Chapter 140: Head of the Gu Family

After Li Jiu’s relentless pestering, the group headed back to University A.

Because of the incident that afternoon, security at the university was extremely tight. Little Fox and the others were stopped the moment they reached the gate.

Luckily, Wen Qian had called Fan Lin ahead of time. After she rushed over and said something to the security guards, they readily let the group pass.

"The student council still has an event to run, so just call me if anything else comes up." Fan Lin winked at Wen Qian, her gaze sweeping over the handsome men behind her. Her smile grew suggestive.

Wen Qian felt a little uncomfortable under her friend’s stare and put a hand to her forehead, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"I’m off!" Seeing her reaction, Fan Lin’s smile widened. She bumped Wen Qian’s shoulder, then turned and ran off.

"Sigh..."

Little Fox shook his head and sighed.

Wen Qian shot him a questioning look, wondering what kind of trouble he was about to cause now.

"Qianqian forgot to introduce me to her friend. I’m a little hurt," Little Fox said, shaking his head.

Wen Qian pointed at herself...

’Why would I need to introduce him to Fan Lin?’

"Just stop talking. I’m afraid the Young Master is going to jump right out of the phone," said Ling Xuan, who had been on the call the whole time, breaking out in a cold sweat.

’This guy probably thinks he’s Wen Qian’s significant other.’

Little Fox pouted and snorted coldly.

The group arrived at the lab building, which was now sealed off. A preliminary investigation determined that someone had ignited flammable materials inside one of the labs.

The lab belonged to Gu Mian, so the police were also trying to contact him...

「On the top floor of the lab building.」

Inside the spacious laboratory, a man was slumped on the floor, his back pressed against a cold, transparent wall panel.

A thick, heavy iron chain was bound tightly around his neck, the friction creating deep red marks on his skin. Every breath he took pulled at the raw wounds...

His chest rose and fell slowly. With his head bowed, he stared silently at the clean floor, where several black snakes lay, clearly devoid of life.

His once-black eyes now flashed with a green light. He allowed the person opposite him to tighten the chain, forcing his head up.

His gaze fell upon the other man’s savage expression. Gu Mian narrowed his eyes, his own gaze as calm as still water.

A cold chemical was injected into his carotid artery. The light in his pupils flickered. Gu Mian’s hands clenched into fists as cold sweat dripped from his jaw to the floor... Scales on one side of his cheek gradually became visible, eventually creeping to the corner of his eye.

The Fuyi’s face twisted into a nearly crazed smile. "I never thought the Snake Clan would see a day like this..."

"Why are you doing this...?" Gu Mian’s voice was hoarse, a dark light swirling in his eyes. He furrowed his brow, forcing himself to remain conscious.

"Because I’m done being an ant, forced to scurry in the shadows of the Beast World," the man with the cane sneered. "The Fuyi clan possesses unique abilities, yet we’ve always been trampled underfoot by arrogant fools like you... Why should we?"

"You feast on the flesh and blood of other beastmen, and you expect to be respected?"

"They are all ants! Born to be enslaved by the strong... These beastmen should have been culled long ago. I’m just moving the timeline forward." The man threw his head back and laughed wildly.

Gu Mian narrowed his eyes, a dangerous glint within them.

"The cracking of the Critical Stone was our chance, yet you fools are still delusional enough to try and lead the beastmen back to the Beast World... Why insist on going back?"

"Wouldn’t it be much more interesting to make Blue Star the new territory for beastmen...?"

"Why do you have to rebuild?"

"I want it all to come crashing down—to crumble into a form of my own design!"

Listening to his words, Gu Mian closed his eyes and suppressed the rage burning in his heart.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in an unfamiliar laboratory, standing before the man he’d seen at the nightclub.

"Where is the fragment?" Gu Mian asked calmly.

Apparently provoked by his tone, the man yanked hard on the chain around his neck, his eyes filled with malice. "You still dare to question me at a time like this?"

The man’s rage made the two Fuyi beside him tremble. They instinctively took a step back, only to meet a pair of beady black eyes.

’Is that... Se Dan?’

’A beastman from the Hundred Bird Clan?’

"M-Master..."

The man followed their gazes, his cold eyes narrowing to slits. He then let out a sudden, cold laugh and motioned for his two subordinates to open the window.

Releasing the chain, he toyed with an exquisite scalpel in his hand. An instant later, the scalpel shot out, heading straight for the small bird hovering in mid-air...

"SNAP!"

With the thud of something heavy hitting the floor and a terrified scream, the man who had been bound instantly transformed into a three-meter-tall giant python.

It twisted its body rapidly, stirring up a cold wind as its long, thick tail easily intercepted the scalpel in mid-air.

Terror flashed across the villain’s face. He stumbled backward, his voice laced with disbelief. "You... you’re not..."

’The anesthetic I injected into Gu Mian was specially formulated; not even a member of the Snake Clan should have been able to resist it. Unless... he’s the one.’

’It’s the secret treasure the Snake Clan spent a fortune to create. The one that grants immunity to all poisons and preserves one’s prime. Only the head of the Gu Family is qualified to consume it.’

’But this person... How is that possible?!’

The next second, the thick snake tail coiled tightly around his neck. As it squeezed tighter and tighter, the once-arrogant man’s breathing ceased.

The two Fuyi standing nearby were terrified. They collapsed to the floor, staring dumbly as the giant python flicked its tongue. Neither of them dared to move.

’Master... is dead?’

’Just like that... No, it’s impossible!’

Just then, Li Jiu, having survived the ordeal, flew quickly back to Wen Qian’s side, flapping his wings and chirping nonstop.

"Gu Mian is up there, but... he’s turned into a snake," Chi Heng translated for Li Jiu, a faint worry in his voice.

’Some beastmen lose their sanity after transforming. I wonder if Gu Mian... And is Li Jiu sure he’s not exaggerating?’

’A giant python?’

’Can a beastman’s body get that large on Blue Star...?’

The security guard was still posted at the entrance. Seeing that it was Wen Qian, he simply had her sign the register and let them pass.

When they reached the lab where Li Jiu had found Gu Mian, Wen Qian raised her hand. Before she could touch the handle, the door was pulled open from the inside...

Two familiar figures scrambled out the door, one trying to get ahead of the other.

The next second, a black serpentine tail swept out like a sword, viciously slamming the two ugly-faced men into the wall.

Swallowing hard, Wen Qian took an instinctive step back.

But before she could steady herself, the tail changed direction and coiled powerfully around her waist. She was instantly pulled into a cold, slick embrace, and the enormous snake head nuzzled gently against her face.

’Wait... how is he so huge?!’

’I thought what I saw in the lab building earlier was just a special lighting effect...’