The salty, damp seashore.
A whale lay stranded on the shore, barely clinging to life. Only a handful of people gathered around, the atmosphere unbearably heavy.
Drip, drip.
Tears, just as salty and damp, soaked into the sand and pebbles beneath their feet. As if sensing the sorrow of those around it, the whale gently nudged her with its rostrum. Yet, even such a small movement seemed to drain its last ounce of strength, and its tired body slumped back onto the beach.
Zeng Zhuyue could no longer hold back her sobs. She threw herself forward, embracing it.
“Lan Jing!”
Her cries spread, infecting everyone around her.
Sister Yun withdrew her healing-type ability, her eyes also reddening.
In just two short weeks, she had witnessed too much death… The guild had once possessed hundreds of battle pets, but the ability users who attacked that night had been too powerful. It was only thanks to a Tier 6 hunting dog and its trainer sacrificing themselves in a suicidal stand that they had bought the others a sliver of hope.
Now, only a few dozen had escaped with them, all of them gravely wounded, in desperate need of rest and healing.
If Lan Jing, Zeng Zhuyue, and the others had not returned in time… But even then, he had not escaped the Research Guild’s sinister plot!
The thought of that black metal block detonating that day made Sister Yun grind her teeth in hatred.
So much—so much energy filth had surged into Lan Jing’s body. To protect the others, he had stood alone at the very front, barely clinging to life by the end. Forcing himself onward, he had struggled to this coastal base before finally losing control over the filth raging within him and reverting to his original form.
If that were all, it might not have been so bad—at least he could still survive.
But the filth remained in his body, continuously destroying him from the inside. At this rate, he wouldn’t last much longer.
“Sister Yun.” Zeng Zhuyue’s eyes were swollen red as she stared at her in despair, unwilling to accept the truth. “Is there really no hope at all?”
Sister Yun couldn’t bring herself to speak.
The words she wanted to say—Zeng Zhuyue would never be able to accept them.
Zeng Zhuyue’s eyes had cried dry, unable to shed another tear. The whites of her eyes were streaked with red. “The Energy Disruption… is it completely useless?”
Sister Yun turned away, unable to bear looking at her. “Useless.”
The Sun siblings had long since provided the Energy Disruption for free.
“The Energy Disruption, invented by the Research Guild, can now only remove energy filth from battle pets below Tier 6. They promised back then that they would upgrade it as soon as possible, but now…”
Now, everyone could see the truth for themselves.
The Research Guild was ruthless, full of ulterior motives. The many products they had researched seemed to favor battle pets, yet in the end, battle pets were the first victims!
“…It’s all my fault.”
Zeng Zhuyue’s remorse was enough to drown her.
“I should have listened to Jiang Hong sooner. I should have been wary of the Research Guild from the start!”
What had she been thinking back then? Why had she been so easily deceived by the false goodwill the Research Guild had feigned, even cooperating with their research multiple times!
Sister Yun silently walked away.
After ascending the gentle slope of the beach, Sister Yun finally spotted the Sun siblings standing watch from afar, along with the equally silent Pang Cancan.
The first to speak was Sun Zhixia. “How is it?”
Sister Yun shook her head. “Getting worse.”
Everyone’s hearts sank simultaneously.
Since entering the coastal base, Lan Jing’s condition had been deteriorating. It was hard not to wonder—could he really hold on any longer?
Sun Zhixia thought of her own battle pet, Hei Bao. As pet trainers, battle pets were not just combat partners but also family. Facing such a situation, it was impossible not to feel overwhelmed by sorrow.
She suddenly buried herself in her younger brother’s embrace.
Sun Zhichun patted her back, offering silent comfort.
In such an atmosphere, Pang Cancan’s reticence did not seem out of place.
She gazed at the people and the whale on the shore from a distance, then abruptly turned around. “I’m going to feed the babies.”
The others assumed she simply couldn’t bear to watch any longer and didn’t give it much thought.
