Chapter 14: You Gave Birth to a Litter of Cubs, Too?
With a sharp, agonizing howl, the dark silhouette crashed heavily onto the grass.
Now that it was stationary, Su Wudeng could clearly see what it was: a massive, grotesque mutant beast sporting razor-sharp fangs.
The husky maintained its defensive stance right in front of Su Wudeng, the tip of its longsword pointed directly at the fallen beast as its blue eyes scanned the dark perimeter with intense vigilance. After checking the surrounding brush and ensuring the danger had passed, it finally lowered the blade.
The husky gave its head a handsome, self-satisfied shake, turning around with a proud, cheerful bark. “How about that? Now you know exactly how powerful I am!”
The next second, it dropped all its majestic posture and trotted over, its tail wagging so hard it was practically a blur.
“So, do you want to form a contract with me or not?”
Su Wudeng took a deep breath, a single word slowly escaping her lips. “Yes!”
Truth be told, if the husky hadn’t intervened, she would have been forced to initiate an emergency exit from the map just to survive. Worse, she would have been plagued by anxiety every single time she traversed back to this spot. But this Sword Heart Husky had neutralized the threat with a single, effortless strike.
This was the raw, undeniable utility of a true pet beast.
Su Wudeng and the Sword Heart Husky swiftly initiated the contract ritual. A brilliant shimmer of light enveloped them, forging a profound, invisible mental bond between their souls.
The moment the link finalized, a stream of basic information entered her mind, revealing that the husky’s name was actually Amber.
“Amber?” Su Wudeng blinked, looking at the creature. “How did a gorgeous, elegant name like that end up belonging to a silly big dog like you?”
Amber let out an offended bark. “I’m not silly! I’m incredibly intelligent!” Despite its vocal protest, its tail kept thumping against the grass happily.
“Amber,” Su Wudeng said, her expression turning serious. “We need to leave this place. I’m going to take you back to my shop. There’s a mountain of premium, delicious food waiting for you there. Are you willing to come with me?”
Amber’s eyes ignited with pure ecstasy at the word food, but a second later, the light in its eyes suddenly dimmed.
“Leave? Then… can we ever come back here?”
The large canine lowered its head, placing its massive, furry paws squarely onto Su Wudeng’s knees. It began rubbing its face against her legs in a deeply dramatic display of grief.
“What’s wrong? Are you nervous about moving to a strange new environment?” Su Wudeng’s heart melted completely. She couldn’t resist reaching out to stroke its plush, velvety ears. “Don’t worry, I promise to protect you.”
“I swear you’ll be completely safe there, and there will be an endless supply of delicacies. You can eat whatever your heart desires.”
Su Wudeng cooed softly, her fingers combing through the thick, warm fur around Amber’s neck. She thought to herself, Of course. Amber just finalized our contract and is suddenly being uprooted to an entirely unfamiliar world. It’s only natural for it to feel a little frightened.
The husky lowered its brow, casting a sideways glance at her. Deep within those striking blue eyes lay a terrifying flash of pure, calculating wisdom.
Frightened? Amber? As if!
However, the more gently Su Wudeng coaxed it, the more pitifully the hound whined. Yet, beneath its tragic whimpering, its tail was wagging like a hyperactive fan, betraying its spectacular mood.
A little acting goes a long way, master! Hooking a new meal ticket is all about the execution!
But realizing time was wasting, the husky decided to cut the theatrics and get down to business.
“Woof, woof, woof!” Actually… I’m not scared at all. I was just wondering… if I leave with you, what’s going to happen to my pups?
Su Wudeng’s hand froze mid-stroke.
Wait. What did this chaotic dog just say?
Pups?
Was this a buy-one-get-N-free deal?
An incredibly ominous premonition instantly gripped her chest.
“Amber… you gave birth to a litter of cubs?” Su Wudeng’s voice began to tremble slightly. “And please, don’t tell me your ‘pups’ are already as massive as you are.”
Sensing the sudden spike of danger in her tone, Amber’s survival instincts flared. It rapidly shook its head in denial. “No, no, no! They aren’t my biological cubs!”
Amber quickly scrambled off Su Wudeng’s lap, its eyes darting around guiltily as its ears pinned back into classic airplane mode. “Tell you what, why don’t you just follow me and see for yourself?”
The hound turned and trotted briskly toward the dense treeline at the edge of the forest, with a deeply stressed Su Wudeng trailing closely behind.
Once they reached the perimeter of the thick woods, Amber took a deep breath, tossed its head back, and let out a resounding howl into the heavens.
“Awooo——”
The autumn breeze swept through the clearing, rustling the fallen leaves. Aside from that, the forest remained dead silent.
The human and the dog stared at each other in profoundly awkward silence.
Amber felt a wave of intense embarrassment. Are those little brats seriously still asleep? They are completely ruining my reputation!
It took a much deeper, noticeably angrier breath, pouring every ounce of its lung capacity into the next call.
“Awooo——!”
