The Stone-Armored Beast looked at the human before it but did not move.
It certainly heard that sentence, but it didn't know whether it should reply, or how it should reply.
Although the two sides had just communicated, they were not of the same race, nor even from the same world, and it didn't know if it could trust the other.
Moreover, its past experiences have led it to believe that death might not be a bad choice.
At least this way, I won't have to face missions where I could be captured and sent to my death at any moment!
But its instinct for survival compels it to stay alive...
Shen Heng looked at the Stone-Armored Beast but did not urge it.
After a long time, he said again:
"If you'd like to give it a try, you can come with us."
"I can't guarantee your survival, because I can't even be sure if I'll live on. All I can offer you is..."
Shen Heng paused for a moment, looked at the Stone-Armored Beast, and said:
"We won't treat you like disposable material, sending you on missions with a high probability of death, or even death itself!"
The Stone-Armored Beast still didn't reply. It looked at the human in front of it and found him rather amusing. He clearly wanted it to do their work, but he wouldn't even lie to it.
Not casually?
Doesn't that mean we should still ask for it when the time is right?
but...
The Stone-Armored Beast looked at the human in front of it.
Those dark eyes were still the same, without any particular expression, but... there did seem to be something different.
The Stone-Armored Beast hesitated for a moment, then asked:
What if I don't?
In their field of vision, the human paused for a moment, then a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Xu Ruiyu stood to the side, listening silently.
Actually, he didn't understand either; he was just waiting for the interrogation results, but...
Xu Ruiyu glanced at the Stone-Armored Beast and pondered.
" At Tier 3, you probably won't get any useful information, right?"
The government has already done the relevant work; you can't extract any useful information from low-level Calamity Beast.
This is why they usually kill the Calamity Beast on the spot.
This time, it was only because the Stone-Armored Beast survived by chance and was discovered by the warriors, who then reported it, that the usual procedure was followed.
But in reality, he didn't think he could obtain any valuable intelligence.
To obtain useful information, you'd need at least Molten-Fire Lizard or Sky-Sundering Kamaitachi, right?
Xu Ruiyu thought to himself.
Unfortunately, these were Calamity Beast that even defeating them was difficult, let alone capturing and interrogating them.
That would only be possible if Daoist Master Li over, right?
Xu Ruiyu shook his head, banishing the idea from his mind.
If we really let Daoist Master Li come, it would be troublesome if his escape route was cut off!
Although people from Blue Star come in every day, and even if something does happen, they will find it and deal with it as soon as possible, it is still a hassle.
But why isn't the interrogation over yet?
And the atmosphere doesn't seem like a normal interrogation.
Xu Ruiyu checked the time, then looked at the man and beast who were being interrogated.
He had a feeling from the very beginning that the entire interrogation process was a bit strange.
He would occasionally fall silent, then laugh, and when he did speak, it wasn't a question-and-answer session.
Suddenly, he turned his head sharply.
The Stone-Armored Beast, which had been lying motionless on the ground, suddenly moved and rapidly rose into the air.
Xu Ruiyu instinctively wanted to retreat.
After all, this Stone-Armored Beast is Tier 3 beast, and he himself is only Tier 3!
But then he remembered that Shen Heng was here, so even if the Stone-Armored Beast was Fourth Tier, it wouldn't make a difference, and he forced himself to stop.
He first glanced uncertainly at the Stone-Armored Beast that had stood up, and only after confirming that the Stone-Armored Beast still showed no signs of attacking did he turn his gaze to the side.
Shen Heng remained standing there calmly, gazing indifferently at the Stone-Armored Beast.
Seeing this, Xu Ruiyu breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems that Captain Shen made the Stone-Armored Beast stand up, but...
Somewhat puzzled, Xu Ruiyu turned his gaze back to the Stone-Armored Beast.
The Stone-Armored Beast stood up on its two hind legs and then slowly circled twice in place.
What's going on here? It's like a job interview!
Xu Ruiyu almost laughed, but his lips barely parted in a slight smile before he quickly suppressed it, looking around in disbelief at the person beside him.
"No, Captain Shen, do you want to take it?"
"Hmm, is there a problem?"
Shen Heng first glanced at Xu Ruiyu, then turned his gaze to the Stone-Armored Beast and nodded to it to sit down.
Some of the smarter Stone-Armored Beast paused for a moment, then carefully placed their forelegs on the ground before lying down again, their eyes fixed on the two people in front of them.
"It's not just that there's a problem, it's that there's definitely a problem! This is Calamity Beast!" Xu Ruiyu shouted.
The normal procedure is to interrogate them, if that doesn't work, kill them? Why are they now taking in the Calamity Beast?
"Yes, I know!" Shen Heng nodded, his voice remaining calm.
"Now that you know you still..." Xu Ruiyu paused, then asked, "Is this Calamity Beast of great value?"
"Hmm... I guess not?" Shen Heng pondered for a moment before replying.
"If you didn't have it, why did you accept it?" Xu Ruiyu asked, his eyes slightly wide, somewhat puzzled.
"Although it doesn't have much value or any useful information, it should still be suitable as a research subject." Shen Heng calmly looked at the Stone-Armored Beast that had fallen back down.
"Research... subject?" Xu Ruiyu repeated hesitantly.
"Hmm," Shen Heng nodded, "Let's study whether the Calamity Beast in the Ruins Realm can be tamed."
"This..." Xu Ruiyu paused, his gaze fixed on the Stone-Armored Beast, "Hasn't the country done this before?"
"Yes, I'm not entirely sure of the specifics, but it's roughly about confining the Calamity Beast to a certain area and then trying to cultivate a bond with them," Shen Heng said, glancing at Xu Ruiyu again. "As it stands, this method might not be very effective!"
Xu Ruiyu nodded, indicating that he understood, but his gaze still lingered on the Stone-Armored Beast with some unease.
But... is this okay?
"Hmm... I can't say for sure there won't be any problems, but this is the most emotionally stable Calamity Beast I've ever seen. I usually keep it by my side, especially during wartime..."
Shen Heng paused, his gaze slightly narrowed as he looked at the Stone-Armored Beast.
" Tier 3, B-Class danger level, it's relatively easy to deal with."
Sensing the gaze of the human before it, the Stone-Armored Beast instinctively tensed up.
Although I don't know what the other person is saying, it's probably the same response they gave when I said "no"—if I don't, they'll kill me, right?
Xu Ruiyu hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.
He turned his gaze back to the Stone-Armored Beast.
The Stone-Armored Beast was lying quietly on the ground. When it saw him looking over, it also turned its gaze over, and then quickly looked away.
This setup does indeed seem suitable for research purposes...