Vine emerged from the conference room, his face grim.
As he reached the corner of the hallway, he spotted Cyril leaning against the wall.
"Wolf Team."
Hearing Vine’s heavy footsteps, Cyril slowly straightened up and turned to face him.
Vine stopped. "What are you still doing here?"
It wasn’t normal working hours yet. The hallway lights were off, with only the dim emergency lights on.
Cyril stood in the shadows, tapping the documents he was holding. "Just taking a break. My head starts to hurt the moment I step into the office."
Vine didn’t ask any more questions and started down the stairs.
Cyril followed him. "The mess hall is open, Wolf Team. Want to grab some breakfast together?"
Vine’s brow furrowed. "If you have something to say, just say it."
He hated people who beat around the bush.
Cyril knew his temperament, so he got straight to the point. "The General must have told you. Your pass request was rejected."
Hearing this, Vine’s frown deepened.
Cyril subtly observed his expression and handed him a list. "I’ve just compiled the pass list. Sorry for the trouble, but you’ll have to go back and reorganize your squad, Wolf Team."
Vine took the document and flipped through it casually. "Let me see the list for Alex’s team."
Cyril searched through the documents in his hand and gave him another list. "Alex was as unlucky as you. His pass request didn’t go through either."
"He came here on a mission. He has a special permit, so he can leave without a Zone 19 pass." As Vine spoke, he opened the list and searched by the first letter of the names.
His finger slid down the page and stopped on Gu Ning’s name: Approved.
After seeing that, Vine found Cook’s name. Also approved.
’They’ll all leave before me. If Alex has his special permit, he can take care of the team. I can leave a few days later and still catch up...’
"He did have a special permit," Cyril interrupted Vine’s thoughts. "But after the Mutant Species cleanup was over, he gave it to one of his subordinates. That subordinate and another companion with a special permit have already left Zone 19. They probably returned to Zone 5 early to report for duty."
Vine looked up at him, pondering. "So you’re saying Alex can’t leave either?"
’It’s too dangerous for that young female to be without anyone familiar to protect her. And she’s with two Mixed Breeds whose mutation values are so high they could degenerate into Mutant Species at any moment.’
Just then, Cyril added, "As it happens, my special permit from my last trip to Zone 3 hasn’t expired yet. If you need it, Wolf Team..."
Vine closed the document and looked at him. "Why give it to me?"
Cyril smiled faintly. "After all, you and I are better acquainted, Wolf Team. We have that much of a connection."
"If you don’t need it, Wolf Team, I might as well give it to Alex."
"I’ll take it," Vine said.
Cyril took the special permit out of his pocket and handed it to him.
Vine took the permit, glanced at it, and said, "Thanks."
"Don’t mention it." Cyril paused, then asked, feigning casualness, "When you went to see the General just now, Wolf Team, was it because you’d already heard the news?"
"No." Vine pocketed the special permit. "I went to see the General to handle a small matter for the team."
.
At five past ten in the morning, Gu Ning finally crawled out from under her covers.
Last night, after dealing with Vine’s issue and chatting briefly with Alex, she had come back. Then she helped Cook blow-dry his fur, so she didn’t get to sleep until almost two.
After washing up, Gu Ning came out of the bathroom yawning. The living room was already filled with the smell of fried eggs and warm milk.
The little fox was already making breakfast, with Cook trailing behind Barto, drooling.
Gu Ning stood in the living room for a moment, suddenly realizing that Cook hadn’t followed her into the bathroom. Usually, when she washed up, she would take Cook with her and make sure he washed his face and brushed his teeth properly.
She stood there for another moment, then walked to the balcony to call Cook. "Cook, go wash your face."
"WOOF!" Cook licked the corner of his mouth, sucking his drool back in, and snuggled affectionately against Gu Ning.
"He’s already washed up," Barto said, lifting a kettle to add water to the pot and looking up at her.
’He’s washed up?’
"Head down, Cook."
The little dog obediently lowered his head and licked her face.
Gu Ning held the little dog’s face and examined it carefully. Smelling the grassy mint scent of toothpaste on his breath, she said happily, "Cook, you learned to wash up by yourself?"
Seeing Gu Ning happily ruffling Cook’s head, Barto shook his head, the corner of his mouth twitching into a smile.
’Getting Cook to the bathroom to wash up earlier had been quite the ordeal. The guy loved to play with water, either splashing in the basin or burying his whole face in it.’
’I was so mad I could have died. I had to punch him twice before he finally grabbed a towel and wiped it haphazardly across his face.’
’When it came to brushing his teeth, he ate more than half the tube of toothpaste. I had to shove the toothbrush into the little dog’s mouth myself before he would barely manage to brush his teeth.’
’I have no idea how Gu Ning has the patience to take him to wash up every day. I did it just once, and I already wanted to pin Cook down and give him a good thrashing.’
"Time to eat."
Barto carried the soup pot to the dining table.
Gu Ning went to get bowls and chopsticks. In a good mood, she sat cross-legged at the low dining table. She gave the largest, basin-like bowl and a fork to Cook, the medium bowl to Barto, and the smallest, a large soup bowl, to herself.
She tapped her chopsticks on the table, then reached into the soup pot for some noodles.
Cook copied her, using his fork to spear some noodles. He pushed his basin-like bowl to the edge of the pot to avoid spilling broth on the table.
Barto placed the warmed milk in front of Gu Ning, picked out the meat and fried egg from the pot for her, and gave the meat with bones to Cook.
The human and the dog both lifted a long stream of noodles with their chopsticks and fork, blew on them, and took a big slurp.
Delicious!
’Gu Ning absolutely loved these noodles, but Barto preferred to cook things like meat, eggs, and dairy. The meals Seth sent over were also like that—either sickeningly sweet cakes and bread, or occasionally some fresh fruit.’
’She wasn’t picky as long as there was food. After all, she’d known hunger before. Getting to eat something she liked more was just a pleasant surprise.’
Barto brought out a bottle of concentrated nutrient pills. He poured five or six into his palm and swallowed them in one gulp, then poured a few into Cook’s bowl.
The degeneration of the two of them was too severe. Regular food alone could no longer provide the energy their bodies needed. Eating too much was a burden on their digestion, but they had no choice but to eat.
He then broke off a small half-piece and placed it in Gu Ning’s bowl.
Until she could consistently get enough nutrition and sun, she would have to take some nutrient pills too.
After they finished their brunch, three passes lay on their dining table.
Cyril had delivered them.
"You can leave this place now, Miss Gu Ning," Cyril had said when he delivered them. "The convoy leaves at seven tomorrow morning. If there’s anything you need help with, don’t hesitate to ask."
Barto had shut the door unceremoniously.
Now, he and Gu Ning were both silently staring at the passes on the table.
Cook rested his head on the table and stuck out his tongue to lick a pass. Barto slapped him away, picked up the pass, and examined it. It was an official pass bearing the Beast Alliance emblem. Not only would it let them leave Zone 19, but it would also grant them unimpeded passage all the way to Zone 5.
Moreover, it was a pass without the Mixed Breed label—completely identical to those of other Beastmen.
’Ever since he degenerated into a Mixed Breed, he had never seen such an official pass again, nor had he had the chance to obtain one.’
Gu Ning also picked up the silver card curiously. It was about the size and thickness of a bank card, but slightly heavier. She had no idea what it was made of.
It only had the Beast Alliance emblem and a string of code on it.
’It’s probably similar to a bus pass or a metro card,’ she thought.
She looked at Barto. The little fox was earnestly scanning the silver card with his terminal, his expression serious.
His personal information immediately popped up on the interface.