Chapter 121 This, There's a Reproductive Barrier, Right?
"Ch!"
Suddenly, an SUV overtook Meng Ci and Shen Que from behind and quickly came to a stop not far ahead.
Meng Ci and Shen Que exchanged glances and both stopped in their tracks.
No way, this is the first time we've taken Eggplant out, and we're already being targeted again?
Eggplant, running too fast to stop, crashed into the front of the car with a thud.
Aowu, Aowu!
A guy nearly six feet tall got out of the driver's seat. Seeing Eggplant rolling on the ground in pain, he let out a mocking laugh.
Meng Ci noticed two burly men, similar to bodyguards, sitting in the backseat of the SUV.
Anyone who could still drive an SUV and go out with bodyguards must be someone of high status.
It seemed that if it came to a fight today, it might turn into a fierce battle.
"Gentlemen, I find this wolf quite amusing. Why don't you give it to me?"
"Whatever you want, I can provide."
"Rice, flour, or cigarettes and alcohol."
The man kicked Eggplant with his foot as he spoke.
"Or I can find you a job where you won't have to worry about food and drink."
"Anything."
Eggplant quickly got up from the ground, ran to Meng Ci and Shen Que, and barked at the man.
There were few people around, and upon seeing the tense situation, they hurried away.
"No deal."
Meng Ci refused without hesitation, and his hand was already reaching into his pocket, gripping the long knife inside.
"That's really a shame."
The man didn't try to forcibly take Eggplant. After realizing they weren't willing to give him the wolf, he turned back to the car, took out a business card, and walked over to Meng Ci, handing it to him.
"In this post-apocalyptic world, keeping such a creature must be quite challenging."
"If you change your mind, feel free to contact me."
Meng Ci took the card and said, "Thank you for your concern."
"But since I've decided to keep it, I will take full responsibility."
"As long as I have something to eat, I won't let it go hungry."
The man chuckled, leaving a suggestion to think it over, and then got back into his car and drove away.
Meng Ci accepted the card to see who the man was.
"Who would have thought, we actually met the richest man."
The man was Zhao Jingyu, the only son of the second richest family in M City.
No wonder he could still afford to drive an SUV at this time.
Eggplant, seeing the business card in Meng Ci's hand, growled angrily.
Aowu!
The master shouldn't accept anything from that guy, much less give him away.
Knowing who the man was, the card was no longer useful, so Meng Ci handed it to Eggplant when he saw how eager it was.
Eggplant snatched the card and ran off happily.
"Eggplant, come back."
Meng Ci was worried and wanted to follow to check on the situation.
Shen Que stopped him, saying, "Don't worry, Eggplant will be fine."
Indeed, given Eggplant's current abilities, most people wouldn't stand a chance against it.
If he hadn't held Eggplant back just now, it probably would have already pounced on Zhao Jingyu and started a fight.
Meng Ci and Shen Que continued walking towards the tree-cutting site, and soon Eggplant caught up, but kept barking at something behind them.
Eggplant's unusual behavior indicated there was a problem.
So the two decided to wait right where they were.
This area was sparsely populated, making it a good place for murder and burial.
But when Meng Ci saw who was approaching, he raised an eyebrow, surprised to see an old acquaintance.
"Captain Lu, nice to see you again." Meng Ci spoke first.
Lu Chen was wearing a military green coat with a red armband that read "M City Security Patrol," and a squad of soldiers followed behind him.
"Hello."
Lu Chen waved his hand to signal the soldiers behind him to stop, then walked forward alone.
"Happy New Year!"
Meng Ci replied, "Happy New Year."
"Captain Lu, thank you for your hard work, patrolling even during the New Year."
Lu Chen said, "Serving the people is our duty."
Then he turned his gaze to the wolf crouching beside Shen Que and asked curiously, "Is this one you've been feeding?"
Meng Ci nodded.
"Do you have any interest in bringing it here? It can patrol with us and earn some food," Lu Chen asked.
Meng Ci had known from the beginning that bringing the wolf out would attract attention from many people.
He originally thought they wanted the wolf meat, but didn't expect they were interested in the wolf itself.
Meng Ci shook his head, "No, we can still take care of it."
"Besides, the wolf has a mischievous personality and isn't suitable for this kind of work."
Lu Chen, not discouraged by the refusal, continued, "Is your wolf male or female?"
"We have a few military dogs there. I think it looks good, maybe we can breed them."
Meng Ci replied, "It's a male wolf."
In his mind, Meng Ci was puzzled; wolves and dogs probably had reproductive isolation and couldn't produce offspring.
Lu Chen stroked his chin, clearly satisfied with the wolf's size, and other factors were not within his consideration.
"I know, but we can still try."
Meng Ci remained silent.
"Our military dogs have undergone mutations in their body sizes recently."
"Your wolf has also mutated. Perhaps after this change, the reproductive isolation will be gone," Lu Chen said, nodding as he spoke.
"Don't worry, we won't let it breed for nothing."
"We'll give you twenty cans of rat meat for each breeding session."
The sudden heavy rain had washed away many animals before they could be moved, so now, for carnivores like the wolf, having rat meat to eat was already quite good.
Meng Ci didn't rush to refuse. After all, he didn't know how old the wolf was.
If it was an adult and there were no other female wolves, how would it handle the mating season?
He could agree to this, as it wouldn't harm the wolf.
"Alright."
"But I don't know how old the wolf is, and if it doesn't like your military dogs, you can't force it."
Lu Chen replied, "I promise."
"And such things can't really be forced, can they?"
Meng Ci was worried that if Lu Chen really valued the wolf's genes, and the wolf failed, they might resort to illegal means.
"When will you come out again?"
"I'll bring one of the military dogs next time, and we can let them get to know each other," Lu Chen asked.
Meng Ci thought for a moment and said, "We go out whenever we feel like it, so we're not sure when we'll come out again."
"Alright," Lu Chen said regretfully.
Lu Chen led his men to continue patrolling, while Meng Ci and Shen Que went to cut trees.
After cutting the trees, Meng Ci tied some firewood together, intending to have the wolf carry it on its back.
But despite its large size, the wolf couldn't manage to carry it.
So Meng Ci had to tie a rope around the wolf and let it drag the load back.
This time, Meng Ci and Shen Que brought back less firewood than usual.
It was only then that Meng Ci realized the usefulness of raising the wolf.