Chapter 43 GO Chapter 43

Chapter 43: Unleash The Beast

Liew Ruyan was taken aback by Chen Ning’s words, a flicker of alarm crossing her mind as she wondered if he had some unusual preferences. 

Fortunately, Chen Ning then offered a slight smile and said calmly, “I’m joking, of course. What kind of man would treat a woman as a pet?”

Liew Ruyan felt a wave of quiet relief. Chen Ning was, after all, wearing the uniform of the Imperial Phoenix Legion, and carried an air of undeniable authority. Without a clearer sense of his background, even as the general manager of the Liew Trading Company, she had no desire to risk offending a member of such an elite military unit.

Of course, when she heard Chen Ning remark, “Who would treat a woman as a pet?” she couldn’t help but glance at him—subtly, almost instinctively. Rumors had reached her that certain aristocrats in Vermilion Phoenix City harbored such unconventional preferences.

Liew Ruyan maintained her composure, a polished professional smile gracing her lips. 

“In that case, honored guest, might I ask what you are truly seeking? Let us see if the Liew Trading Company can fulfill your request.”

Chen Ning’s voice was calm and steady.

“As I mentioned, I wish to see what intelligent creatures you have available. I’m looking to purchase an animal to keep as a pet.”

Liew Ruyan smiled and said, “We have a wide variety of animals here, and no shortage of highly intelligent ones. For instance, we have gorillas—the smartest creatures after us humans—or aquatic dwellers like dolphins and octopuses. What might catch your interest?”

Chen Ning raised a brow. “You certainly have a wide inventory.”

“Of course,” she replied with a hint of pride. “To stand out among the countless trade houses serving thirty million citizens, we rely on one thing—variety and quality.”

Chen Ning nodded slightly. “Then take me to see your most intelligent specimens. I prefer large creatures. I don’t care much for small ones.”

He wasn’t lying entirely. The truth was, he needed beasts with enough blood to fill his spiritual lake through the Devouring Art. Small animals simply wouldn’t do.

“Understood,” Liew Ruyan said sweetly. “Please, follow me.”

She glided ahead, her movements graceful, hips swaying with a rhythm that seemed almost hypnotic.

As they walked, she turned her head and asked,

“By the way, honored guest, do you have one of our company’s membership cards?”

Chen Ning shook his head. “No.”

“Would you like to apply for one? It’s free—just a bit of identification, and we can assign your VIP level accordingly. The higher the level, the greater the discounts. And of course, with continued spending, your rank rises naturally.”

Chen Ning caught the sly glimmer in her beautiful eyes. She was probing—trying to gauge who he was, where he came from. He smiled faintly.

“No hurry. I’ll decide once I see what kind of stock you have.”

Liew Ruyan was genuinely curious about Chen Ning’s identity. He wore the uniform of the Phoenix Corps, yet he bore no sergeant or officer insignia on his shoulders, making it impossible for her to determine his rank. Moreover, something about his demeanor told her he was no ordinary soldier.

What she didn’t know was that Chen Ning had originally been wearing his insignia. However, after entering Vermilion Phoenix City, Bai Yuhao had suggested that Chen Ning and the others remove them. 

Firstly, imperial regulations allowed soldiers and officers to wear uniforms while off-duty in a private capacity, but prohibited the display of rank insignia—this was to prevent officers from flaunting their status and bringing disrepute to the Empire. 

Secondly, with their insignia removed, outsiders would not know their exact ranks, leaving room for speculation and making others less likely to provoke them or pick a fight.

Catching Liew Ruyan’s occasional glances, Chen Ning merely smiled and said nothing.

They took the elevator down—ten floors below ground.

Since the dawn of the post-apocalyptic era, metropolitan architecture has fundamentally adapted—nearly every skyscraper now extends as deep underground as it rises toward the sky. It’s common for buildings to feature multiple subterranean levels, designed as fortified shelters where citizens can retreat in case zombies breach the city defenses.

In short, the demands of the times have changed. Where towers once raced skyward in aspiration, today a building’s prestige is measured by how far down it goes—the more underground levels, the greater the symbol of strength and preparedness.

When the elevator doors opened, a brightly lit corridor stretched before them. At the end stood a reinforced steel gate guarded by men with assault rifles. They recognized Liew Ruyan instantly and, with a respectful nod, unlocked the door.

Liew Ruyan led Chen Ning inside, and he quickly realized the place was essentially a high-end zoo or even an oceanic park. All around, various animals were housed in secure enclosures. According to the directory, this floor was divided into specialized zones—land animal pavilions, marine life sections, and more.

