What does it mean when a pet evolves incorrectly?

Chapter 99 Lin Jianjun's Promotion! A True Case of a Father's Status Rising with His Son

Qinglan City, at dusk.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting warm dappled light on the living room floor, and the air was filled with the aroma of dinner.

Lin Jianjun and Liu Hui were sitting around the dining table enjoying their dinner.

The city's evening news was playing on the television, and the familiar background sound was the presenter's clear and articulate voice.

"The following is a special report."

The news footage switched, first showing the iconic buildings of Qiming Beast Taming Academy, and then displaying distinctive 3D images of the pets.

Neither Lin Jianjun nor Liu Hui had ever seen either of these two pet animals before.

Liu Hui said, "This kitten is quite cute."

"Recently, a freshman in our city who was admitted to Qiming Beast Taming Academy independently researched two brand-new evolutionary forms of pets. The relevant results have been certified by the Beast Tamer Association and officially entered into the pet encyclopedia database."

"It is understood that these two new forms have been named Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus and Lunar Cat respectively, which have attracted widespread attention and heated discussion in the academic community —"

Lin Jianjun picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks, glanced at the TV, and smiled with pride: "Look, Qinglan City really has produced a lot of talented people this year. Not bad, not bad."

Liu Hui glanced at the TV and casually asked, "Old Lin, who do you think is more capable, this student who developed two new forms or our Xiao Chen?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Jianjun smiled and shook his head: "How can you compare them? They're completely different. The student on TV has made real academic contributions and researched something new that benefits some beast tamers. He's a true talent."

"Our Xiao Chen has achieved some success in his personal field and on the path of a beast tamer, which are personal achievements. He's very capable, but it's not appropriate to compare them together."

He paused, added some soup to his wife's bowl, and said, "Besides, let's not always compare our child to others. Xiao Chen is already very accomplished. As parents, we should just support him and not put pressure on him."

Liu Hui listened and thought it made sense: "That's true, Xiao Chen has his own path."

The host continued the broadcast and began to reveal more details: "It is understood that this college student who achieved important research results just graduated from Qinglan No. 1 Middle School this year."

"According to his teachers at his alma mater, the student was diligent and hardworking during his middle school years, consistently ranking at the top of his class and demonstrating extraordinary potential."

"During the summer after graduating from high school, this student served as a temporary assistant at the Qingyang Town Anti-Drug Control Station. During his work, he demonstrated outstanding performance, receiving one commendation and one third-class merit medal. The following is Director Zhou Zhengping's evaluation of this student during an interview with our reporter—"

Clang!

The soup spoon in Lin Jianjun's hand fell into the bowl, making a crisp sound.

Liu Hui's hand, which was about to reach out to pick up some food, froze in mid-air.

The couple looked up almost simultaneously, their eyes fixed on the television screen.

"etc----"

Lin Jianjun's lips were a little dry. He glanced at the TV, then at his wife, who also looked bewildered, and said in a trembling voice, "Why does what they said on the news sound so familiar?"

The couple exchanged a glance, both seeing the same shock in each other's eyes.

My child has become famous again for refuting two claims?

But isn't he a beast tamer?

The next morning, at the Heyang District Anti-Drug Control Station in Qinglan City.

Lin Jianjun arrived at his workplace on time as usual. As soon as he entered the lobby, a familiar old colleague approached him: "Old Lin, you're here? The director just called for you and wants you to go to his office."

"The director wants to see me?"

Lin Jianjun was a little puzzled, but nodded. "Okay, I'll go right now."

With a hint of confusion, Lin Jianjun arrived at the director's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in." The director's calm voice came from inside.

Lin Jianjun pushed open the door and entered. He saw the director sitting behind a large desk with a rare warm smile on his face. When he saw Lin Jianjun enter, the director actually stood up and walked around the desk to greet him.

"Old Lin is here? Come on, have a seat." The director greeted him warmly and personally poured Lin Jianjun a cup of tea.

Seeing the director's reaction, Lin Jianjun had a vague guess in his mind.

The two sat down facing each other on the sofa.

The director picked up his teacup, blew on it to cool it, and didn't speak immediately, seemingly considering his words.

After a moment, he slowly spoke, his tone filled with emotion: "Old Lin, in the blink of an eye, you've been working in our institute for over twenty years. Through wind and rain, you've worked diligently and conscientiously, never complaining. Your dedication and hard work have been seen and remembered by the leaders and colleagues in the institute."

