Chapter 274: Don't Worry, Eagle Is Expecting
"Eggplant, did you do something to upset her?"
Meng Ci was puzzled by Eagle's sudden change in behavior, so he slapped Eggplant, thinking maybe he had bullied her.
"Woof, woof!"
Eggplant expressed his innocence, not knowing why she wasn't eating, and he was just as upset about it.
After all, during this time, his wife hadn't been paying much attention to him.
"Woof!"
Eggplant stood up and rubbed against Eagle.
Hey, look at me!
Eagle ignored him and rolled over.
Seeing this, Eggplant let out a couple of barks and finished the leftovers in the bowl.
Meng Ci was furious at Eagle's behavior.
"Don't worry, Meng Ci!" Shen Que comforted him and then came up with an idea.
"We can go ask Captain Lu and the others."
Hearing this, Meng Ci's eyes lit up!
Captain Lu and the others have experience with military dogs, so they might know what's going on with Eagle.
So the two of them quickly got ready and took Eggplant and Eagle out the door.
The once-firm ground was now pockmarked with holes, and in the corners, places where no one had stepped, there were various-sized holes.
These holes were all made by the bugs crawling out.
Along the way, Meng Ci occasionally spotted beetle-like insects crawling out.
Eggplant, oblivious to Eagle's distress, ran off to chase the bugs for fun.
But thankfully, with Meng Ci's strict supervision, Eggplant eventually returned to Eagle's side, clingingly sticking to his wife.
Meng Ci sighed and touched Eagle's head to comfort her.
"Eagle, if you see another male dog you like at the military district later, just bring one back."
"Let Eggplant regret it."
"Woof, woof!"
Eagle let out a small bark, seemingly responding to her master, indicating it was okay.
Hearing this, Eggplant widened his eyes and turned his head to howl at Meng Ci twice.
Master, how could you say that?
Meng Ci snorted, not looking at Eggplant, now seeing him as a playboy who abandoned his wife and child for fun.
When they arrived at the military district gate, the soldiers on duty were already familiar with Meng Ci and the others, so they let them in without any issues.
After entering, they soon spotted Qiao Ya.
"Hey, Comrade Meng! Comrade Shen!"
Qiao Ya, upon seeing Meng Ci and Qiao Moyan, immediately put down what he was doing and rushed over.
Since the last time Meng Ci and Qiao Moyan came and helped bring Lu Chen back from the brink of death, Lu Chen's squad had been filled with gratitude towards them.
"Why are you here today? Is everything okay?" Qiao Ya asked with concern.
He noticed that both of them looked somewhat serious and realized that something important might have happened.
Meng Ci got straight to the point. "I've noticed that the eagle hasn't been in a good mood these past two days and isn't eating."
"So we're wondering if there's a veterinarian here or someone who knows how to take care of animals," Meng Ci added.
When he heard the eagle wasn't feeling well, Qiao Ya grew visibly worried.
He knew how much the eagle meant to Meng Ci. It had once been part of their team.
"Yes, I'll take you to him right away!" Qiao Ya said hurriedly.
He carefully observed the eagle, noticing that its tail was drooping and its eyes had lost their usual sparkle, looking rather listless.
Qiao Ya quickly called over two soldiers who were off-duty and had them bring a stretcher.
However, when the eagle saw the stretcher, it showed strong resistance and refused to get on.
Meng Ci confirmed that the eagle wasn't injured and didn't need it; it was just feeling down.
But Qiao Ya and the others insisted, and after some effort, they managed to get the eagle to lie down on the stretcher. They then headed to the area where the military dogs were trained and called over a soldier.
"Comrade Meng, this is the soldier in charge of our military dogs' health and training."
Meng Ci shook hands with the man, then promptly asked him to check the eagle's condition.
The soldier agreed and immediately began examining the eagle.
He gently pried open the eagle's eyes and examined them closely, then checked its tongue, and finally lightly stroked its belly.
As the exam went on, his serious expression eased up.
"Comrade Meng, Comrade Shen, don't worry, the eagle isn't sick," he said in a relaxed tone.
However, what he said next came as a huge shock to both of them.
"The eagle is pregnant!"
Both Meng Ci and Shen Que were astonished, their eyes widening in disbelief.
It had been nearly two years since the eagle had come into their lives, but there had never been any sign of pregnancy.
Meng Ci had thought that the harsh post-apocalyptic environment might have damaged the eagle or its mate, preventing conception.
But now it seemed that wasn't the case, and it was simply a matter of timing.
Meng Ci quickly asked the soldier about any special care or precautions needed now that the eagle was pregnant.
The person relayed the information to everyone present.
After seeing off the visitor, Lu Chen and Qiao Moyan walked over from a distance.
When they saw Meng Ci and Shen Que, they were both taken aback.
"Little Meng, Little Shen, is something wrong?" Qiao Moyan asked as he approached.
Today, Qiao Moyan hadn't planned to come to the military district, so he hadn't brought the others along.
However, just a little while ago, Lu Chen showed up at his place, saying there was a small issue with one of the military dog pups.
Hearing this, Qiao Moyan quickly joined him.
To his surprise, he spotted Meng Ci and Shen Que from a distance.
Meng Ci didn't keep them in suspense and directly told them about Eagle's pregnancy.
Hearing this, Qiao Moyan and Lu Chen were extremely excited.
Especially, Lu Chen.
"Comrade Meng, Comrade Shen, could we ask that once Eagle gives birth, the pups be sent to the military district?"
"Rest assured, we will train them to be top-notch military dogs."
Meng Ci, upon hearing this, didn't immediately agree.
After all, it should be up to Eagle and Qie Zi to decide whether to keep the pups or send them to the military district.
"Captain Lu, it's still too early to say."
"Besides, the pups will belong to both Eagle and Qie Zi. Whether they stay by their side or are given to you, it should be their decision."
Although he said this, Meng Ci thought that since Eagle had once been a military dog, it would probably send its pups to continue as military dogs.
But that was just a guess.
"Alright."
Lu Chen didn't insist, as Eagle and Qie Zi were theirs, after all, and it was up to them whether they agreed to send the pups or not.
Since Lu Chen knew a lot about military dogs, he also shared a few tips on raising the pups.
Since the comrade had already mentioned it, Meng Ci wasn't paying much attention and instead thought about the relationship between Lu Chen and Uncle Qiao.