Chapter 96: Chapter 90: The Twisted Flower Also Deserves to be Loved

“We’re not the same people who imprisoned you,” Chen Xing said, looking up.

Since they could communicate, if the situation could be resolved through “verbal escape”, that would be best.

The bird-faced beast scrutinized Chen Xing with its sharp gaze, “I know you, you have a crocodile pet, and it seems to trust you a lot.”

A wave of surprise surged through Chen Xing’s heart, how did it know about Taotie, had monsters become so smart?

“I saw you on this thing,” the bird-faced beast indicated the television behind it.

“I was watching the replay of the Shu State Cup, it looks like I forgot to turn off the TV at home,” Li Xi whispered to Chen Xing.

“You want to command me as you do it?” the bird-faced beast lowered its head, its eyes filled with arrogance.

It had barely escaped the dark, sunless laboratory and finally gained its freedom.

Would it ever—

Whoosh!

A golden giant bird descended from the sky, grabbing the beast squarely, its huge wings accidentally hitting the surrounding walls and causing a large section to fall with a clang.

Li Xi burst into tears of joy, “My house has finally collapsed.”

Gong Yilan gave Chen Xing a glance, “We’ll take it away first and talk later, this little sparrow is too arrogant, it won’t be subdued without a beating.”

Speaking of which, Gong Yilan’s eyes suddenly lit up as she looked at the multitude of monsters being washed downstream, which she had initially thought were a bunch of useless waste. But now, it seemed, valuable monsters could still be found.

“Little Chen, charge! See if we can continue to find interesting monsters!”

Gong Yilan dragged Chen Xing into a sports car, stepped on the gas, and the fiery red car sped off like a shot arrow, leaving behind only a dazzling trail and people too late to thank them.

Several kilometers downstream, an well-trained army had been waiting in strict formation, with interception ropes already laid out, and Earth Element Beasts and Ice Element Beasts coordinated in managing the floodwaters.

Monsters were swept down mixed with the flood, and the army’s Beast Tamers sprang into action promptly.

Nets made of special materials “packaged” the beasts by category for subsequent processing and research.

In this busy and orderly scene, Beast Tamers rode their mounts to provide support in every direction.

Either soaring through the sky or racing on land.

Chen Xing had seen Beast Tamers in camouflage clothes racing back and forth on beast mounts when he descended the mountain.

“We’re actually late,” Gong Yilan regretfully observed the creatures being packed up and taken away.

Chen Xing’s gaze was sharp as he quickly distinguished the attributes of beast after beast.

Soon, he had reviewed the attributes of dozens of beasts. Unfortunately, their attributes weren’t great; either the defects were too significant, or the integrations were too mediocre.

Later, the two of them drove around to a few other places and caught six monsters.

The Universe Commerce Guild had a specialized large truck come to haul all the monsters away.

Suddenly, intense thunder rumbled from behind them.

“It’s here.”

Gong Yilan stopped the car, her hand perched on her forehead, gazing into the distance.

“That is—” Chen Xing squinted his eyes, and the next moment, he witnessed a truly shocking sight.

In the distant sky, an immense phantom appeared.

It was like a phantom made up of giant figures of the cloud-sea, with a wave of its hand, countless beams of light rained down from the heavens.

After a while, the smoke slowly dissipated.

“That is…” Chen Xing was astounded.

Gong Yilan’s voice reached him, “That is the Dingxi Army’s high-level Beast—Horus.”

That night, back at home.

Han Yuning sent him a message, “I heard from Gong Yilan that you’re very interested in that bird?”

“Mentor, I think the bird has great potential, and I suspect it may possess Divinity because it shows significant differences from other laboratory monsters,” Chen Xing replied without concealing the fact about Divinity, knowing that such things could only be kept secret for a while, not forever.

Better to be candid and make it clear.

“Divinity, at most, it has a trace. It’s not of much use to have that little Divinity; don’t dwell too much on it,” came Han Yuning’s reply. “If you decide on this Beast, then you can only get a Dragon Element Beast from me after you become an Intermediate Beast Tamer.”

After thinking, Chen Xing responded to Han Yuning, “I’m already struggling to feed one big eater, I probably can’t afford a second one for the time being. I’ve heard that Dragon Element Beasts have a big appetite, mentor, I’d like to start with one that eats less.”

“Hahaha, the internet isn’t wrong; all Dragon Series Beasts are big eaters, which is related to their special evolutionary mechanisms. Alright, as long as you’ve decided, I’ll contact Gong Yilan regarding this.”

After shutting off his phone, Chen Xing let out a long sigh of relief.

“`

It’s settled.

But a beast that could talk, seemed intelligent, and possessed remarkable attributes was indeed very attractive.

After returning, Chen Xing checked its two innate skills – one passive effect.

