A Tuo

Biodata

Power Progression

Background / History

A Tuo was trained at a police-dog base, where he excelled at training exercises but remained two or three sizes smaller than the other dogs and had exceptionally poor stamina. Further crossbreeding was suspected as a possible cause of his weak physique, but no definitive explanation was established. His competitiveness compounded the problem: he pushed himself harder despite his disadvantages and frequently injured himself during training and fights 75.

After he was washed out, Xia Xu acquired him at an auction for roughly 200,000. His trainer carefully explained his temperament and care requirements before handing him over. Despite being wary of his new surroundings, A Tuo remained quiet, obedient, and watchful 75 85.

Xia Xu soon discovered that A Tuo could understand ordinary speech and track someone who had departed by car. After promising him a permanent home and a means of becoming stronger, Xia Xu offered him the Werewolf Enhancement Serum. A Tuo chose to take it despite the explained risks, beginning the physical transformation that allowed his innate talents to flourish 76 77 78 79.

Appearance

• Coat: Black Back coloration, with yellow fur and a black back 75.
• Face: Predominantly yellow, without the extensive dark facial markings common to some Black Backs; his appearance is particularly wolf-like 75.
• Original build: Thin and markedly undersized compared with the other police dogs 75.
• After serum enhancement: Develops into a powerful large dog, a full size larger than ordinary peers, rather than becoming a giant creature 81 219 243.
• After Heavenly Soldier modifications: Becomes larger than an armored vehicle and wears a fitted canine mechanical exoskeleton 453.

Personality

A Tuo is intensely competitive and driven to become stronger. Before enhancement, his determination repeatedly pushed him beyond his body’s limits. His original status-panel obsession, “Get stronger! Fight!”, later expands to include protection, reflecting his attachment to Xia Xu 74 75 79.

His loyalty is paired with discipline rather than indiscriminate aggression. His original temperament is highly obedient and reluctant to hurt people without cause; even when subduing criminals, he remembers Xia Xu’s restrictions on attacking vulnerable areas. In combat, he usually favors patient observation, precise movement, and carefully timed ambushes over reckless exchanges 75 94 131.

Protecting Xia Xu becomes central to his sense of purpose. Being unable to stop the giant at Gardner leaves him ashamed and angry, while later exclusion from dangerous battles makes him feel obsolete. Comfort alone does not restore his spirits; Xia Xu’s promise to enhance him so they can fight together again does 369 438.

He is affectionate with Xia Xu and Tang Youxin but can be aloof toward others. He ignores Meng Bochao’s nervous greeting as “Brother Dog,” gives Grant an almost human sideways glance, and briefly regards Zhang Qun as competition for his protective role 131 158 185 364.

Abilities & Skills

Combat — Five-Star Talent

A Tuo combines exceptional fighting aptitude with canine instincts and enhanced physical abilities 74 94.

• Ambush attacks: Approaches silently and strikes the neck when an opponent’s attention shifts elsewhere 94 218.
• Mobile fighting: Circles opponents, uses feints, and repeatedly moves outside their field of vision 94 219.
• Environmental movement: Kicks off walls and poles to change direction in midair or reach elevated targets 88 218 246.
• Force control: Can subdue human opponents without resorting to his most lethal attacks 131.
• Aggressive bursts: When abandoning his usual caution, kills three enhanced Werewolves in quick succession, accepting hits to accelerate the fight 295.

His technique does not eliminate disadvantages in size or terrain. Against Gardner’s enormous test subject, a narrow corridor prevents him from exploiting the mobile attacks that might have given him a chance in open ground 369.

Concealment — Four-Star Talent

A Tuo can suppress his presence and follow Xia Xu without being noticed, even when Xia Xu himself cannot identify his hiding place 94 246 364.

• Moves without audible footsteps or obvious killing intent 94.
• Withdraws into darkness to force enemies to guard against unseen attacks 94.
• Follows covertly while carrying Xia Xu’s equipment 243.
• Can appear indistinguishable from an ordinary dog when deliberately restraining his presence 364.

Search — Four-Star Talent

His search talent builds on a dog’s naturally powerful sense of smell, making him exceptionally effective at finding people, objects, and trails 76 128.

