Forced To Adopt Retired Military Dog Orc Chapter 8
byWhen they reached the town, the sky was already dark. You Zhi, in the driver’s seat, glanced at the dilapidated apartment where Si Jiu lived, looking as if he wanted to say something but held back.
But Si Jiu had already read the unspoken words in his expression: You live in this dump? He didn’t forget to shoot a sympathetic look at Ran Lie, clearly feeling sorry for the hard life the big dog was about to endure.
Ran Lie lightly jumped out of the vehicle, following Si Jiu. His gaze was sharp as a knife. If You Zhi had dared to speak his thoughts aloud, he would have successfully unlocked the achievement of being bitten by a dog for the second time today.
“Human, I’m entrusting this troublesome fellow, Ran Lie, to you!” After saying this, You Zhi gave the big dog a dashing wink, waved his hand, and then drove his gleaming armored vehicle away without looking back.
“Woof, woof woof!” He was met with a few deep barks in response—no translation needed, Si Jiu could guess that Ran Lie’s reply was anything but friendly.
But when the big dog turned to look at Si Jiu, his barks softened into a gentle “Awoo~ Awoo~.”
Si Jiu smiled slightly, raising a hand to pat the dog’s head in comfort. The big dog, looking quite composed, picked up the suitcase in his mouth and walked into the apartment with Si Jiu, head held high.
The Goat Beastman at the apartment front desk was stroking his mutton chops while watching a small TV above the counter. When Si Jiu walked in, the Goat Beastman glanced over, vaguely spotting the large dog following him. He deliberately coughed loudly and spoke irritably, “Following the rules is important. How many times do I have to say it? The apartment doesn’t allow bringing others in. Do humans not have ears? I specifically spoke in the human language, and you still can’t understand? Mr. Si, did you hear what I said?!”
Si Jiu shook his head, feeling a bit helpless. Last night, he had specifically checked his rental contract, which stated that the apartment type he rented could accommodate up to two medium-sized Beastmen. What the Goat Beastman was saying was likely a rule he had set himself, mostly to intentionally make things difficult for Si Jiu.
However, Si Jiu had anticipated this situation—he had brought the rental contract with him today precisely to deal with potential challenges.
But as he took out the contract and walked over, preparing to reason with the Goat Beastman at the counter, the big dog beside him stepped forward first.
The giant dog placed his two front paws on the counter with the force of Mount Tai pressing down and barked coldly at the Goat Beastman: “Woof woof woof, woof woof, woof woof.”
The color instantly drained from the Goat Beastman’s face. His eyes, which usually held three parts mockery, widened abruptly, and his pupils instantly contracted to pinpoints. The usual sneer on his lips hadn’t fully receded before it was frozen in place by sudden panic, forming a strange and pathetic twitch.
He stood up straight with a whoosh, practically holding his breath, and bowed deeply to Ran Lie, his waist bent almost into a right angle.
The bowing motion carried an almost uncontrolled solemnity, as if he were trying to fold his entire being into the dust. Maintaining this posture of extreme humility, the Goat Beastman’s Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty, his voice a dry, barely perceptible tremor. “Meeh—Gr-Great One, you are…”
He slowly and cautiously straightened up, but his gaze remained lowered, not daring to make any contact with Ran Lie’s eyes. Instead, he turned to Si Jiu, his face plastered with a warm, friendly, and almost fawning smile that Si Jiu had never seen before. “Mr. Si, I truly apologize just now… My deepest apologies, I misspoke. How could I talk to you like that? You won’t… you won’t hold it against me, right?”
Alas, everything happened too fast, and Si Jiu didn’t have time to open his translation software. Otherwise, he really wanted to know what Ran Lie had said to cause such a 360-degree shift in the Goat Beastman’s attitude.
Opening the software now, he only heard the big dog coldly bark twice again.
—”Can we go up now?”
“Of course, of course, Great One, this way please. Mr. Si, you too, please. I will lead the way. Be careful of the elevator, this apartment is a bit old, watch your step. I’ll take the suitcase… If you need anything at all, please call the front desk for me. We provide 24-hour service…” The Goat Beastman respectfully held the elevator door open with one hand, his eyes crinkled in a smile.
So, this is what the Goat Beastman looked like when he smiled—it was better if he smiled less, Si Jiu thought it looked a little creepy.
Inside the elevator, Si Jiu couldn’t contain his curiosity and turned to Ran Lie, asking, “Mr. Ran, what did you just say to him?”
Could it have been some thug-like statement, like, If you don’t let me in, I’ll bite off your goat leg? He felt that such a statement fit Ran Lie’s persona perfectly. He had just bitten You Zhi’s arm today, although the Leopard Beastman officer didn’t mind and was ready to bite back.
“Woof woof woof.”
—”Oh, I just happen to know another goat.” The translation software stated peacefully, completely surprising Si Jiu.
“Is he a friend from your Beastman military?” Si Jiu stroked his chin, making a reasonable guess. Perhaps he was a comrade-in-arms, like You Zhi who came to pick them up.
“Woof woof woof woof! Awoo!”
—”Just a defeated subordinate of mine. He claims to be the leader of this group of goat Beastmen. Hmph, he wasn’t lying.”
…The big dog’s Beastman network was wider than he had imagined.
In what way did he resemble a Pure Beast Species who would face difficulties after retirement… Clearly, Si Jiu was the one who had it harder.
