After an hour of research, speculation, thought, and analysis, Huai Shi finally confirmed that he had turned into a dog.

Well, it seemed to be a Husky...

But was it a wolf or a dog, anyway?

Huai Shi scrutinized his reflection in the water, cocking his head in thought, completely unclear about what breed he was, then suddenly remembered: Right, a wolf's tail points up, a dog's tail points down...so I should...

He swiftly turned his head, only to see his tail slowly rise and then quickly fall again.

It was like an elevator, freely ascending and descending.

It even vigorously shook a couple of times, creating splashes of water to assert its presence.

What the hell?

He leaned in closer to get a better look, but that annoying tail retreated just a bit. As he stepped forward, the tail quickly dodged backward.

Huai Shi was taken aback, then immediately sneered, "Hey, little thing, I can still deal with you!"

Instantly, he broke into a sprint, frantically chasing... his own tail.

Spinning in circles on the spot.

Splashing water everywhere.

It was only much later that he stood in the cold water, finally realizing what he was actually doing, and froze on the spot.

In the silence, the distant sound of hyenas' sharp, mocking calls reached him. Huai Shi fell silent for a long time, unable to resist bellowing sorrowfully towards the heavens, "Damn these cheats! You tricked me again!"

A canine creature, unclear whether a wolf or a dog, sat in the water, howling sadly upwards, wishing he could bite that stinky woman to death this instant. But after a long, long time, he ultimately accepted reality.

Being a dog wasn't so bad.

On the bright side, at least he hadn't turned into a rat, right?

While comforting himself, he suddenly heard the sound of bushes rustling nearby.

A subtle whisper crept in from among the grasses and shrubs. The sharp laughter-like calls gradually subsided as pairs of black eyes poked out from the bushes, mockingly staring at Huai Shi sitting in the water.

Hyenas.

Seven or eight Hyenas had encircled the area at some point, fixing their hunger-driven, greedy eyes on Huai Shi.

"Damn it, stop, bro, I'm one of us."

Huai Shi stepped back, then heard the mocking sound of a dog's laugh not far away. As if through an illusion, he understood the lead Hyena's mocking laughter.

"Who the hell is 'one of us' with you, Little Brag."

The Spotted Hyena leading its pack slowly circled around, standing on a rock and looking down at the dazed Husky, "Since you entered the Witch's Night, are you really expecting others to pity you?"

It grinned, revealing a mouthful of rotting, gap-filled teeth, and spat.

It could speak?

Wait a minute, it also seemed to be a participant in the Witch's Night?

Which meant...

Huai Shi suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. This meant he wasn't the only one turned into a dog!

His mood suddenly lifted.

"You're lucky," the Hyena leader said coldly, "Let uncle here send you off."

In that instant, the Hyenas let out their laughter-like piercing cries, charging towards the stunned Husky in the icy water.

The stench of rotting wind assaulted his face!

「Outside the Witch's Night.」

Above the 'tiny bubble' that hovered just outside of Current Circumstances, looking like a mere soap bubble, it was now being surrounded by countless ring-like orbits of light. An unknown number of Scholars, in their Spirit Incarnations, were walking above them, holding tools, carefully analyzing and sorting out the data and laws spilling out from the Witch's Night.

They communicated with each other through Source Substance.

It was like an emergency excavation and protection at an archaeological site, bustling with activity.

A pale blue Spiritual Body looked at the crystal ball in its hand and exclaimed in amazement, "It's [Evolutionary Theory]? Darwin Scholars are so rare these days. In the past, were there Creators who specialized in this theory? Unbelievable..."

Evolutionary Theory was a major biological proposition no biologist could avoid. However, its vastness made it challenging to approach directly. The extensive scope and countless complex issues forced Scholars to explore it from the details.

For example, over ten thousand Scholars across Current Circumstances were involved in magnetic field research. However, very few—not even one in a hundred—had the Talent to research the Grand Unified Theory. Even Creators wouldn't be distracted by such affairs.

This wasn't about Talent, but rather part of that innate 'big picture' perspective and instinct.

To be able to master countless prerequisite disciplines and delve so deeply into the domain of Evolutionary Theory, such a Creator is truly admirable.

"Old Wang, Old Wang! Look what I've discovered..."

Behind a huge illusory lens, a Scholar's Spiritual Body excitedly shouted, "Everyone come see this red blood cell operation principle! It's so exquisitely crafted, completely different from the format we currently use! Everyone, come and learn..."

After the initial shock and astonishment, all Scholars felt a deep admiration. Someone reflected, "How strange. How come I have never heard of such a big shot who pioneered a domain?"

