Yan Jike's words drew immediate objection.

"Director Yan, Boss Huang may not have joined in hunting the Firestarter Spirit, but his battle-truck hasn't left. It's still waiting on the battlefield." A standing committee member pointed at the aerial footage.

That was an enormous hole in the argument. If Shen Cong were only gathering materials, he ought to be leaving now, not lingering on.

Having brought the rebuff on himself, Yan Jike lifted the tea mug from the table and bent his head to drink.

"What is Boss Huang waiting for?"

"He's probably letting his battle pets deal with the Firestarter Spirit on their own. I'm afraid that will be difficult—the Firestarter Spirit killed the Sea Snake King easily!"

"No idea. As I see him, Boss Huang is a riddle of a man."

Tao Zhongyang spoke again. "There's been speculation before that Boss Huang's grade is already past nuclear-grade."

"Surely that's impossible? Nuclear-grade alone is unbelievable enough—how could anyone go beyond it!" Yan Jike raised his head and shook it so hard he nearly shook his cap off. "President Tao, you scientific workers know the evolutionary system inside out. Do you personally support that claim? Is there any evidence for it?"

"No, but—"

Before Tao Zhongyang could finish, someone else's shout cut him off: "This is bad—Boss Huang's two battle pets are no match for the Firestarter Spirit. The Siberian weasel is already wounded, and the four-legged snake has been knocked flying!"

On the black-and-white screen.

The Firestarter Spirit blazed a ghastly white light over its whole body and beat Yellow Great-Immortal until it shrieked. As for the four-legged dragon, it was sent flying the moment it drew near; several ambushes had failed—a Firestarter Spirit had no blind spot at all, because it saw not with eyes but with Activity waves.

Before long a single careless moment left Yellow Great-Immortal with a claw-track opened across its belly, blood-gold spattering the ground, flashing white in the picture.

"It's bad—we're going to lose!"

"There it is. A nuclear-grade evolved beast is simply no match for a Firestarter Spirit."

The mood turned sharply downward.…