My Pet Beast is Super Fearsome

Chapter 54: Chapter 54 This is all trivial matters.

“Squish, squish, squish”

Footsteps echoed through the empty sewer as Burial Fox hunched over, struggling with each step to pry his shoes from the mire, laboring forward. The central channel of the sewer was filled with ink-like wastewater emanating a pungent stench, while the platforms on either side were caked with slippery mud.

On ordinary days, the central channel alone could handle the domestic sewage, and the vast vacant space was designed for potential flooding during the rainy season. However, given that Su City was inland, and although not arid, heavy rain was rare, so the sewer had become a paradise for mutant creatures.

At this moment, Burial Fox felt extremely stifled. He could not remember the last time he had to scurry about like a dog. His nostrils were filled with the pungent stench, the irritating gases making his eyes uncomfortable, and with every step, he could feel the slimy mud sticking to his feet, further souring his mood.

He couldn’t recall how far he had wandered through the maze-like sewers; the harsh environment and sharp pain from his broken left arm were constant reminders that he needed to rest.

Throwing down his voluminous overcoat, Burial Fox plonked down onto it, a sudden movement tugging at his wound and eliciting a muffled moan.

Leaning against the curved sewer wall which was damp, cold, and dirty, the exhausted Burial Fox could no longer care about such conditions.

“Click.”

“Squeak, squeak~”

Upon turning on the portable light tube he carried, a faint blue glow illuminated the surroundings, and several mutant rats that had been tailing him let out panicked squeals, hastily scrambling away.

Burial Fox, who had become accustomed to the darkness, also found it somewhat dazzling, and it took him a moment to adjust.

The afternoon’s pursuit had been fraught with danger. After losing two of his pets, he had finally managed to escape the encirclement. The mental strain and physical pain made him exceptionally weary, longing for nothing more than a good sleep.

Burial Fox closed his eyes to rest for a moment, regaining some energy before taking out his phone.

“Hello, Burial Fox?” came a sweet female voice, tinged with a hint of question.

“Yes, it’s me, please connect me with the deputy director,” Burial Fox replied calmly, betraying no signs of fatigue. This composure was something he’d learned over the years within the organization; no matter how weak you might be, you should never show it.

“Please hold on.”

After a burst of static, a hoarse middle-aged man’s voice came through the receiver, “Speak.”

“Deputy director, Grey Rat might be in trouble. He contacted me before the incident, reporting someone had defected. There’s a risk of the Holy Origin Society being exposed,” Burial Fox reported respectfully.

The ‘Holy Origin Society’ had one chairman and several deputy directors. The chairman was stationed at the headquarters, while the deputy directors each managed a different branch, scattered across the globe.

Grey Rat was Li Hanying’s codename, also one of the emphasized support targets of the branch.

The deputy director did not respond immediately, and Burial Fox didn’t dare to speak out of turn, making the atmosphere ambiguously silent, filled only with the sound of dripping water in the vacant sewer.

“I understand. Continue to hide and try to track down Grey Rat’s whereabouts. Now isn’t the time for retaliation. Wait for my message, and I will surely deliver them a significant gift,” the deputy director’s voice carried a veiled anger, growing increasingly cold.

Startled by the deputy director’s response, Burial Fox quickly said, “Please reconsider, deputy director. If we retaliate now, the Society will be exposed. I believe we should first report to headquarters…”

“Enough. I don’t need you to tell me what to do, remember your place,” the voice cut him off sharply.

“Beep, beep, beep…”

Burial Fox’s expression fluctuated, his fingers clenching the phone so tightly they began to turn white.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak”

Outside the circle of light, pairs of glowing green pupils appeared from the darkness, filled with ferocity and greed—clearly, the brethren of the earlier small rats were called over.

Looking closely, both sides of the sewer were teeming with mutant rats, encircling Burial Fox in the middle.

With his mood at an extreme low, Burial Fox stared at the swarm of rats, a twisted smirk appearing on his pale face as he reached out to slice through the void.

“Hiss, hiss, hiss”

Large and small blood-sucking tarantulas as well as unevolved wolf spiders appeared in the sewers, their eyes displaying madness as they rapidly charged toward the rat pack.

“Squeak~”

A mutant rat was sliced open by a blood-sucking tarantula, its piercing shriek echoing through the sewers as blood splattered and young spiders quickly swarmed around, greedily sucking the blood of the mutant rat.

Burial Fox extended a finger to wipe off the blood that had splashed on his face, which was still somewhat warm.

He looked at it under the light for a while and hesitated for a moment before putting his finger in his mouth.

It could count as having a taste of warmth in Su City.

…

“Whoosh!”

The sound of slicing through the air came from the small grove behind the residential buildings, exceptionally clear in the silent night.

Shao Zifeng held the long handle of the Hidden Edge with both hands, practicing chopping at the air, which was heavier due to the inclusion of the scabbard compared to just the blade.

His eyes were focused, intently staring at the tip of the blade as wet hair clung to his forehead, and large droplets of sweat slipped down his face, wetting a large patch of his gray exercise clothes.

“Huff!”

After the last chop, Shao Zifeng’s arms were so sore he could barely hold the blade. He collapsed on the ground, back against a small tree, arms dangling naturally as he gasped for breath.

Despite the extensive exercise, his mind wasn’t relaxed at all, because he simply couldn’t figure out how to apply for the ‘Energy Potion VIII’ as a reward without raising Luo Feng’s suspicions.

In his view, a Combat Training Master who had just started out applying suddenly for a high-level energy potion, which only the top Combat Training Masters were entitled to purchase, would undoubtedly raise some suspicion, no matter how it was argued.

But the situation with the Elemental Egg simply couldn’t afford him any more time to think slowly, for he didn’t know if the reward would be immediate upon application or if there still needed to be a procedure for retrieval. If it was the latter, three days would definitely not be enough.

Grinding his teeth, Shao Zifeng lifted his sore arm with difficulty, fished out his phone, and made a call to Luo Feng.

After a brief wait, the call connected.

“Hello, Director Luo, this is Shao Zifeng.” Shao Zifeng struggled internally. He hated getting entangled in troublesome matters and didn’t know if this phone call would lead to Luo Feng prying into his affairs.

“Yawn~ I was wondering, why does this kid always call in the middle of the night? Don’t you know I need to sleep early to maintain my skin?” Luo Feng yawned lengthily, his voice sleepy and slightly impatient, “Tell me, what’s so urgent?”

“You said I could apply for a reward?” Shao Zifeng hesitated to say.

“I thought it was something serious. Couldn’t you have called me during the day? Really…” muttered Luo Feng in a complaining tone, then continued, “Go ahead, what do you want? Since you’re not part of the system, I’ve got your reward standards approved. You can choose any item within a million yuan, whether a pet beast or something else, and you can also opt for cash if you don’t want the items.”

Shao Zifeng was startled; he originally thought that ten or twenty thousand would be the limit, but a million was unexpectedly offered, which truly showed the generous spirit of the Great Xia nation.

Shao Zifeng hesitated for a moment and said, “I want to apply for the highest-grade energy potion.”

There was no response from Luo Feng’s end, which started to unsettle Shao Zifeng.

Just as he was about to try to explain, a roar came through the phone.

“You’re bothering me with such a trivial matter in the middle of my sleep?”

???

Shao Zifeng held the phone, somewhat dumbfounded. Weren’t the monthly limited supplies always considered strategic materials? How did it suddenly become a trivial matter?

So was he overthinking again, playing another round of wits against himself?