Lin Jianjun quickly replied, "Director, you flatter me. It's all part of my job, it's what I should do."

The director waved his hand and continued, "Everyone recognizes your abilities and contributions, so the institute has decided to give you more responsibilities."

He put down his teacup and stared at Lin Jianjun: "After deliberation, it has been decided that you will be the captain of the Third Action Team starting next month. Old Lin, from now on, that area and those young men in the team will be in your hands."

"Team, Captain?" Even though he was prepared, Lin Jianjun was still a little dazed for a moment.

The action team leader is a powerful mid-level position in the unit, with not only improved benefits but also a much larger scope of jurisdiction and greater responsibility.

Seeing Lin Jianjun's reaction, the director smiled, leaned forward slightly, and said in a low voice, "Old Lin, don't feel pressured, just do a good job. This is what Director Zhou specifically instructed me to do."

Lin Jianjun was still somewhat dazed as he left the office, as if he were walking on clouds.

In his youth, he may have had the passion and expectation to strive for advancement, but as he grew older, he had long accepted his fate of working in this position until retirement.

That's good too, at least I can live a peaceful and stable life.

But everything changed after their own child became a beast tamer.

He stood there, silent for a long time.

In the end, he shook his head helplessly, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up: "Old Li, you were right."

"In the end, it was still a case of a father gaining status through his son."

Then let's just work as the team leader until retirement, that way we won't let Xiao Chen's efforts go to waste.

As for a higher position, he dared not even dream of it.

Qiming Beast Taming Academy, South Campus Dormitory.

Lin Chen had just finished his morning meditation when he received a call from Zhang Zhi.

"Hey, Brother Zhang," Lin Chen answered.

"Ah Chen! Hahaha!"

Zhang Zhi's loud and cheerful laughter came from the other end of the phone, and you could feel his excitement even through the receiver: "Thanks to you, I never thought I, Zhang Zhi, would be able to give a proper interview to a TV station in my lifetime."

"And Lao Liu too."

Zhang Zhi continued excitedly, "You know how unkempt Old Liu usually is, with a scruffy beard."

Yesterday, as soon as I heard a TV station was coming to interview me about you, wow, I rushed to the hair salon two hours early to get my hair done!

"By the way, Director Li's lips were constantly twitching yesterday. He was all smiles when he met anyone, and during the interview, he praised you endlessly, saying that you are the pride of our Qinglan City and a role model for young people."

Lin Chen smiled slightly.

He underestimated the significance of someone who independently researched two new evolutionary forms at the age of 18, and he further underestimated Professor Li's influence.

Since yesterday, interviews have been coming in one after another.

Moreover, these interviews were not only directed at him, but also went directly to Qinglan No. 1 Middle School and Qingyang Town Anti-Drug Management Office to interview his former teachers and colleagues.

This incident was originally only circulating in academic circles and online platforms among young people, but as a result, he became famous in Qinglan City and was praised to the skies by various media outlets in Qinglan City.

While the media dared to praise him as "a leading figure among the younger generation of researchers at Donghuang" and "the most brilliant academic star of our time," Lin Chen dared not look at their praise.

He is clearly a beast tamer with extraordinary talent!

All media outlets should clearly distinguish between primary and secondary roles.

He had just put down his phone and hadn't even caught his breath when it rang again, the caller ID showing Zeng Chuan.

"Lin Chen," Zeng Chuan's voice was as gentle as ever, "Headquarters already knows about your situation. Being able to independently research two completely new evolutionary forms, you are more outstanding than we imagined."

At this point, he joked, "Lin Chen, I remember you were a highly talented beast tamer, weren't you? How come you suddenly..."

Lin Chen replied, "Actually, it was all an accident."

"Is that so? Then I hope there will be more such surprises." Zeng Chuan paused, then got to the point. "Headquarters takes this very seriously. After evaluation, they believe that given the potential and value you have shown so far, it would be a waste for you to stay in the Rift Investigation Department."

Lin Chen listened quietly without interrupting.

"Therefore, headquarters hopes to transfer your organizational affiliation to the special talent reserve and research institute directly under headquarters. This means that after graduation, you can directly enter headquarters to work and get access to the most cutting-edge projects and classified information."

"Of course, this requires your consent; headquarters respects the choices of its employees."

