Chapter 85: The Transformation of the White Serpent

“It’s already been handed over to headquarters. I suppose they’re researching it now. I wasn’t involved, so I don’t know the current progress. Why are you so concerned about this?”

“Because I read a book—some things are quite unsettling!” Lin Xiaosu said. “That white serpent greatly resembles the Netherworld Nine-Transformation Beast described in the book. We must be wary of its transformations!”

“Transformation? It can transform?” Changye frowned.

“It needs certain prerequisites to transform. One of them is a rare fruit that happened to appear near it, called the Domain Grapes!” Lin Xiaosu continued, “Listen carefully—there are nine Domain Grapes! I remember you once said that your laboratory only has eight.”

Changye’s heart skipped a beat. “When the white serpent fell unconscious, there were only eight grapes in the steel container!”

“There’s a possibility—the serpent has already eaten one grape! Its coma wasn’t caused by the cold, but is actually a dormant state before transformation!”

Changye asked, “What’s its next transformation?”

“A Crimson Bird. It can fly!” Lin Xiaosu answered. “If you only prepare for its escape as a serpent, you’ll be caught off guard.”

“I’ll contact them immediately!” Changye pressed the phone and dialed a special number...

Once connected, an elderly man appeared in her dragon-eye lens, sitting in an office. Behind him was a divine dragon, the only decoration in an otherwise spotless, simple room.

“This is your first direct line contact with me,” the old man said. “What’s so urgent?”

“How’s the white serpent brought from Prison Mountain?”

The old man’s expression changed slightly. “What have you learned?”

Changye’s face paled. “Something’s happened, hasn’t it?”

“Yes. Seven days ago, there was an incident at the laboratory. The white serpent killed three researchers and escaped. There’s an incredible change…”

“It became a Crimson Bird, didn’t it?” Changye interrupted.

The old man abruptly stood. “How do you know? Do you know its origins?”

“Someone just called me, also having read about it in ancient texts. The serpent is very similar to a primordial creature called the Netherworld Nine-Transformation Beast, and those grapes are Domain Grapes—there should be nine, not eight. If the Nine-Transformation Beast eats a Domain Grape, it transforms into a Crimson Bird…”

The old man’s brows trembled slightly. “Such crucial information, but sadly, it’s too late! The mistake is irreversible. The Crimson Bird has already escaped the base, crossed five provinces in six days, spanning three thousand miles. I’ve just received reports of the thirty-seventh victim.”

“A massacre?” Changye was shocked.

“Yes. To avoid panic and speculation, the news is completely sealed. Three teams have been dispatched for pursuit, but the Crimson Bird’s movements are erratic and so swift that even the fastest vehicles can’t keep up. It's a major problem!”

Changye’s hair trembled.

Others might not realize how terrifying the Crimson Bird is, but she could guess its menace.

Even as a white serpent, it caused the death of Qianlong-325 (though the true cause was an enemy gene assassin, the serpent played a role: its extreme drain on 325 beforehand and its tearing through Dragon Armor made the assassination possible. In her mind, 325 died because of the serpent).

Now it has transformed.

A mutated creature’s transformation means evolution.

Its abilities have become even more formidable.

And it has shown its savage side—six days, five provinces, three thousand miles, thirty-seven dead.

A small bird, barely noticeable and difficult to spot.

Even if you spot it, you can’t catch it.

If you catch it, you might not win.

Qianlong members can resolve any earthly problem, but how do you tackle a creature that traverses a thousand miles in an instant?

This creature is utterly ruthless. It targets ordinary people, striking from the sky—who could escape its claws?

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“Did it have a motive for hunting these thirty-seven people?” Changye asked.

“It consumed their brain marrow. That’s likely its only motive!”

“This is troublesome. I’ll discuss with him…” Changye said.

“Him? Who is he?” the old man asked.

“The person who passed me the message—his name is Lin Xiaosu.”

“Lin Xiaosu? Is he with Qianlong?”

“He should have been, but currently he isn’t.”

The old man frowned. “What do you mean?”

“It means… our Qianlong Review Board rejected his membership and refused to hear appeals.”

“I’ll pay attention to Lin Xiaosu. Are you sure telling him will help?”

“He’s the only one who understands the Nine-Transformation Beast, and he’s the best detective. If anyone can successfully track the Crimson Bird, it’s him.”

“Good! Tell him. If he helps Qianlong accomplish this mission, I’ll open a special channel for him.”

