The decisive battle is about to begin.
Lucas' phone was still vibrating, Henry's name flashing on the screen.
"Answer it." Gina's voice sounded in Daniel's mind, chilling. "I want to see what this dog wants to say."
Lucas pressed the answer button and turned on the speakerphone.
"Lucas, my good brother." Henry's voice came out of the microphone with false intimacy, "I heard that you encountered some trouble in the forest?"
"What do you want to say?" Lucas responded coldly.
"Don't be so cold. After all, we have worked together for so many years." Henry chuckled, "I know Yue Xin is not dead yet, that's good. But in her current state, tsk tsk, a monster that can't even maintain a human form, what else can she do?"
Daniel felt Gina's body trembling, it was not anger, but some deeper pain.
"But I'm curious," Henry continued, "who is helping her operate those accounts? They're very skilled, almost like her."
Lucas and Daniel exchanged a look. This guy was testing.
"Henry, just say what you want to say." Lucas said impatiently.
"Okay." Henry's tone turned cold. "Yuexin, I know you are listening. I will give you a choice: voluntarily hand over the things inherited from your family, and I can let you die with dignity. Otherwise..."
Before she could finish her words, Gina suddenly howled in pain. Her body began to twitch violently, and black lightning flashed between her silver hair.
"Gina!" Daniel immediately hugged her, but found that her body temperature was hot.
"The curse has taken effect." Lucas' face turned pale. "The awakening of her bloodline has activated the ancient curse in her body!"
Henry's smug laughter came from the phone: "See? This is what happens when you defy me. The stronger the blood in her body, the more powerful the curse. Soon, she will be torn apart by her own power."
Daniel was furious and grabbed the phone to curse, but was stopped by Lucas.
"What do you want?" Lucas asked through gritted teeth.
"The thing that the Leng family is guarding. Yue Xin knows where it is." Henry's voice became greedy, "As long as she hands it over, I will give her the antidote."
"What is it?" Daniel asked Gina through his mind, but the only response he got was a fainter and fainter one.
"Moon Shadow Heart..." Gina's voice was intermittent, "I can't... give it to him..."
[System emergency reminder: The host partner's vital signs have been detected to be rapidly declining! ]
[Blood curse and awakening power produce fatal conflict, estimated survival time: 3 hours]
[Emergency Treatment Plan: Advanced Purification Potion]
[How to obtain: Complete the extremely difficult task [Taming the Raging Giant Bear]]
[Mission location: Suburban Wildlife Park]
[Warning: The mission is extremely difficult, with a failure rate of over 90%]
Daniel's heart sank. Three hours, and he had to go to the zoo to complete some weird mission.
"I'm hanging up." Lucas hung up the phone directly.
"She's dying." Daniel held Gina in his arms, feeling her increasingly weak heartbeat. "We must find a way to save her."
"What can we do? The conflict between the curse and bloodline cannot be solved by anyone except that damn Henry." Lucas said in despair.
"No, there is another way." Daniel stood up, his eyes flashing with determination, "I'm going to the suburban zoo."
"Are you crazy? What are you doing at the zoo at this hour?"
"Save her." Daniel didn't explain further. He picked up Gina and walked out. "Lucas, trust me."
An hour later, at the wildlife park on the outskirts of the city.
It was late at night, and only the flashlights of patrolling security guards occasionally flashed through the entire park. Daniel climbed over the wall and entered. Gina in his arms was already in a semi-comatose state, with only her weak breathing proving that she was still alive.
[Mission Start: Taming the Raging Giant Bear]
[Target: Big Brown Bear in the Bear Exhibit in the North Zone of the Zoo]
[Note: Due to genetic mutation, this bear has grown in size and has a violent temperament. It has injured three keepers in a row.]
[Task requirements: Make the target completely surrender without harming it]
[Reward: Advanced Purification Potion x1]
Daniel followed the system's instructions and came to the bear exhibition area. From a distance, he could hear heavy breathing and occasional growls.
Through the fence, Daniel saw the so-called "Big Mac".
This is not a bear, it's a monster! It's three meters tall, with muscular body and blood-red eyes. What's more terrifying is that its claws are stained with blood.
"Is this thing really a bear?" Daniel swallowed.
At this moment, the giant sensed Daniel's presence and turned his head sharply. The moment their eyes met, Daniel felt as if he was being stared at by the god of death.
"roar--!"
A deafening roar sounded, and the giant rammed the fence frantically. The iron railings made a teeth-grinding friction sound, and some places had begun to deform.
Daniel took a deep breath and activated the [God-level Beast Taming Technique].
In an instant, he felt his consciousness spread out, and he could clearly sense the Big Mac's emotions - anger, pain, and... fear?
