Chapter 289 - 259: Put Away Your Mating Stench
Chapter 289: Chapter 259: Put Away Your Mating Stench
A frigid wind howled across the wasteland, whipping snow through its ruins.
An SUV lay overturned in a narrow alley within the ruins, its black gasoline soaking into the snow. Several Beastman corpses were strewn around the vehicle. Garish spatters of crimson stained the ground, a stark contrast against the black and white.
"A...lex, where... are... you..."
The static-filled, choppy transmission shattered the grim silence of the surroundings.
Alex leaned against a corner sheltered from the wind, silently digging a bullet out of his left arm with a small knife.
Hearing the young female’s joyful yet worried voice over the comms, Alex’s tightly furrowed brow slowly relaxed. "I’m on my way. I’ll meet up with you all soon."
Gu Ning, on the other end of the line, breathed a sigh of relief. "I’m in Zone 15. I’ll wait for you. We’ll leave together."
Alex only managed to say, "Okay," before the connection died, leaving only a burst of harsh static. The next moment, a loud BANG erupted in the wasteland.
Alex looked toward the source of the explosion. The SUV’s fuel tank was on fire. His signal booster was on the vehicle, along with his food, medicine, and other supplies.
It wasn’t a big deal to lose those things, but the vehicle was now useless.
Alex’s gaze turned toward Zone 15. He glanced at the wound still bleeding on his arm, then shifted into his beast form and sprinted toward the distant city.
*
Gu Ning finally felt at ease after getting in touch with Alex, even though her subsequent attempts to contact him were met with a "no signal" status.
She and the convoy had traveled all the way to Zone 15, so she knew the outside world was mostly an uninhabited wasteland. A lack of signal was perfectly normal. Being able to reach Alex at all meant he was already very close.
Gu Ning’s mood brightened at the thought.
’With Alex around, I won’t have to worry even if I have to join a new team.’
After lying in bed a while longer, Gu Ning roused herself and got up to wash.
When she came out of her room, she glanced into the living room.
No one was there except for Cook. However, Barto had sent her a message saying he was right outside her door and to call him if she needed anything.
She sent Barto a message that read, "I’m awake," and then entered the washroom.
Cook yawned, padded over to the washroom door, and sat down, leaning against the frame to lazily keep watch.
Gu Ning hadn’t slept well that night, so he had forced himself into a state of combat readiness. That way, he wouldn’t fall into a deep sleep and could detect any disturbance, ready to protect Ningning at a moment’s notice.
But as his mutation worsened, his body was forced into a standby mode, requiring more sleep to keep his Mutant Value stable and maintain his energy balance.
That was why he was so drowsy now, constantly nodding off as he leaned against the door.
Gu Ning was about to close the door when she saw the pup looking like that. She stepped forward and affectionately stroked his head.
Cook had slept even more poorly than she had last night. Whenever she got up to use the toilet, the pup would immediately follow.
He wasn’t as clingy as usual; he simply followed and guarded her. It was just like when she had first crossed over into this world, and also when she’d had her first period here. Cook would stay up all night watching over her. As long as she was awake, she would see him looking sharp and full of energy.
Back then, Cook could still speak. He would keep a reassuring distance and tell her with a smile, "Don’t be afraid. I’m here."
Now, Cook had regressed so much that he could barely say anything besides "Ningning," but he still kept up his old habit of protecting her, even if it went against his body’s instincts.
When Cook saw Ningning reach out to pet him, he gently nuzzled her palm and shook his head, trying to stay awake.
"Cook, go get some sleep," Gu Ning said softly, stroking the pup’s head. "I’m awake now. Get a good rest, and you can stand guard again tonight, okay?"
Cook let out a soft whine, nudged against her, and sat up straight, showing no intention of leaving.
Seeing this, Gu Ning simply brought the pup into the washroom with her.
She had packed a set of toiletries for Cook in her bag as well. She took out the pup’s toothbrush, squeezed on some toothpaste, and handed it to him with a customary reminder, "Cook, don’t eat it."
It had been a while since she’d been the one to help Cook wash up; Barto had been taking care of it.
Cook took the toothbrush and, without eating the paste, obediently stuck it in his mouth and began brushing his teeth properly.
Gu Ning watched him spit out the foam and praised the pup with a smile, "Great job, Cook."
’He finally stopped eating the toothpaste. Looks like Barto’s a good teacher.’
Cook didn’t dare to eat it.
If he didn’t brush his teeth properly, Barto would grab him by the ear and scold him, and he’d get a beating on top of that.
At that moment, several Beastmen were outside the door, listening with intense focus to the sounds coming from inside the room.
They had barely slept all night.
After Leo snuck into the young female’s room last night, they had all tacitly agreed to stand guard outside, keeping an eye on the unruly dog—and each other—to avoid disturbing her rest.
The young female’s estrus scent was so strong that they couldn’t sleep anyway.
Perhaps because they were already familiar with Gu Ning’s personal scent, they could faintly smell her estrus scent wafting from the room, even though they had tried to mask it and the door was closed.
The scent made them even more agitated, keeping them in a constant state of high alert, as if primed for battle.
The aggressive pheromones they unconsciously emitted were unbearable to one another, but they had no choice but to endure it.
Fortunately, the young female’s scent helped to soothe them a little.
Barto pressed his ear to the door. Hearing movement inside and having just seen Gu Ning’s message, he knew she was awake. He beat the others to the punch, placing his hand on the doorknob.
Before going in, Barto said to the three captains, "Rein in that courtship stench of yours. Don’t you dare overwhelm her with it!"
Leo lifted his arm and sniffed himself. "Smells pretty good to me. I even took a shower."
Philinos, who was standing behind him, also bowed his head to sniff himself. Then, as if struck by a thought, he started walking toward his room.
Vine glanced at him, then grabbed the dog who was about to enter the room by the back of his collar. "Go get her something to eat."
Leo said, "I already told the pups to get it. It’ll be ready any minute."
Vine said, "We can’t let anyone else smell her scent. You go."
Although Leo disliked being ordered around by Vine, he didn’t argue when it came to the young female. He briskly went to get food for Gu Ning.
’I brought some food back for the young female last night, but she was asleep, so I left it in the living room. I heard her get up two or three times, and there were some noises from the living room... she must have eaten it, right?’
When Gu Ning and Cook finished washing up and came out, they saw Vine standing like a sentinel at the washroom door.
"Morning, Captain." Gu Ning took a step back, greeting him with a strained smile.
Cook: "Woof."
Vine’s gaze shifted between her and Cook, and he frowned slightly. "Did you always help him wash up like this?"
Enduring his scrutinizing gaze, Gu Ning answered truthfully, "Me, and Barto. We both do."
Vine’s expression softened slightly. "Leave him to us from now on," he said. "He may have regressed severely, but as long as he hasn’t devolved into a full Mutant Species, he can still take care of himself. You don’t need to coddle him like this."