Ch92-Wait, I Hear Barking
"Shen Que, maybe we should sneak away."
After Lu Chen left, Meng Ci whispered to Shen Que.
The snow was frozen solid, making it harder to dig than regular hard ground.
After digging for so long, they could barely bury one body.
"Alright." Shen Que agreed.
The two glanced toward Lu Chen's position, confirming no one had noticed them. Abandoning the timber on the
ground, they took off running.
"Lieutenant."
A soldier beside Lu Chen moved to stop Meng Ci and Shen Que's escape.
Lu Chen halted him. "Forget it. Let them go."
Lu Chen hadn't truly expected them to dig a deep grave anyway; he'd merely wanted to temper their overbearing arrogance.
Meng Ci and Shen Que ran a considerable distance before relaxing, certain Lu Chen and his men weren't following.
"You said those people from the refugee settlement came back?" Shen Que asked, his expression serious.
Meng Ci nodded. "Yes."
At this, Meng Ci couldn't help but sigh.
"Ah, more people means more arguments, I suppose."
"Looks like getting a good night's sleep will be tough from now on."
Lately, Meng Ci had been waking up naturally, but that seemed unlikely now.
Shen Que chuckled softly. "It's fine. I'll keep watch."
Oh, right.
Meng Ci almost forgot-he had a boyfriend now.
Seemed like before he could adjust his biological clock, his boyfriend would just have to put up with it.
"Woof! Woof!"
After walking back a short distance, they suddenly heard a series of whimpers, sounding like a dog's cries.
Meng Ci and Shen Que exchanged glances and followed the sound.
After a few steps, they saw a white dog covered in blood lying on the snow. Its front legs were curled at an unnatural angle, and a large pool of blood had already frozen solid on the ground.
Shen Que stopped Meng Ci, who was about to approach, and cautioned, "That looks like a white wolf."
Meng Ci halted and observed the wolf's upward-slanted eyes and its short, thick tail drooping behind it. It certainly didn't resemble a dog.
Meng Ci scanned the surroundings but detected no signs of danger.
Wolves were typically pack animals, yet this one stood alone.
Its companions were likely dead or had abandoned it, deeming its injuries too severe.
Recalling the book that depicted
late-apocalyptic times where animals mutated,
Meng Ci, who had avoided acid rain himself, wondered if this wolf might have been drenched in it. Perhaps he could keep it to protect himself later.
"It's fine. I'll go check on it!"
Convinced this was a viable plan, Meng Ci began walking toward the white wolf.
As Meng Ci approached, the wolf's growl intensified, a warning to keep its distance.
Meng Ci examined the wolf. Its leg was broken, its body covered In wounds, its fur matted and disheveled, and it was emaciated -clearly lacking any fighting strength.
"Don't be afraid. Let big brother check your injuries!" Meng Ci crouched beside the wolf and inspected its wounds.
Fortunately, they were mostly superficial cuts and scrapes, though the broken leg would be difficult to treat.
He wondered if any veterinarians were still alive.
The wolf seemed to realize Meng Ci posed no threat, its growls gradually fading.
Meng Ci estimated the wolfs body length at about eighty centimeters. It was lean, so carrying it back should be fairly easy.
But what if someone saw it and panicked?
Or what if people who hadn't eaten meat in months wanted to eat the white wolf? What if they attacked them?
Shen Que scanned the area, confirming no one was nearby. He pulled a cotton coat from his spatial storage and handed it to Meng Ci.
"Use this to wrap it up."
Meng Ci and Shen Que worked together to place the white wolf onto the coat, then tied it tightly with rope. Just like the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood, only its face remained exposed.
Meng Ci pulled the coat's hood over the wolf's head. Perfect. Now no one could see its true form.
"I'm taking you back to get treated. You're not allowed to make a sound on the way, understand?"
"If someone hears you howling and takes you for meat, I won't be responsible."
The white wolf seemed to understand human speech, its whimpering gradually fading.
Meng Ci had Shen Que tie the quilted coat wrapped around the wolf to his own body before setting off for home.
Shen Que had offered to carry it, but Meng Ci refused.
He claimed he feared the wolf would be frightened by Shen Que's cold expression.
Hearing this, Shen Que managed to retain a shred of reason-he knew Meng Ci was his boyfriend, and rolling his eyes at him was
wrong. Otherwise, his
composure would have
shattered long ago.
On the way back, they indeed encountered many residents.
These people were carrying numerous items; some even used bedsheets to bundle things, slinging them over their backs.
Thus, Meng Ci's appearance didn't draw any curious stares.
The only reaction was suspicion -they wondered if Meng Ci had lost his mind. They'd never seen anyone pack belongings into long, narrow bundles before.
Back on the seventeenth floor, Meng Ci set the wolf down on the floor.
Shen Que retrieved some external wound treatment medicine from his spatial storage and placed it nearby, instructing Meng Ci to tend to the injury. He then added more firewood to the stove.
Meng Ci took out alcohol and cotton swabs. "Don't be afraid. I'm going to disinfect your wounds."
"It might sting a bit. Bear with it."
With that, Meng Ci swabbed the white wolf's wounds with alcohol-soaked cotton.
"Awoo..."
The white wolf whimpered in pain, but didn't turn to bite Meng Ci or yelp loudly.
Hearing its low whimpering broke Meng Ci's heart.
He recalled videos where animals often had their fur shaved around wounds during treatment.
Applying alcohol directly to the white wolf's fur might not be very effective.
After treating two more wounds, Meng Ci set down his supplies and fetched scissors and a razor, intending to shave the white wolf's fur.
Meng Ci had never shaved anyone before, and his skills were mediocre. The wolf's fur was left patchy and uneven, a pitiful sight.
Unable to bear watching, Shen Que took the razor and tidied up the wolf's shave.
"You've got some skill there!" Meng Ci praised Shen Que, impressed by his sharp, precise movements.
Shen Que explained, "I learned it during my military service."
Back when Shen Que was enlisted, all male soldiers were required to keep crew cuts.
With no barbers available in the barracks and getting a haircut off-base being too costly, many soldiers bought electric clippers to trim their own hair.
Shen Que bought one too. His cuts weren't great at first, but with practice, his skills steadily improved.
Seeing this, his fellow soldiers started asking Shen Que for haircuts.
Though he had a stern exterior, Shen Que was kind-hearted and never refused their requests.
"Oh!" Meng Ci nodded. It seemed Shen Que had been well-liked during his military days.
At that moment, a thought suddenly popped into Meng Ci's head: If Shen Que liked men, with so many guys in the army, could there be someone he liked?