What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

(To ensure a smooth reading experience, the preceding text has been appropriately edited.)

The next morning, the sun shone brightly.

When Lin Chen opened his sleepy eyes and walked out of the bedroom, he saw his parents cleaning the room.

They cleaned very thoroughly, even more thoroughly than the pre-Chinese New Year cleaning, almost making the house look brand new.

Lin Chen was taken aback: "Mom and Dad, you received the news last night too?"

Lin Jianjun, who was mopping the floor, looked up at Lin Chen with an unprecedentedly complicated expression and said in a deep voice, "Yes, you've done something big again without saying a word."

Lin Chen chuckled: "I originally wanted to wait until I confirmed it before telling you, to give you a surprise."

Recalling the director's solemn tone last night, Lin Jianjun exclaimed, "It really was a surprise; neither your mother nor I expected it."

The family of three was talking in the living room when the doorbell rang.

So early?

Lin Jianjun glanced at his wife and children, straightened his collar, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

Instead of Director Zhou as expected, a short-haired stranger wearing a well-tailored suit and a smile appeared at the door.

Lin Jianjun was taken aback: "You are...?"

Lu Zheng's gaze passed over Lin Jianjun, who had opened the door, and landed on the young man with a youthful face behind him. His smile grew even warmer.

"Hello, are you Lin Chen? Sorry to bother you, I'm Lu Zheng, who contacted you last night. First of all, congratulations on becoming a beginner beast tamer."

Lin Chen nodded in response: "Hello, Manager Lu."

The parents standing to the side were dumbfounded.

Where is Director Zhou?

And what does it mean to become a novice beast tamer?

Just then, a burst of enthusiastic gongs and drums came from the still-open doorway, and the four people inside looked over at the same time.

Zhou Zhengping, the upright director of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, appeared at the corner of the stairs, followed by two employees holding a banner. The red banner with gold lettering stood out conspicuously in the slightly narrow corridor.

[Warmly congratulate Comrade Lin Chen on receiving the Third-Class Medal]

This time, it was Lin Chen's turn to be dumbfounded.

Why are there still people here?

Lin Jianjun glanced at the bewildered Lin Chen, then at Lu Zheng and Zhou Zhengping standing at the door, and suddenly understood something.

Zhou Zhengping looked around, and when he saw Lu Zheng, his eyes narrowed. Then, when he looked at Lin Chen, a smile appeared on his face: "Comrade Lin Jianjun, you have a good son."

After saying that, the two employees holding the banner adjusted their positions, positioning the banner directly towards the open front door and towards Lin Chen inside the house.

Zhou Zhengping said, "Let's begin the process."

During the filming by the accompanying personnel, Zhou Zhengping accepted the third-class medal, faced Lin Chen, solemnly read out the brief commendation decision, and then personally pinned the personal third-class medal, which symbolized honor and recognition, on Lin Chen's chest.

The medals shone brightly in the morning light, reflecting off Lin Chen's youthful yet serene face.

The stairwell had long been crowded with neighbors watching the commotion, and the sound of cell phones taking pictures filled the air. Lin Jianjun snapped out of his daze, subconsciously straightened his back, and slightly raised his head. Liu Hui was so nervous that she clutched the hem of her clothes, unsure of where to look.

At this moment, Lin Jianjun looked at the third-class medal in his son's hand, recalled Lu Zheng's earlier congratulations, and then remembered Li Haotian's words:

"Old Lin, you have a good son. If you had worked a few more years, you might have been able to get promoted thanks to Xiao Chen."

What a joke! He's a tough guy who's worked diligently for decades. How could he possibly rise in status because of his son?

But seeing the envious looks from his neighbors, Lin Jianjun felt that this feeling was actually not bad.

After a brief awards ceremony and group photo session, Zhou Zhengping and Lu Zheng sat down in the living room.

The atmosphere in the living room was strangely subtle.

Lu Zheng broke the awkward silence by looking directly at Lin Chen, taking out the prepared agreement, and placing it on the coffee table in front of him.

"Lin Chen, this is a letter of intent from our association for a new star development program tailored specifically for top geniuses like you."

"Before we came here, we only knew that you were incredibly talented and became a junior beast tamer in just forty-four days, but we didn't know that you also performed exceptionally well in the Bureau of Investigation and Control and even received a third-class merit medal."

"Given the talent you have demonstrated so far, we can adjust the training content in the letter of intent according to the actual situation and needs..."

But before Lu Zheng could finish speaking, Zhou Zhengping stared intently at Lin Chen, his gaze burning as if Lin Chen were seeing a dark creature: "You've become a beginner Beast Tamer?"

Lin Chen nodded: "Yes, I just applied yesterday, I didn't expect it to be verified so quickly."

Lu Zheng continued, "That's for sure. In the records of the Qinglan City Beast Tamer Association, your speed in becoming a junior beast tamer ranks in the top five."

On the sofa.

Upon learning that Lin Chen had become a novice Beast Tamer, Zhou Zhengping instinctively straightened his back and became serious.

"Comrade Lin Chen, this is our dereliction of duty; we failed to obtain this information in a timely manner."

As he spoke, he took out a pre-prepared agreement from his briefcase and placed it on the table: "This is our original training plan."

Lin Chen looked down.

The terms offered in this agreement are indeed very generous:

Over the next four years, the bureau will provide a fixed amount of special training funds and sufficient resources, and even has preliminary plans for Lin Chen's future career path and starting position after graduation.

If Lin Chen can become a senior beast tamer before graduation, he can directly enter the management level after graduation.

If one becomes an elite-level beast tamer before the age of twenty-five, one can even directly rise to a high position and become one of the key successors cultivated by the bureau.

This agreement is a lifeline for a young person from an ordinary background, enough to make countless people fight tooth and nail for it.

