Gu Ning turned away, ignoring the dog. She was afraid if she engaged with him any more, the car would end up in a ditch.
Unlike Philinos, however, this dog wouldn’t shut up and stay quiet just because she was ignoring him.
"You have a really strange scent. This is the first time I’ve ever smelled a female like this."
Leo kept glancing at Gu Ning, not caring one bit whether the little female wanted to talk to him. He just blurted out all the questions on his mind.
"What did you use to cover your scent? I can’t even tell what clan you’re from, and I can smell even Mimic Mixed Species."
Hearing the words "Mimic Mixed Species," Gu Ning tilted her head slightly.
"It’s definitely not one of those shoddy scent neutralizers or Beast Smell Agents from Zone 19. Those cheap tricks can’t fool me."
"You’re from Zone 5, so you must have used a more advanced scent-masking agent," Leo said with conviction.
’I wish I *did* have some advanced scent-masking agent that could completely hide my scent,’ Gu Ning thought. ’Then I wouldn’t have to be wearing Vine’s clothes, and this dog wouldn’t have been able to sniff me out and pester me with his nonstop questions.’
"If you won’t tell me what clan you’re from, I’ll just guess."
Seeing the little female remain silent, Leo continued, "A female from Zone 5... The chances you’re from the Dog Clan are pretty slim. Zone 5 is more or less ruled by that wolf pack... the one led by that guy, what’s his name... A-something-Huo. Those wolves have driven out nearly all of the Dog Clan. But you’re a female. Even if that guy managed to take over the entire Beast Alliance, he wouldn’t dare do something as drastic as driving out a female."
"Alex is pretty useless, too. Couldn’t handle things in Zone 5, so he just took you and ran. If it were me, I would’ve fought that guy to the bitter end."
Gu Ning had already heard a few things about Zone 5. When she was doing her research on going there, most of the private messages she received were warnings not to go.
This dog had an arrogant and brash personality. If even *he* was saying this, it meant Zone 5 was truly not a welcoming place. This made her even more wary of it.
"But you can’t be from the Wolf Clan, either, right?" Leo brought the topic back to Gu Ning, continuing his guessing game. "The Bear Clan? No, that doesn’t fit either. You’re an adult, aren’t you?"
Leo sized up Gu Ning’s small frame. "One of the herbivore-gene clans?"
Inspiration struck him. "I’ve got it! You’re a rabbit! Always kicking people."
When the little female still didn’t respond, he added uncertainly, "You’re not from the Snake Clan, are you?"
’She’s so sensitive to the cold, that’s actually possible.’
"To be honest," said Leo, "I really don’t like the Snake Clan. Those guys hate talking. You can’t squeeze a word out of them all day..."
At that, Leo suddenly thought about the little female’s own traits. He trailed off, looking at the girl who hadn’t said a single word back to him this whole time. His eyes widened. "You really are from the Snake Clan?"
Gu Ning’s eyes darted to the side. She slowly turned to face him, her expression blank. "You guessed it, stupid dog."
Leo retorted, "Hey, watch your mouth. What do you mean, ’stupid dog’? I guessed right. That makes me smart."
Gu Ning stared at him. "Do you... know... what... I like... to eat?"
"What?" Leo asked.
"Dogs," Gu Ning replied.
Leo was speechless. "..."
He burst out laughing. "You’re hilarious, just messing with me. If you really liked to eat dogs, why is that huge Mixed Breed dog following you around all day? What, you think Mixed Breeds don’t taste good?"
"He’s... emergency rations," said Gu Ning.
Leo didn’t believe her, but hearing her deadpan, serious tone, the curve of his smile faltered.
The car went quiet for a moment before Leo let out a dry laugh. "You, with your skinny arms and legs, trying to trick me? I still say you’re just a rabbit."
Gu Ning’s expression didn’t change as she spouted nonsense. "Anyone who sees... my beast form... I eat them... all."
