Dogs Saving the World

Hell-cat

At midnight, a figure darted swiftly among the towering buildings. [Turn left and enter the fire escape of that building!] The dog toy barked eagerly in Claude’s mind, urging him to materialize and leap out to help.

Claude remained composed, his tail firmly hooked onto the top of the telephone pole. In moments, he leaped to the nearby closed bakery, transforming into a small raccoon cat and stealthily hiding in the carriage of a tricycle selling snacks. Cross-legged, he observed the pursuing people, now turned around in confusion.

"Another group of super-powered beings," he murmured with a melancholic expression. "Had I known this, I might have joined the Twenty-Eight Constellations. At least then I’d be pursuing them."

It had been nearly half a month since he rescued the child from the fire control. During this period, he encountered the fanatics of the super-power sect almost daily. While he managed most times, today, surrounded by a group, he had to escape.

The Twenty-Eight Constellations had aided him numerous times, capturing many super-powered criminals. Tang Aibai humorously called him the 'wanted criminal attraction machine.' Despite this, Claude felt hesitant to refuse their invitation and seldom sought their help unless in dire circumstances.

[These people probably aim to capture you for research.] The dog toy’s tone carried an edge of anger.

[After all, in their eyes, your identity is a dog demon – possibly the only one to have become a demon in the past thousand years.]

Claude shrugged and watched the disoriented believers walk away. He snapped a picture of the Twenty-Eight Constellations, sending the current coordinates before slipping out of the tricycle and reverting to human form.

"Locate the next Hellcat," he smoothly jumped onto the treetop. "Didn't you just mention another Hellcat appearing?"

[Okay, this is the location.]

Following the dog toy’s guidance, Claude struggled to override the dog instinct and eventually managed to curb the habit of barking. "In the future, we should reduce the time spent as a puppy. Dogs' instincts are too strong."

Casually conversing with the dog toy, Claude suddenly appeared on a wide avenue eight blocks away. Opposite him lay a bustling pedestrian street. He tried to hide in the shadows, keenly searching for the Hellcat's trail.

[Next to the Snowman’s Milk Tea Shop, near the corner of the iron gate!]

Claude obeyed the instructions and spotted men and women in groups, laughing as they waited for milk and tea. A large cat, about five meters away, puffed its breath out, its whiskers upright, staring at the nearest person with a blood-red, menacing gaze, as though ready to pounce.

"Oh, no," Claude muttered.

Local people in Sufang were fearful of the dark and hesitant to go out at night. However, many outsiders who frequented the area didn't comprehend the rules or took the rumors lightly. Even in the late hours, tourist-laden pedestrian and snack streets remained active.

But most of these areas were brightly lit, repelling creatures like Hellcats, averse to light and water. This was Claude's first encounter with Hellcats in such an illuminated place.

The situation demanded swift action. Claude jumped onto the Hellcat, firmly gripping its tail before it lunged at a passerby. Rolling together in the cement, the impact dented the door of the milk tea shop more than half a meter deep, causing a cloud of dust and triggering countless screams.

Avoiding panic, Claude pinned down the Hellcat, flung it into a remote alleyway, and pursued it. In midair, unsatisfied, he stepped on the Hellcat's belly and leaped. The Hellcat bit his wrist, drawing blood with its sharp teeth.

The expected excruciating pain surged through Claude, but he remained focused. His metal claw struck the Hellcat's head, forcing it to release, leaving a deep visible gash through the bone.

"This hellcat must be an evolved type-stronger, faster, with heightened reaction and less fear of light and water. Most likely, it has developed the hellcat's superpowers."

As Claude bantered with the dog toy, he tried to gather courage, pushing past his fear. Despite his trembling hand from the wounds, he persevered, hopping on one leg, engaging the hellcat in a fierce battle. "What superpowers? This guy can fight and bite people; doesn't that count?"

Before the dog toy could reply, the hellcat demonstrated its abilities. Two beams of red light, reminiscent of the laser pointer Claude played with as a child, shot directly towards him, narrowly missing and piercing the wall behind him effortlessly.

"Powerful, huh?" Claude looked up in astonishment. "Is it really a hellcat? You could tell me it's from Krypton, and I'd believe you!"

"My advice? Read more books, watch fewer cartoons."

"Next time you give me a book about dog gods, I'll read it," he joked.

Despite his injuries, Claude continued to converse with the dog toy and attempted to overcome his fear. Evading the hellcat's red beam attacks, he noticed his bleeding leg and waning strength. He stood still, intentionally taking a direct hit to his shoulder. The metal claws scraped heavily across his neck.

