Superstars of Tomorrow

Solitary confinement wasn’t much of a big deal for Curly Hair, and he behaved no differently from normal.

The three dogs were locked separately in three different solitary confinement rooms. Thornhead would whimper from time to time, sounding a little miserable and somewhat agitated.

In the next room, K kept staring at a certain spot in silence, and nobody knew what he was thinking.

In the room beside him, Curly Hair was sound asleep and even snoring.

Captain Zhao Chao, who viewed every dog within the team as a treasure, couldn’t help himself after reporting to his director and personally came over to look around. Thornhead and K were both experienced dogs, and these weren’t their first times entering solitary confinement chambers. However, Curly Hair was different. He worried that this little dog couldn’t adapt. It would be a big problem if he became psychologically scarred.

However, in no time, Zhao Chao watched the little dog sleep peacefully in the solitary confinement room.

“…” What a really mystical dog.

After checking the solitary confinement rooms, Zhao Chao went to look for Fang Zhao again.

“Fang Zhao, I just went to check things out. Your little Curly Hair is sound asleep.” Zhao Chao chortled happily. “Did he go out to catch thieves last night?”

Fang Zhao couldn’t say that the gaming dog had gamed through the night, so he smiled apologetically. “He was a little too excited previously and has calmed down now.”

“Is he really alright? He won’t have any psychological scars, right?” Zhao Chao wanted to double check with Fang Zhao again.

“He is really fine,” Fang Zhao said with certainty.

“That’s good then.” Zhao Chao hadn’t come over just for the matter of Curly Hair’s solitary confinement and said in a more serious tone, “Ready to take on a post tomorrow?”

“Yes.”

“Good! From now until the conference concludes, your status is no longer a reserve duty serviceman. Your dog is no longer a pet too! Bring out your battle ready attitude! Battlefields aren’t just places with guns, bullets and blood. During the Whale Island Conference, the entire Whale Island Region is our Inspection Team’s battlefield!”

“Yes!”

Fang Zhao had a serious attitude, and his salute was extremely on point. Zhao Chao was satisfied and explained to Fang Zhao his working arrangements.

Saying that the assignment was important wasn’t an exaggeration. Because of the importance of this conference, the Inspection Team would work in three shifts before the conference would officially begin. They would need to work overtime during the few days of the conference as well. Besides that, they would be assigned to patrol, inspect or attend classes from time to time.

Although Curly Hair had served on Planet Wai before, he had gone for quite a while without any assignments. Therefore, Zhao Chao specially arranged for Fang Zhao and Curly Hair to take some supplementary classes.

Ten hours later.

Fang Zhao went to the solitary confinement room to bring Curly Hair out. Curly Hair was still sleeping when he went over. When others saw the situation, they told Fang Zhao, “Your dog is really tolerant.” A dog that could sleep so soundly in solitary confinement is a rare sight.

This wasn’t something worthy to flaunt, so Fang Zhao disciplined Curly Hair when they returned and made him stand outside the corridor to reflect on his actions.

Other team members originally thought that Fang Zhao’s way of disciplining his dog was a little too willful and disrespectful. Thus, they came over to advise Fang Zhao.

“Captain Zhao didn’t say anything, so you shouldn’t be too strict,” an Inspection Team member who passed by said.

“Yeah, I heard that he has already been locked up for ten hours. It’s already so late. Has that little thing eaten yet? He ought to have drunk some water, right? It’s better to not let him go hungry,” someone else advised.

After all, this was a pet dog at heart. To be able to hold his own here surely meant that he had the ability. Everything would be good if he could complete assignments and not cause trouble. There shouldn’t be too high expectations for everything else. This was what most of the team members thought.

However, Fang Zhao still made Curly Hair reflect outside the door for an hour before letting him into the dormitory.

Curly Hair was intelligent. It was just that he wasn’t willing to use his brains sometimes. After being lectured by Fang Zhao and being aware that he was in the wrong, Curly Hair was rather serious in his self-reflection and crouched with his neck and ears drooping down. He looked really miserable and looked at passersby with two innocent dog eyes.

No matter what was the case, Curly Hair had displayed his remorse and compliant attitude, which gave a good impression to many team members.

After Curly Hair returned back to the dormitory and shut the door, Fang Zhao rapped his knuckles on Curly Hair’s head.

The dog feed in the team was top quality, but the quantity was too little for Curly Hair.

“Try to bear with it for this period. Wait for the conference to end,” Fang Zhao said to Curly Hair as he pondered whether to request for more dog food for Curly Hair. The amount of dog food he’d received today was already the result of requesting more. From other people’s point of view, with that size, this was already the max that Curly Hair could eat. It wouldn’t be easy to increase the quantity.

The next day, Fang Zhao wore the Inspection Team’s standard uniform and helped Curly Hair to put on his vest. The vest had the same “Inspection” written on it, just like Fang Zhao and the other team members’ uniforms. It also had the Whale Island Conference insignia printed on it.

Perhaps from having slept enough or from recalling his time in service at Planet Wai’s space port, Curly Hair was rather enthusiastic on his first day at his post.

Zhao Chao also praised Curly Hair when he saw this. “Great condition, keep it up!”

The first duty on the job was day shift. Today, after their team patrolled the area, they still needed to go a few rounds around the warehouses.

The warehouse was where the luggage of the conference participants who had arrived today were being stored. After going through them with the inspection apparatus, they still needed a round of checking by the inspection team dogs. It wasn’t that much different from the procedure at the spaceports. When entering Whale Island Region, all participants’ luggage were subject to security screening.

