Forced To Adopt Retired Military Dog Orc Chapter 21
byChapter 21: Humans and Beast Species Woof Woof Woof Woof…
Ran Lie’s handsome dog face was cold as he pressed a paw onto the light screen, making the video window flash and disappear.
But the next second, a new video window automatically popped up.
“Ran Lie, what are you doing?! Is this how you ask someone for help?” You Zhi’s leopard ears twitched excitedly, and he shook his fist at Ran Lie through the video.
“For you, it’s enough.” Ran Lie’s voice was even colder, and he didn’t forget to bare his teeth at the screen.
Si Jiu, standing nearby, couldn’t help but glance again at the suitcase that looked like an armory, filled with fully armed, high-tech communication equipment. Then, seeing the dog and leopard Beastman soldiers snarling at each other on the screen, he allowed himself a moment to worry about the future of the Beastman Planet Empire’s military.
“Ha, Ran Lie, you can speak Human Form Transformation language now, not bad.” You Zhi snapped his fingers, his gaze drifting toward Si Jiu. Ignoring Ran Lie, who had started barking fiercely, he gave a thumbs-up and said, “The human is quite capable.”
“Too much nonsense.” Ran Lie blocked Si Jiu, cutting off You Zhi’s view. His amber eyes glared at You Zhi in the video. “Where’s the boss?”
“The old man is busy dealing with the green-eyed carnivorous Beastman attack case in the South District—the Royal Family is watching closely. How come I hear you’re also involved in this troublesome case…” You Zhi was about to say more when he suddenly saw Si Jiu slightly poke his head out from behind the big dog. He immediately stopped, chuckled a few times, and changed the subject.
“Tell me, what do you need?”
“Woof woof woof woof woof! Woof woof woof…”
—“It’s related to this case. Do as I say…”
Sure enough, for long sentences, the big dog still needed to use Beast Speech. However, Si Jiu, who had timely opened his phone, saw the translation.
Si Jiu was confident that Ran Lie would assist him according to the plan, so he needed to act quickly on his end as well.
The information You Zhi accidentally revealed was clearly beneficial to their plan—if the Imperial government took this matter seriously, the military’s intervention would be justified.
Opening his phone, Si Jiu found the unfamiliar message he had received at the Smiling Beasts Supermarket.
“To Luo Hao, I know it’s you. If it’s convenient, I’ll come find you. I’d be happy to meet and talk with you alone.” Si Jiu quickly finished editing the reply and pressed send.
About half an hour passed—during which Si Jiu helped Ran Lie put on the dog collar that served as his personal mobile terminal, and put the highly dangerous suitcase back in the corner.
Soon, Si Jiu heard the notification sound of a new message on his phone.
He immediately opened the message to check.
“Tonight at midnight, come to the second floor of the general store.”
The message was clear and matched his suspicion—that general store indeed had a problem.
Immediately after, the phone received a second text message.
“Only you are allowed to come alone. Otherwise, consequences are your own responsibility.”
Si Jiu subconsciously put his hand into his pocket. He had bought a few extra folding fruit knives during his last trip to the supermarket, plus his previous surgical knife… he hoped they wouldn’t be needed.
In the evening, Si Jiu prepared a very hearty dinner for Ran Lie, but the big dog constantly frowned, his ears drooping, looking somewhat dejected.
“Let me come with you!” In just half a day, Si Jiu had heard him say this phrase no less than ten times.
At this moment, Si Jiu wore a black bracelet on his wrist. This was a special mobile terminal device, looking like a punk bracelet—it had been delivered by a Beastman express courier sent by You Zhi that afternoon. It looked like it belonged to the same set as Ran Lie’s dog collar, sharing a similar color scheme and design.
“I will keep in touch with you at all times.” Si Jiu gently raised his wrist, pointing to the bracelet, but he was no stranger to Ran Lie’s stubbornness.
“If you encounter danger—” Ran Lie’s voice was low, and his tail lightly swept the floor in annoyance.
“I will find a way to protect myself.” For a human who had survived on Yalan Star, Si Jiu had the strength and means when it came to escaping and self-preservation.
He knew Ran Lie was worried about him. He raised his hand, preparing to rub the dog’s head as usual, but the big dog gently tilted his head, dodging him in a somewhat sulky manner.
“Si Jiu.” As midnight approached and Si Jiu was about to leave, the big dog stood at the door, staring at him with those amber dog eyes. Although he only called his name, his gaze seemed to say, Are you sure you’re not taking me? Why aren’t you taking me? Hurry up and take me with you!
How can you treat your dog like this?!
Sigh, that look was too much. They had discussed this beforehand—if possible, Si Jiu didn’t want to take risks alone either.
However, there were indeed some things Si Jiu wanted to discuss with Luo Hao privately.
About the Rebirth organization, their leader Wei Jie, and the former comrades in the organization…
After the sudden mutation, the already few surviving humans were reduced by more than half. When Si Jiu was rescued by the interstellar rescue team and sent to the interstellar shelter, after the mutated green spots on his body faded and he regained consciousness, he only encountered one or two non-core, isolated members of the organization in the shelter, but he never managed to reconnect with the organization.
