1: On the day he was sold, he rushed towards the strongest one.

"Number 35! Wake up, don't play dead."

Clang, clang! An iron rod was thrust into the cage, poking her viciously with malicious intent.

Tu Nan had just opened her eyes when a burst of pain exploded, and a scream escaped her lips.

"Ah!"

"Save your moaning. Hurry up and pack; we’re almost at Sand City."

The hunchbacked, buck-toothed man sneered, then continued grasping his iron rod, moving from cage to cage to wake up the... women locked inside?

Had she seen correctly? These women were dressed in an exceptionally bizarre manner.

Each wore very little and had strange decorations: rabbit ears, cat tails, or... feathers sticking up behind their ears. They were curled up quietly in their small cages... and she was in a cage too.

Tu Nan tried to pry open the iron cage, but it didn't budge. Her heart sank. She kicked it, but nearly sprained her foot instead.

Only then did she realize her frame was delicate; she was skin and bones, without a shred of strength.

This wasn't her body... Her last memory was of that large truck crashing into her. So... she was dead?

"You’d better not let Old Bi catch you with enough energy to struggle," a Female voice muttered from the next cage. "Otherwise, your next meal will be even smaller."

The woman held the dog tail behind her, grooming it lovingly as she chatted with Tu Nan.

"I really don't want to be bought by someone from Sand City. I heard it's poor and broken down; staying there means never having a full stomach."

"Pah!" The hunchbacked man turned back just in time to hear this. Without bothering to distinguish who said it, he spat in front of Tu Nan and cursed loudly.

"You think you're in a position to be picky? You're just goods we couldn't sell the whole way here!"

He banged on the cage noisily, squinting his eyes as he threatened Tu Nan.

"You'd better hope someone here buys you, or else..." He curled his lips sinisterly. "I won't bother wasting fuel; I'll just sell you useless things to hunters as bait."

The man walked away grumbling, leaving behind one last remark.

"The Nursery producing this kind of Female Beast that can only give birth three times is damn heartless."

"Female Beast..." Tu Nan murmured.

Seeing the man walk away, the girl in the next cage leaned closer and comforted her casually. "Alright, if you ask me, stop hiding. The most important thing is to find someone to buy you quickly. It's no wonder Old Bi is annoyed since no one bids on you every time."

"Don't actually get sold as bait... I heard... Star Worms can swallow dozens of people in a single bite."

"You know so much~ Can you tell me more? I'm not very clear on these things."

Tu Nan skillfully feigned a timid posture to probe for information.

The information she gathered was far beyond her comprehension... First of all, she had completely undergone Transmigration.

And she had arrived in a world she'd never heard of—the Beast World.

There were all kinds of Beastmen here. They were physically strong and could switch between human and Beast Form. High-Rank Beastmen could even walk directly in space.

Until one day, Star Worms suddenly appeared. They fed on Beastmen and were the common enemy of all beast planets.

During the thousand-year-long battle, the Beastmen suffered heavy casualties.

To increase their active forces, "Nurseries" began appearing everywhere at some point.

Female Beastmen from low-Rank races—especially high-fertility ones like the Cat Tribe and Rabbit Tribe—were captured, bred, and sold in large numbers.

They were then transported to various locations and auctioned off to Beastmen in urgent need of procreation, especially on poor border planets facing war.

They were collectively known as "Foster Mothers"—Tu Nan felt they were essentially slaves used for reproduction.

And this body of hers was exactly such a Cat Tribe Foster Mother, raised in the Central Breeding Farm.

Serial number 462835, or 35 for short.

Tu Nan wanted to laugh.

Her life before Transmigration had been melodramatic and absurd enough, but she accepted her losses.

She admitted defeat.

As for now.

A beast, a Foster Mother—she wasn't even human anymore.

That's fine too.

Wrapped in human skin, one always worried about that bit of shame.

As a beast, there was no need for that.

Since she had a chance to live again.

