Public Enemy of the Entire Military District
"Woof?" Duoduo's nose twitched. The scent was so faint it was almost an illusion, but... it was the familiar scent of jasmine. There was no mistaking it-it was the scent of the guide.
The German shepherd Spirit Entity across from Duoduo had long since arched its back, its fangs slightly bared and its front paws scraping at the alloy floor as it prepared to fight. But when it looked up, it saw the big golden retriever suddenly open its mouth in a wide, goofy grin, pink tongue lolling out and tail wagging so fast it was almost a blur.
A provocation!
This was definitely a provocation!
The German shepherd's fur bristled with rage. Ignoring even its master's commands, it let out a low growl, pushed off with its hind legs and lunged viciously for Duoduo's neck!
Duoduo's round eyes had been searching everywhere for the guide. At last, he spotted her in a corner!
He had no attention to spare for the German shepherd looking for a fight. He nimbly dodged its attack, then, before everyone's eyes, leaped off the arena platform and raced toward the guide!
"Duoduo? Come back!" Noi stood beside the platform, completely dumbfounded. He could feel Duoduo's urgency, but he didn't know what the dog was so anxious about. A Spirit Entity jumping off the platform was practically the same as admitting defeat, and with Noi's proud nature, he would rather be carried off than surrender!
"Woof, woof!" The German shepherd on the platform had also lost its senses to anger. After its attack missed, it jumped down in pursuit of the golden retriever that was begging for a beating.
"Xiaode!" The sentinel on the other side was dumbfounded too. He stood there shouting until his voice cracked, but the German shepherd plunged into an aisle in the audience without looking back, leaving him with nothing but the sight of it charging away. His mouth twitched, and he added in despair, "Are you coming back for dinner...?"
More and more of the small metal spheres detected the Spirit Entities' unusual behavior. They buzzed around and followed the two racing Spirit Entities, filming them as they ran. The intense fight on the floating screens instantly gave way to swaying golden and black blurs. The cameras jerked wildly in pursuit, unable even to focus.
"Woof, woof!!" Duoduo finally saw Yuqing and barked excitedly. He was running so fast that his paws scraped two shallow marks into the floor as he tried to stop. Unable to slow down at all, he crashed straight into Yuqing's arms with a thud.
"Oh, easy there." Yuqing smiled and steadied his big head. As soon as she ran a hand over his back, her fingertips found several uneven scratches. Her brows drew together at once. She parted his golden fur for a closer look and saw that the shallow wounds on his back were still oozing traces of blood. "How did you get hurt like this?"
These minor injuries were nothing to a Spirit Entity. Duoduo hadn't even felt any pain while he was running just now.
But when he heard the concern in Yuqing's voice, his eyes darted around, and he immediately put on an act. He rubbed against her leg, buried his head in her palm and whimpered, sounding as aggrieved as if he had been terribly bullied. "Whine... whimper..."
"There, there, it won't hurt anymore..." Sure enough, Yuqing's heart ached for him. She crouched down, gently smoothing the fur on his back with one hand as a faint blue light gathered in the other. Her mental power, mixed with her healing ability, slowly seeped into the wounds. It felt cool, and the itchiness overwhelmed the pain. Duoduo narrowed his eyes in comfort, his tail slapping against the floor.
"Woof..."
The German shepherd, which had chased after him, stopped a few steps away and suddenly went still.
Its nose twitched. A sweet, gentle scent drifted over, enveloping the Spirit Entity like warm water and quietly dispelling most of the anger it had been holding in. It looked at the human crouching on the floor, its ears unconsciously folding forward. It raised a paw, then put it down again, wanting to approach but hesitating. It paced a couple of steps on the spot, and the tip of its tail gave a furtive wag.
Yuqing looked up and saw it.
The German shepherd had several shallow wounds on its back too. It stood there with its body tense, looking fierce, though its eyes were somewhat evasive.
She smiled and beckoned to it, her voice soft. "How did you get hurt too? Good doggy, come here."
The German shepherd hesitated for two seconds, but in the end it couldn't resist the jasmine scent that seeped into its mind. It shuffled over and obediently sat beside Yuqing, all its tense, fierce demeanor gone. It let her fingertips brush over the wounds on its back, and when the faint blue healing light seeped into them, it narrowed its eyes in comfort and let out a low rumble in its throat.
Duoduo wasn't having it. He pushed his head hard into Yuqing's arms, forcing the German shepherd halfway aside. His big, fluffy tail slapped back and forth, and he looked ready to hang his entire body on her.
Yuqing could do nothing about the two dogs vying for her attention. Helplessly, she released her mental power to soothe them while stroking both their coats.
On the platform, Noi and William, who had been poised to fight just moments ago, suddenly froze at the same time.
An extremely gentle mental power flowed through their mental links like warm water spreading over parched, cracked earth, soothing away the fatigue and agitation from pollution that had built up over the past several days.
Noi's tense back instantly went limp. His calves grew faintly weak, and he almost dropped to his knees. William was no better off. His clenched hand suddenly fell open, his breathing faltered, and the tips of his ears reddened uncontrollably.
The two exchanged a glance, and each saw astonishment in the other's eyes, along with... undisguisable pleasure.
Ers lowered his gaze, his expression less than pleasant. Looking at the two balls of fur nestled in Yuqing's arms and refusing to leave, he frowned slightly. He grabbed each dog by the scruff of the neck and, with a decisive flick of his wrists, tossed both Spirit Entities back into the sunken arena. "Miss Guide, it's getting late."
"Huh? Oh, right!" Yuqing suddenly came to her senses. She hurriedly stood and brushed the loose fur from her skirt. "I can't be late on my first day of work."
As she spoke, her eyes happened to sweep over the floating screens overhead, and she caught sight of herself. She trembled in fright, hastily backed up two steps and hid behind Ers, leaving only half her head visible, the tips of her ears red. Why was she being shown live on the screens?!
Ers stepped sideways, shielding her completely in his shadow. He looked up at the metal detection spheres buzzing through the air, and the mental pressure around him suddenly spread out, sweeping over them like an invisible tide.
A crackle of electricity sounded. The metal spheres in the air short-circuited one after another, sparks flashing as they clattered to the ground.
The next second, all the floating screens went black at once, and the live broadcast of the venue was instantly cut off.
An almost eerie silence fell over the audience. At first, everyone was surprised. The guide before them was nothing like the common stereotype: she had no airs at all, her voice was gentle, and the gaze she lowered toward the Spirit Entities was especially tender. Hard on the heels of that surprise came overwhelming envy.
"Damn it! I'm jealous! Why does that dumb dog get to be so close to the guide?!"
"What kind of bullshit luck did that brat William have?! If I'd known, I would've gone up there to fight!"
Someone shouted at the top of their lungs, "Brothers! Get the bastards! Drag those two down and let us take their places!"
Those words instantly set the whole crowd alight. The sentinels howled as they pressed toward the edge of the platform, every one of them itching for a fight.
Even Noi lost his nerve. He swallowed, a chill running down his back. They were done for. From today on, Team Three was definitely District Nine's public enemy...