Chapter 002 Chapter 2

"Haha, poor guys really like to pick up trash."

Liu Pan glanced at Xia Muqing with disdain and spread his hands: "You can do whatever you want with it, as long as you return my money."

The way he acted, completely indifferent to the life and death of the little hurricane dog, was extremely annoying in the eyes of Zhu Ning, who always cared for the cubs of mysterious beasts.

Zhu Ning was too lazy to argue with him.

Her breeding center was actually very profitable and didn't need that little bit of money at all, so she simply refunded Liu Pan.

Liu Pan walked away arrogantly, and before leaving, he rolled his eyes at Xia Muqing: "Idiot."

Xia Muqing held the little hurricane dog in her arms and didn't even look at him.

When the incubator quieted down again, Zhu Ning said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Xiaoxia. I didn't expect something like this to happen."

"You don't have to put yourself in a difficult position to help me out. If all else fails, I'll just keep this Swift Dog in the store as a mysterious beast to watch over the shop..."

Xia Muqing shook her head: "No, Sister Zhu, I really want this little guy."

She rubbed the dog's little head, and the dog raised its head and timidly licked her palm with its tongue.

Its fur is snow-white and clean, and its small body is warm, like a small stove.

"I think it has noble blood and great talent," Xia Muqing said. "Liu Pan looks down on it, but he's just blind."

Zhu Ning: “……?”

Xia Muqing smiled but said nothing.

In fact, just now, when she was stroking the little hurricane dog, a golden frame prompt suddenly popped up in front of her eyes.

[Warning: A rare and unique beast has been detected within ten meters!]

It's exactly the same as the prompt box that occasionally pops up when capturing wild mysterious beasts in the game.

Xia Muqing had worked at the breeding center for a year and had come into contact with hundreds of various mysterious beasts. This was the first time she had seen the hint of "rare characteristics".

The characteristics of the Little Wind Dog are definitely not inferior!

…

Xia Muqing insisted on keeping the hurricane dog. Zhu Ning thought she didn't want to make him sad, and was deeply moved.

So in the end, Zhu Ning resolutely refused to accept Xia Muqing's money, and instead gave her several large boxes of nutritional supplements and home training equipment.

Xia Muqing’s small bicycle couldn’t fit all the stuff, so she had to have it mailed home.

After thanking Zhu Ning profusely, Xia Muqing set off with the Swift Dog. The refreshing breeze blew across her face as the little Swift Dog lay obediently in the basket, its snow-white fur trembling slightly in the wind.

Xia Muqing: "Is the ride comfortable?"

"If you like, I'll call you Xiaofeng from now on?"

The Swift Dog licked its paws: "Woo?"

After the formal contract was signed, Xia Muqing could store it in her spiritual space. However, before that, she wanted to cultivate a relationship with the little hurricane dog for a few days to help improve the tacit understanding between the two parties after the contract was signed.

The main purpose is to give the little hurricane dog a process to get out of sadness and regain his spirits.

In the evening, there was a lot of traffic on the road. Xia Muqing rode her bicycle flexibly between the traffic. Along the way, she saw several young people with flying mysterious beasts being stopped by traffic police.

"Intra-city flight permit, please."

Those people didn't bring their IDs, so their credit points were deducted, and both they and their animals looked listless.

A blue-feathered eagle was perched on the shoulder of the traffic policeman. It was a powerful first-level evolved mystical beast. Its head was raised high, its posture was proud, and its eyes were sharp. No driving violations could escape its eyes.

Riding all the way to the gate of the community, Xia Muqing saw a figure in the distance.

"Mu Qing!"

Xu Ling waved vigorously at Xia Muqing: "Why did you come back just now? I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

Xia Muqing quickly braked: "Sorry, something happened today and I got off work late. How's your contract with the mysterious beast?"

Xu Ling spread her hands happily: "Yes, in the end I chose Ming Yueying. The degree of compatibility is very high, look!"

A flash of white light passed by, and a palm-sized bird appeared in Xu Ling's palm.

The feathers were like starlight, and there was a crescent moon pattern between the eyebrows. The posture of standing on one leg was very elegant. It looked beautiful and holy. Xia Muqing was a little jealous: "It's so beautiful. How much did you buy it for?"

Xu Ling: "200,000 star coins."

Xia Muqing: "..."

Yes, rich people!

The Moon Oriole is not only beautiful, but also powerful. Despite its unassuming size, it is an extremely rare spiritual beast. Its song can both soothe fatigue and serve as a means of attack, making it difficult to defend against.

But even though she was envious, Xia Muqing knew how much Xu Ling had paid for it.

After buying the Mingyueying, Xu Ling's family was left penniless. She was gambled everything on getting a good score in next year's college entrance exam.

"In fact, there is still a chance to buy the Azure Dark Snake. That is a purely offensive mystical beast, even stronger than the Moon Warbler."

Xu Ling sighed, "That's just me... I still can't get over myself. The thought of the cold, icy scales of snakes gives me goosebumps. But now I think about it, it's quite a shame. If I had bought the Azure Dark Snake, I'd have a better chance of getting into the Zoology Department of a prestigious university."

