What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

Chapter 91 Don't be afraid, Brother Chen will take care of it.

After confirming that the boy being attacked by the group of Shadow Split Cats was Li Heng, Lin Chen didn't have time to think further and the thought came to mind: "Nuomi, go help."

"Eek!"

Upon receiving the command, the pineapple leaped out of Lin Chen's arms and instantly transformed into a white arrow released from a bow.

After breaking through to the second tier, the speed of the pineapple increased to another level, covering dozens of meters in an instant, leaving a trail of afterimages in the night.

Its target was a Shadowcutter that was about to pounce on the Stone Armored Lizard from the side.

boom!

The Shadowcutter cat was completely unprepared for the attack from the side. It was hit squarely in the ribs by a fierce Shadow Strike from the Tsumugi, and flew out with a scream, crashing into a rock pillar and rolling to the ground, unable to get up.

The hamster glared ahead relentlessly, its chest puffed out, and it unleashed a barrage of barks imbued with a powerful, spiritual intensity: "Woof woof woof woof—!!"

The invisible sound waves from the puppy's growl spread out, precisely covering the remaining Shadowcrack Cats.

These ferocious Shadowcutter cats froze instantly, their eyes losing their fierce light, their attack rhythm disrupted, and they experienced a brief period of confusion and dizziness.

"Huh? It's Brother Chen?!"

The sudden appearance of the pineapple relieved Li Heng's pressure. He looked closely and saw the sacred ring hanging around the pineapple's neck, and his face lit up with joy.

He had only ever seen this thing, the purpose of which he didn't know, on Chen Ge's dog, Songsong.

Lin Chen and his three companions then appeared.

"Hey, isn't this our Young Eagle Cup runner-up? What's gotten into him, looking so pathetic?"

Zhou Ming walked at the front with his head held high. He looked Li Heng up and down, who looked a little disheveled, with an undisguised mocking smile on his face, and deliberately dragged out his words to tease him.

Upon hearing that familiar yet annoying voice, Li Heng's face stiffened instantly. He glared fiercely at Zhou Ming, their gazes clashing and sparks flying.

He gritted his teeth and said, "Zhou Ming, if you ever post anything on the forum using my name again, I'll take you down with me."

Zhou Ming shrugged and grinned, "I'm so scared."

Lin Chen coughed softly.

"Understood, Brother Chen, I'll help right away!"

Zhou Ming instantly returned to normal, his playful expression vanishing. He waved his hand and said, "Flaming Eagle, let's go help too."

"唳~"

The Flamehawk swooped down with a sharp cry, its fiery claws viciously striking two Shadowcutters whose movements had been slowed by the puppy's howl, forcing them to scramble and further disrupting their formation.

The Pinepe charged again, transforming into a white streak of light as it fiercely charged towards the leading second-tier Shadow Rift Cat. Its petite body unleashed astonishing power, sending its opponent flying with tremendous force, crashing heavily to the ground, unconscious.

The situation reversed instantly. Seeing that things were not going well, the remaining Shadowcutter cats quickly jumped onto the rock pillars and disappeared into the dark rocks in a few leaps, making their escape.

Four Shadowcutter cats lay unconscious on the battle-scarred ground.

"Mmm?"

The pineapple walked lightly toward the four shadow-splitter cats, its eyes looking down at them, and raised its paw to slap their bodies hard.

Are you satisfied?

The Shadowcutter cats remained unconscious and unresponsive.

Seeing that the other party refused to answer, the pineapple narrowed its eyes and raised its paw high again.

Lin Chen's voice rang out just in time: "Come back, they've already fainted."

He paused, then added, "From now on, we don't need to ask them whether they submit or not."

"Mmm~"

The dog, no longer looking down on Lin Chen, nodded obediently and then walked back to him with a reserved gait, letting him stroke its head to express his praise.

The others looked at Songsong Dog's reactions with strange expressions.

"Hoo-ha!"

Seeing that the crisis was over, Li Heng breathed a long sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. The stone armored lizard also lay exhausted on the ground, panting.

He strode up to Lin Chen, his face beaming with joy: "Brother Chen, what are you doing here?"

Lin Chen didn't answer immediately. Instead, he glanced at Li Heng and the short-haired girl next to him, pursed his lips, and said hesitantly, "I asked you a couple of days ago if you were free this weekend so we could get together, and you said you were busy this weekend and couldn't make it."

He paused, then smiled. "So this is what you meant."

Under Lin Chen's gaze, Li Heng chuckled, then put his arm around the short-haired girl's shoulder, brought her to the front of the group, and introduced her: "Brother Chen, this is my college classmate, Xiaoya."

"I arranged with her in advance to come here for training."

Xiaoya was clearly still shaken from the near-death experience. She timidly nodded to Lin Chen and the others, her voice weak, "H-Hello, thank you for your help."

Lin Chen's gaze lingered for a moment on Li Heng's right hand resting on Xiao Ya's shoulder, and on Xiao Ya's shy yet unyielding reaction. He then glanced at the distance between the two that clearly went beyond that of ordinary friends, and understood what was going on.

