NFBE Chapter 286 [Empire] Strange Beast Cub
Chapter 286 [Empire] Strange Beast Cub
Silver light streaked through the air, only to strike the floor, sending up a shower of sparks. The cub, nimble as the wind, vanished from its spot in an instant, plunging deeper into the shadows.
"Tsk, that's interesting." Nightingale put away his gun. There was no surprise in his eyes, but he seemed even more interested. He turned to look at me with a smile on his face. "It seems that it's not attractive enough for you."
"You knew it wouldn't give in, right?" I glared at him, my voice so low it almost came out through my teeth.
"Of course." He nodded as if it was a matter of course, as if he was stating the weather. "How could something that truly makes the intermediate list be just a docile product from a laboratory? However, now is your chance—it will only be interested in you."
I didn't bother to dwell on his calculations. I gritted my teeth and took a step closer to the shadows. The air around me seemed to tremble slightly, as if an invisible sense of oppression spread. I knew it was the cub's territorial warning; it didn't want anyone to come near.
But its aura didn't dissipate. Instead, it gradually gathered and concentrated in a certain direction. I followed the strange wave, my gaze locked on the back of a rusty mechanical arm.
"Don't move!" I shouted in a low voice, raising my palm to release a trace of gentle mental power, trying to suppress its hostility.
The cub slowly poked its head out, more cautiously this time than before, its eyes a moment more thoughtful. It stared at the energy radiating from my palm, hesitated for a moment, and finally took its first step.
Just as it was fully exposed to my view, I heard Nightingale's footsteps approaching, and he lowered his voice and said, "Now, control it - don't waste the opportunity."
I didn't respond, but took a deep breath and slowly expanded my mental power, trying to envelop its thin yet powerful body. But the moment my mental power made contact with it, it suddenly let out a sharp growl and suddenly leaped back!
It was incredibly fast, leaving a dark shadow in the air. It retreated into the deeper shadows, and I only had time to withdraw my mental power before a sharp pain surged in my palm.
Nightingale raised an eyebrow and said with a half-smile, "What? A junior breeder with a C certificate can't even tame a cub?"
"It's not an ordinary cub at all." I replied through gritted teeth, "What are you planning?"
"If it were an ordinary item, why would the employer spend so much money to get it back?" Nightingale shrugged, his voice filled with inexplicable excitement. "Don't worry, it won't get far. You've already piqued its interest."
“But it’s also wary of me,” I retorted, glancing around warily.
Nightingale smiled meaningfully. "Then it depends on your ability, 'Junior Breeder'."
"How much do you really know about it?" I knew full well that whether it was breeding or controlling an exotic animal, one had to start with the animal's own habits. This was the most important thing I learned from the breeder assessment.
Ying's smile was even more blurred in the dim light. He tilted his head slightly, as if seriously considering my question. After a moment, he slowly spoke, "How much do you know? Honestly, I probably don't know as much as you do."
I frowned, not quite believing he would go about his mission with such a clueless attitude. "Then what makes you think I can control it?"
He turned around and faced me, his eyes filled with complex meaning: "Because it chose you."
"What?" I didn't react for a moment, and my tone was full of confusion.
"It's not an ordinary exotic beast cub." Nightingale said calmly, as if stating a perfectly normal fact. "It's the product of some kind of artificial experiment. It possesses advanced intelligence, strong autonomy, and selectivity. Normally, it will only approach those it's interested in. And you are the one it actively approached."
I froze for a moment, my mind racing through the previous scene. Indeed, it was very sensitive to my mental power, even showing some faint signs of response. But that response was more of a test than acceptance.
"So, you don't know anything about its habits?" I stared at Nightingale, trying to confirm if he was hiding something more.
The nightingale didn't answer my question. Instead, it asked, "What do you think it was testing you for? Was it just curiosity?"
I fell into deep thought. If it truly possessed advanced intelligence, then its behavior might be far beyond the logical bounds of ordinary exotic beasts. And its approach to me...was it hostility, interest, or perhaps some kind of need?
"I don't need to know all of its habits." Nightingale suddenly interrupted my thoughts. "My mission is to bring it back, and your mission is to make it cooperate in the process."
"How much do you know? Don't be so vague." I looked up at him. "What if the danger is beyond our ability to deal with it?"
Nightingale's expression instantly turned serious, and he whispered, "This is exactly why I asked you to participate—because you have a higher control potential than me. If something unexpected happens, I need someone to try to control it."
Hearing this, I finally understood his intention. It wasn't that he didn't understand it at all, but he knew he couldn't complete the task of control alone, so he deliberately involved me.
"Do you know this is a gamble?" I said in a cold tone, "You don't even know the limit."
Nightingale gave a wry smile. "In the world of mercenaries, it's a gamble every day. But at least, I bet you can win."
A tense atmosphere hung in the air, and my thoughts grew clearer. Gazing at the bottomless shadow, I finally made up my mind: "It's testing me, yes, but it's testing you, too."
Nightingale was stunned for a moment, then nodded slowly: "It seems that it is indeed not an ordinary thing."
I frantically wanted to scratch the wall with my nails, but I had no choice. He raised an eyebrow and looked at me, "C-rank, you can control beasts and fight, right? If you can't do anything to it, then what about your own beasts? Didn't you bring them with you?"
I sneered, a bit mockingly, "What do you think? If I had brought it with me, I would have used it long ago. Why would I be wasting time with you now?"
Nightingale raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile appearing at the corner of her mouth: "Interesting. It seems that you are holding back on your exotic beast."
"Mind your own business." I turned my head away, not wanting to waste any more words with him, but my fingers unconsciously clenched the fabric at my side, suppressing my urge to get irritated.
He persisted, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "Honestly, a C-rank beast taming ability shouldn't be so restrictive. You're so passive right now, it makes me wonder if you really passed the test, or if you relied on something else—"