Xie Sen heard Maine hum softly and leaned over curiously, just in time to see the next message from Huo Feng. Huo Feng said, "Don't be nervous. I'm not interested in your man. I just want to ask him about the giant wolf beast."
Xie Sen remembered Huo Feng's name; he was the owner of the robot manufacturing company that Maine worked with. When Huo Feng mentioned the giant wolf beast, he asked Maine, "Is he the 'Feng' in the live broadcast room?"
Maine nodded, "Yes, he's the master of the giant wolf beast."
Xie Sen thought to himself, no wonder: "He gave a lot of gifts in the live broadcast room, and I even asked him to customize an alloy ball."
"I saw it," Maine said, "I watched the live broadcast."
Xie Sen was slightly stunned. He didn't expect Maine to watch the live broadcast while he went to deal with Rui Luo. Maine's fingers slid from the side of his face to the side of his neck, his eyes fixed on him, "I want to watch you all the time."
Xie Sen's heart moved, and he couldn't help laughing. Maine's earthy love words were becoming more and more natural. He raised his hand and grasped Maine's hand, pinching his knuckles and playing with it.
He thought for a moment and asked, "What do you think of him? If he's a good person, I can ask the giant wolf beast for his opinion."
He had previously asked the contracted beasts about forming bonds, and the main reason they didn't form bonds was a lack of suitable owners, not a genuine rejection.
Maine said, "Reliable."
Xie Sen smiled, "Then I'll ask for your help tomorrow."
Maine sent Huo Feng a message: "Wait for a reply."
The two chatted for a while, then continued reading the news. Rui Luo's scandals had been exposed online. Even though he was a victim, he didn't evoke sympathy from passersby. Some even replied anonymously, expressing their relief.
"The major families should take note of the consequences of overindulging. Raising a child to waste harms not only others but also themselves." "
Yes, commoners are fine; they can't cause any trouble. But wealthy second-generation rich kids are truly terrifying, a disaster."
Xie Sen quickly flipped through the comments, then glanced at the rest of the news. He didn't see anyone specifically pointing out Maine as a suspect, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
He squeezed Maine's fingers and said, somewhat worriedly, "Despite what everyone on the internet says, Rui Luo is a member of the Kes family after all. Anyone suspected will definitely be investigated. Have you thought about what to say?"
Maine took his hand in his own. "Don't worry, I'm prepared,"
he said confidently. Xie Sen glanced at him, but didn't ask any more questions. He changed the subject to the livestreaming room: "Can you design a title and avatar for the livestreaming room?"
"Sure. I'll work on some other features as well. Time was tight, so some things weren't finished."
Xie Sen looked at him in surprise: "Didn't you plan to start a livestreaming website?"
Maine nodded. If Xie Sen's livestreaming room hadn't been suddenly shut down, he certainly wouldn't have considered it.
Xie Sen couldn't help but admire him. "You're really amazing."
Maine chuckled. He loved Xie Sen's compliments. He reached out and embraced Xie Sen. Xie Sen instinctively wanted to avoid it, but was worried about touching his wound. He let him hold him, only warning: "Don't push too hard. Be careful not to tear it."
"It's okay, it's just a minor injury," Maine said, unconcerned.
At night, when both of them had washed up and were lying in bed, when Maine wanted to do something, Xie Sen firmly refused. Maine was particularly concerned about the injuries on his body.
The next morning, Maine sent Xie Sen to work at Gold Medal. He did not return to the apartment until Xie Sen disappeared from his sight. As he walked out of the parking lot, two men in police uniforms stopped him.
"Maine, right? We are investigating the murder of Rui Luo. You are a major suspect. Please come with us."
Maine was very obedient and followed them back to the police station. He sat in an interrogation room, with two policemen sitting opposite him.
"Where were you yesterday afternoon?"
Maine said, "Gold Medal, and then went to the forest to hunt."
"So you were also in the forest when Ruiluo was killed?"
"I didn't know he was in the forest, and I didn't see him. I go hunting in the forest almost every day," he paused and added, "to earn a living."
The two policemen who were interrogating looked at each other: "We suspect that because the treatment between you two is too different, and Lieutenant General Meyer only has you two sons, you have developed murderous intentions towards him and want to replace him."
Maine shook his head: "No, I have never thought about it that way. I don't want to have anything to do with the Kes family. I have no motive to kill him."
