What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

The morning light pierced through the light mist and fell on the somewhat old platform of the intercity train station.

Lin Chen, carrying a simple bag, boarded the early train bound for Qingyang Town.

The train doors closed with a sharp beep, and the train slowly started moving, gradually accelerating and leaving the dense buildings of the city center behind.

The scenery outside the car window began to clear up, with large green belts and scattered industrial parks flashing by.

The early morning train was packed with people.

Most of the passengers were migrant workers dressed in work clothes or cheap suits. They leaned back in their seats and held onto the railings, their faces showing the fatigue of lack of sleep and the numbness of another day. A silent weariness permeated the carriage.

Lin Chen closed his eyes, resting his mind amidst the rhythmic swaying of the train.

The half-hour drive passed quickly.

"Qingyang Town Station, we've arrived."

Stepping out of the station, I saw wide and clean streets lined with shops on both sides, their signs neat and orderly, and pedestrians and pets coming and going in an endless stream.

It was orderly, lively but not noisy, and the infrastructure looked quite complete.

Standing at the bus stop waiting for the bus, Lin Chen looked into the distance and could clearly see the dark blue silhouette that stretched across the horizon like the back of a sleeping giant—the Duanshan Mountains.

South of the mountains lies Qinglan City, located at the northernmost edge of Donghuang;

North of the mountains lies a vast wilderness stretching endlessly, collectively known as the Beast Realm. It is a paradise for countless wild beasts, and also harbors dangers and secrets that humans have yet to fully explore.

The Duanshan Mountain Range, with its unique geographical location, serves as a strategic buffer zone between the Eastern Empire Federation and the surrounding pet kingdoms.

Following the address given by his father, Lin Chen took a short-distance bus and soon arrived at the Qingyang Town Anti-Drug Control Station, located on the west side of the town.

This is a five-story, square building with a calm gray-blue exterior. The federal emblem shines brightly in the sunlight, exuding the solemnity unique to government buildings.

After explaining his purpose to the receptionist, Lin Chen was led to an office on the third floor.

Knock and enter. Behind the large desk, a middle-aged man in a crisp uniform and in excellent physical condition looks up at the sound of the knock.

He had a square face and dark skin from years of being outdoors, but his eyes were exceptionally bright. When he saw Lin Chen, his serious face immediately broke into a smile.

"Xiao Chen is here, come in and sit down."

"Hello, Uncle Li."

Lin Chen greeted him politely.

Although he didn't see this old classmate and longtime friend of his father often, he had a deep impression of him.

After graduating, both my father and Uncle Li went to work for the Criminal Investigation Bureau. Uncle Li rose through the ranks with his extraordinary skills and excellent talent as a beast tamer, and is now the director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of Qingyang Town, in charge of this area.

As for my own father... well, let's not talk about it.

"Don't feel too comfortable here. Make yourself at home. If you need anything, just tell me."

Li Haotian waved his hand, gesturing for Lin Chen to sit on the guest sofa. He then returned to his desk, took out a dark blue name tag from his drawer, and handed it over.

Lin Chen accepted it with both hands.

The name tag is made of sturdy material, with the emblem of the Anti-Smuggling Bureau printed on the front, and two lines of text below:

Qingyang Town Police Station of Qinglan City Public Security Bureau

Level D Staff: Lin Chen

Li Haotian said slowly, "Level D is the level of temporary assistance personnel. Their authority is limited, mainly involving patrol assistance, information recording, and simple task handling. However, they have all the basic support they need."

Lin Chen nodded knowingly.

Through his surroundings, he gained some understanding of the job levels within the Anti-Drug Bureau.

Lin Jianjun, the father, was a C-level employee of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, a formally employed staff member, whose salary and benefits far exceeded those of a D-level employee.

As the director of the detention center, Uncle Li is a higher-level B-grade employee, with even better benefits and treatment.

"As you know, the office has been very busy lately, and we're short-staffed."

