Ling Song was the young master of the Ling family and Mei Yanlan’s father. As a member of the succubus race, he had been considered an unparalleled beauty in his youth. Countless men and women from atavist families had been completely fascinated by him, and he had been the chosen heir to the position of family head.

Yet he fell in love with an ordinary, ordinary atavist woman. Ignoring his family’s objections, he eloped with her and later gave birth to Mei Yanlan himself.

When the Ling family finally found them, they discovered that the mixed-blood child had not only survived against all odds but had grown up healthy and strong.

“How is this possible? Why do other hybrids die, yet this child survived?”

“Perhaps… it has something to do with her mother?”

If producing stronger descendants through marriage alliances had truly been feasible, every atavist family would have rushed to do it. The reason they generally opposed marriages between atavists was because the results were rarely worth the cost.

So this discovery was like uncovering a gold mine, a treasure capable of shaking the world. They became desperate to learn the secret behind it.

“Asong, I’m leaving this matter to you. You’ve rested long enough. Don’t forget that you’re the future family head. You have responsibilities. Stop clinging to your wife and child all day,” his elder brother said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder.

“Then you be the family head, Brother. I don’t care about success. Having a wife and daughter is enough for me.”

“What nonsense. Get moving.”

It looked like a scene of brotherly harmony and mutual respect.

Who could have imagined it was actually the opening move in a deranged scheme designed to obtain experimental results?

After Ling Song went on a business trip, they laid hands on his wife. To obtain multiple sets of experimental data for comparison, multiple variables had to be prepared, and that was why she suffered heinous insults during that period.

This incident led to Mei Yanlan’s mother suffering a mental breakdown and committing suicide, yet they did not regret it.

Although the principle was not yet understood, it was likely due to the effect of the hippocampus clan’s ancestral gene. As long as a woman with the hippocampus clan’s gene had relations with another ancestral descendant, causing the male to become pregnant, there was a 50% chance of giving birth to a healthy hybrid who possessed both the mother’s and father’s ancestral genes.

What an incredible discovery! Not only could they survive smoothly, but they could also possess both ancestral abilities. How powerful! Which ancestral family, upon learning of this, would not eagerly seek to arrange a marriage alliance with them?

The Ling family’s rise and fall became completely tied to Mei Yanlan.

They immediately decided her future: she would never marry and would remain at home. Whichever ancestral family offered enough benefits would be qualified to enter their household and have relations with her. If she were fortunate enough to become pregnant, they could have offspring possessing both ancestral genes.

At the same time, the Ling family would forge an unbreakable bond with other ancestral families.

By the time Mei Yanlan was not yet ten years old, an endless line of people was already waiting, watching her grow up like hungry wolves.

Sadly, that beautiful dream burst like a soap bubble.

After slaughtering those men and their offspring, Ling Song risked his life to send his daughter away. Mei Yanlan vanished for years. Ten years ago, the Ling family nearly found her, only to lose her because of Wen Can. Fortunately for them, fate brought her back into view once more.

After hearing his eldest son’s report, the Ling family head said, “Only tell those few families. Quietly.”

“Understood!”

Although they had not captured Mei Yanlan yet, they were completely convinced they would bring her back. The glory their family had dreamed of for centuries was finally within reach. After being trampled on for so long, they could no longer resist showing off their wealth and influence, eager to force everyone who had mocked and humiliated the Ling family to regret it.

---

The cloned Wen Can had appeared.

Mei Yanlan’s death was approaching.

Because of a promise she had made with Wen Can, Mei Yanlan had spent the last ten years living under a false identity and keeping a low profile. Once those ten years were up, she stepped back on purpose into the spotlight to attract the Ling family’s attention.

As long as the Ling family struck first, she would have a reasonable reason to kill them. Qiu Fa would be able to protect her life. Mei Yanlan had no intention of dying alongside that trash.

They didn’t deserve it.

What she had not anticipated was that the Ling family, a weak family that had long relied on despicable methods to alter its fortunes, had already colluded with the Atavist Serum Organization. She wiped out the Ling family, only to fall right into the organization’s trap. Captured and turned into an experimental subject, she detonated herself using her atavist power in the end, taking part of the organization down with her.

Jing Pei put away her phone, stepped out of the car, and entered the school. Four aerial camera drones followed closely behind her, covering every angle.

She remained completely calm, like a superstar long accustomed to cameras.

“Such composure!” Director Zhang Run exclaimed.

No sooner had Jing Pei entered the school than the principal summoned her. Several other atavist students were already gathered in the office, including Wu Ying and Feng Yilian.

“The Tribunal Division is short on combat personnel and needs assistance. You are the strongest students at the Twelve Zodiac Academy. I hope you can balance both your studies and your responsibilities,” the principal said.

“Understood,” Jing Pei replied.

The principal nodded.

“Report to the Tribunal Division. Director Qiu will assign your duties.”

The group got back into a vehicle and headed for the Tribunal Division.

They had all known about the documentary project beforehand. Before filming started, they had looked forward to appearing on camera.

