"Heh, I've arrived. Don't feel like arguing with you guys," the broad-faced man said, turning to get off the bus.
A young man standing to his right held a plastic bag.
The broad-faced man shoved past him and hurried toward the rear door.
Qiao Sang noticed his hand graze the young man's shoulder—no other contact—but the plastic bag rustled.
"Firefang Dog, use Fire Spark on his waist," Qiao Sang commanded directly.
Firefang Dog was already on edge, ready to strike.
It disliked this human intensely. If not for Qiao Sang holding it back, it would have unleashed all its skills on him.
Now with a command, it focused its energy and released it.
Normally, Fire Spark was only about the size of a baby's fist; this time, it expanded to the size of an adult's palm.
"Guan!!!"
A sharp, piercing scream echoed through the bus.
Everyone on the bus jumped. Passengers just stepping on at the front were so startled they stepped back onto the platform.
"Driver! Close the doors!" Qiao Sang shouted.
The driver stared into the rearview mirror, stunned.
A white, two-meter-long hydra-like creature with eight tentacles had appeared out of nowhere inside the bus. As it appeared, its tentacles scattered a pile of items everywhere.
"Driver, close the doors!" Qiao Sang reminded him again.
"Oh—okay!" The driver reacted and fumbled to press the switch.
Once the doors were closed, Qiao Sang focused on what was in front of her.
What the heck was this?
Despite all the studying she'd done recently, she still couldn't recognize this supernatural creature.
Qiao Sang turned to the female student. "What is this?"
"It's my phone!"
Qiao Sang: "…"
"Mine too!"
"My Sashaguo!"
"The necklace I bought for my girlfriend is here too!"
"My height insoles!!!"
One by one, the passengers on the bus excitedly reclaimed their belongings.
The broad-faced man glared, his face dark.
Everything had happened too quickly. His Eight-Tentacle Coral had been injured, so he hadn't gotten off immediately. Now the doors were closed, and all the stolen items had spilled out.
It was all this girl's fault!
He glared venomously at the girl with Firefang Dog.
If not for this Firefang Dog and her, he wouldn't have failed!
But now it was too late. The entire bus was watching. If he tried to escape, he'd have to damage the bus, putting everyone at risk.
He knew the difference between theft and assault on civilians. Theft? Maybe a fine or a month or two in jail. Assault? Could be years, even decades.
All he could do now was stay put and wait for the police.
Qiao Sang saw the broad-faced man's expression crumble. She recalled the creature she still didn't know the name of and stored it back into the Beast Tamer Record, looking utterly unconcerned.
"Everyone, hold him down! Don't let him escape!" Qiao Sang shouted.
She swung a fist, and the man instinctively stepped back two paces. Seeing that, everyone assumed he was trying to run and swarmed him, pinning him to the ground.
Somebody shouted: "How dare you hit people?!"
Everyone got furious—he had been caught stealing and dared to act arrogantly?
They immediately started punching and kicking.
"I didn't!" the man roared.
But nobody listened. His voice was drowned out by the onslaught. Qiao Sang contributed eighteen kicks before sitting down exhausted.
After who knows how long, the crowd dispersed.
The man lay sprawled on the floor, bruised, swollen, and covered in claw marks—his broad face now more like a steamed bun, unrecognizable.
Firefang Dog squeezed out from the crowd, blinking its wet eyes at Qiao Sang.
One human, one pet—they exchanged a knowing look and smiled.
Someone called the police, who arrived shortly after.
The three officers struggled to confirm the man's identity given his beaten face, but his Tamer badge made it easy.
The police scanned it and verified him.
"Who found him stealing?" one officer asked.
"It was her!" the female student said, lifting Qiao Sang's hand.
The surrounding passengers all nodded in agreement.
One officer gently told Qiao Sang: "We need you to come to the station and give a statement."
Qiao Sang hesitated: "My mom is waiting for me to eat dinner."
The officer smiled: "It'll be quick. This is a good deed—you can call your mom; she won't mind."
Qiao Sang shook her head: "Everyone on this bus is a witness. Let them do it. I really need to go home first."
The officer continued: "This man is Chen Jianhui, a habitual criminal. We've had a bounty out for him. You caught him—there's 50,000 Alliance Coins waiting for you."
Qiao Sang blinked. There was such a reward?
She immediately straightened up: "I'll give my statement, no problem. When do we leave?"
The officer: "…"
As Qiao Sang followed them onto the police car, the female student grabbed her: "I'm Bai Yunmiao. Can I add you as a friend?"
"Of course," Qiao Sang smiled, taking out her phone.
…
By the time Qiao Sang got home, it was 20:48.
Fortunately, she had called the police en route to explain her whereabouts to her mother, who greeted her warmly when she arrived.
"You're back late. Come eat quickly—I just reheated everything in the pot."
Qiao Sang was starving. Those five skewers from hours ago weren't nearly enough. She sat down and dug in.
"Firefang Dog must be hungry too. I made this energy meal just for you," her mother said, placing a specially-prepared plate in front of it with a smile.
Qiao Sang's appetite faltered as she watched.
Firefang Dog ignored her gaze, barking happily and digging into the meal.
Qiao Sang breathed a sigh of relief—her worry had been unnecessary.
By the time she finished eating, Firefang Dog had already polished off its energy meal and wagged its tail, waiting for her.
Qiao Sang was slightly surprised. Did it have a bigger appetite than usual?
She didn't dwell on it. Picking up Firefang Dog, she went to her room and opened her computer to look up the mysterious supernatural creature from the bus.
Not knowing its name, she could only search by appearance.
[Who knows a white supernatural creature with eight tentacles that can turn invisible?]
There are millions of supernatural creatures in the world; several could match that description.
After searching for ten minutes, she finally found the answer.
[Eight-Tentacle Coral]
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