After a long day at the hospital, Lin Jie and Xiao Zhan returned to Lin Jie’s home that evening.

"My place is wrecked, so I might stay here for a few days," Xiao Zhan said to Lin Wan at the dining table.

"What happened?" Lin Wan asked curiously.

"Home renovations. Unlivable," Xiao Zhan replied helplessly. "Oh, and *it* will stay here for a while too."

He lifted the Siberian Husky in his arms.

"Ah! It’s Doudou!" Lin Mumu cheered, rushing over to hug the dog.

"When did you get a dog?" Lin Wan examined Doudou, puzzled. "And such a high-maintenance breed?"

"Well…" Xiao Zhan glanced at Lin Jie. "Ask your brother. I only found out about this dog this afternoon."

"Huh?" Lin Wan turned to Lin Jie, who was eating quietly nearby. "What’s this got to do with you?"

"Well…" Lin Jie swallowed. "Mumu and I rescued him. Since you’ve been so busy lately, I boarded him at Xiao Zhan’s place."

"Bro! Could you *not* spring this on me last minute?" Lin Wan pouted. "Do I look like the type who’d refuse to adopt a stray dog?"

"Oh?" Lin Jie raised an eyebrow. "So my little sister’s actually reasonable?"

"Obviously!" Lin Wan declared. "Even if I’m swamped, you’re free most days now. You can take care of him."

"No way." Lin Jie shook his head firmly. "I’m a Super Hero—protector of humanity, guardian of world peace! Chores like dog-sitting are beneath me."

"Pfft. Bragging again just ’cause you’ve had a couple wins?" Lin Wan smirked. "Right, *Clumsy Hero*?"

"Ahhh!! Don’t call me that! It’s practically a stain on my life record!" Lin Jie groaned.

Ignoring his outburst, Lin Wan scooped up Doudou. "He’s so energetic and healthy! What have you been feeding him?"

"Spicy Strips!" Lin Mumu blurted out.

"Lin Jie, you Spicy Strip maniac!" Lin Wan snapped. "You fed them to Mumu when we first adopted her—now she turns into a zombie whenever she gets one! And you’re giving them to a *dog*? Trying to kill it?!"

"He’s fine! Besides," Lin Jie defended, "your ‘allowance’ barely covers five-cent Spicy Strips."

"What about your monster-bounty bonuses? And your Hero stipend?" Lin Wan shot back. "You’ve taken down plenty lately. Broke?"

"That’s startup capital for my game collection!" Lin Jie protested. "Sacred funds!"

"Want me to burn every single one of your otaku treasures tomorrow?" Lin Wan threatened.

Lin Jie dropped to his knees on the spot.

"Big sis! Please spare me!" he begged.

"Half your future bonuses go to me," Lin Wan declared. "Your hoarding’s out of control."

"Must we…?" Lin Jie pleaded.

Her sleeves slid up her forearms with a sharp *whoosh*.

"Fine! Whatever you say," Lin Jie sighed. "A man under another’s roof has no choice."

"What about Doudou?" Xiao Zhan nodded at the dog playing with Lin Mumu.

"Keep him at your place. I’m swamped—no time for pets," Lin Wan said. "My brother’s track record with living things? Nothing survived a week. The only thing that lasted ten days was an electronic pet."

"Guess he stays with me," Xiao Zhan sighed.

"Truly my sister," Lin Jie murmured proudly.

"Don’t lump me with you, clown," Lin Wan retorted. "I’m doing this for Doudou’s sake."

"*Clown*? After all I sacrificed raising you?" Lin Jie gasped.

"*I’ve* been taking care of *you*, useless brother," Lin Wan scoffed.

Watching the siblings bicker, Xiao Zhan suddenly frowned.

"Aren’t you… surprised at all?" he asked Lin Wan.

"Surprised by what?"

"You defeated a B-Rank monster," Xiao Zhan pressed. "Aren’t you shocked by your own strength?"

