“He immigrated to the Eagle Federation?”
Lu Ran was deeply shocked. His parents had often discussed Dr. Yun Han’s exceptional talent, so Lu Ran believed he had extraordinary abilities. Yet, this brilliant talent had gone to another country?
“It’s a pretty common phenomenon,” Manager Ying sneered. “The Eagle Federation leads the world in technology. Even in the early days of Limitless City, they were already experimenting with transcendent genetically modified animals.
“In pursuit of better research results and superior laboratory conditions, Dr. Yun Han made the same choice that most would in his position.
“However, those who stay behind to build their homeland, despite more enticing opportunities abroad, are all the more commendable.”
Lu Ran remained silent. After some thought, he realized this was indeed a common phenomenon—understandable but unfortunate.
“So, Captain Doofus was one of his failed experiments when he was still in Green Sea City?” Lu Ran asked.
“Not at all.” Lu Ran smirked.
“To me, Captain Doofus is still the strongest. No matter how great a familiar Yun Han creates in the Eagle Federation, Captain Doofus can beat them any day.
“It didn’t become number one on the Heavenly Familiar Ranking because of Dr. Yun Han’s modifications. Captain Doofus hasn’t needed that berserk mode in a long time.
“Wait, what did you just say? He’s resurrecting dinosaurs in the Eagle Federation???” Lu Ran asked, the sudden realization shocking him.
“Like, as in Jurassic Park? Can they really do that?”
“With how fast their research is advancing, who knows?” Manager Ying responded with a hint of uncertainty.
“Still, you’re quite confident, aren’t you? I look forward to seeing you beat him.” Manager Ying laughed. “I’ll enjoy watching that. For years, the Beastmaster Alliance in Xia has been suppressed by the Eagle Federation in the public secret realms. And among the second and third-generation beastmasters in Xia, there hasn’t been anyone able to shift the balance...
“But let’s put that aside for now. There’s something else I want to talk about. The reason I looked into Captain Doofus is that the day it barked at me, I sensed some instability in its mental sea. It seemed odd.
“Even though you’ve tamed it well through telepathy, the hidden danger still exists. It could very well turn against you in the future. Would you like to know how to completely resolve this?
“If you succeed, maybe you could even make its berserk state permanent, unlocking even greater potential.”
“How?” Lu Ran’s eyes widened. Anything related to Captain Doofus’ condition had his full attention.
“1,000 crystal coins. Thank you for your business.”
“What?” Lu Ran asked, surprised.
You’re extorting me!? Why are you bundling the information with a service?
Lu Ran gritted his teeth. “Fine! I’ll pay!”
Manager Ying chuckled. “I’ll introduce you to someone quite accomplished in familiar research. You know them. Maybe they can help Captain Doofus evolve.”
Lu Ran broke into a sweat.
“Come with me. She’s already waiting for you in the sealed biological research lab in Green Sea City. I’ll take you there.”
So they had already set everything up and were just waiting for me to step into their trap?
Two figures appeared.
The trip overwhelmed Lu Ran a little. They first teleported from Limitless City to Golden Hill and then traveled straight to Green Sea City. For Captain Doofus, however, it was worth it.
Manager Ying led Lu Ran to a sealed research institute in Green Sea City.
It was Lu Ran’s first time here since it was a restricted research facility off-limits to outsiders. Though he could send small creatures to sneak in, doing so would be risky. In retrospect, while he was investigating Captain Doofus’ origins, he had missed the most crucial place.
Inside the research institute, a young woman in a lab coat was flipping through some old research materials with a calm and focused expression. She only looked up when she heard the sound of footsteps.
Seeing the pair—a young man and a large familiar—she smiled. “Welcome, Ying. And this must be... The brother Fang Lan mentioned?”
She looked at Lu Ran with great interest.
She had been puzzled when Ying first told her about Lu Ran, but everything clicked after hearing about Fang Lan.
Lu Ran, the brother Fang Lan had mentioned, was also quite talented.
Gu Qingyi couldn’t help but feel amused. A superhuman and number one on the Heavenly Familiar Rankings in Limitless City #3, and yet was only considered “quite talented”?
Gu Qingyi had a fondness for Fang Lan, finding her junior full of character. But she hadn’t expected Fang Lan’s brother to be even more unique.
“Hello, Dr. Gu.” Lu Ran smiled. Finally, he was meeting Dr. Gu in person.
“Ying had already told me about your situation. This was Yun Han’s research institute.” Gu Qingyi glanced around the room. “It’s a pity we lost such a genius to another country. Xia might be leading the way in familiar research if he had stayed.”
Lu Ran remained silent. No matter the era, it seemed there would always be competition between nations.
Gu Qingyi turned to Lu Ran. “Alright, Lu Ran. Why don’t you summon Captain Doofus now? If I’m not mistaken, it probably has very few memories of its childhood.”
