Forced To Adopt Retired Military Dog Orc Chapter 6
byChapter 6: Buying Supplies for the Dog Woof Woof Woof Woof…
Was this also an order from above? Si Jiu naturally thought of Ran Lie.
Director (Elephant) smiled, offering no further explanation. He said, “Mr. Ran’s injuries are mostly healed, and he will be discharged tomorrow. The military has arranged everything. Si Jiu, don’t let down the expectations the leadership has for you.”
Ran Lie had indeed kept his word—he would be going home with him tomorrow.
But as Si Jiu watched the soldier respectfully leading the way for him, he couldn’t quite understand. Since Ran Lie held such great prestige and influence in the Beastman military, why would he choose to live with a down-and-out human like himself?
If it were only because of his Healing Power (Green Light), the treatment could easily be conducted at the sanatorium.
Also, would he really be forced into early retirement simply because he couldn’t achieve Human Form Transformation, thus leading a miserable life as a Pure Beast Species?
Or was it precisely because of his tragic, forced early retirement that the higher-ups had been so accommodating these past few days, granting his every request and offering special compensation?
Sitting in the military’s specialized off-road vehicle, Si Jiu knew that the Beastman soldier driving wouldn’t give him any answers.
And the Director (Elephant), who loved to make grand promises and was easily self-moved, would only issue him unavoidable orders by constantly invoking “the higher-ups,” or tell him to uphold selfless love and dedicate everything he had to the patients.
The military off-road vehicle was the latest model of interstellar hovercraft. What usually took Si Jiu nearly an hour to commute, took only ten minutes today. Along the way, he saw many Beastman police officers and signs indicating blocked roads.
It seemed the attack was more serious than anticipated.
Si Jiu silently hoped it wasn’t the work of a human. After all, the living environment for humans on Beastman Planet was already harsh; if the culprit turned out to be human, it would undoubtedly make things worse.
When he got out in front of his small-town apartment, the sky was still bright. Si Jiu thanked the Beastman soldier, who placed his hand on his chest, gave him the standard Beastman military salute, and then drove away.
Watching the soldier drive into the distance, Si Jiu thought of Ran Lie again.
If he were in his Human Form Transformation, would he also stand straight, tall, and handsome while saluting, just like this Beastman soldier?
Si Jiu couldn’t help but curve his lips. A big dog was still cuter, though.
He would be discharged and moving in tomorrow. Before it got dark, he might as well buy some dog supplies in advance to prepare for Ran Lie’s arrival.
Eldean Town, where Si Jiu lived, was located south of the Imperial Capital on Beastman Planet. The town was small, mostly populated by Beastmen with smaller Beast Form Transformations or herbivorous species. The entire town was quiet and peaceful, though relatively old and conservative.
Having lived here for over half a year, Si Jiu was slowly becoming familiar with the town. Next to his dilapidated apartment was a small general store where he could find decent second-hand goods. If he wanted brand-new furniture and items, the Beastman Department Store in the town center or the recently opened Smiling Beasts Supermarket offered a more comprehensive selection. Of course, he could also shop online, but home delivery took two or three days.
After thinking it over, Si Jiu walked into the nearby general store.
The owner of the general store was a Lizard Beastman. He habitually wore a hoodie that almost completely covered his head. Only when he occasionally looked up to tell you to scan the QR code nearby for payment would the tip of his fine-scaled nose and slightly protruding snout be visible in the shadow. He rarely spoke, letting customers browse freely. His attitude was the same toward everyone, and he didn’t care at all that Si Jiu was human—which Si Jiu surprisingly found comfortable.
The general store had two floors. Si Jiu, familiar with the layout, first browsed the daily necessities section on the first floor. He checked his phone while keeping an eye out for any useful items nearby.
If you searched “how to raise a dog” on a Beastman Planet website, over 90% of the results would be blank. The remaining 10% would contain entries reminding you to obey the law and not harbor any inappropriate thoughts about Canine Beastmen.
If you went directly to the “Canine Beastman” section for information, you would find a heap of articles like: “How to overcome the urge to transform and bark when seeing a mail carrier/delivery person?”, “Full Net Review: Which chew stick is the most durable and safest?”, “Does the tail need maintenance? No? Yes? No? Come, the ultimate PK vote,” “Why can’t they eat chocolate? Canine Beastman Nutrition Guide,” and “Does the fox belong to the canine or feline family? Shocking confession from a fox Beastman pretending to be a cat…”
It also included “Woof woof woof,” “Awoo awoo,” and “Aww aww aww” in Beast Speech that Si Jiu couldn’t understand at all.
He tried hard to find some useful information, browsing several large Canine Beastman product websites. Searching and looking around, Si Jiu quickly spotted two large ceramic bowls, a brand-new, unopened, durable chew bone, and a slightly worn, seemingly 70% new two-seater sofa among the clutter.
One bowl for water, one for food. The sofa could be unfolded into a bed. Ran Lie was a guest, so he would probably have to give up his own bed for him, making the sofa particularly important for himself. Of course, if the big dog was willing to sleep on the sofa, Si Jiu wouldn’t object.
As for dog food… cough, cough, Mr. Ran’s food would be simplest and most cost-effective to buy as synthetic meat directly from the Smiling Beasts Supermarket.
Si Jiu wasn’t wealthy, but he wanted to prepare as thoroughly as possible for Ran Lie’s arrival.
