After fiddling with it for a while, a young mermaid with a human upper body and a blue fish tail appeared on the interface.
Without a main entity involved in synthesis, the initial state is always juvenile.
Qin Shou stared at the interface, adjusted the mermaid's model with his fingers, and then began synthesis.
"Ding! Synthesis Points consumed: 50. Synthesis successful. The organism is classified as a Danger Level 5 creature. Please name the organism!"
"Mermaid!" Qin Shou said decisively.
"Ding! Naming successful. Searching and comparing data…"
"Ding! This organism has a 60% similarity to a mermaid. Reward: 100 Synthesis Points and Monster Battle Talent!"
"Ding! Similarity exceeds 50%. Reward: Mermaid Transform Card."
Qin Shou's eyes lit up. Not only did he earn 50 Synthesis Points this time, but the similarity even reached 60%, granting him a Mermaid Transform Card.
Mermaid Transform Card...
Damn, what use do I have for this thing!
Qin Shou imagined himself transforming into a mermaid and twisting and turning in front of a monster...
A shiver ran down his spine.
No, even if I were to jump off a cliff, I wouldn't want to turn into a fish!
"Hahaha, la la la~"
Suddenly, an enchanting and melodious singing came from the interface, causing Qin Shou's mind to wander.
The next moment, he snapped back to reality and looked at the interface, where a mermaid about five or six years old with flowing blue hair appeared.
"Your singing…" Qin Shou said in shock.
"Hehehe, Master, do you think my singing is lovely?"
The young mermaid opened her large, lively eyes and looked at Qin Shou with an innocent smile.
Qin Shou nodded with a smile, his thoughts swirling.
Just like the Skeleton Giant Lizard, the Merfolk are a race left behind from ancient times.
Although they appear grotesque, they possess the ability to control monsters through singing, equivalent to ancient-era Beast Tamers.
That song just now must have been the bewildering melody used to control monsters.
Unexpectedly, after fusing human genes, the singing of Merfolk could also affect humans.
Qin Shou was utterly stunned.
Soon, he gazed at the mermaid, whose appearance bore a slight resemblance to Lin Xiaomei, and smiled.
"From now on, your name will be Zhi Yin!"
Zhi Yin's eyes sparkled with delight. She nodded enthusiastically and cheerfully swam around on the interface.
"Hehehe, my name is Zhi Yin, Master's Zhi Yin…"
Qin Shou couldn't help but laugh at the sight.
A mermaid this cute… if I punched her, she'd probably cry for ages, right?
...
The next day.
At Beast Power High School, Lin Xiaomei sat in a milk tea shop by the school gate with two male classmates, chatting casually.
"Lin Xiaomei, is the Qin Shou you mentioned the one who won the Beast Breeding Competition championship yesterday?" Yu Zhan, whose face was covered with acne, asked.
Lin Xiaomei nodded and smiled, "That's right. With Qin Shou's Dragon Beast, winning the Beast Breeding Competition shouldn't be too challenging."
At the side, the frail Zhao Jing curled his lip and said, "So what if he's the champion of the Beast Breeding Competition? Without the help of his beasts, I could take him on one-on-one, ten times over!"
Lin Xiaomei's expression darkened. "Zhao Jing, we're going to be a team soon, so some level of respect is necessary."
Yu Zhan chimed in, "Exactly. I heard Qin Shou's Dragon Beast is formidable. Even the three of us, Level 8 novice Beast Ability Masters, might struggle against it. Don't go provoking him later, or you might end up getting beat up."
Zhao Jing snorted coldly. "What's there to be scared of? With the Silver Silk Spider gene I fused, I might not lose to his Dragon Beast.
He's just leveraging the Dragon Beast's power to act tough. If he had any guts, we should…"
"Stop talking! Qin Shou's here!" Lin Xiaomei interrupted coldly.
Zhao Jing flinched and instinctively shrank back, saying no more.
Among the three, Lin Xiaomei's Three-tailed Fire Fox gene was the most effective against his Silver Silk Spider.
Usually, he didn't dare to offend Lin Xiaomei.
Soon, Qin Shou leisurely walked into the milk tea shop, offering a faint smile to the three.
He glanced at the frail Zhao Jing without revealing any emotion, feeling exasperated inside.
You were talking so loudly just now; I could hear you from nine streets away!
In general, there's always been a disdain chain among the three major cultivation groups.
The Mechanical Department looks down on the Beast Ability System and Breeding Beast System, believing Mecha represents the pinnacle of human intelligence while relying on monsters is a misguided path.
The Beast Ability System looks down on both the Mechanical Department and Breeding Beast System, insisting that strengthening oneself is the proper way forward, and Mecha and beasts are merely unreliable external supports.
The Breeding Beast System is in an awkward position.
Looking down on the Mechanical Department? Well, they use technology to defeat monsters, which isn't so different from using beasts to defeat monsters.
Looking down on the Beast Ability System? They might have a point—without beasts, a Beast Tamer's prowess indeed falls short of a Beast Ability Master's.
Forget it. Since they look down on me, I'll look down on them too!
At least in West City, this attitude prevails.
For those cultivators with powerful backgrounds, who train in all three disciplines, this disdain chain is nothing but a joke!
Whether it's Mecha, Beast Cultivation, or Monster Gene fusion,
these are all means by which humanity uses intelligence to equip themselves, resist monsters, and protect their homes. There's no hierarchy of worth between them.
Wisdom is humanity's most precious treasure.
...
After a brief introduction, Lin Xiaomei took out a simulation map and detailed the situation of the Black Ape Beast's nest to the group.
"While the Black Ape Beast's nest isn't too far from West City, there are plenty of strong beast groups in the area. We'll have to take a detour to avoid disturbing the beast groups before taking down the Black Ape Beast..."
A moment later, Lin Xiaomei, her throat dry, took a sip of milk tea and addressed the group.
"If you have any questions, now's the time to ask."
"No objections from me; we'll go with your plan," Yu Zhan said with a smile.
Zhao Jing nodded. "Same here."
Qin Shou said, "I have no issues. When do we depart?"
Lin Xiaomei stood up. "If everyone's ready, we'll leave now."
"Alright."
...
The four of them hailed a ride to West City's gate.
After getting out of the car, Qin Shou raised his head and looked at the towering, blood-stained city walls, his eyes filled with respect.
Were it not for the predecessors who fought valiantly to protect humanity, there wouldn't be the Federation of today!
Nor would there be thousands of human cities!
They are the true heroes!
Lin Xiaomei noticed Qin Shou's moment of reflection and smiled. "Qin Shou, this must be your first time venturing out of the city!"
Qin Shou nodded. "Yes, it is. I've never been out of the city before now."
While this might sound a bit sorrowful, it's actually the greatest blessing of this era.
For countless ordinary children, growing up safely within a city to adulthood is a privilege in itself.
This is what those heroes who fought to the death once wished for.
And they succeeded.
Qin Shou reflected deeply for a moment, then gathered his thoughts and followed the group to the city gate's office.
The office was crowded with people waiting in line.
Some were martial artists who made their living hunting monsters, some were students gaining experience outside the city, and others were researchers studying monster movements outside.
Two hours later, it was finally their turn.
"Hello, the four of us are planning to leave the city," Lin Xiaomei said proficiently to the staff member.
The staff member nodded and picked up the Star Power Detector, scanning each of the three.
"Hmm. Level 8 novice, meets the exit standard."
After scanning Qin Shou with the device, the staff member frowned.
"Hmm? Only Level 6 novice? Your ability is far too weak. Go back home!" the staff member said.