Chapter 82: Chapter 82: He Saw Her Face
At the sound of the Beast Police, Mingxi and the other lions, who had grown up well-educated in Zone 3, reflexively raised their hands.
Wanai couldn’t help but sigh as he watched them.
’I can’t believe these are the people the Beast Alliance Investigation Department sent.’
’Did the Beast Alliance think they were so useless that they sent them here to die on purpose?’
A powerful light flared from a Beast Police officer’s hand, aimed right at Gu Ning and her group. The beam was blinding, and Gu Ning flinched away, raising a hand to shield her eyes.
Seeing her discomfort, Mingxi reflexively reached out to block the light for her.
Gu Ning had snapped out of it by now and began to struggle violently in Mingxi’s grasp.
Mingxi was still stunned. She quickly broke free from his grip, scratching him with a claw in the process.
’Huh... Why are its claws so soft?’
The instant Gu Ning broke free, she dove into the narrow space between the tables and chairs.
When Ming Ze and his teammates saw the Mimic Mixed Species trying to flee, they all reached out to grab her, completely forgetting Wanai’s earlier warning.
The moment they moved, the Beast Police opened fire.
Wanai moved in a flash, grabbing the gun-wielding officer’s wrist and forcing it upward. BANG! The bullet struck the old chandelier on the ceiling.
The chandelier crashed to the floor, spraying fragments everywhere.
Just as Wanai took down the officer who had fired, three or four more Beastmen charged in from the doorway.
Seeing them, Wanai launched a flying kick at the flashlight in an officer’s hand.
The flashlight rolled under a table, its beam largely obscured.
The four Beastmen scanned the shop. When they didn’t see the little Mixed Breed, they joined the brawl.
It didn’t matter who else was in the shop; their priority was to take them all down. It was the only way to ensure the little Mixed Breed’s safety.
Wanai had already disarmed the Beast Police, so they were fighting bare-fisted, the sounds of their impacts against tables and chairs echoing loudly.
The flashlight on the floor was kicked back and forth, its beam flashing around like a disco ball, dazzling everyone’s eyes.
Ming Ze and his companions had frozen at the sight of the Beast Police, waiting for official procedure, but the moment a Beastman’s fist flew at them, their combat instincts took over, and they plunged into the fray.
Wanai took advantage of the chaos, disengaging from the fight and retreating to a corner.
The shop filled with a CLANG and a BANG, a chaotic symphony. Someone’s foot crushed the flashlight, plunging the room back into darkness. Only the light from the streetlamp outside filtered in, silhouetting the brawling figures.
Meanwhile, Mingxi was crouched on the floor, searching for the little Mixed Breed... the female.
’As a Beastman who grew up in Zone 3, he found it hard to believe she was really a Mimic Mixed Species.’
’He had to find it and get a closer look.’
He quickly spotted the small figure huddled under the far-right table. Mingxi’s eyes brightened, and he immediately moved to pull it out.
Just then, a Beastman was thrown, crashing onto that very table.
The table groaned, about to collapse under the impact. Mingxi reacted in a flash. The very instant the Beastman hit the tabletop, he shot one hand out to grab a splintering corner of the table while his other hand seized the Beastman and, with immense strength, flung him away.
Huddled under the half-collapsed table, Gu Ning stared back at Mingxi, her eyes wide with astonishment.
Her eyes had adjusted to the dimness, and coupled with the light from outside, she could just make out the Beastman’s silhouette. She recognized the small ponytail on his head. He was the one who had opened the door for her, the one who had just held her face-to-face with him.
’He saw my face.’
An immense panic washed over Gu Ning.
In her mind, his handsome, gentle face twisted into a ferocious mask.
Mingxi bent down and extended a hand towards Gu Ning. "Don’t be afraid, I..."
He had just started to speak when a Beastman, sent flying by a kick from one of Mingxi’s teammates, violently slammed into him.