It's only been a little over a week since school started...

After Li Heng put his arm around Xiao Ya, he keenly noticed Zhou Ming's gaze, raised his chin slightly, and moved even closer to Xiao Ya.

Zhou Ming panicked.

He looked around, and Su Qingyuan and Zhang Xiaoxiao noticed his gaze and silently took two steps back.

Zhou Ming made a snap decision, walked decisively to Lin Chen's side, and looked up at Li Heng.

Lin Chen: "?"

Then, Lin Chen also took a half step back, leaving Zhou Ming to face Li Heng and Xiao Ya alone.

Li Heng tilted his head back smugly, then cleared his throat and introduced to Xiaoya, "Xiaoya, this is my brother, Lin Chen, whom I often mention to you."

"He was the top Beast Tamer of his graduating class in Qinglan City, the youngest recipient of the Qinglan City Criminal Investigation Bureau's Third-Class Medal and Commendation, and the leading Beast Taming Academy student with a commanding lead, dominating with 1450 points..."

'

Lin Chen interrupted expressionlessly, "There's not enough room for so many people to stand here."

To prevent Li Heng from continuing his irrelevant boasting, he quickly changed the subject: "By the way, how did you get into a conflict with these Shadow Crack Cats?"

When the topic turned to business, Li Heng's expression turned serious, and he said solemnly, "Brother Chen, it's because we were discovered while following them."

"Why are you following this group of Shadow Crack Cats?" Lin Chen raised an eyebrow.

Li Heng explained, "We found that this group of Shadow Rift Cats is very strange. They seem to be collecting Desolate Star Crystals in an organized manner!"

""

He pointed to the ground: "Look, there are still some barren crystal stars on the ground that they didn't have time to take away."

Following his directions, Lin Chen and the others indeed discovered two or three abandoned, desolate star crystals.

"I was curious why they were collecting the barren crystal stars, so I tailed them the whole way. But I got too close and got spotted, and then we started fighting."

He spread his hands, his face full of helplessness: "I didn't expect these Shadowcutter cats to be so powerful. Plus, there were quite a few of them, so it was difficult for me to deal with them. Luckily, you guys showed up in time."

Zhou Ming crossed his arms and said calmly, "They say they're curious about what they're doing collecting the barren crystal stars, but they probably just want to steal them, right?"

Li Heng's expression remained unchanged as he stated matter-of-factly, "Can you call it robbery when it comes to beast tamers?"

Ignoring their conversation, Lin Chen squatted down, picked up a fallen, desolate crystal star, and felt its icy touch.

The Bladetail Viper had previously fought with the Shadow Rift Cat over the Desolate Crystal Star, and now this group of Shadow Rift Cats is collecting the Desolate Crystal Star. What are these pets planning to do?

Although the Desolate Crystal Star is formed from the decomposition of a meteorite that fell from space, the special energy it contains is harmful to pets, and it must be processed before it can be used.

Barren Crystal Stars are not breeding resources that help pets grow.

Su Qingyuan suddenly spoke up: "Although the energy inside the desolate crystal star is harmful, pets can forcibly absorb this energy by relying on their talents or by paying a price."

Her gaze swept over the barren star crystals, and her voice rang out in the night wind: "This forced absorption can violently stimulate the mind and body of a pet in a short period of time, bringing about an effect similar to berserk and a temporary surge in power."

"However, inert energy and impurities that are not fully converted will accumulate in the body like toxins, which are difficult to eliminate. Long-term accumulation can lead to madness and distortion, and even shorten lifespan."

Zhou Ming exclaimed, "As expected of Sister Su, she knows so much."

The others fell silent.

Lin Chen pondered for a moment and speculated, "So, these two kinds of pet beasts collect the desolate crystal stars to temporarily become stronger, and then fight each other?"

Su Qingyuan shook her head: "I don't know."

Li Heng's eyes lit up instantly. He looked at Lin Chen, his expression excited: "Brother Chen, how about it? Want to pull off a big heist? There must be a lot of barren crystal stars in their nests."

Lin Chen glanced at Li Heng, who was beaming with excitement, and Xiao Ya, who was huddled behind him, and asked, "Aren't you going to ask your friend's opinion?"

""

Xiaoya poked her head out and said in a soft voice, "I'll listen to him."

Zhou Ming tilted his head back, opened his mouth wide, and clenched his palms.

Lin Chen then looked at Su Qingyuan and Zhang Xiaoxiao.

Su Qingyuan nodded slightly, and Zhang Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Lin Chen, it's up to you."

Lin Chen nodded: "Alright, let's make a plan."

Much later.

The Shadowcrack Cats that had been lying on the ground gradually woke up.

"Meow?"

They shook their still dizzy heads, looked around warily, and found that the enemy seemed to have left, with a few desolate star crystals scattered on the ground.

