What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

As dusk fell, the western sky was ignited by the setting sun, and the magnificent clouds, like an overturned palette, were freely painted across the horizon.

The setting sun cast its last rays upon a barren hillside on the northern outskirts of Qingyang Town, stretching the withered weeds, exposed rocks, and Lin Chen's shadow long.

"Second strike, final blow, fiery charge."

Lin Chen stood on a slightly higher earthen slope, his gaze fixed like that of a hawk on a gray shadow trying to escape from the weeds below.

"Gaku!"

The Flameclaw Beast growled in response, its chest suddenly bulging, and orange flames burst forth from its body, evenly and solidly covering its entire body!

Suddenly, its hind legs unleashed astonishing power, stomping on the ground and creating a small circle of dust. Its entire figure transformed into a burning meteor, carrying a scorching wave of air and a low whistle, as it slammed fiercely into the hastily turning gray shadow!

The gray shadow was none other than a slender, gray-yellow fox with a panicked expression.

Race Name: Shadow Fox

Attribute: Wind

Race Rank: Low-level Extraordinary

The 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 strength exhausted, and the scorching flames and terrifying impact were already closing in on it.

"Sha!"

It only had time to let out a short cry of surprise before the Flameclaw Beast struck it squarely in the waist and abdomen.

boom!

The dull thud was mixed with the cracking of bones and the hissing of burning fur.

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

[Defeat a Tier 1 pet and gain 3 experience points]

A cold system notification sounded in his mind. Lin Chen slightly raised his eyes, pondering to himself:

"With this experience point, Erhu should have broken through, right?"

With a slight thought, he brought up the Flameclaw Beast's data panel.

[Level: Tier 2 (0/600)]

It's at level two!

After a month of hard work and with a little help from the system, the Flameclaw Beast finally broke through to the second tier.

From then on, it finally escaped the novice category and became a pet beast in this world that barely had the ability to protect itself.

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

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

Its appearance remained unchanged, but the Flameclaw Beast clearly sensed a series of changes inside its body.

It clearly sensed that the stamina it had expended in the battle was instantly restored, and its body seemed to be filled with inexhaustible power, which made it want to open its mouth and breathe fire to release the energy within its body.

"Gag?"

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

Have I... become stronger?

Does this mean I'm about to escape the shame of being jilted at the engagement?

Observing the Flameclaw Beast's reaction, Lin Chen smiled, but now was not the time to study these things.

He composed himself and walked up to the Shadow Fox lying among the rocks, looking at him with eyes that were both terrified and pleading.

"Sha~"

This is a very cunning Shadow Fox.

During their daytime patrol, they received a report from a villager who said that two of his free-range chickens had gone missing one after another, and he suspected that they were killed by wild pet animals.

Lin Chen and Zhang Zhi came to investigate, and relying on the subtle traces left at the scene and the Qinglan hunting hound's sense of smell, they quickly located the thief hiding in the cave on the barren slope.

The funny thing is, when they found the cave, they discovered that although the two chickens were terrified, they were still alive. They were simply surrounded in a corner by the Shadow Fox with dry grass and stones, and there were a few fresh eggs next to them.

Lin Chen understood instantly.

This cunning Shadow Fox didn't eat the chickens; instead, it chose sustainable development by raising two chickens in captivity, allowing them to lay eggs every day.

"Alright, stop pretending."

Lin Chen crouched down, gazing at the Shadow Fox before him, which was whimpering as if it had suffered a great injustice, and shook his head with a smile:

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

He paused briefly, then pointed to the majestic, silent Broken Mountain Range in the distance, shrouded in twilight: "Go back to your mountains, and don't go near human villages again."

Upon hearing these words, Flash Fox struggled to lift its head and gaze at the continuous mountain shadows dyed dark red by the afterglow of the setting sun.

The next moment, its small body began to tremble violently uncontrollably, and the whimpering sound from its throat changed, filled with despair and resistance: "Shasha..."

It even subconsciously moved a little closer to Lin Chen, as if being near the human who had just defeated it was safer than returning to the mountains.

The smile on Lin Chen's face gradually faded.

As a temporary assistant at the detention center with one month of service, he could roughly tell whether a pet was lying.

This shadow fox wasn't feigning fear to gain sympathy or seek opportunities; its trembling stemmed from an instinctive, extreme fear of something being or being.

At that moment, he recalled the recent spate of attacks by wild pets, the Swift Sable known as the Dark Species, and the mysterious intervention of the Special Defense Bureau.

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

Zhang Zhi walked over slowly. He looked at the Shadow Fox cowering on the ground, trembling, frowned, and sighed: "It seems like this has happened about ten times recently."

"These wild pets have wandered to the edge of town and won't leave. We can't shoo them away, and they haven't shown any great danger. The breeding centers and temporary shelters in the city are almost full."

He gazed at the distant mountain range, his tone tinged with confusion and a hint of unease: "What on earth happened in these mountains? These guys are acting like they're fleeing a disaster."

Just then, Zhang Zhibie's communicator on his waist suddenly vibrated.

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

As he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, Zhang Zhi's expression changed visibly from doubt to seriousness, and then to solemnity. His brows furrowed more and more tightly, almost forming a knot.

The call lasted about a minute.

Zhang Zhi concluded with a heavy sigh, "Yes! I guarantee we'll arrive on time! Over!"

He put down the communicator, took a deep breath, and exhaled forcefully, as if trying to calm his heart, which was pounding in his chest.

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

At this moment, Zhang Zhi's face no longer held his usual playfulness or occasional laziness; only a solemn, iron-like seriousness remained.

"Ah Chen, there's an urgent mission. Cancel all rest days and assemble immediately to depart."

Lin Chen's heart sank, but he showed no panic on his face, only asking in a deep voice, "Where?"

Zhang Zhi raised his hand and pointed to the massive, towering mountain range behind them, which had swallowed the last rays of the sunset and was now completely shrouded in the heavy twilight.

"Director Li received a message from the border patrol team that a major anomaly had occurred on the edge of the Duanshan Mountains, and all nearby police stations were to provide immediate support."

"I suspect it's related to the recent disturbances involving wild pet animals."

"A major event has occurred in our Qinglan City."