Chapter 280 - 250: You Only Care About Your Dog
Chapter 280: Chapter 250: You Only Care About Your Dog
The moment Barto’s pants dropped to the floor, it felt as if a crow had just flown cawing over Gu Ning’s head.
Gu Ning’s mouth hung slightly open as she and Barto stared at each other in silence.
’Wasn’t he going to turn back into his beast form to show me his tail?! Why did he suddenly just... take off his pants?’
No one spoke. The room was plunged into silence.
Gu Ning’s gaze fell to the little fox’s black underwear. They were form-fitting, not loose shorts like the kind Cook wore. They hugged his hips and rear tightly, and the black fabric made his long, pale legs seem to glow.
After a single glance, Gu Ning quickly averted her eyes and went back to meeting Barto’s gaze.
"You..." Gu Ning blinked, breaking the heavy silence. "Your pants... why did you... take them off?"
As soon as she said it, it dawned on her. ’Is he doing this to show me his tail?’ She had assumed the little fox would change back into his beast form completely, not that he’d just take off his pants.
She looked at Barto’s... rear end.
There was no tail.
Under her stare, a blush crept across Barto’s fair, handsome face.
"...Where’s the tail?" Gu Ning asked, looking up at him. She unconsciously clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. The increasingly strange and awkward atmosphere made her afraid to let her gaze wander.
’It felt wrong to look anywhere else, so I could only stare at his face.’
Ever since she’d met Barto, the only time she had felt a little uncomfortable was during the first few days after he shifted from his beast to his human form. She had quickly gotten used to his human appearance after that. She already considered the little fox family, just like Cook, and she didn’t think anything of being close to him now and then.
Deep down, she still thought of him as that fluffy little fox.
But this move from Barto made her feel even more flustered and lost than when he had first taken human form.
Barto stared at Gu Ning with a blank expression, but his face was growing incredibly red.
His expression only made Gu Ning feel even more awkward.
’Didn’t he say he’d let me touch his tail? His pants are off, but I don’t see one.’
For some reason, Gu Ning felt the urge to run.
"Wait, it’s coming," Barto said, his voice a little hoarse as he swallowed.
After he spoke, another rush of blood went to his head. His fingers hooked the waistband of his underwear and were about to pull them down—
KNOCK KNOCK—
The knocking at the door shattered the awkward atmosphere between them.
The dazed look in Barto’s eyes vanished instantly.
Hearing the knock, which felt like a godsend, Gu Ning let out a huge sigh of relief. She and Barto both glanced at the door, then back at each other.
"I-I’m going to bed."
"I’m going to take a shower."
They both spoke at the same time.
After another moment of silence, one of them ran for the door while the other, clutching the waistband of his pants, bolted for the bathroom.
Gu Ning practically fled to the door.
Vine was outside the door.
"What were you two doing?" Vine asked, looking down at the flustered little female who had opened the door. He glanced up to scan the room, catching only a glimpse of the fox’s back as he disappeared into the bathroom. Then, SLAM! The bathroom door shut.
Hearing the rather forceful slam of the door, Gu Ning pushed Vine out of the doorway. "N-nothing. We weren’t doing anything."
As the alpha wolf, Vine possessed an extremely keen perception. The slightest thing amiss in Gu Ning’s tone or expression did not escape his notice.
He raised his right hand and placed it on the little female’s shoulder, his grip firm but not heavy, as his gaze fell upon her face.
The little female’s head was bowed and she was wearing a mask, so he couldn’t see her expression. However, the visible ear was an unnatural shade of red.
Gu Ning glanced up at him, then quickly looked down again and hurried toward her own room.
Seeing this, a sharp glint flashed in Vine’s eyes. He caught the sweet scent of the little female lingering in the air, and his expression turned serious. He pulled the door to that room closed, then turned and strode after Gu Ning, following her back to their room.
SPLASH...
Barto turned on the faucet and splashed several handfuls of cold water on his face before punching the mirror.
With a sharp CRACK, the mirror instantly fractured.