The Shadowcrack Cats communicated with each other through low meows and quickly reached a consensus.

They quickly picked up the scattered, barren star crystals and scurried away furtively and eagerly in a certain direction, glancing back every now and then, clearly still shaken.

Under the cover of darkness, the Windbird silently took to the air, while the Pinepuppy followed the Shadowcrack Cats' scent, jogging after them.

Lin Chen and the others maintained a safe distance, taking advantage of the darkness and the terrain to silently follow the few still-shaken Shadow Crack Cats, traversing the rugged wasteland.

The terrain became increasingly complex, with massive weathered rocks looming overhead like silent giants, casting deep shadows.

About half an hour later, the Shadowcutter leading the way slowed down and finally disappeared into the depths of a maze of rocks, naturally piled up from countless gray-brown stones of varying sizes.

"Brother Chen, what do you mean?" Zhou Ming asked before Li Heng could.

Lin Chen looked around.

This time he was not acting alone, but rather it was an organized and premeditated group operation.

He doesn't need to be too cautious.

He said, "Let's go straight in. There's no need to hide anymore. Get ready for battle."

After passing through the pile of rocks, the view suddenly opened up.

Nestled between several particularly large rocks, there is a wide, flat area.

Dozens of Shadow Crack Cats were either lying down or licking each other's fur in twos and threes, while others were tearing apart the carcasses of small pets that had been dragged from somewhere.

There were more Shadowcrack Cats than expected, and most of them looked somewhat restless, their eyes gleaming eerily in the darkness.

At the top of the tallest, dark gray rock, a figure stood out.

It was a Shadowcrack Cat, much larger than its kind.

Its shoulder height is nearly twice that of a normal Shadowcrack cat, its short fur gleams with a cold, hard sheen under the sparse starlight, and its muscular lines are bulging, exuding an explosive sense of power.

At this moment, the Shadowcutter leader lay quietly on the boulder, like a silent king, looking down upon his subjects.

Upon closer inspection, several barren star crystals of varying sizes were placed on either side of its body.

The Shadowcutter leader slowly raised his head and gazed silently at the moon gradually setting in the west.

The moonlight, like frost, outlined its massive and wildly powerful silhouette.

The next moment, it lowered its head, used its front paw to brush aside a barren star crystal, and then swallowed it without hesitation.

His throat bobbed, and the star-like crystal entered his stomach.

Then came the second one, and the third one—it swallowed three star crystals in succession, just like eating candy.

Each time a pill was swallowed, the hair on the body would stand on end slightly, and the energy fluctuations emanating from the body would also fluctuate violently.

A chaotic and violent aura spread out from it, causing some of the weaker Shadowcutter cats below to shift their bodies uneasily and let out low growls.

"Meow—!!!"

The Shadowcutter leader suddenly raised its head and let out a long howl towards the bright moon in the night sky.

The sound was sharp and piercing, echoing repeatedly through the pile of rocks, sending chills down one's spine.

But the next moment, the Shadowcutter leader suddenly sprang up from the boulder and began to jump, pounce, and roll wildly and erratically within the narrow area at the top of the boulder!

Its claws scraped against the rocks, producing a harsh sound and sparks. Its tail lashed wildly through the air, and the rational light in its eyes was completely replaced by chaos and savagery. It uttered meaningless sounds.

It would sometimes slam its head against the rocks, and sometimes tear at the air frantically, behaving like a madman, completely unlike a conscious creature.

Everyone who witnessed this frowned, and Zhou Ming muttered under his breath, "That kind of weird thing again?"

Lin Chen shook his head.

No, this is definitely not a Dark Race.

It's more like being poisoned by inhaling too much toxic energy from the barren crystal star, just as Su Qingyuan said.

But one thing is certain—there are indeed many barren crystal stars here.

Meanwhile, the other Shadowcrack Cats seemed quite used to this scene.

They merely raised their heads, gave a numb glance at their frenzied leader atop the boulder, and then continued with their own tasks, grooming themselves.

Eating, dozing off —

None of them showed any surprise, fear, or intention to stop it, as if it were just a daily farce.

"Meow!"

Just then, the Shadowcrack Cat leader stopped its frenzied actions, looked ahead, and locked onto Lin Chen and his group, who had stopped hiding after entering the pile of rocks.

A sharp shriek erupted from the depths of its throat, and its grayish-white pupils suddenly contracted into dangerous pinpoints.

The next instant, the Shadowcrack Cat leader slammed its four paws against the rock, and with a loud bang, several cracks appeared on the top of the boulder.

The Shadowcutter leader pounced on Lin Chen and the others with incredible speed, its claws reflecting a cold light under the starlight, and a foul stench emanating from its mouth.

Everyone remained calm, except for Xiaoya, who was experiencing such a scene for the first time. Her face turned pale, and she instinctively gripped Li Heng's sleeve tightly, her body trembling slightly.

Li Heng gently patted Xiaoya's hand and said with a smile, "Don't be afraid, Brother Chen will take care of it."

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