Chapter 34: The Animal Protection Society

After repeated confirmation, Chen Meng had no choice but to accept it as fact. Mouse Beibei truly could eat iron. He had heard Yan Ruoxi mention that after becoming a fourth-tier Divine Body lifeform, one could digest metals like copper and iron and even use them for sustenance. Yet, what was Mouse Beibei? At best, he had only just advanced to a first-tier Divine Body lifeform—a complete novice—still far from the fourth tier.

This mouse was no ordinary creature!

Chen Meng took a deep breath and looked at Mouse Beibei, who was munching happily. Despite his calm exterior, his thoughts were far from settled: “Potions are the means by which humans advance; I’ve never heard of animals directly taking human advancement serums. I just hope there aren’t any hidden dangers. I’ll ask Senior Yan Ruoxi about it during tomorrow’s tutoring session. She’s knowledgeable, and since she’s already become a Divine Body lifeform herself, she should know these things. I should also inquire about the Animal Protection Association. Intelligent animals all end up there eventually—it’s likely Mouse Beibei’s destiny as well.”

Truly, having such a helpful senior was a blessing.

...

A new day arrived swiftly, and when Chen Meng woke up, the pain in his body had noticeably lessened.

Since the instructions on the “Undying Pain Relief Patch” said it could be used for twenty-four hours, he didn’t replace it, figuring that one more application would see him fully recovered.

While his mother applied her makeup, she kept feeling that something was off with her lipstick, but Chen Meng feigned ignorance and pretended not to notice. His father, standing nearby, muttered to himself—was this some sort of hint? Perhaps it was time to spend a little money.

...

After breakfast, Chen Meng headed off to school as usual. This time, he didn’t avoid the old residential district; instead, he and Ma Yiqun took their usual shortcut through it on their way to school. After all, deliberately avoiding the place would only make him look guilty.

Once at school, Chen Meng threw himself into his studies. He didn’t waste a moment, though the bulk of his focus was on academic subjects. If he’d chosen to study alchemy or artifact forging, he could have increased his page-turning speed, but those gains were nowhere near as rapid as using knowledge points directly. With the college entrance exam fast approaching, he had to use his time wisely: he planned to use knowledge points to boost his scores in the three hardest subjects—runes, alchemy, and artifact forging—while relying on sheer effort to scrape a passing grade in the other academic subjects. This had been his plan for a long time.

After class in the evening, Chen Meng made a stop at the martial arts gym, hoping he might run into the old man. But the gym was closed. Calling the old man’s phone, he asked why the place was shut—was the gym going out of business? All he could hear was the shuffle of cards on the other end; he didn’t catch a word of what the old man said.

“That stubborn old fool will lose everything one day,” Chen Meng muttered. Sometimes, he doubted whether the old man was really a Divine Body lifeform—he seemed so utterly ordinary.

...

After a simple dinner, Chen Meng headed to his tutoring session.

Yan Ruoxi arrived as expected, and today’s lesson happened to be on high school biology—a perfect opportunity for Chen Meng to ask about Mouse Beibei.

“You’ve made great progress lately,” Yan Ruoxi remarked, praising him. “At this rate, you should have no trouble passing the college entrance exam’s academic subjects.”

She could tell his foundation was weak—very weak, in fact. But every time she taught him something, he took careful notes, and he always completed his assignments meticulously. That was more than most students could manage.

Chen Meng smiled, genuinely appreciating her praise. He was well aware of his own situation—his rapid progress was thanks to his relentless study and the fact that he made the most of every minute.

“Senior, is today’s lesson high school biology?” he asked.

“Yes, we’ll continue discussing the habits of demon beasts—a frequent topic in the entrance exam,” she replied.

Chen Meng nodded, but thinking of Mouse Beibei, he feigned curiosity and asked, “Senior, since we’re talking about demon beasts, could you explain the organization of Earth’s demon beasts—the Animal Protection Association? It might not be on the exam, but I’m really curious about it.”

Yan Ruoxi had a kind temperament, which was the only reason Chen Meng dared to ask. If it were another teacher, they’d probably scold him for wasting time with irrelevant questions.

She paused, but then nodded.