With a loud noise and a puff of black smoke, the hellcat vanished, leaving only the echo of its defeat.

Breathing heavily, Claude leaned against the damp alley wall, covered in moss. After a moment, he looked at his injured calf, feigning tears, "Dog toy, if I'm disabled, will you still take me?"

"Are you using a dual-account to showcase some odd acting skills?" the dog toy responded, speechless at the turn of events.

"The LiHua Dog account is a fusion of the Dog god's body and soul fragments, with the ability to heal itself. Plus, you just banished an upgraded hellcat, depleting its mental energy. The Dog god's spiritual energy and divine power can aid in repairing your body. Rest for a day, and your injuries will mend," it comforted Claude.

Exhaling in relief, Claude gazed at the damaged alley and the destruction caused. Feeling guilty about the chaos, he inquired, "Dog toy, am I working for the dog god?"

"I suppose you could consider it that way. What's on your mind?"

"Does the dog god reimburse for combat losses?"

...

"The dog toy remained silent, unwilling to speak up.

Claude had anticipated as much. He wagged his tail in frustration.

"Then, suppose I join the 28 Constellations now-would they cover combat losses?"

"They might? I'm uncertain," the dog toy weakly guessed.

Claude leaned against the wall, hopping back home on one leg. Passing a small alley corner with a walnut tree, he casually snapped off a branch to use as a walking stick, limping home slowly.

"Thankfully, my house isn't far," he patted his chest, a relieved smile on his face. "If it were like before, crossing half the city, I might not make it home by tomorrow night."

"The account can be remotely transferred for use in distant places, but it drains more mental energy," the dog toy reminded him."

“Then I won’t have the energy to listen to class tomorrow!” Claude raised his eyebrows disapprovingly. “Tomorrow’s math class is going to be about conic sections, which are really difficult!”

The dog toy was speechless. Since it followed the legacy of the dog god and chose Claude as its master, it had become increasingly confused in trying to understand him. For instance, now, this young boy who had been chased by the malicious followers and suffered severe injuries from the hellcat’s counterattack, was alone, enduring pain and hardship on his way home. And what he was thinking about was actually an ordinary math class tomorrow.

Another example was the sudden communication device. Tang Aibai, who had apparently been spotted on nearby surveillance cameras, only focused on whether Claude was injured and needed the help of a healing superpower. After receiving a negative answer, he even comforted him by saying, “Don’t worry about the damage caused by the battle. We have reported the situation with the hellcat for approval, and all damage related to the hellcat will be covered by the national treasury.”

Clearly, they could have easily gained a perfect enforcer by coercing or even just handing the bill to Claude, but they actually let him go! The dog toy didn’t understand, but it felt at ease. Even the sadness of recalling the past after seeing the hellcat was slowly soothed by this gentle feeling of reassurance.

“Won, why is there still such a long way to go?” Claude muttered, hanging up the communication. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have been so stubborn and let Captain Tang drive me back.”

[You can still call back now.]

“No way! I still have my pride!” Claude’s hair bristled, and his head wagged like a rattle. Even his dog had ears flapped. “If Captain Tang knew I had been bitten by a cat and lost half my leg, it would be very humiliating! Besides, it would reveal my home address!”

[I think they already know where you live-although they probably think you’re your family’s pet dog.]

The dog toy splashed cold water.

Yes, you reminded me that I need to buy a dog bowl and a dog scratching board online tomorrow, to create the illusion of having a dog at home.

[Really? I feel like you can’t control the instincts of the dog and want to play with the dog scratching board?]

Claude became angry and said in his native language, “Wah-wah-wah! It’s not a dog!” …

He and the dog toy were walking home, preoccupied, and even the severe pain in his calves and shoulders had eased a lot-although to others, this self-talk and intense emotional fluctuation seemed quite abnormal.

“Is this guy really a dog demon?” The man holding the telescope turned back and asked in silence, “Is he a psychopath who likes cosplay?”

“Intelligence cannot be wrong,” the person behind him said impatiently. “The leader has sent another group to distract the Nangong team of the Twenty-Eight Constellations. This time, the dog demon was seriously injured and isolated. We must take him down and make sure there are no more problems!”

The man immediately became serious, put on his hood, and turned into a gray mist with the other four, disappearing into the night.

Supernatural beings are a rare resource, and recently many have been captured by the Twenty-Eight Constellations. Their double-pronged operation has already drawn out their entire forces. If they can capture the Dog Demon for research, their sect will surely stand out among the major supernatural sects in the constellations. If they fail to capture it-the man grits his teeth.

This time, there will be no possibility of failure!