What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

Qinglan City, Fissure Investigation Division.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the city skyline is bathed in sunshine, with cars flowing by.

Zeng Chuan sat behind his desk, with his back to the sunlight.

He had just finished an internal summary and reporting meeting, and his face showed obvious signs of fatigue, with fine blood vessels in the whites of his eyes.

"call……"

He let out a long sigh, leaned back slightly, and gazed blankly at the bright sunlight outside the window.

"It's finally come to a temporary end."

Even Zeng Chuan felt physically and mentally exhausted after working continuously for more than 36 hours at high intensity.

After a brief moment of relaxation and rest, Zeng Chuan sat up straight again, put on his glasses, and opened a newly finalized formal report document in front of him.

The report's cover follows the Special Defense Agency's standard format, with a clear and weighty title:

[Preliminary Investigation Report and Handling Results Regarding the '8.3' Class D Abyssal Rift Eruption Incident on the Southern Slope of the Duanshan Mountains in Qinglan City]

Zeng Chuan's gaze quickly swept over the main text of the report:

I. Event Overview:

1. Nature of the event: Following on-site investigation and energy source analysis by the expert team of the rift investigation department, this event was confirmed as a standard Class D deep-sea rift eruption. The eruption epicenter was located at...

2. Scope of impact......

3. Casualties: The incident resulted in 24 injuries of varying degrees, and 7 people tragically lost their lives...

4. Property loss...

II. Response and Handling:

1. Initial Response: The border patrol team and the anti-smuggling bureau responded quickly after receiving the report...

2. Professional intervention: Upon receiving the report, our Bureau's Crack Investigation Department immediately activated the Level III emergency response plan and dispatched a rapid response team and a purification team to the scene.

3. Suppression and Purification: With the cooperation of local units, our forces quickly controlled and eliminated the invading Dark Species on the periphery.

Immediately, rapid response forces and purification teams penetrated deep into the core area of ​​the rift outbreak. After twelve hours of suppression and purification, the D-level abyssal rift outbreak was successfully sealed temporarily. Negative emotions in the core area are undergoing a phased purification process and are expected to drop below a safe threshold within 72 hours.

4. Follow-up work...

III. Preliminary Conclusions and Recommendations:

(slightly)……

The latter part of the report includes detailed data appendices, energy waveform diagrams, sample analysis summaries, a list of participants, and statistics on resource consumption.

"A D-rank abyssal rift..."

Zeng Chuan repeated the sentence in a low voice, his fingertips unconsciously tapping the smooth tabletop, his brows slightly furrowed, "This thing is appearing more and more frequently."

"Sigh, hopefully headquarters can quickly develop more effective purification measures."

He shook his head, temporarily suppressing these long-term concerns.

There is still more specific work to be done.

He closed the formal summary report and opened another internal document titled "Evaluation of the Contact and Performance of Non-Our Personnel in the 8.3 Duanshan Mountain Range Incident".

This document details the basic information and brief descriptions of the experiences of all local law enforcement personnel, folk beast tamers, and ordinary citizens involved in the incident, as well as a key assessment item—the circumstances of contact with/killing the Dark Ones.

Zeng Chuan dragged the page, his eyes quickly scanning over the rows of names and data.

In most areas, security personnel rely on teamwork and the terrain to kill between 1 and 3 animals.

Some skilled beast tamers have a record of killing multiple beasts, while ordinary people generally have very few, and many have even killed none.

Suddenly, his gaze stopped.

On the screen, a name and the numbers following it stood out prominently.

Lin Chen (Qingyang Town Police Station, Rank D Assistant, Trainee Beast Tamer) – Number of kills: 11 (Rank 1: 5, Rank 2: 6)

"Eleven?"

Zeng Chuan subconsciously pushed up his glasses, leaned forward, and made sure he wasn't seeing things.

This number ranks third among all participants not compiled by the Special Defense Bureau, second only to the two senior beast tamers.

The moment he saw the name, Lin Chen's image immediately came to mind.

If he remembered correctly, when he saw Lin Chen last night, the latter was standing in the middle of a pile of Dark Race corpses with a heavy expression.

At the time, he believed that the Dark Race had caused him psychological trauma, but now it seems that this is not the case.

"It's him again..."

A hint of surprise flashed in Zeng Chuan's eyes, which quickly turned into intense interest.

He remained calm during his first encounter with the Darkfolk, and during the second, when faced with a large-scale attack from them, he not only survived but also achieved such a remarkable record of kills.

Moreover, the records show that he was only an apprentice beast tamer.

Apprentice Beast Tamer, killed eleven Dark Beasts.

