The day Jiang Ying decided to buy a Beastman Guide Dog, she never imagined something like this would happen.
Half a month ago, winter had just begun.
It was the Third Anniversary of the Federation’s Founding, and celebratory banners hung across every street and alley.
On the big screen across the road, Federal News was broadcasting:
“…The missing Imperial Beastman General’s whereabouts remain unknown. Without their Commander-in-Chief, The Empire is scattered like sand. The Federal Government predicts breaching Imperial defenses within two years. The newly appointed Federal Commander will continue leading the White Knights’ Beastman Army against The Empire…”
Passersby hurried along, none caring about distant politics and war.
“Hah…”
Jiang Ying cupped her hands to her mouth, breathing warmth to thaw her frozen thoughts.
She was especially averse to the cold. Before transmigrating here, she had even considered moving somewhere warm nearly year-round.
After transmigrating, adapting became even harder.
This was a hot-blooded battle series centered on the conflict between Humans and Beastmen, set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland rebuilt after the end of the world. This wasn’t Earth either, with little regard for scientific logic. The climate was absurdly cold. In the region where she lived, winter had barely started, yet the temperature was already unbelievably low.
When the pedestrian crossing signal chimed, Jiang Ying gripped her blind cane, stepping along the uneven tactile paving, and cautiously moved forward.
A mere half-minute street crossing felt endlessly long after losing her sight.
After transmigrating, not only did she not enjoy a smooth ride like a novel’s female lead, but she also injured her eyes in an accident and lost her vision.
After that, she lived quietly for three years, finally saving up enough money to buy a Beastman Guide Dog.
The Beastman Employment Agency was right across the street.
The moment she pushed open the door, warm air enveloped her.
At the same time, her thermo-regulating clothing began automatically adjusting.
She wore a mid-range brand. It was sufficient against the extreme cold outdoors, but its temperature control efficiency wasn’t that high. It took over a dozen seconds to adapt to the indoor warmth, leaving her a bit uncomfortably hot in the meantime.
A sales clerk came to her side.
The clerk’s entire forearm had been replaced with metal prosthetics, exposed without any fabric covering.
This was a prosthetic body culture that had become popular many years ago. Once body modification gained widespread acceptance, a frenzy for flaunting metal exteriors swept through the younger generation.
Current technology could already replace up to eighty percent of human organs, eyes included.
Prosthetic eyeballs could restore sight to the blind, but the cost was so exorbitant that ordinary people simply couldn’t afford them.
Much like her pre-transmigration situation, rigorous selection standards and high training costs doomed animal guide dogs to never become widespread in the Federation either.
Compared to animals, Beastmen had natural linguistic and intellectual advantages, were easy to train, and relatively cheap.
Beastman Guide Dogs thus became the top choice for the visually impaired, greatly solving their mobility issues.
The sales clerk smiled, discreetly sizing her up.
“Welcome to the Beastman Employment Agency. May I ask what kind of Beastman you’re interested in?”
Even though she noticed Jiang Ying couldn’t see, she didn’t point it out directly.
“You can provide your preferred Beastman species or required occupation. Of course, browsing is also fine.”
Seeing that Jiang Ying was a young woman, the clerk assumed she had seen those posts flaunting romances with Beastmen. “Hiring Beastmen is very popular among young people lately, especially good-looking ones. Lots of Human-Beastman couples have formed from employment relationships and gone viral online.”
“Cou- couples?”
Jiang Ying was astonished.
She was genuinely perplexed. “But Humans and Beastmen aren’t the same species. They’re just like little animals. How can they become couples with people?”
“Ah, so you’re… I apologize.”
The sales clerk’s face showed sudden realization, and she quickly changed the subject. “Then what kind of Beastman do you need?”
“Um… I need a guide dog,” Jiang Ying said.
She used the quantifier “one.”
This was a classic symptom of Beastman Cognitive Disorder.
Sufferers couldn’t properly recognize the Beastman race, developing varying degrees of deviations in their understanding of the relationship between Beastmen and Humans.
It was a psychological condition that had emerged in recent years. Mild patients still held friendly, respectful, and equal attitudes toward Beastmen, but their brains simply couldn’t form the correct concept, making it hard to distinguish Beastmen from ordinary animals.
Others had severe cognitive disorder with extreme views, mostly brainwashed by the Extreme Resistance Faction.
Then there were those who had proper cognition, yet still didn’t treat Beastmen as equals to Humans. The purposes behind such people coming here weren’t necessarily wholesome.
The sales clerk harbored a measure of distaste for that type.
Seeing that Jiang Ying had no intention of hiring a Beastman as a partner, the clerk’s impression of her actually improved.
As for her cognitive disorder, explaining things to people with Beastman Cognitive Disorder was pointless.
“A guide dog. Yes, one guide dog.”
The clerk accommodated her phrasing. “You’ve come to the right place. Our Reception Center boasts the highest overall quality and most docile Guide Dog Beastmen in the entire Federation. I guarantee you’ll find one to your satisfaction today.”