After a brief moment of panic, Gu Ning quickly composed herself. Her gaze fell on Barto, slumped over in a nearby chair.
He had his eyes closed, as if asleep. Even the deafening sounds of the brawl all around hadn’t managed to wake him.
Gu Ning quickly scanned her surroundings, mapping out an escape route in her head. Seizing the opportunity while the others were fighting, she scooped up Barto and bolted for the door.
From his corner, Wanai leaned against the wall, idly toying with a small knife as he watched the lions from the investigation team scuffle with the Beast Police.
’The little lions might be dumb, but their skills are decent. Their opponents are already losing ground.’
Just then, a small figure entered his line of sight.
Spotting the little Mixed Breed escaping with the fox, Wanai made no move to stop her. He twirled the knife between his fingers one last time before deftly sheathing it at his waist.
Wanai strode forward and pushed aside the Beastman blocking the little Mixed Breed’s path.
’He hadn’t gotten his final payment yet. He couldn’t let her fall into the investigation team’s hands this quickly.’
Gu Ning managed to get out of the shop with Barto, shaken but safe.
Exhausted, she collapsed to the ground.
Although Barto was only a little more than half her height, he was by no means light. With all his gear, he had to weigh at least sixty or seventy pounds.
Gu Ning glanced back at the delicatessen, the sounds of the brawl still raging inside. Ignoring her exhaustion, she took two quick breaths and hauled Barto back to his feet.
Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she felt her face.
’Damn it. My hat, glasses, and mask are all gone.’
Thankfully, the weather was cold, so she was wearing a scarf she’d made from a strip of blanket.
The scarf was hanging loosely around her neck; at least she hadn’t lost it.
Gu Ning quickly pulled the scarf up over her head, then wrapped it twice around her neck to hide the lower half of her face. After that, she squatted, grabbed both of Barto’s arms, and with a powerful heave, got him onto her back.
Carrying the unconscious Barto, Gu Ning sprinted in the direction of her home, fleeing the dangerous den.
Just as she left, a police cruiser pulled up in front of the delicatessen.
...
"HUFF..."
Carrying Barto on her back, Gu Ning trudged through the snow, each step sinking deep into the powder.
The snow was too thick; she hadn’t been running for long before she was forced to slow down, carrying Barto at a snail’s pace.
The ten-minute walk to her home now felt impossibly long with a fox on her back.
The wind howled, whipping snow across Gu Ning and making her shiver involuntarily.
She was drenched in sweat, yet she felt a strange mix of hot and cold.
An unconscious body is dead weight. Barto kept sliding down, forcing her to readjust and hike him up her back every few moments. It was exhausting.
A small human carrying a fox, trudging head-down through the thick snow. The towering, brightly lit streetlamps and massive surrounding buildings only served to make their figures seem all the more small and solitary.
It was like a fairytale-style oil painting with a grotesque twist.
Gu Ning silently counted her steps, trying to encourage herself.
’Almost there, I’m getting closer...’
’Why aren’t I there yet? It’s still so far.’
’Will those people come after me?’
Gu Ning’s mind began to race with paranoid thoughts.
’I should have called for Cook. He could have killed those Beastmen who meant me harm in a single bite, just like that time I was captured and thrown into the Beast Fighting Cage at the Underground Arena.’
’No, I can’t. Cook is about to mutate. If he becomes a Mutant Species, there’ll be no one left who knows who I am and still protects me.’
Gu Ning once again hiked Barto, who was slipping, higher onto her back.
’He could have at least helped me carry Barto.’
Gu Ning gasped for breath, the sweat beading on her forehead instantly evaporated by the cold wind.
’This little fox doesn’t look that big, so why is he so damn heavy?’
She felt like she was carrying a sandbag. Combined with the treacherous, snowy ground, her back was bending lower and lower under the strain. She was about to give out.
’Damned snow. Damned Zone 19. Damned Beastmen,’ she cursed internally.
"Where are we?"
Barto’s hoarse voice rasped in her ear.
