Chapter Fifteen: The Transformation of Sun Ming

The manager also noticed something unusual.

“Did you check it?” he asked, his expression suddenly turning grim.

“Tell me, who gave you the meat?” The manager looked at Shen An with a pained expression. “Brother, I really don’t know. I didn’t recognize the man—he said he was a local hunter, first time I’ve seen him. He claimed the meat was exceptionally fresh.”

“Oh, right, he had straight eyebrows,” the manager quickly added, noticing Shen An’s displeasure.

“Straight eyebrows?” Shen An recalled the fire-wielding man he had encountered before.

To save the restaurant, the manager made Shen An a promise: from now on, all his meals would be on the house.

Yes, the manager successfully persuaded Shen An’s stomach.

He Zhouzhou watched Shen An leave, dazed.

“Zhouzhou, he’s so handsome!”

“Hopeless romantic,” He Zhouzhou shot her a look. “He must have sensed something was wrong just now and deliberately kept his distance from us.”

“Yeah, Zhouzhou, my mistake—oh no, I forgot to ask for his WeChat!”

“Let’s go, we have another event tomorrow.”

…

“So, ordinary people can’t eat mutated beast meat?” Back home, Shen An messaged his future self, who explained the reason to him.

“That’s right. Beasts are inherently violent. If ordinary people eat their meat, it can damage the brain, cause mental confusion, and in severe cases, lead to madness. Negative emotions become uncontrollable and it’s a threat to society.”

“Then why am I fine after absorbing it?” Shen An pressed further.

“We’re different. Our bodies have been altered by primordial oxygen, or awakened differently. For us, eating it is like eating regular food, though it provides much more energy than normal food.”

Shen An, now understanding the reason, brought up the fire-controlling man.

“I remember who you mean. Based on your description, that’s Su Yuan—a devious man. His organization is shrouded in mystery. I can’t tell you more now, but you’ll learn in time. Just be careful—his strength is not at all what it seems.”

Shen An took the warning to heart.

“This was a good haul. In three days, there’s another site of transformation—Wanyuan Mountain.”

“Wanyuan Mountain? Where’s that?” Shen An had never heard of it.

“It won’t show up on maps, but you can look for Wanyuan Village. You’ve got three days—plenty of time to prepare.”

“By the way, be alert this time. That organization will be there as well.”

Reading these messages, Shen An felt the pressure mounting.

He had always kept his distance from the organization he was repeatedly warned about—avoiding both contact and their notice.

Now, unexpectedly, their traces would appear at Wanyuan Mountain as well.

He steeled himself. Soldiers block the enemy, water stops the flood—he would face whatever came his way.

With this in mind, his phone rang. Shen An answered.

“Hey, it’s me. Just letting you know, I won’t be home tonight. Take care of yourself. Bye.”

He listened to the call end.

“Damn!” Was this guy getting cocky?

Sun Ming was in a panic.

After work that day, he’d run into a group of muggers. He’d thought about just handing over his money and walking away, but for some reason, he ended up fighting back—even against several thugs armed with knives.

What surprised him even more was that he managed to drive them off.

At the hotel, having checked into a room, Sun Ming didn’t dare go home.

He stood before the mirror, staring at the scales that had appeared on his body.

They clung to him like armor, impossible to remove.

“Shen An, I’m sorry, I lied to you,” Sun Ming muttered to his reflection. “I carry the weight of saving the world now—I can’t keep goofing off. I, Sun Ming, am standing tall.”

He raised his right hand, muscles flexing, the scales glinting silver under the light.

Just as Sun Ming was striking various poses in the mirror, the door opened.

He rushed out, calling, “Who’s there?”

A middle-aged man with sunglasses, a mustache, and a cigarette between his lips sat casually on the sofa.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Hong Jiu, from the Special Affairs Bureau.”

…

Shen An didn’t think much of Sun Ming’s call. The guy often spent nights out. The past couple of days at home were probably the longest stretch he’d stayed.

A thought crossed his mind, and he entered his inner space.

Within, there was a lake, ironwood trees, firearms, and the corpses of two beasts.

He glanced at the beast corpses—they looked exactly as they had when first thrown in, completely unchanged.

This confirmed something for Shen An: his space had a preserving effect—an eternal one, at that.

With a thought, he exited the space and summoned his panel.

Talent [Devour], Talent Level A (1/50,000)

Talent [Space], Talent Level S (1/1,000,000)

Hidden Talent [Connect to the Future], Talent Level SA (1/10,000,000)

Available Talent Points: 22,000.

It had taken ten thousand points to upgrade a B-level talent to A-level. Now, to upgrade A-level further, he needed 50,000 points.

Talent value determined cultivation speed—the higher the talent, the faster the progress and the stronger the power.

Shen An remembered his future self telling him: ordinary people’s awakened talents were fixed and unchangeable, only his could increase.

This ability set him apart from everyone else.

That was why he’d been so happy when he first learned about it.

His phone rang again. Shen An glanced at the caller ID.

Zhou Wang.

A college classmate, they’d once sat together and gotten along fairly well, but since Shen An dropped out, they’d rarely been in touch.

Zhou Wang also ran his own small company, apparently doing well. Shen An had no idea what kind of company and never asked.

He picked up the call.

“Hey, Old Zhou, what brings you to call me?” Shen An asked curiously.

A call at this hour could only mean something was up—he didn’t believe an old classmate would suddenly call just to catch up.

“Shen An, you’re the only one I can ask. I’ve called everyone, but they’re all busy. I heard you quit your job recently and aren’t working?”

“Yeah, why? You got a job for me?” Shen An caught on quickly.

“There’s an event coming up, and I need a security guard. You’re good at fighting, so I thought of you.”

Now Shen An understood.

So they were short-handed.

“Alright, Old Zhou, we go way back—if you need help, of course I’ll help.”

On the other end, Zhou Wang breathed a sigh of relief.

He organized his thoughts and explained, “Here’s the situation...”

Shen An listened and got the gist.

They needed a security guard—one had to bail unexpectedly and Zhou Wang couldn’t find a replacement.

Normally, someone else could fill in, but the other party insisted on verifying the guard’s skills—they didn’t want someone who just looked tough, but someone who could actually fight.

“Brother Zhou, I can help, but you know I only know how to brawl, not any real martial arts.”

“Alright, it’s settled then. Tomorrow morning, we’ll meet at Yue Ming Xuan.”

With his phone in his pocket, Shen An pondered over the name Yue Ming Xuan. It sounded familiar.

“Hmm? I think I heard it mentioned today—when Zhouzhou and the others were chatting at that restaurant.”