The police officer said: "The Kes family is the best motive. Without Ruiluo, you might be recognized as the Kes family."
"No need," Maine looked at the other person without dodging, "I want to go back to the Kes family, and Ruiluo will not be an obstacle."
"Are you so confident? As far as I know, you and Ruiluo had a conflict at Ruiluo's birthday party, and then you were expelled from the Kes family. Obviously, he is much more valued than you."
Maine said: "I don't want to be valued. I've been used to living outside since I was a child. I don't want to have any connection with the Kes family."
"How dare you say that? Even if you wanted to, the Kes family wouldn't necessarily value you. I strongly suspect you're saying that to clear your name. You have to know that your words are completely untrustworthy."
Maine glanced at him, raised his hand, and slowly unbuttoned his shirt. An officer immediately scolded him, "What are you doing?"
Maine replied calmly, "To add credibility." He unbuttoned three buttons before stopping, revealing his fair chest.
Moments later, both officers' eyes widened in disbelief as they stared at the beast pattern emerging on his chest. "Aren't you the Lord of the Giant Lion Beast?"
Maine buttoned up his shirt: "Second Awakening."
The officers exchanged a surprised glance. A Second Awakening! The legendary Lord favored by the Beast God!
Maine said, "You should know how much the Flying Lion Beast Master means to the Kes family. If I wanted to be respected, I wouldn't have to attack Ruilo. I could have just revealed my identity."
He scoffed, "Even if I truly hated him, I wouldn't kill him. Returning to the Kes family and letting him see me being respected would be torture for him."
This was indeed the best way to deal with Ruilo: to keep him filled with jealousy and slowly torment him.
But Ruilo wasn't worthy enough. He didn't deserve to have to deal with the Kes family on his behalf. He hated the Kes family.
The two officers fell silent. It was undeniable that Maine's words made sense; they completely dispelled his motive for murder.
The Flying Lion Beast Master's importance to the Kes family was self-evident. In fact, all S-rank Beast Masters were born into the family and respected.
Although Maine's motive for killing Ruilo was unfounded, the two officers still questioned him carefully about the times he entered and exited the forest, the amount of game he sold, and the people he interacted with during his time there.
"We will investigate further. If there are any doubts, we will contact you again at any time."
Maine said, "I will cooperate with your work," he paused, "Can I ask you to keep it confidential for me?"
His attitude made the two police officers very fond of him. After listening to his request and thinking about his experience, they couldn't help but feel some sympathy: "We will try our best to keep it confidential, but we may not be able to hide it."
"Thank you." Maine thanked him and left the police station.
After he left, a police officer shrugged: "Look, this is the consequence of being a playboy! I'll have someone check if what he said is true. If it is true, considering the time he spent in the forest and the amount of prey he sold, he simply doesn't have time to do anything else."
"When I saw his beast pattern, I felt he was not a suspect."
"Whether there is a suspicion or not, the investigation must be cautious. Let's see who the next suspect is and move on."
Xie Sen punched in for work. Sun Mao had been waiting for him at the clock in counter. When he saw him, he immediately walked over with shining eyes and put his arm around his shoulders: "I watched your live broadcast, it was great!"
Xie Sen smiled: "Contracted beasts are indeed very popular."
"Well, I have several friends who want to come and see them, is that okay?" Sun Mao looked at him expectantly.
"Want to make a contract?"
"Well, high-level contracted beasts are so rare that they dream of making a contract with them. Especially after watching the live broadcast, they have a better impression of contracted beasts. Knowing that you are in the gold medal, they asked me for help."
Xie Sen thought for a while and asked, "Are you sure that the people are reliable? If someone wants to do something and angers them, I can't be sure of their safety."
"Reliable, if they are not reliable, I would not bring it up. There are only three good friends. One of them is in his forties and he has been looking for a contracted beast for a long time." Sun Mao said.
Xie Sen asked, "What beast master?"
"Giant rhinoceros."
Xie Sen thought of the flying rhinoceros of the Yanqi family and wondered, "Are rhinoceros beasts rare?"
"While all A- and S-level contracted beasts are rare, there are actually quite a few A-level beast masters. That's why many people get so excited when they see high-level contracted beasts. Before this batch of contracted beasts arrived, I'd seen fewer than ten A-level contracted beasts."
Sun Mao sighed and said, "A-level beast masters are in an awkward position right now. While they have a good foundation, without a contracted beast, their strength is inferior to that of a B-level beast master. B-level contracted beasts are far more numerous than A-level ones."