Leo still didn’t believe her but changed the subject anyway. "What are you doing in Zone 19? What’s your mission? Are you planning to go back to Zone 5 to take out that... what’s-his-name... that alpha wolf?"
’That Alex guy has some skill, but he’s no match for that alpha wolf in the end. This female can’t be here just for him.’
"Zone 5... has no dogs," Gu Ning said.
The dog ears on Leo’s head twitched, and his voice grew cautious. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
"Not enough to eat. Zone 19... has lots of dogs."
Leo was speechless again. "..."
"With Alex around... he doesn’t let me... eat too many."
"But he’s not here now." Gu Ning smiled, staring at him with a sinister glint in her eyes. "I can eat as many dogs as I want."
"...Stop trying to fool me. Do you think I’m a three-year-old pup?"
From his tone, Gu Ning knew he was at least half-convinced.
’These Beastmen and their straightforward minds are so easy to trick.’
After a long moment of silence in the car, Leo finally asked, "Are you hungry?"
As he spoke, he began to rummage around, finding several packets of instant food in the glove compartment and tossing them all into Gu Ning’s lap. "Here, have something to tide you over. I’ll cook you something delicious at the next stop. Dogs don’t taste good."
Gu Ning hugged the pile of food to her chest and couldn’t help but smile. She patted her stomach and turned away. "Not hungry. For now."
Night fell, and the convoy drove on into the darkness.
They still had a long way to go to their destination. It wasn’t until nearly dawn that the convoy finally pulled over in a small, abandoned town.
Several hundred meters away, a white SUV was parked behind a ruined building.
A moment later, six or seven Beastmen got out of the vehicle.
"We’re not far from Zone 15. Should we make our move?"
One of the Beastmen asked, looking at a map on his terminal as he sought instructions from their leader.
"This isn’t a good place to strike. They’re all grouped together, and there are too few of us," the leader said cautiously, observing the convoy ahead with a pair of binoculars. "We’ll keep following. There are people waiting for us over in Zone 15."
.
"Time to get out."
"This is our stop, Miss Passenger." Seeing the little female didn’t stir, Leo leaned in closer.
Gu Ning, half-asleep and groggy, felt someone pinching her cheek.
The engine was off, and the interior lights had gone out with it.
Gu Ning opened her eyes to see a silhouette in front of her.
She caught a whiff of a puppy-like scent, similar to Cook’s.
"That little face of yours is surprisingly deceptive."
Hearing Leo’s voice, Gu Ning’s body reacted faster than her mind, and she slapped him across the face.
Leo chuckled in the darkness. "Was that a slap? Or a caress? Looks like you’re hungry. I’d better feed you, and fast." ’Can’t have her thinking about eating dogs,’ he thought.
Gu Ning shoved his head away, opened the car door, and jumped out.
In an instant, Leo scrambled out after her and grabbed her wrist. "Let’s go, let’s go! I’ll take you to get something delicious. I brought lots of good stuff that no one else has."
He pulled so hard that Gu Ning stumbled, nearly face-planting in the snow.
"Let go." She leaned back, trying to wrench her hand free, but even as her face flushed with effort, she couldn’t budge him in the slightest.
Leo just grinned, grabbing her shoulders with both hands and pushing her forward. "No need to be so formal with me."
The words had barely left his mouth when Cook came bounding over, barking loudly.
Leo reacted in a flash, lifting Gu Ning into the air. Cook couldn’t brake in time, and upon seeing it was Leo, didn’t hold back at all, slamming headfirst into him. The three of them went tumbling into a heap in the snow.
"Fuck," Leo grunted, one hand clutching his bruised stomach while the other reached for Gu Ning. "Are you trying to raise him into a giant Mixed Breed?" ’This thing clearly smells like a Dwarf hybrid, but he’s bigger than a normal Beastman.’
Gu Ning stroked the head of the little dog nuzzling against her chest. On a whim, she covered his ears and said to Leo, "Emergency rations. The fatter, the better."
Leo was speechless. "..."