Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Smells So Good, What Is That Scent?

Barto drifted in a hazy dream.

He dreamed he was still in the Second District, standing on Silver Moon Peak, with everything beneath his feet.

It was so high up there; a simple gust of wind could knock you senseless.

Another cold wind blew past, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance.

’Smells so good. What is that scent?’

Barto followed the scent with his nose and opened his eyes to a world of white.

"Where is this?"

The only answer was Gu Ning’s heavy breathing.

Barto heard her voice, and his mind cleared a little.

He tried to prop himself up, but after several attempts, he could only move his head slightly.

The tranquilizer dart was still in effect.

He lay limply on Gu Ning’s back, his chin resting on her slender shoulder, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings—

’So, we’re in the damned Zone 19.’

Gu Ning realized Barto was awake, paused her steps, and hitched him up higher on her back.

She couldn’t write to communicate with him right now, so she could only free one hand to pat his head reassuringly, letting him know he was safe.

Barto didn’t speak for a long time.

Just as Gu Ning thought he might have fallen asleep again, Barto spoke. "You don’t smell that bad after all."

Gu Ning smiled. ’Maybe after being out in the cold wind for so long, much of my scent has dissipated.’

’It’s no use being picky,’ she thought. ’I’m dead tired from carrying him. If he complains, I’ll toss him right into the snow.’

FZZT... The streetlight flickered.

Gu Ning looked up at the streetlight, not watching where she was going, and was tripped by something in the snow.

Gu Ning let out a muffled grunt and fell face-first into the snow.

Just then, a Beastman passed by. Seeing her fall, he was about to step forward to check on her.

Gu Ning was now as skittish as a startled animal; seeing the approaching Beastman, she assumed he was there to capture her.

She mimicked Cook and roared at the person, then pulled the gun from her pocket and fired wildly behind the Beastman.

The gunshot was loud and piercing in the empty, silent street.

The Beastman was startled by the gun in Gu Ning’s hand, muttered a couple of curses, and quickly ran off. The few other Beastmen nearby heard the shot and also kept their distance, afraid the crazed Mixed Breed would unload a clip on them.

Barto lay in the snow, turning his head to look at Gu Ning.

He stared at her small, thin back. Listening to the little Mixed Breed’s roar, which was completely unthreatening and sounded more like a cub’s, he scoffed to himself.

’So weak. How is she supposed to protect herself?’

His gaze then fell on Gu Ning’s hand holding the gun.

She was trembling.

’She’s clearly terrified, but she’s still protecting me.’

Seeing that no more Beastmen dared to approach, Gu Ning sat in the snow and caught her breath for a few moments before getting ready to lift Barto onto her back again.

Her hands went under the back of Barto’s neck, and she first pulled him into a sitting position. A glance brought her face to face with Barto’s amber eyes.

Barto looked at her calmly. Two seconds later, his pupils slowly constricted, and his gaze was no longer calm.

Gu Ning saw Barto’s blank expression and that he still couldn’t move his body. She wanted to ask how he was, but her hands were already frozen stiff and couldn’t even hold a pen.

’We’re almost at our place. I should just get him back first.’

Gu Ning blew a few breaths of hot air onto her hands.

She was exhausted now, her mind completely focused on getting Barto back quickly, and she didn’t notice that her scarf had slipped off her head.

After resting for a moment in the snow, Gu Ning hoisted the wide-eyed Barto back onto her back.

Barto’s eyes darted, staring intently at Gu Ning’s profile.

Her long hair was disheveled, and as she moved, a few strands brushed against his face, a faint, sweet fragrance wafting into his nostrils.

’It’s the fragrance from my dream.’

Gu Ning felt her scarf seemed a bit loose and casually pulled it up, covering her face again.

Hearing her strained panting, Barto slowly came back to his senses.

"You..." Just as he was about to speak, a familiar "WOOF WOOF" came from the distance.

Gu Ning looked up and saw Cook sprinting toward them.

...

CRASH—

Cook smashed the door open, tossed Barto from under his arm onto the floor, and then gently set Gu Ning down from his back.