Xie Sen suddenly realized why the livestream was so popular.
"I'll check on them at noon. If they're doing well, I'll make some arrangements," Xie Sen said.
As lunchtime approached, Xie Sen went to the fourth and fifth coalition areas and asked the contracted beasts for their opinions: "Do you want to meet the beast masters and try to form a contract?"
"I do." Xie Sen looked at the giant wolf beast in surprise. He didn't expect it to be the first to express its opinion. The giant wolf beast's voice continued to echo in his mind, "My tribe is used to living in groups. When our mental state improves, we will separate. I don't want to be alone. I want to try to find a partner."
"I want to try, too," said the giant tiger beast. "The forest is boring. If there's a suitable beast master, I'd choose to form a bond. If not, can I stay here? I'd like to go into the forest occasionally to play."
Xie Sen said, "Not necessarily here, but if you want to stay, I can find a place for you."
The giant tiger beast: "That's great! I'll try. Whether I can form a bond depends on the beast master's ability."
The spotted giant leopard beast: "I won't form a bond. I want to be with my brother."
The black giant leopard beast: "No, I'll go back to the forest when my spirits improve. There are no trees here, and I want to climb them. We'll come back to see you."
The giant rhino beast: "I'm at your leisure."
The giant lion beast: "If it's suitable, we'll form a bond. I've heard many glorious stories of our ancestors and their human companions fighting bloody battles. Now that there's no war, it's nice to do something else."
The two giant elephant beasts: "If there's grass to eat and we're strong enough, we'll form a bond."
Xie Sen wrote down each one. Aside from the two giant leopard beasts, the other contracted beasts were basically taking a casual approach.
"Then I'll make arrangements and have someone come over to take a look. If the synchronization rate is less than 50%, there's no need to try."
As he spoke, the cushions and bathtub he had ordered yesterday arrived.
The cushion was five meters long and wide, five centimeters thick, and it gave off a slumping sensation when pressed down, making it exceptionally comfortable. As soon as the staff laid it out, Little Spot immediately jumped on it, sprawled out, and rolled around.
The staff, startled, stepped back several steps, only
to breathe a sigh of relief when they saw it showed no signs of attacking. A black giant leopard beast and a giant tiger beast, their eyes aglow, scrambled against it, then began jostling for possession of the cushion. Soon, a giant lion beast joined them.
Xie Sen thought for a moment, consulted with the giant rhinoceros beast, and began the livestream.
Viewers who had set the broadcast to a special notification saw several large cats vying for the cushion, jostling and engaging in various petty maneuvers, though no actual fights broke out.
"Wow! A sudden broadcast? What a blessing!"
"You're so stingy, host! Buy more cushions! They're all getting squeezed out!"
Xie Sen casually glanced at the comments, smiled, and walked over to the large bathtub.
The staff, followed by two giant elephants, cautiously installed the bathtub. Seeing Xie Sen approach, they breathed a sigh of relief. "Here's the connecting pipe you requested. Connect it to the faucet and water will flow directly in."
Xie Sen thanked the staff, sent them off, connected the pipe, and began filling the bathtub.
It was a bathtub, five meters long, five meters wide, and two meters high, the size of a small swimming pool. Xie Sen stood beside the tub, looking frustrated. Even if he tiptoed, he couldn't tell how much water was in.
Giving up, he touched the elephant's thigh. "How much water? It's almost full, just a reminder."
With that, the elephant's trunk dropped and wrapped around his waist. "I can lift you up," the elephant said, and Xie Sen's body suddenly rose.
He started, and quickly grabbed hold of the giant elephant's trunk. Another giant elephant extended its trunk and supported him, letting him sit on it. "Don't be afraid, you won't fall."
Xie Sen sat securely, the trunk wrapped around his waist like a solid backrest. He felt relieved and looked at the bathtub. It was less than one-fifth full.
"Ahhh... The streamer is so lucky!"
"I want to be lifted up high too!"
"The streamer, please develop an amusement park so they can play with us!" The comments were filled with envy.
The giant wolf looked at the cushions, then at the bathtub, and finally ran to Xie Sen's side. He lowered his head to the tub and reached inside with his paw. The water level soon rose, soaking its paw. It quickly retracted its paw and lowered its head to drink a few sips of water.
