Chapter 68: The Oppressive Weight of Bloodline

Although he longed to keep leveling up, he could not bring himself to commit such heartless acts. After a long silence, he sighed softly, "Fifth tier... Big guy, do you know how much I've given up?"

"In the future, I swear I will squeeze every last bit of value out of you!"

Lin Qiu roared inwardly, his gaze at Heize turning strange and unsettling. Heize felt a sudden chill run through his heart, a pang of regret overtaking him. Was this man truly as harmless as he had hoped? Had he been too naive, too childish? The look in Lin Qiu's eyes filled Heize with nothing but unease.

He wanted to flee, but the anti-magic handcuffs had sealed his abilities. In the end, he could only accept his fate with a bitter smile.

Lin Qiu took off his jacket and tossed it to Heize, covering the handcuffs. The four boarded the vehicle, and under Xu Bing's ferocious driving, the car was soon filled with wails and retching.

"Slow down!"

"Let me out, I want to go home!"

Heize and the cute girl shouted in panic, while Lin Qiu had already stuck his head out the window to vomit.

"Useless lot!"

Xu Bing downshifted, dropping from fifth to fourth gear. With the change, the engine torque increased and the car speed surged. With a stomp on the accelerator, the Hummer shot forward like a black lightning bolt, the gear shifting up once more.

"Maniac, you're a maniac!"

Lin Qiu was so terrified that goosebumps covered his skin. Just now, the distance between their car and another was less than ten centimeters. If he hadn't ducked quickly enough, his head would have been lost.

"What are you afraid of? Your skull is tough, you won't die,"

Xu Bing shot him a glare. Lin Qiu was a beast, his blood vigorous, especially protected by dragon scales. Even if the car door crushed him, or the wheels rolled over him, it would hardly matter.

Lin Qiu glanced nervously at Xu Bing. This military enthusiast was usually careless and bold, sometimes showing a hint of feminine gentleness, but at this moment, he suppressed every thought.

She was a tyrant clad in dinosaur skin.

Even Xu Bing was surprised at herself. When had her personality grown so violent? She didn't realize that Lin Qiu was partly responsible for the change. Back when she was an orca, her bloodline was cunning and savage. That bloodline had influenced her, and then, after Lin Qiu leveled up, his bloodline transformed into that of a dragon.

The dragon's bloodline was indomitable and domineering. She, being a girl—naturally yin—was stimulated by the yang energy. The fact she hadn't turned into a crude, burly man was already remarkable.

This is what happens when a beast and a human form a contract and become battle partners—the bloodline influences the person. If the contract beast's bloodline is gentle, the person will become gentle. If the bloodline is bloodthirsty, the person will become bloodthirsty.

The system had not told Lin Qiu about this, but it was documented in the information provided about Liu Changfeng. At the time, Liu Changfeng was only focused on forming contracts, not reading such details.

So when they returned to the Beast Management Bureau, they saw Liu Changfeng emerging, blood still at the corner of his mouth.

"You?"

Xu Bing looked at Liu Changfeng, a hint of surprise in her eyes. She glanced past him to the huge bathtub behind, where the golden dragon was gone, only a few scales left on the floor.

"You ate the golden dragon?"

Lin Qiu was equally astonished.

Golden dragons were modern creatures, not descendants of ancient bloodlines. In this world, many beings, even after gaining intelligence, possessed no combat power whatsoever. This golden dragon was such an example.

Golden dragons were valuable, worth tens of thousands each, mostly for display. Their ancestors had no place in ancient times; they were bred from assorted fish in recent years. After the planet's mutation, golden dragons gained intelligence, akin to young children. However, their bloodline was so diluted that evolution and cultivation were mere fantasies.

Take Lin Qiu himself—he was once the ocean's overlord. After the planet mutated, his bloodline left him at the bottom of the hierarchy.

"Why so dramatic?"

Liu Changfeng shot Xu Bing a look. "It's just a fish. No need to make a fuss."

A hint of satisfaction lingered on Liu Changfeng's face.

The taste of golden dragon blood in his mouth was intoxicating.

Seeing his careless demeanor, Xu Bing clenched her right hand, and a Fang Tian halberd appeared, resting against Liu Changfeng's neck. She gritted her teeth and hissed, "That golden dragon was my brother's treasure. If you ate it, he'll fight you to the death."

"Your brother?"

Liu Changfeng flicked the halberd aside and stretched lazily. "If he's unhappy, let him come find me. I'll compensate him."

Still nonchalant, Liu Changfeng then noticed Lin Qiu, his eyes lighting up. "So you're Xu Bing's contract beast. I heard Xu Bancheng mention you—you've joined our Beast Management Bureau now."

"Let me reintroduce myself."

"Liu Changfeng, Vice President of the Beast Management Bureau, specialist in genetic value serums."

He extended his hand to shake Lin Qiu's, but as soon as they touched, he recoiled as if shocked by electricity.

"Whoa, that was a jolt!"

Liu Changfeng stepped back, a trace of panic in his eyes. Starlight gathered around him, then coalesced before him into a fierce-faced young man, whose lips curled back to reveal sharp, white teeth.

This was his contract beast—a great white shark.

But this creature's bloodline was barely higher than Lin Qiu's former self. So even though it had evolved to human form, its intelligence was low, like a teenager. Its temperament, however, was savage, bloodthirsty, and vicious.

At this moment, the great white shark glared fixedly at Lin Qiu, muscles bulging in vigilance.

Lin Qiu possessed true dragon blood. Humans could not sense it, but as a beast, the shark felt an instinctive dread at first glance—a bloodline pressure, filling him with unease and fear.

This explained why shaking hands with Lin Qiu felt like being shocked.

Lin Qiu withdrew his hand, glancing at the shark with disdain. Before the ocean mutated, great white sharks were his food. Even now, after mutation, they remained his prey.

Though the shark was a third-tier beast, it was still not enough for Lin Qiu in a single bite.

"White, don't be rash."

Liu Changfeng and his beast shared their thoughts; he knew exactly what the shark was feeling. Now, when he looked at Lin Qiu again, his eyes held caution.

"Honestly, your perspective isn't as broad as Xu Bancheng's."