Chapter 76

Chapter 76

The quest to find milk for the puppy went smoothly. An hour after leaving the Beast Kingdom, Xie Linyuan, riding a motorcycle with His Highness in tow, found the field of mutant dandelions Frida had described.

Ten minutes of that hour were spent on the road, ten minutes on dispatching blind attackers, and forty minutes searching through vast steel forests for the so-called city garden, a quiet haven amidst chaos, located in the center.

Before the apocalypse, this place was a three-story commercial bookstore integrating dining, creative arts, and books, with a circular layout. The center boasted lush greenery and lawns where borrowers could enjoy a coffee amidst grass, umbrellas, and lounge chairs for a pleasant afternoon. The store's name, written in traditional black calligraphy, hung grandly on the glass walls, still majestic.

Xie Linyuan entered through the shattered glass door, his left pupil swiftly scanning the large lobby on the first floor, while His Highness sniffed the air, one head close to the ground, the other raised, discerning the scents.

Clearly, the bookstore had been closed for some time before the world descended into chaos. The broken door was likely the work of people seeking food after the apocalypse began, but zombies lacked the intelligence to burrow through, especially with a mutant plant with strong territorial instincts at the bookstore's heart, leaving the lobby deserted, filled only with the scent of wood and paper.

There was an imported supermarket at the bookstore's entrance with an English name. Xie Linyuan, holding a 'just in case' mindset, browsed inside, only to be disappointed by its emptiness, with nothing left, not even the cashier's model 001.

So far, aside from the mutant dandelions, the journey from the Beast Kingdom here posed no fatal dangers, suggesting a high survival probability for Frida's brother Ian, even after a day and night.

Xie Linyuan, no longer hesitating, followed the signs directly to the circular center's well-bottomed garden lawn.

"Wait a second," Wu Yin said, "What is this place? All these books... Shall we take a look over there?"

He, lacking experience, twisted Xie Linyuan's head around to gaze everywhere. The bookstore, from the ground floor to the third, was connected by a spiral escalator, with books neatly categorized and posters of various books hanging in the air, with new book release dates still marked two and a half years back.

Xie Linyuan, with a pained look, surveyed their surroundings to ensure their safety, "Let's focus on the task at hand. After we find Ian, we can come back to look at books, how about that?"

Wu Yin, already captivated by the colorful book covers, sighed reluctantly upon hearing this, "What a hassle."

The most obvious change in most mutated animals and plants is their size, like the Black Knight, the Golden-winged Sparrow, and His Highness, who hasn't fully grown yet. But given His Highness's growth rate, in less than six months, he'll undoubtedly become a giant dog as big as a bear.

Thus, Xie Linyuan had prepared himself to encounter a dandelion the size of a small mountain, but curiously, even as he slowly stepped onto the long-unvisited lush lawn, he found nothing out of the ordinary.

Xie Linyuan looked around and asked Wu Yin, "Do you sense where the dandelion might be?"

"…No," Wu Yin found it strange too, he took over Xie Linyuan's body, making his scent more pronounced, and after cautiously waiting a few seconds, he walked to the center of the lawn, basking in the autumn noon sunlight, "…Could we have taken a wrong turn?"

"That shouldn't be the case… This is the only place that matches Frida's description on the map," Xie Linyuan communicated as best as he could, struggling to use his body's vocal system to converse with Wu Yin.

"…Forget it, it's not important," Wu Yin lowered his gaze, lifting his left arm with his right hand, "Where's the steel horn feature of this treasure trove arm of yours? Show me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the left hand transformed into a small horn very familiar to Wu Yin, who then placed it to his lips and coughed lightly, "Hello, hello..."

After confirming his voice could spread throughout the entire silent and empty mall, Wu Yin then clearly and forcefully announced, "Brother Ian, attention, Brother Ian, your sister Frida has sent us to wait for you in the central garden. My patience is limited, appear immediately upon hearing this broadcast; repeating, Brother Ian…"

Before Wu Yin could finish the second announcement, Xie Linyuan suddenly said, "There!" having spotted something.

Then Wu Yin felt himself suddenly lifted into the air, control of his body taken back by Xie Linyuan, who moved with the agility of a leopard, scaling walls swiftly and reaching the third floor barehanded before Wu Yin could react.

His Highness howled on the lawn, flapping against the wall twice, realizing it couldn't fly, then it dashed into the lobby, thankfully aware it could use the stairs.

Wu Yin: "…"

Not far away, a shadowy figure darted between bookshelves, with Xie Linyuan chasing and calling out, "Ian? Stop! Your sister sent us."

Hearing this, the shadow sped up, its goat hooves clattering on the marble tiles at a rapid pace, the sound crisp and clear, convincing Wu Yin and Xie Linyuan they were on the right track.

After chasing around the bookstore for quite some time, the shadow, in desperate flight, stumbled over a step and crashed to the ground with a solid thud, crying out in pain, knowing escape was futile, and turned around defensively with a baseball bat aimed at the strangers standing a meter away.

"Don't, don't come any closer!"

Jie Linyuan effortlessly climbed three floors with his bare hands and then sprinted, yet now he barely gasped for breath, merely observing with interest the goat-headed boy sitting on the ground—like his sister, Ian also had a goat's head, with pure white, soft fur, amber eyes with rectangular pupils, and eyelashes thick as small fans, looking pitifully adorable.