“Liew Ruyan explained to Chen Ning, “This floor is our live animal gallery. We don’t deal in common or low-value creatures—everything you see here is rare or exceptional. Let me show you around. 

This is the aquatic section. Look, that’s a juvenile whale. Our company invested tremendous effort to transport it into Vermilion Phoenix City.”

Chen Ning’s gaze fell upon the massive whale. “How much for that one?”

Liew Ruyan’s smile was charming. “One hundred gold coins. But if you’re truly interested, I could give you a small discount—and we’ll throw in a full aquatic tank and oxygen system as a gift.”

Chen Ning’s heart jolted. A hundred gold coins? He’d have to slay a mountain of zombies to earn that much.

He kept his face expressionless and pointed to another tank. “That octopus looks impressive. What’s its price?”

“This one’s a giant octopus,” she said with a lilting laugh. “Five meters across, about a hundred kilos. A terror of the deep—very hard to catch. Fifty gold coins.”

Chen Ning noticed several large tanks, each housing a giant octopus. These creatures possessed remarkable regenerative abilities, their wounds healing with astonishing speed. If he could drain the blood from all these giant octopuses and absorb it into his spiritual lake, the cultivation benefits would be tremendous.

Unfortunately, he only had three gold coins to his name—likely enough to purchase just a single octopus tentacle, if that.

Realizing there was no way he could buy anything here, he silently gave up on the idea of purchasing and simply followed her as she showed off more specimens.

Noticing Chen Ning’s apparent lack of interest in the marine creatures, Liew Ruyan guided him toward the animal section. 

She specifically selected those known for their intelligence and massive size. After passing creatures like elephants, she finally brought him to a secured room containing a colossal gorilla. Through the thick tempered glass, they observed the immense primate standing over two meters tall.

The massive gorilla had been sitting listlessly on the ground, but the moment it spotted Liew Ruyan and Chen Ning outside the glass—particularly the cheongsam-clad Liew Ruyan—its eyes instantly lit up. 

With an excited roar, it shot forward like a rocket, scrambling on all fours as it lunged directly toward her.

BOOM!

The entire chamber trembled.

Chen Ning frowned slightly, genuinely concerned that the tempered glass might shatter under the gorilla’s furious impact.

Liew Ruyan’s face also tightened, a hint of unease flashing across her features. She explained with slight embarrassment, “Actually, this giant gorilla is usually very intelligent. It doesn’t normally act so recklessly as to charge at the glass like this.”

Chen Ning glanced at her. “Then why does it seem so agitated now?”

Her cheeks flushed slightly. “Gorillas are… very similar to us humans. This one’s a male, and, well—let’s just say it has strong instincts. Toward females. Not only toward female gorillas, but human women as well.”

Chen Ning couldn’t help a small chuckle. Liew Ruyan blushed harder. “When it sees a woman, it tends to get… excited. It’ll keep banging the glass like that. It’s strong, but the glass can hold. Still, I’d rather be safe. I’ll step away for a bit—you can keep looking. I’ll come back shortly and show you the other large beasts.”

She turned and walked off quickly, high heels tapping against the floor.

Liew Ruyan turned and walked away before Chen Ning could say he hadn’t found a suitable animal and was ready to leave.

But as he watched the gorilla ramming against the glass again with even greater force, the impact echoing loudly, a sudden idea sparked in his mind: He could never afford to buy any of these animals. Why not take this chance to release the colossal gorilla? It would surely go on a frenzied rampage. Then, under the guise of helping, he could kill it—and even secretly use the Devouring Art to absorb its blood…

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than Chen Ning snapped his gaze back to the gorilla inside the enclosure.

Seeing Liew Ruyan turn to leave, the colossal beast grew even more frantic. It let out furious roars and slammed its right palm against the tempered glass.

At the exact moment the gorilla struck, Chen Ning simultaneously smashed his fist—with all the force of a Double Level Two War Soldier—directly onto the same spot from the other side.

BOOM!

Even the sturdy tempered glass could not withstand the simultaneous blows from both Chen Ning and the gorilla. It fractured instantly, a web of cracks exploding across its surface.

Seeing this, Chen Ning immediately feigned a cry of alarm. 

Liew Ruyan, who had only walked a dozen meters away, turned back just in time to see the gorilla inside the room ecstatically slamming against the glass again. 

To her utter disbelief, the tempered glass shattered with a thunderous CRACK. “Look out, honored guest!” she screamed.

The unthinkable happened.

CRAAASH!

The glass shattered into a thousand shards.

Liew Ruyan’s face went white. She screamed,

“Watch out!”