After Understanding the Language of Beasts - Chapter 3: The Reward

 Chapter Three: The Reward

Wu Bowen staggered back to the dormitory, bumping into his roommate. Instead of apologizing, he shoved his roommate aside and frantically began searching for the lottery ticket.

After receiving the lottery ticket Jiang Shiyan had bought, Wu Bowen hadn’t claimed the prize immediately. With a 60-day redemption period, he planned to wait until the last few days to avoid suspicion.

But he never imagined that Jiang Shiyan would come back!

“My lottery ticket… my ticket…”

Wu Bowen was mumbling eerily, to the point where the roommate, who was initially ready to confront him, felt a chill and moved closer to another roommate.

As they gathered the courage to ask Wu Bowen what was wrong, he clutched his head in horror and muttered, “I didn’t kill anyone… I didn’t kill anyone… The lottery ticket… the lottery ticket is mine…”

“Go to hell, Jiang Shiyan!”

“My lottery ticket… my ticket…”

Wu Bowen was losing it. He turned to the other roommates, grabbed one, and violently demanded, “Where’s my lottery ticket? I won! Where’s my first-prize ticket!”

“Get lost, you lunatic!”

“Give me the lottery ticket, give me the lottery ticket! I’ll kill you, Jiang Shiyan, I’ll kill you…”

“…”

Wu Bowen grabbed one of his roommates by the throat, and no one could pry him off. His outburst caught the attention of residents from neighboring rooms, who came over to help. It took several of them to pull Wu Bowen off and pin him to the ground.

“Damn you!”

The young man who had almost been strangled managed to escape, his eyes red with rage. He picked up a chair and slammed it over Wu Bowen’s head, hitting him hard.

Just before he blacked out, Wu Bowen seemed to see Jiang Shiyan in a white dress, and terror filled him before he lost consciousness.

He would always remember that the day the photo was taken, Jiang Shiyan had worn a long white dress…

After watching Wu Bowen being carried away by the ambulance, Jiang Shiyan quietly went downstairs and crouched near the edge of the grass.

A short while later, a small snake with distinctive markings slithered toward her. Raising its little head, it flicked its tongue as if seeking praise.

“Xiaoyanyan, Xiaoyanyan, did I do a good job?”

“Excellent!” Jiang Shiyan replied, pulling out a leaf and gently patting the small triangular head.

The language of snakes had been the first animal language she unlocked. Back on the island, snakes had been common, so Jiang Shiyan had quickly mastered the skill of communicating with them.

The little snake wiggled with joy.

“Next time you see that scoundrel, bite him!” Jiang Shiyan whispered.

[I’ll bite him together with Xiao He.]

The small snake’s venom wasn’t fatal, but it could easily cause hallucinations, and people under severe psychological stress often revealed some hidden secrets.

She had purposely leaked the news that Jiang Shiyan was still alive, passing it along to certain individuals in a specific time and place. She was certain that the guilt-ridden Wu Bowen would come to her home to investigate. The little snake had been hiding in the grass, waiting for the opportunity.

“Yan Yan, it’s time to eat!” Jiang’s mother called from upstairs.

“Coming!”

Jiang Shiyan said goodbye to the little snake and began climbing the stairs, humming a cheerful tune.

…

The police arrived to question Jiang Shiyan sooner than she had expected.

They asked her routinely if she had met Wu Bowen. Jiang Shiyan didn’t hide anything, telling them about their encounter.

“Officer, I was so angry I scared him. Is that against the law?” Jiang Shiyan asked, pretending to be frightened.

“It’s not illegal, but it’s not exactly kind,” the officer replied, offering some words of guidance to Jiang Shiyan.

Lowering her head, Jiang Shiyan admitted her fault meekly.

Given the girl’s difficult past, the police said nothing more. After all, Wu Bowen had been bitten by a snake. No one could claim Jiang Shiyan had ordered it to bite him—no one would believe that even if she tried to explain it.

When Wu Bowen regained consciousness, he found his hands bound to the hospital bed, and he seemed to realize something.

At the same time, an officer in uniform stood by Wu Bowen’s bedside, looking at him. “Awake?”

“You… you…”

“Wu Bowen, we have evidence that ties you to a murder case. For now, given your condition, you’ll stay in the hospital. But once you’re discharged, you’ll accompany us to the police station for questioning!”