"Don't be afraid, Ian." Jie Linyuan put on a brotherly face that seemed to coax children, "I was hired by your sister, Frida, to take you home. You can call me..." Jie Linyuan truly pondered for a moment, "Wu Xiaohu."

Wu Yin: "..."

Wu Yin: "?"

He wanted to curse, but as Ian began to speak, Wu Yin had to temporarily restrain his temper.

The young goat, trembling with fear, still held the baseball bat high. Wu Yin and Jie Lin Yuan thought his fear was due to uncertainty about their identities, but to their surprise, the timid goat blurted out, "I won't go back! I haven't picked the dandelions yet!"

Memories of being tormented by bratty kids surfaced in Wu Yin's mind, prompting him to impatiently take over from Jie Lin Yuan. Clenching his molars, he fiercely asked, "Dare you say that again?"

Oblivious to the impending danger, Ian, bolstered by some thought, firmly stood up, dusted off his bottom, clenched his fist, and declared, "I must pick the mutant dandelions to prove my abilities! Only then will Marshall want to be with me!"

"Who is Marshall?" Wu Yin wondered.

Ian's face flushed with a sheepish look, "A very cute Dutch rabbit..."

"Ah, that little brown rabbit," Wu Yin noted. "But according to our analysis, he's not interested in you at all. He only asked you to pick the mutant dandelions because he finds you annoying and wants you to give up, or maybe even die out there so you won't bother him anymore."

"Don't slander him!" Ian retorted angrily. "He's so gentle and kind. It's the despicable Edmund who forced him into it! He even said that with his looks, he couldn't survive in the Beast Kingdom without a backer. He's just helplessly compelled... It's all because I'm not strong enough to protect him! Once I get the mutant dandelions, let's see who dares to look down on me."

Wu Yin: "...?"

Compared to Wu Yin, who was utterly confused by Ian's words and had never encountered such a situation before, Jie Lin Yuan, with his rich experience and knowledge, followed Ian's logic and smiled, "You're right, little brother Ian. I admire your spirit and courage. Do you have a plan to deal with the mutant dandelions? Where are they now, and how do you plan to capture them?"

"I still don't know how to approach it..." Ian said dejectedly. "It's in the Central Garden. It's strange, you were just standing within its attack range, and it didn't attack you..."

Jie Linyuan maintained an impeccable friendly smile, persuasively speaking in a gentle tone, "Look, so coming here without any plan to challenge the mutant dandelion was a bit reckless. How about this: you come back with me first, we'll devise a proper battle plan together, and then take on the mutant dandelion together, how does that sound?"

"No, I won't go back." Ian stepped back, his tone much softer due to the support from the person before him, but his stubbornness and capriciousness were undiminished, "My sister and the others have a deep misunderstanding about Marshall. If I go back this time, she will definitely keep a close eye on me, preventing me from leaving again, and she will force me to break off with Marshall. When will I be able to save Marshall from the fire then?"

With that kind of stupid love-brain, it's better to keep a close eye on you, better yet lock you in the subway for life, so you won't come out and annoy others. Jie Linyuan's smile finally cracked a bit, as he forcefully resisted the urge to press a revolver against this goat's head, "Ian, please listen, there's no rush..."

"No—!"

Ian stubbornly shook his head, but suddenly, his voice halted, his pupils dilated, and he seemed frozen in time, his facial expression shifting from resistance to blankness. After about ten seconds of stiffness, 'Ian's' expression became lively again, his gaze focused. He lowered his head, tentatively clenched his fingers, took steps with his hooves, staggered a bit, but soon regained his balance.

"Goat hooves are a bit hard to control, but it's okay." 'Ian' turned around and said to Jie Linyuan with an expressionless face, "We can go back now."

"Pfft..." Jie Linyuan couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Is it that simple and crude?"

"Annoying little goat." Wu Yin said impatiently, "When we get back, let his sister tie him up with chains and beat him up, so he'll know about Marshall Marshall..."

Jie Linyuan laughed even harder.

Wu Yin was angry for a moment but then cheerfully suggested, staring at a goat's head with enthusiasm, "Let's go, read some books."

"Wait a moment, Wu Yin," Jie Linyuan walked to the transparent glass railing on the third floor, leaning over to look down, "His Highness hasn't come up yet."

Reminded by the life assistant, the negligent owner then remembered they also had a dog, who also leaned over, "Could it have gotten lost?"

Jie Linyuan believed His Highness wasn't that foolish, but it was indeed very strange not to see him for so long, "Come here." He gestured to Wu Yin.

Wu Yin approached without hesitation, only to be embraced around the waist by Jie Linyuan...

Wu Yin, as a half-mechanical being accustomed to unconventional behavior, showed great adaptability. He trustingly relaxed his muscles and embraced Jie Linyuan's waist and back to stabilize himself.

When they landed safely, Jie Linyuan's heart was racing. Feeling the tight grasp around his waist, he was momentarily distracted, tempted to tease Wu Yin.

He turned with a smile, only to be startled by the sight of a huge, furry sheep's head.

Jie Linyuan: "..."

Jie Linyuan set Wu Yin down, his mind calm as still water.