Forced To Adopt Retired Military Dog ​​Orc Chapter 3

Chapter 3 The Poor Retired Dog Woof Woof Woof…

“It’s nothing.” Si Jiu offered the Beastman on the bed a slight smile and began the next step of cleaning.

But the hand, wearing a sterile glove and holding a special soft wet wipe, had just touched that area—

“Woof, woof, woof woof woof!” Unexpectedly, the large dog’s reaction was exceptionally intense. He struggled, twisting his massive body, and with a sudden roll, quickly concealed one side of his abdomen.

“What are you trying to do?!” The mobile translation software was emotionless, but Si Jiu, who was forced to step back, still detected a hint of a blush on the face of the large, black-furred dog.

Was it his imagination?

Si Jiu raised an eyebrow. Was he shy?

“It’s just simple nursing care and cleaning, don’t be nervous.” Si Jiu looked at the large dog, who was curled up on the hospital bed, slightly vigilant, with his lower body tucked in. He explained calmly, “Your injury is on your abdomen, and after the surgery, some parts of your body are inconvenient for self-cleaning, so I will help you—”

“Woof woof woof!”

“No need, I’ll do it myself!” The translation software replied without hesitation.

“Are you sure you can?” Si Jiu was still doubtful.

The large dog had already raised his head and let out a few self-satisfied woofs. The translation software said, “Last night, I already cleaned it myself. Hmph, what does this little bit of pain count for!”

Uh—the dog cleaned himself… A mental image of a dog twisting around to lick his own butt popped into Si Jiu’s mind.

How should he put it? Licking one’s butt is a habit of many beasts. Having been on Beastman Planet for a while, Si Jiu occasionally saw Beast Form bobcats and foxes licking their butts by the roadside or in parks. In the eyes of Beastmen, this was perfectly normal.

But applied to this handsome and proud Military Dog in front of him…

“Mr. Ran, we can do an oral cleaning later. The sanatorium has specialized dental sticks; they are very convenient.”

“Woof?” The large dog tilted his head in a cute gesture.

Si Jiu used a smile to mask his imagination, quickly dismissing the image from his mind, and said gently, “It’s just a suggestion, because oral hygiene is also very important.”

“Woof aow—” He let out a soft huff, and the dog’s head drooped. It seemed the large dog had little interest in oral cleaning.

Just as Si Jiu respected the large dog’s wishes not to clean the side of his abdomen and was preparing to change the towel to clean his back, the doorbell to the room rang with a “ding-dong.”

At this time, it shouldn’t be other doctors or nurses.

Could it be a visitor?

Si Jiu looked at the Canine Beastman on the bed. Ran Lie nodded at him.

Si Jiu quickly removed his sterile gloves and opened the door. Standing at the entrance was an elderly man with silver-white hair but a tall and upright physique. His wolf ears were erect, his gaze sharp, and the wrinkles on his face conveyed a cold sternness that commanded respect without anger. He stood with his hands behind his back, not wearing a military uniform, but the two young Military Officers respectfully following him, dressed in the specialized military uniforms of the Beastman Legion, were enough to prove that this man, who looked to be over fifty, was a highly prestigious Beastman General.

Slightly stunned by the old man’s imposing presence, Si Jiu paused. He quickly lowered his head and moved to the side of the door.

The old man smiled at Si Jiu and said, “Thank you for your hard work. This kid isn’t easy to look after, is he?”

“Ah?” Si Jiu, who had intended to be part of the background, didn’t expect the old General to turn and speak to him first. He bowed and replied politely, “Mr. Ran, he has always been very cooperative with our work…” He decided not to mention the incidents of him biting doctors, scaring nurses into tears, and going through six different orderlies.

“Pfft!” A young Leopard Beastman Officer who followed them in couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Si Jiu’s words. He said to the large dog on the bed, “Ran Lie, you’ve been recuperating for a while and already have a new title, Mr. Ran—so formal, that’s not like you, haha!”

