4: Chapter 4 Starlight Wolf King, S-Rank Quality
Li Yu simply smiled and didn't respond.
Time flowed in silence. The white light within the incubation pod pulsed like the slow, steady breath of a slumbering giant, rising and falling with long, stable rhythms.
Li Yu's eyes were filled with anticipation, Song Jiang's fingers trembled with excitement, while Supervisor Song was filled with doubt and uncertainty...
Each of the three had their own thoughts, but their gazes were all firmly locked onto the incubation pod as its light gradually receded.
About a minute later.
The white light finally vanished completely. Inside the incubation pod stood a brand-new wolf.
It stood about 1.7 meters tall at the shoulder and over 2.5 meters long. Its entire body was silver-gray, with fur that shimmered with a satin-like luster.
Its frame was slender yet packed with power. Its deep green eyes seemed to have flecks of starlight flickering and swirling deep within the pupils.
"Suc... Success!"
Song Jiang's voice trembled noticeably.
He stepped forward involuntarily, his eyes glued to the new figure.
Regarding Li Yu's intervention, although he had held a glimmer of hope, he had already prepared himself for failure in his heart.
The reason he agreed to the attempt was merely to give himself an excuse of 'I did my best' and leave with some dignity.
But he never imagined!
It worked!
The Starlight Wolf had not only successfully evolved into an Extraordinary quality, but it was also a new species evolutionary path that had never been recorded!
A massive surge of joy hit him.
Song Jiang skidded to a halt, turned, and rushed toward Li Yu, giving him a fierce hug and slapping his arm hard. His eyes reddened and his voice choked up: "Brother... little brother, thank you! Truly, thank you!"
Li Yu grinned, revealing a row of neat teeth.
"I took your money, so I solve your problems. It's only right."
"Right, right! The money, I'll transfer it immediately!" Song Jiang snapped back to his senses and hurriedly pulled out his phone, urging Li Yu to show his payment code.
Ding!
A crisp notification sounded.
"Payment account received: 50,000 Yuan."
Once the transfer was complete, Song Jiang patted Li Yu's shoulder heavily again before turning around with a face full of joy, running toward the new wolf in the incubation pod that looked slightly "resentful" for being ignored.
With fifty thousand Yuan in his account, Li Yu breathed a long sigh of relief. The burden on his shoulders seemed to lighten instantly.
He turned toward Supervisor Song, who was still in a state of shock.
This hurdle wasn't over yet.
"Supervisor Song, I've done what I promised. Now... you won't make things difficult for me anymore, right?" he said.
Supervisor Song seemed not to hear him. His small eyes were wide and round, his lips twitching as he muttered incessantly to himself: "A new breeding path... it was actually found... by an... Intern..."
"Who says an Intern can't research a new path?" Li Yu countered.
"No one says that..."
Supervisor Song finally came to his senses. He looked at Li Yu with a complex gaze and said softly, "But what about someone who doesn't even qualify as an Intern?"
"I don't have the educational background Bright Moon Company wants, so I can't walk through their front door, but that doesn't mean I don't have the strength of a Breeder," Li Yu said.
Supervisor Song frowned slightly, glanced at Li Yu, and asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Li Yu didn't hide anything and recounted everything that happened during today's interview.
He didn't expect Supervisor Song to take his side; after all, Supervisor Song was just a supervisor in charge of breeding and had no right to interfere in personnel decisions.
What he wanted was to plant a seed.
A seed about someone who could breed a new species of beast but was hindered by the resume threshold.
After hearing the experience, Supervisor Song's tense face softened. He sighed and said, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't help you with this."
"As long as you understand."
"Mm."
At that moment, Song Jiang had already led the evolved Starlight Wolf back quickly.
His face was full of excitement, and his voice rose an octave: "Brother, quick! Help me test my partner's current attributes! Why do I feel like... it's ridiculously strong!"
"Awoo!"
The Starlight Wolf affectionately nudged Song Jiang away with its head and pressed its large head against Li Yu's hand, rubbing gently. Its green eyes were full of gratitude and even carried a clear hint of trying to please him.