Then—

She would live well.

With all her might.

Risking everything.

---

Clang—

The dilapidated small transport ship finally landed.

Tu Nan and all the Foster Mothers were shoved out of the hatch, one after another, guarded by men with weapons and led to a plaza on the edge of the city.

A crowded throng of people had long been waiting there. Seeing the Foster Mothers brought out, they jostled forward, competing to inspect the "goods" and occasionally groping the women.

Tu Nan followed in a position toward the back of the middle, looking around.

Sand filled the air. As far as the eye could see, the city was dilapidated and ruined. Most buildings were made of piled stones, primarily single-story houses, with the tallest being only six stories.

Most people wore hoods; their skin was dry, and their lips were parched.

Many trailed thick, grayish-white tails behind them, likely belonging to the feline family, such as tigers or leopards.

There were very few young women alone; the crowd mostly consisted of men of various ages and a few older women leading Children.

"Make way, make way! An Interstellar Storm will soon block the shipping routes. This time, we're only holding this one session today!"

Old Bi was experienced. As soon as he spoke, he immediately stirred up the atmosphere.

"Everyone, don't be stingy with your currency! If you don't take a Foster Mother home soon to leave a seed, you might get crunched up by a Star Worm the next time you go to the battlefield. Then you won't leave any Bloodline behind."

"Right! Stop the nonsense. I've got my eye on that one in the back. How many more litters can she have? How much currency? Give me a price." A man asked impatiently.

Old Bi grinned and stepped aside. The guards immediately dispersed, each watching over a few women as they began the transactions.

"Why is this Cat Girl so thin? How many litters can she have?" A short man measured Tu Nan's hip circumference, looking dissatisfied.

"...Three litters? Maybe four?" the guard cautiously reported a number. "She's only 20,000 currency, look..."

"What! Those with seven litters only cost 15,000! You dare sell this kind of goods for 20,000?" The short man scoffed.

"She came from the Central Breeding Farm... the cost price was 22,000."

Oh? Tu Nan kept her head down and remained silent. Three litters, 20,000—by comparison, no wonder Old Bi said he would lose money.

What was the significance of this number of litters?

What would happen after three litters?

Would she die?

In other words, she had at least three more years to live—three years gifted by the heavens.

Tu Nan curled her lips.

Her price was lowered to 15,000, but several people who came to ask still shook their heads. The look Old Bi gave her became increasingly grim.

"Joint purchase is also fine! 5,000 per litter; she can handle three litters," Old Bi said fiercely, pointing at Tu Nan. It seemed he was determined to get rid of this slow-selling item today.

Several men were tempted and discussed it among themselves before bargaining with Old Bi.

Killing three at once seemed like it might be a bit difficult.

Tu Nan sized up the three men, calculating in her mind: none of these people looked weak, whereas she was currently fragile and exhausted.

Living on indeed required paying a price.

Suddenly, her gaze swept over a spot and froze.

Tu Nan slowly turned her head back.

There, a large figure wearing a cloak hid himself in the shadows of a corner.

Crucially, above his head, a green scroll was slowly unfurling.

A mechanical voice suddenly announced in Tu Nan's mind.

"[Detected collectible Mutant Gene: Ancient White Tiger (Divine-Grade)."

"Successful breeding can complete the host's gene chain: 10%.]"

Tu Nan paused, immediately realizing... it was the System.

Or rather, a variable.

For someone like her with a terrible starting hand, every variable was a much-coveted chance to turn the tables.

And she would never miss an opportunity.

"13,500, I won't go any lower. Isn't 4,500 per person just right for the three of you? If it's a deal, sign the contract so I can prepare the file for upload." It seemed Old Bi's deal over there was finalized.

She looked back at the situation and scanned the area again; as far as the eye could see, there wasn't a second scroll.

Tu Nan gauged the distance, then suddenly shoved aside the person in front of her. Regardless of everything, she stumbled toward the man in the corner.

She lunged forward.