Inside the study, Nan Si's small fox heart pounded wildly. On the monitors, the chaos at the front gate escalated without pause.
Feng Yuan strode downstairs and went straight to the entrance, where agents from the Exotic Species Research & Control Bureau and reporters were creating havoc.
"Mr. Feng," the lead agent's amplified voice boomed, "we have a warrant under the Endangered and Anomalous Species Act. Surrender the creature, or we will use all necessary measures."
Feng Yuan remained unyielding, calmly adjusting his cufflinks.
"Where is your evidence? You barged into my home after listening to one-sided accusations and started making a scene. Do you think the Feng Group is easy to bully?"
His lips curved coldly. "You have sixty seconds to leave my property. My security is authorized for lethal force, and my legal team will sue your department. You'll receive the court letter by noon."
"It's a mutant!" a shrill cry cut through the air.
The camera shifted to Madam Lin at the gate, her expression crazed as she stood among the reporters.
"He's harboring a monster! My daughter saw it—it has unnatural eyes!"
The media swarmed instantly, flashes exploding, questions colliding. Bureau agents stepped forward, rifles clicking into position.
Just as the lead agent reached the stairs, a powerful engine roared.
A white Rolls-Royce smashed through the broken gate, scattering protesters and agents alike.
The door opened, and Madam Feng—Su Rou—stepped out in her green cheongsam, radiating refined authority.
"What is this disturbance on my son's property?" Su Rou asked, her voice calm yet piercing.
"Madam Feng," the Bureau head faltered, "we received reports of a dangerous exotic—"
"From whom?" Su Rou interrupted, stepping closer. "The Lins? The same family currently under investigation by the tax department? The 'mutant' you're shouting about is a Silver-Furred Himalayan Fox, a registered emotional support animal—my son's beloved pet, not a criminal. Touch even a single hair on that fox or my son, and your agencies will cease to exist."
She took a tablet from the lawyer beside her and displayed the documents—registration certificates, veterinary records, genetic verification, all irrefutable.
Seeing the files, the Exotic Species Bureau head's face turned pale, his knees almost giving way.
"It's over…" he muttered.
The media rushed to capture everything—the documents, the stunned officers, the collapsing authority of the bureau.
Feng Yuan's gaze turned glacial.
"Since you had the nerve to do this," he said coldly, "you should be prepared for the consequences. Secretary Liu, contact the legal department. Sue everyone who trespassed into my home and the companies backing them."
"Yes, President," Secretary Liu replied.
As Feng Yuan turned back toward the villa with Madam Feng, the reporters, afraid they might also be dragged into lawsuits, redirected their fury toward the Lin family.
"Mrs. Lin! Was this intentional revenge because Mr. Feng rejected your daughter?"
"Mrs. Lin! Why did you forge documents and waste national resources?"
"Mrs. Lin! Was this orchestrated by you alone, or did Mr. Lin and Lin Xiaoxi participate?"
Listening to the storm of questions, Madam Lin's face twisted with panic and resentment she could no longer hide.
Forcing a stiff smile, she said, "It was a misunderstanding. We will compensate everyone for the trouble."
Then she fled to her car, shouting at the driver to leave immediately while dialing her husband's number.
Yet while the focus remained outside, Nan Si felt a prickling unease inside the study.
Scrape.
A soft sound came from the window.
Lin Xiaoxi, driven by desperate envy, climbed onto the balcony.
In her hand, a vial of shimmering blue liquid glowed coldly.
"You took him," Xiaoxi whispered through the shattered glass, her eyes wild. "He only sees you. You little pest."
Nan Si instinctively recoiled.
[Host! Danger!] Baby screamed. [Protagonist envy detected—maximum level!]
Nan Si tried to flee, but Xiaoxi lunged forward and sprayed the liquid. It splashed against Nan Si's side.
Cold rushed into her body.
Her limbs seized, the world spinning violently. She collapsed, a silver blur against the rug.
"If he won't love me," Xiaoxi snarled, stuffing Nan Si into a reinforced carrier pulled from her backpack, "then he won't have you either."