He originally intended to go up to the second floor, but as soon as he stepped onto the stairs, he was stopped by the usually silent Lizard Beastman Boss.
“The upstairs is under renovation,” the boss said, his amber eyes hidden beneath his hood. He raised his hand. Under the wide cuff, his nimble claws, covered in jade-green scales, snapped his fingers. Two young Lizard Beastman assistants emerged from the basement like ghosts.
“They’ll move the sofa,” the boss said, pulling down his hood as he retracted his claws into his sleeve. The two lizard youths immediately got to work.
As Si Jiu descended the stairs, he thought he vaguely glimpsed a flash of green through the floorboards, like the eye of some creature?
What was that?
He looked back at the gap, but there was only darkness. It was very quiet upstairs…
Perhaps he was mistaken. Si Jiu rubbed his eyes and returned to the new products area on the first floor, looking around.
Just then, he saw a cute little yellow duck plush toy in the adjacent storage room.
It was sewn from soft, lemon-yellow fleece, with orange-red beak and feet, looking plump and elastic. It appeared almost brand new, with round, black button eyes, giving it a charmingly naive look. Si Jiu couldn’t help but recall that when he raised a puppy on Yalan Star, he had bought a similar toy for it.
The puppy loved sleeping while hugging the little yellow duck, gently biting the doll’s wing—it was the puppy’s cherished treasure…
Although he wasn’t sure if this little yellow duck plush also came from Yalan Star, Si Jiu felt a strange sense of familiarity as he picked it up.
Would the big dog like the little yellow duck?
He checked the price; it wasn’t expensive. Even if Ran Lie wasn’t interested, it would make a nice, cute decoration at home.
Si Jiu took the little yellow duck to the boss’s checkout counter and paid for everything.
The Lizard Beastman assistants, following the boss’s instructions, provided home service and helped Si Jiu move the sofa into his apartment.
The apartment manager at the front desk was a Goat Beastman with a full beard. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and an old suit. The look he gave Si Jiu was always three parts contempt, six parts disdain, and one part undisguised disgust toward humans.
“What are you doing? Moving in? Be careful, be very careful! Don’t scratch the walls, or can you afford to pay for the damage?” Even though Si Jiu immediately explained the situation to the old Goat Beastman upon entering, the manager adjusted his glasses and relentlessly shouted at the Lizard Beastman assistants moving the sofa into the elevator.
But the person he truly disliked was Si Jiu standing before him.
“Can you just behave yourself, Mr. Si? This severely affects the lives and rest of the other tenants. If we receive a complaint, we have the right to reclaim your rented room at any time!” The Goat Beastman stopped Si Jiu, who was about to go upstairs, raising his scolding voice by eight octaves. “Remember, it is a grace from us on Beastman Planet that you, as a human, are even allowed to live here!”
“Yes, alright, I’ll keep that in mind,” Si Jiu said calmly. Although he didn’t think moving a sofa upstairs would cause any disturbance, there was no need to escalate the conflict with the apartment manager, so he simply offered a gentle smile.
Finally home, Si Jiu gave the two Lizard Beastman assistants, who had endured the Goat Beastman’s verbal abuse, a small tip and asked them to help position the sofa in the not-so-spacious room.
Once alone, Si Jiu quickly cleaned the room, then took out the other items bought from the general store and placed them in appropriate locations.
Si Jiu’s apartment was indeed small; the sofa alone made the entire space feel full. His own bed was right next to the sofa. Fortunately, though small, the studio apartment was fully equipped, featuring a separate bathroom and kitchen. Although both were pitifully tiny, Si Jiu still managed to designate a small toilet area for the big dog in the bathroom.
In the kitchen, Si Jiu washed and sterilized the two ceramic bowls, placing them with his own dishes.
Then, he took out the little yellow duck—he would wash and dry it tonight, and by tomorrow morning, it could be placed in a prominent spot on the sofa.
After finishing all the tidying, Si Jiu went to the kitchen to prepare his dinner. He always cooked for himself. First, it was cheaper and saved money. Second, even after living on Beastman Planet for so long, he hadn’t fully adapted to the local diet, and takeout wasn’t as tasty as his own cooking.
To save money, he didn’t have a television installed. Si Jiu was accustomed to listening to music or the news on his phone while cooking.
Today’s news reports were mostly centered around the sudden attack in the Southern District.
“According to the latest information obtained by this station from the police, there has been preliminary progress in the attack that occurred around 3 PM this afternoon. Based on the victims’ recollections after regaining consciousness, there were a total of three assailants. They were swift and highly aggressive, possessing unusually ‘sharp beast claws,’ and emitted irrational growls during the incident.
“More disturbingly, the victims clearly remember that the assailants all had ‘glowing green eyes’ and appeared ‘extremely frenzied.’ The preliminary assessment suggests the perpetrators were highly aggressive carnivorous Beastmen. The police have established a special task force and urge the public to remain vigilant, avoiding traveling alone at night whenever possible. Additionally, the police have released a tip line. Any citizen who witnessed suspicious Beastmen in the Southern District during the time of the incident, especially those exhibiting abnormal behavior, sharp claws, and green pupils, is asked to contact the police immediately…”
It wasn’t human; that was a relief. But glowing green eyes—
Si Jiu’s hand, which was about to light the stove to cook, involuntarily paused.