Li Haotian glanced at the time, picked up the internal phone, and dialed a short number: "Xiao Zhang, come over here for a moment."

A short while later, a young man who looked to be in his early twenties, with a slightly immature face, knocked on the door and entered: "Chief, you wanted to see me?"

"Okay. This is Lin Chen, a D-level assistant who's coming to our institute for summer internship. For now, let him learn the ropes and procedures from you."

Uncle Li instructed, then said to Lin Chen, "Xiao Chen, this is Zhang Zhi. If you have any questions, feel free to ask him."

Upon hearing this address, Zhang Zhi raised his eyelids slightly.

"Hello Brother Zhang, I'm Lin Chen. Thank you for your help these past few days," Lin Chen greeted him.

"Hey, don't be shy, just call me Zhang Zhi. We're not that far apart in age."

Zhang Zhi's eyes were bright and his smile was hearty: "Come on, let me show you around the station first, so you can get familiar with the environment."

After saying goodbye to Uncle Li, Zhang Zhi led Lin Chen out of the office and gave him a tour.

"This is the duty room..."

"This is the cafeteria. I recommend you try the clay pot rice noodles in the morning; the taste is absolutely amazing."

After being introduced to each other, the two arrived at the training room.

The training room at the detention center is much more complete and sophisticated than the old facility in Linchen's residential area.

The area is divided into a physical training zone, a skills range, a simulated obstacle course, and even a small recovery room with basic treatment equipment. The various training devices also look much more professional.

However, there were only a handful of beast tamers undergoing training, and they all appeared to be around the same age as Zhang Zhi.

Lin Chen understood this.

The older employees, like his father, had long recognized their limitations and lost the passion for raising and training pets. Unless there were mandatory training targets or promotion requirements, they would never step into the training room.

Zhang Zhi, a young employee who has only graduated for one or two years, is still full of fighting spirit and has high expectations for the future, which is why the training equipment has not been left to gather dust.

This is undoubtedly good news for Lin Chen.

After touring around, Lin Chen gained a general understanding of the daily operations of the detention center.

Back in the common office area on the second floor, Zhang Zhi arranged a temporary workstation for Lin Chen.

"Our daily work is actually quite simple."

Zhang Zhi sat down and began to explain the specific procedures: "Most of the time we are on standby, receiving alarms from the jurisdiction transferred by the command center, or receiving reports from the public who come directly to our door, and then handling or reporting them according to the situation."

"In addition, we conduct street patrols at specific times, mainly in densely populated areas such as central streets, stations, and markets, to prevent disputes and check for any violations of regulations regarding the carrying or unauthorized handling of pets."

"Oh, you're on a temporary post. You don't have to work the night shift. You can go home after your evening patrol. You also get weekends off unless there's a special duty notification."

Lin Chen nodded thoughtfully.

This would give him more time to train the Flameclaw Beast and help it improve its strength as quickly as possible.

As the two talked, the sunlight outside the window shone brightly, streaming through the glass onto the smooth floor.

Looking out at the peaceful street, Zhang Zhi stretched comfortably and casually remarked, "Judging by the weather, today should be quite leisurely..."

"Pah! Pah! Pah! You can't say things like that!"

A middle-aged employee across from me, holding a thermos, suddenly looked up and waved his hands frantically: "Here, it's the worst thing to say something like that! It'll just cause trouble!"

Zhang Zhi was taken aback, then gave an awkward smile: "Brother Liu, I just thought the weather was nice..."

Old Liu shook his head, looking like a young man who lacked experience, and lowered his head to continue blowing on his tea leaves.

Ring ring ring!

The phone rang urgently and shrilly, instantly shattering the relaxed atmosphere of the office area.

Zhang Zhi's smile suddenly froze, and he subconsciously sat up straight.

Old Liu continued blowing on his tea leaves, only letting out a cold laugh: "Heh, I knew it."