Chapter 7: 007 White Tiger

Having successfully drawn the gray wolf over, Ming Ruan opened the Executor Daily Report and began to put on an act.

Xie Gewen watched as Ming Ruan racked his brains over the log for a good while, then suddenly collapsed onto the sofa like a freshly baked soufflé, delivering a wooden, stilted line, “Ah! This is so hard to write!”

Xie Gewen: “…”

He had clearly written it very quickly every day before.

Sure enough, the next moment, the young man looked at him pitifully, eyes blinking rapidly: “If only Mr. Gray Wolf could help me write it——”

Xie Gewen’s wolf face instantly registered disapproval.

Taking work seriously was everyone’s responsibility.

Although he thought this, Xie Gewen still carefully managed the distance between himself and the young man, ensuring not a single hair on his body touched the youth. Appearing polite yet restrained, he leaned over for a look.

Some of the log entries were just simple data compilations.

Others looked very professional, things he didn’t understand either.

If he were in human form, he could indeed offer Ming Ruan some help, as thanks for days of shelter and care.

But in his wolf form, without using a Light Brain, he couldn’t even speak.

And every time a Beastman used a Light Brain, it was a severe mental stimulus.

Xie Gewen calmly walked back to his original spot and crouched down.

He hadn’t expected the young man to follow him, chattering loudly right next to his ear: “But it’s okay! As long as Mr. Gray Wolf stays with me, I can work hard and manage to write it!”

Even during his time as Council Speaker, Xie Gewen hadn’t experienced such frequent helplessness and sighing.

Perhaps this was just youthful behavior, some little tricks to close the distance between them.

But Ming Ruan did far more than this.

From one day onwards, Ming Ruan seemed to become addicted to teasing the gray wolf.

During meals, he would say: “If only Mr. Gray Wolf could cook for me.”; during Forest Patrol, he’d deliberately ask the gray wolf: “Baby is so smart, can you drive the Flying Sedan?”

Even StarNet viewers began to feel something was slightly off.

[Ming Ruan is like that kid in elementary school who pulls the hair of the girl he likes]

[Sigh, my drama queen wife]

[Didn’t some Outer Galaxy place have that… PUA! Wasn’t there something like that? Is Ming Ruan doing that?]

[So lacking in EQ. Does he think fishing like this makes him special? I still hate him, as expected.]

In all his years, Xie Gewen was also ‘forced’ for the first time to discover he had so many things he couldn’t do.

Initially, he was helplessly tolerant. Later, he occasionally bared his teeth to scare Ming Ruan.

Until one day, when Ming Ruan once again declared: “It’s okay if the gray wolf can’t cook. As long as I can, we won’t go hungry.”

He suddenly discerned a hint of something else.

The wolf watched the young man bustling about, a faint light flickering in its crystal-clear eyes.

…

Another ordinary day, another ordinary Forest Patrol.

At lunchtime, as usual, Ming Ruan stopped the Flying Sedan, taking out the pre-made, still steaming hot meals from the Space Button.

“I’m so tired, I’ll leave the vigilance to the wolf for a bit!” Ming Ruan plopped down onto the inflated cushion he’d set up.

Doing a patrol around the perimeter for vigilance before lunch began was something Xie Gewen did every time. Ming Ruan didn’t need to mention it at all.

The gray wolf swept its tail, its figure disappearing into the forest.

Deep winter, birds were rarely seen on the branches. When the wind passed, there was no longer the rustling sound of leaves. A profound silence reigned.

Ming Ruan, with a sense of ritual, spread out a cloth and arranged box after box of delicious food.

The live stream audience was also bored, chatting in the comments about which flavor of Nutrient Solution to drink for lunch. Some even hoped the Adjudicator would quickly dismiss Ming Ruan and let him out to open a restaurant for the public good. The food he made looked truly delicious.

Just then, Ming Ruan heard the crisp snap of a breaking branch.

Eh, did something step on a branch?

Ming Ruan lifted the picnic cloth and ducked his head underneath to look.

In the next moment, the atmosphere in the live stream room suddenly changed! Overwhelming exclamation marks and meaningless ‘Watch out, holy crap, holy crap aaaah’ covered the screen.

Ming Ruan felt a gust of wind attack from behind. Immediately after, he felt a force on his shoulder. His limbs went light, his entire body lifted off the ground, and the scenery before his eyes began speeding past!

Wait! His food! His vehicle! His wolf!

Ming Ruan’s pupils quaked.

Picked up in the jaws, Ming Ruan’s limbs weren’t far off the ground. To prevent his legs from dragging and tripping, he could only try his best to curl himself into a ball.

A thought suddenly surfaced unbidden in his mind:

He felt just like a little kitten being carried!

It wasn’t convenient for Ming Ruan to turn back and look, but seeing the ground below, four paws with black and white stripes were sprinting rapidly, alternating.

There was rapid breathing behind him. The spot on his back where he was held was hot, but no unpleasant smell drifted over.

His heartbeat quickened belatedly.

What was it? A tiger?

A guest living in the Sanatorium? Or just an ordinary wild animal?

Where did it pop out from? Why did it suddenly snatch him?

But Ming Ruan wasn’t terribly worried.

After being startled by the gray wolf last time, he had equipped the protective gear provided to Executors by the Sanatorium. As long as the gear detected he was under attack, it would automatically activate an Energy Barrier, isolating him from danger.

Besides.

Ming Ruan wasn’t sure if he was being overconfident.

Although this white tiger’s abduction was very sudden, he actually hadn’t felt much aggression from it.

Just like when he first met the gray wolf.

