21. Ghost Squid

It wasn't long before Shen Qinghan hurried down from upstairs, afraid to keep Lin Zichen waiting too long downstairs.

"Why did you come out in your pajamas?"

"I came down in such a hurry that I forgot to change."

"Then go back and change."

"I'm too lazy to go back. Let's hurry to the mall to shop. My dad just gave me 200 yuan, now I'm a little rich lady. Whatever you want to buy later, it's on me!"

Shen Qinghan skillfully sat on the rear seat of Lin Zichen's bicycle, waving two crisp hundred-yuan notes in front of him, her delicate face radiating triumph.

Lin Zichen felt the 1,000 yuan in his pocket but didn't want to burst her bubble, so he smiled and said:

"Okay, tonight Shen miss will pick up the tab."

"Stop talking, let's get going. Otherwise, we won't have much time to shop if it gets too late, and my parents will definitely call to urge me to come home early."

"Then hold on tight."

"I'm holding on tight!"

Shen Qinghan said with a smile, wrapping her arms around Lin Zichen's waist.

Lin Zichen didn't waste words, he just pedaled hard, and in the next moment, the bike's speed soared.

...

Hua Mao New World, first-floor main entrance.

Lin Zichen found a spot to park his bicycle, and quickly he and Shen Qinghan made their way to the top floor of the mall.

If it were daytime, he would first take Shen Qinghan for a stroll in the regular commercial district below to eat, drink, and have fun.

But it was too late now, and he needed to rush to the Exotic Beast Commercial District at the very top to touch Exotic Beast Meat and verify his speculation.

"Xiao Chen, what do you want to buy? Why did you run up here?"

In the Exotic Beast Commercial District at the top, Shen Qinghan was somewhat bewildered by the dazzling array of Exotic Beast products in front of her.

A glance over the goods revealed that the prices of the merchandise were exorbitant, with each item pricier than the last. Her 200 yuan was simply not substantial enough to make any purchases.

Lin Zichen honestly said, "Actually, I didn't really want to buy anything. I just wanted to come here to take a closer look at Exotic Beast Meat."

Shen Qinghan nodded, showing she understood.

Lin Zichen had always been fascinated by Exotic Beasts since he was a child, so it was normal for him to want to see what Exotic Beast Meat looked like up close.

"Then let's hurry and look around. I'm quite curious about Exotic Beasts, too."

Shen Qinghan, who had often read books about Exotic Beasts with Lin Zichen when she was younger, and who had accidentally wet several of his books, still remembered those moments vividly to this day.

Soon, the two of them began to browse through the Exotic Beast merchandise area.

Besides Exotic Beast Meat, there were many other derivative products related to Exotic Beasts.

There were jewelry pieces made from Exotic Beast Scales and Armor.

There were figurines modeled after the appearance of Exotic Beasts.

There were specimens of small Exotic Beasts and so on.

Lin Zichen wasn't interested in these items. He just accompanied Shen Qinghan for a quick look around before heading straight to the section selling Exotic Beast Meat.

He looked at various pieces of Exotic Beast Meat and found that all of it had been cut and processed in such a way that it was impossible to identify the original Exotic Beast.

Moreover, crucially, all of it was wrapped in transparent cling film, sealed airtight, and therefore untouchable; he couldn't test the swallowing effect of his power "Survival of the Fittest."

He persisted and carefully made his way around the area.

Finally, in a corner, he found some Exotic Beast Meat that could be touched.

It was freshly butchered meat with a staff member nearby, packing and portioning it.

"Han Han, wait here for me a sec," he said.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to touch the Exotic Beast Meat over there."

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"Ah?"

Shen Qinghan was a bit confused.

Lin Zichen didn't explain much to her and, taking advantage of the packaging staff's inattention, quietly moved closer from the staff's blind spot.

Next, he reached out to touch the piece of fresh Exotic Beast Meat closest to him.

The moment he touched it, Lin Zichen felt the vitality contained within the Exotic Beast Meat.

It was extremely vigorous, rich, and powerful!

Instinctively, Lin Zichen wanted to devour all of the life essence within the Exotic Beast Meat, leaving nothing behind.

No, that's not right, he couldn't do that!

If the meat lost its vitality, it would probably spoil.

If he wanted it, he would need to buy it with his own money...

Lin Zichen's rationality overcame his instinct, and he quickly came to his senses, refraining from the improper act of stealing the vitality from the Exotic Beast Meat.

Although he could have carried out the act discreetly, and there was a high probability it wouldn't have been discovered if he did it just once,

but once he started down that path, he couldn't imagine what kind of person he would become later on.

If not unexpected, there was a high probability he would turn into a desperado who likes toget by without effort, deceive, and indulge in robbery and plunder.

It's acceptable not to be a good person, but he must not become a bad person, at least he mustn't discard his character.

Thinking this way, Lin Zichen quickly returned to where Shen Qinghan was standing.

Seeing him return, Shen Qinghan immediately asked with curiosity, "Zi Chen, what does the Exotic Beast Meat feel like to touch? Is it any different from regular meat?"

"It doesn't feel much different; if I have to say there's a difference, it just seems a bit fresher," Lin Zichen answered nonchalantly.

At this moment, he had confirmed the guess in his heart, that indeed only Exotic Beast Meat had sufficient life essence for him to devour.

With that in mind, he would have to find a way to make money to buy Exotic Beast Meat to devour in the future.

Without giving it much more thought, Lin Zichen continued to wander around the area with Shen Qinghan.

Looking here and there, they found everything to be very novel.

Aside from a few low-priced derivative products, most of the goods related to Exotic Beasts were extremely expensive luxury items, beyond the reach of ordinary families.

It was hard not to feel awed by seeing so many of them at once.

He felt that they had browsed enough.

His horizons had been sufficiently widened.

Lin Zichen stopped in front of a counter selling Exotic Beast Meat, pointed to a type known as "Phantom Squid Meat" inside the counter, and said to the female clerk,

"Hello, I'd like to buy a pound of this meat."

Having browsed for so long, Phantom Squid Meat was the cheapest Exotic Beast Meat he had seen, and the only one he could afford.

The price was 998 per pound.

The second-cheapest kind of Exotic Beast Meat cost 2000 per pound.

With such a significant price difference, there was no need to consider which one to choose.

"You want to buy this? Where are your parents, are you alone?"

The female clerk, looking at Lin Zichen in his Shanhai High School uniform, was full of suspicion, not understanding how a middle school student could come here to buy Exotic Beast Meat.

Lin Zichen took out 1000 yuan from his pocket, placed it on the counter, and calmly said, "Yes, just me alone, I would like to buy a pound of Phantom Squid Meat."

"That won't work, you're too young, you can't buy it," the female clerk refused to sell to Lin Zichen.

After all, the amount was too large, and selling it to a minor was very risky, as the parents would most likely come after the fact to settle the account.

Lin Zichen knew the clerk's concerns, so he could only make a video call to Zhang Wanxin, seeking her consent to buy the Phantom Squid Meat in front of the female clerk.

…

PS: Bowl outstretched, asking for monthly tickets and recommendation tickets!

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