerships with their battle pets would come around every few days, hesitating and mumbling strange questions.
Sister Yun was forty years old this year. She had seen everything, and her gaze merely swept over the heavily drowsy python.
Not taking human form was a good thing for this pretty, soft, and seemingly easy-to-bully young girl.
“Is it itchy when it sheds its scales? Does it feel uncomfortable?”
Su Su shook her head. “Xiao Hei doesn’t feel anything.”
“Then I don’t need to prescribe you any additional medicine. Once it either takes human form or fully adapts to the energy of the Grade 6 crystal, the shedding will stop on its own.”
“Alright.”
Su Su adjusted the black snake in her arms and was about to leave when Sister Yun called out to her one last time.
“No matter whether you change your mind later—whether you want your battle pet to take human form or not—there’s one thing you must remember.”
As she spoke, the playfulness in Sister Yun’s expression vanished. Her face turned exceptionally serious, finally revealing an air befitting her age—
“Let it transform naturally. Do not rely on any external force.”
Su Su keenly sensed that there was more to this than met the eye. “What do you mean? Can transformation be assisted by external means?”
“You’ll find out later,” Sister Yun said, deliberately keeping things vague. “In the guild, battle pets that truly achieve transformation by reaching Tier 6 alone are exceedingly rare.”
The entire Northern Base had only a handful of Tier 6 ability users. How could there suddenly be so many battle pets taking human form in such a short time?
“Every battle pet transforms at a different time and in a different manner. I’m just giving you a reminder—don’t be too impatient, or you might regret it later.”
“Of course, how you choose to handle it is entirely up to you.”
With that, the door slowly closed in front of Su Su.
She was left in confusion, while the black snake in her arms had an equally complicated expression.
Pang Cancan leaned in. “Sister Su Su, how is it? Is Xiao Hei’s scale-shedding problem resolved?”
Su Su nodded, then shook her head. “Let’s talk when we get back.”
“Okay!”
After the two of them left, another person appeared in Sister Yun’s medical room.
“Boss Jiang.”
“Mm.”
Jiang Hong picked up a piece of snake scale that had unknowingly fallen onto the operating table. He pressed his thumb and forefinger against it with slight force—instantly, the hardened scale cut into his fingertip.
“The two ability users that the shorty brought in, along with their battle pets—what’s their strength?”
Sister Yun reported truthfully, “The abilities of the two ability users are still unknown. The only confirmed detail is that the python is a Tier 6 battle pet—it has already reached the stage where it can take human form.”
Even the shorty himself probably didn’t realize that he had brought a Tier 6 battle pet into the guild. He was likely still under the impression that he was just trying to recruit a few Tier 5 battle pets for the guild—hence his enthusiasm.
“Tier 6…”
Jiang Hong thought about the current strength of the base—
The Ability Users’ Guild had four Tier 6 ability users and numerous Tier 5 ability users.
The Battle Pet Guild had one Tier 6 ability user and three Tier 6 battle pets.
The Research Guild had one Tier 6 ability user.
The power gap wasn’t huge, but if the Battle Pet Guild could recruit another Tier 6 battle pet, they would be able to stand on equal footing with the Ability Users’ Guild—or perhaps even faintly surpass the other two guilds.
“Do your best to recruit them into the guild.”
“The shorty is already working on it.”
“He’s not working hard enough.”
Jiang Hong recalled the beautiful woman he had seen in the back seat of the tram and added, “Does she want her battle pet to take human form?”
Sister Yun shook her head. “I haven’t seen any strong desire for it yet.”
“What about the other one?”
“Haven’t had any contact with them.”
That meant there wasn’t much of a breakthrough for now.
Jiang Hong pondered for a moment before saying, “On this trip, I still have one Grade 6 crystal left in my hands.”
Sister Yun looked up in surprise. “Boss Jiang, you mean…?”
“If she’s willing to join the Battle Pet Guild, I can give her this Grade 6 crystal.”
That was an unbelievably generous offer!
Sister Yun clicked her tongue. “You might as well give it to someone in the guild…”
Jiang Hong stated bluntly, “I only have one Grade 6 crystal. If I give it to someone else, it’ll only create one more Tier 6 combatant. But if I give it to her, I’ll gain a Tier 6 ability user, a Tier 6 battle pet, and her companion as well.”
A guaranteed profitable deal.
“It’s just a Grade 6 crystal.” As he spoke, the cold edge in Jiang Hong’s eyes could barely be concealed.
Sister Yun fell silent.
“Boss Jiang, what if they agree to join the guild but refuse to join our faction?”
Then that Grade 6 crystal would be wasted, yielding nothing in return.
As if reminded of something, Jiang Hong suddenly let out a cold chuckle. “Someone will force them to join.”
There were always those who couldn’t resist the temptation of a battle pet taking human form. Once things were stirred up, in the end, their only option would be to join them.
As long as that group of people kept pushing, their ranks would continue to grow.
Until—
That hypocritical existence was completely eradicated.