Ghost Shadow Squid

Not long after, Shen Qinghan trotted down from upstairs, afraid of keeping Lin Zichen waiting too long downstairs.

"Why did you come out in your pajamas?"

"I was in such a rush to come down that I forgot to change."

"Then go back and change."

"I'm too lazy to go back. Let's hurry to the mall and buy things. Dad just gave me 200 yuan, so I'm a little rich girl now. Whatever you want to buy later, I'll pay!"

Shen Qinghan skillfully plopped onto the back seat of Lin Zichen's bicycle, holding two crisp hundred-yuan bills and waving them in front of him, her delicate little face filled with triumph.

Lin Zichen touched the 1,000 yuan in his pocket. Not wanting to dampen her spirits, he smiled and said:

"Alright, Miss Shen will be footing the bill tonight."

"Stop talking, let's go, let's go! If we're late, we won't have much time to browse, and Mom and Dad will definitely call to urge me to come home early."

"Then hold on tight."

"I'm already holding on!"

Shen Qinghan wrapped her arms around Lin Zichen's waist, her face beaming with a smile.

Lin Zichen didn't waste any more words; he pushed off hard with his feet, and the bike surged forward in the next instant.

Huamao New World, first-floor main entrance.

Lin Zichen found a spot to park the bicycle, and soon he and Shen Qinghan headed up to the top floor of the mall.

If it were daytime, he would have taken Shen Qinghan to browse the ordinary commercial area below first, treating her to food and fun.

But it was too late for that; he had to hurry to the Exotic Beast commercial area on the top floor to touch the Exotic Beast meat and verify his hypothesis.

"Xiao Chen, what are you planning to buy? Why did we come all the way up here?"

In the Exotic Beast commercial area on the top floor, Shen Qinghan looked at the dazzling array of Exotic Beast products before her, feeling a bit bewildered.

At a glance, the prices of the goods as far as the eye could see were more expensive than the last, and absurdly so; the 200 yuan in her hand wouldn't even be enough to make a dent.

Lin Zichen said honestly: "Actually, I don't really want to buy anything. I just wanted to come here to observe the Exotic Beast meat up close."

Shen Qinghan nodded in understanding after hearing this.

Lin Zichen had loved studying Exotic Beasts since he was a child, so it was perfectly normal for him to want to see what the meat looked like with his own eyes.

"Then let's hurry up and look around. I'm quite curious about Exotic Beasts too."

When they were younger, Shen Qinghan had often looked at books about Exotic Beasts with Lin Zichen, even accidentally wetting several of his books—a memory that remained vivid to this day.

Soon, the two of them were wandering through the Exotic Beast product area.

Beyond just the meat, there were many derivative products related to Exotic Beasts here.

There were accessories made from Exotic Beast scales.

There were figurines modeled after the appearance of Exotic Beasts.

There were specimens of small Exotic Beasts, and so on.

Lin Zichen wasn't interested in any of these. He just accompanied Shen Qinghan for a quick look before heading straight into the section selling Exotic Beast meat.

He examined several pieces of meat, only to find that they were all pre-cut and processed, making it impossible to tell what kind of Exotic Beast they had come from.

Most importantly, they were all sealed in transparent plastic wrap, making it impossible to touch them with his hands, which meant he couldn't test the devouring effect of Survival of the Fittest.

Refusing to give up, he carefully circled the area.

Finally, in a corner, he spotted some Exotic Beast meat that could be touched.

It was fresh meat that had just been slaughtered and processed, with staff members nearby busy portioning and packaging it.

"Hanhan, wait for me here."

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to touch the Exotic Beast meat over there."

"Huh?"

Shen Qinghan was a bit confused.

Lin Zichen didn't explain much to her. Taking advantage of the fact that the staff member was distracted, he quietly crept into the worker's blind spot.

Then, he reached out to touch the piece of fresh Exotic Beast meat closest to him.

The moment his hand made contact, Lin Zichen felt the vitality contained within the meat.

It was extremely vigorous, dense, and powerful!

Instinctively, Lin Zichen wanted to devour the entire Life Origin within the meat, leaving not a trace behind.

No, he couldn't do that!

If the vitality in the meat was gone, the meat would likely spoil.

If he wanted it, he would have to pay for it himself...

Lin Zichen's reason overcame his instinct, and he came to his senses just in time, refraining from the improper act of stealing the Life Origin from the Exotic Beast meat.

Although this act could be done quite covertly, and it likely wouldn't be discovered if done only once.

However, once that precedent was set, he couldn't imagine what kind of person he would become in the future.

If things went as expected, he would likely become an outlaw who loved to reap without sowing, enjoyed swindling and deceiving, and took pleasure in burning, killing, and looting.

One didn't have to be a saint, but one could not be a villain; at the very least, one could not lose their integrity.

Thinking this to his heart, Lin Zichen quickly returned to Shen Qinghan's side.

Seeing him return, Shen Qinghan asked curiously at the first opportunity, "Xiao Chen, how did that Exotic Beast meat feel to the touch? Is it any different from ordinary meat?"

"It didn't feel any different. If I had to say there was a difference, it just seemed a bit fresher," Lin Zichen replied nonchalantly.

At this moment, he had already confirmed the guess in his heart: it really was only Exotic Beast meat that contained enough Life Origin to be devoured.

With this in mind, he would have to find a way to earn money to buy Exotic Beast meat to devour in the future.

Without dwelling on it further, Lin Zichen continued to wander around the area with Shen Qinghan.

Looking here and there, they found everything they saw to be quite novel.

Aside from a few low-priced derivative products, most goods related to Exotic Beasts were extremely expensive luxuries that ordinary families could never hope to touch.

Being able to see so many at once, it was hard not to feel a sense of novelty.

He felt they had seen enough.

His horizons had been broadened.

Lin Zichen came to a stop in front of a counter selling Exotic Beast meat, pointed to a type of meat called "Ghost Shadow Squid" inside, and said to the female clerk:

"Hello, I would like to buy one jin of this meat."

Having wandered here for so long, the Ghost Shadow Squid meat was the cheapest Exotic Beast meat he had seen, and the only one he could afford.

The price was 998 per jin.

The second cheapest type of Exotic Beast meat cost 2,000 per jin.

With such a massive price difference, there was no need to consider which one to choose.

"You want to buy this? Where are your parents? Are you all by yourself?"

Looking at Lin Zichen, who was wearing his Shanhai High School uniform, the female clerk couldn't help but be full of confusion, unable to understand why a middle school student would come here to buy Exotic Beast meat.

Lin Zichen took 1,000 yuan from his pocket and placed it on the counter, saying calmly, "Yes, just me. I want to buy one jin of Ghost Shadow Squid meat."

"No, you're too young, you can't buy it." The female clerk refused to sell to Lin Zichen.

After all, the amount was quite large, and selling it to a minor carried significant risk; she would likely have the boy's parents coming to settle accounts with her later.

Lin Zichen understood the clerk's concerns, so he had no choice but to initiate a video call to Zhang Wanxin, intending to obtain her consent to buy the Ghost Shadow Squid meat right in front of the clerk.