"Good child, I am your mother, Ruan Ying." "..." Ruan Li was silent for a moment. She didn’t know what this person claiming to be her mother wanted to do, but the fact that she let her survive must have some reason behind it. The memories of "Ruan Li" related to this mother were almost nonexistent. She also didn’t believe that this Ruan Ying would have any familial affection for her. "What does the extermination plan mean? What exactly have you done here?" Ruan Ying raised her eyelids slightly and looked at her, "They are all defective bodies, they shouldn’t exist in this world. Only complete bodies deserve to live in this world. I’m just helping them end their suffering early." A formulaic and cold explanation, as if those numbers jumping on the screen were just numbers, but Ruan Li knew her family was among them. Ruan Li is someone who values feelings greatly. Although she doesn’t usually express them, she holds them dear in her heart as family members. Their time together might not be long, but she couldn’t just stand by and watch them die in front of her. "How can the extermination plan be stopped? Since you want me to live, it means I am useful to you. I demand that the extermination plan be stopped, or you won’t get what you want!" The cool beauty on the screen slowly revealed a smile, squinting slightly, "Why should I stop the plan? Give me a reason." "Over three thousand lives, declaring extermination just like that, isn’t that too absurd?" "Not enough, this reason is not enough for me to stop the plan." Ruan Li stood in front of the monitor, a solitary and frail figure in the small room. Her hand at her side clenched into a fist, and she spoke every word with weight, "Because my family is among them." "I can release your Beast Husband, is that enough?" The woman seemed to be negotiating amiably with her regarding the lives of over three thousand people. "...Why must they die?" The woman on the screen suddenly chuckled lightly: "Why shouldn’t they die?" "Is it just because they’re defective bodies that their lives must be taken away?" "Good child, you don’t understand what I mean now. You will understand in the future; everything I do is for the advancement of the species’ civilization." The woman’s eyes gradually revealed a fervent longing. Ruan Li, however, felt this woman was insane. "What is a defective body, and what is a complete body? What gives you the right to decide their life and death based on this?" "The debate over this question is meaningless. Just with a small gadget that I casually turn on today, I can trap these Beastmen. They are destined to be at the mercy of others. Child, you should come back." She seemed to be looking coldly at a mischievous child, eyes kind yet indifferent. As the woman’s voice fell, the countdown on the screen began to decrease again. Seeing the numbers decrease again, Ruan Li angrily yet helplessly pressed the red button on the console once more, suspecting it might be the emergency stop button. "I disagree. Since you need a reason, I am the reason." The girl’s determined and fearless gaze was clearly projected from the other side of the monitor. Ruan Ying looked at her posture standing up for herself and revealed a satisfied smile. "Very good, this reason is sufficient. I can delay my cleaning plan. I hope next time you’ll have enough chips to negotiate with me." "Looking forward to our next meeting." The image on the monitor disappeared. The room fell into silence. She found the door button and pressed it. Smoke mixed with turbid air rushed towards her, making Ruan Li squint and raise her hand to brush away the dust blocking her eyes. The situation outside was worse than she imagined. The once vibrant park now had withered plants and trees, scattered Beastmen who had long reverted to beast form, weakly lying on the ground as if their vitality had been drained. That woman claimed to be her mother? But she remembered that Ruan Jiao once threatened her with a Jade Token, saying something about her mother being in her hands... If Ruan Ying was truly her mother, she now seriously doubted whether Ruan Jiao knew about this. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ nοvelfire.net Ruan Li cast aside the thoughts brewing in her mind, her gaze drawn to a little fiery red fox whimpering on the doorstep. "Xu Mo?" Ruan Li called out softly. Although she wasn’t one hundred percent sure, being right at the door and being a red fox made it a clear target. The little fox chirped, trying to move as if wanting to get up, but merely lifting its forelegs only to collapse again immediately. Ruan Li knelt and picked him up. The soft fox fur felt wonderful, the warm touch made it hard for her to let go. She gently tossed him, "Not heavy at all." Distantly, heavy footsteps suddenly approached. Ruan Li looked up to see two rows of camouflaged uniformed Beastmen running towards her. Then, her eyes fell on those shiny black boots. Following the man’s taut pant cuffs upward, his straight and solid legs were outlined in a graceful line by the uniform. The black cloak gently floated with his quick steps, his tousled dark hair showing traces of weariness. Nonetheless, the bright black eyes could firmly lock onto Ruan Li’s sight. Suddenly she felt something warm in her pocket. It seemed like that moon-like stone was heating up. Lu Mufeng’s originally fast pace slowed upon seeing Ruan Li’s intact figure. The sound of the boots hitting the ground was clear and low. Lu Mufeng walked up to her. His tall figure stood as straight as a mountain pine, but he bent down when looking at Ruan Li. He pulled her into his arms with such force that it almost embedded her into his body. The little fox caught between them immediately chirped in protest. Lu Mufeng grabbed him by the scruff with one hand and tossed him aside. His deep voice sounded clearly in her ear, "Are you hurt, Little Li?" Ruan Li, tightly embraced by him, felt a little suffocated in her chest, shook her head, "No injuries." Lu Mufeng and his team noticed something amiss with the membrane inside through the naked eye, realizing the contents of the monitor had been altered. They initially planned to forcibly use military weapons, irrespective of the cost, to save the females inside. However, before the weapons arrived, that membrane mysteriously vanished. After the military entered the residential area, they found some unfortunate Beastmen had already died, while most had reverted to beast form, exhausted and unable to maintain human form. Some were so severely affected their superpowers regressed. The medical team was already examining the Beastmen’s conditions. Lu Mufeng thoroughly checked Ruan Li, confirming no injury before feeling relieved. Ruan Li told him to go mind his work while she carried the limp little fox back home. Arriving home, as expected, a white crane was standing by the pond, with half a face emerging in the water. Blue, seaweedy hair floated on the surface.