196: They hatched.

[Real World]

Not long after Shen Mingyuan sent his inquiry, his phone chimed with a wechat notification.

The intelligence has been verified. The 'The Fellowship' is an extremist organization composed of some humans and high-intelligence animal Evolvers. Their evolutionary direction generally tends to mimic or approach the forms of various mythical and legendary creatures.

Their core ideology is built on the racism of 'Mythical Form Supremacy.' They believe that life forms that have not achieved such 'superior evolution,' regardless of whether they possess evo factors or other abilities, are 'inferior beings.'

In their view, the only purpose of these 'inferior beings' is to serve as dominated slaves or obstacles to be cleared, with no middle ground.

The organization was severely crippled in the past and is currently showing signs of renewed activity. Extremely dangerous, their behavioral patterns are difficult to predict with conventional logic. It is recommended to maintain the highest level of vigilance.

Shen Mingyuan read it word by word, his expression grave. Mythical Creatures... Racial Cleansing... This was more troublesome and irrational than enemies with clear profit motives.

Shen Mingyuan: So that's how it is. Understood, thank you for the intelligence.

He set his phone aside. The weight of the intelligence needed to be digested, but life had to go on. For the rest of the day, he slowed down the pace.

He unpacked his luggage from the business trip, organized the materials for several pending cases at hand, replenished his stock of high-energy food, and even cleaned the observation window of the Incubator for the still-silent egg.

Then, time to accelerate. Once again, 13 incantations made in heaven!

Early the next morning, as dawn light filtered through the curtains, Shen Mingyuan had already finished washing up, changed into a crisp shirt and suit jacket, and was adjusting his tie in front of the mirror.

He planned to return to the law firm today. Picking up his phone, he sent a message to an administrative colleague, informing them that he would be back in the office today.

Everything ready, he picked up his briefcase, took a final look around the living room, and his gaze habitually fell on the Incubator in the corner—then, his movements froze instantly.

The Incubator's originally tightly sealed transparent cover was now pushed open with a noticeable gap, tilted to one side.

Inside, the milky-white giant egg was gone. In its place were some... eggshell fragments of varying sizes scattered around the egg tray and at the bottom of the Incubator.

The egg had shattered.

Shen Mingyuan's heart skipped a beat. The eggshell was broken, but where was what was inside?

He immediately crouched down to inspect the floor and soon discovered a small puddle of translucent, sticky liquid traces in the gap between the Incubator and the corner of the wall, emitting a faint, indescribable fresh scent. The traces were intermittent, pointing toward the kitchen.

He stood up immediately, lightened his footsteps, and scanned every corner of the kitchen with sharp eyes. Nothing. Under the sink, by the cabinets... nothing. Finally, his gaze landed on the quietly operating double-door refrigerator.

Shen Mingyuan was silent for two seconds, a ridiculous premonition surfacing. He reached out and gently pulled open the door of the refrigerator's upper compartment.

A mix of cold air and a stronger fresh scent wafted out.

The plastic egg container was knocked over on its side, several eggs had vanished without a trace, leaving only some eggshell fragments and dried sticky residue.

Next to it, the box of high-concentration nutritional supplements Zhou Zihui had given earlier was also in disarray. Five of the tubes were now empty, their transparent plastic seals bitten open and licked clean. Only the last one remained, lying lonely in the corner.

And the 'culprit' was nestled deep inside the fresh-keeping compartment, next to the vegetable box.

It was a creature about the length of a forearm, its entire body a pale sky-blue color like a newborn sprout.

Its body was snake-like, sleek and slender, currently appearing somewhat sluggish due to the low temperature, moving slowly.

Most striking were the pair of fleshy wing membranes growing along its spine. The wings were not large, clinging closely to its body, bare without feathers, only an extremely thin, nearly transparent membrane connecting a few slender bone-like structures, looking indeed somewhat fragile and... awkwardly immature.

It had no limbs, only the tip of its tail unconsciously curling and swaying slightly.

Hearing the sound of the door opening and the change in light, the little creature turned its head toward Shen Mingyuan's direction extremely slowly, almost imperceptibly to the naked eye.

In its pale golden vertical pupils, the luster was dim, reactions sluggish, entirely in a state where biological instincts were forcibly 'paused' by the low temperature.

Shen Mingyuan looked at it, then at the messy 'crime scene,' especially the nearly depleted precious energy supplements, his face showing an expression mixed with astonishment, helplessness, and a hint of amusement.

'You really know how to pick a spot...' he sighed, carefully reaching out to try and move the little creature out of the refrigerator.

Shen Mingyuan carefully lifted the stiff Little Green Snake out of the refrigerator.

It lay motionless in his palm, like a sky-blue jade sculpture, only the faint pulse of life transmitted through his fingertips proving it was not dead.

'Really...' he muttered, using the fingers of his other hand to lightly touch the pair of bare fleshy wings, 'looks a bit... distinctive.' Especially these wings, currently drooping against its body, certainly not what one would call attractive.

Perhaps as the warmth from his palm gradually seeped in, the little thing in his hand began to change.

First, the tip of its tail curled very slowly, then, in the pale golden vertical pupils, the sluggish luster cleared like clouds parting, becoming clear and lively again. Its body was no longer stiff, starting to wriggle gently in his palm, trying to adjust its posture.

The moment it regained vitality, it raised its head, those now-clear eyes staring directly at Shen Mingyuan, its slender body conveying a clear sense of displeasure.

Then, it suddenly lunged forward and, with its toothless mouth, gave a not-too-light, not-too-heavy 'bite' on Shen Mingyuan's finger that was poking its wing.

It didn't hurt, but the sensation was cold and wet, full of protest.

'Hah, quite the temper.' Shen Mingyuan chuckled, withdrawing his finger and closing the refrigerator door. He carried the Little Green Snake, which was now trying to coil around his wrist, back to the living room. His gaze fell on the now-empty Incubator, and he suddenly realized a practical problem.

'Wait... I don't think I prepared a Terrarium?' He patted his forehead. He had been so focused on hatching the egg that he hadn't thought at all about where this 'child' would live after hatching.

With no better option at hand, he quickly cleaned up the scattered eggshell fragments inside the Incubator, laid down a layer of clean soft cloth, and dug out the Reptile Heating Pad he had purchased earlier, setting it to the low-temperature zone and placing it underneath.

Then, he placed a small water dish and several Frozen Pinky Mice specifically bought for young reptiles. A simple, makeshift 'Nursery Box' was hastily set up.

He gently placed the Little Green Snake, which was now curiously raising its head to look around, inside. The little creature coiled around a couple of times on the soft cloth, seeming somewhat adapted to the new warm environment. It nudged the edge of the water dish with its head, then turned away from the food with little interest.

'You'll have to make do here for now. I'll get you a proper home later.'

Shen Mingyuan said to the little creature in the Incubator, though unsure if it could understand.

The Little Green Snake just raised its head, glanced at him with its pale golden eyes, then lazily lay down and closed its eyes, as if the earlier commotion had exhausted all its energy.

With all this done, Shen Mingyuan checked the time and quickly straightened his suit and briefcase.

'Well then, I'm off to work.'