A Rank Two Awakened Canine like that was completely beyond the capabilities of an ordinary human. However, the Human World had the Monster Management Bureau for just such things.

It had mauled the male lead and harassed the female lead, and now look—it had been hauled in for an official statement.

Awaiting sentencing.

Tu Xiao'an found it all quite strange. 'This special government department is pretty interesting,' he thought, 'specializing in dealing with Awakened Creatures.'

Moreover, the humans in the small hall were no ordinary people. They were all Martial Cultivators, each possessing extraordinary skills.

Besides the mutated pug, numerous officers in the hall were taking statements from other criminal Awakened Creatures.

For instance, there was a brown-furred dog whose coat was so long it could have been used as a blanket. It was a Rank One Awakened Creature, Level 17.

This one was much more low-key. It didn't harbor grand ambitions like the pug, who wanted to claim the female lead and become the master.

It had been on the street when a woman cursed at it, so it went up and bit her. After one bite, it turned and fled.

It was extremely cautious, knowing when to quit while it was ahead.

The woman was bitten and, terrified, rushed to get a rabies shot. But for this kind of Awakened Canine Race, a normal rabies shot was completely useless. Not only did her wound fester as if poisoned, but she also began to experience sporadic neurological episodes.

Her mind became clouded.

Her family noticed something was wrong and sent her straight to the hospital, where she was isolated and immediately underwent surgery.

A month later, the woman's life was saved. But the moment she was discharged from the hospital, the long-haired brown dog darted out, bit her again, and then turned and fled.

The long-haired brown dog was not only intelligent but also petty and vindictive. It wanted to slowly torture the woman to death.

The woman was once again admitted to the hospital, isolated, and prepped for surgery.

Three months passed. The woman had a strong will to live and, under the close protection of a throng of family members, she finally made it home safely.

But as she opened her bedroom door, the long-haired brown dog was there, baring a row of pale fangs at her, a savage glint in its eyes.

It didn't bite her this time. After letting out a single scream, the woman was scared to death.

A case of murder by intimidation.

The long-haired brown dog had committed such twisted acts more than once, finally attracting the attention of the Monster Management Bureau, which put all its resources into apprehending it.

Here, you'd encounter all sorts of bizarre cases. There was even a serial murder case involving an Awakened black cat that had taken a total of seventeen human lives.

The reason? Its litter of kittens had been sold off by a pet shop.

Not only was the pet shop owner killed, but all the people who had bought the kittens were slaughtered as well.

Once caught, that black cat was directly sentenced to death.

Tu Xiao'an squatted in a corner, observing for a while before he began to ponder how he might escape.

'These Demon locking Shackles on my hands are insane,' he thought. 'I can't use my attribute abilities, and I can't even use my Consciousness Power.'

'I'm as helpless as a kitten right now. Without this human form, I'm just a venomous snake.'

'Speaking of my human form, I damaged fifty percent of its physical integrity when that car hit me while I was saving the little girl.'

'Half of the Transformation Technique I just bought is gone.'

'This is so infuriating. It's really so infuriating. Is this a classic case of no good deed goes unpunished?'

'It's hard being a True Snake. I even get into trouble for saving people.'

"Snake Spirit, are you an idiot? You actually got caught trying to save that Little Demon. Couldn't you see it was a setup?"

A mocking, teasing voice sounded by Tu Xiao'an's ear. He turned his head and saw a large, ink-black bird squatting in the corner. The voice was coming from this bird, which was speaking human words.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that its two feet were bound in a much smaller model of the Demon locking Shackles than his own.

In this world, only two types of birds are a single, solid color: the egret and the crow.

The egret, with feathers whiter than snow, is nearly an endangered species. It's a rare sight in this country, and is exceptionally elegant and beautiful.

The Crow, on the other hand, is pitch-black, countless in number, and hideously ugly. Its caw is even considered an omen of misfortune.

Clearly, this large, ink-black bird was a Crow.

'Huh... a Crow that can speak human language has to have reached the level of a Rank Two Spirit Monster. Impressive.'

"How do you know I was set up?"

Tu Xiao'an asked curiously.

The Crow's eyes glinted with intelligence as it said haughtily, "I have clairaudience, of course. I just saw that foolish human haul you in, and then I heard him bragging to his colleague, calling you stupid as hell."

Hearing this, Tu Xiao'an almost coughed up a mouthful of old blood.

As for how the Crow knew Tu Xiao'an was a Snake Spirit, there was no need to ask.

Aura is everything; what the eyes see isn't necessarily true.

However, this required a certain level of cultivation.

An ordinary Martial Cultivator wouldn't be able to tell that Tu Xiao'an was a transformed Snake Spirit.

It seemed this Crow was no simple creature. It gave Tu Xiao'an a very strange feeling.

Outwardly, the bird was black from head to toe, as dark as ink, as dark as night. Upon closer look, its jet-black feathers held a magical, deep blue sheen, adding a touch of mystery. Its beak was rather large, long, and slightly pointed. From top to bottom, one truly couldn't find a speck of any other color.

Strangely enough, although the Crow was covered in black feathers, it didn't give off an ugly impression. In fact, looking at it gave one the illusion of a Phoenix emerging from a chicken coop. It was pleasing to the eye—the kind of sight that grew more appealing the longer you looked.

One must understand, crows are world-famous for being black and ugly. Their calls are coarse and harsh, their cawing grating to the soul.

But this Crow's voice, while not as crisp and pleasant as a Yellow Spirit Bird's, was still easy on the ears.

It was just that its speech had an old-fashioned, world-weary air to it, as if it had lived for many years.

Tu Xiao'an carefully observed that while there were many criminal Awakened Creatures in the small hall, very few of them actually required Demon locking Shackles.

Only he and the Crow next to him were enjoying this special treatment.

From this, it was clear that this Crow had a significant background; it was no ordinary Awakened Creature.

The Crow could be called the most taboo animal in folklore. It's known as a bird of ill omen, an unlucky bird to encounter. If one caws overhead, it's a harbinger of disaster. Proverbs say, "When a crow passes overhead, if not disaster, then misfortune will follow," and "When the old crow caws, calamity arrives."

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe it as a plague God. Legend even says that crows possess a secret, mysterious power—they can open a passage between Hell and the Human World, and can even pull a person's soul from their body.

It is a highly controversial bird. It's black and ugly, yet exceptionally intelligent. In one experiment, humans attempted to test the limits of a crow's intelligence, only to discover that it was terrifyingly smart. It could remember a human face for up to two years and recall what that person had done to it.

It is known as a bird of ill omen, representing death, disaster, and destruction. But strangely enough, it's also called a "bird of good tidings" and a "filial bird." It has many titles.

Before the Tang Dynasty, there was the legend of "the crow announces good news, heralding the rise of Zhou." But in modern times, there's the saying "no good sound comes from a crow cawing on the ground," giving rise to the infamous term "crow's beak" for a jinx.

When people leave home in the morning and hear a crow caw, they're sure to curse the bad luck under their breath, feeling they should have checked the almanac before going out.

If an ordinary crow was so complex, then this one squatting with Tu Xiao'an was on another level entirely. It had to be a Demon Bird, something not to be trifled with.