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

"Don’t worry, I have plenty of food stored up. It’s more than enough for your appetite, and there’d still be enough even if Cook got bigger."

Barto placed a large chicken leg on top of Gu Ning’s already full bowl.

Gu Ning stared at the chicken leg, lost in thought. ’It’s not that I’m worried about the food running out, I just think Barto is being a little... off.’

She couldn’t quite put her finger on it.

Seeing that she still hadn’t moved, Barto said, "Spent a few good days with Alex and now you’re too good for my cooking?"

Hearing his familiar, huffy tone, Gu Ning smiled and started to eat, pushing her doubts aside for the moment.

As she ate, she dished out another portion of food.

Barto said, "No need to save any. If you can’t finish it, let Cook handle the leftovers..."

He didn’t get to finish his sentence. His voice paused, and he asked, "Who is that for?"

Gu Ning finished filling a large bowl with food and carried it out to the hallway.

Seth was still standing guard in the hallway. He sat up straight when he saw her approach.

Cook, following behind Gu Ning, bared his teeth at the sight of Seth.

Gu Ning patted Cook, telling him to be friendly, and handed the food to Seth.

Seeing how large he was, Gu Ning thought the bowl in her hands looked far too small for him.

"Change into your human form, Seth," she said.

’The caloric consumption for their beast and human forms must be different, right?’

’Even that little pup he fought with has changed back to his human form.’

’It’s a good thing I know they can change back to human, or I’d really think Seth had mutated.’

Seth nudged Gu Ning with his nose, signaling for her to just put the bowl on the ground.

A Beastman’s energy consumption is indeed different between their beast and human forms. But if he were to change back just to eat, the meal wouldn’t even cover the caloric cost of the transformation itself.

What’s more, shifting forms increases their chances of mutation, so they can’t just switch between their beast states whenever they please.

Seeing that Seth had no intention of changing back, Gu Ning had no choice but to put the bowl down. She watched as Seth polished off the food in a few big bites.

"Is that enough?" Gu Ning asked, stroking Seth’s head.

Seth nodded his wolf head and pushed the licked-clean bowl toward her.

"WOOF," Cook barked at him. He snatched the bowl away, then wrapped an arm around Gu Ning, about to lead her back inside.

"Wait, Cook. I have something to say to Seth."

Gu Ning struggled free from Cook’s grasp and walked over to the young wolf. In her halting Beastman tongue, she said to him, "Seth, you go back. I’m not going back. You tell Alex."

Seth let out a low "Awoo?" and tilted his head, his clear, confused eyes fixed on Gu Ning.

Gu Ning thought he hadn’t understood her, so she repeated herself. After that, she took out a pen and paper to write down what she wanted to say for him to see.

Seth gently bumped his head against her.

He understood. The little boss didn’t want to go back. He would have the other wolves tell the boss, but he definitely couldn’t leave her.

Gu Ning hugged the young wolf’s head and stroked it. "Go on, go on."

Seeing Gu Ning being so close with the young wolf, Cook stared at him in displeasure, his tail whipping back and forth restlessly behind him.

Unable to communicate properly with Gu Ning, Seth let out a long "AWOOO" toward the building’s entrance.

Before his howl had even faded, Gu Ning saw a large wolf’s head peek around the corner of the stairwell.

...

"Awoo?" Another wolf’s head appeared from behind the first.

At the sight of them, Cook began to bark furiously. "WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!"

Seth blocked the stairwell with his body to stop Cook from charging out to fight them. That pup had a nasty temper.

Gu Ning roughly understood that Alex had sent people... wolves... to protect her, so she said no more and quickly pulled Cook away.

As soon as she turned around, Gu Ning saw Barto standing in the doorway. He took one look and ducked back inside.

Gu Ning paused. She glanced back at Seth guarding the hallway, worried the little fox would get angry and start a fight. After going back inside, she offered him a brief explanation.

Barto didn’t start cursing like she expected, nor did he get angry. He just said, "They’ll find their own food. You don’t need to worry about them."

Gu Ning thought to herself, ’I’ve only been gone a few days, and the little fox’s temper has already improved.’

「That night.」

Darkness fell early. After dinner, Gu Ning curled up in Cook’s arms with a flashlight and a book for a while before getting ready for bed.

The moment she moved, Cook took the opportunity to lean down and lick her.

Gu Ning looked up at him, smiled, and reached out to scratch his chin.

Ever since she’d returned, Cook had stayed by her side without leaving for a moment, as if afraid she would leave again. But he just held her quietly, not even disturbing her while she read.

She put down her book, got up to stretch her arms and legs, and her gaze swept across the living room, landing on the small den in the corner.

After dinner, Barto had gone to curl up in his little den.

At first, a light had been shining from his den, accompanied by TAP-TAP-TAP sounds, as if he were playing a game. Now, both the light and the noise were gone. She wasn’t sure if he was asleep.

Gu Ning checked the time. It was just after eight. ’He’s asleep this early?’

Since she’d gotten back, the little fox hadn’t interacted with her much. He was a bit quieter than usual.

He hadn’t gone out today, either. Perhaps he was resting for the winter. Plus, with the Military Department currently at war with the Mutant Species, the shop was temporarily closed.

With this much snow, the drifts outside could probably bury the little fox completely. He likely couldn’t even get out the front door.

With that thought, Gu Ning tiptoed to the bathroom. When she came back, the little fox had come out of his den and was placing something on the coffee table.

"You’re going to bed?" Barto asked her.

Gu Ning nodded and walked over to his side. "Did I wake you?"

"No."

As he spoke, he opened the box on the coffee table.

In the beam of her flashlight, Gu Ning saw a faint blue glow emanating from the box.

It was... an Inhibitor.

Barto took out an Inhibitor and injected it into Cook’s arm. As he pushed the plunger, he said to her, "His mutation value has barely stabilized, but his regression is too severe. He needs at least one shot a day. Once the Military Department deals with the Mutant Species, we can reduce it to one every three to five days. After this winter, his mutation value should drop a little."

Barto tossed the empty Inhibitor syringe into the trash. "But I have to warn you, once a Mixed Breed’s mutation value exceeds fifty percent, not even the best Inhibitor can bring it back down below that threshold."

Gu Ning nodded.

Barto stared at her face, carefully studying her expression. "Do you understand what I’m saying?"

Gu Ning nodded again. ’What’s not to understand?’ She picked up the small device from the coffee table used for checking mutation values. It displayed Cook’s reading: 64.7%.

Cook’s mutation value had basically stabilized at around 65%.

She counted the Inhibitors in the box. There were twenty-two left. That would be enough for now, giving her some breathing room to figure out how to earn money.

"What I mean is..." Barto said slowly, "he’s going to be like this from now on. He won’t get better, he’ll only get worse. And since he’s already had a secondary mutation, his mutant genes will become highly unstable. The slightest disturbance could turn him into a full-blown Mutant Species."

Gu Ning wrote: *As long as there are enough Inhibitors, it’ll be okay, right?*

Barto said, "You still don’t get it. He’ll be like this for the rest of his life—with a regressed mind, unable to communicate with you normally, and he won’t be able to..."