This time, the summons worked beautifully. A series of faint, high-pitched return howls echoed from the deeper parts of the woods. A chorus of tiny, energetic yaps drew closer by the second.
Su Wudeng’s muscles tensed. “Your howling isn’t going to draw out something terrifying, is it?”
Before Amber could respond, the thick foliage ahead violently rustled. A barrage of brisk, tiny footsteps thundered through the brush, accompanied by the joyful chattering of leaves.
Su Wudeng watched, entirely spellbound, as a pack of breathtakingly beautiful husky puppies burst into the clearing.
A tiny silver-blue silhouette was the first to navigate the bushes. Its incredibly plush tail was hoisted high in the air like a small flag fluttering in the wind. Its miniature paws lightly tapped the grass, leaving a trail of shallow prints in the dirt.
Then came a second, a third, a fourth…
In the blink of an eye, a whole line of ecstatic, tumbling little huskies swarmed the grass. The morning sunlight filtered through the canopy, dancing beautifully across their silver-blue coats.
Su Wudeng involuntarily held her breath, suppressing a literal squeal of delight. These cubs were impossibly cute!
Some of them were bouncing frantically on stubby little legs, rolling across the grass like fluffy, animated pom-poms. Others sprinted forward with their oversized ears flopping rhythmically with every stride. There were five of them in total.
“Amber,” Su Wudeng managed to find her voice, though it sounded incredibly strained. “You… you’re a female? Are all of these actually yours?”
A flash of genuine shyness crossed Amber’s face. “I already told you they aren’t mine! I haven’t even been in a relationship yet!”
The large dog slowly blinked its sapphire eyes. “The truth is, they’re all abandoned runts from the clan. Some were born too small, others are slightly underdeveloped… long story short, they were cast out for various reasons.”
Amber approached Su Wudeng sheepishly, carefully extending a large paw to tap her leg. “Since you’re officially my master now, could you find it in your heart to take them along, too?”
“Don’t worry, they are exceptionally hardworking. You just need to toss them a few scraps of food!”
“Or better yet, you can make them work in exchange for meals! Seriously, even though they’re small, they are incredibly useful!”
Su Wudeng stared down at Amber, who had proudly hoisted its chin into the air. Her brow furrowed as she parsed the dog’s logic. Wait. Something about that explanation sounded incredibly suspicious.
“Amber! You haven’t been bullying these poor puppies into foraging and hunting for your food, have you?”
The more she analyzed the situation, the more certain she became. This lazy dog was entirely capable of running a puppy labor ring!
Amber snapped its head up, adopting an expression of supreme, righteous indignation. “Nonsense! How could an honorable blade-master like me bully children?”
“I simply provide them with elite security and top-tier protection. What’s wrong with them gathering a few basic snacks for me in return? Besides, look at how flawlessly their survival skills have developed! The only reason their little legs can sprint this fast is thanks to my rigorous training!”
Su Wudeng: …
You chaotic hound, you are terrifyingly good at spinning a narrative.
By now, the litter of little huskies had completely surrounded them. They eyed Su Wudeng with intense vigilance, clearly harboring a deep distrust toward this strange, unfamiliar human.
Amber’s chest tightened. Are these brats brain-dead? This human is our ultimate, golden meal ticket!
Wasting no time, it unleashed its massive paw, landing a firm, disciplinary swat onto each of their heads. It barked with majestic, undisputed authority. “Listen up, you ungrateful runts! This human is my master. From this day forward, when you look at her, it’s the exact same as looking at me. Got it?”
The little huskies lost all their fierce momentum in a fraction of a second, letting out a series of small, aggrieved whimpers.
“You could have just told us normally. Why did you have to hit us? Our heads hurt.”
Amber turned back to Su Wudeng, its bright blue eyes gleaming with hope as its tail wagged like a small fan. “So… can we bring them along? My dearest, most generous master, you wouldn’t dream of abandoning these poor, defenseless little pups, right? Without my guidance, they will definitely perish out here.”
Su Wudeng felt a wave of dizziness hit her, nearly causing her to lose her footing. If anyone ever dared to claim that huskies were stupid in her presence again, she would be the first to call them a liar!
Setting everything else aside, Amber was an absolute tactical genius. She was willing to bet that from the exact second the dog took that first bite of artisanal cake, it had already mapped out a comprehensive strategy to secure a lifetime food supply for itself and dump its grueling babysitting duties onto her.
But looking down at the five pairs of innocent, sparkling eyes, what choice did she have?
She could only accept her fate and take them all.
Amber watched with immense pride as the puppies formed an orderly line behind Su Wudeng, nodding its head in deep satisfaction. Finally, it had secured a permanent sanctuary for these brats. It would no longer have to spend every waking hour acting as an unpaid, exhausted babysitter!
God knew how much mental anguish a beautiful, vibrant female dog in the prime of her youth had to endure just managing these chaotic little monsters every day.
