An awakening inducer with a 90% mortality rate

The next day.

Fang Yuan put the two cats into a pet carrier and took them to the Mutant Biology Research Institute designated by the Supervision Bureau for an examination.

With the recent increase in mutant creatures in Donghai City, quite a few people were waiting in line to register at the Mutant Biology Research Institute.

Fang Yuan waited half an hour before it was his turn to take the cats in for their examination.

Meow! Meow!

The two cats were a little wary of strangers. Their fur bristled inside the carrier, and they bared their teeth at the researcher.

The researcher seemed long accustomed to this. Wearing gloves, he first held down the orange cat and began examining it.

"This cat isn't a house pet, is it?"

"Does that matter?" Fang Yuan asked back.

"No. People often bring wild animals here to register. As long as you can tame them, it doesn't matter."

The researcher adjusted his glasses and began scanning the orange cat with star-source rays, asking casually, "Do you know what its ability is?"

"Flame Claw," Fang Yuan answered.

Somewhat surprised, the researcher looked up at Fang Yuan.

Most people who brought pets to the institute to register only described their pets' strange abilities. Very few gave the official names outright.

After scanning the orange cat with star-source rays, the researcher collected its Star Power signature.

The computer searched the database and soon displayed the ability's name. It was indeed "Flame Claw."

After finishing with the orange cat, he began examining the gray cat.

"Advanced Agility Enhancement. That's quite a rare ability. Usually, reaching intermediate is already pretty good."

The researcher continued the examination, then suddenly frowned. He looked up at Fang Yuan and asked in puzzlement, "Are you a mutant creature dealer?"

"A mutant creature dealer? Me?" Fang Yuan pointed at himself, a little dumbfounded.

"You look like a high school student, so you certainly don't look like a mutant creature dealer. But these two cats appear to have undergone induced mutation," the researcher explained.

"What do you mean by induced mutation?"

"Awakening inducer. You haven't used it on them?" The researcher's face was full of suspicion.

"No. I've never even seen any awakening inducer." Fang Yuan's brow furrowed.

"Never mind. This isn't the first time someone has used awakening inducer on animals. As long as you keep these two cats under control and don't let them out to hurt people, there isn't much the Supervision Bureau can do to you."

"What is awakening inducer? Could you be more specific?" Fang Yuan pressed, frowning.

Sensing that Fang Yuan truly didn't know, the researcher explained further. "It's a banned drug that can induce humans to awaken abilities, but it has a very high chance of causing brain death. According to current data, awakening inducer has only a 3% awakening rate and a mortality rate as high as 90%. The state has explicitly banned it."

"With a mortality rate that high, does anyone really dare use it?" Fang Yuan was puzzled.

"There are always people who aren't afraid of dying. Of course, most people are, so people started using awakening inducer on animals instead," the researcher answered.

Fang Yuan understood at once.

The mortality rate of awakening inducer was so high that ordinary people certainly wouldn't dare use it, but using it on animals came with no burden at all.

So mutant creature dealers caught batches of stray cats and dogs, locked them up, and fed them awakening inducer. They threw away the ones that died. As long as one out of a hundred survived, they had a superpowered pet.

"Superpowered pets have become a business now, so awakening inducer keeps turning up despite repeated bans," the researcher said with a sigh.

"I really haven't used any awakening inducer. Are you sure these two cats mutated because they were given it?" Fang Yuan pressed.

"People often bring animals with induced mutations here to register. I can't be a hundred percent certain, but I'm ninety percent sure these two cats underwent induced mutation," the researcher answered.

"I really haven't used any awakening inducer. Could someone else have fed it to them?" Fang Yuan continued asking.

"That's basically impossible. Do you know how much one dose of awakening inducer costs on the black market?"

"How much?"

"Two hundred thousand. Do you think someone who used awakening inducer on them would let them roam around outside?"

An astonished expression appeared on Fang Yuan's face.

An awakening inducer with a mortality rate as high as 90% actually cost two hundred thousand a dose. That was outrageous.

After examining the two cats, the researcher put mutant creature collars around their necks, then returned them to the carrier and handed it back to Fang Yuan.

Carrying the two cats, Fang Yuan took the subway home.

He kept thinking about what the researcher had said, feeling that something wasn't right.

That night.

In a bar on Qingtang Street in the old district.

Bang!

Two men in black suits grabbed Qinglang by the head and pinned him against a glass table.

A young man wearing a bespoke coat, his hair combed sleek and shiny, sat down on the sofa. He turned the ring on his index finger and said coldly, "Is my money that easy to earn?"

"Give me another chance, Young Master Li. Give me another chance," Qinglang hurriedly begged.

Li Weilian reached out and twisted his head around. Looking at the scars on his forehead, he said, "Tsk, tsk... You said you'd deal with someone who was an eyesore for me, yet you got beaten up like this and still took every bit of the money. Do you really think I run a charity?!"

With that, Li Weilian smashed the glass table with a punch.

Bang!

The glass table shattered, scattering broken glass all over the floor.

The two men in black suits pinned Qinglang to the floor, where the scattered glass cut bloody gashes across his face.

"Young Master Li, I'll return the money. I'll give it back..." Qinglang said hurriedly.

"Do you think I need that little bit of money?" The corners of Li Weilian's mouth curled into a dangerous smile.

"Young Master Li, give me another chance. I'll make sure you're satisfied this time," Qinglang hurriedly promised.

"Three days. If you can't do what you promised within three days, I'll take your wolf claws and make a specimen out of them. I'll consider it a purchase for two hundred thousand." With that, Li Weilian got up and left the bar.

Friday.

After school that afternoon, Fang Yuan went to the hospital to have dinner with his younger sister.

At six, he went to cover a shift at the martial arts gym.

After that lunatic booking maniac disappeared, Fang Yuan's hourly lesson rate returned to normal.

Because he had to cover the shift, Fang Yuan could only stay with Fang Xiaozhu until six.

His mother, Li Shuhua, would come to stay at the hospital after eight.

At half past eight that evening, Fang Yuan was practicing his punches at the gym when he suddenly received a call from his mother.

"Xiaoyuan, did you take Xiaozhu out to play?" Li Shuhua's voice came over the phone.

Fang Yuan's eyes immediately widened. "No. I'm at the gym."

"But Xiaozhu isn't at the hospital."

"Did a doctor take her for an examination?"

"No. I asked her attending physician. There wasn't any examination."

"Mom, don't panic. I'll be right there."

Fang Yuan hung up, let Manager Liu know, then ran out of the gym, hailed a car, and rushed to the hospital.

As soon as he arrived, he saw Li Shuhua frantically searching for her daughter.

The moment Li Shuhua saw her son, she grabbed his hand in a panic and said, "I don't know where Xiaozhu's gone. What do we do?"

"Have you asked all the doctors?" Fang Yuan asked hurriedly.

"Yes, all of them. I asked the nurses too. They all said they didn't know." Li Shuhua was so anxious she didn't know what to do.

"Where's Old Fang?"

"Your dad went to the surveillance room to check the footage."

Fang Yuan hurried to the surveillance room too.

The three of them watched the surveillance playback together, running four screens simultaneously at eight times normal speed.

They soon spotted something in the footage.

At ten past seven that evening, someone dressed like a nurse had carried a girl out of the inpatient building on their back.

The girl seemed to be asleep, her head hanging down so her face wasn't visible.

Even so, Fang Yuan and Li Shuhua recognized her immediately. "Xiaozhu. It's Xiaozhu."

Fang Yuan's thoughts raced.

Who took my sister away?

If it was a kidnapping, that wouldn't be too bad.

If the Spear of God did it, things would be troublesome.