“No disrespect!” The old man gave a look of reproach, and the Leopard Officer immediately stood straight and shut up, though he didn’t forget to bare his teeth and glare at the large dog on the bed.

But neither of them dared to be overly presumptuous in front of the old man.

“Woof woof! Woof!” Turning to watch the old man walk toward the bed, the large dog struggled to get up, his eyes bursting with fervent and excited light.

“Lie down. Your injury isn’t healed yet. Why are you moving—let’s check your wounds first.” As the old man spoke, a burly Military Officer with a rhino horn on his forehead was already squatting beside him, silently examining Ran Lie’s body and wounds.

His technique was professional; he must be an experienced Beastman Military Doctor.

Si Jiu knew that at this moment, he, as the background, should quietly withdraw. He tiptoed over to retrieve his mobile phone and cleaning tools, then quietly retreated to the door.

The Beastmen in the room had already switched to speaking Beast Speech, which he couldn’t understand.

As he pushed the door open to leave, Si Jiu seemed to feel Ran Lie on the bed glance at him, then turn his dog head and say something to the old man. The dignified old man with a pair of gray wolf ears also looked in his direction.

The moment Si Jiu closed the door, the old man’s deep gaze seemed to linger.

It was probably because he cared about Ran Lie that he paid attention to the orderly taking care of him, Si Jiu thought with emotion as he left the room, but he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

His parents and relatives had all died in the Interstellar Great Explosion ten years ago, without exception…

Now, he was the only one left.

If he got sick, no one would likely come to visit him in the hospital.

Every time he saw patients laughing and talking with their families, Si Jiu would quietly lower his head and stand silently to the side.

He disliked self-pity; that emotion was like a swamp, not to be indulged in. But the sadness was like an underground river, always rising with a damp shadow when provoked—

Si Jiu calmly and quickly managed his emotions.

Don’t overthink things. Working, earning money, and supporting himself was the most important thing. This was just a small interlude in his work; complex thoughts were fleeting. What mattered more was striving to live on his own.

Returning to the orderly break room, Si Jiu filled out the orderly report and organized the nursing records. It was almost time for meals.

The Military Logistics Sanatorium had a dedicated staff cafeteria. Beastman orderlies and nurses would go to the cafeteria in groups of two or three. There were three other orderlies in Si Jiu’s department, and they often went to eat together.

But for Si Jiu, who was a recent hire.

“That’s a Human. Did you see? No tail, a strange species. Not like any of us.”

“Don’t talk to him, don’t make eye contact. A refugee from Yalan Star, tsk—how did we end up working with a Human? So unlucky…”

“I wonder what method he used to confuse the Director. Humans are the best at lying.”

“Is there any way to get rid of him? Just looking at him is annoying…”

Some scattered fragments of conversation leaked into the break room from the cubicles. Si Jiu shook off the sound of the wind, pretending not to hear.

They consistently tried to avoid Si Jiu. Even when they occasionally met in the break room, they would turn their heads indifferently, never greeting him, treating him as if he didn’t exist, let alone eating with him.

However, Si Jiu had grown used to it. As long as it didn’t affect his work, he would maintain a state of mutual non-interference.

Most Beastmen did not welcome outside Humans. They were always afraid that the decline of Yalan Star would affect or even spread to Beastman Planet. They also disliked outsiders for not adhering to some of the unique rules of Beastman Planet and feared they might bring the rumored diseases or disasters.

But a portion of Beastmen showed friendliness and acceptance toward Humans.

Jun Qi, the Persian Cat Beastman and a senior orderly from the next department, was one of them.

As Si Jiu got up and left the break room, a pair of cat ears bounced into view.

“Time to eat! Xiao Jiu, let’s go to the cafeteria together. Oh, I brought a lunch box; I’ll give you an extra dish.” Jun Qi was a beautiful male Persian Cat Beastman with large, bright heterochromatic eyes, one blue and one gold. He skipped over to Si Jiu, his large cat tail cocked up behind him.

Jun Qi was one of the few Beastmen who was warm and friendly to Si Jiu in his life and work, and they often ate and chatted together.

