Chapter 24 Mad Dog Hotel
Lu Qi turned around and met Lulu's dark, round eyes.
His pupils were larger and darker than average. The bright lights outside the window made Lulu's eyes sparkle.
He rubbed Lu Qi's cheek with the tip of his nose. "Worried?"
“Just now…” Lu Qi couldn’t finish her sentence.
Beside her were curtains from a floor-to-ceiling window.
She sat behind the curtains, concealing herself from the outside while still being able to observe what was happening outside the window.
Lulu hugged her, and she felt like she was sitting in the arms of a giant teddy bear.
Lu Qi remained silent for a long time before asking, "Are those recordings and props?"
Lulu stroked her back. "We'll know if anyone's missing tomorrow."
“Even if someone is missing, maybe they were just taken away by the production team…” Lu Qi lowered her head and buried her face in Lulu’s chest.
Just as she had expected at the hot pot restaurant, when Lulu didn't deliberately tense her muscles, they were supple and bouncy, giving her a sense of security.
“Xiao Lu…” her muffled voice came through, “What are you thinking? Have we really gotten involved in ghost stories?”
“People and sounds can be props, but what about those dogs and the scenes that vanish into thin air?” Lulu ran her fingers along Lu Qi’s hair.
“Lu Qi… my lovely Lu Qi.” His voice was tender and sweet. “Don’t worry, no matter which world you’re in, I will always be with you.”
"Why aren't you worried at all?" Lu Qi looked up from his chest. "Aren't you worried about your family?"
Lulu smiled. "Besides you, I have no family or friends."
In the darkness, his pale golden hair was tinged with white, like Lulu lying on the windowsill by the bed one Mid-Autumn Festival.
The bright silver light draped over it, and Lu Qi almost got a little white dog.
Lu Qi was taken aback. "I'm sorry."
She always thought Lulu came from a wealthy family, received a good education, and was loved a lot from a young age. She never expected that he would be all alone.
Lulu was happy to share everything with Lu Qi, and seeing her staring blankly at him, she began to tell him about her past.
“I contracted a serious illness when I was very young. My family thought it was incurable and too expensive, so they found a residential area and abandoned me on the side of the road.”
Lu Qi was increasingly shocked. "Abandonment? How could they do that?"
Even in poor families, it's unlikely that a boy would be abandoned. Lu Qi found it hard to imagine what Lulu's family background was like.
“There are many children in the family. If I stay, the whole family will get sick.” Lulu thought it was reasonable; it was a way to survive.
“Later, a very kind person adopted me.” He stroked Lu Qi’s cheek with his lips and nose, feeling her skin and body temperature. “No need to apologize, Lu Qi, I am very happy.”
Lu Qi felt a little relieved. "So how is the person who adopted you doing now?"
After she said those words, she realized she had crossed a line.
She had resolved to stay out of Lulu's family affairs and to keep her distance from him.
She shouldn't have said that.
But Lulu didn't answer her.
He gazed at her, his expression inscrutable, his eyes filled with sorrow.
He said, "She's terrible. The world is so unfair to her."
Lu Qi was speechless.
She hugged Lulu back, buried herself in his soft chest, and gently patted his back.
"I don't want to think about it anymore," her voice came from the depths of his heart, "I don't want to think about it anymore, okay?"
Even though she didn't know that person, she was touched by Lulu's sadness.
His pain was so intense it seemed tangible; Lu Qi guessed it must have been a terrible tragedy.
Lu Qi was bewildered.
She was determined not to interfere in Lulu's family, but it turned out that Lulu didn't have a family.
He and she are both alone.
Unconsciously, Lu Qi moved closer to him.
In the dead of night without internet, sitting by the quiet French windows, smelling Lulu's warm scent, Lu Qi quickly drifted off to sleep.
She mustered her strength and endured until the curfew time, only breathing a sigh of relief after confirming that nothing else had happened.
She relaxed and closed her eyes briefly, not intending to sleep, but her overly tense nerves wouldn't allow her to stay awake.
Lulu gently picked up Lu Qi and carried her to the bed in the bedroom.
