Chapter 185: Chapter 172: I’ve Already Told Him to Get Lost
Gu Ning paused and turned to look at him. "What?"
Barto tucked the blanket more snugly over her legs. He picked up a hard-boiled egg, gently cracked its shell, and started peeling it as he spoke. "What do you think about Alex?"
Gu Ning took a couple of bites of her bun and thought carefully before answering, "Grateful."
The exact word came to her, and she repeated it. "I’m grateful to him."
Hearing her use the word "grateful," Barto said, "He’s actually a good person."
Gu Ning asked in surprise, "You think he’s good?"
Barto said, "Don’t think I’m defending him. It’s just that I think he’s a good person in some respects, like his attitude toward Mixed Breeds."
He had known of Alex long before Gu Ning did, taking notice of him after Alex came to Zone 19 to take over the construction site.
Only after observing the black wolf for a while did he feel comfortable letting Cook go work at the site.
In all the years he’d spent in Zone 19, Alex was the only one who paid Mixed Breeds a proper wage.
But he also regretted trusting Alex’s capabilities too much and leaving Gu Ning in his care.
He was partly to blame for the current situation. As much as he cursed Alex, he was cursing himself even more.
Alex was right. He blamed himself, too.
Gu Ning picked up an egg herself, tapped it on the table, and started peeling it to distract herself.
Barto placed the peeled egg in her bowl. "Even if you were a Mimic Mixed Species, he wouldn’t have handed you over to the military. I’m sure of that. On the surface, Alex seems calm and gentle, but deep down, he’s incredibly proud and self-righteous..."
Seeing Gu Ning staring at him darkly, Barto added, "...I’m just giving you a detailed analysis, not trying to bad-mouth him."
Gu Ning took out a pen and paper and wrote: [Did you hear our entire conversation just now?]
Barto said, "...The soundproofing here is terrible."
Gu Ning continued to write: [If you were eavesdropping, just admit it. You need to be honest with me.]
Now that she was done talking with Alex, it was time for a serious talk with Barto about their situation.
"Alright, alright! I was eavesdropping. It’s not like I’m a good person anyway." Barto took her pen and paper away. "Use your words. Don’t always rely on writing."
’I still can’t speak properly!’
Despite her thoughts, she didn’t try to snatch the pen and paper back. She really did need to practice her speaking.
"I’m really not defending him," Barto continued after a moment of silence. "I just don’t want to see you upset because of him."
Hearing this, Gu Ning rested her head against his arm and said in a muffled voice, "I was just... scared..."
Terrified in hindsight, to be precise.
Barto placed a hand on her head and stroked it gently. "I know... If you need to cry, then cry. Just for a little while. Once you’re done, don’t think about it anymore. You’re safe now. In the future, if any idiot mistakes you for a Mimic Mixed Species, I’ll put a bullet in him."
Gu Ning sniffled.
Seeing her cry, Cook lost his appetite. He rested his large head on her lap and nudged comfortingly into her arms.
Leaning against Barto and stroking Cook, Gu Ning gradually calmed down.
Barto let them stay like that for a while before saying, "Are you two going to eat or not? If not, I’m taking it outside to feed the dogs."
’That wolf is still standing guard outside.’
’He said he wouldn’t let Gu Ning see him again, but there he is, pathetically unable to leave.’
’So annoying.’
’Who’s he putting on a show for?’
’If it weren’t for Andrew being even harder to deal with, the fact that all three of us are being targeted, and that Alex can at least take some of the heat, I wouldn’t say a single good thing about him.’
Gu Ning wiped her tears on his arm and sat up straight. "Eating."
No matter what happened, she had to eat well. Only after eating would she have the strength to solve her problems.
After they finished their meal, Barto went to the door and brought in a bucket of hot water.
He had already closed the door before Gu Ning could see who delivered it. She asked, "Hot water... Who’s it from?"
Barto: "Don’t know. Fell from the sky."