“Yes.” Lu Ran nodded.
If Captain Doofus had any recollections, he would have already learned about this place from it.
Lu Ran took out the black card and summoned Captain Doofus.
Captain Doofus stepped out after the summoning circle appeared, curiously observing its surroundings.
It glanced at Manager Ying, and then at Gu Qingyi, pausing slightly.
“Captain Doofus, does this place seem familiar to you?” Lu Ran asked, hoping it would remember something.
Captain Doofus sniffed the air, its brow furrowing as its gaze shifted toward a room further ahead.
Lu Ran nodded, and Captain Doofus immediately darted toward it.
Naturally, Lu Ran, Gu Qingyi, and Manager Ying followed closely behind.
Captain Doofus led them to a room deeper in, which appeared to be an old laboratory. The walls were lined with metal cages, and in the center stood an abandoned experiment table. The room hadn’t been cleaned in ages, creating a grim and oppressive atmosphere.
“This is where Yun Han conducted animal experiments,” Gu Qingyi explained.
Before she could finish, Captain Doofus let out a low growl, staring intently at the cages and the experiment table. Bloodshot lines appeared in its eyes as if something had been triggered.
“Captain Doofus?” Lu Ran called.
What’s going on? This place immediately sent Captain Doofus into berserk mode.
Lu Ran tried to calm it down, but unlike before, it didn’t immediately respond.
“Captain Doofus!!!” Lu Ran shouted again.
However, Captain Doofus’ emotions only grew more unstable. It bared its teeth at the empty air, trembling with a mix of rage and fear.
Its senses seemed to have completely shut out the outside world, making it lose itself in its own memories.
Gu Qingyi and Manager Ying exchanged glances.
“As I expected, Captain Doofus is also a victim,” Gu Qingyi remarked.
“No wonder its emotions are so volatile,” Manager Ying added.
“Lu Ran, Yun Han wasn’t exactly gentle in his experiments. Most of the animals that left this place were emotionally unstable and filled with hatred and fear of it. It seems Captain Doofus suffered greatly as a pup. Can you calm it down? Or should I help you wake it up?”
Instead of responding, Lu Ran focused on trying to bring Captain Doofus back to its senses. He pushed his telepathy to its limits.
At that moment, Lu Ran felt as if he were sharing Captain Doofus’ memories.
A dimly lit room, dark cages, and a man in a lab coat extracting animals one by one to inject them with unknown substances.
Some never returned to their cages.
Captain Doofus’ childhood memories resurfaced, all spent in the shadows of this research institute.
Overwhelmed by terror and rage, Captain Doofus kept staring at the familiar surroundings as it began to lose control. The pain from its past was still fresh.
Lu Ran clenched his fists as he felt Captain Doofus’ emotions through their mental connection. For the first time, he fully understood why Captain Doofus had been so aggressive when he first brought it home.
A dog confined in a cage for years would naturally have an extreme personality—let alone Captain Doofus, who had endured biological experiments since infancy. A stable temperament would have been a miracle.
Lu Ran stepped forward, refusing Manager Ying’s assistance.
Gu Qingyi smiled slightly upon witnessing his determination. Out of respect for his intentions, she avoided interfering.
He’s a fine beastmaster.
The next moment, Lu Ran pulled out the Wind Slashing Sword from his storage space and infused his strength into it. With a swift motion, he struck the experiment table.
The powerful blow shattered the table into pieces. That noise seemed to work better than any telepathic attempt. As the table collapsed, Captain Doofus blinked, regaining some clarity.
Lu Ran hit his familiar on the head with the sword’s hilt. “You take care of the cages.”
He then handed the sword to Captain Doofus.
Having regained some control, Captain Doofus stood still, staring at Lu Ran in awe.
“That Yun Han is definitely despicable. I don’t care what he did to the others, but I won’t allow anyone to do this to you. Tear this place down, and keep your grudge in mind. Someday, we’ll find him and make him pay. It doesn’t matter if he’s resurrected dinosaurs or created divine beasts.”
Lu Ran then smiled. “You’re my partner now.”
Captain Doofus barked, nodding firmly. It took the sword in its mouth and glared at the cages around it.
With newfound determination, it swung the sword.
The Hurricane Sword Qi ripped through the air, shattering the cages and the surrounding walls. It seemed bent on severing all ties to its painful past.
But then, Lu Ran and Captain Doofus both felt something strange.
The building began to tremble, seemingly about to collapse.
Realizing what was happening, Manager Ying glanced up at the crumbling ceiling.
“Uh-oh. Gu Qingyi, why didn’t you stop him?”
Everything went dark.
“Manager Ying, hurry and teleport us out!” Gu Qingyi shouted before chuckling.
Why would I stop such a crucial bonding moment between a beastmaster and their familiar?