Pang Cancan quickly left the beach and hurried to a deserted port.
A dozen or so palm-sized venomous insects, sensing her distress, crawled into her arms, onto her back, and into her hair, each comforting her in its own peculiar way.
Pang Cancan’s lips quivered—she nearly burst into tears.
“Where on earth is Sister Su Su?”
She was reaching her limit too.
Back when she had first gotten lost in the desert, she hadn’t felt this scared or anxious. All she had been focused on was staying alert for any lurking Tier 7 zombies while searching for Sister Su Su’s whereabouts.
But two or three days later, she had found Sun Zhichun, then Zeng Zhuyue and Lan Jing—but still, no sign of Sister Su Su.
In the end, it was Zeng Zhuyue who couldn’t wait any longer.
Lan Jing’s condition was too critical—she had to get him out of the desert as soon as possible. Pang Cancan had wanted to keep searching, but Sun Zhichun reassured her, saying that Su Su and Xuan Mang were strong and had likely left the desert long ago. Rather than wandering aimlessly like a headless fly, it was better to return to the Northern Base and wait patiently.
But who could have expected that upon returning, they would discover the Northern Base was in chaos?
When Zeng Zhuyue and Lan Jing encountered escaping battle pets and stepped in to save people, Pang Cancan had still been asking around for news of Sister Su Su. But by the time she rushed over, it was already too late…
After that, they had nowhere to go. Brother Zhichun had led everyone to the coastal base.
And now, it was even harder to reunite with Sister Su Su!
The Research Guild was lurking, hunting them relentlessly. Their men scoured every corner for traces of them. She didn’t dare to send out any messages or leave behind even the slightest clue.
What if the Research Guild followed the trail straight to them?
Pang Cancan couldn’t take that risk.
She forced back her tears, reached behind her, and pulled out one of her babies. Stroking its smooth carapace, she murmured, “Baby, where do you think Sister Su Su is?”
Was she still in the desert, tangled up with that Tier 7 zombie…? No! Impossible! Even if that were the case, Sister Su Su and Xiao Hei would definitely be able to handle it!
Had she returned to the Northern Base? That would be even more dangerous. The Research Guild was going mad, willing to kill a thousand rather than let a hundred go. The moment Sister Su Su revealed herself, she would absolutely be captured!
Pang Cancan stared blankly at the vast blue sea.
She was too anxious. Her thoughts jumped wildly—from worrying about whether Sister Su Su had been captured by the Research Guild to suddenly thinking about Zeng Zhuyue and Lan Jing.
No one knew how many more days the latter could hold on. If they could find Sister Su Su sooner, there might still be a chance… Back then, Wei Yan had nearly self-destructed, and it was Sister Su Su who had saved him.
After spending so much time together, Pang Cancan had already formed a seventy-percent guess about Su Su’s ability.
But she couldn’t reveal it to Zeng Zhuyue and the others without permission.
This was Sister Su Su’s secret. Even if she sent a pigeon message today saying—It’s fine, tell them, I don’t mind—Pang Cancan would still hesitate.
Zeng Zhuyue, with her cold and elegant appearance, was actually quite stubborn. If she knew about Sister Su Su’s ability, she would risk everything to find her in order to save Lan Jing. And if the Research Guild caught even the slightest clue along the way, Su Su’s ability would slip through their fingers like sand, bit by bit.
…With such a heavy secret buried in her heart, the usually lively Pang Cancan didn’t dare to say a word to anyone.
All she could do was watch as that whale lay dying.
She clutched one of her venomous pets and hurled it into the sea with all her might—at the moment it hit the water, the little insect flapped its wings and skipped across the surface in a dozen rapid water bounces, amusing its troubled master enough to make the corners of her lips lift slightly.
Before it could swim back, a few massive eagle-like birds, each the size of a dark cloud, suddenly swept through the sky. Flapping their wings, they let out sharp cries as they flew toward the city gates.