Wu Bowen’s face turned ghostly pale.

…

The police hadn’t initially gathered much evidence, but under the influence of the venom, Wu Bowen confessed to a lot, and following his admissions, the police discovered further useful evidence.

Wu Bowen was arrested.

At the moment of his arrest, the system sent a congratulatory message: [Congratulations, Qinqin, for completing the mission. You have earned a reward: unlocking a new animal language. Please select the type of animal language.]

A transparent panel appeared before Jiang Shiyan with three options displayed: A. Dog; B. Cat; C. Rabbit.

These were all common animals that weren’t found on the island.

Jiang Shiyan recalled that Jiang Yiheng had recently opened a pet hospital. After some thought, she selected option A.

She’d always had a childhood dream of opening her own zoo.

In the past, Jiang Shiyan hadn’t had money, connections, or education, so she’d worked as a temporary employee at a zoo on the verge of closing down. But now, fate had given her an opportunity.

[After selection is complete, the “Wanshou Fan” system will be upgraded to Level 2, granting you one draw in the system shop. Would you like to use the draw?]

Curious, Jiang Shiyan asked, “What rewards are available?”

[The rewards are random, dear.]

Out of curiosity, Jiang Shiyan tapped to initiate the draw.

After a few seconds of loading, a gift bag burst open, revealing a small card with a single line of text: New Animal Language Unlocked.

[Congratulations, Qinqin, on obtaining the “New Animal Language Unlock” reward. Would you like to choose a new animal language now?]

This was indeed a great reward.

Jiang Shiyan immediately selected the cat.

Her only regret was about the lottery ticket. She’d sent Xiaohua to sneak into Wu Bowen’s dorm to search for it. They found the ticket, but it was severely damaged, the numbers barely legible—almost worthless.

That had been five million. Jiang Shiyan wanted to break into prison and thrash that scoundrel Wu Bowen.

…

Not long after, Wu Bowen’s family came to Jiang Shiyan, hoping she might speak on his behalf, considering their past friendship. But before they could finish, Jiang’s mother chased them out with a broom. Jiang Shiyan, always poised and graceful, stood in the campus courtyard for the first time and shouted at Wu’s family, abandoning all pretenses.

Jiang’s father’s students arrived to investigate, angrily driving them out and even calling the police to have them taken to the station.

After several attempts and realizing there was no hope of Jiang’s family interceding, Wu’s family—strangers in the big city—had no choice but to leave in disappointment.

Jiang Shiyan seized the moment to suggest interning at Jiang Yiheng’s pet hospital.

When he heard her request, Jiang Yiheng refused outright: “No!”

Feeling slighted, Jiang Shiyan demanded, “Why?”

He replied, “Since you were a kid, you’ve raised six rabbits and ten hamsters. You forgot to close the door while raising a cat, and it ran away. When you raised a dog, you forgot to leash it, and a bigger dog bit it to death…”

Jiang Shiyan: “…”

Was she really that careless?

Jiang Shiyan clasped her hands and looked at Jiang Yiheng pleadingly. “Brother, dear brother, just let me try. I swear, if I mess up again, you can kick me out!”

“No!” Jiang Yiheng knew her all too well. He had no hesitation in turning her down.

After a long time begging, Jiang Shiyan had no choice but to play her last card: “Mom, brother’s bullying me!!!”

Jiang Yiheng, startled, choked on his water, and Jiang Shiyan, unable to dodge, got splashed.

Hearing her daughter’s cry from the balcony, Jiang’s mother dashed inside, witnessing the scene.

“Jiang! Yi! Heng!”

“Mom, Mom, listen, Mom!” “Mom!” Jiang Yiheng dashed around the house, the six-foot-tall man scrambling to evade the broom in his mother’s hands.

The sight left Jiang Shiyan slightly dizzy. Suddenly, several images flashed through her mind. In the next instant, her head felt like it couldn’t handle the influx, and pain seized her.

Jiang Shiyan let out a groan, then collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

In the final moments before she blacked out, she heard a mechanical voice that sounded strangely familiar:

[Zzzz… System failure… Zzzz, system rebooting… Reboot failed… Matching two spiritual bodies, compatibility assessment in progress…]

Jiang Shiyan lost consciousness completely.

(End of Chapter)