Poison can't kill the black panther, so it's highly unlikely to kill me either.

"Should I give it a try..."

Once this thought took root, Henry Thompson could no longer suppress it.

The desire for power!

The deaths of Ethan Bolton and the others, being followed today, the red shadow, the night patrollers...

These words flashed through his mind, making Henry Thompson crave power even more. He racked his brains to get into the Inspection Department, wanting to get close to the night patrollers, all because he was eager to glimpse mysterious powers.

Now, the opportunity was right in front of him—how could he let it slip by!

"I have to try. Even if something really happens, it's just death. The red shadow is about to arrive, the night patrollers may not be reliable, the Inspection Department is full of leaks, and there's no one around me I can trust... What do I have left to worry about?"

"Let's do it!"

At this moment, Henry Thompson made up his mind.

He gave the black panther's dog head a hard slap, making the already groggy panther even dizzier.

Henry Thompson perked up and whispered, "If this really works, if it's really useful, Black Panther, you'll definitely benefit in the future. Stick with me and you'll eat well and live well—that's a promise!"

"Woof!"

The black panther barked, its dog eyes full of anticipation, as if it truly understood human speech. At this moment, it seemed to be looking forward to the happy life Henry Thompson described.

Chapter 007: "The New Five-Animal Book"

Does soaking it in water work?

Henry Thompson had no idea. He had worn the Starry Sky Sword for many years, and it wasn't like the jade sword had never gotten wet before—he never took it off, even when bathing, and nothing had ever happened.

When he was a child, he even held it in his mouth many times, but there was never any effect.

But this time, it seemed to work—at least, it worked for the black panther.

In the kitchen.

Henry Thompson took out a big soup bowl and placed the Starry Sky Sword inside.

He poured in a pot of boiling water, wondering if it had to be boiling water to work.

After all, you don't bathe with boiling water, so maybe the temperature had never been high enough before, and some mysterious substance on the jade sword hadn't reached the melting or activation point?

Earlier, when the black panther licked it a few times, nothing seemed to happen.

It wasn't until Henry Thompson disinfected it with boiling water and the panther drank the water that the black panther reacted—its fur quickly became sleek and shiny.

"If boiling water doesn't work, then I'll try boiling it over a fire."

"If that doesn't work, then I have no other way. Could it be that only dogs can absorb the mysterious substance?"

At this moment, Henry Thompson was torn.

Hesitant, excited, thrilled, yet worried it would all come to nothing.

He longed to step into the realm of the mysterious!

Maybe then, he would have a way to deal with the red shadow.

Right now, he needed to gain this power himself. Someone was watching him outside, the red shadow could arrive at any moment, the night patrollers might be looking for people who can see the red shadow, and there were still traitors inside the Inspection Department...

Thinking about all this, Henry Thompson's gaze grew more determined.

If it doesn't work this time, he still won't give up.

The boiling water had already soaked the Starry Sky Sword for a while, but the water in the bowl hadn't changed at all.

At his feet, the black panther was a bit dazed, lying on the ground, raising its head to look at the bowl, still a bit eager, but it seemed unable to drink anymore, lacking the urgency it had before.

"Whew!"

Henry Thompson took a deep breath, not rushing to drink. He held the bowl and walked out of the kitchen.

He locked the security door and drew the curtains.

Making sure no one could see him from outside, and that he could react if anyone broke in, Henry Thompson finally carried the bowl back to the sofa and sat down.

The jade sword was still in the bowl, and at this moment, it seemed even more crystal clear.

Of course, maybe it was just his imagination.

"The Li family's sword... for it to be passed down in folk songs for so many years, there must be something mysterious about it, right?"

Henry Thompson picked up the bowl, gritted his teeth, placed his pistol by his side so he could grab it at any moment, and then cautiously took a small sip—just a tiny one. The water was still a bit hot, but Henry Thompson didn't care.

A mouthful of hot water went down, and at first, there was no reaction—just heat.

But gradually, Henry Thompson seemed to sense something different.

A warm current slowly spread through his stomach.

But soon, the warmth faded away.

Henry Thompson's eyes flickered wildly—did it really work?

Or was it just his imagination?

He was afraid it was just a psychological effect, not a real warm current.

"As long as it doesn't kill me!"

This time, Henry Thompson was a bit bolder and took another sip, a bigger one. This time, the sensation was even more obvious!

There really was a warm current flowing in his stomach!

Not only that, but at this moment, Henry Thompson looked down quickly at his stomach, and near his belly, it seemed as if a faint starlight was flickering.

"Mysterious power?"

Henry Thompson was shocked—was this mysterious power?

After drinking the water, he could actually see a starlight-like glow with his naked eye.

However, in the next moment, Henry Thompson's expression changed.

That starlight-like glow suddenly began to fade, to flow away, gradually disappearing, extinguishing around Henry Thompson's body.

The groggy black panther suddenly opened its eyes and crawled toward Henry Thompson, sticking out its tongue and licking at the air, but it seemed to catch nothing.

"Hmm?"