The Beastmen Race

Lu Zhiyu wore a white lab coat, his eyes full of anticipation as he watched a wild wolf slowly give birth to a litter of pups. There were four in all. He glanced at the wolf and saw it gradually grow drowsy and fall asleep. It was a little trick he'd recently figured out for using his mental energy: hypnosis.

Then Lu Zhiyu opened the cage and went inside, picking up the pups. They were tiny, and each had limbs almost exactly like a human's. Apart from their wolf ears and short tails, they were scarcely any different from human babies.

"The Werewolf Race has been successfully bred too!"

Lu Zhiyu stood up and looked down the long stone corridor. Densely packed cells lined both sides, holding all kinds of wild animals: tigers, dogs, cats, lynxes, bears. As he passed, they all let out fierce roars, and some even kept slamming into their cages.

But once Lu Zhiyu left and shut the heavy iron door behind him, all the roaring died down. Carrying the werewolf pups, he headed upstairs. This was the underground level, where Lu Zhiyu had designed the cells. He made his way up to the fourth-floor laboratory and saw that the lights in one room were on.

Lu Zhiyu pushed the door open and went inside. The room had white walls and warm lighting, and rows of tiny cribs filled the spacious area. Strange figures moved back and forth among them. They were Ant-Men, caring for the pups.

Each crib had a label listing a number, race, and sex. The Ant-Men would raise the pups here. These beings would become the first ancestors of the Beastmen Race; the Beastmen Race would begin with them.

Lu Zhiyu hoped that every race would be able to thrive in the Maria World. Every one of them represented a new race, a miracle of life. He had examined their brains, and their structure was very similar to that of humans—highly developed. He was certain that none of these races would be less intelligent than humans.

Lu Zhiyu checked each pup's condition and health. The Ant-Men watched over them around the clock, monitoring their health and well-being. So far, there didn't seem to be any problems.

The Beastmen Races already born included the Wolf Race, Fox Race, Tiger Race, Cat Race, Dog Race, Bear Race, and Sheep Race, among others. Together with the Rat-kin, there were eighteen races in all. But that still fell far short of what Lu Zhiyu had envisioned. In his plans, humans were indispensable too.

However, Lu Zhiyu didn't want to simply copy the human races of Earth into the Maria World. There would be no point, and it wouldn't be interesting. He wanted to create a completely different human race.

Lu Zhiyu had spent several months straight in the Space Castle, and he was beginning to feel exhausted. Although his work filled him with enthusiasm, living alone in such an environment still felt oppressive.

The work of breeding the Beastmen had reached a stopping point. The Ant-Men were looking after them, so Lu Zhiyu didn't need to worry. In a few years, he could try releasing these first-generation Beastmen into the wild so they could carry on their lineage and form their own civilized tribes. But there was no need for him to stay here for any of that. He only had to return to the outside world and wait patiently.

When Lu Zhiyu returned through the Dimensional Gate, he found that it was still nighttime outside. He had spent so long in the Space Castle, yet only a few dozen minutes had passed in the outside world.

He could spend decades in there, live out his entire lifespan, and grow old, while only two or three days passed outside. It made him realize even more clearly that he wasn't a god—just an ordinary person who'd gotten incredibly lucky.

Lying in bed, he opened the window and looked at the stars outside. He had to admit, the city air wasn't as fresh as the air in the Maria World, and the night sky wasn't as beautiful as the one Lu Zhiyu had created. But this place still felt more familiar and comfortable to him.

He hadn't been lying in bed for long when his phone rang. Lu Zhiyu picked it up at once and glanced at the screen. It was Xia Fan, that little devil.

As soon as he answered, Xia Fan's lively, youthful voice came through the phone. But she sounded furious as she shouted at Lu Zhiyu, "Lu Zhiyu, why aren't you replying to my WeChat messages? You're ignoring my texts too!"

Lu Zhiyu checked his phone and saw that he really did have a lot of notifications. "I didn't notice them. I usually check everything and reply all at once in the evening. What's up? Is something urgent?"

Xia Fan immediately yelled, "You jerk! I knew you hadn't taken it to heart. My birthday is tomorrow. My birthday!"

Lu Zhiyu suddenly remembered that he'd promised Xia Fan he would attend her birthday party. But he'd had a lot going on lately and had completely forgotten. Besides, he didn't really want to go to a birthday party full of students. But he'd promised Xia Fan, so there was no helping it. "Who says I forgot? I've been looking forward to it. It just hasn't arrived yet, has it?"

Xia Fan immediately saw through his excuse. "If I hadn't reminded you, you wouldn't have shown up tomorrow! I'm telling you, you have to be there. Otherwise, I'll come to your house and bite you to death!"

Lu Zhiyu realized he was being pretty wicked. At the words "bite you to death," his imagination ran wild. "Ahem. I know, I know. Send me the address, and I'll be there on time tomorrow!"

"Don't forget to bring a birthday present!"

The next afternoon, Lu Zhiyu drove along the streets, spending ages trying to decide what to give Xia Fan. A necklace? A bracelet? Those kinds of gifts carried too much meaning. In the end, he chose a Tissot watch. It was a modest brand, from its thousand-yuan women's watch range, and cost a little over four thousand yuan—not too expensive, and fairly suitable.

It wasn't until dusk that he finally arrived at a mid-range restaurant by the river. After asking a server, he found Xia Fan in a private room on the second floor. Before he even got close, he could hear the noisy cheers and laughter inside, so he pushed the door open and looked in.

The moment Lu Zhiyu poked his head through the door, everyone in the room turned to look at him. Several girls immediately shrieked, and one called out, "Hey, handsome! Who are you looking for?"

"Excuse me, is this Xia Fan's..."

Before Lu Zhiyu could finish, Xia Fan jumped up and shouted, "I'm over here! You finally made it. I was just about to call and hurry you up!"

There were already plenty of people there, both boys and girls, most of them students. Xia Fan rushed over, jumped into Lu Zhiyu's arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Then she took his arm and said, "Let me introduce you all. This is my boyfriend, Lu Zhiyu. See? I wasn't lying. Isn't he super handsome?"

Lu Zhiyu stared at Xia Fan, mouth agape. Since when had he become her boyfriend? He was just raising a hand to explain when Xia Fan bit his earlobe and whispered, "I've already bragged that I found a super handsome boyfriend. If you dare embarrass me and make me lose face, I won't be able to go on living!"