Had he been discovered?
By whom?
Why had he thought that?
Soon, Xue Jiamin forgot all about these questions.
He saw...
The stray dog, which had been so imposing and arrogant just a moment ago...
At this moment...
It had fled with its tail between its legs.
Those words flashed through his mind.
Fled with its tail between its legs...
Xue Jiamin stared blankly at the stray dog's retreating figure.
Until its silhouette was obscured by the rain and mist.
And disappeared from view.
Xue Jiamin blinked.
What... had happened?
The sudden change left him utterly bewildered.
Just now...
He hadn't done anything.
He had heard the stray dog howling.
By the time he opened his eyes and followed the sound to the mouth of the pipe, everything was over.
He watched as the stray dog staggered away as if it had been frightened.
All four of its paws seemed to be tripping over each other.
That thin, bony back clearly revealed a hint of panic and urgency.
Xue Jiamin blinked.
His fear faded.
A strong sense of curiosity rose within him.
He looked around.
Soon, he withdrew his gaze in disappointment.
He hadn't found anything that could have sent the stray dog fleeing in such a sorry state...
Impossible.
Xue Jiamin shook his head.
The stray dog couldn't have run away for no reason.
There had to be some explanation...
What could it be...?
Even though it was still raining outside...
Driven by curiosity, Xue Jiamin crawled out of the concrete pipe.
Rain instantly fell onto his head, shoulders, and body...
Xue Jiamin wiped his eyes.
He lifted his foot—
Then he suddenly remembered something.
He withdrew his foot.
Then he took off the backpack from his back.
Xue Jiamin carefully placed the