47: Chapter 47 Breakthrough to Second-Tier! Second-Tier Strength!

At dusk, the western sky was ignited by the setting sun, and the gorgeous clouds, like an overturned palette, were wantonly smeared across the end of the firmament.

The afterglow of the setting sun poured unreservedly onto a desolate hillside in the northern suburbs of Qingyang Town, stretching the withered weeds, exposed rocks, and Lin Chen's shadow into long shapes.

"Er Huo, final strike, Fiery Charge."

Lin Chen stood on a slightly elevated slope, his gaze locking onto a gray shadow attempting to flee through the weeds below like a hawk.

"Gagu!"

The Flame Claw Beast growled in response, its chest swelling suddenly as orange flames burst forth from its body, covering it entirely in a uniform and solid layer!

Suddenly, its hind legs erupted with astonishing power, the ground it kicked off from exploding in a small circle of dust. Its entire figure transformed into a burning meteor, wrapped in scorching heat waves and a low whistle, as it slammed fiercely into the gray shadow that was frantically turning away!

That gray shadow was, surprisingly, a Flash Shadow Fox with a slender build, gray and yellow fur, and a panicked expression.

Race Name: Flash Shadow Fox

Attribute: Wind

Race Grade: Low-level Extraordinary

The Flash Shadow Fox clearly hadn't expected the Flame Claw Beast's speed and explosive power to be so terrifying; it had just completed a sharp turn, its old momentum was spent, and the scorching flames and terrifying impact force were already upon it.

"Sha!"

It only had time to let out a short, sharp scream before being hit squarely in the waist and abdomen by the Flame Claw Beast.

Bang!

The dull sound of the impact was mingled with the crisp crack of bones and the sizzling sound of scorched fur.

The Flash Shadow Fox was sent flying like a kite with broken strings, tumbling several times in the air before crashing heavily into a pile of rocks several meters away, letting out a series of painful whimpers.

[Defeated a First-Order Pet Beast, gained 3 Experience Points]

The cold system prompt rang in his mind, and Lin Chen raised his eyes slightly, thinking to himself:

"With this experience, Er Huo should have broken through, right?"

With a thought, he pulled up the Flame Claw Beast's data panel.

[Level: Second-Order (0/600)]

It's Second-Order!

After a month of hard work and a little help from the system, the Flame Claw Beast had finally broken through to the Second-Order at this moment.

From now on, it had finally left the novice category and become a pet beast with barely enough ability to protect itself in this world.

Although still weak, it was at least not at the very bottom of the pet beast world.

Lin Chen lowered his eyes, looking at the Flame Claw Beast that had just defeated its opponent.

Its appearance hadn't changed in the slightest, but the Flame Claw Beast clearly felt a series of changes inside its body.

It clearly perceived that the stamina consumed during the battle had been fully restored in an instant, and its body seemed to be filled with endless power, making it want to open its mouth to breathe fire and vent the energy within.

"Gagu?"

The Flame Claw Beast widened its eyes slightly, its face full of surprise and doubt.

Had it... become stronger?

Did this mean it was about to get rid of the humiliation of having its engagement broken?

Watching the Flame Claw Beast's reaction, Lin Chen smiled, but now was not the time to study these things.

He composed himself and walked over to the Flash Shadow Fox, which was lying paralyzed in the rocks, looking at him with fearful and slightly pleading eyes.

"Sha~"

This was a very cunning Flash Shadow Fox.

During their patrol earlier that day, they had received a report from a villager saying that two of their free-range chickens had gone missing one after another, suspecting that a wild pet beast had done it.

Lin Chen and Zhang Zhi had come to investigate, and relying on the subtle traces left at the scene and the scent of the Qinglan Hunting Dog, they quickly locked onto this thief hiding in a cave on the desolate slope.

What was funny was that when they found the cave, they discovered that although the two chickens were scared stiff, they were still alive, just crudely enclosed in a corner by the Flash Shadow Fox with withered grass and stones, with a few fresh eggs beside them.

Lin Chen understood instantly.

This cunning Flash Shadow Fox hadn't actually eaten the chickens, but instead chose sustainable development, keeping the two chickens in captivity to make them lay eggs every day.

"Alright, stop pretending."

Lin Chen squatted down, looking at the Flash Shadow Fox in front of him that was whimpering as if it had suffered a great grievance, and shook his head with a smile:

"We've already returned those two chickens to the villager, and you've taken a beating, so learn your lesson. Now, go back to where you came from."

After a slight pause, he pointed to the majestic and silent Duanshan Mountains in the distance, shrouded in twilight: "Go back to your mountains, and don't come near human villages again."

But upon hearing these words, the Flash Shadow Fox struggled to lift its head, looking toward that stretch of continuous mountain shadows dyed dark red by the sunset's afterglow.

The next moment, its small body began to tremble violently and uncontrollably, and the whimpering in its throat changed pitch, filled with despair and resistance: "Sha sha..."

It even subconsciously nudged toward Lin Chen, as if being close to this human who had just defeated it was safer than returning to those mountains.

The smile on Lin Chen's face gradually faded.

As a temporary assistant at the Beast Control Bureau with one month of seniority, he could roughly tell if a pet beast was lying.

This Flash Shadow Fox wasn't pretending to be afraid to gain sympathy or find an opportunity; that trembling stemmed from an instinctive, extreme fear of some existence or environment.

At this moment, he thought of the recent frequent incidents of wild pet beast harassment, thought of that Gale Weasel known as a Dark Species, and also thought of the mysterious intervention of the Special Defense Bureau.

Thinking of this, Lin Chen rubbed his temples, feeling that Qinglan City was becoming increasingly unsettled.

Zhang Zhi walked over slowly. Looking at the Flash Shadow Fox huddled on the ground and shivering, he frowned tightly and sighed: "This kind of situation seems to have happened a dozen times recently."

"These wild pet beasts run to the edge of the town and won't leave, they can't be driven away, and they haven't shown much danger, so the Nurseries and temporary shelters in the city are almost full."

He stared at the continuous mountain range not far away, his tone filled with confusion and faint unease: "What on earth happened in these mountains? It's making these guys act like they're fleeing for their lives."

Just then, the communicator clipped to Zhang Zhi's waist suddenly vibrated.

He quickly picked up the communicator, pressed the answer button, and put it to his ear: "Hello? It's me, Zhang Zhi."

Listening to the voice on the other end of the phone, the expression on Zhang Zhi's face changed at a visible speed, from confusion to seriousness, and then to gravity, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter, almost knitting into a knot.

The call lasted for about a minute.

Finally, Zhang Zhi said heavily: "Yes! I guarantee I will arrive on time! Over!"

He put down the communicator, took a sharp breath, and exhaled forcefully, as if to calm his heart that was about to jump out of his chest.

Afterward, he turned his head and looked at Lin Chen.

At this moment, there was no longer the liveliness and occasional laziness on Zhang Zhi's face, only an iron-like solemnity:

"Ah Chen, there's an emergency mission. Cancel all leave, assemble and depart immediately."

Lin Chen's heart sank suddenly, but he didn't show any panic on his face, only asking in a deep voice: "Where?"

Zhang Zhi raised his hand and pointed to the massive, continuous mountain range behind them that had swallowed the last ray of sunset and was now completely hidden in the thick twilight.

"Director Li received news from the border patrol team that a major anomaly has occurred in the edge area of the Duanshan Mountains, and all nearby Beast Control Bureaus must provide immediate support."

"I guess it must have something to do with the commotion of the wild pet beasts during this time."

"Something big has happened in our Qinglan City."