"What’s wrong?" the older woman processing the Luhua Chicken Beast for Lin Li asked her son.

"They say a big goose over at the goose farm turned into a Mutant Beast," the shop owner said, frowning as he hung up the phone.

"It turned into a Mutant Beast? Then we should call the Superpower Administration Bureau right away! Let the Investigators come and handle it," the older woman said.

"It’s just a goose that recently turned into a Mutant Beast. There’s no need to call the Superpower Administration Bureau. I’ll go take care of it," the shop owner said, brimming with confidence. He then headed toward the goose farm behind the shop.

Watching the shop owner leave, Lin Li, who was standing to the side, asked the older woman, "Ma’am, does this happen often? For poultry on a farm like this to suddenly turn into a Mutant Beast?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"No, not at all! We’ve had this farm for so many years, and this is the first time something like this has happened..." The older woman said, her eyes filled with worry as she watched her son leave to handle the incident at the goose farm.

"Don’t worry, Ma’am. I’ll go over and have a look," Lin Li said.

"Thank you, young man." Seeing that Lin Li was offering to go take a look, the older woman immediately thanked him.

After all, Lin Li had just said he was an Exotic Beast Hunter, and to become an Exotic Beast Hunter, one needed to have a cultivation at Tier One Peak at the very least.

With an Exotic Beast Hunter going to take a look, she thought that even if the problem at the farm was somewhat serious, it would be no issue for him to bring it under control.

"You’re welcome..." Lin Li gave the older woman a smiling nod, then followed in the direction the shop owner had gone.

「...」

Behind the live poultry shop were three massive enclosures, one each for raising chickens, ducks, and geese.

The innermost enclosure held four to five thousand geese. They were fed extremely well, and the ample nutrition made them grow large and robust.

Red beaks, rounded necks, bodies as white as snow—every one of them was plump and healthy.

Lin Li walked up to the fence of the goose enclosure and peered through the gaps, observing the unusual situation unfolding inside.

Amidst the flock of large white geese in the enclosure, one, in particular, caught the eye.

This large white goose stood half a meter tall. Its eyes shimmered with a faint golden Spiritual Light, and it continuously let out loud honks from its open red beak.

’A First Rank Initial Stage Spiritual Energy Wave. It really is a Mutant Beast,’ Lin Li muttered to himself, standing before the fence as he used his Perception on the large white goose with the faint golden Spiritual Light in its eyes.

Just then, the shop owner, having arrived to deal with the incident, calmed his panicked employees before walking into the goose enclosure by himself.

"You just awakened as a Mutant Beast... What are you getting so arrogant for?" the shop owner said, looking annoyed at the large white goose that was honking majestically, its eyes shimmering with a faint golden Spiritual Light.

"Boss, be careful! That thing’s vicious, and its pecks hurt like hell!" one of the farmhands, whose arm was covered in bruises from the goose, shouted to the shop owner.

"It’s just a newly awakened Mutant Beast goose. Nothing to be afraid of. You all just watch and see how I teach it a lesson."

The shop owner said to his panicked employees over his shoulder. Then, brimming with confidence, he walked toward the large white goose with the faint golden Spiritual Light in its eyes.

Noticing someone approaching, the Mutant Beast goose with the faint golden Spiritual Light in its eyes immediately stopped honking. It watched the shop owner draw near, its gaze sharp and focused.

Having awakened as a Mutant Beast, its intelligence was significantly enhanced, and the goose was furious with the approaching human.

It recognized him. This was the leader of the humans it had just chased out of the enclosure—the one who led the others in capturing so many of its kind.

"HONK HONK HONK..."

The Mutant Beast goose with the faint golden Spiritual Light in its eyes shrieked at the advancing shop owner, flapping its wings and assuming an attack stance.

"Hmph." With a disdainful snort, his eyes full of contempt, the shop owner grabbed a one-and-a-half-meter-long bamboo pole leaning against the wall.

The shop owner gripped the bamboo pole with both hands. A faint golden Spiritual Light flashed across his hands for an instant. Then, he rushed toward the Mutant Beast goose, which stood ready to attack, its eyes still glimmering with that faint golden light.

"I never expected the shop owner to be a First Rank Initial Stage Cultivator," Lin Li remarked with some surprise from outside the fence, having perceived the Spiritual Energy Wave coming from the man.

’A First Rank Initial Stage Mutant Beast isn’t much stronger than a normal animal. Plus, that goose just transformed, so it’s definitely not the shop owner’s match. Looks like I won’t need to step in after all.’

"HONK HONK HONK..." Seeing the shop owner charge over with the bamboo pole, the surrounding ordinary geese scattered in a panic.

The Mutant Beast goose with the faint golden Spiritual Light in its eyes, however, was not afraid at all. It flapped its wings, watching the shop owner rush toward it with the pole gripped in his hands. It had no intention of fleeing, its eyes fixed intently on its opponent.

If events had followed their natural course, the newly awakened Mutant Beast goose would have been taken down by the pole-wielding shop owner.

But that is not how reality unfolded. Faced with the menacing shop owner, the Mutant Beast goose with the faint golden Spiritual Light in its eyes flapped its wings and opened its beak.