Pang Cancan stood up in shock, suspicion flickering in her eyes.
Instinctively, she chased after them.
The venomous insect that had just returned struggled onto the dock, rapidly vibrating its wet wings hundreds of times. After shaking off the water droplets, it wobbled and took off, following its master.
As she sprinted past the port, she spotted the Sun siblings on a high sand slope, racing toward the city gates.
She immediately waved. “Sister Zhixia! Brother Zhichun! What’s happening?”
They shouted something in response, but Pang Cancan couldn’t hear clearly. Only then did she remember her venomous pets. She climbed onto one’s back and swiftly flew to the two sprinting siblings.
This time, she finally heard them.
Sun Zhichun’s face was grave. “A car is coming from the north toward the base!”
Pang Cancan was stunned.
A car coming from the north? Was it the Research Guild?
She immediately commanded her other venomous insects to lift the Sun siblings as well. Within moments, the three of them had reached the top of the city gate.
Upon hearing that someone had arrived from the north, the entire base was on high alert. More than a dozen eagle-like birds circled the sky above, their sharp eyes fixed on the road ahead… until a single, rather ordinary business vehicle drove into view a few miles away.
“What?”
The voice of surprise drew everyone’s attention. After hearing the scouts’ report, Sun Zhixia was stunned and relayed the news to the others at the gate. “It’s just one business vehicle.”
So it wasn’t the Research Guild?
No… It could still be one of their spies!
Sun Zhichun took a deep breath. “No matter who’s inside, we can’t let them in.”
What if they had been sent to check whether the base was harboring battle pets?
While the others remained on high alert, Pang Cancan had already dispatched a miniature version of her venomous insect, sending it several miles away to serve as her eyes and observe that business vehicle… The driver’s seat—was that a woman?
The venomous insect flew in closer.
The moment she saw clearly, Pang Cancan leaped three feet high and excitedly turned her head, exclaiming, “Brother Zhichun! Sister Zhixia! It’s Sister Su Su! She’s back!”
The Sun siblings were momentarily stunned.
But in the next instant, their faces lit up with joy. “Really? Are you sure?”
“I’m sure! Absolutely certain!”
The tense atmosphere dissipated in an instant. By the time the business vehicle pulled up beneath the city gate and everyone got a clear look at the woman sitting in the driver’s seat, all vigilance completely vanished.
“Hurry, let her in!”
From afar, Su Su had already spotted the Sun siblings and Pang Cancan standing atop the city gate. The speculation in her heart was finally confirmed, and she let out a sigh of relief.
So they really were here!
She hadn’t guessed wrong!
“Sister Su Su!”
As soon as the car passed through the city gate and Su Su stepped out of the vehicle, a small cannonball shot into her arms.
“You finally came—wuwuwuwuwu…”
Hearing this rhythmic wailing, Su Su didn’t even need to look to know it was Cancan.
She hugged her, then lifted her head to see the Sun siblings standing outside the car. Unlike their initial wariness and rejection when they first met, their faces now held nothing but joy.
The tension Su Su had been carrying for so long finally eased.
Before she could say anything, the girl in her arms had already lifted her head. Originally, Cancan just wanted to check if Sister Su Su had any injuries, but out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of the man in the back seat who had silently slid forward.
From her angle, she could only see his upper body—not his lower half—so she didn’t notice the pair of dark green vertical pupils.
At first glance, he looked like a rich young master who had fallen into a pleasure house and was forced to work as a male escort.
It wasn’t really her fault for misunderstanding. After all, the man was barely clothed, with his shirt draped over him in a half-open manner, as if deliberately revealing his superior physique.
Her gaze shifted again. The co-pilot seat, originally reserved for Xiao Hei, was now occupied by a familiar-looking cheetah cat.
Judging by this… that venomous snake must have been dumped.
Pang Cancan wiped her tears twice and blurted out without thinking, “Sister Su Su, did you kick Xiao Hei to the curb and pick up a pretty boy instead?”