He stayed in the interstellar shelter for three years. During those three years, he awakened a miraculous Healing Power and served as a temporary doctor in the shelter. In the fourth year, he and the few remaining humans in the shelter were approved to relocate to the Beastman Planet—but that was a story for later.
During his three years in the interstellar shelter, he rarely heard anything about the Rebirth organization. In those three years, he learned to be low-key, learned a smoother disguise, and learned a professional smile.
He had to live, forget the painful memories, preserve the happy ones, and if possible, add a little humor.
It seemed he had always lived this way.
Si Jiu felt that occasionally over the years, he would think of the leader. Wei Jie had always been gentle with their group of children. If he could see Wei Jie tonight, he was sure the leader wouldn’t do anything to harm him.
Si Jiu had this confidence.
Before leaving, Si Jiu couldn’t help but turn back and hug Ran Lie. Stop sulking, okay? Trust me, everything will go smoothly.
The big dog, held in the embrace, gently tilted his head and rubbed Si Jiu’s neck. The moment Si Jiu turned back, his eyes lit up. Sulking or not sulking, when had he ever been angry?!
The moment Si Jiu closed the door, Ran Lie’s expression changed. He softly “Woofed” twice, and the voice-activated mobile terminal immediately connected. You Zhi’s voice came through—“Late at night, you really know how to boss a Beastman around.”
“Less nonsense. Is everything ready?” Ran Lie’s voice was cold, like the solitary moonlight tonight.
“That general store? Everything is arranged. The old man specifically instructed me, there won’t be any mistakes—oh, the old man also told me that this involves complex issues, so you should proceed cautiously and not act rashly…”
Ran Lie cut off the terminal conversation.
He already had his own plan.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The general store was right next to the apartment. At midnight, the streets of the small town were silent and deserted.
Si Jiu walked up to the general store door, gave it a gentle push, and it slid open silently. The light inside the store was dim. The Lizard Beastman Boss, who always wore a hoodie, sat quietly behind the counter as usual, as if he had been waiting for a long time.
His emotionless eyes were hidden under the brim of his hood. His wide sleeve moved slightly, and a claw covered in jade-green scales silently lifted, pointing precisely toward the stairs leading to the second floor.
Si Jiu softly said, “Thank you,” his voice so light it almost dissolved into the air.
He followed the stairs up. As soon as his foot touched the second-floor landing, the surrounding lights suddenly turned on. Si Jiu instinctively squinted. When his vision cleared, he saw Luo Hao standing in the center of the second floor, holding a lamp. Beside him stood a massive, strangely shaped, one-eyed beast. The beast’s eerie green eyes flickered faintly in the dim yellow light, adding a sense of strangeness.
“You came.” Luo Hao silently placed the lamp on the central table. The second floor’s decor was somewhat rough, but the space was much wider than the first floor.
Si Jiu vaguely felt that there were other creatures lurking in the dark corners of the second floor.
This was an instinctual sense of danger, so Si Jiu stood at the top of the stairs and did not rush forward.
“You’re alone? Where’s that dog?” Luo Hao’s tone was full of suspicion, and when he mentioned Ran Lie, his voice clearly deepened, the emotion of disgust completely unconcealed.
“You asked me to come alone,” Si Jiu replied calmly. He and Luo Hao hadn’t been particularly close even when they were in the organization, but Luo Hao had once shown an inexplicable, intense interest in him, which sometimes greatly troubled him as a teenager.
“You’re bolder than before, huh. Your knife skills are better too.” Luo Hao scrutinized Si Jiu. A peculiar emotion surfaced in his dark brown eyes, and he curved his lips into a playful smile. “It seems you also smile more than before.”
He must have witnessed Si Jiu using his surgical knife to finish off the crazed beast in the woods.
Si Jiu couldn’t help but drop his usual smile. He wasn’t here to listen to Luo Hao talk about this, so he got straight to the point. “Where is the leader?”
“Which leader? Are you concerned about our Leader Wei? I thought you had forgotten all about us, starting a completely new life without any worries on the Beastman Planet.” Luo Hao raised his hand and stroked the one-eyed beast beside him. The beast was unusually quiet at the moment, its eerie green eyes seeming murky.
Didn’t the organization abandon me first? Si Jiu held back the words stuck in his throat for a long time, forcefully restraining his emotions. He couldn’t let Luo Hao manipulate him.
“Is participating in this green-eyed attack case on the Beastman Planet the leader’s intention?” Si Jiu gently probed.
“The leader’s intention?” Luo Hao stared coldly at Si Jiu with an almost cruel gaze. “Of course, it’s the leader’s intention. I am the leader, otherwise? Could a mere beast make any decisions?”
Si Jiu watched him smile while slowly stroking the one-eyed beast…
Beast… one-eyed…
Incapable of making decisions—
A terrifying guess arose. Could that green-eyed, strange beast of an unidentifiable species be—
How was that possible? How could a human turn into a beast species?!
But the next second, Si Jiu suddenly thought of Ran Lie, and his continuous Beast Form Transformation due to unknown reasons…