Chapter 55 Open the Door

Chapter 55 Open the Door

Having completely missed the scheduled appointment, Fang Ran had to reschedule the check-up with the pet hospital for the next day.

By the time he stepped out of the center's main entrance, the sky had dimmed considerably.

The sky was cloaked in gray, with thick clouds piled high, and the evening wind carried a sticky dampness—another heavy rain was likely that night.

Fang Ran clutched the furry bundle in his arms.

Its body temperature felt slightly higher than usual.

Heavy and warm, like a natural little furnace.

He looked down.

The dog had fallen asleep again, its warm breath tickling his arm, a little itchy.

The wind grew stronger, and fine, misty rain began to fall.

Fang Ran adjusted his hold on the dog and boarded the hover-car.

......

By the time they returned to the apartment, it was completely dark outside.

As the warm lights flickered on, they cast a cozy glow over the modest living room.

Fang Ran lay on the sofa, still holding the dog.

Only now did a sense of calm settle over him.

Today had been incredibly long.

The persistent protagonist, the sudden appearance of the monster, the abrupt arrival of the giant beast...

Each experience had left his mind in a tangled mess.

Especially that mysteriously powerful black giant beast.

Fang Ran couldn't quite articulate it.

But he truly sensed an aura belonging to a Sentinel from it.

Yet Fang Liyu had said...

"Fu Zhangzhou is awake."

So what was really going on?

For a moment, he had almost believed that the giant beast was the Sentinel's Spiritual Body...

As Fang Ran stared blankly at the round ceiling light, his wrist terminal suddenly vibrated.

It was a message from Chen Yao.

Probably having learned about his ordeal at the waiting point today, Chen Yao had granted him two days of special leave.

Fang Ran turned off the terminal, thought for a moment, then turned it back on and sent a greeting to Wanqing.

Today's chaos hadn't been far from their base, and he wondered if they had been affected.

After finishing these tasks, he set the dog down, planning to take a shower.

But the moment he let go, the little dog woke up.

Its eyes were sleepy and unfocused, glistening like translucent gemstones under the warm light.

Fang Ran's heart softened instantly.

This little guy had been trapped in the Purification Room for most of the day without any food.

He quickly got out the canned food and snacks he had bought earlier, laying them out one by one in front of it.

But the dog showed no interest in any of them, merely wagging its tail and looking at him expectantly.

He sighed, patting its head helplessly.

This picky eater usually refused dog food, only willing to drink a little milk.

He had even asked around for tips on making pet meals, but after a few bites, the dog would lose interest, even making a face.

"What do you even like?"

The dog nuzzled its head into his palm, its amber eyes glimmering with affection and dependence.

Fang Ran's hand stilled.

This gesture felt somewhat familiar...

With so many coincidences, could it really just be his overactive imagination?

After a moment of silent contemplation, Fang Ran stood up and headed to the kitchen, intending to pour some milk for the dog and prepare a simple dinner for himself.

He rarely cooked.

Resources in this era weren't abundant, but many convenient foods had been invented, such as the nutrient supplements used by Sentinels and Guides. The center provided a monthly ration.

It was only in recent days, for the sake of the fussy little dog, that he had bought some fresh ingredients to keep at home.

But when he opened the refrigerator, he froze.

Another bottle of soda was missing.

After noticing the unexplained disappearance last time, he had moved all the soda and drinks into the refrigerator.

But now another one was missing, and...

It was orange-flavored again.

Fang Ran leaned against the refrigerator door, his eyes lowering slightly as his suspicions grew stronger.

He closed the refrigerator and opened the overhead cabinet.

Two rows of nutrient supplements were stored at the very back.

The orange ones on the left, commonly used by Guides, remained neatly sealed and untouched.

The green ones on the right, specially formulated for Sentinels, were missing two tubes.

In truth, the ingredients of the nutrient supplements were largely the same, with slight adjustments made for Guides and Sentinels to more effectively restore their abilities. Some people, due to taste preferences, even mixed them.

During the last mission, Fu Zhangzhou mentioned that a connection had formed between their Spiritual Seas and that he might have borrowed the sentinel's energy.

On an inexplicable impulse, Fang Ran requested some sentinel nutrients when applying for supplies this time.

Little did he expect it would become evidence.

Fang Ran's eyelashes fluttered slightly as he calmly closed the cabinet door.

A sudden warmth touched his feet.

Looking down, he found the pup had entered the kitchen at some point and was now lying on his feet.

Fang Ran averted his gaze, opened the refrigerator again to take out some ingredients, and muttered, as if to himself, "The doctor said... three days is enough before bathing, right?"

"Hmm... Should we bathe together later?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the pup's eyes light up immediately, stretching its neck and wagging its tail expectantly at him.

Fang Ran quietly observed its reaction.

*It understood, then.*

"Speaking of which, the salary and benefits offered by the Guardians are really good—seems even better than the Center's."

"Should I change jobs?" he said with a hint of mischief. "Being Zheng Mingyu's guide... might not be so bad."

After saying this, Fang Ran deliberately ignored the pup at his feet and focused on cooking dinner.

The pup grew visibly restless, circling around his feet repeatedly, trying to get his attention.

Fang Ran had only two words in mind:

*Heh.*

Just as he finished cooking, Fang Ran's terminal rang.

This time, it was a message from Zhong Wan, asking if he’d been injured during today's mission.

While replying, Fang Ran pretended to take a call with him.

"Zhong Wan, it's me."

"No, I wasn’t hurt today. Thanks for asking."

He paused for a few seconds, as if listening to the other side. "I’m still considering it."

Fang Ran glanced subtly at the pup’s reaction—its eyes hadn’t left him.

"The pay and benefits from the Guardians are indeed attractive."

"But Lu Tang also invited me to transfer to District 2..."

"You know, District 2 is a good option."

"Right..."

"Still, I’m thinking... maybe I should ask Zheng Mingyu to meet up. We didn’t get to properly speak today."

"......"

"Okay, let’s talk another time."

Fang Ran turned off his terminal, pretending the call had ended.

He glanced at the pup nearby—its expression had clearly changed.

Its amber eyes seemed to darken noticeably.

This dog...

*Heh.*

Fang Ran stood up and walked toward the bathroom, looking through his contact list on the terminal.

"Zheng... Here he is," he muttered as if to himself.

The pup followed closely behind, even speeding up as he entered the bathroom.

"Bang!"

Fang Ran shut the door just as it tried to rush in.

The bathroom door had large frosted glass panels, through which Fang Ran could see the blurred figure of the pup pacing outside, whining softly as if trying to soften him up.

Fang Ran deliberately waved the lit screen toward the door, making the pup think he was making a call.

"Zheng Mingyu."

He called out, watching the small figure outside the door.

The pup froze immediately, standing stock-still.

"Rumble——"

A low rumble of thunder echoed outside.

Seconds later, rain came pouring down.

Amid the relentless downpour, the blurred figure behind the door began to change.

A dazzling white light suddenly emerged, forming a ball of light.

The figure gradually transformed within the light.

Fang Ran stood behind the door, silently watching everything unfold.

The pounding of his heart grew louder, mingling with the rain outside, throwing his mind into turmoil.

"Clack!"

His terminal slipped from his distracted grip.

Fang Ran instinctively looked down.

When he looked up again, the blurred figure behind the door had returned to the familiar form he knew.

The suspicion in his heart finally had an answer.

Fang Ran felt conflicted, unsure how to react.

He heard a familiar voice.

"Fang Ran."

"Open the door."