“Alright!” Changye’s heart leapt. “Also, please grant me S-level access for Dragon-Eye. I need to know what the victims have in common, so we can anticipate its next target…”

“Done! Your temporary access is active, valid for three months.”

Changye ended the call.

She immediately contacted Lin Xiaosu.

Before the phone could ring, Lin Xiaosu answered directly.

“Your guess was spot on! The lab incident happened—the white serpent transformed into the Crimson Bird and escaped the base. It flew out seven days ago; thirty-seven dead so far. Xiaosu, we—”

“Come over at once! The fastest flyer!” Lin Xiaosu cut her off.

“Alright, I’m coming!”

Three hours later, a flyer landed on the detective agency’s rooftop. The door opened and Lin Xiaosu entered straight in.

The flyer lifted off silently, drifting beautifully into deep sky. Miao Ruolan, just back from outside, spotted this and was surprised. Entering the agency, she asked, “He... left?”

Zhou Xi peeked from behind her computer screen. “I didn’t see him go downstairs.”

“Why would he? He probably took to the skies!” Miao Ruolan said.

“Huh?” Zhou Xi was surprised as well. The two women hurried to the second floor. His room was empty.

The rooftop door opened; they confirmed—Lin Xiaosu really took flight.

“He took a flyer. There aren’t many flyers in Phoenix City,” Zhou Xi remarked.

“Probably not from Phoenix City,” Miao Ruolan replied.

“Should we call him?”

Miao Ruolan shook her head. “No! Whenever he’s on a mission, we never call. Sometimes, a call can ruin everything…”

Inside the flyer, Lin Xiaosu met Changye.

She was alone.

Changye said, “The flyer is on auto-pilot, heading to where the Crimson Bird appeared last night. Let’s use this time to review the victims, try to find commonalities, so we can anticipate its next target.”

“Good!”

Changye tapped lightly; all the windows transformed into screens, each displaying a corpse—thirty-seven in total.

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All were female.

All were young maidens.

Changye said, “These women come from diverse backgrounds. Aside from the most apparent commonality, there’s nothing else—they’re all young women.”

“Perhaps the ancient records really are true. The Netherworld Nine-Transformation Beast: the third transformation is the white serpent, the fourth is the Crimson Bird. To trigger the fifth transformation—a flying sable—it must consume pure yin marrow!”

“Pure yin marrow? So it only attacks women?”

“Not just women. There’s also the word ‘pure’! These must have all been virgins.”

“Virgins… it can even distinguish that.”

“There’s nothing too strange in this vast world, and this creature isn’t even from here,” Lin Xiaosu said.

“The Primordial World…” Changye exhaled softly. “Does it truly exist?”

“It does! And I have a bad feeling—their presence is growing stronger…”

Changye nodded gently. “We need an action plan now. Two main difficulties: how to find it, and how to kill it.”

As soon as she finished, the Crimson Bird’s image appeared.

It was recorded when it escaped Qianlong Base. The camera’s clarity was unmatched—even in a flash, every feather was captured in detail.

The feathers bore fiery patterns, reminiscent of the white serpent’s scales, exaggeratedly extended.

Its talons—three and a half—gleamed coldly.

Its eyes were strange, imbued with a terrifying, soul-chilling aura. Even in the image, it sent chills down the spine.

Its sharp beak resembled a dragon-scale dagger. Its tongue, slender, was much like the serpent’s forked tongue—a sign that the fourth transformation was not yet complete.

Precise measurements were also available.

The Crimson Bird was only five inches long, with a wingspan less than two feet.

Essentially, it was pigeon-sized.

This posed a serious problem—it was inconspicuous and very hard to find.

So, the three Qianlong squads chased it for three thousand miles without even finding a feather. Only when another “bird murder” occurred could they arrive on scene—always “after the fact.”

As they spoke, they arrived at their destination.

It was in northern Sichuan Province, at a vocational school. Several girls were relaxing on the rooftop when a streak of red flashed by—one girl’s head was pierced, dying instantly.

The entire vocational school was alarmed.

Speculation ran wild.

“We’ll go down—our people are there. Let’s get information,” Changye said.

“No need!” Lin Xiaosu replied. “Switch to manual mode. We’ll chase it directly!”

“Direct pursuit? How?” Changye was shocked.

Lin Xiaosu said, “No time to explain. We must find the Crimson Bird first!”

He moved to the cockpit, disengaged auto-pilot, and switched to manual.

At the same time, the flyer’s windows opened.

The flyer swept through the sky, shooting into the distance…

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