Gu Ning: "..."
Barto helped her carry the water to the bathroom. "Wash up and get ready for bed. If you want anything else, wish for it in your dreams. Maybe it’ll fall from the sky again."
Gu Ning smiled and took Cook into the bathroom with her to wash up.
Barto stood to the side, watching her patiently remind Cook to wash his face and brush his teeth. He asked curiously, "After he... degenerated, have you always taken care of him like this?"
Gu Ning said, "Cook... very obedient. Taking care of... not hard."
’Even though he’s always trying to eat the toothpaste.’
Barto saw how small she looked next to Cook and didn’t press the matter.
’How could it not be difficult?’
Even the large clans didn’t want Mixed Breeds; they’d sooner exterminate them with their own hands.
He used to think she was a sturdy Dwarf hybrid and wasn’t too worried about her being taken advantage of. But now, knowing she was a female—a female who couldn’t even transform into a beast form and only had a frail body—he found it incredible that she had managed to survive in Zone 19.
But having witnessed how she lived for the past two months, he was left even more speechless.
He couldn’t help but feel secretly relieved. At least Cook was still able to protect her.
After all three of them had washed up, there was still half a bucket of hot water left, which Gu Ning used to soak her feet.
A good foot soak was the only way to get a proper night’s sleep in this weather.
Gu Ning took off her socks, rolled up her pant legs, and stepped into the bucket of hot water. She leaned back against the sofa with a comfortable sigh, feeling her sadness melt away and dissipate in the swirling steam.
But the water didn’t stay hot for long.
Barto saw her lift her feet and shake off the water droplets. He put down the clothes he was folding and went over to help her empty the bucket. As he bent down, his gaze fell on her feet, which were red from the soak.
After only a glance, Gu Ning buried her feet in the blanket to dry them.
Barto’s ears twitched. He silently picked up the bucket and went to pour out the water.
Gu Ning snuggled into her warm nest of blankets. When he came back from emptying the bucket, she patted the spot beside her. "Come here, Barto."
Barto: "...What for?"
’He was in his human form now. Did she still want to sleep next to him?’
Gu Ning: "To talk."
"..." Barto walked over, grabbed his pillow from the nest of blankets, and said, "Time for sleep. We can talk tomorrow."
Gu Ning called out to him again, "Barto."
Barto turned back.
Gu Ning pointed to the door. "Alex..."
Barto tossed his pillow onto the sofa. "He’s dead."
Gu Ning sat up.
Barto said in annoyance, "I already told him to get lost."
’I must have been out of my mind to say anything good about him.’
Gu Ning lay back down, ready to sleep. But Barto suddenly walked over and said, "Stand up."
Gu Ning: "?"
Gu Ning did as he said and stood up.
Barto grabbed her shoulders. "Stand straight."
Gu Ning straightened her back, standing ramrod straight.
Barto leaned in close to her.
Gu Ning recoiled, pulling her chin and neck back, and eyed him warily.
’What’s he doing?’
Barto leaned close to her face, gave her a small smile, then straightened up. He placed his hand on top of her head, measuring the height difference between them. "Now you only come up to here on me."
Gu Ning: "..."
’This childish brat!’
"Get it?" Barto’s big, fluffy tail wagged behind him as he crossed his arms and looked down at her. "I’m the size of a normal Beastman now."
He even emphasized it again, "A normal Beastman."
’So? You got taller and now you’re going to start discriminating against a little human like me?’
"Cook."
Gu Ning called Cook over and had him squat down. Cook immediately understood, wrapping his arms around her legs and lifting her straight up.
Gu Ning held her hand over Barto’s head to compare their heights, then looked at him with a slightly smug, raised chin.
"WOOF!" Cook mimicked her, gesturing at the height difference between himself and Barto. He was taller than Barto by half a head.
Barto’s brow twitched. He plucked Gu Ning out of Cook’s arms. "You two won’t give me an inch, will you?"
