At some point, a craze for keeping pets swept across City A.
Pet shops of every size, reputable kennels, and even dubious backyard breeding facilities were constantly crowded with customers.
Whenever a family’s pet dog gave birth to puppies, relatives and friends would immediately telephone and eagerly ask to adopt one.
Even the pet hospital received numerous visitors asking whether they had puppies for sale.
“We don’t sell dogs here.”
Gao Xuan had repeated herself so many times that her mouth was nearly dry, yet the number of enquiries only continued to increase.
Unable to endure it any longer, Annie hung a sign on the door that read:
**Jinjiang Pet Hospital — No Pets for Sale**
Only then did the number of visitors noticeably decrease, finally allowing the two women to breathe.
Annie collapsed onto the sofa, casually picked up her tablet, and began browsing the forums.
These days, she had developed the habit of constantly checking them whenever she had a spare moment.
Posts involving sensitive content were deleted soon after appearing, so repeatedly refreshing the forums was the only way she might catch them in time.
However, the moderators’ frantic deletion of posts and the successive arrests had severely discouraged forum members.
People would rather discuss strategies with their families than post online asking for help.
Annie browsed for a long time but saw nothing except peace and harmony, as though the situation had been effectively contained and life had returned to normal.
“Peace throughout the world? Why don’t I believe that?”
She muttered to herself while repeatedly refreshing several well-known forums.
Suddenly, her gaze froze.
A thread on the Haijiao Forum was rapidly becoming popular. Its title read:
**Help! My friend and I are being followed by a newly developed species!**
The opening post contained only a brief description:
“At XX Street, there’s an enormous Schnauzer chasing people! Someone, please come and help!”
Photographic evidence was attached below.
An enormous Schnauzer was charging towards the camera with unrestrained enthusiasm.
It was comparable in size to an adult husky—tall, muscular, and equipped with an elderly-looking face that appeared especially frightening.
“Holy crap!”
Annie abruptly sat upright.
“XX Street? Isn’t that the street next to ours?”
“Let me see.”
Gao Xuan casually took the tablet.
The original poster had uploaded several more photographs in the replies.
However, most of them were blurry, probably because the photographer was terrified and unable to hold the telephone steadily.
The accompanying messages were filled with panic.
“That dog keeps following us! No matter how fast we run, we can’t get away! Help! Ahhhhhhh!”
Gao Xuan examined the photographs one by one.
She quickly noticed that the original poster was a young woman, and her companion was also a woman.
The friend was carrying a tub of ice cream and looked extremely frightened.
Gao Xuan fell silent.
She believed she already understood what was happening.
Countless replies appeared beneath the post.
“Quickly hide inside a police station! It definitely won’t dare follow you in.”
“Is the original poster stupid? Why are you posting on a forum when you’re in danger? Call the police!”
“I’ve already called the police for you. No need to thank me. Just call me a good citizen.”
“Good heavens, are all the new species this vicious? After seeing that picture, I don’t dare leave the house.”
“What on earth did that thing eat to grow so huge? It’s ridiculously muscular.”
…
Gao Xuan scrolled further and discovered that more and more users were suggesting that the monster be shot and killed.
She could no longer remain seated.
“I need to go out for a while.”
After leaving those words behind, she hurried outside.
The two young women being chased were pale with terror, their faces filled with panic.
A large crowd had gathered, but everyone merely stood at the side and watched. No one dared interfere without thinking.
They were afraid that rather than rescuing the women, they would sacrifice themselves as well.
At the critical moment, Gao Xuan rushed forward wearing a face mask.
She snatched the tub of ice cream away, turned around, and ran.
The moment the Schnauzer saw her, it immediately changed its target.
It stretched out its legs and raced after her, soon disappearing from sight.
The two women were successfully rescued.
Their legs immediately gave way, and they collapsed onto the ground.
After a long while, they looked at each other suspiciously.
“Could it have been chasing us all this time… simply because it wanted some ice cream?”
Once the words were spoken, both women simultaneously fell silent.
**
Elsewhere, Gao Xuan did not stop until she reached a secluded corner.
She leaned against a wall to rest and adjusted her mask, ensuring that most of her face was completely concealed.
The Schnauzer happily followed her and then began its performance.
First, it approached and rubbed itself against her trouser legs.
Then it rolled around on the ground, sat obediently, and stared at the ice cream with shining eyes.
For additional emphasis, it licked its lips.
Gao Xuan was speechless.
This dog was working extraordinarily hard for the sake of eating ice cream.
She placed the tub on the ground and allowed the Schnauzer to lick it.
At the same time, she lowered her voice and warned it sternly.
“Don’t do anything foolish again! People are currently trying to find ways to eliminate strange-looking creatures like you.”
The dog looked bewildered.
The Schnauzer could not understand what was strange about it.
It was clearly weak, pitiful, and helpless.
It could not even obtain a mouthful of ice cream.
“In any case, keep a low profile as a dog.”
After issuing her warning, Gao Xuan quietly left.
Considering every factor, it was not appropriate for her to bring the dog home.
Now that she had rescued it, how it survived afterwards would depend entirely on itself.
The Schnauzer tilted its head thoughtfully.
After a short while, it wagged its tail and returned to licking the ice cream.
A moment later, a black car stopped beside it.
The door opened, and a young man stepped out.
He wore a face mask and had wrapped a scarf around himself, leaving him completely concealed.
He stood beside the Schnauzer and said quietly, “Come with me, and you’ll be safe.”
The Schnauzer remained completely unmoved and continued licking the ice cream happily.
Before long, the tub was empty.
The Schnauzer licked its lips with a reluctant expression, apparently still savouring the taste.
The man immediately changed his approach.
“Come with me, and you’ll get ice cream.”
Ice.
Cream!