Her gaze swept over the blind cane in Jiang Ying’s hand. “Please follow me. To your left—the wall has a handrail.”
Jiang Ying probed ahead with her cane.
When she first lost her sight, she had been terrified of bumping into people or breaking public property with this stick. It took her a long time to cautiously master the right force.
She walked in the direction the clerk indicated, found the handrail, and gained a little more security.
Though ever since arriving at the Beastman Occupation Reception Center, she had been walking on tactile paving the whole time.
Perhaps because more and more blind people had become customers, the facility here was extremely friendly to the visually impaired.
The sales clerk led her toward the reception room.
Both sides of the corridor featured display windows, with various Beastmen exhibited inside.
Some stared eagerly at her as she passed, never averting their gaze. Others threw her a casual glance before looking away.
Jiang Ying wasn’t sensitive to gazes and didn’t perceive the various emotions within them.
The sales clerk was accustomed to such stares and dutifully introduced the nearby Beastmen along the way.
There were common canines and felines, along with rarer swans, sharks, and snakes—
Jiang Ying froze, shrinking toward the other side. “I’m a bit afraid of snakes.”
Fortunately, the reception room was already here, so she no longer had to expose herself to that snake Beastman’s gaze.
“Our center’s Guide Dog Beastmen are all professionally trained. You can first browse and roughly select your preferred Beastman, and I will arrange for them to meet you. As you know, forming contracts between customers and Beastmen requires mutual selection. Meeting face-to-face is always best.”
The clerk handed her a tablet listing the available Beastmen.
“Do you have any requirements regarding the Beastman’s appearance? Connecting to the brain-computer interface allows you to ‘see’ their looks.”
“Ah…” Jiang Ying hesitated. “Does that cost extra?”
“Yes.”
“No, thank you.” Her budget was limited.
She activated the tablet’s voice assistant, roughly getting to know each guide dog’s information.
In this occupation, the Beastmen selected and trained were mostly gentle-natured and non-aggressive.
As for other traits that drove price differences, she didn’t really need them.
Her selection criteria were extremely clear-cut.
Among the listing information, Jiang Ying picked the Beastman placed at the very bottom, the one with a shockingly low price, named “Su Heng.”
To be precise, a Sub-Beastman. Sub-Beastmen were hybrids among Beastmen, possessing both Beastman and Human genes. Their appearance was closer to Humans, with only partial beastly features.
In this anime’s world setting, Sub-Beastmen were rejected by both sides, occupying a rather awkward position in society.
Thus, in the Beastman Employment Agency, Sub-Beastmen were priced far lower than other purebred Beastmen.
“Are you certain you want to choose him?”
The sales clerk suppressed a look of surprise.
The low price wasn’t just because of his Sub-Beastman identity.
The clerk didn’t know the exact circumstances that landed him here, only that his background was significant. He had likely offended some high-ranking person and been exiled.
She tactfully reminded, “This Sub-Beastman hasn’t been at the shop long. He just finished guide dog training and has no actual work experience. He also has leopard genes mixed in, so his habits differ from other guide dogs. He’s more independent in personality, and his loyalty and obedience to an employer will be lower.”
A doggy mixed with leopard genes?
Jiang Ying fell into thought.
Leopards were felines. So his habits would be partly like a dog’s and partly like a cat’s.
And since he could work as a guide dog, he should mostly still be a dog, right?
Nothing wrong, probably?
She made her decision. “I’ll pick this one.”
“Wouldn’t you reconsider?” the clerk attempted again. “If the contract is terminated due to the employer’s fault within the contract period, high liquidated damages must be paid.”
Jiang Ying firmly pointed at the screen. “Mm. I want this one.”
The sales clerk couldn’t override the customer’s decision. She stopped dissuading and took the tablet. “Very well. Please wait a moment. I’ll bring your chosen Beastman here. If he agrees to form an employment relationship with you, I will draft the contract.”
Jiang Ying nodded. “Okay.”
It sounded no different from picking a puppy at a kennel.
Among a litter of puppies, she had spotted one at first glance.
And among those pups, that one had been the most enthusiastic toward her. The moment it saw her approach, it pawed at the cage desperately trying to rub against her hand, sticking out its tongue to lick her fingertips fervently.
Pet ownership really did require some fate.
Like how she hadn’t even picked up that puppy before transmigrating here.
Like how now, she didn’t have the capital to rely on fate either.
She could only rely on money.
After the tall, silent Beastman entered the reception room, Jiang Ying rose from the sofa and, under the sales clerk’s shocked gaze, felt her way over to him.
“Wait—”
The clerk gasped, about to stop her, but fell silent under the man’s cold, sharp glare.
With one look, the clerk knew he was no ordinary Beastman.
Despite his handsome appearance, the man’s aura made it impossible to summon the courage to look him in the face.
His eyes were intensely aggressive, hiding the bloodthirsty edge of a battlefield killer. Coldness gathered between his brows, showing none of the traits a guide dog should possess.
Even reduced to this state, his entire being exuded the oppressive presence of someone accustomed to authority.
