What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

December 24st, early morning.

As dawn broke, a cool breeze carried the scent of the morning.

The atmosphere in the Lin family's small living room was somewhat different.

The suitcase leaned against the wall, bulging and filled with clothes, daily necessities, and training equipment that Liu Hui had packed overnight, as well as training equipment that Lin Chen had prepared himself.

Liu Hui stood before Lin Chen, her eyes slightly red, repeating the same admonitions she had given countless times:

"Make sure you eat on time while you're away from home, and don't forget to rest just because you're training. Get along well with your classmates, and talk to your teachers often... Do you have enough money? Mom will transfer you some more?"

"Mom, that's enough, really enough. I'll take good care of myself, don't worry." Lin Chen listened patiently, nodding repeatedly.

Lin Jianjun stood aside, not saying much like his wife, but silently checking if Lin Chen had forgotten anything.

He looked up at his son, who was a head taller than him, his lips moved, but in the end he just patted Lin Chen's shoulder hard: "When you get there, let us know you're safe and call home often. Don't be like your sister."

"Okay, Dad," Lin Chen replied earnestly.

Beside the sofa, the Flameclaw Beast was engrossed in eating a large meat bun with soybean paste, its mouth greasy with oil.

Whenever the Flameclaw Beast is happy while eating, it will shake its head, wave its claws wildly, and make strange gurgling sounds.

The dog stayed close to Lin Chen's calves, never leaving his side.

For it, where it goes is not important, as long as it can stay by Lin Chen's side.

A week passed in the blink of an eye, and today was the day Lin Chen was to travel to Qiming City.

Yesterday, he made a special trip to Qingyang Town to visit Uncle Wang, who had taken care of Songsong Dog, and also went to the detention center to formally say goodbye to his colleagues and seniors, including Zhang Zhi and Lao Liu.

Just as Liu Hui finished giving her instructions, her phone rang.

The note reads: "Older sister."

Lin Chen paused for a moment, then smiled and answered the phone.

"Hey, sis."

Lin Yue's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Brother? What are you doing? Is school starting soon? I remember your college registration is in the next few days, right?"

"Sis, you finally remembered to ask. It was today, and I was just getting ready to leave for the station."

Lin Chen smiled.

Since my older sister started her internship, she has had very little contact with the family. The last time she contacted them was when she received an award.

When Lin Yue heard the news, she was surprised and sent a large red envelope.

"Huh? Today? So soon?"

Lin Yue was clearly surprised, her voice tinged with apology, "I've been so busy lately, and besides... well, the signal here is intermittent, so I haven't had many chances to contact you. How are Mom and Dad?"

Lin Chen turned on speakerphone and placed the phone on the table.

Lin Jianjun's expression suddenly turned serious: "Xiaoyue, tell me honestly, where exactly are you interning? What kind of workplace doesn't even have cell phone signal?"

The Eastern Federation has well-developed infrastructure, and there is a signal even in remote, outlying areas.

Unless you venture deep into the wilderness or overseas.

Lin Yue, on the other end of the phone, was clearly caught off guard by her father's barrage of questions, and stammered:

"Uh... Dad, Mom, I'm fine, really. It's just that my job is a bit unusual."

She tried to gloss over the issue, but the hesitation and evasiveness in her tone were obvious.

Lin Jianjun remained serious and unmoved: "No matter how special your job is, it can't be as special as mine. You won't get away with this this time."

He paused briefly, softened his tone, and sighed, "Your mother and I respect your choice, and you should understand our feelings."

"You only contact us a few times a month, and the details of your work are vague. How can we feel at ease?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone, with only heavy breathing coming from the other end.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yue's voice finally rang out: "Mom and Dad, actually I'm interning at the Special Defense Bureau."

Special Defense Bureau?

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianjun was taken aback.

The Special Defense Bureau is undoubtedly a good organization. Its administrative level is equivalent to that of the Beastmaster Association, making it a place that every graduate would be eager to join.

But why is there no signal from the Special Defense Agency?

Lin Yue's voice rang out: "To be more precise, it's a newly established department under the Special Defense Bureau, but its work involves confidentiality regulations, so I can't disclose it."

"I just want to let you know that I'm fine and it's safe here, except for the poor living conditions."

Lin Jianjun and Liu Hui fell silent.

