Strong Reinforcements

"Deploy some people to guard the Cold Storage Warehouse."

"No, forget it. I'll lead the team myself."

Wang Jinyin suddenly changed his mind.

The Secret Realm needed manpower, and the Freezer needed manpower too. They were stretched thin.

"I was wondering why the space between my brows had been throbbing. I kept feeling that I'd overlooked something—I'd forgotten that Jiaying City's outskirts had a massive cold storage facility built specifically for frozen meat."

"But how did the Burrowing rats evade our focused search and escape onto that smuggling freighter?"

A sharp pain stabbed through Wang Jinyin's head. At that moment, he felt as though his brain simply wasn't enough.

"I think I've figured out why."

The secretary adjusted her black-rimmed glasses.

"I investigated the smuggling freighter's travel records. It once passed through the waters where the Secret Realm Rift was located."

"That was probably when some of the escaped Burrowing rats climbed aboard the ship."

"Though Burrowing rats are Earth Attribute Strange Beasts, they can swim."

"Our drones use a thermal detection system. Those Burrowing rats hid inside refrigerated containers, naturally evading the drones' detection."

"In an environment with abundant food, Burrowing rats' reproductive capacity increases severalfold."

The secretary answered the chairman's doubts.

"Most of our manpower has already been dispatched. Now I'm afraid something unexpected will happen."

Wang Jinyin let out a long sigh. He felt that in these past few days, he had sighed out all the sighs he had never sighed in his life.

A Beast Tide—it was a Beast Tide.

Anyone who had experienced a Beast Tide knew how terrifying one could be.

Ten years ago, a Fourth Order Beast Tide erupted in Jiaying City. To stop it, the then-chairman of the Jiaying City Pet Beast Guild detonated his main pet beast, Exploding Rock, sacrificing himself to halt the Beast Tide.

"Little Wang, what are you sighing for? I could hear you sighing from far away."

A booming voice sounded from outside the door. The instant Wang Jinyin heard it, delight appeared on his face.

Help had arrived.

Principal Zhang pushed open the door and entered. "What's the situation now? I heard something happened again."

"Even Sacred Mountain Middle School was attacked by a group of Burrowing rats. We've already killed them all."

Zhang Dashan loathed Beast Tides deeply. His main pet beasts had all died during the resistance against Beast Tides.

Heartbroken and severely injured, Zhang Dashan promptly relinquished his position as chairman of the Yandong Pet Beast Guild. He came to Sacred Mountain Middle School to cultivate talent for the Yan Country Alliance.

"The situation at the Secret Realm Rift has already been brought under control. However, the escaped Burrowing rats climbed onto a freighter smuggling frozen goods and began reproducing wildly."

"After First Order Burrowing rats receive nourishment from a large amount of flesh and blood, they directly advance into Second Order Berserk Blood Rats."

"What we're worried about now is whether this will trigger another Beast Tide."

Wang Jinyin hurriedly stood and explained.

"It's fine. The risk posed by Second Order Berserk Blood Rats can still be controlled."

"We need to focus our investigations on places like slaughterhouses and ensure the citizens' safety."

"We must suppress this Beast Tide completely."

"Some teachers from Sacred Mountain Middle School and I will lend a hand."

With Principal Zhang's assistance, the pressure on Wang Jinyin eased considerably.

He personally led a team toward the large cold storage facility, hoping to wipe out every last one of those Burrowing rats.

Not long after Wang Jinyin departed, the stone lion statue at the Guild entrance—a snarling Stone Lion carved from an enormous block of marble—

At that moment, the Stone Lion's shadow abruptly stretched and lengthened, and a Black Robed Man emerged from it.

"He's finally gone. My plan is proceeding quite smoothly."

"Although they discovered the Secret Realm Rift early on, the outcome is still unfolding according to my plan."

"I hope what I want is in the Pet Beast Guild's Secret Vault."

"Otherwise, I'll truly have been busy for nothing—the legendary Seven-Orifice Exquisite Jade, the Seven-Orifice Exquisite Jade capable of copying talents."

"If it falls into my hands, my status within the organization will definitely rise."

The Black Robed Man muttered to himself.

After Wang Jinyin left, the Black Robed Man felt that no one within the Pet Beast Guild could stop him now.

He could come and go through the Pet Beast Guild as he pleased.

The Black Robed Man's body immediately turned into countless Dark Shadows and dispersed across the ground.

Meanwhile, Ye Bai had arrived at one side of Jiaying City Central Park.

The Burrowing rats that appeared along the way were all easily dealt with by the Thousand Changes Silkworm.

Steelize + Roll turned the Thousand Changes Silkworm into a high-speed steamroller.

Everywhere it passed, Burrowing rats were crushed into meat patties.

The Thousand Changes Silkworm's level was also rising rapidly, soon reaching the peak of First Order.

But at this point, no matter how much energy it absorbed, it was difficult to break through the First Order bottleneck and enter Second Order.

That was because when a pet beast advanced from First Order to Second Order, a Crystal Core condensed in its Sea of Consciousness—the location of its brain.

The process was exceedingly dangerous. Either Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures were needed to help the pet beast break through First Order, or various Awakening Potions had to be used.

Because of the Thousand Changes Silkworm's unusual Evolution Path, Ye Bai feared that if it ate the wrong thing and directly evolved into a Gray Poison Moth, he would cry himself to death.

(The Thousand Changes Silkworm is a variant of the Chameleon Silkworm. Its genes are more complex, and it also has a certain chance of evolving into a Gray Poison Moth.)

Now, Ye Bai was waiting for the Divine Phoenix Group to publicly conduct clinical trials, intending to use that opportunity to let the Thousand Changes Silkworm advance to Second Order with one hundred percent certainty.

Just then, the sound of air tearing came from above. "Ye Bai? Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to go to school and take shelter?"

Zhang Lingxue rode atop an enormous purple moth and descended from the sky.

This moth was immense. Its wings bore patterns of two huge eyes, and every flap scattered countless purple specks down from the sky.

Its enormous antennae were like sharp sickles, while its huge purple Compound Eyes stared fixedly at Ye Bai.

"Teacher, this is a Gray Poison Moth!!!"

Ye Bai curiously examined the massive pet beast. From it, he could sense a terrifying pressure like a vast sea and bottomless abyss.

Da Hui's pupils turned azure blue, and arcs of deep blue lightning began to emerge from his body.

"Little Purple, rein in your pressure first. This is my Personal Disciple, Ye Bai."

"Ye Bai, this is Little Purple. Her species is the Gray Poison Moth, and she was my first pet beast. Due to an experimental failure, she evolved into a Gray Poison Moth."

"However, she's different from ordinary Gray Poison Moths. Under my careful training, she has become extremely, extremely strong."

Ye Bai immediately understood. This was Zhang Lingxue's Fifth Order pet beast. Then, noticing the purple coloring on the Gray Poison Moth, he fell into deep thought.

The Information System had once indicated that some Gray Poison Moths possessed the ability to evolve, their distinguishing feature being purple on their wings.

Zhang Lingxue seemed to share an excellent bond with the Gray Poison Moth. The Gray Poison Moth danced gracefully in midair, and purple scales drifted down from the sky like snowflakes.