Be Careful with Your Dog's Life

"Come to think of it, I really didn't expect you to kill someone."

Gao Teng was more than a little shocked. He'd always thought that Zhang Meizhu, being a girl, would have some reservations about killing.

But not only had Zhang Meizhu acted decisively, she'd also been completely unfazed afterward. She was so calm it was almost unbelievable.

It was as if... this wasn't her first time killing someone.

"Have you killed someone before?"

Gao Teng asked curiously.

Zhang Meizhu admitted it without hesitation. "Yeah."

Gao Teng looked astonished. He'd actually guessed right.

Zhang Meizhu waggled a finger and joked, "I'm not exactly a nice young lady."

Gao Teng laughed. "I can tell. You're a ruthless murderess."

Zhang Meizhu snorted. "Good. Now you know. Better watch your step around me from now on, or you might lose your dog's life!"

Gao Teng pursed his lips, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Then he asked curiously, "So, who did you kill?"

Zhang Meizhu tightened her ponytail and replied casually, "My dad used to work at the Public Security Bureau. When he brought a criminal gang to justice, our family was targeted by one of the gang members who'd escaped capture.

"That person broke into our house and tried to kidnap my mom and me. Luckily, he didn't see me as a threat, so I stabbed him a few times when he wasn't paying attention."

Gao Teng's expression shifted slightly. Zhang Meizhu made it sound simple, but just imagining it was terrifying.

No wonder she acted so decisively. She'd faced life and death from a young age.

"Actually, you surprised me, too."

Zhang Meizhu suddenly said, changing the subject to Gao Teng.

Gao Teng lifted his chin. "How so?"

Zhang Meizhu said, "You're obviously short on money, yet you turned down the deal Wang He offered you.

"And from the look of you, you weren't even tempted. How did you resist?

"With that huge sum, you could've paid off all your online loans and finally breathed freely instead of being crushed by debt."

Gao Teng simply replied, "Justice."

After a pause, he added, "My morals wouldn't let me do that."

Zhang Meizhu regarded him with newfound respect.

Gao Teng sometimes said ridiculous things, but there was an indescribable sense of righteousness about him. People like that were rare in this world.

Just look at her classmates. Faced with Wang He's offer, probably none of them could have resisted.

Who would give up nearly two million yuan for a complete stranger?

Zhang Meizhu couldn't help feeling even more admiration for him. She was glad to have a friend like Gao Teng.

At the same time, she made up her mind.

"I've decided. From now on, I'll hunt monsters with you."

Gao Teng looked surprised. "Aren't you afraid of danger anymore?"

Zhang Meizhu's expression was resolute. "After today's fight, I realized it was really good for me.

"So I've decided to take a few risks and hone myself in battle. I want to improve my martial arts score before the college entrance exams!"

Gao Teng's gaze shifted. Zhang Meizhu had made a convincing case, but he knew the truth.

She'd changed her mind not to hone herself in battle, but to help him pay off his debts.

"Thanks."

Gao Teng spoke gently. "I know you're taking risks for my sake, not to improve your so-called score.

"You're not saying it outright because you're afraid I'll feel burdened. You really don't need to worry. I'll take full advantage of you without a second thought."

Zhang Meizhu stared at him, dumbfounded.

After a long moment, she smiled helplessly. "You're something else..."

In all her years, she'd never met anyone as unusual as Gao Teng.

The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to laugh. At last, she resigned herself to pulling out her phone.

"I'll call the Public Security Bureau. Once we've taken care of things here, we still need to clear out the sewer."

"Okay."

Gao Teng answered and watched Zhang Meizhu call the Public Security Bureau.

The call was soon answered.

Zhang Meizhu explained what had happened in detail and gave them the exact address.

They waited quietly for half an hour. After rearranging Wang He's corpse a little, the Public Security Bureau officers finally arrived.

With help from the residential compound's security guard, they took the elevator to the nineteenth floor.

There were four of them, as before. Their leader was powerfully built, with a neatly trimmed beard, eyes as steely as iron, and the air of a tough man.

The team members who'd come with him were all young faces. Was he specifically bringing new recruits along?

"Hello, I'm Ma Wei."

The team leader greeted Gao Teng and Zhang Meizhu, then surveyed the messy living room.

"This is awful. What's that smell?"

"You two smell like a few dozen men had their way with you. It's so strong I can barely breathe."

Gao Teng: "..."

Zhang Meizhu clenched her teeth. Ma Wei's remark felt deeply offensive.

She couldn't help sneering. "You sure know how to describe it. Have you tried it yourself?"

Ma Wei replied, "Yeah."

Gao Teng: "..."

Zhang Meizhu: "..."

They gaped at him, unable to believe what they'd heard.

"Hahaha..."

Ma Wei suddenly burst out laughing. "Look how scared you are! Can't you tell I'm joking?"

Zhang Meizhu was speechless. Were they close enough for him to joke around like that?

"Let's get down to business."

Ma Wei dropped the joking tone and gave them a grave warning. "The smell on you is actually a kind of marker.

"It'll last at least half a month. If you run into any snake monsters during that time, they'll retaliate against you.

"So be extremely careful."

At that, Gao Teng and Zhang Meizhu's hearts sank.

They'd thought the Green Snake had lost control of its bladder when it died. They hadn't realized it had done it on purpose, marking them so its kind would come after them.

What a cunning monster!

Ma Wei continued, "There have been several attacks by snake monsters in the city recently. Something must be going on at Snake Island.

"Do you know how this monster got to Xianghe Garden?"

Gao Teng and Zhang Meizhu exchanged a glance and shook their heads together.

Wang He's actions had been so vile that all they'd cared about was making him pay. They'd forgotten to ask about a lot of things.

Afraid Zhang Meizhu might let something slip, Gao Teng spoke up. "The fight was too intense, and we didn't have time to check on the neighbor. Then he... We should've been more careful. We shouldn't have rushed into things like that."

Ma Wei shifted his gaze to Wang He's corpse.

On the way over, he'd already heard what happened from the dispatcher: Zhang Meizhu had noticed something strange next door, broken in, and run into a monster.

He stroked his beard, forming a rough guess.

The monster had probably wandered into Xianghe Garden and happened to run into Wang He, who'd come home late. Then it had quietly slipped into his apartment.

To save his own life, Wang He had agreed to provide food for the monster. That was why he'd gone to nightclubs and tricked so many girls who liked to party.

That was probably what had happened, right?