18: Chapter 18 The Challenge from Li Heng

At eight o'clock in the morning, bright sunlight already blanketed the Qingyang Town Beast Control Bureau.

Zhang Zhi, with heavy eyelids, pushed open the unit's slightly heavy glass doors with a swaying gait. He couldn't help but let out a massive yawn, squeezing out two physiological tears from the corners of his eyes.

He had stayed up until two in the morning playing games in a team with his college classmates. Right now, his head felt like it had been filled with lead, and every cell in his body was screaming to go back to his pillow.

As he rubbed his sore eyes and shuffled toward the cafeteria, he swore to himself for the thousand and first time: I'm definitely going to bed early tonight!

The moment he stepped into the cafeteria, the aroma of food wafted over, dispelling a bit of his drowsiness.

Zhang Zhi squinted, his gaze scanning the cafeteria where a few early-rising colleagues were sparsely seated, until it landed on a familiar figure by the window.

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Zhang Zhi blinked and rubbed his eyes vigorously to confirm he wasn't seeing things.

He walked over quickly and plopped down in the empty seat opposite Lin Chen, his face full of confusion: "A-Chen? Why are you here so early?"

According to the bureau's regulations, the working hours for Temporary Assistants like Lin Chen were relatively flexible. As long as they completed their assigned tasks and patrol shifts, there was no hard requirement to clock in at a specific time.

At this hour, many regular staff members hadn't even arrived yet, let alone the temporary workers.

Lin Chen looked up at the sound: "I didn't have anything to do anyway, so I figured I'd come in early."

In truth, the reason he came so early was purely because of a unit benefit—at fixed times every morning and evening, the unit cafeteria would prepare free energy liquid for staff members who needed to go on field missions or train their pets.

It was free; it would be a waste not to take advantage of it.

Every little bit adds up, and the money saved could be used to buy better training auxiliary resources for the Flame Claw Beast, or saved for a rainy day.

Thinking of this, Lin Chen felt a secret pang of regret.

Last night, he was so preoccupied with going home to cook and pondering the subsequent cultivation route that he forgot about this. Had he known, he should have left work later and let the Flame Claw Beast eat and drink its fill before leaving.

"Dammit, how frustrating."

At the thought of missing out on free energy liquid, Lin Chen took a fierce bite out of his steamed bun.

"Young people really do have great energy," Zhang Zhi said, giving a thumbs-up.

The two finished their breakfast in silence and headed to the second-floor office area one after the other.

"Brother Zhang, what's the schedule for today?" Lin Chen asked while wiping his hands with a wet wipe.

Zhang Zhi took a large gulp of strong tea, trying hard to drive away the last of the sleepiness. Hearing this, he clicked on the internal duty system on his computer and checked today's patrol schedule:

"Hmm... You and I are a team. Today we're responsible for patrolling the East District, from the Central Commercial Street to the Old Street area."

"The patrol focus is Qingyang Town Middle School, the small park, and the Battle Corner over by the Old Street."

He paused, his expression becoming a bit more serious:

"This is the time when new Beast Tamers are popping up in droves. You know how these guys can get into conflicts over the smallest things."

"Just two days ago in the city area, didn't two students challenge each other at a bus stop and end up burning down the sign?"

"Even though we don't have that many students in Qingyang Town, it is summer vacation after all, and there are many young people back for fun. We need to keep an eye out and nip problems in the bud."

Lin Chen nodded thoughtfully.

Becoming a Beast Tamer wasn't for everyone. First, one needed the innate talent of spiritual power to awaken a Beast Taming Space, which already filtered out most people.

Secondly, one needed to systematically learn basic knowledge related to pets and pass a theoretical assessment, which placed demands on a family's economic conditions and educational background.

Generally speaking, the more economically developed and educationally concentrated a large city was, the higher the proportion of Beast Tamers.

In suburban areas like Qingyang Town, and especially in more remote rural villages, many young people left for work, so the number of remaining Beast Tamers was naturally scarce.

This was also why Old Wang, the farmer from yesterday, could only call the police for help after discovering traces of a wild pet—he wasn't a Beast Tamer himself, and there were no Beast Tamer neighbors nearby who could immediately help.

The morning patrol was uneventful.

They walked slowly along the planned route, keeping an eye on the street conditions.

Occasionally, they saw a few young people with pets, but most were just shopping or doing basic training, with no conflicts arising.

The summer sun gradually became intense. During a break in the patrol, the two found a spot in the shade to rest, and Zhang Zhi seized the time to take another short nap.

At noon, with the sun high in the sky, the two finished their patrol and returned to the Beast Control Bureau.

As soon as they pushed open the office building door, a wave of cool air with a sweet fragrance hit them.

In the first-floor lobby, a tall young man wearing a trendy T-shirt and with hair styled with a touch of rebellion was holding a large insulated delivery bag, grinning as he handed out milk tea to passing colleagues.

Hearing the noise at the door, the young man turned his head. His gaze immediately locked onto Lin Chen, and a brilliant smile instantly broke out on his face.

He stuffed the last cup of milk tea into the hands of a passing administrative lady and hurried over in a few steps. He reached out and slapped Lin Chen hard on the shoulder, his voice clear and loud:

"Well, well! You haven't made a single call or sent a single message these past few days. You forced me to find others to go all out in Aerospace, and in just three days, I lost tens of millions!!!"

"Do you know what I've been through?"

"Is this how you treat me?"

"Today you must come to the internet cafe with me..."

The moment he opened his mouth, Li Heng's tongue was like a machine gun, rattling on non-stop for nearly a minute before he finally paused.

Lin Chen had long since grown accustomed to Li Heng's talkative nature. He waited quietly in place until Li Heng stopped before speaking:

"I've been busy cultivating my pet these past few days; I didn't have time for games."

Li Heng raised an eyebrow, suddenly energized: "My dad said you contracted a Flame Claw Beast, right?"

Lin Chen nodded.

"Let's go, let's go!"

Li Heng grabbed Lin Chen's arm and dragged him toward the stairs, his face full of eagerness:

"Let's go, to the Training Room!"

"We're both Beast Tamers now. It's time for an intense and exciting pet battle!"

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow and teased, "You're not playing games anymore?"

"Hah, games aren't nearly as interesting as pet battles."

Li Heng turned to Lin Chen, made a fist with his right hand and held it to his mouth, coughing lightly with his eyebrows raised:

"Since you've asked so sincerely, I have no choice but to tell you about my ten-game winning streak in pet battles over the last few days..."

Lin Chen laughed in spite of himself.

Who asked? Who asked?!

[Ding.]

[Eligible battle request detected.]

[Triggered Mission: First Victory Challenge.]

[Mission Content: Accept and defeat the first challenger.]

[Mission Reward: Exp x15, double exp card x2.]

The familiar system notification sounded in Lin Chen's mind.

Fifteen experience points and two double exp cards...

Lin Chen didn't agree to Li Heng's battle request immediately. Instead, he turned to Zhang Zhi and asked, "Brother Zhang, can we battle during work hours?"

"Don't be in such a hurry."

Zhang Zhi didn't answer directly. Instead, he took out his phone, tapped the screen, and then looked at Lin Chen: "Alright, I just bought popcorn and snacks. You guys warm up, and we can battle once the delivery arrives."

Lin Chen: "..."