“You’re back from vacation?” Si Jiu’s expression softened, which was rare. He remembered that Jun Qi had taken a few days off.

“I’m back. Sigh, don’t even mention it. My family forced me to go on blind dates.” Jun Qi walked side-by-side with Si Jiu toward the cafeteria. “None of them satisfied me. I don’t know when I’ll meet the cat of my dreams—the Tabby General big brother.”

On Beastman Planet, males and males, and females and females, could enter into contract marriages. Jun Qi had told Si Jiu early on that he wanted to find a powerful and handsome Tabby Cat Beastman in the military to be his husband.

“By the way, I heard you were assigned as the exclusive orderly for that VIP? How is it? Did he bully you? I heard the nurses say he has a bad temper, bites people, and is very difficult to serve.” They found a quiet corner in the cafeteria and sat down. Si Jiu bought a standard staff meal with his work card, while Jun Qi opened his lunch box, looking at Si Jiu with curious, probing eyes.

The large dog’s black face surfaced in his mind, the pair of erect ears twitching, the yellow-black eyes, the soft paw pads…

“It’s alright…” Ran Lie’s reputation in the sanatorium was truly terrible. Si Jiu rubbed his nose and said, “It’s not that exaggerated.”

“His breed of Canine Beastman is rare on this planet. I heard he came from the special forces on the Imperial front line, and his identity has always been very secretive.” Jun Qi had worked at the sanatorium longer than Si Jiu, and his enthusiastic and lively personality gave him excellent social connections and better information. He took a large bite of the fish in his lunch box while sharing gossip and a delicate fish cake with Si Jiu. “However, he’s also quite unlucky—after being injured, he has been continuously unable to perform Human Form Transformation. Although we don’t know the cause, a situation like his, continuous Beast Form Transformation, means he might have to retire early, regardless of whether he came from the special forces or the Royal team.”

Jun Qi let out a “meow” and turned to look at Si Jiu beside him. “Early retirement and inability to transform into Human Form—his future life will be miserable!”

Si Jiu paused the food halfway to his mouth, looking at Jun Qi’s sighing expression, and couldn’t help but ask, “Will it be miserable?” More miserable than us Humans?

“Of course. Pure Beast Species who cannot transform into Human Form are the absolute lowest tier on our planet. Take Fish Beastmen, for example. If they can transform into Human Form, they might become our colleagues, but pure fish species could very well end up as my dinner.” As he spoke, Jun Qi ate another piece of fish, making a comfortable purring sound. “Some pure beast species cubs who reach a certain age and cannot transform into Beastmen are sometimes dealt with by their own tribes ahead of time.”

It seemed that on Beastman Planet, whether one was a pure Human or a pure Beast, they would be discriminated against. Only those who could smoothly switch between both forms were accepted as normal Beastmen.

“But he isn’t a Pure Beast Species. Even if he retires from the military, it doesn’t change the fact that he was once a member of the Beastman Legion…” As he said this, Si Jiu noticed the meat on his tray, turning it over with his knife and fork, hoping it was all artificial meat and didn’t contain any other ingredients.

After all, Beastman Planet was a world where the strong preyed on the weak.

“Precisely because he comes from the military, he must prioritize the honor of the Beastman Legion… Speaking of which, many Beastman Officers in the Military Logistics Sanatorium who are forced to retire due to illness and cannot return to the military have the potential for self-harm.” Jun Qi thought for a moment, then his cat ears stood up, and he lowered his voice to Si Jiu solemnly. “Didn’t that VIP also try to go on a hunger strike before? Si Jiu, you are his exclusive orderly now, so you must be careful. If he is truly notified by the military of early retirement, he is very likely to exhibit severe self-harm or even aggressive behavior. The military takes these retirement notices very seriously. Pay attention to whether any high-ranking Beastman Generals have visited his room recently… that might be them delivering the notice.”

High-ranking Beastman General? Si Jiu frowned, recalling the white-haired old man’s deep gaze.