Sound of Death and Dark Death Flame were both attack skills with extremely strong killing power.

Sound of Death was even a very special soul + death dual-element attack skill.

Mu Lei was also quite good, increasing resistance to thunder element spells, and with each thunder element spell attack suffered or cast, it would enhance the power of the next thunder element spell.

What’s more, its appearance also fit his aesthetic quite well, somewhat resembling a Horus with three extra pairs of wings – dignified and mysterious.

…

The next day, Gong Yilan had someone drive Chen Xing to a separate room behind the Universe Commerce Guild.

Outside the room, Gong Yilan said, “If you truly intend to tame this monster, then the task of communicating with it must be undertaken by you personally. However, considering that you have yet to evolve your first beast, signing a contract with this monster obviously seems premature.”

She paused briefly before continuing, “Of course, there is a solution. If you can somehow get it to cooperate and pass the psychological safety test, then there’s a chance you can take it into your home as a temporary resident. But keep in mind, you must regularly take it to the Beast Taming Safety Center for psychological health assessments to ensure everything is safe and sound. As long as the assessment results remain positive, it can stay in your home until the moment you two formally sign a contract.”

“Thank you, Sister Lan.”

“No problem. You accompanied me on a car race yesterday; I had a lot of fun,” Gong Yilan said with a stretch and a smile on her face.

Given her family background, she didn’t care about a monster.

Although her status doesn’t mean she could get any monster she wants, if she wanted to, obtaining a sub-dragon with excellent attributes wouldn’t be a problem.

Therefore, she was more concerned about a connection with the beast she chose.

Provided that strength was also considered, her own liking was the top priority.

Although the humanoid beast with the eagle’s face looked cool and seemed intelligent, it did not stir much emotion in her.

“You communicate with it yourself, but… a monster like this that has been kept in a lab since young, will have a strong wariness.”

“I understand. I’ll give it a try,”

After Gong Yilan left, the room contained only Chen Xing and the humanoid beast with the eagle’s face. The creature was bound in chains, its head hung low, looking helpless and lonely.

Chen Xing stood quietly to one side, looking at the beast with a gentle gaze. He understood that the beast had suffered significant psychological trauma from its long laboratory life, filled with doubt and mistrust towards itself and the outside world.

He softly spoke to the beast, “I know you’ve spent a long time in the lab, and that experience has caused you a lot of suffering. But please trust that, no matter what happened in the past, you have the right to pursue freedom and happiness.”

“You’re a bird, and you are meant to soar under the sun.”

Upon hearing these words, the humanoid beast with the eagle’s face seemed touched by Chen Xing’s words.

The creature slightly raised its head, looking at Chen Xing with eyes filled with confusion and anticipation. Its throat emitted a low and hoarse voice, like a dry riverbed longing for rain: “Does someone actually want a twisted flower like me?”

Chen Xing’s heart sank, understanding the deep self-loathing and yearning for acceptance behind these words. He spoke gently, “Every flower has its unique beauty, no matter how twisted they may seem. What’s important is finding someone who knows how to appreciate you.”

The beast seemed touched by Chen Xing’s words, a flicker of emotion passing through its eyes.

Chen Xing continued, “I know you need time to adapt and to trust, but I’m willing to accompany you on this difficult journey. As long as you’re willing to give me a chance, I will do my best to help you find meaning and value in life anew.”

The beast lowered its head, falling silent.

At that moment, Chen Xing pulled out something and placed it on the table.

“I know actions speak louder than words. There are so many people you could choose to follow, so why pick me? Here’s my reason.”

The creature looked at the pristine freeze-dried food in the man’s palm, pondering.

“You’ll understand once you eat it,” Chen Xing said as he picked up the freeze-dried food and held it to its beak.

The beast opened its beak and swallowed the freeze-dried food.

Suddenly, it felt… that its usually groggy head didn’t hurt as much anymore?

Seeing the creature’s clearly improved expression, Chen Xing felt a sigh of relief – the effect was certainly there.

The large can of freeze-dried meat helped focus the beast’s attention, inducing it into a state of concentration.

In this special state, negative mental conditions could be temporarily alleviated, something Chen Xing had discovered before, such as Taotie not feeling tired after consuming the freeze-dried food.

“There’s also this.”

Chen Xing took out another small bag, which contained meat mash emitting a strange fragrance.

The creature tried to maintain its aloof demeanor but couldn’t help but take a few more glances.

In the end, it couldn’t resist the temptation and ate it.

After consuming it, the creature felt wonderfully warm, and every cell in its body seemed to cheer and leap for joy.

Chen Xing’s goal was simple – enticing it with the allure of intermediate-grade pet food, combined with the soothing effect the freeze-dried food had on its symptoms, it was a two-pronged approach.