What they had not expected was to run headfirst into final exams.

Even Chen Mo, usually the most talkative person around, had gone quiet. He kept muttering under his breath. On closer inspection, he was memorizing textbook passages.

Jing Pei was the most relaxed among them. The director’s interview questions came through her earpiece.

“My advancement points are already sufficient,” Jing Pei said. “Final exams won’t affect my admission, so I don’t need to cram.”

“So you’ve already secured direct admission?”

“Yes.”

“I never expected atavists to have such down-to-earth worries,” Zhang Run said with a sigh. “Turns out the young masters and young ladies of atavist families have to cram for finals too.”

At that moment, an upper-year mathematics student approached with a tablet.

“I mean… even though you’re only in seventh grade, is there any chance you can solve this problem?”

Jing Pei glanced at it.

Just a math problem.

Easy.

Taking the stylus, she solved it while explaining the process.

The senior gave her a thumbs-up and happily returned to his problem set.

Soon they arrived at the Tribunal Division.

Qiu Fa assigned each of them to a team leader. When it was Jing Pei’s turn, she said,

“I was once Teacher Mei’s student. Opportunities like this are rare. I’d like to work with her and finish learning everything I didn’t have time to learn before.”

Qiu Fa paused, frowning slightly.

“Mei Yanlan handles the most dangerous assignments.”

“I believe Teacher Mei and I can handle them.”

Qiu Fa thought about Lou Ting’s feather in her possession. It would not be an exaggeration to say that almost nobody dared provoke her now. She was also far smarter than expected.

So he agreed.

Mei Yanlan really needed an assistant.

“If you work with Mei Yanlan, you must obey her orders. No acting on your own.”

Jing Pei smiled.

“Do I really seem that wild to you?”

“Hmph.”

He had told her not to spend so much time around that information broker, and she had ignored that advice too. This little dragon had a mind of her own.

“Who is Mei Yanlan?” Zhang Run asked through the earpiece as they left Qiu Fa’s office.

“Mei Yanlan is Number One of the Tribunal Division Special Forces. Other than Big Cat, she’s the strongest combat operative.”

“Big Cat?”

“Yeah. The cool-looking guy who was just in the office.”

Qiu Fa looked up at the closed office door. He ran a hand over his short cropped hair without realizing it, picked up his cap, and adjusted it expressionlessly.

Jing Pei was the last one out. In the lobby, she spotted Wen Yuxian.

Several students he had taught before were chatting with him. Seeing Jing Pei appear, he looked over.

For an instant, their gazes met.

It seemed as though a message passed silently between them.

“Teacher Wen.”

“Ah Jin.”

After the brief greeting, everyone went their separate ways.

Wen Yuxian’s task today was patrol duty. He specifically requested Feng Yilian and Chen Mo as assistants because both of them could fly.

Having been his students before, neither refused.

The Tribunal Division approved the request as well.

“Schools and hospitals are priority locations,” Wen Yuxian explained. “At times like this, you need to pay special attention to foreigners.”

It was an effective method for preventing crimes committed by atavists.

“Got it.”

Jing Pei waited a while and eventually met up with Mei Yanlan.

---

The cantaloupe-tattooed man and two companions rode a sightseeing tricycle around Yunjin Prefecture wearing sunglasses.

On the surface, they looked like tourists.

In reality, they were scouting locations and timing for an attack.

Based on their abilities and their precautions against Lou Ting’s power of judgment, they needed three conditions:

A dense population.

Weak security.

Targets with fragile minds that were easy to manipulate.

Schools and hospitals were ideal. Children and patients were mentally vulnerable groups, while such places were generally guarded only by ordinary police officers or security personnel. For atavists, causing trouble there would be easy.

In the end they chose a school.

“Children with promising futures are more valuable than hospital patients,” said the old man in an undershirt while holding a little boy’s hand. “If those kids end up being judged, that’ll be far more entertaining.”

The boy holding a lollipop revealed a weird mature smile.

“I’ll turn every one of them into guilty monsters.”

“Then let’s see who still dares mock the Trident Mercenary Corps as amateurs,” the cantaloupe-tattooed man sneered. “Long Jin will become a sinner in this country and be cursed by all the people praising her now.”

Their passports identified them as Eric, Brian, and Jaden.

Jaden was the little boy.

Though he looked like a child, he was actually thirty years old, a dwarf disguised as a child. His atavist power made the disguise flawless.

He was a Black Wizard Atavist, a magical-creature-type atavist.

Despite the name, the species looked nothing like fantasy wizards. They were horrifying extradimensional creatures covered in dense clusters of eyes, seeming more suited to a Cthulhu mythos than any conventional fantasy setting.

They were called Black Wizards because they possessed an ability resembling dark magic, capable of transforming weaker lifeforms into monsters.

At the age of ten, Jaden had transformed his younger brother into a monstrous fish and sold him to a gourmet with grotesque tastes, who then ate him. After his parents suffered complete mental collapse from the incident, they abandoned him.

