"Li Jiahao" lay on the ground, motionless. He no longer struggled or cried out, but his eyes, hidden in the shadow of his hat’s brim, were locked onto something in the distance, as if he were plotting something.
Yang Qi ignored him for the moment and turned to walk toward the spot where Xiaojiu was guarding the chameleon.
The chameleon was still trying stubbornly to escape, darting left and right within its limited confines. Its body color shifted rapidly between the gray-black of the roof tiles, the deep blue of the night sky, and its own original greenish-brown, its tongue occasionally shooting out at high speed.
Unfortunately, all its efforts were futile in the face of Xiaojiu.
Xiaojiu only had to occasionally adjust its sitting position or swat a paw through the air to precisely disrupt the chameleon’s rhythm and force it back to its original spot.
Yang Qi approached, stopping a few paces away from the chameleon.
Activating his "Basic Spirit Communication Technique," he said, "Don’t be afraid. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m here to help you."
The chameleon, which had been turning about anxiously, suddenly froze. It stopped moving, its triangular head swiveling left and right in confusion.
"It’s me. Yes, over here. Look at me."
A gentle smile appeared on Yang Qi’s face. He extended a finger and pointed lightly toward himself. "I can help you. Help you escape the pain, escape the control, and obtain true peace and strength."
The chameleon stared blankly at Yang Qi.
Xiaojiu sat gracefully to the side, while Bai Wan sat just behind and to the side of Yang Qi, vigilantly watching their surroundings, especially in the direction of "Li Jiahao."
Yang Qi swiped a hand across his waist and took out a fingernail-sized piece of "Vitality Nutrient Cream," tossing it onto the roof tile in front of the chameleon.
An aroma that was intensely tempting to beasts instantly spread through the air.
The chameleon’s throat bobbed. The modifications hadn’t completely erased its biological instincts.
The next moment, its lightning-fast tongue shot out with a WHOOSH, precisely snagging the nutrient cream and pulling it back into its mouth to be swallowed.
"How was it? Good, right?"
Yang Qi said with a smile, "As long as you’re obedient, you’ll get to eat good stuff like this often in the future."
The chameleon was silent.
It seemed to be digesting the delicious treat in its mouth, as well as the information Yang Qi had conveyed.
After a long moment, it let out a faint hiss.
"I... I have a master."
"He’s not your master."
Yang Qi said sternly, "He’s a bad person who abuses you, uses you, causes you pain, and treats you like a tool. He uses drugs and commands to control your mind, forcing you to do things that harm other living beings."
"If I’m not mistaken, you often feel a strange pain throughout your body, don’t you?"
The chameleon’s body began to tremble slightly, a flash of pain and conflict in its pale yellow eyes.
It didn’t respond directly, but its silence was an answer in itself.
"I’m different."
Yang Qi pointed to Xiaojiu beside him and Bai Wan behind him. "Look at them. Sense them. Don’t they seem very different from the other beasts you’ve seen and encountered?"
"They’re stronger, more agile, and smarter. And they’re happy and free every day."
"Meow~"
"Master is the best."
Xiaojiu meowed at the perfect moment.
"WOOF!"
Bai Wan let out a low bark and wagged its tail in agreement.
’My two little helpers are the best,’ Yang Qi thought, giving them a mental thumbs-up. He then turned his attention back to the chameleon and said, "The pain in your body from the modifications—I can help alleviate it, maybe even eliminate it completely."
"You’ve probably noticed that the pain in your body has eased a little already, haven’t you?"
The chameleon was visibly taken aback.
A moment later, it let out an even fainter hiss.
"I guess... there is a little..."
"There you go."
Yang Qi pressed his advantage. "That food is incredibly rare. Only I can get it. It can nourish your body and repair the damage caused by those crude modifications."
"Follow me, and not only can you escape the pain, but you can also become strong, free, and happy, just like Xiaojiu and Bai Wan."
Just then, the piercing sound of police sirens echoed from the distant streets, growing closer as they rapidly converged on the auto repair shop.
The reinforcements had arrived.
The sirens startled the chameleon, its body tensing up again as it warily eyed the direction of the sound.
"Don’t be afraid."
Yang Qi immediately soothed it. "Those Two-legged Beasts are here to catch the bad guy, not to hurt you. As long as you’re willing to follow me, I’ll protect you and won’t let any other Two-legged Beasts harm you."
The chameleon’s gaze shifted back and forth between Yang Qi’s gentle yet determined face, Xiaojiu’s composed posture, Bai Wan’s loyal watch, and the ever-nearing police sirens.
Suddenly, it lifted its head and let out a hiss toward Yang Qi.
"I’ll go with you."
"No other Two-legged Beasts."
"Good!"
A smile bloomed on Yang Qi’s face. "Relax. Don’t be tense."
As he spoke, he took two steps forward, mobilized his Magical Power, and with a light flick, sent an accumulated "Spirit Seed" flying as a faint glimmer of light. It sank into the chameleon’s forehead and merged deep within its sea of consciousness.
The chameleon shuddered all over.
A flicker of confusion first passed through its pale yellow eyes, but it was immediately followed by an unprecedented sense of connection being established in its soul.
It "saw" Yang Qi’s intentions: friendship, protection, guidance.
The cold, forceful commands and chaotic, painful memories of its past seemed to be walled off and soothed by this warm connection.
It stood stunned for a moment, the cold, numb look in its eyes melting away like ice and snow, replaced by a newfound sense of dependence.
Hesitating no longer, the chameleon quickly crawled a few steps toward Yang Qi.
Yang Qi took out a "Cleaning Talisman" and activated it with a trace of Magical Power.
The Talisman transformed into a soft glow that enveloped the chameleon’s entire body.
In the span of a breath, all the dust, grime, suspicious chemical residues, and even parasites and germs on the chameleon’s body were completely cleansed away. Its original skin was revealed, its colors seeming to shine a little brighter.
Seeing this, Yang Qi crouched down and held out his palm.
The chameleon obediently crawled into his palm and coiled up. It wasn’t large, and it felt cool to the touch.
Yang Qi straightened up and gently stroked the somewhat coarse scales on the chameleon’s head, smiling as he spoke.
"From now on, your name will be ’Liu Fu.’ It means that after the worst of times comes the best of luck. May you be blessed with good fortune!"