A good dog…
Su Heng suddenly raised his head and looked at her.
His eyes were utterly innocent, devoid of any malice whatsoever. As if, to her, he really was just a clueless little dog.
Beastman Cognitive Disorder.
He confirmed this diagnosis almost immediately.
In the eyes of the girl before him, he was probably no different from a dog.
A pet, a tool, or even a plaything to be handled at will. He could be anything, but definitely not a “person”.
The Federation had always been this way. Those in power loathed Beastmen and used every means to make other Federation Citizens reject them too.
This cognitive disorder was just another tool they used to control the human masses. Though it was still crude, with unpredictable effectiveness.
That kiss meant absolutely nothing. He should have known that.
Yet, he couldn’t control his own physiological response. Like a dog receiving praise from its owner, he felt a thrill from her kiss, instinctively wanting to fawn and wag his tail for favor.
Su Heng felt a burning shame and anger at his own uncontrollable behavior.
To make matters worse, the instigator was even expecting a reaction from him.
How could he possibly respond?
The more tense he became, the more her casual indifference stood out.
After kissing him, the girl unconsciously licked her lips, drawing his gaze.
Su Heng’s eyes trembled. He clenched his fists, letting his arms fall to his sides, and took two steps back to put distance between them.
“If you wish to hire me as your Guide Dog, a formal Contract Bonding is required,” he said stiffly. “A unilateral invitation carries no legal weight. Furthermore…”
There was an extended pause. Only when confusion flickered across her face did Su Heng finally utter the last sentence with grim seriousness.
“Furthermore, I am not yet your dog.”
His tone was polite, restrained, and distant. Combined with the content of his words, it created a strange, discordant feeling.
That is, for a normal person.
Jiang Ying found nothing odd about it at all, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It was the same when buying a dog at a kennel: you sign the contract, pay the deposit, and only after the vaccinations and final payment does the little dog truly become hers.
In her eyes, whether a Beastman or Sub-Beastman, there was no difference between them and a little dog.
So, rather than Su Heng’s unnatural attitude, she was far more concerned with the rights and benefits she could secure.
The keyword “Contract Bonding” had jogged her memory.
Jiang Ying pondered for a moment, then turned her head and asked, “Oh right, I heard that if the Mental Power Compatibility with a Beastman is over 70%, there are discounts for the bonding?”
The Sales Clerk snapped back to attention. “Yes, yes, absolutely. To encourage employers to hire Beastmen, the government offers discounts upon a successful match. 70% compatibility gets you 20% off, 80% gets you 30% off, and if it exceeds 90%, you can enjoy a half-price deal.”
Jiang Ying began calculating in her head.
The conditions for a Beastman’s mental link were strict; a half-price deal was practically impossible.
Based on current Federation reports, the cases where Human and Beastman Mental Power Compatibility exceeded 90% were few, typically involving partners fighting on the front lines.
For an ordinary person to exceed 80% compatibility with any Beastman was already exceptionally rare.
But reaching over 70%… there was still a little hope.
Her main goal in getting a Guide Dog was to gain a pair of “eyes”. If luck granted her a high compatibility, it would naturally be even better.
Furthermore, with the discounts factored in, some Beastmen she’d previously thought of as slightly pricey would become relatively more affordable if they were highly compatible with her, making the cost-performance ratio much higher.
Raising a pet truly does depend on karmic affinity.
Thank goodness future technology could materialize that affinity.
With this in mind, she asked another question. “How much does a matching test cost?”
The Sales Clerk chuckled. “Our establishment offers free Mental Power compatibility testing.”
Visible delight bloomed on Jiang Ying’s face. “So, can I try matching with the other dogs too?”
“…” Completely caught off guard by such a request, Su Heng’s aura unconsciously turned heavy.
Although his current identity was just a cover to infiltrate the Federation, being placed squarely in the position of a commodity, weighed and compared against his compatriots—it truly didn’t sit well with him.
Mingled within were also some sentimental emotions he deliberately chose to ignore.
Jealousy. Dissatisfaction. A competitive streak.
That damnable, genetically ingrained drive for closeness to Humans had never troubled him before, yet now it seemed to erupt fully in her presence.
