Beast Taming Begins with the Inner Circle of Pets

Chapter 75: Big Trouble!

When the qualifying rounds ended, Lin Manman ranked in the top ten with 842 points, while Xu Peipei and the others all scored around 300 points and successfully entered the top 64.

More than a hundred people entered the base in the morning, but far fewer left in the evening.

Xia Ming had been waiting at the base exit for a long time. When he saw Lin Manman come out, he quickly pulled her to a less crowded place.

"Did anything unexpected happen during your competition?"

Lin Manman was surprised that Xia Ming was so observant that he could spot her odd behavior during the live stream.

"Yes, a very strange spirit beast attacked me. I brought the body out, but I suspect that when we left, someone might try to destroy the evidence."

Lin Manman was in a bad mood. Anyone would be in a bad mood if they were being targeted by an unknown adversary and could be attacked at any time.

"Understood. We won't go with the school's convoy. I'll make the arrangements." Xia Ming looked at Lin Manman with a hint of admiration in his eyes. He saw in her a calmness and thoughtfulness that didn't belong to a fifteen-year-old.

Lin Manman nodded. She was all alone and powerless, and there was very little she could think of or do. Now she could only trust and rely on Xia Ming.

I don't know how Xia Ming contacted the person, but not long after, a very inconspicuous-looking land vehicle arrived.

After Xia Ming helped Lin Manman up, Lin Manman discovered that the interior of the vehicle was quite remarkable. Not only was it much thicker than ordinary land vehicles, but the materials also looked extremely sturdy.

"This is Elder Meng's little apprentice? How come she's a little girl?" In the passenger seat of the land vehicle, a handsome middle-aged man turned his head to look at Lin Manman.

"Miss is very talented. Master Meng cherishes talent and didn't want to see a gem go to waste, so he took her under his wing. Miss, this is Mr. Wu. You can call him Uncle Wu."

"Hello, Uncle Wu." Lin Manman greeted him obediently. As soon as she got into the lander, she noticed a very old-looking Tang sword next to the passenger seat.

Since participating in the competition, Lin Manman has seen many different kinds of warrior weapons. But this is the first time she has seen one wielding a Tang sword.

She didn't know if it was because of the filter she had seen in TV dramas in her previous life, but she inexplicably felt that this uncle must be exceptionally capable.

"Hello." The handsome middle-aged man nodded nonchalantly.

"There are plenty of talented young men in the capital, but I haven't seen Elder Meng take on any disciples all these years. If he doesn't want to talk about it, then so be it. What's gotten into him this time that he's coming to me?"

"This is probably a matter for Jinling itself, it just so happens that our young lady encountered it."

Xia Ming picked up the bracelet and operated it a few times, seemingly sending some file to the handsome uncle.

The handsome middle-aged man surnamed Wu frowned more and more deeply.

"That's all? Anything else? There are too few clues, no other evidence?"

"My young lady brought back a spirit beast corpse from the competition venue today, but it cannot be placed in Jinling for testing. Please arrange for a trustworthy person to immediately send it to the Imperial Capital Spirit Beast Research Institute and hand it over to Dr. Gao."

Listening quietly to their conversation, Lin Manman realized that this handsome older man must be some important figure in Jinling District.

"For those junior professionals planning to play in the Tier 2 group points match today, it's best to check them from top to bottom. As for the rest, let Miss Lin tell you."

Xia Ming looked at Lin Manman and whispered in her ear, "Miss, he is the current commander-in-chief of the Jinling District garrison, his full name is Wu Anbang. You can rest assured to tell him your and Dr. Gao's guesses."

Xia Ming has some knowledge of network technology, but he doesn't have much expertise in spirit beasts. Even though he's been with Elder Meng for many years, he only knows a little bit about them.

Lin Manman's eyes widened when she heard that the handsome older man was of such high status.

Goodness, since she became an apprentice, her social standing has improved quite a bit.

"Ah... it's like this, when I participated in the competition, I encountered a particularly strange spirit beast. This spirit beast had very poor attack power and physical strength, but it could use soul attacks..." Lin Manman stammered for the first time, which was rare for her.

"How do you know it can attack souls? You were attacked?" Wu Anbang's sharp phoenix eyes, filled with oppressive force, shot straight into Lin Manman's eyes.

A mere level two Beast Tamer couldn't possibly possess exceptionally strong soul power. Encountering a soul attack, so difficult to defend against, she should have been at least severely injured and unconscious, if not killed instantly. Yet, she emerged completely unharmed…

Xia Ming was also astonished. Although Lin Manman had briefly told him about the attack she had suffered, she hadn't mentioned that she had been hit by a soul attack.

"Yes, I was indeed attacked." Lin Manman scratched her head anxiously when she saw that Wu Anbang didn't believe her.

She knew that explaining the soul attack would be troublesome, but the matter was of utmost importance. Keeping it quiet might endanger those investigating.

"Actually, the reason I can survive an attack unscathed is because I have a talent that allows me and my contracted spirit pets to share damage and healing. And I happen to have contracted a spirit beast that can heal the soul." She summoned Xiao Qi.

Little Seven had suffered a loss today and was suddenly summoned, facing a frightening stranger. Terrified, it hid in Lin Manman's hair, trembling.

When Wu Anbang heard Lin Manman say that she possessed a spirit beast capable of healing souls, a glint flashed in his eyes.

Having gained Wu Anbang's trust, Lin Manman then recounted the mysterious person who appeared yesterday and her second senior brother's deductions.

"If someone is indeed experimenting on spirit beasts, and has even developed a spirit beast capable of soul attacks, then this matter is no longer just a problem in Jinling." Wu Anbang's expression was extremely solemn. "Where is the spirit beast's corpse? There's no time to send it to the capital; give it to me."

Lin Manman shook her head. "Uncle Wu, the reason I'm not giving you the body isn't because I don't trust you. It's just that I doubt you can find anyone in Jinling who has a deeper understanding of spirit beasts than my second senior brother."

Just then, Gao Zhixian called. Lin Manman glanced at Wu Anbang, who had obviously seen the call as well. After he nodded, Lin Manman answered the phone.

Unexpectedly, Gao Zhixian wasn't the only one on the other end of the video call. Beside him stood a burly man with a full beard and a menacing scar above his left eye. The man was covered in dust and unkempt, making it impossible to determine his age.

Gao Zhixian's face showed an unprecedented anxiety in Lin Manman. "Manman, are you alright? I saw Xia Ming's message about the competition. Are you not injured?"

Lin Manman felt a warmth in her heart and shook her head, replying, "I'm not injured. We were just talking about this. After I killed that spirit beast, I brought out its body. I suspect it might be a mutated spirit beast created through a technological experiment, and I was thinking of sending the body to the capital for you to study in detail."

(End of this chapter)