Jiang Ying, unable to see anything, remained completely oblivious.
She stopped before him and asked tentatively, “Hello there. I can’t see. May I touch you?”
“…”
Su Heng lowered his eyes and silently regarded the girl looking up at him.
She had some misunderstanding about his height, her vacant gaze focusing around his neck, brushing faintly over his Adam’s apple in a way that displeased him.
His brow had barely begun to furrow, before he could even narrow his eyes, when a peculiar scent drifted into his nostrils, making him briefly lose focus.
Catnip.
It was the scent of the pheromones on the girl before him.
The attraction was fatally potent, rooting him in place instantly, even his fingertips tingling and trembling numb.
Before this, Su Heng had never imagined he would react so intensely to a Human’s pheromones.
This was too dangerous.
He knew he should flatly refuse this absurd job, should leave this room immediately, and stay far, far away from her.
Yet he could barely control the urge to draw closer.
Su Heng was silent for several seconds, then rasped his reply: “You can.”
Only after speaking did he realize how hoarse his voice had become.
Under the continuous stimulation of pheromones, he had no choice but to adopt the stance least likely to harm her. He knelt on one knee before her, bowing his head.
The sales clerk, who had been hiding in the corner somewhat afraid of him, cried out in shock, then immediately covered her mouth in lingering fear.
Jiang Ying only sensed the Beastman in front of her shift; she couldn’t see his current posture.
His broad, forbearing back was exposed beneath her. His deep, smoky-gray eyes fixed on the ankle revealed by her approach.
After a long moment, Su Heng wrenched back the animal instinct rising inexplicably. He averted his gaze, reining in the predatory look a beast reveals only before its prey.
The waiting was agonizingly unbearable.
She had said she wanted to touch him, yet her hand still hadn’t fallen.
He raised his head to see her reaching out in confusion, feeling around the air above his head.
“Here.”
Su Heng caught her fingers, carefully controlling his strength, and guided them to his forehead.
Releasing her hand at once, he added, “Forgive my rudeness.”
Jiang Ying startled.
Not only because she hadn’t expected him to crouch before her, but also because of the scorching temperature transmitted to her fingertips.
Canine Beastmen have much higher body temperatures than Humans. When she touched his forehead, she nearly thought he had a fever.
She tentatively moved her fingers, feeling the soft hair at his brow.
Exploring further to the side, she touched the beast ears atop his head.
They stood upright. Pointy. Fluffy.
She couldn’t tell if they were dog ears or leopard ears.
She wanted to ask him, but the ear tips quivered and twitched under her fingertips, interrupting her thoughts.
Embarrassed, Jiang Ying sheepishly pulled back her hand, yet curiosity got the better of her, and she continued downward to feel the curve of his cheek.
Angular contours. Rising and falling beneath her fingers with his breathing.
If only the brain-computer interface didn’t cost extra, Jiang Ying thought. She was actually quite curious about his looks.
But for now, she could only use a blind person’s method to perceive the doggy she had chosen.
Following his jawline down, as her fingers passed his neck, she noticed the dog’s breathing had grown heavier.
Did he dislike this?
Just as her movements paused, Su Heng once again took her hand, moving her fingertips away just before they grazed his Adam’s apple, placing them on his shoulder.
Only after doing this did he finally dare swallow the heartbeat that had nearly surged out of his throat.
The mere thought of her fingers sliding over his Adam’s apple made his animal instincts impossible to suppress.
Jiang Ying had no idea what the man before her was holding back.
She was still absorbed in her exploration.
Following where he had placed her hand, she felt his solid arm, all the way down, then touched his firm abdominal muscles.
“Huh.” She halted in puzzlement.
Other than the ears, he didn’t feel any different from a Human, right?
Did he have a tail?
Would it feel nice?
She reached out again, trying to reach behind him.
But before she could succeed, Su Heng caught her.
“…No,” he said hoarsely.
“Huh?” She hadn’t caught on.
Su Heng firmly moved her hand away. “…The tail can’t be touched.”
“Oh.” Jiang Ying was a bit disappointed.
Still, after this round of exploration, she had a decent enough grasp.
Letting her be this brazen, this Beastman hadn’t made a fuss or caused a ruckus. His temper was probably good, his personality seemingly steady.
Most importantly, he was very cheap.
She finally remembered to do the important thing.
To sign a contract with a Beastman required mutual selection. She had to seek his consent, ask his intentions.
Without agonizing long, Jiang Ying recalled interactions between humans and puppies. Leaning in closer, she intended to kiss the tip of Su Heng’s nose, just like kissing a puppy’s nose.
She miscalculated the distance and angle, and her lips landed on the corner of his mouth.
Kissing a doggy’s mouth corner was no big deal; Jiang Ying didn’t think much of it.
But that “mwah” sound made those smoky-gray pupils shudder violently.
Su Heng’s lips parted slightly, his breath catching sharply. His head pounded and swelled, the roots of his ears burning red where she couldn’t see.
Amid the dizzying tinnitus, he heard her say:
“Good doggy, do you want to come with me?”