Beast Taming: Starting From Zero Chapter 963: Strange Incidents

"Xun xun..."

Dazed for a brief moment, Little Treasure hurried to catch up with her.

Down the corridor.

A pair of men sporting peaked caps unlocked the door to Room 2605.

"That was a struggle, but we finally secured this room." Removing his black cap, the man flopped onto the plush bed, limbs spread wide.

The other individual took off his hat to reveal cropped auburn hair. He leaned against the wall, listening intently for a few moments before performing a hand seal.

A green star array shimmered into existence.

A rabbit-like pet materialized from the light. Standing nearly a meter tall, the creature was primarily black with long, drooping ears that hung down thirty centimeters.

"Monitor the sounds next door," the auburn-haired man commanded.

"Li li." The black rabbit pet lifted one ear, pressing it firmly against the wall. After five seconds of concentration, it swapped to the other ear.

"Li li."

Following a period of eavesdropping, the black rabbit lowered its ears and gave a negative shake of its head, signaling a lack of activity.

"She must be out cold by now," the black-haired man remarked from the bed.

The auburn-haired man checked the time on his phone and scribbled a note: [Asleep before 12:05 AM.]

"Is observation our only plan? Why don't we send the Night-Eye Ghost over to scout?" the black-haired man suggested.

"You haven't forgotten Qiao Sang has a Ghost Ring King, have you?" the auburn-haired man replied with caution.

"Ghost-type pets rarely sleep through the night, especially those from the Yuhua region. If we get caught, our mission is blown."

"Fair point." The black-haired man sat upright, nodding in agreement. "The Night-Eye Ghost was almost detected by that Ghost Ring King last time."

"Aside from her outdoor training, she spends all her time within the Beast Center," the auburn-haired man noted. "She is bound to discuss her roster and strategies inside her room. We can simply rely on the Listening Rabbit to intercept that info. If we gather the intel early and sell it, we’ll strike it rich. Direct monitoring isn't necessary."

The black-haired man still seemed hesitant. "Can’t we just slip in for a couple of pictures? I'm dying to see the Qinyin Fairy in a private setting."

After a moment of thought, the auburn-haired man said, "I’ll see if I can secure a Tersado with a B-rank X-ray characteristic later."

Tersado was a Mechanical-type pet known for its X-ray vision. At B-rank, it could sync with a camera to record whatever its X-ray characteristic revealed.

The black-haired man’s eyes lit up, but before he could respond, a violent gale suddenly tore through the room.

The lighting system shut off instantly.

The room was swallowed by shadows, echoing only with the fierce, terrifying howl of the wind.

"Li li!"

The Listening Rabbit desperately coiled its ears around the bed frame to avoid being swept away.

Caught off guard, the black-haired man was snatched up by the wind and thrown against the wall with a heavy thud, sliding to the floor with a painful cry.

"What is going on?" The auburn-haired man was also startled, pushed back three meters. However, thanks to the physical feedback from his pets, he possessed greater strength; he dug his feet into the floor to stay upright and shouted in alarm.

"There has to be a pet in here! Tell the Night-Eye Ghost to find it!" the black-haired man yelled just before another blast pinned him against the wall again.

When a room is suddenly filled with wind without a visible source, anyone in a Beast Society would immediately suspect an invisible Ghost-type pet.

The auburn-haired man braced his legs and formed a hand seal. Once more, a green star array glowed.

Observing the chaos with wide eyes and a hand clamped over his mouth, Little Treasure quietly phased back through the wall into the corridor.

A Night-Eye Ghost with ruby-red eyes emerged—the same one that had been lurking at the suburban villa training grounds.

The gale struck the Night-Eye Ghost, sending it tumbling backward. The auburn-haired man, a Stalker Paparazzo, moved fast to catch it.

"Look quickly! Is there a Ghost-type pet hiding here?" he barked.

The Night-Eye Ghost surveyed the area before shaking its head. "Night."

The Paparazzo’s expression turned to one of pure shock.

As he processed this, a chair came flying toward his head. He dove out of the way in a panic.

"Let’s get out and find help!" the black-haired man shrieked, now holding onto the bed frame for dear life.

"Go! We need to leave now!" the Paparazzo agreed instantly.

The two men, accompanied by the Listening Rabbit and Night-Eye Ghost, battled the wind and scrambled out of the room, slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

The moment the door closed, the wind died down. The objects that had been swirling through the air crashed to the floor.

Qingbao appeared, her face devoid of emotion.

"Xun xun..."

Little Treasure drifted back inside. Seeing the wreckage, he gave Qingbao an enthusiastic thumbs-up. Honestly, he hadn't expected the usually gentle Fifth Sister to wreck a room like this. She didn't seem sweet or soft at all right now.

"Qing qing..."

Qingbao’s face crumpled into worry. She gestured at the mess and cried out, explaining that she had lost control and the wind had just erupted on its own.

Little Treasure understood. He recalled reading online that when this species becomes enraged, the surrounding winds grow violent.

His eyes shifted as a plan formed.

"Xun xun!"

Little Treasure pounded his chest with a confident look. His eyes began to glow with a blue hue. A second later, the scattered furniture rose into the air via telekinetic power and settled back into their original spots.

"Qing qing!"

Qingbao’s eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Xun xun~" Little Treasure brushed his hair back and gave a smug grin, acting as if this was a simple task.

"Xun xun." Suddenly detecting a sound, he whispered a sharp warning.

"Qing qing." Qingbao’s awe vanished instantly. She nodded and used Wind Transformation to vanish, while Little Treasure also turned invisible.

