Metal Nameplate

"I don't like that stuff," Sun Hang said bluntly.

"The Beast Transformation Inhibitor is a specialized drug the institute developed specifically for her. Even if you wanted to use it, you couldn't," Yang Qi said. "Besides, your infection progression is extremely stable, and your body shows no signs of mutation. You can live just like a normal person."

"But that also means I'm weak right now, doesn't it?" Sun Hang looked at his hands. "Other than knowing I'm infected with the Anomalization Virus and often drooling over anomalies, there doesn't seem to be anything special about me..."

"Every Hunter has to discover their own abilities. Besides, your source of infection is exceptionally unique," Yang Qi said. "To date, you are the only human infected by Taotie."

"Is Taotie that special?" Sun Hang asked.

"Very special. It has always devoured only other anomalies and has never infected anything else... Your existence alone is enough to turn dozens of research papers related to Taotie into wastepaper." Yang Qi's expression was somewhat complicated. "And Taotie's abilities are highly malleable. For example..."

Yang Qi paused here and glanced from the corner of her eye at Wang Xiyi, who was leaning over the balcony railing and gazing into the distance. "Hypothetically, and I mean hypothetically, if you ate her, there's a high chance you'd gain Night Fiend's beast transformation ability. It could be an inferior version of the ability, or it could be a stronger, evolved version."

"So as long as I keep devouring anomalies, I can become stronger?"

"In theory, yes, but the risks are enormous." Yang Qi raised three fingers. "First, some anomalies have traits and abilities that conflict with each other. If you devour both types at once, you might suffer something like 'food poisoning.' Second, some anomalies are far stronger than you, perhaps even stronger than Taotie. If you devour them, not only will you be unable to digest their abilities, you may be burst apart or assimilated in reverse. Third, every time you devour an anomaly, it's equivalent to being infected with the Anomalization Virus all over again... Taotie is itself an anomaly, so it has nothing to fear. But you're different. Every time you devour something, you take another step closer to becoming an anomaly and another step farther from being human."

"That ability sounds like it has some pretty serious side effects." Sun Hang smacked his lips and glanced at the delicious cilantro-sprinkled dish on the balcony.

If I ate Wang Xiyi, I'd be the one eating cilantro every day, wouldn't I?

Just thinking about it was enough to make Sun Hang's scalp tingle.

"Very serious. And we have very little information about Taotie... Even now, I still don't understand why my teacher assigned me as your direct supervisor. Logically speaking, an 'important specimen' like you should have been handled personally by him," Yang Qi sighed.

"Maybe your teacher already sees you as his successor," Sun Hang said casually as he pushed open the villa's courtyard gate and walked inside.

The villa's front door used a biometric lock. Sun Hang had barely stepped inside, his hand not yet touching the handle, when he heard a click and the latch automatically retracted.

"I entered your identification data into the lock back at the institute," Yang Qi said. "From now on, this will be your new home."

Sun Hang entered the villa and looked it over. The interior was spacious and bare. Almost every trace of the previous owner had been erased, while all the furniture and daily necessities had been replaced with new ones. A flat, round robot vacuum was gliding back and forth over the smooth floor of the entry hall.

"Are you satisfied?" Yang Qi asked.

"It's pretty nice." Sun Hang walked to the refrigerator and opened it. Several shelves were packed full, containing fresh fish, meat, vegetables, and fruit, as well as convenience meals that only needed a quick spin in the microwave.

"If you need a housekeeper or nanny, we can arrange one for you too," Yang Qi said. "Though most Hunters prefer to live alone, except for that guy who died last time..."

"What about him?"

"He didn't want a housekeeper or nanny. He applied to the institute for three young, pretty girls to live with him." Yang Qi sounded helpless.

"And you agreed?"

"We did, but we only sent one person."

"Who?"

"Wang Xiyi... She broke three of his ribs and crushed two of his fingers. After that, he never dared make that kind of request again," Yang Qi said.

"Wang Xiyi is that strong?"

"Among all the Anomaly Hunters in the Xiazhou Federation, she ranks near the top in strength... Unfortunately, she probably doesn't have much time left." Yang Qi could not help sighing.

"Why? Is she dying?"

"When she first came to Tianfu City, she only needed an inhibitor injection once every half month. But now, she needs four injections a day just to barely maintain her human form," Yang Qi said. "Although the inhibitor has already reached its fifth generation, its effectiveness has only gotten worse. Once it becomes completely ineffective for her, she likely won't ever be able to turn back into a human."

"Can she retain her human consciousness while transformed?"

"It's difficult. In the beast-transformed state, human self-awareness gradually fades. A short transformation won't have much effect... But if she remains transformed for too long, it will only be a matter of time before she completely loses her humanity and becomes an anomaly." A faint note of worry entered Yang Qi's voice.

"..." Sun Hang fell silent for a few seconds, then took an apple from the refrigerator and bit into it.

"All right, you can stay here tonight. I need to return to the institute. If you have any needs or problems, just call me," Yang Qi said. "All the restrictions on the phone the Investigation Bureau issued you have been lifted. Of course, you can get a new phone if you want."

"Take care. I won't see you out. Drive safely." Sun Hang sat down on the sofa while biting into his apple.

After Yang Qi left, the spacious villa suddenly became desolate and quiet, leaving only the faint rustling sound of the robot vacuum gliding across the floor.

"New home..." Sun Hang raised his head and looked around the room again, muttering, "Is this going to be my home from now on...?"

He took out the Metal Nameplate from his pocket and gently rubbed the two characters "Sun Hang" with the pad of his thumb... For a moment, a strange thought surfaced in his mind.

"It'd be nice if this nameplate were gold."

However, when his thumb brushed across the nameplate again, the originally silvery-white stainless steel was actually plated with a golden sheen!

Before Sun Hang could even feel shocked, the stabbing pain that had not appeared for a long time surged up from the depths of his mind!