Downstairs, Feng Yuan was still issuing instructions when a sharp ache stabbed his heart.
Unease surged.
He abruptly ended the call and rushed upstairs.
"Son, what happened?" Madam Feng followed anxiously.
Ignoring her, Feng Yuan burst into the study.
The broken window.
The overturned furniture.
A single strand of silver fur.
His vision darkened.
"Sisi?" His voice trembled with panic as he searched the room. "Sisi!"
Silence answered him.
Only the distant screech of tires fading from the service road.
Feng Yuan stood frozen.
Baby stared at the monitoring panel. The Darkening Value didn't spike—it flatlined.
[Host… Host…] Baby cried desperately inside Nan Si's consciousness.
Seeing Nan Si unresponsive, Baby searched his functions and forcibly transmitted data into the study's computer.
The screen flashed violently.
[NAN SI HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED BY LIN XIAOXI — SAVE HER!!!]
[LOCATION TRACKING… MOVING.]
Feng Yuan stared at the words that mysteriously appeared.
He picked up his phone—not for police, not for lawyers—but for Feng Group's hidden network.
"Seal the city."
"Sir?" the voice trembled.
"Block every exit. Ground all flights. No ship leaves the harbor. Every camera will find Lin Xiaoxi."
Within minutes, A-Cloud awakened.
Traffic lights froze red.
Ports shut down.
Billboards across the city displayed Lin Xiaoxi's face with a massive bounty beneath it.
Feng Yuan descended the stairs like a storm incarnate.
Su Rou grabbed his arm. "Yuan, we will find her."
"She took her, Mother." Feng Yuan stepped into the car. "Nothing will happen to Sisi."
"Then unleash everything," Su Rou's gentleness vanished. She called Feng Yuan's father and turned to Butler Lin. "Inform the elders. The Fengs are at war. If the Lins survive tonight, I have failed."
Inside a speeding van, Nan Si struggled against the paralyzing drug as her consciousness slowly returned.
She heard Xiaoxi's frantic voice.
"I have it! The buyer is waiting at the pier. Get the boat ready!"
Nan Si tried to gather her spiritual energy, but the drug sealed everything. Each attempt felt like crashing into frozen walls.
[Host! Hold on!] Baby sobbed. [I sent your location to the Supreme God. He's coming. It's my fault. I didn't realize Lin Xiaoxi was the protagonist. The world consciousness hid the truth from us…]
Nan Si sighed weakly.
"Baby… don't cry. It isn't your fault. I wasn't vigilant either."
As drowsiness dragged at her, Feng Yuan's convoy screeched onto the wharf.
Wind howled.
A small trawler revved its engine.
Feng Yuan stepped forward, gripping the titanium collar, knuckles white.
"Lin Xiaoxi!" His voice echoed through the silent harbor. "Release her. If you step on that boat, I will dismantle your family piece by piece."
On the deck, Lin Xiaoxi appeared in her torn white dress, madness replacing elegance. She held the carrier over the dark sea and laughed.
"One step closer, Yuan, and she goes in! Let's see you save her!"
The air suffocated.
The Iceberg CEO vanished, leaving only a man drowning in despair.
Nan Si looked at Feng Yuan, at the agony in his eyes. He didn't want to cage her—he wanted to protect her from a cruel world.
[Baby, unlock Primal Descent. Use all my points.]
[Host, that's irreversible! You'll lose vitality and fall into deep sleep!]
[Do it. No one threatens him.]
Lin Xiaoxi tilted the carrier and threw it into the sea.
A blinding silver light exploded.
A barrier formed around Nan Si.
"Sisi!!!" Feng Yuan leaped into the water.
"President, rescue them!" Secretary Liu shouted while his men rushed Lin Xiaoxi.
As Feng Yuan reached her, the light vanished.
In his arms was not a fox—but a girl of eighteen, skin like jade, silver hair floating like moonlight, lips soft as rose petals.
Shock froze him.
Then Nan Si shimmered and turned back into a fox.
He clutched her tightly, swimming upward as rescue teams dragged them onto the boat and rushed them to the hospital.