The lights flickered back on. Moments later, the door swung open.

"Quick, check the room..." The Paparazzo’s voice trailed off. He stared at the perfectly tidy room, his mind racing with confusion.

The black-haired man was equally stunned, stammering, "What... how did everything get fixed?"

A group of security guards followed them in. The lead guard noted, "The room appears fine. Do you still want a search?"

"Yes! Absolutely!" the Paparazzo recovered. "Something is wrong with this room. There’s a pet in here, likely one that uses illusions!"

The black-haired man felt the bruises from hitting the walls but stayed silent. The security team summoned their own pets and began a thorough sweep. During the Regional Championships, odd occurrences often spiked at the Beast Center.

Ten minutes later, the lead guard shook his head. "We found nothing."

"Maybe it fled?" the Paparazzo wondered aloud.

The guard nodded. "It’s possible. Since it's gone, we’ll be leaving."

"Wait!" the black-haired man called out. "What if it returns?"

"You can request a room change at the desk, ask for a refund, or stay and call us if something happens again," the guard replied.

Because they had worked so hard to get the room next to Qiao Sang, they weren't ready to give it up. They chose to stay. Once the guards exited, they locked the door.

The Paparazzo scowled. "Do you think someone was trying to sabotage Qiao Sang’s sleep but hit the wrong room?"

The black-haired man nodded. "That seems very likely. Should we warn her?"

"Warn her?" The Paparazzo looked at him like he was a fool. "If we catch the saboteur on film, that’s a massive scoop! Do you realize how much attention Qiao Sang is getting right now?"

The black-haired man felt a sting of shame, realizing he still had much to learn about the paparazzi trade.

Suddenly, the lights failed again. A sense of dread washed over them as the gale returned. The black-haired man was thrown against the wall once more as the furniture began to fly.

Having learned his lesson, the Paparazzo didn't hesitate; he struggled through the wind and bolted out to find security.

"Don't leave me!" the black-haired man yelled, crawling out of the room.

A few minutes later, the security guards stood in the perfectly restored room in total silence. Even after a second search, no pet could be found.

This time, the black-haired man reached his limit. "Brother, let’s just leave."

The Paparazzo was quiet for a moment.

"Fine. Qiao Sang is already asleep anyway. We’ll return tomorrow." They grabbed their belongings in a rush and fled, terrified the mysterious wind would return.

The following morning, Qiao Sang woke up and prepared for the day. The September sun was bright, and the air was filled with the distant sounds of Beast Masters and their pets. She ignored the noise and flipped on the TV to catch the tournament highlights.

Qiao Sang was surprised by how much she slept but chose not to wake her.

An hour later, Qingbao finally stirred.

"Why the long sleep? Are you exhausted?" Qiao Sang inquired.

"Qing qing."

Qingbao yawned, signaling that she might be going through a growth phase and required more rest. Little Treasure watched her, thoroughly impressed by her acting.

Just then, Qiao Sang’s phone vibrated. A message from Teacher Mikayla arrived: [I have arrived.]

A second later, Mikayla appeared in the room. "Did you get enough rest last night?"

"I slept very well," Qiao Sang answered.

Mikayla continued: "Excellent. The Top 54 to Top 27 round is next. How are the combination skills for Yabao and the others coming along?"

Qiao Sang’s expression turned serious. "The training is proceeding without issues."

The Central Hollow region was the Dragon Kingdom's most advanced area, boasting a higher number of contestants. This year, there were 33 B-rank Beast Masters. Starting from the next round, the probability of facing one was extremely high.

Most of them had ended their previous matches swiftly, some without even revealing three pets, keeping their true power under wraps.

"Once you finish the broadcast, I’ll take you to the training grounds," Mikayla said.

"Understood."

Over the following days, Qiao Sang split her time between the Beast Center and the suburban villa.

The night before the next match.

Room 2603.

Qiao Sang was watching tournament footage when her phone rang. It was Yu Ke.

"Are you doing okay?" Yu Ke asked immediately upon her answering.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

Yu Ke let out a sigh of relief.

"That’s good. I heard the Beast Center has been experiencing paranormal events—sudden winds in the rooms, but everything is back in place when security arrives. Apparently, the guests in those rooms are having mental breakdowns."

Qiao Sang was taken aback. "That happened here? I had no idea."

"Xun xun..." Little Treasure leaned closer, trying to catch the conversation.

"It makes sense since you’re so focused on the competition," Yu Ke chuckled.

"Have those guests stayed?" Qiao Sang asked.

"They finally checked out yesterday. It even made the news. People know you're staying there and are worried about your safety. If things get strange, you can always stay at my place."

"I’ll keep that in mind," Qiao Sang said. They spoke for a bit longer before hanging up.

"Xun xun?" Little Treasure asked about the news. Since Qiao Sang had switched to a new phone, he could no longer hear the person on the other end.

"It’s nothing, just some reports of sudden winds in a room, but no cause was found," Qiao Sang explained, turning back to the TV.

"Xun xun..." Little Treasure threw a quiet glance at Qingbao.

"Qing qing..."

Qingbao floated over to her Beast Master with a look of concern, asking if their room might be hit by those winds too.

"Don't worry, as long as I'm here, it won't happen," Qiao Sang reassured her, patting her head. "Even if something unexplainable occurs, we’ll just find a new place to stay."

"Qing qing~" Qingbao squinted her eyes happily and nuzzled into Qiao Sang’s hand, appearing completely trusting.

"Xun xun..." Little Treasure watched from the side, utterly stunned by her performance.