Her breathing became even, and Lulu brushed aside the strands of hair sticking to her face, admiring her sleeping face with fascination.
Not satisfied with just visual enjoyment, he leaned down, his nose tracing back and forth along Lu Qi's neck, deeply inhaling her fragrance.
Smells themselves are neither inherently fragrant nor foul. Humans use preference to categorize smells as fragrant or foul, while animals use more practical terms to distinguish smells, such as food/danger or familiar/unfamiliar.
"Fragrant" and "stinky" are not specific tastes; they are preferences and emotions.
When Lu Qi is happy, he says it smells good; when he is unhappy, he says it smells bad.
Lulu buried her face in her hair and took a deep sniff.
fragrant.
Lu Qi smells delicious.
She exuded an irresistible fragrance that no other scent could match.
She is unique; she is sweet, fresh, elegant, and gorgeous.
Luqi has everything; it is the embodiment of all that is good.
Lulu's gaze fell on Luqi's rear end, the place he most wanted to sniff, where he could get a direct view of Luqi's detailed information. Unfortunately, whether he was a dog or a human, Luqi wouldn't allow him to sniff there.
Did she feel offended by him?
In her mind, wasn't she worthy of smelling her buttocks?
Lulu thought he had to show a stronger side so that Lu Qi would accept him instead of constantly thinking about abandoning him.
If she really didn't want him to smell it, then Lulu agreed to let her smell his buttocks; just as she didn't kiss him often now, so he would lick Lucia more.
Lulu didn't care about formalities with Lu Qi.
As dawn broke, Lulu reluctantly tucked Lu Qi in and got out of bed alone.
He walked out of the bedroom and picked up the manual from the coffee table.
The gray-green cover is stamped with the nine characters "Fivina Hotel Check-in Instructions" in both Chinese and English.
Lulu exerted force with her fingertips, and sharp white nails sprouted from the tips of her five fingers. The sharp nail tips pierced the manual, but could not damage it in the slightest.
[Tsk.]
An impatient clicking of the tongue came from the doorway.
Lulu looked up and saw a huge black swallow perched on the wine rack.
It, like him, stared at the manual with hostile eyes.
"What is this?" Lulu asked, holding up the manual.
The swallow's eyes held a mixture of disgust and wariness: [The world's kindness. Dirty stuff.]
"[The world's goodwill]?" Lulu pondered the word. "So, if we collect the entire book of rules, the people inside can leave?"
[Half right—] Swallow said dismissively, [If they can gather all the correct rules, they'll have a good chance of surviving and finding a way out.]
"You mean 'the correct rules'? Are there really incorrect rules here?"
"[You changed what was correct, so it becomes incorrect.]" the swallow said. "[The world's goodwill] will try its best to protect life on its side; it will not only give them clues to survive, but also strive to pry open the door between the two worlds."
The presence of this rulebook—[The World's Goodwill]—indicates that [The World] has discovered this strange tale and will send its minions to pry open the door. You can think of [The World's Minions] as human reinforcements; the longer humanity survives, the easier it is for reinforcements to open the door.
Lulu stared at it intently. "You didn't tell me any of this before."
The territory is not safe; intruders could break in at any time.
Lu Qi won't die, but she'll eventually run into a doorway.
"Don't worry," the swallow laughed, "it can pry open the door from the outside, and you can block it from the inside."
"How do we do it?"
[Negative energy is your resource. Use it, treat it like cement, layer it with ghost stories until this place is filled with darkness, becoming an airtight dead abyss.]
Lulu lowered her eyelids slightly and did not answer.
He asked his next question: "How do I change the rules?"
"With your current power, directly altering [the world's goodwill] is a bit too much for you," Yanzi said arrogantly. "However, you are ultimately the master of this strange tale. As long as you are powerful enough, you can write the rules yourself."
[But be careful—once [the world's goodwill] realizes it's being used, it would rather destroy the hints than let you use them to mislead others.]
Lulu frowned.