Xie Sen patted its trunk. "I'll turn off the faucet."
The giant elephant set him down, and he ran to the faucet. The giant wolf turned to look at him and followed him. Soon, it passed him, sweeping its fluffy tail over him.
Xie Sen wiped his face and grabbed its tail. It stopped, turned its head, and gave a soft meow at him.
The fur on its tail was white and fluffy, a truly beautiful sight. Xie Sen couldn't help but stroke it several times, and the chatterboxes filled with envious screams: "Let it go, let me do it!"
"Does the water flow that way?" The giant wolf beast raised its paw, pointing at the faucet.
Xie Sen nodded and led the giant wolf beast over. He turned off the faucet and removed the connecting pipe, explaining its purpose.
After putting the connecting pipe away, he patted the giant wolf beast's front paw. "Go back and play with them. I'll buy some more cushions; they seem to like them."
"I want a big bone-shaped toy for teething," the giant wolf beast blinked at him, its beautiful emerald eyes blinking. "Is that okay?"
Xie Sen said. "Okay, I'll see if there's anything made of a tough material." He then walked towards the frolicking cats.
The giant wolf beast turned its head to look at him, then back at the faucet. It raised its paw, then extended a sharp, thin claw and gently touched it.
Water suddenly gushed out of the faucet, splashing onto the ground and instantly soaking the front half of the giant wolf beast's fur.
It cried out in panic and quickly took a step back. Xie Sen heard the noise and turned back to see the beautiful giant wolf beast's fur on its head, neck, and front legs, wet and drooping, looking disheveled.
He ran over to turn off the faucet. The giant wolf beast meowed at him, lowered its head, and let its tail droop, looking pitiful.
"So cute! Host, don't be mean to it! It's just a little curious."
"That's right, don't be mean to it!"
The gift announcement read: "'Feng' is giving the host a watermelon rain." The gift special effect barrage was followed by the words, "Don't be mean to it!"
The special effect barrage accompanied the gift announcement. Xie Sen's mouth twitched when he heard it. How could he possibly be mean to the giant wolf beast?
He patted the wolfbeast's front legs and soothed it, "It's okay, just wasted a little water."
"That's ugly," the wolfbeast said dejectedly. "Do I look ugly like that?"
Xie Sen: "..." Are all furry animals obsessed with appearance?
"It's not ugly, it'll be fine after some sun exposure."
The wolfbeast still lowered its head. Xie Sen thought for a moment, "Wait, I'll help you blow dry it."
He took a hairdryer designed for bathing areas and soon helped the wolfbeast's white fur dry. The wolfbeast finally raised its head and nuzzled Xie Sen affectionately.
"How cute!"
"I can use a hairdryer, too! Let me! Nuzzle me!"
The wolfbeast finished nuzzling and ran back to the bathtub. Before it even got in, it saw two giant elephantbeasts playing with the spray and quickly ran away, fearing being splashed.
Spotted was delighted, climbing off the cushions and darting around the elephantbeasts. The rhinoceros was already lying beside them, enjoying the shower.
Xie Sen checked the time; it was time for dinner. He said goodbye to his contracted beasts and asked their opinion on not shutting down the livestream for now; after all, people kept sending gifts. Just
as he was about to leave, a giant black leopard beast sprawled on the cushion, its tail wrapped around his calf. He paused and turned to look at it, "What's wrong?"
"Let me charge you!" the giant black leopard beast said. "It's like a fan meeting. We charge admission! Buy a cushion! One isn't enough."
Xie Sen laughed. This guy was just a money-grubber. The giant rhinoceros agreed, "Yes, it's for sale. It would be better if the bathtub were on flat ground so I could lie down in it. I also need to buy other things, which will cost a lot of money."
Xie Sen thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll just charge admission to my friends. If I charge admission to the livestream audience, it'll be too crowded
. Let's try another method." He told the audience, "To thank you for your support, we'll hold a meet-and-greet this Saturday, the 9th. By midnight on the 9th, the top eight fans will automatically receive tickets. There will also be two draws for two audience members, for a total of ten. The meet-and-greet will be livestreamed."
Suddenly, the sound of gift announcements continued, and Xie Sen inexplicably felt like a scammer.
He left Areas 4 and 5 and bought three more cushions during lunch. He switched to the livestream, where the contracted beasts were eating, and he turned off the stream to take a nap.