"It's simple, secret organizations." The Golden Spirit Body incarnation, in charge of delegating tasks, said indifferently, "A Creator badass enough to establish an observation base in the Abyss... where else could it be but the Utopia from back then?"

...

A brief silence ensued. Nobody spoke. It had to be admitted that even outside the Astronomical Society, the fall of Utopia from the past cast a tremendous shadow, turning these events into a universally acknowledged taboo, barely mentioned unless necessary.

"Regardless of what Utopia was like back then, that old Predecessor spent so many years and went through so much trouble just to send their research results back to Current Circumstances. We, the successors, cannot let their hard work go in vain."

The light blue Spirit Incarnation paused for a moment, then said loudly through the Source Substance communication, "Politics, though related to academia, is something most people here have no part in. Everyone just needs to do their job well and not let the Predecessors' efforts be wasted!"

A chorus of agreement rang out.

The enthusiasm of the numerous Scholars was stirred up. Quickly, under the arrangement of the golden incarnation, they immersed themselves in their designated roles.

"What's the matter? Didn't we agree to get to work? Why are you still standing there dumbfounded?" The Golden Spirit Body waved, tossing an analysis report to the light blue Spiritual Body. "These matters should be left for the Creators above to worry about. What are you still pondering?"

"No, I just have some doubts..." the light blue Spiritual Body pondered for a long time, seemingly deep in thought. "If it's about Evolutionary Theory, then I'm just curious, what then is the proposition behind this Witch's Night?"

Using Evolutionary Theory as the main axis to create a miniature Hell, filled with numerous laws for transformation, what is the purpose?

This is a Creator's ultimate work.

The final empirical evidence and testing awaited at life's end, burning everything just to obtain an answer.

But what does this Witch's Dream seek—redemption or adverse consequences?

"Stop thinking about all this nonsense." The Golden Spirit Body patted his incarnation and pushed an emergency mission onto him. "The Observation Mirror and exploratory tweezer are under your charge, right? Get to work. Five minutes ago, a call for help came from Current Circumstances—Carter, the guy who studies marine biology, has a problem."

"His stepdaughter snuck in with an invitation while her parents weren't paying attention. I'll try to get in touch with a colleague who went inside, and you see if you can fish her out."

"What invitation? The ones we sent out should be of quite high clearance, right? At least they should be secure."

"That's why I'm worried about the kid messing around," shrugged the Golden Spirit Body. "...Might end up turning the whole Witch's Night into a mess."

"Oh, is Carter getting married too?"

"Ah, right. The bride seems to be working for the Marine Committee. That guy is a bit too romantic, isn't he? Using the invitation to take his fiancée to work and coincidentally have a honeymoon... Quite the idea!"

After being stunned for a long time, the light blue Spiritual Body heaved a sigh of resignation and sincerely lamented, "Show-offs should just explode."

"Yeah, they should all just explode."

On this point, the hermit Scholars reached a shared understanding. Then both sides started to feel a headache coming on.

...Where exactly did that little girl run off to?

「Beneath the snowy mountain.」

Huai Shi, sitting in the water, watched the Hyenas around him act on that creature's command and suddenly charge toward him.

He instinctively stepped back. Then, his bloodline's wildness offended, he bared his teeth angrily and issued a deep, threatening growl.

His fur bristled.

Huai Shi suddenly leapt forward. This startled the leading Hyena, which was trying to draw his attention, and it quickly retreated. However, the Hyena then saw the Husky stop abruptly when it was two body lengths away. The Husky stood upright, raised its paws on both sides, opened its mouth, and shouted,

"Everybody, listen to me!"

In the midst of the sudden bewilderment, all the Hyenas hesitated in place. Then, they saw Huai Shi take a deep breath and say with the seriousness of pronouncing a Truth,

"—We are all dogs!"

...

The leading Hyena's expression twitched. Never had it seen such a peculiarly wired Explorer.

What in the world was this? Was he cursing them or trying to seek cooperation?

It snickered, tilting its head and asked, "What, you're saying canines shouldn't fight canines?"

"No, you see, as everyone knows, you fine gentlemen are Hyenas," Huai Shi's paw rose, pointing to the spots on their bodies. Then, he brought it back to point at himself. "And I... am a military dog!"

What's that supposed to mean? The Hyena was taken aback.

In that instant, it saw the Husky, standing on its hind legs, suddenly leap forward with a fierce cry. The Husky flailed its front paws in a clunky manner, twisted its waist, stomped its hind legs, and delivered a standard military boxing move straight to the Hyena's canine face—Black Tiger Heart Pluck!

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