Chapter 437 - 383: He Seems to Like Her
Chapter 437: Chapter 383: He Seems to Like Her
"AWOO! AWOO! AWOO!"
"Awoo?"
The husky’s eyes lit up for a moment when it heard Gu Ning speak. It leaned its head in closer, unable to resist prying into her family matters.
Her mate’s younger brother was such a large Mixed Breed, likely having already undergone a second mutation. Yet this female kept him by her side, and from the way they interacted, they seemed to have a good relationship.
’To be so good to her mate’s Mixed Breed brother, she must really like her mate a lot.’
Gu Ning thought to herself, ’Huskies are all the same—lively, active, talkative, and gossipy.’
"He’s not with us." Gu Ning lowered her voice, speaking slowly. "Yes, he’s a mate I’m very fond of."
The husky asked, "Woof woof?"
"He has important business," Gu Ning said. "He’s also from the Dog Clan."
The husky’s eyes grew even brighter, and it started asking questions nonstop with a series of "awoos" and "woofs."
The security team members on the sled, who had been watching her the whole time, also had their eyes light up. They silently straightened their uniforms and groomed their fur, inching a little closer to her.
This female seemed to really like the Dog Clan. Except for the bird, everyone else on the team could be broadly classified as a dog.
A faint, almost invisible glint of light shone from the crack of a nearby cargo truck.
Kaper was pressed tightly against the truck’s wall. He chuckled as he listened to the female spouting nonsense.
’Andrew or Vine must have assigned Cook to that Wolf Beastman’s care,’ he thought. ’This female’s affection just extends to him, so she’s helping cover for them.’
’Still, the way she talks... it’s quite interesting.’
Kaper pressed closer to the crack, wanting to get a better look at the female’s face. Back at the wooden cabin, he had been too far from her group and only knew they were traveling with a female.
The female was small and bundled up tightly, dressed like a little furball. The scent of that wolf’s heat had also completely masked her own smell, as if he was afraid other beasts would covet her.
Kaper keenly sensed that this group seemed to be on some kind of special mission.
Right now, the female was surrounded so tightly he couldn’t even see a shadow of her. He couldn’t make out her scent either; the fishy smell was too strong, and so was the mating stench from other beasts.
Hearing Cook’s annoyed barks, which carried a clear warning to stay away, Kaper’s lips curled into a smirk. He withdrew his gaze and leaned back against the truck wall.
’The little dog cub is quite protective of this female. Looks like he likes her a lot.’
’The female must treat the dog cub well, usually.’
’So what is that lion planning?’
"Awoo..."
"It’s not convenient to talk about." Gu Ning sounded a bit helpless as she spoke to the husky, which was getting closer and closer. Her tone grew colder.
Barto snapped to his senses and smacked the husky on the head. "Don’t ask what you’re not supposed to. Watch out, or I’ll file a complaint against you later."
Just then, other patrolling dogs and Wolf Beastmen saw the situation. They walked over, let out a warning growl at the husky, and nudged it away with their heads before giving Gu Ning an apologetic bark.
Gu Ning asked, "Can we go now?"
"Yes, yes, you can," the team leader at the front said loudly, glaring at his team members at the same time.
Alex, having gotten the pass stamped, hopped onto the sled and returned to Gu Ning’s side.
"Was that an inspection?" Gu Ning asked Alex. They had been stopped here for a while.
"No special inspection, I just had to talk with the staff for a bit." Alex handed a paper checkpoint pass to Gu Ning. "I went to get it stamped. It took a few minutes."
Gu Ning took it and had a look. It was a one-way pass, a sort of proof that they had passed the inspection. Their team didn’t strictly need it.
Alex was meticulous and careful; he probably felt it was safer to have one. ’But why is there only one?’
"It’s for your collection." Alex patted her head. "You can put it in your little box."
Gu Ning instantly understood Alex’s intention. Her heart warmed, and she subconsciously wanted to say thank you, but she stopped herself just as the words reached her lips. She felt it was better not to be so formal with him.
She grabbed Alex’s hand and shook it. "I love it."
She had a small tin box where she collected various paper Beast Coins, stamps, advertisements, and celebrity cards. She used to use it to save money and had been carrying it with her since Zone 19. It was a hobby of hers. To her, this world was not just dangerous but also novel, and these items held great collection value for her.
Now, the box also held the special pass Alex had gotten for her.
A gentle smile appeared in Alex’s eyes. He cupped Gu Ning’s face with his large hand, leaned down, and kissed her on the forehead. "I’m glad you like it."
"You can understand what this dog is saying?" Barto cut in. Cook squeezed in as well, and Gu Ning stumbled backward as the small dog nudged her. Barto and Alex reached out to steady her at the same time.
"I understand a little."
She grabbed both of their arms.
"That didn’t look like ’a little.’ You communicated more smoothly than you do in the common tongue." Barto pulled her slightly in his direction.
Although he had seen her communicate with Cook before, Cook still tried to speak to her in the style of the common tongue. Besides, Gu Ning seemed to prefer speaking to him in her native language in private.
Her grasp of the common tongue was still shaky, so how could she communicate so smoothly with a Beast-shaped Dog Clan member?
"Did Cook teach you?" Alex asked.
Gu Ning replied, "He didn’t really teach me. I just feel like... I can understand."
She glanced at the two towering figures pressing closer on either side of her. She simply let go of their hands and hugged the small dog crouching in front of her. Its thick, fluffy head gave her an overwhelming sense of security.
"It’s probably because of Cook. He talks a lot." Gu Ning grabbed the small dog’s twitching ear and rubbed it. "After listening for a while, I just picked it up."
Alex and Barto both watched her, lost in thought.
Gu Ning learned the beast tongue much faster than she learned the common tongue.
The heavy barrier arm lifted, and the sled started moving forward again.
As the team leader had said, riding on their sled meant no extra identity checks. They were allowed through, along with their SUV.
Only when they passed the gate station did a machine automatically scan them for weapons.
"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!!!"
The machine let out a shrill alarm, and the slowly moving sled was stopped.
Hearing the sound, Gu Ning’s gaze swept over a large box next to the scanner. It was filled with all sorts of confiscated weapons—knives, guns, clubs, and staffs.
Weapons had been regulated back in Zone 15; the 12th District would only be stricter.
After seeing several Beastmen at the adjacent inspection entrance have their weapons confiscated one by one, Gu Ning turned and began to pat down Barto’s waist.
’Knowing Barto, there’s no way he isn’t carrying a weapon, and he definitely wouldn’t hand it over obediently. This could end up wasting a lot of our time.’
’In a situation like this, it’s better to surrender it voluntarily than to be searched. I’ve had some experience with this.’
"Are you stupid?" Barto whispered, grabbing Gu Ning’s searching hands and pulling her into an embrace. "We’re with the security team. They won’t search us."
Just as he finished speaking, Gu Ning saw Philinos walk over to the inspection staff, unfasten the saber from his waist, and hand it over.
Barto said, "He’s an idiot too."
Gu Ning gently jabbed him backward with her elbow and whispered, "Philinos isn’t an idiot. He’s just..."
Barto narrowed his eyes. "Just what?"
Gu Ning said, "Just... following the rules."
Barto snorted. "So inflexible."
Gu Ning elbowed him again. "Don’t talk about Philinos like that."
Barto’s brow furrowed as he stared at her. Alex also looked down at her.
Gu Ning asked, "...What’s wrong?" ’Why are they looking at me like that?’