After splashing a few more handfuls of cold water on his face, Barto felt the heat in his head finally begin to subside. He braced one hand on the cracked mirror, the other gripping the edge of the sink, and took several deep breaths. "Idiot."
Barto muttered, looking up at his reflection in the mirror.
’What the hell was I just doing?’
.
"You’re back?"
When Gu Ning returned to Room 302, Leo, who was lying on the sofa, immediately opened his eyes and looked over at her.
Gu Ning answered him absentmindedly, petting the puppy, Cook, as he rubbed against her. She checked the wound on his paw, then found the Detection Device in her bag to check his Mutant Value.
Cook’s Mutant Value hadn’t changed much since they left Zone 19, remaining around 65%.
Seeing the data on the Detection Device, Gu Ning relaxed.
It seemed the Blue Gold Inhibitor was still working very well. Even with the Mutant Species attack on the road, Cook hadn’t been greatly affected.
’So Barto probably wasn’t affected by any mutation either, right?’
"What were you and he doing in the room next door just now?" Vine’s voice cut through Gu Ning’s thoughts.
"Just... checking on the little fox," Gu Ning replied vaguely, meeting Vine’s scrutinizing gaze.
Before Vine could press further, Gu Ning turned toward the bedroom. "I’m going to bed..."
Once inside the bedroom, Gu Ning pulled the door shut behind her, even closing it on Cook, who had been following her.
Cook tilted his head, let out a confused WOOF at the door, and then lay down in front of it.
Vine, who had followed her, reached for the door as if to push it open. But after a moment’s thought, he lowered his hand, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes, feigning sleep.
"We agreed the bedroom door isn’t supposed to be closed," Leo said, looking toward the bedroom. He lay back on the sofa, one hand resting on the aching wound on his abdomen. Closing his eyes, he muttered softly, "She comes back and doesn’t even ask how I’m doing. All she cares about is her dog."
The recovery process was extremely draining. He was exhausted, and sleep would help him regain his strength.
But...
Leo’s nose twitched. He sniffed the faint, sweet fragrance in the air and found he couldn’t fall asleep at all.
’And why do I feel so thirsty?’
After lying there for a while without falling asleep, Leo sat up, grabbed the water from the coffee table, and chugged a few large gulps.
After drinking, he lay down again.
Less than two minutes later, he sat up to drink again.
He drank, then tried to sleep again—
But he still couldn’t sleep and felt inexplicably irritable.
Leo tossed and turned on the sofa, repeatedly lying down, sitting up, and drinking water.
Vine, annoyed by the commotion, opened his eyes and shot him a look. "I’ll take the first watch. I still have a lot to take care of. You take the second."
Their unit only had three squad leaders. Leo was injured and needed to rest, and Philinos had to be on patrol almost around the clock. Especially after that bullet came out of nowhere today, they had to strengthen patrols to ensure the safety of the little female and the team. That left Vine to handle everything else.
Just a moment ago, the Zone 15 Security Department had even sent a team over, claiming they’d heard a gunshot and needed to reinforce security. They were still posted downstairs.
Whatever their motives were, he had to deal with them.
"Just go do what you need to do. I’ll be fine on watch," Leo said.
Vine ignored him. He was about to close his eyes and rest again when several messages popped up on his terminal.
After reading them, he looked at Leo hesitantly. "Are you sure you can handle it?"
Leo retorted, "Why wouldn’t I be? It’s just keeping watch. Hurry up and go deal with that crew downstairs."
Vine had no choice but to say, "Just behave yourself. Don’t bother her."
Leo snorted. "Don’t worry. My wound hurts like hell. I’m not about to move unless I have to."
"I’ll be back as soon as I deal with them." Convinced now that Leo’s restlessness was due to his wound, Vine stood up straight. He glanced at the closed bedroom door, and, still not entirely at ease, gave Leo a few more parting instructions before he left.
As soon as he was gone, the only ones left, aside from Gu Ning in the bedroom, were two puppies.
One was already asleep by the door, while the other was still tossing and turning on the sofa.
Not five minutes after Vine closed the door, Leo shot up from the sofa and stared at the bedroom.