As the “commodity” in question, he naturally had no right to sway the customer’s thinking.
And the principle of mutual choice between customer and Beastman was the Beastman Occupation Reception Center’s first priority. The Sales Clerk had no reason to refuse Jiang Ying.
Besides, the clerk hadn’t dealt with this newly arrived Beastman before. She hadn’t expected him to be so unapproachable. In just over ten minutes, his oppressive aura had her thoroughly intimidated.
In the past two years, with the rise of Beastman Employment Agencies, more and more Humans were hiring Beastmen to do their work. But the accompanying negative news reports increased daily.
After all, Beastmen carried beastly genes and risked losing control at any moment.
Just recently, there were reports of Beastmen murdering, even devouring, their Human employers after conflicts arose…
The man before her had an overwhelming, oppressive presence that was all too easy to associate with those horrific stories.
There was no way he could be a Guide Dog.
Especially not for a girl who looked so innocent and fragile.
Wouldn’t he just end up eating her?
Although the agency’s contract stated the employer bore the risks during employment, the Sales Clerk couldn’t bear the thought of such a thing happening to her client.
The Sales Clerk coughed lightly, bringing out her tablet to pass to her again.
As she spoke, she cast cautious, furtive glances at the Beastman standing before the girl. “Of course. As long as both parties have the intention, our establishment can provide free Mental Power matching services.”
Su Heng remained silent.
His gaze never left the girl, yet even without voicing an objection, his entire being radiated displeasure.
Jiang Ying, however, wasn’t looking at him at all. Her attention was solely on the Voice Assistant narration from the tablet.
As the introductions played one by one, Su Heng stood quietly in place, the focus of his eyes on the tablet in her hands.
Labrador, Golden Retriever, Australian Shepherd…
Su Heng noticed she lingered longer on the pages of those specific Beastmen. An inexplicable feeling of hostility stirred within him.
But Jiang Ying still didn’t perceive Su Heng’s burning stare.
She was memorizing the price of each Guide Dog, busy calculating the discounts under various compatibility levels.
If she could reach 70% compatibility, that Labrador would be a bargain.
If it hit 80%, she could even consider the slightly pricier Golden Retriever.
Actually, the dog she’d wanted to raise before transmigrating was an Australian Shepherd. But to pick that one, she’d need 90% compatibility just to afford it…
She wasn’t holding out much hope for the half-price deal, but clinging to the gambler’s luck of “the next pull will definitely be an SSR”, she decided to try anyway.
“May I see these few? Thank you.”
Jiang Ying gave the numbers to the Sales Clerk.
It was indeed those few. Su Heng narrowed his eyes.
The government had originally banned Beastmen of certain dangerous canine breeds from serving as Guide Dogs. The registry was full of docile, non-aggressive Beastmen. If an employer faced danger, they might be unable to handle it.
Compared to those breeds, he was the optimal choice.
Without a doubt.
Yet, just as this thought surfaced, he heard her say, “I actually quite like the Australian Shepherd.”
It was just that the price was a bit high.
Jiang Ying smiled sheepishly. “Would be great if I could reach 90% compatibility.”
“…”
Su Heng found the words inexplicably grating.
What was so great about an Australian Shepherd?
Could it be she liked that flashy, multicolored coat, the pretty, delicate ones that love to act cute?
If it was about being affectionate, he could also…
Stop!
Su Heng pressed his lips tight, ashamed that such an unreasonable thought had even crossed his mind.
A few minutes later, the Sales Clerk brought the three dogs Jiang Ying had selected into the Reception Room.
All three had pure Canine genes and a natural affinity for Humans, especially a soft-seeming girl like Jiang Ying in their view.
Dogs can always sense a Human’s attitude toward them, distinguishing who is friendly and who is hostile, determining immediately whether they like the person before them.
Both before transmigrating and now, Jiang Ying was the type of Human animals adored.
The moment they saw her, the dogs’ tails began wagging behind them.
The enthusiasm of his kin made Su Heng instantly narrow his eyes.
He found that he didn’t want to see her do to them what she had done to him—to kiss them like that.
Nor did he want to admit that, right now, he resembled a dog jealous of its owner interacting with other creatures.
