Lu Fei whistled smugly, glanced at Hei Dan, grabbed the quilt on the bed, and threw it over Hei Dan. Hei Dan, who was only half the size of Ji Ge, was instantly wrapped up snugly.
Ji Ge, with practiced ease, found a rope. The two of them worked together to tie it around Hei Dan several times.
"Bastards... What are you doing to this divine envoy!"
The two acted as if they hadn't heard a word. They picked up Hei Dan and unceremoniously shoved it into the refrigerator, specifically the quick-freeze compartment!
Hei Dan's final protest held a tremor of fear, until its voice finally faded away...
Ji Ge clapped its hands with satisfaction. "Hmph! You still wanted to devour Ji Ge? Today, you'll taste the terror of the dark!"
After saying this, Ji Ge retracted its neck and looked at Lu Fei somewhat guiltily. "Lao Lu, are you sure this method will prevent it from hatching?"
Lu Fei rubbed his chin, employing his expertise to analyze. "Logically, any low-temperature environment can inhibit its growth."
Ji Ge breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, it heard Lu Fei's tone shift. "But it's an unknown creature from the starfield. We don't know if it will act according to convention..."
Ji Ge's eyes widened, and it immediately lost all composure.
After an internal struggle, it made a chilling throat-slitting gesture.
"Then let's just go all the way and finish it off!"
Lu Fei rolled his eyes. "If that were the case, we wouldn't have brought it out of the alternate dimension in the first place."
Lu Fei glanced at the refrigerator with its door tightly shut and sighed. "Let it cool down in there for a while. After all, this is something Huangfu Chenyi wants. If we ever meet the 'big nephew' one day, this thing might just save our lives."
Ji Ge had no choice but to compromise, nodding silently.
"Alright, let's get some rest, Ji Ge. We'll go out for a stroll tomorrow. We haven't really explored since we got here."
"The day after tomorrow, we'll go to the contract beast trading market with Ke Xin and try our luck."
Hearing about good food, Ji Ge's eyes lit up.
"Okay!"
...
Time flew by, and it was soon time to meet Ke Xin at the city's northern contract beast department store to look for contract beasts.
Early in the morning, Lu Fei hailed a "Didi Ma" to head to the city's northern contract beast department store.
Based on what he learned at the market yesterday, Lu Fei knew that this contract beast department store was one of the three major contract beast markets in Cang Town. It not only sold contract beasts of various shapes and forms but also offered a wide array of contract beast equipment and spiritual medicine.
Regular auctions were also held here, where rare contract beasts were sold to the highest bidder. However, with Lu Fei's current financial situation, he knew his place; he probably couldn't even afford an entrance ticket.
Half an hour later, Lu Fei arrived at the city's northern contract beast department store.
As soon as he got out of the vehicle, a girl in a pink dress gracefully approached him.
"Fei Ge!"
Ke Xin stood with her hands behind her back, her pretty face, blooming with youthful charm, showing unconcealed joy. Her skirt fluttered, making her look like a fairy descended to earth.
Looking at the girl's appearance, an unusual glint appeared in Lu Fei's eyes, which was a rare sight.
Suddenly, he pinched his thigh hard, pushing a foolish thought to the back of his mind.
Damn, it's a bit awkward to say... According to their agreement from that day, he was supposed to call her "Xin Xin." Lu Fei felt stumped.
He took a deep breath, feeling as if he was facing a formidable enemy.
He felt his toes digging into the ground as if trying to carve out a three-bedroom apartment. After a long pause, he awkwardly squeezed out a few words, "Xin Xin, so early."
Hearing him call her that, Ke Xin's heart bloomed with joy.
The two walked into the contract beast department store together. Passing under a giant contract beast statue, they entered the market.
The department store buildings resembled a giant ring-shaped egg, similar to the Beast Tamer Association, but on a much smaller scale.
Various businesses lined the surroundings. There were contract beast equipment shops that Lu Fei was familiar with, as well as buildings that resembled dojos. Ke Xin explained that these were contract beast training grounds.
Their purpose was somewhat akin to cram schools, but for a different demographic. However, the price per session was astonishing.
As the two walked further inside, they saw contract beast sanatoriums, which were establishments similar to clubhouses. The difference was that their clients were contract beasts. Standing at the entrance were several contract beasts with well-defined muscles but extremely friendly appearances; these were the shop's technicians.
These contract beast sanatoriums were legitimate and absolutely did not offer "happy endings"!
In addition to massages and physiotherapy, these establishments also specialized in treating various difficult ailments for contract beasts, all on a one-on-one, highly meticulous basis.
As they wandered, Lu Fei spotted a massive arena entirely made of transparent glass, filled with various equipment, somewhat resembling a gym. Lu Fei could vaguely see several contract beasts sitting inside futuristic egg-shaped cockpits, their expressions grim and serious.
Looking up, he saw a billboard that read "Cang Family Research Institute."
Lu Fei frowned. A mental asylum?
He then asked Ke Xin, "What is this research institute used for?"
Ke Xin looked up and said with sudden realization, "Oh, this is a contract beast research institute. Fei Ge, look at those contract beasts sitting in the cockpits. They are conducting simulated battles. Through these battles, researchers compile reports to comprehensively improve the combat abilities of contract beasts."
"Oh... VR?" Lu Fei muttered softly.
"What are you talking about?" Ke Xin asked in confusion.
"It's nothing,"
Lu Fei waved his hand. The function of this simulation device was indeed somewhat similar to the VR equipment he knew from before, creating virtual images. However, the surrounding space was 3D, giving a feeling of being truly immersed.
"Fei Ge, do you want to try it? Mom gave me a membership card when I left. She'll pay for everything!"
What a little rich girl... Lu Fei raised his eyebrows, feeling a bit tempted, but he still refused Ke Xin's kind offer.
He still had some questions in his mind and asked curiously, "Then, if a simulated battle takes place and a contract beast can't control itself and releases its abilities, what happens if it damages the physical training ground?"
In his mind, such a situation was definitely possible. He had seen customers in shopping malls accidentally punch staff members while experiencing VR boxing games.
The force of that punch was completely unrestrained, and its destructive power was imaginable.
But compared to contract beasts, human attacks were mere child's play, insignificant.
If a contract beast lost control and spewed a ball of fire, the entire venue would likely be in jeopardy.
Ke Xin chuckled. "That won't happen. To enter the simulated combat arena, beast tamers need to inject their mental power into the simulation equipment to activate it. Once successfully activated, contract beasts, regardless of their size, will be temporarily scaled down."
"Next, they will be placed into the cockpits. At this point, the contract beasts will be in a state similar to being in a coma. They will enter a virtual space."
"This space is somewhat similar to the beast-taming space. The difference is that one enters physically, while the other enters spiritually. In this space, contract beasts can freely use their skills, improve their strength, and even engage in simulated battles."
Hearing this, Lu Fei had some questions.