"What are you afraid of?" Daniel whispered to himself.
Through deeper perception, Daniel discovered the problem: there was something foreign in the giant bear's brain, like some kind of chip, which was constantly stimulating its nerves and keeping it in a furious state.
"Someone is torturing you." Daniel's voice was full of sympathy. "I'm here to help you."
He slowly approached the fence. The giant immediately stepped back alertly, but the blood color in his eyes seemed to fade a little.
"I won't hurt you." Daniel held out his hand, palm facing up, a universal friendly gesture in the animal world.
The skill [Affinity with Beasts] took effect, and a gentle breath emanated from Daniel. The giant's breathing gradually became calmer, and although he remained on guard, he no longer took the initiative to attack.
"Good boy." Daniel continued to move closer, "Let me see your wound."
Just as his hand was about to touch the fence, the chip in the giant's brain suddenly emitted a blue light, and the pain made it furious again.
"roar--!"
The giant claw slapped towards Daniel. If he was hit, he would definitely be smashed to pieces.
At the critical moment, Daniel did not step back, but reached his hand into the fence.
"Believe me!"
His hand just happened to be on the giant's forehead. Instantly, [God-level Beast Taming Technique] exerted unprecedented power, and a stream of pure energy was transmitted into the giant bear's body.
"Sizzle——"
The chip made a sharp sound of electricity and then burned out completely.
The giant stopped moving abruptly, and its bloodshot eyes slowly regained clarity. It looked at the human in front of it, and for the first time, a look of gratitude appeared in its eyes.
"Woo..." The giant bear let out a low roar, then slowly crawled down and put its huge head against Daniel's palm.
[Mission accomplished! ]
[Congratulations to the host for taming the Raging Giant Bear and obtaining Advanced Purification Potion x1]
[Extra Reward: Lifelong Loyalty of Giant Bear "Big Mac"]
A bottle of potion emitting a light blue light appeared in Daniel's hand. He didn't have time to look at it and immediately ran back to Gina.
At this time, the little silver wolf was dying, and the silver hair on its body was fading rapidly.
"Hold on!" Daniel carefully poured the potion into Gina's mouth.
The potion melted in her mouth, and turned into a warm current that spread throughout Gina's body. The black curse power met the purification energy, making a "hissing" sound, like ice and snow meeting fire.
After a few minutes, Gina's breathing gradually stabilized and her body temperature returned to normal. The most amazing thing was that her body size changed again, no longer the size of a kitten, but stabilized at the size of a medium-sized dog.
More importantly, her eyes opened.
It was no longer a gentle blue, nor a violent gold, but a deep violet. Those eyes were full of human wisdom and memory.
"Daniel..." She spoke, not through her thoughts, but with her real mouth, "Thank you for saving me."
The voice was as clear and cool as moonlight, exactly the same voice Daniel had heard in his mind.
"You...recovered your memory?" Daniel asked excitedly.
"Partially recovered." Gina's voice was bitter, "I remembered my true identity. I am not only the president of the Leng Group, but also the last bloodline of the Leng family - the ancient wolf guardian family."
She stood up slowly, and her majestic temperament made the whole space solemn.
"And Henry..." Her eyes flashed coldly, "He is a traitor to our family. A few years ago, he discovered the family's secret, betrayed us, and joined a mysterious organization. Their goal is to seize the ancient artifact that the Leng family has guarded for generations - the Heart of Moon Shadow."
"Moon Shadow Heart?" Daniel repeated the name.
"A divine weapon with great power. According to legend, whoever obtains it can control the blood of all wolves, and even..." Gina paused, "rewrite the rules of the world."
Daniel gasped. This was beyond the scope of a business struggle.
"So Henry cursed you just to force you to give up the location of the artifact?"
"Yes." Gina nodded. "But he will never succeed. I will die before that thing falls into the wrong hands."
"Where is the artifact now?" Daniel asked curiously.
Gina looked at him with a complicated look in her eyes: "In a place that only the Leng family's bloodline can enter. And now, I am the only pure-blooded descendant of the Leng family in the world."
As soon as he finished speaking, the roar of car engines came from afar. Not just one, but many.
"They're here." Gina's expression instantly became alert. "Daniel, you still have time to leave now. This war should not involve innocent people."
"Innocent?" Daniel smiled. "From the moment I saved you, I was no longer an innocent bystander. Besides..."
He reached out and stroked the top of Gina's head, just like he had done in the rental house.
"Didn't we agree on this? If we want to leave, we leave together, and if we want to stay, we stay together."
A hint of warmth flashed across Gina's purple eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination.
"Then let them see," her voice was filled with murderous intent, "how terrifying the real Wolf King is."
In the distance, car lights were flashing like stars, speeding towards the zoo.