Beast Taming: My System is Bugged

Gu Ming meticulously searched the sealed-off area once more.

Cyan Treasure also maintained its Perception the entire time, but it didn’t detect any more fluctuations of that "abnormal aura."

It confirmed that the fleeting, decaying aura triggered by the Demon Suppression Spell had only lingered in that single patch of soil. Like a lone spark in the darkness, it had vanished completely.

Over the next few days, the investigation entered the routine phase of organizing physical evidence and analyzing data.

The atmosphere grew dull and formulaic, with no further breakthroughs.

After the investigation concluded, the three Five-star Beastmasters stayed in contact with Gu Ming, hoping to build a good relationship.

However, Gu Ming didn’t want to spend too much time socializing. Only after refusing them several times did he finally get some peace and quiet.

「A week later.」

Old Chen found Gu Ming on his last day of work.

Around this time, the tournament in the Zhou Capital was about to begin. Gu Ming had to return to his university and await the competition notice; he couldn’t stay in Lanqi City to investigate forever.

Gu Ming had already lost faith in the investigation, believing that his system’s future discoveries had no strong connection to reality.

He had even fantasized about triggering some kind of bug that would cause the DNA from the future Ancient Divine Deer’s blood to be left behind in the soil of the present day.

But after so long with no news, he figured it was a lost cause.

"Old Chen?"

Gu Ming saw the other man hand him a paper file. Its cover was simple, with a special, antique-style steel seal stamped with a Spirit Pattern in the bottom-right corner.

"The joint analysis report from Red Moon University is back. It’s highly classified."

Old Chen’s expression was a little complicated as he pushed the file in front of Gu Ming.

"This is the summary of the conclusions.

"There are two independent reports. One is from their Paleontological Gene-Decoding Center.

"The other is from the Spiritual Material Analysis Laboratory. Both are national authorities in their respective fields."

Gu Ming took it and opened the file. ’A week of waiting for news... Could it be...?’

’Did they actually detect something?’

His eyes quickly scanned the long lines of technical jargon and data charts.

The core conclusion of the Gene-Decoding Center’s report:

No effective biomass DNA or fragments of spiritual genetic information viable for comparison were extracted.

All detected trace organic components were highly consistent with the common microbial communities in the soil of Lanqi City’s West Suburb and the residue of standard reagents used in recent on-site purification operations.

The report’s final determination: no evidence of genetic material related to the known "Ancient Divine Deer" lineage or any other unknown High Tier extraordinary creature was found.

The other report, from the Spiritual Material Analysis Laboratory, provided an answer from a different perspective:

The sample’s Spiritual Energy structure was completely inert, exhibiting a "deathly still" state with no active spiritual particles, memory residue, or characteristic fluctuations...

In short, nothing was found.

The two reports, from top-tier laboratories in different scientific fields and using completely different technical approaches, reached highly consistent conclusions, creating a solid cross-verification.

They both pointed to one fact.

The sample Gu Ming had submitted, the one that held so much hope, was, under the most precise scientific testing frameworks available, "clean"—devoid of any academically recognizable or reproducible anomalies.

You have obtained two reports from Red Moon University’s top-tier laboratories.

You have learned some of the abilities of Mr. Tree’s mutated Ancient Divine Deer Pet Beast, but this report cannot be leaked. It is bound by a powerful confidentiality contract that silences those who see it.

’Oh?’

"If they didn’t find anything, then... why is the classification level so high?"

Gu Ming closed the report and looked up at Old Chen.

Old Chen shook his head, his tone flat.

"Because this case is of great importance. Anything related to it has its classification level raised."

He leaned forward slightly, looking at Gu Ming, and lowered his voice a little.

"The comprehensive assessment from the higher-ups has come in.

"Between the Array Association’s seven on-site investigations, three large-scale Energy Field regression analyses, and the feedback from various tracking-type Pet Beasts, they’ve made many significant discoveries."

"The special case concerning the ’Friends of Nature’ has been transferred to the central Beastmaster Administration Bureau for handling. You don’t need to worry about it anymore."

"Also, our team no longer has investigative authority, so we can’t follow up on it either."

Gu Ming had a strange feeling he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

’This means I can stop tracking this case. Let the professionals handle their business.’

’Indeed, this is for the best. After all, this involves a General Knowledge Ceremony that covers the entire Great Zhou Dynasty. How could a mere Four-star Beastmaster, a university student at that, possibly meddle in it?’

