27: Chapter 27 Holding the Light in Our Hearts, Purifying the Defilement

The Qingyang Town Pet Healing Center is located on a relatively quiet street at the edge of the town, housed in an unassuming two-story building.

It is not large, spanning only about two hundred square meters in total, but in this suburban town with a small permanent population and a limited proportion of Beast Tamers, it is considered a fairly well-equipped medical facility.

After all, in a world where pet battling has permeated all levels of society and almost become a national sport, healing centers are indispensable, regardless of whether it is in the city or the countryside.

Battles inevitably lead to injuries, whether from training spars, street conflicts, or encounters with wild pets like the one today.

In the narrow corridor outside the operating room, the cold white light shone on the smooth floor tiles, reflecting blurred figures.

The plastic seats were cold and hard; Lin Chen and Uncle Wang sat side by side, neither speaking.

Lin Chen leaned against the wall, with his Flame Claw Beast lying quietly at his feet.

The electronic clock on the wall displayed jumping red numbers, and a red light flickered above the operating room door.

Old Liu had gone out for a while and now walked back quickly.

He deliberately lightened his steps, but they still made a faint sound in the empty corridor.

"I just contacted Xiao Zhang; he is fine and has already rendezvoused with Director Li and the others."

"Director Li took people from the technical department over there and is conducting a more detailed investigation and sampling of the scene and the corpse of that Gale Weasel. He said they would notify us as soon as there are any findings."

Lin Chen nodded, feeling a slight sense of relief.

Old Liu looked at Uncle Wang again, his tone softening: "Old Wang, once the situation here stabilizes, I will have to trouble you to make time to go to the station to give a detailed statement."

"Yes, okay, okay, I will definitely go, I will definitely cooperate."

Uncle Wang nodded quickly, but his gaze still did not leave the operating room door.

He sighed heavily, his wrinkled face full of exhaustion and lingering fear. His gaze seemed unfocused, and his lips moved as if he were speaking to Lin Chen and Old Liu, or perhaps to himself:

"This little one is truly pitiful..."

He paused, his thoughts seeming to drift back to a week ago:

"When it first came to my neighborhood, it was in such a miserable state. It was so tiny, wobbling when it walked, and it had injuries on its body. I don't know if it had fought with other pets or fallen from somewhere, but it hid behind that pile of firewood at the back wall of my house."

"I felt sorry for it and took some leftovers to give it, but not only did it refuse, it even bared its teeth at me and then limped away on its own..."

Uncle Wang gave a bitter smile and shook his head: "Such a stubborn temper."

"For the next few days, it tried to forage for food itself, but in the fields and forests nearby, how much food could it easily find?"

"Seeing that its condition was getting worse and worse, I had no choice but to place food near where it usually stayed, pretending it had fallen by accident, and then I would hide far away. Only then would it be willing to eat..."

"Sigh, just like that, carefully giving it food, after several days, it finally slowly became less afraid of me."

Lin Chen was speechless for a moment.

What a vigilant Songsong Dog.

Immediately after, he looked down at the Flame Claw Beast lying at his feet, his eyes filled with meaningful thought.

The Flame Claw Beast had also been very vigilant towards him at first, but after just one meal of skewers, this guy had reverted to its enthusiastic, cheerful, and lively nature.

Look at that Songsong Dog; how could it be so easily captured by a bit of good food?

"Later, its condition gradually improved."

Uncle Wang's tone became gentle, and he continued slowly: "At night, if there was any movement, it would bark. It helped me chase away wild pets that came to ruin my crops twice. If it weren't for it this time, I wouldn't have discovered so early that the Kapok Sheep was..."

He could not go on, his voice somewhat choked.

Hearing this, Lin Chen could not help but recall the scene of the Songsong Dog fighting bravely in a pool of blood. Although this guy's strength was not as good as the Gale Weasel, it had not taken a single step back.

He approved of this Songsong Dog.

Thinking of this, his thoughts could not help but drift away.

Defeating a Tier 1 Dark Species gave the system a full six experience points, twice as much as a Tier 1 Extraordinary-level pet.

Could it be that these strange pets marked as Dark Species by the system provide higher experience points than ordinary pets of the same level?

If this conjecture is true...

Lin Chen's heartbeat accelerated slightly.

This meant that they were no longer just strange and cruel Dark Species, but walking experience points.

In addition, Lin Chen also remembered the badge of light in the mission rewards.

In the relevant settings, the badge of light symbolizes hope, light, and sacred power, and is one of the keys to the evolution of the protagonist group's Digimon.

In the game, the eight great badges only had collection value and no substantial effect.

Then in this real world, what use would the badge of light have?

Concentrating his mind, the detailed description of the "badge of light" appeared:

[badge of light LV1: Damage to Dark Species permanently increased by 10%]

[Current upgrade progress]: Same-tier Dark Species 0/100

[Remarks]: Those who hold light in their hearts may carry this badge to purify filth.

Permanently increase damage against Dark Species by 10%!

And it can also be upgraded by killing Dark Species of the same tier!

Lin Chen's pupils constricted slightly, and his heart was instantly filled with immense surprise.

This effect was simply tailor-made for dealing with existences like Dark Species!

Although it is currently only 10%, as the badge level increases, this bonus is bound to continue to increase.

Doesn't this mean that he will have a natural advantage when facing Dark Species in the future, and that he is the well-deserved stern father of the Dark Species?

Just as his thoughts were surging, the red light on the operating room door went out.

Amidst a slight mechanical sound, the heavy metal door was pushed open from the inside.

A middle-aged doctor with obvious fatigue on her face but a relieved expression walked out. She took off half of her mask and swept her gaze over the three people who immediately sprang up from their chairs.

"The surgery was very successful."

The doctor's voice was hoarse from the surgery: "The vital signs have stabilized, and the next step is rest and recovery. If taken good care of, it should be able to get up and walk slowly in a day."

"That's great! Thank you, doctor! Thank you so much!" Uncle Wang was so excited that he was incoherent, bowing repeatedly.

Lin Chen and Old Liu also breathed a long sigh of relief, their hanging hearts finally falling back into place.

"You can go in and see it, but don't stay too long, and don't disturb it. The anesthesia hasn't completely worn off, so it needs rest," the doctor advised.

The three of them lightened their steps and walked into the observation ward next to the operating room.

The room was not big, with only an observation table covered with a clean white sheet.

On the table, the Songsong Dog was lying quietly on its side, covered with a thin sterile blanket.

Most of its body was wrapped in bandages, its left front limb was in a cast, its small nose moved slightly with steady breathing, and its eyes were tightly closed, trapped in a deep sleep.

Although it still looked weak, there was no expression of pain on its face, and the rise and fall of its chest were regular and powerful.

In addition, Lin Chen noticed that a ring emitting a blue light was hanging around its neck.

This was a vital sign monitoring ring that every injured pet wears, used for real-time monitoring of blood oxygen, heart rate, and other data.

Lin Chen looked at the Songsong Dog, then looked at Uncle Wang, and said softly: "Uncle Wang, let me discuss something with you."

"Go ahead."

"I really like this little guy and want to take it home."

Before Uncle Wang could answer, the Flame Claw Beast at his side suddenly raised its head, staring wide-eyed at Lin Chen: "Gagu?"