Si Jiu couldn’t help but frown slightly. Why did he have a vague feeling of having boarded a pirate ship?
But the big dog turned his head, revealing a pair of round, innocent, clear puppy eyes, his mouth slightly open, showing his pink tongue.
“Woof woof woof?”
—”Si Jiu, what are we eating tonight? I’m hungry!”
Looking at him like this, he was indeed very much a dog.
Upon arriving home, the big dog placed the suitcase neatly in an appropriate corner. Before that, he had stepped on the doormat several times, wiping his four paws clean before entering the room, displaying a rare degree of politeness.
But once inside, he was anything but reserved, walking around the house inside and out as if patrolling his territory.
Si Jiu watched his brazen, leisurely demeanor, a little afraid that he might hike up his leg and mark the sofa or table legs with urine—when Si Jiu had brought puppies to a new place on Yalan Star before, they had this habit.
Fortunately, in this regard, Mr. Ran’s humanity outweighed his beast nature.
After completing his inspection, Ran Lie obediently came to Si Jiu’s side. Even squatting in his Beast Form, he reached the height of Si Jiu’s neck.
“Woof woof, awoo~”
—”I like it here, it smells like you.”
Si Jiu smiled and subconsciously rubbed the big dog’s neck. That familiar feeling of raising a dog returned—he always missed it, missing everything about Yalan Star. The puppy he raised back then had also been incredibly attached to him.
If only he were truly just a big dog.
Si Jiu tied on a simple apron, turned, and walked toward the kitchen, saying, “I’m going to make dinner now. Please wait a moment, about fifteen minutes. If you feel tired, you can rest on the sofa first.”
On the small table next to the sofa was an opened chew toy and a teething bone, and the washed, cute little yellow duck was placed prominently in the middle of the sofa.
Si Jiu went to the kitchen to cook. There were a few fresh synthetic eggs in the refrigerator, some unique vegetables from the Beastman Planet, and not much synthetic meat, but enough for tonight’s dinner.
Si Jiu had always been skilled at cooking. Before the Interstellar Great Explosion, he had learned to cook from his mother. He was only twelve when that massive cosmic disaster occurred. The day it arrived felt like a nightmare. How he survived, even Si Jiu found incredible when he looked back. To stay alive, he learned to find food in various ways and cook ingredients to fill his stomach. On the post-disaster Yalan Star, he used every means possible to keep himself from starving until he met the organization of human survivors…
If you want to survive as long as possible after a disaster, the first thing is to eat your fill, no matter when or where; the second thing is to learn to forget the pain and preserve happiness as much as possible, and then always maintain a peaceful smile on the surface.
This was what the leader of the human organization that took him in had told him…
So, forget the years of decay on Yalan Star, the painful past of hiding and seeking refuge; forget the horror of repeatedly witnessing his fellow humans mutate under the influence of the explosion, the narrow escapes from death, and the helplessness in the interstellar shelter; forget everything before coming to the Beastman Planet…
Just preserve the happy memories, such as the days when he raised his puppy, when his parents were still around, when—
Four dishes and one soup were ready. The rice from the Beastman Planet had a unique aroma. After eating it for a long time, Si Jiu had the illusion that the rice on Yalan Star used to taste the same.
Si Jiu pressed the unhappy memories flat and tucked them deep into his heart, smiling as he piled the seemingly delicious dishes and meat into the big dog’s porcelain bowl, and filled another bowl with soup.
“Woof-woo—” Smelling the aroma, the big dog immediately darted into the kitchen.
“Mr. Ran, just a moment.” The big dog rubbed against Si Jiu’s shoulder, his eyes shining as he stared at the food in the bowl.
“Woof, woof woof!”
“It will be ready soon.” Without translation, Si Jiu guessed Ran Lie’s meaning was to urge him to start eating.
“Awoo, awoo…” He kept rubbing against Si Jiu.
“Mr. Ran… Hey, it’s ready, Ran—stop rubbing me, Ran Lie, I’m taking it out right away, now—stop rubbing!” After finally managing to take the porcelain bowls out of the kitchen, Si Jiu thought the big dog would start eating the moment the bowl was set down. Instead, he disciplined himself to sit down squarely in front of the table, like a self-guarding soldier. Then, turning his head, he barked at Si Jiu with extraordinary excitement, as if he had discovered a new continent—
“Woof woof woof!”
—”That’s the first time you’ve called my name!”
Was it? Si Jiu hadn’t even noticed.
“Awoo, woof woof woof!”
—”I prefer you call me, Brother Lie!”
He still remembered that. Si Jiu regretted treating him with such respect as “Mr. Ran.”
Looking at him now, he was not only a dog, but definitely not a good dog.
“No, I’m older than you.” Si Jiu chuckled and raised his hand, flicking the big dog’s head.
“Woof woof woof!”
—”I don’t believe it!”
Believe it or not, a dedicated caregiver could check the patient’s basic information, and according to Ran Lie’s basic data, he was indeed one year younger than Si Jiu.
Si Jiu brought out his own portion of food and sat down next to the big dog. He said, “Ran Lie, time to eat.”
With everyone seated, dinner officially began. The discipline of the Beastman military finally showed a tiny bit of presence in him.
But the way Ran Lie wolfed down his food made Si Jiu quickly retract that previous thought.