"Why would I be?" Lin Wan blinked. "Didn’t my brother tell you? The Lin Clan’s a legacy martial arts family. A thousand years ago, we produced Grandmasters and martial盟masters."

"*What*? You two know kung fu?!" Xiao Zhan exclaimed.

"Not our generation. My parents tried teaching me, but I wanted to be a scientist." Lin Wan’s expression dimmed. "By the time I changed my mind… it was too late."

"What about Lin Jie? His strength—must be from training, right?"

"No. Dad never taught him anything," Lin Wan said. "He always said… he wasn’t *qualified* to instruct my brother."

"I’m a once-in-a-century prodigy," Lin Jie announced grandly. "Dad’s skills couldn’t possibly match mine."

"Once-in-a-century *dud*, more like," Lin Wan muttered. "Never seen a shred of ‘prodigy’ in you."

"Ugh. Dealing with a tsundere sister is exhausting," Lin Jie sighed.

"Tsundere? Your whole family’s tsundere!" Lin Wan snapped.

"Aren’t *you* family? Admitting you’re tsundere now?" Lin Jie teased.

"Shut up!" Lin Wan checked her watch. "I need to get back to the lab. Our project’s ahead of schedule—I’ll be living there." She lifted Doudou. "Perfect timing. Our equipment’s in testing phase. Doudou can be our first subject. If it works, you’ll never worry about dog care again."

"Sister! Don’t experiment on Doudou! What if he dies?!" Lin Mumu blocked her path.

"Don’t worry," Lin Wan patted her head. "If it fails? We’ll have dog meat hotpot tomorrow. Delicious."

"But—"

"I’ll buy you a new one."

"Oh…"

As Lin Wan walked off with Doudou, Xiao Zhan turned to Lin Jie. "Are all Lins this… heartless?"

"Hey, I’m full of love!" Lin Jie insisted.

*Yeah, right.*

…

At Doctor Qin’s lab, the scientist was shouting into a communicator.

"What kind of business is this?! Do you even want payment?!"

"Apologies, Mr. Qin. Your order was scheduled for later—we can’t rush shipments like this!"

"I don’t care! Get it here NOW! My research won’t stall because of your incompetence!"

"What’s wrong, Doctor?" Lin Wan entered, cradling Doudou.

"Those incompetent shippers! My test monkeys haven’t arrived. They have no idea how vital this experiment is for humanity!" Doctor Qin turned to Mousri. "Can’t the Dong Family send a monkey tonight?"

"Impossible. It would alert the Ouyang Family," Mousri replied.

"Damn these clans—can’t they coexist peacefully?!" Doctor Qin cursed, then spotted Doudou. "Where’d that dog come from?"

"I adopted him. Actually… I hoped he’d join the experiment. He’s such a handful. If he could learn to toilet-train and groom himself…"

"Perfect timing!" Doctor Qin grinned. "Hiring you was brilliant. We won’t just teach him toilet-training. If this works, he’ll understand quantum mechanics."

He snatched Doudou and strapped him to a chair wired with tubes, clamping a metallic helmet onto the dog’s head.

"Mousri! Initiate!" Doctor Qin retreated to a safe distance.

"Activating." Mousri flipped the switch.

Electric currents surged toward Doudou’s chair. Then—silently—the entire lab’s contents began floating.

"Incredible!" Lin Wan breathed.

"A side effect of neural amplification—psychic energy leakage," Mousri explained.

Fifteen minutes later, the machine powered down.

Everyone stared at Doudou, who sat calmly, observing them back.

"His brainwaves are hyperactive," Mousri reported. "Cognitive enhancement confirmed. He’s analyzing his situation. Success. He might even grasp quantum mechanics."

"Ha-ha-ha! Magnificent!" Doctor Qin exulted. "Next step: human application!"

As cheers filled the lab, a man with an enchantingly icy face appeared at the doorway…