The Schnauzer’s eyes instantly lit up.
It hurriedly jumped into the passenger seat, fully prepared to follow the man home.
An adult German Shepherd sat solemnly in the back seat.
Its posture suggested that the instant the newcomer displayed any intention of attacking, it would immediately leap forward and start a fight.
The man quietly muttered with helplessness in his voice, “You sold yourself for a tub of ice cream. Aren’t you stupid? I have no idea how you survived the apocalypse last time.”
Shaking his head, he returned to the driver’s seat and calmly drove away.
**
Logically speaking, there should have been a fixed number of newly developed species released by the terrorists.
As time passed, the number of animals behaving abnormally should have gradually decreased.
In reality, however, people could clearly feel that increasingly strange incidents were occurring around them.
Inside a residential community, two dogs disliked each other and eagerly fought.
The dogs merely lost some fur and suffered minor injuries.
However, the middle-aged man who attempted to separate them received a swipe from a paw and fainted on the spot.
Near a rubbish bin, a stray cat was searching for food.
A badly behaved child, having nothing better to do, threw pebbles at it.
The stray cat’s fur stood on end, and it became furious.
It caught the child and gave him a thorough beating without showing the slightest mercy.
The child cried uncontrollably and begged for forgiveness.
“I’m sorry… Boo-hoo, I’ll never do it again.”
The stray cat still refused to let him go.
Instead, it stretched out a paw and demanded food.
The child was slow-witted and failed to understand at first, earning himself several more blows.
Once realisation finally dawned and he offered a sausage in tribute, the stray cat picked up the food in its mouth and leisurely walked away.
While people travelled along the streets, sparrows and crows occasionally dived down and attacked passers-by.
With a single careless moment, a piece of flesh could be torn from someone’s arm.
No one knew whether the birds were merely attacking or attempting to hunt.
The pedestrians who witnessed these scenes became increasingly frightened.
They hurried away, planning to stockpile supplies and remain hidden at home until the danger passed.
The media once again released reports to reassure the public.
However, far fewer people believed them this time.
Large numbers of residents poured into supermarkets and shopping centres to purchase goods frantically.
Those from wealthier families simply rushed into wholesale markets and bought supplies in bulk.
More and more people applied for sick leave or personal leave.
They did not want to attend school or work.
They only wanted to remain at home and quietly wait for the day when order was restored.
After careful consideration, Annie also began thinking about temporarily closing the hospital.
First, conducting business had become extremely difficult.
Forget enormous breeds such as Alaskan Malamutes—even small dogs like poodles were becoming almost impossible for them to restrain.
Every bath, grooming session, and surgical procedure had become a disaster.
Although Cola possessed an intimidating presence, after receiving enough animals, they would inevitably encounter a fearless idiot that had to be thoroughly frightened before it understood caution.
Over time, everyone became physically and mentally exhausted, practically collapsing from fatigue.
Second, all kinds of bizarre creatures constantly arrived at the hospital.
A hamster had grown almost as large as a cat. How could its owner make it shrink again?
A dog had fought with the neighbour’s cat and nearly lost half its life. The hospital needed to rescue it immediately.
Then there was the customer who had just left.
The owner had said that their Teddy was approaching its mating season and needed to be neutered.
However, they had already visited three hospitals. Several veterinarians had been beaten to the ground, yet the Teddy remained lively, energetic, and completely unharmed.
Annie truly wanted to tell them that they were merely doctors, not omnipotent gods.
Consequently, her desire to close the shop grew increasingly strong.
Eventually, Annie could no longer restrain herself and tactfully explained her thoughts to her only employee.
“Close the shop and go home? Sure. I have no objection.”
Gao Xuan thought inwardly that she had already completed her stockpiling.
Once she returned home, she could remain indoors whenever necessary.
Annie glanced at the hospital’s remaining dog-food stock and immediately pushed ten enormous bags towards her.
Gao Xuan could not possibly carry that much.
She simply left the bags on the floor and asked, both amused and helpless, “What are you doing?”
Annie answered seriously, “It was thanks to your early warning that I was able to prepare supplies in advance and remind my relatives and friends to do the same.”
“These ten bags of dog food are free. Consider them my thank-you gift.”
“You don’t need to give me this much.” Gao Xuan attempted to refuse.
Annie replied, “Take them. Who knows how long the outside world will remain chaotic?”
“Cola is also an employee of the pet hospital. We can’t allow him to starve.”
Given Annie’s financial circumstances, purchasing a few extra bags of premium dog food would hardly bankrupt her.
With that thought, Gao Xuan stopped refusing.
“Then thank you.”
“There’s no need to be polite.”
Annie did not consider it important.
She then looked outside and murmured sorrowfully, “I wonder when days like this will finally end.”
A profound look appeared in Gao Xuan’s eyes.
She thought inwardly that perhaps there would never be an end.
In the future, chaos and disorder might become the new normal.
Because they had decided to cease business, the pet hospital closed its doors that afternoon.
Annie repeatedly counted the remaining stock, intending to take all the leftover pet food home.
Gao Xuan wanted to help but was stopped.
“Hurry home. Once it becomes dark, the roads won’t be safe.”
“How long will you have to work if you do everything alone?” Gao Xuan asked irritably.
“It won’t take long. There isn’t much stock left,” Annie replied calmly.
“Cat food and dog food combined, there are no more than fifty bags.”
After hearing that the workload was manageable, Gao Xuan finally left with Cola and the dog food.
However, neither woman knew whether they would ever meet again after this farewell.
**Author’s Note:**
Schnauzer, resting its chin thoughtfully on its paw: Should I remain low-key as a dog and act high-profile as a cat?
**Nomad:**
Alaskan Malamute
Poodle
Teddy dog (one of the many breeds)
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