• Tracks Meng Long despite the man traveling by car 77.
• Detects the concealed assassin Hovagner in a tree canopy 99.
• Leads the pursuit of the escaped Bat-Man and later guides Xia Xu to the isolated villa associated with Yao Fu and the white-haired elder 193 209.
• Memorizes a scent from clothing and communicates that he has done so with a nod 364.

Intelligence and Communication

A Tuo understands language beyond memorized commands, including explanations, promises, and unfamiliar instructions 76 78.

• Follows a request to bark, pause, and bark again 76.
• Makes an informed choice to accept the enhancement serum 78.
• Retrieves and returns a hidden pouch during Xia Xu’s acquisition of the Superbrain pills 106.
• Hands flyers to passersby, attracting a crowd and completing Tang Youxin’s distribution work 224.
• Uses gestures, expressions, and purposeful actions to convey intentions without human speech 77 233 364.

Werewolf Enhancement Serum

The serum enhances A Tuo’s wolf-related genes without turning him into a Werewolf or fundamentally changing his species 364.

• Greatly increases muscle strength and density, speed, jumping ability, and bite force 219 246 277.
• Enables him to crush armed drones and destroy several while evading their gunfire 246.
• Produces results beyond those Gu Haiming expects ordinary dogs to achieve; Gu suspects exceptional genetics or an activated recessive gene 277.
• Does not make him bulletproof. Ordinary gunfire is difficult to land because of his reflexes and movement, but concentrated fire or a skilled shooter under favorable conditions remains dangerous 360.

Heavenly Soldier Enhancements

Xia Xu arranges a canine adaptation of the Heavenly Soldier Project after recognizing that stronger enemies have begun to outclass A Tuo’s original enhancements 438.

The original plan also specifies a tailored Second Heart. Because A Tuo cannot synthesize K Protein himself, this would require an external supply. His mechanical spine likewise requires algorithms redesigned for canine anatomy 438.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Miao Dao: Carries Xia Xu’s sheathed saber on his back, allowing Xia Xu to draw it as they pass one another 243 246.
• Hiking backpack: Transports two Spider-Shaped Predators and a folding recurve bow. During the Werewolf battle, tears through its straps and throws it to Xia Xu on command 286 293.
• Decorative sunglasses: Worn above his eyes to make his unusual equipment resemble pet dress-up 286.
• Custom Heavenly Soldier Armor: Incorporates mechanical jaws with alloy fangs, heat and corrosion resistance, temperature regulation, internal air circulation, and insulating vacuum layers 453 454.

Relationships

• Xia Xu — Owner, family, and closest combat partner. A Tuo’s affection reaches 100 after enhancement, while Xia Xu refuses to sell him to the Special Department, explicitly calling him his brother 79 297.
• Tang Youxin — Trusted companion whom he greets affectionately. He stays with her both to protect her and to provide a familiar presence that eases her social anxiety 158 359 438.
• Luo Hongyun — Recognizes his sentry-like vigilance and tests him with killing intent. A Tuo responds by placing himself between Luo and Xia Xu 78.
• Yang Bowen — Works with him on investigations and directs him toward the car thieves at Xia Xu’s instruction 130 131.
• Meng Bochao — Witnesses his defeat of the car-thief gang and nervously addresses him as “Brother Dog” 131.
• Gu Haiming — Tests his enhanced capabilities and helps develop the biological and mechanical modifications intended to restore his combat advantage 277 438.
• Grant — Initially doubts his usefulness and intelligence, then witnesses his tracking comprehension and extraordinary combat ability during the Gardner operation 360 364 369.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Notable Quotes

“Get stronger! Fight!”
— A Tuo’s original status-panel obsession 74

“Grow stronger! Fight! Protect!”
— His obsession after becoming Xia Xu’s devoted protector 218

Trivia

• His four-star Stray Dog fate remains on the status panel even after adoption and enhancement. Xia Xu interprets it as a projection of A Tuo’s original future, not evidence that he is currently a stray 79 218.
• The serum he receives was originally intended to strengthen Grant, the protagonist of Hunter 79 359.
• His role as Xia Xu’s devastatingly effective companion supports Xia Xu’s recurring joke that his real combat class is “Summoner” 94 218.
• Xia Xu jokingly promotes him to his “personal saber-bearing page-dog” when first strapping the Miao Dao to his back 243.