Dogs Saving the World

Yan An qing

Claude leaned on a makeshift crutch, determinedly hopping down the street. Despite the chilly spring air, his sweatshirt clung to his back. The pain in his leg was fierce, yet he found solace in the resilience of a stray dog he encountered.

"Seriously, on one leg, it can still bound several meters and land securely," Claude gestured grandly, his voice tinged with irony. "Don't mistake my current state for weakness-I could take on two hellhounds!"

"Now's the chance to see if you're just boasting," a voice in his head commented.

"Five pursuers, four of whom have superpowers, and one likely broadcasting your every move-is this the challenge you compare to two hellhounds?" Claude gasped, longing to turn back but forcing himself to ignore the urge. With his ears pricked, he tried to identify the pursuers' approach amidst the howling wind. He lurched to the side, as if overcome by fatigue, flinging his crutch at the oncoming figure.

The assailant, realizing he'd been detected, abandoned his ruse. With a sneer, his feet misted over, and he moved with preternatural speed.

"This guy's power seems to be connected with mist. It's usually influenced by the weather and season. If it were daylight, his strength would be significantly diminished," the voice continued its analysis.

"Daylight won't help us now," Claude replied, his voice weak. "It's nighttime."

Ignoring his injury, he sprinted towards the residential area, weaving through the roadside grass, leaping over a heap of discarded furniture, and sliding into a dimly lit, twisting underground garage. He followed the rusted iron cables of an abandoned elevator shaft, climbing upwards.

Claude took circuitous routes, staying out of sight and avoiding high-rise snipers by finding cover. But his body, battered and bleeding, was a testament to his struggle. He couldn't shake his pursuers, and their footfalls grew ever closer.

The dog's enhanced night vision allowed Claude to see a dusty ventilation duct in the center of the shaft. With a burst of strength, he kicked hard, leaping to snatch the plastic cover off the duct in a single motion. He quickly transformed into a small tan dog and squeezed inside.

His black clothes fell to the bottom of the shaft.

"When we retrieve those clothes, they'll be covered in dust and perhaps insects," the tan dog commented softly. "They'll be difficult to clean."

In dog form, Claude's injured right leg was evident, with silver-gray fur mixed with blood and grime. He looked forlorn. After listening for a moment, Claude silently dashed up the ventilation duct.

The passageway was convoluted, and Claude quickly lost his sense of direction. Minutes later, he caught a glimpse of daylight and cautiously pushed open the plastic filter blocking his way with a paw. He limped from the duct, his injured leg dragging.

The duct opening faced a landscaped area next to the building's courtyard. Claude's figure was obscured by the holy hedges at the entrance to the building's hallway, where several people stood chatting.

"Our organization went to great lengths to divert the 28th constellation, but we still suffered five losses this time. How dare you return and tell me you let him get away!?" one man spat, his voice low but loaded with anger and fear.

"With five elite members tracking him, how could he possibly escape? Is this dog some kind of deity?"

"Hey, they've guessed correctly! You are a god-chosen being, in the form of a dog, within the realm where deities once ruled. You could be considered an independent god, with a following of your own," the voice boasted.

Claude tuned out the daily recitation of the voice's "past glories" and focused on the surrounding conversation.

Here's a revised version with some grammar adjustments:

The four super-powered individuals responsible for chasing him engaged in a bit of passing the buck until the leader, losing patience, interrupted them:

"Don't argue! The most important thing now is that the cat-and-mouse game has entered a new stage! You guys quickly split up and investigate the area! The guy may not be fast, but he hasn't run far! And you," he pointed to a tall and burly man, "check the surveillance footage nearby! It'll be dawned in half an hour! We have to catch him before then!"

"Why don't you go back the way you came and hide in the ventilation shaft for a while?" suggested "Doggy Toy."

"No," Claude shook his head, "didn't you hear them talking? The skinny guy with the bug-controlling ability, if there are mosquitoes gathering in a place like the ventilation shaft, he'll find them sooner or later."

The hind leg that had lost too much blood and hadn't properly recovered had already begun to stiffen. The tan-colored dog clearly felt the heat slowly draining from his body. He realized he couldn't hold on much longer, so he carefully emerged from the shrubs and crawled along the outside wall of the building, slowly climbing upward.

Reaching the tenth or eleventh floor, he jumped onto the balcony of the adjacent household and used the force to climb onto the railings of another household.