Xia Muqing: "Don't say that in front of Ming Yueying!"

Mingyueying: “Chirp!”

Xu Ling suddenly realized what was happening and patted Ming Yueying's head: "That's not what I meant. I just can't stand that snake physically!"

"You're still the best. You're smart, beautiful, and sing beautifully. How can the Azure Dark Snake compare to you?"

Seeing her friend frantically explaining to Ming Yueying, Xia Muqing couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"I also think Mingyueying is better," she said. "The Qingbi Mingshe is too ferocious. The average beastmaster can't control it at all. Xiaoyingzi is adorable, and she's a good match for you."

Xu Ling gave her a grateful look.

After finally pacifying Mingyueying, Xu Ling put it back into the space and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"It's really different with or without a mysterious beast. I have to be more careful with my words next time."

Xu Ling muttered, pulling out his phone from his pocket: "Mu Qing, what mysterious beast are you planning to buy? Do you have enough star coins?"

"I didn't buy the Azure Dark Snake, so I still have 30,000 left. I can lend it to you if you need it. You know the importance of the initial profound beast, but I don't think it's cheap, otherwise..."

Xia Muqing: "I have already bought the mysterious beast."

She picked up the Swift Dog that was blocked in the basket and waved it in front of Xu Ling: "Clang clang~"

"Speed ​​Dog?"

Xu Ling took a breath and said, "How cute! The fur is so beautiful, without a single impurity!"

"Where did you buy such a beautiful hurricane dog? You didn't borrow money again!"

Xia Muqing touched the tip of her nose and said, "No, no, this is... a friendly sponsorship from the boss."

"Is there such a good boss?" Xu Ling was skeptical. "I don't believe it. Is there anything wrong with this Swift Dog?"

She tentatively reached out her hand, wanting to stroke the Swifthound's head.

“Ouch!”

The Swift Dog, which had been quiet all this time, suddenly jumped up and pounced on Xia Muqing like a whirlwind!

Xia Muqing was knocked into the arms of the Swift Dog and subconsciously took a step back: "What—"

“Sizzle!”

A stream of water suddenly spurted out from the side, right at the position where Xia Muqing was just now.

"Hey, what's wrong with you? Why are you spraying my sister with the water gun?"

A woman hurriedly ran down the corridor, grabbed the child who was playing with a water gun next to Xia Muqing, and patted him on the back: "Apologize quickly!"

Xu Ling watched all this in astonishment.

"If I'm not mistaken..."

"Just before I pressed the water gun, the Swift Dog..."

Recalling the content of the game, an idea suddenly flashed through Xia Muqing's mind.

The hint was indeed correct, the characteristic of the little hurricane dog was not "fear" at all.

But it is an extremely rare...prediction of danger!

…

"You mean, this Swift Dog was returned by the buyer because it was cowardly?"

"Yes," Xia Muqing nodded, "but it's obvious that cowardice is only a superficial manifestation."

The real reason lies in "danger prediction".

Xu Ling didn't have a deep understanding of this characteristic. After all, Blue Star's current research on the characteristics of mysterious beasts was still at a superficial level, but Xia Muqing knew it very clearly in her mind.

This is a rare S-level feature in the game.

Not only is it rare, but its "danger prediction" feature is also very powerful, allowing the mysterious beast to sense possible dangers around it in advance, so that it can take precautions in advance.

When used in battle, it is simply a magical weapon.

But that's also the problem.

The Swift Hound is still too small and too weak. The outside world is full of dangers for it. Its powerful characteristics not only allow it to predict the future, but also bring it ubiquitous fear.

The sharp claws of other mysterious beasts, the endless stream of steel vehicles, and humans who could be kicked away with a single kick...

Living in fear day after day, the Swift Dog gradually developed a timid and introverted character. Its powerful talent became a shackle on its back, restricting its growth.

Xia Muqing stroked the fur of the Swift Dog, her tone particularly gentle: "Don't be afraid, Xiaofeng, no one here will hurt you. Let's become stronger together?"

"Ouch."

Xu Ling looked at the Swift Dog with envy: "That's great, you can even get a good deal on this."

After listening to Xia Muqing's description, she could roughly feel how powerful the ability of "danger prediction" was.

"I wonder who originally bought it. If they knew they'd missed out on a mysterious beast with such rare characteristics, they'd probably be so angry they'd vomit blood..."

Xia Muqing: "Hey, I've seen its original owner, and you know him too."

Xu Ling: “……?”

Xia Muqing raised the corner of her mouth: "It's Liu Pan."

Xu Ling: “…Hahahahaha!”

Xu Ling clutched her stomach, laughing breathlessly. "Good boy, he really deserves this! He's selfish and pretentious, always looking up at the top of his head, his nostrils piercing the sky... Damn it, I've disliked him for a long time!"

"Come on, Mu Qing. Train the Gale Dog well. We must teach that guy a lesson on the subject test!"