Virtual Idol in the Beast World: Five Clans Fight Over Me

SMACK!

Gu Ning slapped Leo across the face.

It was a loud slap, but Leo didn’t even blink.

Only Gu Ning felt the sting of an equal and opposite reaction.

She clutched her wrist, bent over slightly, and spun in a circle on the spot.

Kloer reached out to steady her. "Are you okay?"

He had let her lash out, just wanting her to vent. He never expected her small frame could actually do any real damage to this dog.

But it looked like she had been the one to get hurt.

"Ha..." Leo raised an eyebrow and sneered without restraint. "Quite a bit of strength you’ve got there. Barely enough to scratch an itch."

He’d noticed how light she was when the little thing had been pulling his hair earlier.

’Don’t tell me she’s not a Dwarf hybrid, but a throwback Mixed Breed?’

Gu Ning looked at his smug, punchable face and wished she could grab a mallet and whack him a couple more times.

Just then, a familiar figure appearing at the door cut through her anger.

Alex was striding toward her with steady steps.

Gu Ning was first overjoyed to see him, but then the thought that she might have caused trouble for him again made her feel a little anxious.

"Boss, you’re here..."

When Kloer saw the cold expression on Alex’s face, he instantly fell silent, retracting the large fangs he’d just been baring.

Seth let out a low whimper, hung his head with a guilty expression, and backed away to the side.

The human, the bear, and the wolf all retreated, shrinking back until they were huddled together.

Gu Ning leaned back against the big bear’s solid abs, grabbing a handful of Seth’s thick fur. She exchanged a glance with the little wolf, then turned to meet Kloer’s eyes.

"It’s fine, leave it to me," Kloer said with a cough.

But as Alex drew closer, his gaze fixed squarely on Gu Ning, Kloer still gave her a little push forward.

’For some reason, whenever something involved Gu Ning, he felt Alex’s aura grow heavy and sharp, his gaze inexplicably aggressive. Just like now.’

Gu Ning shot Kloer an indescribable look over her shoulder. ’Didn’t you say to leave it to you?!’

Kloer grinned, secretly waving his hand against his thigh at her: ’Go on, go on!’

’The Boss dotes on Little Gu Ning so much, he’d never bear to scold her. But as for the rest of them, that was another story.’

Leo watched Alex approach and said nonchalantly, "What exactly have you been hiding..."

Without even looking at him, Alex threw a punch.

CRACK.

It was the crisp sound of a nose breaking.

Leo grunted as the punch sent him to the ground. He hissed in pain a few times before starting to curse.

Kloer’s eyes darted. He hauled Leo up from the ground and dragged him out, which also conveniently saved him from getting yelled at alongside Seth later.

Alex knelt in front of Gu Ning, gripping her by the shoulders and checking her over. "Are you hurt?"

Gu Ning shook her head.

Alex took the little female’s reddened palm in his and rubbed it gently. He adjusted her crooked work cap, his large hand cupping half her face. "You were scared."

Gu Ning whispered, "The house... is gone."

The house had been completely destroyed in the fight between Seth and the others. Even half a wall had collapsed. It was no longer livable.

’The strength of these giant beasts is truly astounding.’

Seeing that she was still worried about the house instead of anything else, Alex’s heart softened. "Don’t worry. I’ll get you a better one."

Gu Ning didn’t say anything.

Alex wanted to hug her, but sensing the figure that had appeared behind him, he held back, merely patting her gently on the head.

Cyril stood at the door, watching the interaction between Alex and the little Mixed Breed for a moment before speaking. "The General is waiting for you in the conference room."

Alex stood up, patted Seth’s wolf head, and turned. "I’ll be right there."

Cyril gestured toward Gu Ning with his chin. "The General wants you to bring your little Mixed Breed to see him as well."

...

「Conference Room」

Alex sat down at the far end of the conference table, facing Andrew at its head.

Andrew put down his pen, leaned back, and glanced toward the door. He smiled at Alex. "Your little one didn’t come?"

Alex got straight to the point. "General, what do you want from me?"

Andrew picked up his hot tea and took an unhurried sip, not bothering to beat around the bush. "Don’t be so tense. It’s not easy for you to be taking care of this little one at a critical time like this. Instead of hiding her away, why not let everyone help look after her? It would keep you from being distracted."

"Thank you for your kind offer, General," Alex’s voice was flat and devoid of warmth. "She was perfectly fine at home, but who would have thought a pack of dogs would run in and inexplicably tear down her cozy little nest? I certainly hope it was an accident."

Andrew’s expression didn’t change. "That pup just came crying to me. Cyril told me the whole story, too. It’s just the wolf and dog factions not seeing eye to eye. Is that really such a rare sight for you?"

Alex remained expressionless. "It’s the first time I’ve seen them tear down my residence."

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "That pup. I’ll have him apologize to you later. And your little one, she must have been terrified, right?"

Next door to the conference room, Cyril handed the three Inhibitors he was holding to Gu Ning and Kloer.

Gu Ning accepted one, confused. ’Is this... an Inhibitor?’

The liquid in the glass tube was as deep blue as the ocean, emitting a faint glow in the dim light. It was quite beautiful.

"This concentration..." Kloer held the Inhibitor up to his eyes to examine it closely, exclaiming in amazement, "Only the military has something like this, right?"

A smile played on Cyril’s lips as he nodded slightly. "That’s right. This can only be refined from a Blue Gold Energy Crystal Stone. Current production levels are only enough to supply the military."

"A Blue Gold Inhibitor," Kloer said. "I’d only ever heard of them. This is the first time I’ve seen one. It’s definitely different from a regular Inhibitor."

After he and Alex came to Zone 19, their quota was just one High-level inhibitor a month. They didn’t normally need Degeneration Inhibitors, but in Zone 19, especially during winter, they needed at least one preventative dose a week.

If they underwent beastification, they had to use an Inhibitor immediately, or there was a high chance of triggering a genetic aberration.

A Blue Gold Inhibitor like this would last a long time on a single dose. For a Mixed Breed, it could also effectively lower the rate of aberration.

But production was too low. It was priceless and unavailable on the market; ordinary Beastmen had no way of obtaining it.

Kloer looked at Cyril suspiciously. "Why are you giving us such a valuable Inhibitor?"

He was just a lowly supervisor now. Even as Alex’s assistant, he wouldn’t be entitled to this kind of perk. Even Alex himself didn’t have any.

This wasn’t something you could just get your hands on, and yet Cyril had handed over three of them.

Listening to their conversation, Gu Ning also came to understand that the Inhibitor in her hand was extremely precious. Her grip on it tightened.

Cyril’s explanation was concise: "Confiscated from the Dog Team."

Kloer was immediately relieved. Pinching the small vial of Inhibitor, he waved it at him. "Adjutant Cyril, you’re a very reasonable man."

With that, Kloer grabbed Gu Ning’s arm, ready to give her the injection. "Here, Little Gu Ning, I’ll give you this one first."