Chapter 72: The World Transformed: Signs Before Pet Mutation

Ye Xuan whispered softly, his tone tinged with surprise.

He had assumed the revival of Qi would be a gradual process, but never expected it to be so violent, so sudden; the energy of heaven and earth seemed forcibly pried open by some force, surging into this world.

But.

“This is fine.”

Ye Xuan’s lips curled slightly.

For him, the higher the Qi concentration on Blue Star, the faster his cultivation; and with his current strength, he had no reason to fear such ordinary anomalies.

The night breeze brushed past, thick with Qi, stirring his sleeves; the city lights in the distance remained unchanged, but Ye Xuan knew that from this night onward, the world would be utterly transformed.

“Let me see what kind of changes this new era will bring.”

The Qi flooding Blue Star swept across the globe like a tsunami, seeping into every inch of land, every body of water, every breath of air; at this moment, Blue Star seemed wrapped in an invisible veil of spiritual mist, all things undergoing unprecedented transformation.

Creatures that had already begun mutating before the Qi tide frantically absorbed the airborne Qi, undergoing a second evolution; those that had not mutated before yet survived now broke through their limits under the Qi’s cleansing force.

Humans, too.

In a bedroom, a boy’s palm unconsciously sparked a flame, igniting the curtains; in a hospital ward, a dying patient suddenly opened his eyes, dazed; in an office building, a clerk working late realized his computer was floating before him…

But most people remained asleep, unaware of the changes in their bodies; they would only discover them when they woke at dawn.

Yet compared to humans themselves, they should pay more attention to their pets and livestock.

Some among them, nurtured by the Qi tide, were also mutating.

“Doudou? Doudou, what’s wrong?”

Zhang Xiaoyu crouched on the floor, anxiously watching her three-year-old Chihuahua; the usually lively dog now curled in pain, emitting low whimpers.

More alarming was that Doudou’s body was growing visibly larger—its size, once no bigger than a palm, had already doubled, and continued to expand.

“I’ll take you to the hospital.”

She bit her lip and reached out to pick it up.

But the instant her fingers touched Doudou—

“Ah!”

A searing pain struck; Doudou whirled its head and sank its sharp fangs into her wrist; Zhang Xiaoyu screamed, trying to pull away, but Doudou clamped down hard, growling low from its throat.

“Let go! Doudou, let go!”

“Ssshh—”

A chunk of flesh was torn clean off; Zhang Xiaoyu collapsed to the ground, clutching her bleeding wrist, staring in disbelief at Doudou.

The Chihuahua, after swallowing the flesh torn from Zhang Xiaoyu, staggered to its feet and fixed her with a gaze she had never seen before.

As if she were something delicious to eat.

“Doudou… doudou?”

Her voice trembled; she instinctively shuffled backward.

But the mutated Chihuahua lunged again.

“Aaaah!!!”

This time, the sharp pain came from her calf; she clearly felt the fangs pierce muscle, tear through tissue, blood gushing out, staining her pajama dress.

Amid the agony, a surge of rage spread through her heart.

When Doudou lunged a third time, she shot out her hand and seized its throat.

“Thud!”

The Chihuahua was slammed to the floor, then lifted again, then slammed down once more.

“Thud! Thud! Thud!”

Once, twice, three times.

Until the body in her palm stopped struggling, until those reddened eyes lost their light forever.

Zhang Xiaoyu slumped to the floor, staring at her blood-smeared hands, then at the mangled little corpse nearby; a flicker of confusion crossed her eyes, then she covered her face and wept silently.

Similar scenes unfolded in many households, though their pets weren’t Chihuahuas like Doudou; of course, not all pets turned on their owners.

“Holy shit! Still growing?!”

Chen Hao crouched on the living room floor, eyes wide, his dog food bag already empty; his Golden Retriever, Yuanbao, was wolfing down its fifth bowl of kibble; its once-soft golden fur now gleamed like metal, its weight having surged from 27 kilograms to nearly 40, still growing.

“Slow down, slow down… No problem, I’ve got some beef in the fridge, I’ll give you some later.”

As he spoke, he opened another bag, already planning to buy more dog food tomorrow.

Ten minutes ago he’d been fast asleep, only to be woken by Yuanbao’s wet nose nudging him; half-asleep, he’d found the dog standing beside the bed, holding its own food bowl in its mouth!

He’d fed it three big bowls just last night—how could it be hungry again? Are you trying to bankrupt me?

And when he drowsily refilled the bowl, something stranger happened: Yuanbao devoured the food at vacuum-cleaner speed, then began swelling visibly before his eyes.

He was stunned, wondering if he hadn’t woken up—or if he was still dreaming; instinctively he pulled out his phone, then instantly remembered the announcement issued by Tian Shu Bureau.

Wasn’t this exactly the sign of pet mutation?

Realizing this, he immediately opened several more bags for Yuanbao.

“Tian Shu Bureau’s announcement didn’t lie.”

Chen Hao sighed, filming Yuanbao as it devoured furiously; on screen, Yuanbao’s shoulder height had surpassed seventy centimeters, its muscles sharply defined, yet its gentle eyes and wildly wagging tail remained unchanged.

When the thirteenth bowl was finished, Yuanbao suddenly stopped eating; its fur stirred without wind. Before Chen Hao could react, his dog lifted its head and let out a long howl—

“Awooo—!”

The soundwave rattled the windowpanes, made the ceiling lamp swing wildly; Chen Hao plopped onto the floor—and laughed.

“You’re a dog, you idiot—why are you howling like a wolf?”

“Did mutation give you a reverse evolution?”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Yuanbao instantly reverted to dog nature, bounding over happily, its massive head nuzzling Chen Hao’s chest, its wet tongue licking his face enthusiastically.

“Alright, alright, stop licking.”

Chen Hao patted Yuanbao’s back, now as sturdy as a young pony.

“Tomorrow morning I’ll take you for a walk—I’ll show all the other dog owners in the compound what a real fierce dog looks like!”

Then he studied Yuanbao’s size, chin in hand, eyes suddenly brightening:

“Heh, you’re this big now—could you be my mount?”

Imagining himself riding the majestic Golden Retriever through the neighborhood, Chen Hao burst into laughter.

“Woof!”

Yuanbao responded with two barks, tail wagging like a propeller.

“Come on, sleep! Tomorrow we’ll show off properly!”

Chen Hao hugged his mutated dog and headed for the bedroom, completely unaware of how heavy Yuanbao had become—yet he lifted it effortlessly.

All he could think about now was how to show off tomorrow.

(End of Chapter)