After slamming the door shut with another BANG!, Cook sat on the floor, holding the shivering Gu Ning in his arms to warm her up. He licked her cold hands incessantly, wishing he could just put them straight into his mouth.

Barto lay motionless on the floor, staring blankly at the person in Cook’s arms.

’All of Cook’s strange behavior in the past suddenly made perfect sense.’

After being warmed by Cook for a few minutes, Gu Ning regained some of her strength.

She saw Barto lying there without moving at all. She ruffled Cook’s head, got out of his embrace, dragged Barto right next to the heater, and covered him with a blanket.

’Although Barto always says he isn’t afraid of the cold, he’s covered in snow and his fur is a bit damp. It needs to be dried.’

She wanted to get the hairdryer, but as she stood up, something caught her foot.

Gu Ning looked down. Barto had grabbed her ankle.

Barto stared at her intently, his eyes filled with an emotion she had never seen before.

’Astonishment? Panic? Fear? Shock?’

Gu Ning couldn’t accurately read the emotions on a fox’s face. She met his gaze for a moment, then took out a pen and paper and wrote: Don’t be afraid, we’re in our own place. You’re safe.

Barto didn’t even glance at her note, just kept staring at her.

Gu Ning wrote again: Are you hurt?

Barto still didn’t look.

Seeing him like this, Gu Ning had no choice but to start checking him for injuries.

After a careful inspection, she didn’t find any obvious wounds on him.

She tried to stand up again, but the hand on her ankle tightened its grip.

Gu Ning sighed helplessly, stroking the little fox’s head. She wrote: I’m not leaving.

’Barto must have been terrified by what happened today,’ she thought.

Barto finally looked at the note she wrote. After reading it, he slowly released his hand.

Gu Ning didn’t leave. Instead, she lifted the blanket and lay down beside him.

She gently patted Barto and placed another note in front of his eyes: Cook and I are both here. You are safe.

Barto remained silent.

It was toasty warm under the blanket from the heater, and Gu Ning gradually relaxed. ’I still want to ask Barto what exactly happened tonight,’ she thought, ’but since he’s not saying a word, I’d better wait until he’s recovered a bit.’

Not long after she lay down, her eyelids began to feel heavy.

After such an ordeal, she was dead tired. Sleepiness washed over her, and she quickly drifted off.

Cook lay down near her and Barto’s heads, quietly watching over them, his eyes fixed on Gu Ning without blinking.

"Bar?" Cook noticed Barto was also staring at Gu Ning and spoke questioningly.

Barto hadn’t said a word since they got back, which was very unusual.

He tentatively reached out a paw to touch Barto, then quickly retracted it to avoid getting hit.

Barto didn’t hit him, nor did he even glance at him.

Seeing that Barto was ignoring him, Cook lay back down.

’Ningning and Barto seem really tired,’ he thought. ’I’d better not disturb them.’

The room gradually fell silent, with only the alternating, even breaths of Cook and Gu Ning to be heard.

Both of them were asleep.

After a long while, Barto stirred. He turned onto his side, stared at Gu Ning’s face for a moment, then reached out a finger to gently hook the end of Gu Ning’s scarf and slowly pull it down.

Her nose, lips, and chin were revealed, bit by bit.

...

...

"He’s back."

"Unharmed."

"With two Mixed Breeds..."

"That group was taken away by the police. They seem to be from the Beast Alliance."

In the hallway, two Beastmen were reporting in low voices to a much taller Beastman in front of them.

It was just past midnight. The power had been cut in most parts of Zone 19, and the hallway was pitch black.

After listening to his subordinates’ report, Alex’s tone turned grave. "Keep an eye on the police station. Find out where that group came from."

"Yes, sir." The two Beastmen turned and went downstairs.

Alex paused for a moment, then walked silently, his steps light, to a door where he stopped, concentrating on the sounds within.

Sensing her faint scent from inside the room, his expression softened slightly.

Just then, a message from Kloer popped up on his terminal:

[Boss, where did you go? The people from the Military Department are here.]