Then Zhou Zhengping picked up the agreement and tore it in half without hesitation.

Lu Zheng's eyes suddenly narrowed as he stared intently at Zhou Zhengping.

After tearing up the agreement, Zhou Zhengping looked up and stared intently at Lin Chen:

"This training program is not good enough for you as you are now."

He leaned forward, his gaze intense:

"We will immediately revise the plan and increase our training efforts for you."

"The bureau will allocate all available resources to you so that you can grow as quickly as possible."

"Xiao Chen".

Zhou Zhengping softened his tone, staring intently at Lin Chen, "If you're willing, we'll spare no expense on anything the bureau has. If not, we'll find a way to get it for you, to fight for it for you."

Lin Jianjun was greatly shocked.

Is this still the stern and unsmiling bureau chief he remembers?

He had worked diligently at his workplace for decades and had never heard of such treatment.

Lu Zheng reacted quickly.

"Director Zhou's determination and courage are admirable."

Lu Zheng spoke quickly, his voice still clear and steady, but his pace noticeably faster, "Our Beast Tamer Association also holds the highest expectations for a genius beast tamer like Lin Chen, and can provide him with the same level of training, or even more professional training!"

She stopped beating around the bush and revealed her hand directly: "In addition to what Director Zhou mentioned, we will also try our best to make you the undisputed leader among the younger generation of beast tamers in Qinglan City."

Lin Jianjun and Liu Hui were completely dazed.

Liu Hui stared blankly at Lin Jianjun, then tugged at the hem of her clothes.

What should they do now?

Lin Jianjun was equally bewildered.

He had never seen anything like this before, how could he possibly know how to handle it?

Lin Chen remained calm.

Frankly speaking, Zhou Zhengping and Lu Zheng's training programs are both very attractive and can provide him with tremendous help now.

However, both have a common restriction—he must return to Qinglan City to work for several years after graduation.

This is essentially a targeted training program, where the Criminal Investigation Bureau and the Association exchange initial investment for Lin Chen's future contributions.

This will severely limit his future development.

A brief silence fell over the living room.

Zhou Zhengping and Lu Zheng both stared intently at Lin Chen, waiting for a response.

Lin Jianjun and Liu Hui held their breath, not daring to disturb their son's thoughts.

Knock knock knock.

Just then, a knock on the door broke the almost frozen silence in the living room.

Lin Jianjun was the first to react and got up to open it.

Zeng Chuan wore a simple yet sophisticated light gray casual suit and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.

He had a handsome face and smiled and nodded at Lin Jianjun: "Hello, sorry to bother you. Does Lin Chen live here?"

Lin Jianjun replied, "Yes, and who are you?"

Zeng Chuan's smile widened as he took a black ID holder from the inside pocket of his suit jacket, opening it to reveal his ID:

"I am Zeng Chuan, a senior agent of the Special Defense Bureau."

"I have come here today specifically to visit classmate Lin Chen."

At the same moment, Zhou Zhengping and Lu Zheng suddenly looked up at Zeng Chuan, who was standing at the door.

Alarm bells rang in both of their minds simultaneously, and a somewhat troubling thought uncontrollably surfaced within them:

Are there more experts?

Zeng Chuan walked into the living room, his gaze sweeping over the somewhat cramped space. He smiled when he saw Zhou Zhengping and Lu Zheng, whose expressions varied.

"Director Zhou, Supervisor Lu, so you're here too. It's quite lively."

"Officer Zeng, I've long admired you."

Zhou Zhengping spoke first, his voice steady: "I didn't expect the Special Defense Bureau to be interested in Xiao Chen as well."

"Officer Zeng, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Lu Zheng quickly regained his composure and a smile returned to his face.

As high-ranking figures in Qinglan City, they were all familiar with the core figure of this newly established department.

Zeng Chuan nodded in acknowledgment, then sat down on the sofa, facing Lin Chen directly:

"Lin Chen, it's been a long time."

His smile was gentle, and his tone was casual: "I just saw your updated profile today and learned that you have successfully advanced to the level of a junior Beastmaster, so I came here to congratulate you."

"Becoming a novice beast tamer in forty-four days is an extraordinary speed in the entire Eastern Empire."

He paused, then naturally changed the subject: "I wonder what Lin Chen's thoughts are on his future development?"

coming!

Zhou Zhengping and Lu Zheng's hearts tightened at the same time.

Under the watchful eyes of the two men, Zeng Chuan took out a document and placed it on the table:

"This is our preliminary training plan for you."

Zeng Chuan pointed to the document, his tone as objective as if he were stating experimental data: "Initially, that is, before you officially become one of us, the treatment will be relatively basic."

"There is a special training fund of 50,000 yuan per month, and you also enjoy some welfare benefits."

"but."

Zeng Chuan looked at Lin Chen with a deep gaze and said, word by word, "As long as you can advance to the intermediate Beastmaster level within six months, you can skip the internship stage and become a formal operations operator."

He leaned forward slightly, his voice carrying an indescribable allure:

"At that time, the treatment, privileges, and resource allocation you enjoy will undergo a qualitative leap."

"I don't know what conditions the association and the Anti-Drug Bureau have offered, but our department is backed by the Special Defense Bureau, and the conditions they offer are definitely more generous than you can imagine. You can take a look."

After quickly skimming through the concise plan, Lin Chen looked up at Zeng Chuan and asked a question:

"If I join you, does that mean I'll be dealing with those things frequently?"

Having experienced the two Dark Seed incidents, Lin Chen knew that Zeng Chuan's department was specifically responsible for handling Dark Seed-related incidents.

For me, it's a perfect match for my major.

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across Zeng Chuan's eyes, but he reacted quickly, nodding with a smile: "Of course, that's part of our job."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen smiled.