Meanwhile, after investigating Maine, the police confirmed he wasn't lying, cleared him of suspicion, and shared the results with Meier.
Meyer glanced indifferently at Soria, who kept clamoring to investigate Maine: "According to the police, he is no longer a suspect."
"How is that possible!" Soria yelled, "They are all rubbish. He is obviously the murderer, how can he be ruled out?" He grabbed Meyer's arm, "Let me talk to them!"
Meyer pulled his hand away and said in a deep voice: "For the last time." He dialed the number.
As soon as the call was connected, Soria immediately questioned: "Why do you rule out Maine's suspicion? He is the murderer!"
"We have investigated his itinerary for that day, and it is consistent with what he said. He did not have enough time to commit the crime, and... he has no motive."
"How can he have no motive? He hates us, he is an illegitimate child, he is jealous of Rui Luo! He is a devil with a dark heart!"
The police officer said: "Killing Rui Luo will not do him any good, and jealousy is just speculation. What's more, if he is really jealous, there are other ways, no need to commit a crime."
Soria screamed: "Waste! Why are you speaking for him? He is the murderer!"
Meier glared at Soria warningly, and said to the police officer: "I'm sorry, Rui Luo's death has hit him hard, and his mental state is not very good... What other ways did you refer to?"
The police officer hesitated for a moment, and Meier said seriously: "I hope to know all the reasons for ruling him out of suspicion."
"He is the master of the flying lion beast."
Meier clenched his fist: "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes. If he wanted to gain the attention of the Kes family, he could have revealed his identity. Rui Luo would have been even more devastated. So we believe he lacks motives."
"Nonsense, he's not! He's a Giant Lion Beast!" Soria exclaimed, his expression becoming panicked.
Meier said, "Thank you, for your hard work." After hanging up the call, he looked at Soria sharply, "When did you find out?"
"I didn't know. He's the Master of the Giant Lion Beast!" Soria gritted his teeth, his heart filled with resentment. His biggest worry was that Meier would find out. He knew very well that Meier wouldn't do anything to Maine.
If he had known earlier, he shouldn't have let that bitch Maine grow up!
Meier glanced at him, stood up, and walked out, instructing his adjutant to collect all the information on Maine and pass it to him.
When Xie Sen got off work, Maine picked him up again. As soon as he boarded the shuttle, Maine nudged him against his seat and kissed him for a long moment. He panted softly, pressing his hand against Maine's shoulder. "Is your wound healed?"
Maine's voice was hoarse. "It's fine."
Xie Sen's body heated up at his intense gaze. He coughed softly and nudged him. "Go back first. I'll check and see."
Maine gave him a deep look and sat back down.
Xie Sen opened the livestream room. The contracted beasts were resting. He glanced at them, then opened the streamer's backstage. When he saw the tips he'd received, he was stunned.
He tapped the numbers one by one, counting them back and forth several times to make sure he had them right. He couldn't help but exclaim, "Over two million tips today."
Maine had been following the livestream and naturally understood what was going on. "They're vying for a spot in the top eight."
Xie Sen glanced at the fan list. The first one, Feng, had a fan base worth over ten million, meaning he'd given over a million in gifts alone.
Next up was Qiao Ke, with a fan base worth over five million.
These two accounted for the majority of the tips.
Maine added, "There are still people waiting and watching. Peak gift-giving season is near the deadline."
Xie Sen: "...Is anyone going to report me for scamming them?"
"No, if I can successfully form a contract, this little money won't be worth anything."
Xie Sen thought about the price of an A-rank contracted beast, and his thoughts suddenly stopped. He went online and ordered an oversized bone-shaped toy for the giant wolf beast.
On the morning of May 7th, Xie Sen was in the shuttle on his way to work at Gold Medal when he received a call from Ma Qun, the director of the Botanical Research Institute.
Ma Qun said excitedly, "The peppers have sprouted! All the seeds have sprouted successfully, a few days earlier than expected!"
Xie Sen immediately thought of the delicious fried pork with peppers and swallowed his saliva. "That's great." He remembered the tomatoes Li You brought back. "Where are the tomatoes?"
Ma Qun sighed. "It didn't work. Some are frozen and preserved, and the rest are still being studied."
Xie Sen frowned. Logically, after the red energy is recovered, all red plants can be planted!
Ma Qun hung up the phone after announcing the good news. Xie Sen pondered for a moment and called out to A Dan.