A third of people who came from Muzhou could recognize Curly Hair right away. As for the remainder, either they didn’t take notice or were too afraid to say anything because of the words “Whale Island Conference Inspection” emblazoned across his vest.

No matter where they went to work, watching sheep herding competitions to understand the current state of their homeland was something the majority of Muzhou people liked to do. Therefore, a dog like Curly Hair who had forced Muzhou to change their sheep herding rules left a deep impression on many Muzhou people.

Fang Zhao didn’t mind the gazes of those Muzhou people. He concentrated all his efforts on to the task at hand.

Not every participant of the conference was content with their lot. There were bound to be some who set off frantic searches and checks because of their curiosity. These were the sort that vexed the Inspection Team the most.

“You have no idea what kind of bulls*t fills their heads,” an Inspection Team member told Fang Zhao.

Not too far off, a pair of reporters, one young and one old, had just arrived at the Whale Island Region and were waiting at the designated spot to collect their luggage.

“Master, those must be the Whale Island Region’s inspection dogs,” the young reporter whispered. “They seem rather meek. Look, there is even a small dog. It is kind of cute.”

The old reporter didn’t even look up and replied in a low voice, “Lovable and meek looking dogs also aren’t meant for you to touch.”

Noticing his young apprentice still looking at the dog, the old reporter patted his young apprentice’s shoulder and pointed at the warehouse. “Do you see the handlers by their sides? Yes, those with the words “Inspection” on their backs. Those people who are wielding guns. Why don’t you go over and try reaching out to touch their dogs in front of them?”

The young reporter shook his head immediately when he heard the words “wielding guns”.

Seeing that his young apprentice was afraid, the old reporter let out a satisfied smile. “Listen more, see more, talk less! Alright, our luggage is out.”

The young reported hurriedly went to collect the luggage when he saw someone. With widened eyes, he exclaimed, “Ah!”

“I said not to make unnecessary noises! Go back home if you can’t watch your mouth!” The old reporter came over and hurriedly told him off in a low voice.

The young reporter still wished to say something but was forced by the old reporter to look away. “Before coming, I already told you this. No matter what you see or hear in the Whale Island Region, do not blindly shout out!”

The little reporter used a lot of effort to close his hanging mouth. He then dragged the luggage and followed the old reporter to their designated accommodations.

After shutting the door, the old reporter surveyed the room once. He knew that there wouldn’t be surveillance cameras installed in the rooms at the Whale Island Region, but it was his professional habit to personally scan through his place. Only after finishing the scan did the old reporter finally relax.

“Say, what was that ‘ah’ all about just now?”

The young reporter was full of zeal when this was mentioned. “Master, I saw Fang Zhao! The one who acts… no, the composer, that Fang Zhao who was commended by the military a short while back!”

His eyesight was quite good, and the young reporter didn’t reckon that he had been seeing things. Furthermore, there was that dog of Fang Zhao’s. He had seen information on Fang Zhao through internet searches and also knew about that dog. That little dog had been wearing a little vest with the words “Inspection” emblazoned on it!

The old reporter definitely knew who was Fang Zhao too. He calmed down after his initial astonishment. “So what? We are a proper and earnest newspaper, not some wanton and devious entertainment reporters!”

“Why would Fang Zhao be here? Before coming, I saw people online saying that Fang Zhao would be appearing at Fiery Bird’s year-end customer gratitude ceremony. But today, I actually saw Fang Zhao in the inspection team!” The young reporter was flabbergasted.

“Alright, keep your exuberant curiosity in check. It took us great pains to receive approval to be among the participating reporters of this conference. Don’t get us kicked out. Let me remind you once more. There will be quite a number of big shots in the Whale Island Region during this period. Don’t go looking like an ignorant idiot even if you run into someone with a general’s star on his shoulders. There are many high level military officers here. In this place, major generals are everywhere and lieutenant generals are as many as… cough, in any case, it’s a lot! Pay more attention!”

“Understood.” The young reporter nodded. He was just very curious as to what would happen to Fiery Bird’s year-end gratitude ceremony since Fang Zhao was actually here in the inspection team. The news outside had been circulated as though it was official. He had really thought that Fang Zhao would appear at Fiery Bird’s year-end customer gratitude ceremony.

——

Huangzhou, Fiery Bird headquarters.

It was nearing the end of the year, and Fiery Bird was indeed making preparations for their year-end customer gratitude ceremony. Celebrities endorsing their products had all been contacted except for…

“What about Fang Zhao? Why isn’t Fang Zhao on this? Was he informed or has he rejected us?” The person in charge of the year-end customer gratitude ceremony trembled as he held the name list.

In the end, Fiery Bird was still a commercial company with a focus on commercial benefits. Among high end products, Fang Zhao was also an important ambassador that drove a lot of sales. His name shouldn’t have been omitted from the list of invited guests at the year-end customer gratitude ceremony.

“No, Fang Zhao has already explained to us that he can’t spare any time at the moment and sends us his apologies. I heard that he is in the middle of composing with no disturbances permitted. I even heard that old Master Mo Lang is personally keeping an eye on him,” someone from the planning team said.

“You all also believe that?! He participated in Star Cup’s awards ceremony and doesn’t have the time to attend our year-end customer gratitude ceremony? He can’t even spare a single day?! Now that he is famous, he thinks he can do as he pleases… Humph, is he that confident that we won’t change our endorsers?”

The room fell silent.

The manager in charge knocked on the table hard and said coldly, “Contact him again! Right now! Call his personal number!”

“Err… uncontactable.”

“Continue calling! Call until he picks up!”