So Ming Ruan didn’t deliberately resist, avoiding injuring himself during the high-speed movement.

One human and one tiger sped along like this for a long time.

The dense jungle gradually thinned. The soil and terrain began to change, and the sound of flowing water reached his ears.

Ming Ruan grew a little worried. Hadn’t they gone too far?

“Hey, hello there—” Ming Ruan made a faint sound, attempting to communicate.

The white tiger gave no response whatsoever.

Nor did it seem to show where it wanted to take Ming Ruan.

Ming Ruan even felt this tiger didn’t seem to have a destination; it just purely wanted to carry him and run.

Inside the live stream room, the audience had transitioned from scattering in fright and spouting nonsense to calming down slightly.

[So dangerous. Being an Executor really is a high-risk profession. I’ll never curse them again for taking money and doing nothing, holding posts without responsibility.]

[I almost thought Ming Ruan was going to die just like that.]

[How could that happen? Executors stay with Beastmen, they definitely have protective gear to prevent Beastmen from suddenly going crazy and hurting people.]

[Why does the one in front seem like they weren’t just frantically typing in fear a moment ago?]

[Weren’t you all initially looking forward to Ming Ruan dying?]

[? I just… don’t want some innocent Beastman to wake up later and find a human life on their conscience.]

[So nice. Someday when the Galaxy explodes, the next era’s humans can still find your floating mouth in the universe.]

[Is this white tiger a Beastman? This can’t go on like this, right?]

Ming Ruan also felt this couldn’t go on.

Right at that moment, from behind, a long wolf howl suddenly rang out.

Drawn-out and full of power.

Within that single ‘woo’, it was as if a thousand words were spoken.

[The Council Speaker!! Wuwuwu!!]

[Aaah, wolf wolf, hurry and chase!!]

Due to the prolonged running, the white tiger’s speed had gradually decreased. Ming Ruan could feel the panting breaths behind him growing more and more rapid.

The sound of other footsteps finally reached his ears.

The gray wolf was already close behind, almost upon them.

Ming Ruan struggled to turn his head and look back. In the distance, he could see a silver figure leaping like an arrow.

Ming Ruan felt as if he had exchanged a glance with the gray wolf.

Even though he couldn’t see clearly, he could sense the icy, sharp fury dancing in those eyes.

Wait. But!

Ming Ruan belatedly realized, greatly alarmed.

But the gray wolf didn’t have a pack. In single combat, a wolf can’t beat a tiger!!

Just as Ming Ruan was worrying, he saw the gray wolf increase its speed once more, then leap into the air, surpassing the white tiger and the carried Ming Ruan, landing squarely in front to block the path!

In its eyes, a blizzard seemed to be raging.

Having spent dozens of days with the gray wolf, this was the first time Ming Ruan had seen, head-on, the moment the gray wolf unreservedly unleashed its aggression.

Sharp claws, teeth.

Ming Ruan’s thoughts wandered again: Seen like this, was calling him ‘Baby’ a bit inappropriate?

Xie Gewen didn’t even want to recall what he felt when, during his security patrol, he discovered Ming Ruan had been abducted.

Feline Beastmen were the best at concealing themselves. Ming Ruan, perhaps frightened, hadn’t made a single sound either.

Only when the sound of snapping dry branches had echoed continuously for a while did Xie Gewen react.

The Sanatorium Zone wouldn’t release large Ferocious Beast-type Artificial Lifeforms. Whoever took Ming Ruan could only be a Beastman.

Throughout this chase, he felt a panic of losing control, something he hadn’t felt in a long, long time.

Was the Beastman experiencing a Rampage? Was Ming Ruan properly wearing his Executor protective gear? Could the protective gear hold out until he arrived?

If the StarNet public witnessed a Beastman losing control and hurting someone, how could the situation ever be stabilized again?

Was he scared?

…Why hadn’t he discovered a Beastman was tailing them!

Overwhelming emotions pressed down on Xie Gewen’s heart like a weight of a thousand pounds, even making him feel unable to breathe, unable to continue running.

Until this very moment.

The reason that had previously only focused on stopping a rampaging Beastman was swept away entirely by a sudden surge of fury the instant he saw Ming Ruan, wilted and carried by the scruff.

Not enough. Not enough.

Xie Gewen’s gaze locked onto the white tiger before him, and he launched an attack abruptly!

At a certain moment, Ming Ruan suddenly felt a force fling him aside. Fortunately, the surrounding ground was flat and soft. Ming Ruan rolled twice, and was unharmed.

Before his eyes, the white tiger and gray wolf were already locked in combat!

Neither side showed intent to kill the other, but with each bite, fur flew, flesh tore open, and blood flowed freely.

[Holy crap, holy crap, so terrifying!!]

[Ming Ruan actually isn’t running. He really has some guts.]

[Why do I feel like the Council Speaker is even crazier than this white tiger Beastman!!]

[He doesn’t even dodge when the white tiger bites him. The Council Speaker is using a tactic of hurting the enemy eight hundred, losing eight hundred himself.]

[Honestly, Xie Gewen’s combat strength was never that high, right? I remember he wasn’t this reckless before.]

[! No, brothers!! Haven’t you all noticed that thing!]

[I-I-I also noticed, but I don’t dare say it, I’m so scared.]

[Look at the white tiger Beastman’s eyes. Don’t you think… I don’t dare say it.]

And at this moment, Xie Gewen also discovered this fact.

Looking at the white tiger’s golden pupils, he paused slightly, reason returning.

Suddenly, the sound of rushing wind came from beside his ear!