When Chen Xuan and the others saw this scene, their jaws almost dropped to the ground.
Really succeeded?
So fierce?
Even if they all worked together, they couldn't have defeated that monster.
But Lin Bei killed it with two swings of his stick…
A true expert.
Lin Bei's golden hoop returned to its original size. He tucked it casually into his waistband, like a street punk holstering a divine weapon.
The monster's body began to shrink rapidly, becoming the size of a normal human.
The black fur fell away, leaving behind a bald, headless corpse.
Bai Xiaomantou's eyes widened. She had assumed it was some kind of mutated beast, but never expected it to be… a man.
"This is weird," she muttered. "How could the body change like this?"
Chen Xuan frowned deeply. In all his years at the Supernatural Bureau, he had never seen anything like it.
"Wang Ermaizi, Bian Mingjun — grab a body bag, get it to the research institute. Make it quick."
Since it was a naked male corpse, he let the men handle it.
Then Chen Xuan's eyes drifted — just for a second — to the golden hoop on Lin Bei's waistband.
Was that… a treasure?
"What are you staring at?"
Lin Bei caught his gaze, rolling his eyes. He shoved the hoop deeper into his trouser leg like a kid hiding candy.
"Go pick up your Pikachu, Captain Genius."
"Yes, yes," Chen Xuan nodded quickly, not daring to argue.
Even if Lin Bei wasn't officially awakened, he clearly had something special — and terrifyingly strong.
After the Paw Patrol disbanded, they drove back to the Bureau.
Chen Xuan sat in the passenger seat, phone pressed to his ear, his tone dripping with pride.
"Director Li! We already handled the black-haired monster. A minor case, really—haha! Just a small one."
"It's fine, it's fine — I'm used to such things… oh, a commendation ceremony? No, no, unnecessary.
Well… if it's already arranged, I suppose I can attend."
Lin Bei sat in the back seat, studying Little White Bun beside him. Then, without warning, he reached out and poked her shoulder.
"Ah! What are you doing?" Bai Xiaomantou yelped, retreating.
"Where are your wings? Lend them to me," Lin Bei said.
"That's my awakening ability, not a toy."
"Tch. Stingy."
He crossed his arms and gave her a disdainful look.
Bai Xiaomantou sighed, deciding to explain before she lost her patience.
"The awakening ability is unique to each person. I'm an insect awakener — I can grow wings. Wang Hu's an animal awakener, his reflexes are four times faster than normal. And Bian Mingjun… he's a plant awakener. He can survive off sunlight."
Bian Mingjun nodded proudly, stretching out his finger, which slowly turned green and rooted into a leaf.
"You all have powers?" Lin Bei asked.
"Of course. Otherwise, we couldn't join the Bureau."
"What about me?"
"You don't."
Lin Bei pouted. No one cared.
[System: geigeigeigei… I told you not to ignore me, now no awakening for you! Lulululululu…]
Bai Xiaomantou softened. "But maybe your ability's just… different. Stronger than all of us."
Lin Bei smirked. "Of course. I'm your captain."
Later, the headless body was brought to the Bureau.
It drew immediate attention — the first corpse of its kind.
Chen Daxigua and the research team began the examination.
But after countless tests, they found nothing strange — just an ordinary human body.
Except for one thing.
The man had been dead for over a month, yet there was no sign of decay.
Unable to find clues, they turned to DNA tracing.
Soon after, a frail old man arrived, bent almost double, his skin paper-thin and eyes sunken.
"Hello… my name is Zhang Ankang."
Chen Daxigua shook his hand politely. "We'd like to ask a few questions about your son."
"What? My son is dead?!"
The old man fell to his knees, wailing.
Chen Xuan and the others rushed to comfort him, pouring tea and murmuring soft words. But they gained no useful information — only the sound of grief echoing down the corridor.
That night, back in the lab, Chen Daxigua rubbed his aching back.
"Strange… my spine feels like it's bending."
Lin Bei, passing by, quipped lazily, "Hmm? Maybe it's the weight of your ego finally collapsing?"
"..."
Chen Daxigua frowned, exhausted. "Forget it. Let's just do Lin Bei's check-up."
The two walked toward Lin Bei's room.
Inside, laughter and sound effects filled the air.
"Autobots, transform! Puff—boom!"
"Balala energy—magic fairy transform!"
Chen Daxigua sighed like a tired babysitter and pushed the door open.
"You two! Time for your check-up!"
"Wuhu~ take off!"
Lin Bei zoomed his toy airplane through the air, pretending not to hear.
Zhou Cong looked up suddenly, squinting. A flicker of something crossed his face — half confusion, half terror.
"Eh? Chen Da Xigua… why do you have two heads?"
The room fell silent. Even Lin Bei's toy froze midair.
Then Lin Bei tilted his head, half-smiling, half-curious.
"You know what they say — when you stare too long into the abyss, sometimes the abyss starts to grow a face of its own."
Zhou Cong blinked, clearly not understanding.
But Chen Xuan's scalp tingled. The air in the room turned colder.
"Stop talking nonsense! Come and take your temperature first!" Chen Daxigua barked, trying to cover the tremor in his voice.
Zhou Cong frowned seriously. "I'm not lying. There's a human head… growing on your back."
The silence thickened.
Chen Xuan inhaled sharply. A chill ran down his neck.
Chen Daxigua's hands shook. "What nonsense are you spouting, you fool?"
"I'm not." Zhou Cong pointed, trembling. "It's looking right at me."
[Ding! System scan: Zhou Cong awakens C-level beast soul — Erha.
Talent: Left-Eye Pupil — can see through all hidden demons and monsters.]
Lin Bei tossed his airplane lazily and muttered, "Zhou Cong's ability is called the Left Vision Pupil. It can see what humans can't."
A pause.
Everyone stared at him.
Chen Daxigua's face went pale, sweat beading on his forehead.
And for the first time, the laughter in the room faded into silence.