This achievement is quite remarkable, considering that other apprentice beast tamers were already considered successful if they weren't terrified of the dark creatures.

Zeng Chuan moved the mouse and clicked on the detailed link next to Lin Chen's name to retrieve his file information.

ID number, home address, educational background, awakening time, contracted pet records, temporary work evaluation at the detention center... information scrolls rapidly.

When Zeng Chuan saw the section on family members, his gaze suddenly stopped.

Older sister: Lin Yue

Current status: Intern member of the Rift Investigation Department (on internship outside the Realm of the Rin Crystal Beast)

"Intern?" Zeng Chuan's eyes flickered slightly.

As a senior agent, he knew that the department had been aggressively recruiting since the beginning of the year, and many talented young people had become interns through fierce competition.

If he remembers correctly, there were also multiple abyssal rift outbreaks in the Frosty Crystal Beast Domain, prompting the department to travel thousands of miles to conduct an in-depth investigation.

Zeng Chuan leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the armrest, lost in thought for a moment.

"The siblings, one is already a trainee member, and the other shows unusual adaptability when facing the Dark Race..."

He nodded thoughtfully: "It seems we can add him to the observation list."

Zeng Chuan made up his mind.

He moved the mouse, clicked the "Focus on Observation (Potential)" tab next to Lin Chen's name, and quickly typed a line:

"She has shown exceptional adaptability and high kill efficiency against Dark-type monsters. Her sister is an intern in our department. We recommend that you continue to monitor her development. If she can steadily advance to the intermediate Beastmaster level within a year and passes the character assessment, we may consider making early contact and inviting her to participate in our department's talent selection process."

After writing the note, he thought for a moment, then performed a few more operations to simultaneously send Lin Chen's kill record to the corresponding contact point of the Qinglan City Anti-Drug Bureau.

After all, Lin Chen is currently only a temporary assistant at the Criminal Investigation Bureau, and his contribution this time needs to be recorded by the local authorities and he should be commended or rewarded accordingly.

That afternoon, at the headquarters building of the Qinglan City Anti-Drug Bureau.

Inside the meeting room.

Several bureau leaders sat around the long conference table.

Director Zhou Zhengping sat in the main seat, his face calm and his presence commanding respect.

A list was laid out in front of him, a preliminary list of commendation recommendations based on feedback from various parties.

The list is divided into several levels:

- Individual Second Class Medal: 1 person.

A suburban police station captain was seriously wounded while organizing the evacuation of villagers, fighting off the Dark Ones. His merit is undisputed.

- Individual Third Class Medal: 6 people.

They are all frontline backbone members who undertook key rescue missions, provided effective command, or personally killed multiple dangerous creatures to protect important personnel or property during the incident.

- Awards: Several. Awarded to those who have performed their duties diligently and demonstrated outstanding performance, as a form of encouragement.

Zhou Zhengping's gaze slowly swept over the list.

Lin Chen's name and age stood out on the list:

Lin Chen (Qingyang Town Police Station, Class D Assistant), 18 years old.

"About this Lin Chen..."

A deputy director sitting next to Zhou Zhengping had already noticed the name. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and carefully spoke:

"Old Zhou, shouldn't you reconsider? This is a third-class medal, it carries significant weight."

"This kid is only eighteen years old and hasn't been with the unit for long. Besides, it's just a temporary position. There's no precedent for this in our bureau."

He observed Zhou Zhengping's expression and continued, "His performance this time was good, but he's still too young. Shouldn't he be given another commendation?"

His words represent the opinions of some relatively conservative leaders.

Zhou Zhengping put down the list, glanced at everyone present, and said calmly, "I don't think it's necessary."

"What is a genius? A genius is someone who cannot be judged by conventional standards. Rules are rigid, but people are flexible."

"When we commend meritorious individuals, we consider their achievements, their performance and contributions in critical moments, not seniority, age, or status!"

The meeting room fell silent.

The deputy director opened his mouth as if to say something, but seeing Zhou Zhengping's determined eyes, he swallowed his words.

"This third-class medal must be given to him."

Zhou Zhengping surveyed the entire city and declared resolutely, "Not only should we give, but we should give it loudly and clearly, in a way that convinces everyone!"

He glanced at the other leader in charge of publicity and awards, and said thoughtfully, "Make the arrangements. I'll personally deliver this medal to him in a week!"

Everyone looked up, their faces showing surprise.

Zhou Zhengping's expression remained unchanged, but he sighed: "You should know very well that genius beast tamers will never consider our Bureau of Investigation and Control when seeking employment."

"They have too many options, and they won't even go back to this small town."

"We must find a way to recruit a genius who has not yet come of age."