Chapter 61: Bureau of Exotic Creature Management

"This is not a long-term solution!" Xu Mingzhe shook his head slightly. After all, these creatures had mutated—manageable in the early stages, perhaps, but what about later?

"Father, don’t worry. The gene serum technology is already mature, so there’s no need for excessive concern," he replied. "They are evolving, but so are we humans. I believe that, even as the world mutates, it intentionally spares humanity for a reason. We must possess some unique talent."

"Don’t be too quick to celebrate!" A low voice suddenly echoed through the space.

"Who’s there?" Xu Bing’s expression changed. With a twist of her right hand, a dragon-patterned halberd appeared in her grip.

"Don’t panic—it’s me!" The voice reverberated, and a wisp of black smoke flickered by, coalescing into a handsome young man.

"Who are you?" Xu Bing pointed her halberd at him from a distance.

The young man looked at Xu Bing, frowning in displeasure. With a grasp of his right hand, the halberd dissolved into black smoke and disappeared, only to reappear in his hand.

"This weapon was forged from my own teeth—so now you ask who I am?" The young man smiled teasingly at Xu Bing.

"Lin Qiu?!" Xu Bing stared at him in disbelief.

At these words, confusion clouded Feng Baobao’s face, while father and son Xu’s expressions changed dramatically. They knew very well who Lin Qiu was—Xu Bing’s contract partner. Wasn’t he just a little dolphin? How had he transformed into a human?

"Don’t make such a fuss. Once a beast evolves to the second rank, it can take human form. As for me, this appearance is merely a disguise—my bloodline is too powerful, making transformation more difficult," Lin Qiu explained, his words making the Xu family’s faces grow somber. They had never anticipated that a beast could assume a human guise.

"Don’t dwell on this. In the future, the entire human city may be crawling with unknown beasts. Similarly, just as there are good and bad people, so too are there benevolent and malevolent beasts. In days to come, you might meet a beggar on the street who is, in truth, a peerless beast in hiding."

After this explanation, Lin Qiu’s expression grew grave. "According to the news I just received, tomorrow the genes left by the ancient deep-sea overlords will finish incubating. These overlords are not only supremely intelligent, but also war maniacs."

"If they emerge from the depths, the entire ocean will be plunged into endless slaughter. And after conquering the myriad species of the sea, they may well march on the human cities."

"Ah!" Xu Bing cried out in terror, eyes wide with fear. "What are we supposed to do?"

Her shriek made Lin Qiu frown deeply as he muttered, "You coward, stealing my power—sometimes I’d like to wring your neck."

Xu Bing was stunned, then blushed as she recalled the mysterious power she’d recently gained. Because of her contract with Lin Qiu, he could imprint events directly into her mind. She now understood the cause of his irritation.

He had told her before that her physical constitution was among the weakest of all humans. For her to evolve continuously required Lin Qiu to pay a heavy price.

Lin Qiu shot her a cold glance before continuing, "I’m telling you all this so you can prepare in advance. Recall all fishing vessels from the sea at once. The ocean is extremely dangerous now! If you need gene serum, hunt birds and beasts on land—their genes are more suitable for you humans than aquatic ones."

Lin Qiu spoke at length, while Xu Bancheng remained silent. Only after Lin Qiu finished did he finally speak. "The authorities want us to establish a Beast Management Bureau to capture beasts causing chaos in the city. I want you to join."

"Me?" Lin Qiu was startled and about to refuse when the system’s voice echoed in his mind.

"Ding, mission triggered: Join the Beast Management Bureau."

"System, I…" Lin Qiu’s expression changed. He longed to return to the human world, but he wanted to do so as a true human, with dignity. His roots, however, were still in the ocean, where the sea itself let him fight without restraint. On land, as an aquatic being, his power would be diminished. Besides, what benefit was there to joining this bureau?

The system, attuned to his thoughts, responded immediately: "Join the Beast Management Bureau and receive the shapeshifting ability—host can transform directly into a human form."

Lin Qiu’s eyes brightened.

"I can really become human again?" His heart trembled with hope.

"Please understand the literal meaning, host: you can only change your appearance. You will look human, but you will remain a dragon whale at your core."

"No matter, no matter!" Lin Qiu’s heart soared with joy.

As long as he looked human on the outside, he didn’t care about his inner nature. Besides, he’d grown accustomed to his dragon whale form and rather liked it.

"I’ll join!" Lin Qiu’s eyes shone with determination.

"Ding, host has joined the Beast Management Bureau and gained the Shapeshifting skill!"

"Skill has been delivered to your rewards pack. Please check."

Unable to wait, Lin Qiu opened his system panel and reviewed the information:

Race: Aquatic Dragon Whale
Level: Rank Three
Upgrade Points: 20/1000
Occupation: Lord of the City of the Far Shore / Beast Management Bureau Enforcer
Skills: Shapeshifting, Hypnosis, Electromagnetic Pulse, Linear Acceleration—all upgradable.
Combat Techniques: Blue Star’s Premier Martial Art—evolvable.

These were his basic stats, his full repertoire of abilities. But upon seeing his upgrade points, his expression darkened.

He’d once had a thousand upgrade points—Xu Bing had stolen nine hundred and eighty, and all she’d managed was to evolve to second-rank beast. With that many points, even a pig could have reached fourth-rank by now.

Despite his annoyance, he opened the rewards pack and saw the Shapeshifting skill inside. His eyes grew misty.

He had waited so long for this day.

"I can finally be human again!" he whispered softly, then activated the skill.

A formless light flickered over his body. In that instant, those in the courtyard felt a subtle illusion—the man standing before them, though perfectly real, somehow seemed out of place. But now that sensation vanished. There stood, undeniably, a living, breathing human.

They did not know that, in that very moment, Lin Qiu had truly taken human form—not evolved, but transformed. Though only his shape had changed, it meant he no longer needed to project a false image onto the world.