’If I investigate any further, I’ll only get in deeper.’

’The Array Association and the Beastmaster Administration Bureau must have thought of this. They’re protecting me by sending Old Chen to tell me not to follow the investigation anymore.’

Besides, with his tournament approaching, there really was no need to keep getting involved in this matter.

Old Chen’s tone was a bit consoling. "I know you must have sensed something unusual back then.

"A researcher’s intuition can sometimes be ahead of the instruments.

"But Gu Ming, this investigation isn’t just your personal business. The entire Beastmaster Administration Bureau is working on it, and even a Nine-star Beastmaster is involved."

He patted Gu Ming’s shoulder. "This matter ends here for you. Trust them. They will find the mastermind behind the Friends of Nature."

Gu Ming was silent for a moment before slowly nodding.

He understood the weight behind Old Chen’s words.

However, the fact that Red Moon University, which Gu Ming had placed such high hopes on, had produced no actual investigative information still left him feeling a bit disappointed and surprised.

’Perhaps what Cyan Treasure’s "Demon Suppression Spell" touched upon was something on a level that current conventional methods can’t capture or define—a subtle state hovering on the edge between ’existence’ and ’trace’.’

"I understand, Teacher Chen."

Gu Ming handed the report back, his expression calm and unruffled. "Everyone has worked hard."

Seeing that he was emotionally stable and wasn’t insisting or arguing, Old Chen inwardly sighed in relief. His tone softened.

"You’ve been running around helping out all through the New Year holiday, and you’ve been through so much... Go back to university and get some proper rest. I have high hopes for you in the tournament."

After that, Old Chen left the small shop.

Just then, Ruan Taibai slowly walked over, scratching his head. "God Gu, I heard... that the Ancient Divine Deer’s bloodline is a huge deal, but I don’t know the specifics."

Gu Ming recalled the vague memories the system had just inserted into his mind.

Without a doubt, the Red Moon University report from the Future Perspective was different from the one in reality.

The report in the Future Perspective was a DNA analysis report. It stated that the Ancient Divine Deer was nearly 80% similar to the Ancient Forest Deer, with 20% being mutation.

However, Gu Ming had already learned much of this information from the system when he was being questioned. Now, it just made his skill information sheet a bit clearer.

"I know."

"Huh? You know what I was going to say?" Ruan Taibai said, surprised.

He had been about to say that the two reports from Red Moon University might have been specially modified.

But from Gu Ming’s reaction, it seemed no extra explanation was needed.

After all, Gu Ming wasn’t completely aligned with the Ruan Family faction; he had his own sources of information. Perhaps he had heard something before he even got the report.

Why would this be the case?

The Ruan Family’s own think tank had deduced that it was highly likely Mr. Tree’s Ancient Divine Deer involved memetic contagion. Its abilities were so special that the intelligence could not be allowed to leak, hence the information blockade.

The main reason they knew this was because the Ruan Family had an official serving in the Imperial Palace, who had access to some information that only the true upper echelons would know.

...

The winter afternoon sun was cold and thin, and the sky was a pale, grayish blue.

Gu Ming stood on the steps, narrowing his eyes slightly.

In reality, he no longer had any investigative authority.

But among the future investigation team, the focus of discussion was one of great joy. Everyone’s understanding of the Friends of Nature and Mr. Tree had increased significantly.

The civilian investigation team has received the news. Experts from all walks of life have joyfully bid you farewell and are heading to the battlefields of the new Demon War to participate.

You know that the new Demon War is underway in various places, but since your Pet Beasts lack sufficient combat power, you can only return to the Zhou Capital and continue raising them until the day you can participate.

This time, his "discovery" failed to overturn reality’s conclusions, but he had obtained some future intelligence. In that sense, it wasn’t a total loss.

’The start of the new Demon War in the future timeline... I think that happened last time, when Cyan Treasure got the Seed of Rootless Wood Grass,’ Gu Ming thought to himself.

"Cyan Treasure," he called out softly.

"HISS—" The little snake coiled on his shoulder stirred. Its cool, smooth scales brushed against his neck, a reassuring touch.

"Let’s go."

The end of the New Year holiday slipped away quietly amidst this calm—a calm where things seemed settled on the surface and acceptable to all parties, but where an undercurrent of doubt still lingered, the questions not truly answered.

But Gu Ming had a premonition: the first wave of the Demon Fiend invasion was very likely to accelerate.

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