"You seem very familiar with this residential area?" Seeing Claude effortlessly jump to the corner of a building that was outside the scope of the surveillance camera, and he didn't even stop to observe the environment in the middle of the road, "Doggy Toy" asked curiously.

"My friend lives in this residential area; I've been here many times before," Claude answered casually, "but not here, over there."

He pointed his paw to the iron wire that separated the front and back areas of the residential area on the second floor and landed on the ground. The pain of his injured leg touching the ground made him grimace for a while before summoning up his courage to continue running.

At the lowest part of the fine iron wire fence, where it intersected with the power box in the landscaped area, there was a slit about half a meter wide.

The tan dog darted inside like a bolt of lightning.

"The people who live here are either wealthy or noble, and their security measures are perfect," he said, greatly relieved. "At least they won't catch dogs at midnight with a few unknown individuals."

Even if these super-powered individuals have unique methods, in order not to alert the authorities, they dare not confront security guards directly but will only sneak in and search quietly.

"Watch out behind you!"

"Doggy Toy" screamed out.

It was too late, though.

The pitiful tan dog was grabbed by the scruff of his neck and lifted.

Looking up, he saw Yan Anqing's handsome face that was as beautiful as a woman.

"Dirty little dog," Yan Anqing clicked his tongue and examined his mangled hind leg with his fingers. "Or is it a foolish loser who fights dogs?"

Claude couldn't help but bark fiercely at him.

"Who do you think you are calling a foolish dog? I'm an unbeatable super-powered tan dog!"

Yan Anqing couldn't understand the barking of the small dog. He shrugged his shoulders, made a face, and pointed at the dog. Pretending to be disgusted, he actually carried the cat in the direction of his home. After placing the cat in the living room, he searched for a while and finally found a fluffy pillow, which he placed under the small dog.

"There's no one else at home except for the housekeeper who cooks and cleans regularly, and that's just me," he pointed to the calico dog's pink nose. "Don't expect me to take care of you. I'll just give you some food.

Tomorrow, I'll take you to the pet hospital. Once you're a bit better, I promise to dump you back on the street."

Claude didn't say anything and lay down on the pillow, acting as if he were a fake dog. Only when he saw Yan Anqing leave the living room, seemingly going to the kitchen to prepare dog food, did he carefully support himself with three paws and bark anxiously.

"Could you find out where those people are now? Yan Anqing is just a normal person, and this dangerous situation shouldn't involve him!"

"I can only sense the Hell hound's aura," replied "Doggy Toy."

"Those people, no matter how lawless they are, wouldn't dare to trespass into private homes. I think they must be foolishly searching around that building," said Claude. He could think of this, but even with a small possibility, he didn't want Yan Anqing to attract the attention of the fanatical believers with superpowers. He wagged his tail, thinking of jumping off the pillow and leaving through the window, when Yan Anqing walked in, holding a wet towel, cotton swabs, and disinfectant. He quickly caught the small dog, who was trying to escape.

"You didn't apply medicine, and you're trying to sneak away?" Yan Anqing casually wrapped the dog's head and front paws with a dinner napkin. "Your leg needs to be treated, or you'll really become a foolish dog!"

Although the words were harsh, the actions were gentle and meticulous.

Claude barked softly, "Doggy Toy, don't you have the ability to see within a ten-meter radius? Go and stand at the door in case any super-powered individuals come over and tell me in advance. I can't move now, but when Yan Anqing puts me down, I'll leave."

"Can you dodge the Hellcat's attack, but not this?" Doggy Toy made a face and complained to himself, but he still obediently went to stand guard at the door.

"Don't worry, rest a bit more and recuperate. You still haven't digested the energy feedback from the Hellcat from last night. Even if you absorb half of it, it's enough to recover from your injuries."

The calico dog grunted in response and lay still. His cold body gradually warmed up as the warm towel enveloped him. After simple treatment of his leg injury, thanks to his strong recovery, the wound stopped bleeding and the pain lessened.

"All done," Yan Anqing patted the dog's head and carried the calico dog upstairs. "Tomorrow, I'll ask the housekeeper to prepare a room for you. Tonight, you'll sleep with me."

The dog's eyes widened.

"Claude would be jealous if he knew I'd found a dog," Yan Anqing muttered to himself. "That guy can't keep any dog alive."

The calico dog: "Woof?!

He certainly wasn't the one who couldn't keep a dog alive! He had only sent away two pots of succulents, three pots of cacti, a hamster, and several tanks of goldfish!

Don't be so quick to judge, okay, buddy?!