Chapter 55: Waving a Pigskin as a Banner

If you don’t make a move, you’ll end up just like that white fish. As for the other aquatic races, they’ll only applaud, even egging things on and urging you to let them have a taste of the soup.

Deep within the ocean, Lin Qiu, darting through the abyss, had no inkling that because of him, the Whitefish Second Madam—who had helped restore his dignity as a fish—would soon face the executioner’s blade.

At this moment, Lin Qiu was racing through the depths, not picky at all; as long as he spotted living aquatic creatures, he’d open his maw wide and swallow them whole. Yet, more often than not, he was fleeing for his life. Ever since the ocean mutated, he’d been dismayed to realize that nearly every aquatic beast he encountered boasted bloodlines far nobler than his own.

This made him think again of his ancestors. Why, when they were living just fine on land, did they have to venture into the sea and evolve into orcas? After the ocean’s transformation, his once-mighty kind—the rulers of the sea—had become little more than a joke.

This was the inevitable backlash! The cycle of cause and effect, retribution.

He no longer felt much resentment toward Xu Bancheng. The man’s decision not to choose an orca was the right one—truly a genius in commerce, his vision was as sharp as a blade.

If not for the system he possessed, which allowed him to defy fate and rewrite his destiny, perhaps he too would have ended up like his ancestors, serving as a mere gatekeeper for some city, with his descendants destined for the same lowly role.

“I won’t be a gatekeeper, and my offspring won’t be either. I will evolve, and keep evolving!”

Yet as the points required for his next upgrade soared, and he finally managed to break through to the third tier, he was stunned to discover he was still a tiny little thing.

“System!” Lin Qiu roared in frustration, “Why, after leveling up, am I still like this? Where is my mighty physique?”

“The last time you chose to evolve by burning your blood essence, this system forgot to mention something important,” the system replied. “Once you activate blood-burning evolution, you lose something in return.”

“For example…” The system paused, then continued, “Your form will be permanently fixed at the state achieved after burning your blood essence, never to be reversed.”

Lin Qiu was dumbfounded.

He understood now: he’d never again be a majestic, awe-inspiring orca. From now on, he’d only ever be a cute little dolphin.

“No! I don’t want this…” Lin Qiu let out a desperate howl, and his evolved sonic attack, now more domineering than ever, instantly killed all the small aquatic creatures nearby. But the sound of his howl would forever be that humiliating cry: “Yaa!”

“Yaa! Yaa! Always ‘yaa’!”

Lin Qiu gnashed his teeth, pain and sorrow flickering in his eyes. Perhaps, in the depths of the sea, no one would ever know if he shed tears of grief.

He ignored the dead little shrimp around him and accepted reality. With a trace of helplessness in his eyes, he flicked his tail and shot away like a bolt of lightning, vanishing into the boundless deep.

“Brother, what’s going on? What’s all this commotion about?” Lin Qiu, in an ancient city at the ocean’s bottom, asked a particularly ugly fellow with curiosity.

This guy was truly hideous—two protruding teeth pressed against his lips. With the system’s ability to pierce through all biological facades, Lin Qiu saw the creature’s true form: a sea pig. The sight nearly made him retch.

He was just that ugly.

On par with that toad-faced mink, both of them were so hideous it was almost a crime against nature. Yet, for all their ugliness, their hearts were kind.

When the sea pig heard this pretty-faced youth, he looked Lin Qiu up and down, muttering to himself, “So pale and thin—looks like a little fish fry, not a man at all! And so ugly.” But aloud, he answered, “Isn’t it because of the Great Mutation? We’ve all gained the inheritance of our ancient ancestors.”

“Right…” Lin Qiu replied, still suspicious, not realizing the sea pig also thought he was ugly.

He eyed the sea pig curiously. What did all this have to do with ancestral inheritance, anyway? The endless line of aquatic creatures queued ahead was a spectacular sight, like people lining up at the Great Wall in his past life.

Back then, the crowds at the Great Wall were just as packed—when nature called, you had to solve it in the press, jostling and rubbing against each other until you got it done.

Lin Qiu, in his previous life, wore diapers, so he remained pure, but when he returned, his pants still carried the scent of excrement. With his obsessive cleanliness, he nearly broke down.

But that was beside the point.

Just now, the sea pig shot him a look that said, “Are you a fake or what?” That suspicious glance made Lin Qiu uneasy—had his ancestors left something out?

While he pondered, the sea pig, clearly pleased with himself, straightened his burly frame and said, “We’re lining up for the Aquatic Trial Grounds, searching for ancient treasures left behind by our forebears.”

“See up ahead? That’s the gate to the training grounds—one fish, one ticket. Scan your face to bind your identity, one crystal coin per ticket!”

Lin Qiu looked bewildered. Ancient treasures? Tickets? Face-scanning and identity binding—now that, he understood. Human technology had already achieved QR payment; it was only natural that the aquatic civilization, so far ahead, possessed such capabilities.

“Brother, I won’t chat with you any longer—I’m going to jump the line,” the sea pig declared. With a howl, he barged ahead.

“Whoa, whoa!” As the sea pig charged forward, the orderly queue of merfolk began to topple like dominoes, cursing as they stumbled. But when they turned and saw the fierce sea pig, their faces changed instantly—they swallowed their curses and put on ingratiating smiles.

The sea pig, with a look of disdain, bulldozed his way forward.

Lin Qiu’s eyes gleamed with mischief, a sly grin curling his lips. He followed close behind, shoving his way through as well.

“Damn it, the sea pig is a tier five powerhouse—fine, let him barge through. But you, a pretty-faced little sea beast of only the third tier, you think you can push us around?” A sea hare, its ruby eyes glaring daggers at Lin Qiu, bared its teeth, its rabbit fangs flashing with a cold white light.

This sea hare was a third-tier beast too and seemed ready to pick a fight.

Lin Qiu’s expression turned cold. He pointed his chin at the sea pig ahead and sneered, “That’s my big brother. Want me to call him back so you two can exchange some pointers?”

“Ah!” The sea hare’s eyes widened in fear. In an instant, its expression shifted to one of fawning sycophancy. “So you’re the sea pig lord’s brother! I failed to recognize someone of your stature—please, be magnanimous and forgive my ignorance!”

“After you, please, after you!” The sea hare’s attitude flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, becoming obsequious in the extreme, its flattery unmistakable in every word.