Just then, Jiang Ying repeated the request she had made to Su Heng earlier. “May I pet you?”
The dogs craved her touch.
However, like dogs, Canine Beastmen operate under an extremely strict hierarchy within their packs. Aware of a more dominant individual present, even the most enthusiastic dogs would temper their excitement under his intimidating aura.
Under Su Heng’s frowning, icy scrutiny, the three newly arrived Beastmen dared not even speak.
But the tails wagging behind them refused to stop, betraying their current excitement.
Had Jiang Ying not been blind and able to give a response, the dogs might have been unable to restrain the urge to rush forward and pounce on her, licking her wildly.
Jiang Ying waited a moment; still, no one responded.
She tilted her head, intending to ask the Sales Clerk, but inadvertently let her “gaze” settle on the Golden Retriever Canine Beastman.
“Are Guide Dog Beastmen all very shy?” she asked, puzzled.
The Golden Retriever dog caught her “attention”. His tail began swinging frantically behind him, thumping against the nearby sofa with loud thwack-thwack-thwack noises.
Jiang Ying was startled. “Wh-what’s that sound?”
“It’s my tail.” The Golden Retriever finally couldn’t hold back. “Did I scare you? I’m sorry! I-I’m just so excited.”
Su Heng shot him a chilling look.
He felt embarrassed for the first time by his fellow kin’s foolish behavior.
A Golden Retriever.
Always overdoing things when excited, completely unaware of how painfully hard that tail could hit.
He was completely unsuited for her.
“…”
He froze for a second, suddenly jolted by the realization that he’d just placed himself in competition with the other Beastman Guide Dogs.
It must be the possessiveness triggered by the pheromones.
It wasn’t his true intent.
Absolutely not.
Su Heng tried to shake off the feeling, finding it excessively difficult.
“Aren’t we here to test Mental Power?”
He spoke up abruptly, interrupting the Golden Retriever’s barely contained attempt to lean in for Jiang Ying’s pets. His gaze swept to the Sales Clerk beside them. “Please begin.”
“R-right away.”
Perhaps it was her imagination, but the Sales Clerk felt the man before her looked like he was guarding his food right now.
Under the pressure of his stare, she nervously brought out the testing device. “Both parties just need to press their foreheads to either side. Um… who’d like to go first?”
Su Heng didn’t move.
He didn’t want to appear too eager.
The other three Beastmen, wary of him, also didn’t dare move, simply watching as the Reception Room fell into an awkward silence.
Jiang Ying felt a little embarrassed. “Do you all just not like me? You don’t want to come with me? I…”
Her voice abruptly stopped as she felt a touch against her forehead.
Su Heng had leaned forward before her, pressing his forehead against the opposite side of the device, meeting hers.
He averted his gaze with deliberate reserve, his voice low and cold.
“Don’t get distracted.”
The moment he said those few words, he knew perfectly well that she wasn’t the one who needed to focus. He was the one finding it hard to resist staring at her lips.
Yet, the scent of catnip was impossible to escape.
And so close, her breath, too cold for a Canine Beastman’s liking.
Puff after puff, sprayed against his sensitive nostrils.
Even after looking away, he could still see in his peripheral vision her eyelashes fluttering, the earlier dejection swept away, replaced by an expression of novelty and eager anticipation.
Su Heng took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut.
He was the Commander-in-Chief of an enemy nation.
He was meant to lead the Beastman Army to raze the Federation, drive the Humans from the Safe Zones, and reclaim their dignity.
And she was a Human.
A Federation Citizen. Someone he loathed.
An enemy.
Everything he was doing right now was simply to use her.
Staying close to a naive, harmless girl was the most convenient cover for his secret operations.
That was all.
Just using her.
Just. Using. Her.
Yet, no matter how many times he warned himself, the instinct he was desperately suppressing still stirred restlessly.
The other Mechanical Arm hanging at his side seemed faulty, unable to stop trembling.
Su Heng was forced to clench his fist so tightly the Leather Gloves strained taut over his long fingers, the metal joints groaning under the immense grip.
And beneath that metallic groan, hidden from everyone’s eyes—
He struggled to suppress a tail that was about to wag straight up in the air.