Ah Meng's smug expression vanished, and he nervously rubbed his contracted beast's head. The wolfhound whimpered and nuzzled against him, its eyes and nose red, looking incredibly pitiful.
"How dare you use poison!" Ah Meng, heartbroken, shouted angrily at Xie Sen.
"It's not poison, but it will be very uncomfortable if it's not treated promptly," Xie Sen explained.
Ah Meng immediately asked, "How should we treat it?"
Xie Sen didn't answer directly, but instead inquired, "Is our competition over?"
Ah Meng was reluctant, but the bonded master and beast had a sense of empathy; he could sense the contract's discomfort. He gritted his teeth and nodded, "Yes, you win. Tell me how to make it less uncomfortable."
"Take it for a swim. Remember to keep its head submerged. Swim fast and for a while. If there's any cooling ointment, you can apply it."
Ah Meng let the contracted beast enter the contract space, then turned and left the stage.
Seeing his furious expression, the onlookers quickly made way. After Ah Meng left the sparring arena, someone curiously asked Xie Sen, "What's that thing around you?"
Xie Sen put the chili tree away, smiled, and didn't answer. He looked towards where Maine had stood, but there was no one there. Maine had left at some point.
He quickly stepped off the stage. The onlookers, stunned by his inexplicable moves, automatically made way for him without stopping.
People around him were whispering about what the chili tree was, some even speculating it was a new weapon. Xie Sen had to suppress his laughter.
People here really didn't know much about plants, especially edible plants.
"Wow, did you see that? Maine just came to watch the fun too! He's so handsome!"
Xie Sen instinctively turned his head at the familiar name and saw a boy, petite for Beast Star, hugging a boy of similar build, a light-blond blond, his eyes sparkling.
"What's the point of being handsome? He's an abandoned illegitimate child. Otherwise, with his last name, how could he have come to our school?" the light-blond boy tapped his forehead. "Don't be silly! You're the most popular female long-eared rabbit contracted beast. You could choose from far better men than him."
The boy sighed in disappointment. "If he weren't a illegitimate child, I'd definitely marry him."
Xie Sen shuddered and quickly turned around and headed out of the school. Seeing a boy talking about marriage was incredibly jarring.
He was now extremely thankful that he hadn't awakened his contracted beast. He didn't want to be considered a female. He had been a man for years and had never considered changing his gender.
Shortly after leaving the sparring ground, someone suddenly grabbed his shoulder from behind. He instinctively took a step to the side, lowering his shoulders to create distance.
He turned his head and was met with a face so close that it was hard to see clearly, all he could see was the gleaming white teeth.
"Hey, it's really you," the energetic young man said, a touch of disbelief in his voice. "Aren't you dead?"
Xie Sen was startled and took two steps back. Only then did he see the young man's face clearly. It was the black-haired, baby-faced boy who had been watching from the sparring table.
He was about 1.93 meters tall and on the thin side, but the muscles in his arms that showed through his T-shirt were strong, not frail.
"I was just injured, and I've recovered now," Xie Sen explained politely, not knowing any connection between him and his predecessor.
The young man tilted his head, seeming extremely puzzled. "But I saw you jump from the building. You were bleeding profusely when you hit the ground. It was the 16th floor. Anyone who jumped would have died."
Xie Sen blinked. Hadn't the doctor said you'd survived because you fell into the water?
"You're mistaken. I was lucky. I fell into the water."
"No," the young man began to dance excitedly, describing the situation at a breakneck pace. "That day, I was fighting with the giant eagle's contracted beast master. I saw you fall to the ground first, and then the giant eagle swatted you into the water."
He scratched the back of his head. "I was trying to get you out, but that stupid eagle got tangled up in me. After the fight, I went to ask and found out you were taken to the hospital."
He smiled widely, his teeth shining brightly. "I thought you were in the morgue! You're incredible. You survived such serious injuries."
Xie Sen remembered that the doctor had said he had a concussion, not a hole in his head. After thinking about it, he realized it could only be related to A Dan.
He finally understood why A Dan claimed his previous incarnation was dead, and why the doctor had completely disbelieved him when he heard him try to catch fish in the water.
"Probably just luck," Xie Sen said vaguely.
The boy nodded vigorously, fully agreeing with what he said. He glanced over his left shoulder, his black eyes sparkling. "What did you just use to defeat the wolfhound beast? Can you show me?"
He had barely finished speaking when he shook his head, put his arm around Xie Sen's shoulders, and smiled brightly. "Fight me!"
Xie Sen was speechless and removed his hand from his shoulder. "No, I can't beat you." He walked forward.
"How would you know without a fight?" The boy put his arm around his shoulder again and followed him, skipping along. "Let's fight, let's fight!"
Xie Sen said helplessly, "Are you a kid?"
"No," the boy patted his chest. "I'll be eighteen soon," he leaned his head closer. "Fight me!"
Xie Sen put his hand against his face. "I'm so weak, beating me is easier than beating a kid."
"No, you were so powerful just now. I can't even hit people that fast. And this is the first time I've seen your helpers. I'm so curious!" The boy didn't care that his face was blocked. He spoke quickly, though his words were a little slurred.
Xie Sen felt a headache. "My helpers need to rest for a few days after each fight, so they can't fight now."
"Oh, so that's how it is," the boy pulled his head back, a smile showing off his white teeth. "Then let's have a deal. When your helpers are rested, they can fight me."
He extended his left hand, revealing a personal bracelet. "Let's exchange contact information. Remember to call me then."
Xie Sen hadn't expected the boy to believe him so easily. He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he was quite persistent, so he quickly exchanged contact information.
"By the way, my name is Long Teng. What's yours?"
Xie Sen was stunned and looked up. "What did you say?"
The boy smiled and said, "Long Teng, don't you know how to write Teng? I spent a lot of time learning it when I was a kid. It's written like this..." He gestured.
Xie Sen didn't look at the gesture, completely stunned.
He was very familiar with the name Long Teng. It was the name of the protagonist in the novel he read before the apocalypse. The protagonist was careless, innocent and passionate, loved to laugh, loved to eat meat, and was a battle fanatic.
If Main Kes's name was a coincidence, then what about adding Long Teng?
He thought for a moment and asked, "What's your contracted beast?"
"Feilongmon," Long Teng smiled brightly.
The protagonist's contracted beast in that book was Feilongmon!
Xie Sen was overwhelmed with emotions. So, was he reborn in a book? He hadn't even finished the book when the apocalypse arrived.
The story in the book began with the protagonist's graduation internship and didn't involve school. The early part was about the protagonist's search for a contracted beast and his increasing strength. Later, chaos ensued on the Beast Planet, and the villainous boss joined forces with the alien beasts to attack the planet.
The entire Beast Star is in a state of chaos, with strange beasts everywhere, comparable to the zombie apocalypse.
And the villain boss is called Maine Cos.