Lin Chen suddenly asked, "Sis, your internship is at the Special Defense Bureau's Rift Investigation Department, right?"

Upon hearing this, the other end of the phone fell into complete silence.

Three or four seconds passed before Lin Yue's surprised voice finally rang out:

"How did you know?!"

Lin Chen replied, "Because I signed an agreement some time ago, I'm now an intern operator in the Rift Investigation Department. Maybe we'll even be colleagues in the future."

The name "Crack Investigation Department" is not subject to confidentiality regulations; it is the work itself that is classified as top secret.

"..."

There was an even longer silence on the other end of the phone.

After a long while, Lin Yue seemed to find her voice again, her tone filled with a sense of absurdity:

"You...you signed an internship agreement?"

To join this department, she went through layers of assessments, eliminating countless competitors, and only by chance did she become an intern.

And isn't the minimum internship standard for this department intermediate beast tamer?

"I've become a novice beast tamer," Lin Chen gave the simplest and most direct reason, "so they took the initiative to invite me to participate in the internship."

"..."

For the third time, there was silence on the other end of the phone.

Lin Chen could even hear Lin Yue taking deep breaths on the other end of the phone, one, two... as if she was trying to process this overwhelming information.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yue's voice finally rang out: "So, you became a novice beast tamer in less than two months?"

"To correct you, it's 44 days," Lin Chen said with a smile.

Lin Yue: "......."

Lin Yue: "Dad, Mom, did you put all your talent into my younger brother when you had him?"

After a few laughs, Lin Chen said seriously, "Sis, be careful."

Since my older sister is also an intern in the Rift Investigation Department, she will inevitably have to deal with Dark Species, but she is just a lowly intermediate Beastmaster.

Oh, I forgot, he's only a novice beast tamer.

"Yeah, I know, you're the same," Lin Yue replied, her voice gradually becoming tinged with laughter. "By the way, I didn't expect you to be so talented, little brother. Keep up the good work and become a high-level executive as soon as possible."

"Your sister here doesn't want to work hard anymore."

The journey to Qiming Beast Taming Academy was more arduous than I had imagined.

Lin Chen first took a train to Qiming City, and then rode the flying pet that greeted the new students for about an hour, finally arriving at Qiming Beast Taming Academy, which is surrounded by mountains, in the evening.

Upon arriving at the college, he quickly completed the enrollment registration and learned about his accommodation: dormitory room 13 in the South Campus.

"The dormitories are two-person rooms in detached buildings, with private bathrooms and small balconies. South Zone 3 was newly built this year, and the conditions are quite good," the teacher handling the procedures added with a smile.

Following the road signs, he walked towards the South Campus.

The campus felt larger than it appeared from the air, with shady trees, clean roads, and a reasonable distribution of various functional buildings. It took nearly twenty minutes to walk to an area with dozens of two-story buildings of the same style and with a simple and modern appearance.

Lin Chen quickly found the building marked with the number "13".

This is a two-story building with off-white exterior walls, a dark gray sloping roof, and floor-to-ceiling windows. There is also a small private lawn in front of the building, separated from the neighboring buildings by a low fence, providing excellent privacy.

Lin Chen swiped his campus card to unlock the door and pushed it open to enter.

The first floor features a living room, an open-plan kitchen, and a bathroom, decorated in a simple and bright style with complete furniture. The staircase leads to the second floor, where the bedrooms are clearly located.

He had just put down his luggage when he heard footsteps on the stairs.

A boy came down from the second floor.

The person was tall and well-proportioned, wearing a soft, light gray casual outfit.

He had a handsome face, fair skin, and exquisitely beautiful features. He had long, shoulder-length black hair tied back with a simple dark blue hairband, with a few strands of hair falling casually down his temples.

When he saw Lin Chen, a warm smile spread across his face, and his voice was clear and bright:

"You've finally arrived."

He walked up to Lin Chen and very naturally extended his hand:

"Hello, hello! My name is Yun Chuxiu, Yun as in white cloud, Chu as in coming out, and Xiu as in mountain range! We'll be roommates from now on, please take care of me!"

Clouds emerging from the mountain peaks?

Lin Chen was slightly taken aback; the name was indeed unique.

"Lin Chen, please take care of me," Lin Chen replied calmly.