Barto glanced at it, then found his bag and opened it, pulling out a small box.
He opened the box. The interwoven light of Blue Gold glinted in his eyes.
He hadn’t used the Blue Gold Inhibitor Gu Ning had given him last time. Including the one from Andrew, he still had two on hand.
Barto checked his distortion value: 70.3%.
Seeing this value, Barto’s expression relaxed slightly. The Inhibitors still worked.
He took out a Blue Gold Inhibitor and jabbed it into his arm.
A moment later, his figure swelled in the darkness.
*
Gu Ning finished relieving herself in the drafty bathroom.
Although the building was in ruins, she was at least grateful that she didn’t have to use the bathroom out in the open just yet.
When she came out, Cook immediately went in to cover her scent, giving the rickety door a push as he did.
The bathroom’s iron door was almost completely rusted through. With Cook’s push, it fell straight to the ground, making a deafening noise in the dark.
Cook paid it no mind and simply pulled down his pants, preparing to pee.
Seeing the pup’s actions, Vine immediately grabbed the wrist of the hand Gu Ning was using to hold the flashlight, directing the beam elsewhere. His broad figure then stood in front of her, acting as a door to block her view.
Gu Ning: "..." ’It’s pitch black. It’s not like I can see anything anyway.’
Besides, when the pup was injured, she had even helped him bathe. What was there that she hadn’t already seen?
"He needs to be taught some manners," Vine said. "He can’t be so shameless in front of you."
’The pup can take care of himself and even dress himself properly. That’s good enough,’ Gu Ning thought.
Besides, they were out in the wild. Under these conditions, you couldn’t blame the pup for the door breaking.
When Cook came out, Vine said, "I need to use the bathroom."
Gu Ning looked around. There was nowhere to hide, so her only option was to go outside.
"Wait here." Vine gripped her shoulder, stopping her from leaving. "I’m just letting you know, not telling you to leave."
Gu Ning: ’No, I’m the one who wants to leave!’
He had just been talking about teaching Cook some manners, and now he was going in and telling her not to move. She had no desire to watch him use the bathroom; she didn’t even want to hear it.
Unaware of what Gu Ning was thinking, Vine picked up the fallen door and propped it against the doorway, creating a makeshift screen.
Seeing this, Gu Ning had no choice but to walk to a corner, trying to get as far away from the bathroom as possible.
Cook followed her and crouched down in the corner beside her.
Suddenly, he caught the scent of mutton wafting through the air. He squeezed his head through a hole in the corner of the wall, and then... his head got stuck and wouldn’t come back out.
Gu Ning noticed the pup’s body struggling. She shone the flashlight over and saw that his head was gone.
"!"
She hurried over to pull on Cook’s arm.
Cook was also struggling, planting his hands on the wall and arching his body backward.
He knocked Gu Ning to the ground with his butt, and the flashlight went flying.
Unable to get free, Cook grew more frantic and started barking. "WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
"Boss, Boss, look."
In a corner of the ruins seven or eight meters away, a squad of Dog Clan soldiers waiting for Vine and the others spotted the dog head stuck in the wall.
"Ha," Leo laughed. "What a riot. Is that dumb dog trying to get out through there?"
Just as he was about to go over, he saw half the wall collapse. The dumb dog, along with another small figure, tumbled out into the snow.
Leo was even more amused. "They actually came out that way."
’Perfect. Now I don’t have to wait.’
Gu Ning landed on Cook’s furry back. As she was scrambling to get up from the snow, a hand grabbed the back of her collar and hoisted her up.
Before she could get a clear look at who had grabbed her, the person slung her over their shoulder.
"CLANG!" A loud crash echoed from behind her, followed by Vine’s furious roar. "Put her down!"
Hearing his voice, Gu Ning realized the person carrying her wasn’t Vine and immediately started to struggle.
"Behave. Don’t move." Leo pressed down on the little Mixed Breed’s flailing legs and strode toward a nearby vehicle.
Behind them, several Dog Clan members swarmed forward, blocking Cook and Vine.
"Wolf Team, we’ve warmed up some wine. Why don’t you come have a drink with us?"
"This is from our boss. It’s his private stash."
"The little pup can come too..."
"WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!"
"Fuck, he’s vicious! Pin him down!"
"..."
Gu Ning’s expression changed when she heard the familiar voices. She grabbed a handful of the dog-man’s hair and then, flopping like a fish on land, threw her center of gravity forward, almost managing to fling herself off Leo’s shoulder.
"Hiss..." Leo grabbed her legs to pull her back up, then seized her hands and held her in front of him. "Pull my hair again and I’ll smack you!"
"I just want to ask you something, I won’t..."
With her arms and legs restrained by him, Gu Ning, without a second thought, used the only thing she could still move to attack: her head.
She headbutted him right on his straight, strong nose.
The pain made her eyes water.
’Is this damned dog’s nose made of steel rebar?!’
Leo blinked, his head recoiling slightly. It didn’t hurt as much as he’d expected; her pulling his hair had hurt more.
"Tsk, have they been starving you?" he said, raising an eyebrow and mocking the little Mixed Breed’s strength. He pulled open the car door and shoved her inside.
Gu Ning cowered in the back seat, clutching her swollen, aching forehead.
Hearing the car door slam shut, she shrank toward the window.
’What does this dog want?!’
"I’m going to ask you some questions, and you’re going to answer honestly." Leo scooted over, pressing up against Gu Ning. "Those two wolves, Alex and Vine, what have they been up to so secretively?"
Gu Ning gripped the door handle and stared out the window, completely ignoring him.
Leo continued, "And that bird, too. Why are they all sneaking into your vehicle? What are they hiding that they don’t want people to see?"
Gu Ning didn’t speak. She couldn’t speak.
Although she really wanted to shout for help.
"Can you talk or not?" Leo braced one hand on the car window and used the other to turn Gu Ning’s face toward him. Seeing the mask she was wearing, he thought, ’I don’t think I’ve ever seen what this little thing looks like.’
He wanted to take off her mask, but then it occurred to him that she probably had a mouth full of sharp teeth, so he decided against it.
’Better not let her take a bite out of me.’
It wasn’t that he was afraid of her little struggles; he was just worried he wouldn’t be able to control his strength and would end up hurting her badly.
"Boss, are you done asking questions?" a team member outside knocked on the window and said urgently. "The Wolf Team is calling for backup! We’re not going to be able to hold them off. We have to give her back, quick! The Wolf Team is pissed!"
"In a minute," Leo tsked. "What’s there to be afraid of? For all we know, they’re plotting something big behind our backs."
Their mission this time was to go to Zone 5. And what was in Zone 5? A bunch of those wolves, all fighting for territory. He had no intention of getting tricked by them without knowing what was going on.
After hearing their conversation, Gu Ning let out a small sigh of relief.
This dog-man was on the same side as them. His questions probably meant he sensed something was off and had just grabbed her for interrogation, not to hurt her.
’But still, he’s infuriating. My forehead is killing me!’
"Talk," Leo said, pinching her cheek threateningly. "I know you can speak. If you don’t start talking, I’ll snap your little tail."
Gu Ning couldn’t resist a defiant "Pfft!". ’I don’t have a tail, you stupid dog.’
Leo decided his threat wasn’t enough and reached for the little Mixed Breed’s pants.