The case had caused an enormous public uproar decades ago.

People often wondered how such a species’ genes had survived. Historical records described them as hideous ugly creatures that possessed strong magical abilities but low intelligence. Whenever they encountered stronger races, they were overwhelmingly defeated.

Different from many species, they could not transform into humans or even humanoid forms.

Perhaps one of these creatures had transformed a human into a monster, eliminating reproductive barriers and producing descendants.

Jaden was evil by nature.

His favorite pastime was turning people into monsters and selling them for consumption or exhibition.

Worst of all, the transformed victims retained full human awareness. Their consciousness remained trapped inside monstrous bodies while they were forced to perform grotesque actions.

The trio headed toward Yunjin Elementary School.

Before they even reached it, they sensed a vigilant gaze descending from above.

Looking up, they saw a magnificent phoenix whose wings blazed like living fire watching them from the sky.

“Why is there a phoenix here? Have we been discovered?” the cantaloupe-tattooed man asked in trepidation.

“Keep driving,” the old man said calmly.

Feng Yilian watched them the entire way until they left his patrol zone.

Only then did he withdraw his attention.

The three men breathed sighs of relief.

“Looks like he didn’t notice.”

“What now?”

They had not anticipated an atavist guarding the school.

“Let’s switch to the hospital.”

Being watched by a creature that dominated the skies was far too risky. Before they could even make a scene, he might summon reinforcements and pin them down.

Unfortunately, the moment they entered the hospital district, a chicken locked onto them.

The three men fell silent.

Left with no choice, they redirected toward a kindergarten.

At the entrance stood Wen Yuxian.

“This is the Tribunal Division. Routine inspection. Please show identification.”

“Turn right! Turn right!” the old man immediately ordered. “We’re almost at our friend’s house.”

The tricycle turned away and avoided inspection.

Their information specialist had completely researched everyone involved. Wen Yuxian was not someone to underestimate. After years of battling the Atavist Serum Organization, who knew what complications might arise if they encountered him directly?

What rotten luck.

Still, the entire city was under heightened security because of increased crime and the influx of foreign visitors. More patrols on the streets seemed perfectly normal.

“It’ll only get more severe,” the old man said. “Didn’t Victor mention that after the Twelve Zodiac Academy goes on break, large numbers of students participate in maintaining city security?”

The cantaloupe-tattooed man was furious.

“Are we really going home empty-handed? If people hear about that, we’ll become an even bigger joke.”

“If we’re going to do this, it has to be now. Wait any longer and we won’t get another chance.”

Suddenly, the little boy smiled.

“There is one place that definitely won’t have atavist surveillance. And it’s where I can use my ability most successfully.”

The simpler the target’s mind, the stronger his power became.

The more people he could transform into monsters.

That was why they had chosen hospitals and schools in the first place. The more monsters created, the greater the chaos inflicted upon the city.

The greater the chaos, the more effectively they could reclaim their pride.

“You mean… that place?”

“Exactly.”

“At this point, we don’t have a better option. Let’s take a look.”

They went immediately.

As expected, not a single atavist was watching the area.

“Excellent. We’ll begin our revenge here.”

---

As the sun set, golden-orange light bathed the city.

Suddenly, a manhole cover blasted into the sky.

A Tentacle Monster Atavist burst out of the sewer in a panic.

Before he could land, a shadow fell across him.

Looking up, he saw the gentle smile of a young girl.

A dragon claw gripped the airborne manhole cover.

Like someone playing whack-a-mole, Jing Pei slammed it down on him.

Bang!

He was smashed straight back into the sewer.

Several streets away, Director Zhang Run watched the scene on a monitor.

His scalp hurt in sympathy.

“Hiss…”

A moment later the Tentacle Monster Atavist shot back out again.

Jing Pei leaped up and knocked him back down.

Up he came.

Down he went.

Again.

And again.

For a while, it looked as though Jing Pei was using the manhole cover to play tennis with the person underground.

And she seems to be having a great time.

“All right, that’s enough!”

Mei Yanlan’s voice echoed up from below.

The seductive woman sounded defeated.

Jing Pei stopped reluctantly.

She clearly was not finished.

Mei Yanlan tossed the battered “tennis ball” out of the sewer.

The criminal landed on the pavement with a wet thud, looking like a lump of wrecked flesh.

Mei Yanlan glanced at the criminal, then at Jing Pei, and laughed.

“You know, I didn’t realize it before. Your operating style might actually be worse than mine.”

The criminal was definitely going to leave with psychological trauma.

She approved.

Wearing a serious expression full of righteous conviction, Jing Pei declared,

“This sewer killer has murdered at least ten people. He repeatedly resisted arrest and continued fighting. Officer, I lost a scale.”

She opened her fair palm.

Mei Yanlan glanced at the tiny red mark that would disappear within seconds.

Brushing aside her vivid red hair, she made the golden bells in it chime softly.

“Assaulting law enforcement. Additional charges.”

The criminal lying on the ground:

???

I lost the ability to resist after the very first hit!