Amber studied its newly minted owner with absolute delight. She was incredibly generous, produced heavenly food, and didn’t yell at her. Where else in the galaxy could someone source a premium meal ticket of this caliber? The more it turned the realization over in its head, the more euphoric it became, ultimately breaking into a frantic, joyful sprint across the grass.
“Awoo——”
Watching Amber leap wildly into the air with the pack of puppies mimicking her every move, Su Wudeng could practically hear her bank account letting out a tragic, agonizing howl.
I need to find excellent, wealthy homes for these little guys as fast as possible, she resolved internally. Otherwise, how is my tiny, struggling shop supposed to keep this entire pack fed? I didn’t transmigrate into a futuristic sci-fi world just to spend the rest of my days running an industrial canine cafeteria!
Ding-dong!
The exact millisecond she stepped back through the threshold of Pet Love Home, a crisp system notification echoed in her mind:
[Congratulations! The required Hope Value threshold has been successfully accumulated. The Pet Live Broadcast function has been officially unlocked.]
The Live Broadcast function?
Su Wudeng blinked as a sleek, holographic streaming interface materialized before her eyes. Tapping into the menu, she discovered two pre-recorded highlight reels waiting in the archive: one dedicated to her Snow Crystal Cats, and the other tracking her encounter with the Sword Heart Husky.
She clicked into the Snow Crystal Cat file. On the screen, the footage captured the exact moment the tiniest, most anxious kitten had pitifully clamped onto her pant leg… It was a comprehensive, unedited broadcast documenting her entire journey of discovering the litter and rescuing them.
[Going forward, whenever a live broadcast is initiated, viewers can send digital gifts and donations, which will be automatically converted directly into Hope Value!]
Su Wudeng’s eyes lit up like floodlights. This was a massive game-changer. It provided an alternative stream of income, bypassing the slow, tedious requirement of having to finalize a physical adoption just to accumulate Hope Value. She needed to leverage this tool immediately.
As the Snow Crystal Cat footage continued to loop on the screen, a sudden flash of pure inspiration hit her.
Wait a minute… isn’t this the ultimate piece of evidence?
The toxic smear campaigns and coordinated troll armies on the Star Network kept insisting that her animals were nothing but hyper-realistic digital fabrications or high-end animatronics. But now, she held the raw, unedited, full-length procedural footage of the cats. The moment she released this to the public, it would deliver a devastating, undeniable slap to the face of every single hater online.
There was no way they could claim she had manually fabricated an entire alternate ecosystem just to fake a video clip. And if the general public was still stupid enough to deny the truth after seeing this, she wouldn’t waste another breath explaining herself. You couldn’t convince people who chose to remain blind.
Right then, her communicator gave a sharp vibration. It was a high-priority encrypted message from Chu Yansen.
The mastermind behind the smear campaign has been fully identified.
It is indeed your former childhood playmate, Xiaowei, and her boyfriend.
Su Wudeng let out a cold, self-deprecating chuckle. Of course. Only those two would be petty enough to pull a stunt like this.
Chu Yansen’s message followed with a detailed breakdown of his investigation. As it turned out, Xiaowei and her boyfriend were launching their own commercial pet venture across the street, the Iron Wolf War Pet Shop, and had prepared a massive, expensive promotional video to anchor their grand opening.
They never anticipated that the casual, unscripted Snow Crystal Cat clip Su Wudeng uploaded would completely capture the global algorithm, thoroughly crushing their marketing rollout before it even launched. Consumed by bitter resentment and corporate jealousy, they had poured massive capital into hiring a professional troll syndicate to sabotage her reputation.
“Their grand opening is scheduled for tomorrow morning,” Chu Yansen typed. “According to my data feeds, they have purchased multiple premium trending search slots to guarantee their promotional video hits the top charts. How do you want to handle this? Do you want me to leak the evidence of their sabotage right now?”
“If we drop the files immediately, it will permanently crippling their launch.”
Chu Yansen stared at his screen, silently hoping Su Wudeng wouldn’t fall back on her old habits and show soft-hearted mercy to this toxic “friend,” forcing herself to swallow the injustice in silence.
After a brief pause, Su Wudeng’s response popped up on his console: “Hold off for now. Do not leak the files yet.”
Chu Yansen’s heart plummeted. But before he could type out a message to change her mind, a second notification flashed across his screen.
“Wait until their promotional campaign hits its absolute peak. Then, we drop the hammer.”
Chu Yansen froze, a brilliant, dangerous spark igniting in his eyes.
Su Wudeng followed up with a ruthless analysis: “They learned their lesson from the last algorithmic clash, which means they are going to flood the network with millions of credits in paid promotions tomorrow. It would be an absolute tragedy to let all that premium, high-density traffic go to waste, don’t you think?”
“We let them build the hype to the absolute maximum, utilizing their own money to draw the entire sector’s attention to our street. The exact second their traffic peaks, we expose the sabotage, release my unedited Snow Crystal Cat proof video, and violently hijack their entire audience.”
She was done playing the defenseless victim. “If they’re serving up that much free clout on a silver platter, I am taking every single bite!”
