Walking the Dog? More Like the Dog Walking Me

"Extra pay?"

Liu Zheng looked at him in surprise.

"I'm very busy today. Help me take Tindalos out for some exercise."

the miniature man said.

At the words "go out," the Hound's somewhat dull eyes lit up again.

"Uh, I'm afraid I'm not capable of handling that."

Liu Zheng politely refused.

Him walking this dog?

It would be more like this dog walking him.

"Don't worry. Ross is very well-behaved."

The miniature man gently stroked the Hound's paw.

Ross whimpered, stuck out his tongue, and carefully licked the man's face.

"After all, I'm not his owner."

Liu Zheng still shook his head.

Every owner thought their dog was well-behaved. Even if it bit someone, they would say there was a reason for it.

"I can give you a thousand yuan."

the miniature man said.

"I'm not short on money."

Liu Zheng showed him his wallet.

"You're this rich and you still deliver takeout?"

The miniature man was somewhat shocked.

"I'm experiencing life. No matter how rich you are, you still have to work."

He wore an expression of profound concern for the world.

"My perspective was too narrow. Sorry, I shouldn't have insulted you with money."

The miniature man felt deeply ashamed.

"It's fine. I did some things wrong just now too."

Liu Zheng said generously.

"But I still need you to walk the dog for me."

The miniature man abruptly changed tack.

You bastard, are you really impervious to everything?

He glared at the riddle man.

If you wanted to feed the dog an extra meal, just say so. No need to beat around the bush.

"As long as you carry this, Tindalos and his kind won't actively attack you."

The miniature man laboriously dragged a bone whistle out from beneath the blanket.

"Name: M'sithra's Bone Whistle"

"Type: Item"

"Quality: Excellent"

"Effect: While worn, prevents attacks from Tindalos Hounds. May shatter after manipulating time or traveling through space-time."

"Note: How do you protect yourself in front of a Tindalos Hound? A: Throw it a bone. B: Crouch down to pick up a rock. C: Obtuse angle."

"Can be taken out of the instance: No"

"Fine."

Liu Zheng helplessly accepted the bone whistle.

It seemed walking this dog was unavoidable.

"Thank you very much."

The miniature man glanced at Liu Zheng's Honorary Owner Medal again.

"Ross is very generous toward people he likes."

he reminded him.

"Then how can I make him like me?"

"Ross is a good dog."

The miniature man said meaningfully, then closed the door.

As he watched the Hound stare at him without blinking, Liu Zheng felt a chill run down his spine.

He hurriedly hung the bone whistle around his neck, and only then did he feel a little better.

Maybe it was an illusion, but he seemed to see a trace of disdain in Tindalos's expression.

"So, shall we go?"

Liu Zheng asked tentatively.

"Awwooo!"

With a wolf-like cry of joy, the Hound sprinted downstairs.

"Hey, the elevator's over there."

He sighed mournfully and hurried after him.

The Hound was unbelievably fast. By the time Liu Zheng reached the entrance to the residential complex, he was already squatting there waiting.

The triangular-eyed guard cowered off to the side, seeming rather afraid of him.

"The owner of 1503 asked me to walk his dog."

Liu Zheng explained.

"Got it, got it. Then hurry along."

The triangular-eyed guard spoke repeatedly, having no desire whatsoever to make small talk with him.

It seemed this dog was even more terrifying than he had imagined.

"Ross, where do you want to go?"

Liu Zheng asked.

The Hound shook his head.

"If you don't know, nod. If you don't care, shake your head."

The Hound shook his head again.

"Then let's head toward the restaurant."

Liu Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Cow-Horse had not said he could not wander around outside, without the Legendary Disguise's bonus, he did not want to stay outside for long.

"Aw?"

The Hound howled again.

For some reason, Liu Zheng understood that he was asking for directions.

He pointed toward the Bloodstained Restaurant, and Tindalos suddenly lunged forward.

His body twisted and changed continuously in midair. When he landed, he had already turned into a brilliantly colored cloud of smoke that scattered across the ground and vanished.

The next second, he appeared fifty meters away.

"Aw!"

The Hound seemed to be telling him to hurry up.

"Ah, walking a dog without a leash is basically the dog walking itself."

Liu Zheng let out a long sigh, deeply ashamed.

But never mind that the miniature man had not given him a leash—even if he had, Liu Zheng would not have dared put it around the Hound's neck.

Fortunately, there was no one on the street. As long as nobody saw it, it did not count as uncivilized behavior.

It was obvious Tindalos had probably not been walked in a long time. He was extremely excited.

He kept turning into smoke, then kept reforming.

Sometimes he appeared ahead of Liu Zheng, and sometimes behind him.

He had none of his initial steady demeanor.

He had gone from a Saint Bernard to a husky.

Liu Zheng looked to both sides of the street. Nearly all the gazes that had been spying on him had cut off.

The effect was even better than when Cow-Horse accompanied him.

"Interesting."

Liu Zheng's eyes shifted as he came up with a good idea.

"Ross, come this way."

He called out and changed direction.

The Hound naturally did not care. The smoke dispersed and gathered again, and he appeared behind Liu Zheng.

Whether he was tired or simply playing a prank, he placed both paws on Liu Zheng's shoulders.

Surprisingly, Tindalos did not have that odor common to large dogs.

On second thought, it made perfect sense. He was not really a dog; he merely had the habits and appearance of one.

But the Hound was not completely odorless either.

Liu Zheng sniffed, and a scent of decay entered his nostrils.

It was not the decay of plants, animals, or metal, but an extremely complex and faint scent.

Like time itself decaying.

More than ten minutes later, they arrived at their destination.

Not far away, the French Plane Tree had his eyes closed, his face sunk into the bark, seemingly dozing.

"Mr. Tree, I'm back."

Liu Zheng called from afar.

The French Plane Tree slowly opened his eyes. First came a look of disgust, followed by extreme shock.

"Y-you... why did you bring this guy here?"

he shouted in terror.

"The person who ordered food asked me to walk his dog."

"Are you fucking crazy? You dare walk a Hound of Tindalos? If you're so damn capable, why don't you go blow up City Hall?"

"It's not that serious, is it? I think he's pretty friendly. Right, Tindalos?"

Liu Zheng said to the Hound.

"Aw."

The Hound nodded.

Then he turned into smoke and pounced on the French Plane Tree.

"Don't come any closer!"

The French Plane Tree screamed.

Thick roots burst from the earth and stabbed toward the Hound like spears.

A trace of disdain flashed through Tindalos's eyes. He did not even turn into smoke again, merely darting nimbly aside to evade every attack.

A few breaths later, he stepped onto the black soil.

"Ahhhh!"

The French Plane Tree felt like he was going insane.

More roots thrust out sharply, like a barrage of bullets.

Faced with the French Plane Tree's outburst, the Hound finally became a little more serious.

He no longer relied on nimble movements to dodge, instead turning into smoke.

The roots pierced through the Hound's body but caused not the slightest harm.

The next second, he appeared beneath the French Plane Tree.

He lifted one leg and shot out a glowing stream of water.

"Awwooo~"

The Hound made a delighted sound.