36: Chapter 36: Should we take it down?

Zhou Ming pushed open the back door of the villa and walked slowly into his own training ground.

The evening breeze, carrying the fresh scent of the garden plants, ruffled the lock of hair on his forehead that had been intentionally dyed blue. His brows habitually furrowed slightly as his gaze swept rapidly across the center of the training ground.

Someone was already standing there.

A youth who looked to be around his age, with a straight posture and wearing simple casual clothes, stood there with a petite canine pet beast by his side.

Is this a Songsong Dog?

Zhou Ming's brows furrowed even tighter; although they hadn't battled yet, he no longer held any expectations for the other party.

How could such a weak pet beast as a Songsong Dog possibly help his pet beast test its training results?

Yet, he didn't say much, merely speaking directly with a scrutinizing gaze: "Are you the sparring partner here for the interview today?"

Lin Chen nodded: "Yes."

He had just consulted with the villa's butler and confirmed the interview process—battle against the employer, and if the employer is satisfied, that's it.

The young man before him, who was about his age and whose brows faintly revealed an air of arrogance, was clearly the employer.

Zhou Ming's gaze fell once again on the Songsong Dog, and he finally couldn't help but ask: "Is your pet beast this Songsong Dog?"

"It's not it." Lin Chen shook his head.

Hearing this, the Songsong Dog's ears drooped slightly, and its head lowered.

But Lin Chen's gentle voice soon sounded: "However, my next pet beast will be it."

The Songsong Dog suddenly looked up at Lin Chen's profile, its ears perked up again, its eyes gradually brightened, and the tip of its tail wagged uncontrollably from side to side.

Zhou Ming gave a noncommittal "Oh."

To him, contracting a weak pet beast like a Songsong Dog was a foolish choice that wasted a contract slot.

Even if the Songsong Dog had a stable evolutionary path, in his view, it was still unbearably weak.

He didn't discriminate against the Songsong Dog; he simply looked down on every weak pet beast with a low racial rank, low potential, and low combat power.

High stats are what truly matter!

He said: "Summon your pet beast."

With a thought from Lin Chen, a dazzling white light quickly surged in front of him.

The light dissipated, and the Flame Claw Beast appeared, head held high, under the soft lights of the training ground.

The moment he saw the Flame Claw Beast, Zhou Ming muttered under his breath: "A Flame Claw Beast, this is interesting."

Immediately after, Zhou Ming subconsciously straightened his posture and said loudly:

"The interview content is simple: have a match with me."

"There is no time limit, and the rule is that there are no rules, until one side completely loses combat capability, or I call a stop. There is only one requirement—"

He paused, his gaze suddenly sharp, even carrying a hint of provocation: "Make me have a good time."

Seeming to feel it wasn't enough, he remembered what Zhang Xiaoxiao had said earlier, so he added: "If your performance satisfies me, your salary and benefits can be increased further."

Lin Chen's eyes instantly lit up.

The next moment, with a thought, Zhou Ming summoned his pet beast.

"Skree—!"

Accompanied by a high-pitched, clear cry, a figure cut through the air, carrying a searing heat wave, and circled above the training ground.

The Flame Eagle fully spread its form, its wingspan nearing two meters, looking exceptionally majestic.

Its feathers were a fiery red as if scorched by flames, while its beak and claws gleamed with a cold, metallic luster under the lights.

Most eye-catching were its eyes, sharp as knives; its golden-red pupils were currently locked firmly onto the Flame Claw Beast, carrying a condescending scrutiny and undisguised fighting spirit.

It merely hovered quietly in mid-air, wings slightly tucked, as an obvious heat wave spread out from it as the center.

Species Name: Flame Eagle

Attribute: Fire

Species Rank: High Transcendent

The Flame Eagle is renowned for its extreme speed, fierce close-quarters pouncing, and sharp fire attacks; it is a very powerful Transcendent pet beast.

A Flame Eagle cub with excellent aptitude sells for at least 200,000 on the market, and if its lineage is pure, it's not unusual for the price to exceed 300,000.

And the Flame Eagle before them, whether in size, feather color, eyes, or the intense pressure it naturally radiated, showed that it had been cultivated excellently, and its value was likely far beyond standard specimens.

The Flame Claw Beast looked up at this arrogant bird of prey; it did not show the restlessness and oppression that ordinary pet beasts feel when facing a flying opponent, its gaze unusually calm, as if it were thinking about something.

