We're Not Related by Blood!

Bai Xuan was busy in the kitchen. He had never cooked a Wolf Heart before, but fortunately, the World Book had provided instructions.

All he had to do was cook it in a pressure cooker, then add a little salt.

As for the taste, the World Book's verdict was: delicious!

"What a huge heart..."

Bai Xuan stared at the enormous Wolf Heart in the pressure cooker and couldn't help commenting.

It was way too big!

He figured he could eat a tenth of it at most.

But how much would he need to eat to boost his stats?

The description said it could "provide stats to up to five people." Did that mean he had to eat a fifth?

That would be around two pounds, wouldn't it?

He hoped it wouldn't taste too bad.

Meanwhile, Bai Yu was driving home.

With Liu Qian away in White Sea City, she could leave the Safe House early.

As she drove, she looked at her fingers, which she could now stretch freely, and a faint smile touched her lips.

With this superpower, she could...

"Oh, right. I haven't told Bai Xuan yet."

Bai Yu immediately sent Bai Xuan a voice message.

Beep, beep, beep—

"Hm?"

Bai Xuan, who was cooking the Wolf Heart, heard his phone alert and picked it up at once.

But when he saw the message, his expression turned grave.

"Bai Xuan, I'm on my way home."

Huh?

Bai Yu was coming back?

Bai Xuan froze for a moment. But the Wolf Heart was still in the pot...

He couldn't just throw it out halfway through cooking, could he?

After a moment's thought, he returned to his room and warned Marée Alaira, "Little Marie, be good and stay in here for a while. Don't make a sound, okay?"

"Why, human?"

Marée Alaira looked up from the pillow she was clutching and chewing, now soggy with saliva.

"Because..."

Bai Xuan thought for a moment, then said, "Because the 'queen' of this planet is coming back. We can't make her angry, or she'll throw us out onto the street."

"?"

Marée Alaira paused, took another bite of the pillow, and replied indistinctly, "The queen who rules this planet? Interesting. She can come destroy the world with me!"

"..."

Bai Xuan narrowed his eyes. In the end, he repeated, "Remember, stay hidden and keep quiet!"

"Okay!"

Having warned her, Bai Xuan left the bedroom.

He had just stepped into the kitchen when the front door clicked open. Bai Yu walked in carrying two bags.

As soon as Bai Yu closed the door, she caught the rich aroma of meat filling the apartment. "Are you stewing meat?" she asked Bai Xuan in the kitchen.

"Yeah," Bai Xuan answered. "I bought some meat at the market today. Thought you could use a good meal."

"Meat?" Bai Yu came into the kitchen and looked at the hissing pressure cooker. "What kind of meat?"

"Donkey meat."

"Donkey meat?"

"Yep."

"I've never had donkey meat before. How much longer does it need?"

"About half an hour."

"Then I'll take a shower," Bai Yu said. "I'll enjoy your feast when I'm done."

Bai Xuan smiled. "Of course, Your Majesty."

"Mm."

With that, Bai Yu went to her room to shower.

Bai Xuan let out a breath and turned toward his own room, only to find Marée Alaira quietly watching Bai Yu's room through the crack in the door.

"???"

"What are you doing?" Bai Xuan asked in disbelief.

"Human, I need to observe the ruler of this planet carefully—" Before Marée Alaira could finish, Bai Xuan lightly tapped her on the head.

"Ow!"

"Go hide! I'll bring you some meat in a bit."

"Fine, human."

Inside the Ninghang City Investigation Bureau.

More than a dozen men and women sat around the conference table once again, arguing heatedly.

"What's going on?! How did Gale Wolves get into downtown Ninghang City?"

"Is that the important part? Isn't the real issue that there was a Wolf King in the pack?"

"Have you all lost your minds? What we should be focusing on is that an Evil Organization member was crushed to death by the Wolf King!"

"Are you all missing the point? Shouldn't we first figure out where that Crimson Dragon Mecha came from?"

"Well... the problem is, we don't know much about that stuff. Mechas are more common in America and Sakura Country."

"I heard Yanjing has a mecha too, only it's bigger—fifty or sixty meters tall."

"Whoa. Seriously..."

Bang, bang, bang!

The bespectacled middle-aged man suddenly rapped on the table. "Everyone, we're here to discuss serious business, not chat about unrelated matters!"

"Right, right! The deputy director is right!"

"According to the surveillance footage, that Crimson Dragon Mecha also seems to be connected to the mysterious man in the Slime Mask."

"Him again? Why is it always him?"

"Could there be an organization behind them too? Maybe that man's even one of its leaders?"

"What about the Female Knight? She didn't show up this time?"

"Tch! If you ask me, that Crimson Dragon Mecha was even stronger than the Female Knight!"

"That was a Gale Wolf King! Its estimated Anomalies rating was at least E+!"

"What nonsense! The Female Knight wiped out over ten thousand Zombies with one sword strike, plus dozens of 'Tyrant' Biological Weapons! How is that not stronger than the Crimson Dragon Mecha?"

"What are Zombies compared to a Wolf King? It could eat them in one bite!"

"You—!"

"All of you, shut up!" the bespectacled middle-aged man snapped. The conference room fell silent.

He turned to Shen Mei and asked gravely, "Any progress on what I asked you to investigate?"

"Well..."

Shen Mei looked troubled and managed a strained smile. "Deputy Director, you know as well as I do that these people appear and disappear without a trace. Finding any leads on them will be..."

"Sigh..." The middle-aged man sighed, his tone heavy. "Find a way. We need to know who they are."

His voice grew firmer. "Their strength is nearly beyond our ability to control. If they decide to act against Ninghang City, it'll be too late to respond then."

His words plunged everyone into silence.

It was clear that the power displayed by those two people and one dragon was beyond what Junior Investigators could handle. Even Intermediate Investigators would likely struggle to stop them.

As for Advanced Investigators...

Ninghang City was only a C-Rank City. The entire Investigation Bureau had just one Advanced Investigator, and he was not in the city at the moment.

Bai Xuan divided the heart into five equal portions and delivered servings to Marée Alaira and Xilin first.

Then he prepared a portion each for himself and Bai Yu, taking only a tenth of the total and arranging it on their plates like steak.

"Is it ready?"

Fresh from the shower, Bai Yu came out of her room, drying her wet hair as she walked.

"Yeah, it's—"

Bai Xuan turned toward her and saw that she was wearing only a thin undershirt.

Water droplets she hadn't dried off had dampened the fabric, making it cling to her skin. A faint shade of pink showed through underneath.

"Bai Yu, we might not actually be related by blood," Bai Xuan reminded her quietly.

"So what?"

Bai Yu didn't seem to care. She sat down, cut off a small piece, and popped it into her mouth.

The next second, her eyes lit up, delight spreading across her face.

"Delicious!"