Ding!
[The tsundere Starlight Wolf King has generated seven parts recognition, two parts respect, and one part flattery toward you. You have gained 155 cultivation value.]
I've made a profit.
100 points invested, 155 points in return.
Li Yu reached out to rub the Starlight Wolf King's fluffy head and said, "Alright, follow me."
Li Yu walked toward the nearby attribute scanner.
The Starlight Wolf King followed him closely, its steps light. That wolf tail, which should have been hanging proudly, actually wagged slightly from side to side. It didn't look cold or arrogant at all anymore.
It almost looked like it wanted to call him 'Father'.
Three minutes later.
The test results were clearly displayed on the console screen.
The Song brothers couldn't wait for Li Yu to read them out and leaned forward in unison.
[Beast Name]: Starlight Wolf King (New Species)
[Beast Quality]: Extraordinary (S)
[Beast Level]: Bronze Level 8
[Beast Attribute]: Star-Moon
[Beast Talents]: Star-Moon Wolf King Claws, Star-Tracking, Moon-Howl Berserk
[Beast Description]: The king among the Starlight Wolf pack, an elegant phantom in the dark night. Once locked on, it is difficult to escape even across thousands of miles.
"It really is a new species!"
Song Jiang cried out in shock.
"S-rank... It's actually S-rank quality! How is this possible..."
Shocked, Supervisor Song stumbled back two steps, only managing to steady himself when his back hit the wall.
He was far from being like Song Jiang, who only saw the surface. The information contained behind this breeding path made his heart shake violently.
For the same beast, two similar evolutionary paths could exist where one is S-rank while the other is only F-rank.
A Breeder with poor skills might complete an S-rank path as A-rank or B-rank; but no matter how good the skill, it was absolutely impossible to raise a path destined to be F-rank by even a single level out of thin air!
When was the last time a brand-new S-rank evolutionary path appeared in Ningyang City?
Three years ago!
This number exploded in Supervisor Song's mind, making him shudder involuntarily. He turned abruptly, wanting to grab Li Yu and ask for clarification.
But the space behind him was empty.
"Where is he?!" he cried out. "Where did my great genius prospect go?!"
Song Jiang also looked around, but there was no sign of Li Yu.
Suddenly, he thought of the things Li Yu had mentioned and let out a long, mournful sigh.
"Brother, what's wrong?"
"That damned Liu Quan! You wasted such a talent, I'll curse your ancestors!"
"Brother... that's not appropriate, is it?"
...
Li Yu left the breeding room. Unable to wait for the elevator, he sprinted down the stairs with his phone pressed to his ear.
"Beep... beep... beep... The number you have dialed is temporarily unavailable, sorry..."
"Beep... beep... The number you have dialed..."
Several calls in a row failed to connect.
Li Yu was anxious.
Finally, on the fifth call, it connected.
"Hello, Brother?"
His sister's voice sounded. The surroundings were very noisy, with the sounds of traffic, laughter from short videos, and roaring engines. She clearly wasn't at home.
"Mengmeng, I've already earned the money—fifty thousand. Come back quickly!" Li Yu urged.
There was a brief silence on the other end.
"Brother, don't worry. I'm just doing a part-time job, not anything bad. You're not just trying to be lazy and avoid taking care of Mom, are you? Heehee~ that's not allowed!"
His sister's voice carried a hint of innocence.
"Listen, I'm serious! You're about to take the college entrance exam, your mental strength cannot have any devia—"
Before Li Yu could finish, Li Meng interrupted him. She raised her voice and said, "Brother, I'm already on the bus. The signal is bad, so I won't talk to you for now~ It'll be hard on you to take care of Mom this afternoon, no slacking off!"
After saying that, Li Meng hung up directly. When Li Yu tried to call back, it indicated the phone was turned off.
"Oh no!"
Li Yu's heart tightened. He hurriedly hailed a car and disappeared from the entrance of Bright Moon Company.