She began, “The Animal Protection Association was originally established by our country to protect all kinds of wild animals. But as more animals awakened their intelligence and became stronger, their status grew in importance. Now, the entire association is run by animals themselves and has become a self-governing organization. The Association currently has a president, six vice-presidents, and over three thousand members. It wields tremendous influence both in our country and worldwide. To support it, the government also set up the Animal Protection Bureau—other countries have similar agencies. Nowadays, every city has a bureau branch, and any criminal cases involving animals—especially intelligent ones—can be reported directly to them.”

Chen Meng nodded; this aligned with what he’d heard, just in more detail. “Senior, why does the Association only have a bit over three thousand members?”

That seemed so few—his own school had tens of thousands of students.

Yan Ruoxi glanced at him and explained, “Those three thousand plus are all intelligent animals—not ordinary wild beasts or domesticated animals.”

Chen Meng was stunned. So that was it, yet the number still felt small.

“Senior, there’s something else I don’t understand. Why does the country place such importance on animals that have awakened intelligence? I’ve heard that harming such animals can lead to the death penalty—Divine Body lifeforms aren’t exempt either.”

He was really thinking about himself—taking a little money from Mouse Beibei surely wasn’t a crime?

Yan Ruoxi’s expression grew solemn. “The reason humanity has survived crisis after crisis is, to a large extent, thanks to these animals. They’re the ones who stopped the demon beasts of the Wildlands from invading Earth.”

She paused, then added, “They saved the world.”

Chen Meng was taken aback, confused. The animals saved the world? Didn’t the nations use nuclear weapons to stop the invasion?

Seeing his confusion, Yan Ruoxi explained, “The Wildlands bordering our world are a paradise for demon beasts. Studies show that the beasts of the Wildlands and Earth’s animals share a common origin, but the Wildlands demon beasts lack intelligence. When they invade Earth, they bring destruction. However, if one of them—or one of their kin who has awakened intelligence—joins their ranks, that beast could become the leader of its kind. It could guide its group not to invade Earth or even help us resist the threat from other Wildlands beasts.”

That was the truth behind protecting intelligent animals: the Earth needed them, and humanity needed them.

They could venture into the Wildlands, become demon kings among the beasts, and thus shield Earth from harm.

“I see,” Chen Meng breathed out. It wasn’t just humanity protecting Earth—animals played their part too.

“They’re remarkable,” Yan Ruoxi concluded. “On this planet, we share the same breath and the same fate. Throughout human development, we’ve owed them far too much.”

Chen Meng understood her words and fell into deep thought.

As Yan Ruoxi began preparing for the lesson, Chen Meng remembered he had one more important question. “Senior, how do animals advance to become Divine Body lifeforms?”

“You’ll learn this in college,” she replied, “but there are three main methods. The first is the Divine Body Serum: animals have their own specialized serums, which are basically modified versions of the ones humans use—after all, humans are advanced animals too. But not all animals can use these; there can be rejection. The closer an animal’s DNA is to a human’s, the lower the rejection rate—for example, gorillas rarely have problems. The second method is mutual predation among animals, which is the most common way demon beasts in the Wildlands advance. But scientific research shows that this method is the second biggest reason why Wildlands beasts can’t develop intelligence. The third is the use of miraculous natural treasures. These things aren’t just found in novels—they really exist, though they’re extremely rare. Even if you find one, there’s an element of luck involved in whether you can successfully advance.”

“For now, to ensure intelligent animals maintain their intelligence, serums are their main means of advancement. There are scientists specially dedicated to developing animal advancement serums. If you’re interested in this field, you can pursue it in college.”

After finishing, Yan Ruoxi made a gesture to stop him. “But this isn’t on the entrance exam. Once you’re in university, you’ll learn it all in detail. For now, focus on getting in—university is where the real journey begins.”

Chen Meng nodded—he really had no more questions.

...

After his tutoring session, Chen Meng went to buy some snacks for Mouse Beibei for the next day and, as usual, picked up a roast chicken. Previously, he would bring it to the old neighborhood, but now he took it home, hiding it in his backpack to avoid being seen by his parents.

At this time, the autopsy results from the Law Enforcement Bureau finally came in.

Han Hao, the captain in charge of the case, frowned as he read the report, his face clouded with doubt.