It suddenly turned to look at Lin Chen, and under Zhou Ming's slightly surprised gaze, it raised a front claw and drew it across its own neck.

Should I take it out?

Lin Chen's eyelids twitched, and he hurriedly shook his head.

This is the financier!

This is the boss!

Just give it my all and make him have a good time!

A flicker of obvious disappointment flashed in the Flame Claw Beast's eyes, a low, sigh-like rumble emitted from its throat, and then it reluctantly lowered its claw.

Boring.

Zhou Ming observed the brief and strange interaction between the human and pet, his confusion deepening.

What did that action just now mean?

Some kind of tactical gesture?

Or a mysterious interactive ritual?

He couldn't figure it out and couldn't be bothered to delve into it.

"Are you ready?" Zhou Ming didn't delay any longer, and the moment he saw Lin Chen nod, his eyes narrowed, "Then let's begin!"

The moment his voice fell, the Flame Eagle circling at low altitude suddenly constricted its pupils, its sharp gaze locking onto the Flame Claw Beast like a tangible arrow.

Harboring a tentative mindset, Zhou Ming had a thought: "Flame Assault Barrage!"

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

A series of fist-sized, orange-red fireballs, trailing long, thin lines of fire, instantly spewed out from the Flame Eagle's mouth!

The fireballs intertwined in the air into a wide-covering net of fire, descending toward the location of the Flame Claw Beast!

Lin Chen's eyes flickered.

Flame Assault Barrage is a basic fire-type skill with a long-range suppression effect; it has a high firing rate and wide coverage, mainly used for harassment and testing an opponent's movement ability and defensive reactions.

Lin Chen said: "Flame Breath Bullet."

Since Zhou Ming had said before the battle that he hoped to have a good time, he certainly had to give it his all.

This was definitely not for the potential salary increase, but to put on an exciting battle.

"Gagu!"

The Flame Claw Beast, already poised for action, puffed out its chest, and orange-red light rapidly gathered deep in its throat.

"Gagu!"

Accompanied by a low roar, an incredibly condensed fireball shot out from its mouth with a boom, the charging time lasting only a blink of an eye.

The next second, the Flame Breath Bullet fiercely crashed into that dense net of fire!

Boom, boom, boom!

A series of unusually crisp explosions rang out; the Flame Breath Bullet was like a red-hot iron ball smashing into a loose snowdrift, and wherever it passed, the small fireballs were directly crushed.

In an instant, a large portion of the Flame Assault Barrage dissipated, the power of the Flame Breath Bullet only slightly reduced, its color still blazing bright, as it rushed straight toward the Flame Eagle with the remaining surging energy!

All of this happened too fast.

"What?"

Zhou Ming's pupils contracted slightly, and the nonchalance on his face was instantly replaced by astonishment!

"A Proficient-level Flame Breath Bullet?"

There was no time to be surprised; the Flame Breath Bullet had already reached the Flame Eagle.

The Flame Eagle clearly hadn't expected the opponent's counterattack to be so swift and powerful.

After the searing fireball tore through the net of fire, its speed barely diminished, and it was already closing in; the scorching heat wave even caused the feathers on its neck to slightly curl!

"Skree!"

The Flame Eagle reacted in the nick of time.

It did not try to endure it with its body; its strong wings flapped violently downward and outward, and its body shifted half a meter to the side at a nimble angle!

The next instant, the scorching fireball whistled past the edge of its left wing root!

Although it didn't hit directly, the terrifying high temperature on the surface of the fireball still made it feel a burst of burning pain, and a few edge feathers instantly turned scorched yellow and curled.

More troublesome was the shockwave and heat wave brought about by the fireball as it streaked past, causing the Flame Eagle, which was in the middle of an emergency change of direction, to sway and stumble in the air.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Ming's expression changed completely.

It really is a Proficient-level Flame Breath Bullet!

In just one exchange, he knew that this Flame Claw Beast was different from all the previous pet beasts that had come for interviews!

After the astonishment, a wave of fanatical fighting spirit swept through his entire body like a volcanic eruption.

"Good! Very good!"

Zhou Ming's eyes were frighteningly bright; he waved his hand, and the corners of his mouth curled up, "This is what it should look like! This is the opponent I'm looking for!"