Without much hesitation, Lin Chen asked directly, "If I'm transferred to headquarters, how will my job duties change?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Zeng Chuan seemed surprised that Lin Chen would ask this first: "According to the initial intention of the headquarters, if you agree to be transferred, you may be initially assigned to the Pet Evolution and Potential Development Research Institute to conduct a series of related studies."

Lin Chen suddenly realized.

"I'm sorry." Lin Chen shook his head decisively. "I appreciate the invitation from headquarters, but I still hope to stay in our department."

Zeng Chuan was silent for a moment, then spoke again with a clear smile in his voice: "Okay, I understand. I will convey your wishes to headquarters as they are."

After a brief pause, he finally said, "We will not mistreat a genius like you."

After hanging up the phone, Zeng Chuan stood by the window, gazing at the distant city skyline, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He murmured to himself, his voice echoing softly in the empty office: "What a surprise."

"Even if you can't become an intermediate beast tamer within six months, I will still make you a full member based on this achievement alone."

A series of news reports about Lin Chen continued online for two days, and new hot topics and gossip quickly filled the public's attention, pushing the name "Lin Chen" off the trending search list and discussion center.

Lin Chen was pleased with this outcome.

The storm has passed, and life is back on track.

But Lin Chen keenly sensed that his life had undergone subtle changes.

Walking on campus, the number of students who recognize him is increasing exponentially.

Many students no longer just greeted him; they even asked for photos or autographs, giving him a taste of what it's like to be a campus star.

Fortunately, the students were generally of high quality, and most of them simply expressed their liking and curiosity, with few engaging in persistent or excessive behavior.

In addition, the leaders of the research department tried to contact Lin Chen through various channels, but Zhao Honggang blocked them all.

It is said that Zhao Honggang has been in a bad mood lately, and he obviously does not want Lin Chen to be exposed to the public eye in this capacity.

But for Lin Chen, a truly peaceful life had begun.

Every morning is a fixed time for physical training and meditation.

The daytime is for classes, and the evenings are for pet training.

In addition, Lin Chen began to actively learn about the theoretical knowledge related to pet evolution.

Lin Chen knew in his heart that he would inevitably research and develop more new evolutionary forms in the future.

Instead of using vague terms like talent, inspiration, or chance to deal with each situation, leaving countless loopholes for others to explore, it's better to master solid theoretical knowledge.

In this way, if someone questions his research findings in the future, he will at least be able to provide some explanation and defense from a theoretical perspective.

After all, he is now an officially certified junior researcher.

He even had a vague idea that he might actually be able to research and create Digimon that didn't need a system's support.

Time slipped away quietly in this peaceful life, and two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

It was evening at the school team's training ground.

"roar-!!!"

The Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus let out a heavy roar, and the high temperature emanating from its body caused the surrounding air to distort slightly. It took a step forward, and an intense sense of oppression erupted instantly.

Lin Chen stood at the edge of the training field, watching this scene, his eyes flashing slightly: "Finally, I'm about to break through."

During this period, he was busy learning the theoretical knowledge related to pet evolution and training the newly evolved Moonlit Spirit Cat. He basically stayed in the academy and rarely went out.

As a result, the Flameridge Tyrannosaurus Rex gains experience points at a slower rate than before.

Despite this, after days of diligent training, the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus is only one step away from breaking through to the third tier.

Once you reach the third tier, your pet's strength will experience a qualitative leap.

Skill power, physical strength, and understanding and control of one's own attributes will all reach a new level.

More importantly, this is almost entirely the domain of intermediate-level beast tamers.

"Don't you think our rate of progress is too frightening?" Lin Chen asked the Flameback Tyrannosaurus Rex that was walking towards him.

Upon hearing this question, the Flameback Tyrannosaurus lowered its head, its scarlet round eyes fixed on Lin Chen, who was deep in thought.

The next moment, the Flame Spine Tyrannosaurus tilted its head to the side, its large mouth stretching out in a wide grin: "Yagu!!!"

How could ordinary beings possibly understand the world of geniuses?

As a genius, its goal is to increase its strength at the most incredible, unbelievable, and unbelievable speed until it becomes the strongest, and finally... wash away the shame of being jilted!

Lin Chen chuckled to himself.

"Alright, to wash away this shame, let's go to the wasteland again tonight."

"I'll help you break through to the third tier."