He just guided Lu Shi'an and the others to question the manual yesterday. They have already realized that "the rules may not be correct," so it will not be easy for them to tamper with the manual anymore.
The swallow is only telling it this important information now.
It's unreliable, it's dangerous. Lulu gave it a cold look: "And what else do you have to tell me?"
[Don't be so hostile towards me, we're on the same side.] The swallow complained, [This is also my first time helping my master collect energy. Who can do it perfectly on their first try? When you were a human, you were crawling around naked.]
Lulu bared her teeth at him and growled impatiently as a warning.
[Okay, okay, let me think.] Seeing that he had obediently opened the ghost story, Yanzi tolerated his attitude. [He shouldn't have missed anything, oh, and there's the most basic point—]
Swallow tilted her head, her scarlet eyes fixed on Lulu: "[If you die, this ghost story will crumble. Such a simple truth, I don't need to explain it to you, do I?]"
Lulu lowered her eyes and gave a perfunctory "hmm".
His attention was focused on the manual.
A scraping sound came from the room, followed by a terrified cry: "Xiao Lu! Xiao Lu, where are you?"
"I'm here!" Lulu immediately put down the booklet. "I'm here, Lu Qi!"
Yanzi watched his hurried departure, her red eyes filled with disdain.
Oh well, as long as this silly dog is willing to spread the supernatural tales and collect negative energy for its owner, that's fine.
It blends into the dimly lit corners of the living room, concealing its form.
Inside the room, Lu Qi saw Lulu return and breathed a huge sigh of relief.
"Have you gone out?" she asked.
Lulu felt a strong sense of unease. He crawled onto the bed and pulled the still-shaken Lu Qi into his arms, kissing the top of her head and her forehead. "I just went to the living room to take a look. Don't be afraid, I won't abandon you."
Lu Qi took a breath.
She didn't even know when she fell asleep. When she woke up and saw that Lulu was not there, she immediately questioned the rule that she had to stay in the room at night, fearing that Lulu had been murdered.
She pushed away Lulu, who was kissing her.
Lulu's preferences seem to have changed. In the past few days, he has stopped kissing her chin and the corners of her mouth as often and has started to prefer her forehead and the top of her head.
"What time is it?" she asked.
Lulu glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table, “5:27.”
Lu Qi immediately got out of bed, "Go find Miao Ying and the others."
"Rest a little longer," Lulu said, pulling her along. "You only slept for eight minutes."
Lu Qi shook his head, "It's no time to sleep."
She left the bedroom and ran to the living room, peering through the floor-to-ceiling windows to survey the scene below.
The bloodstain was gone, and the ground was wet, as if water had been splashed on it.
Lu Qi felt an indescribable tightness in his chest.
She went to the bathroom to wash her face, but halfway through, she realized that if it really was a ghost story, she didn't know if the water and food would be safe to use.
Lu Qi stared at the mirror, water splashed on her face, nothing happened, only a feeling of thirst surged up.
With her nerves constantly on edge, Lu Qi didn't have time to drink water. Now, looking at the glistening water droplets on her face, she felt dry and astringent from her throat to her tongue.
Drinking it and having it on your body are two different things, so Lu Qi didn't dare to take the risk.
After drying her face, she stepped out of the bathroom and saw Lulu engrossed in the refrigerator.
He took out a bottle of mineral water, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to her, as if he knew what she was thinking.
Lu Qi shook his head, "If it really is a ghost story, then we can't touch the food or water here."
Lulu frowned. "Your mouth is dry, Lu Qi. You need to drink some water."
"Wait a little longer," Lu Qi sighed. "I'll drink it before I die of thirst."
Lulu could only put down the bottle of water.
Just as the two were about to leave, there was a knock on the door, and Tian Miaoying's urgent voice came from outside: "Sister Lu! Sister Lu, are you up yet!"
Lu Qi immediately opened the door, and outside stood Tian Miaoying with red eyes and Meng Feiqin with a solemn expression.
Tian Miaoying had clearly not slept well. As soon as she saw Lu Qi, she clung to her, on the verge of tears, "Did you hear the screams last night?! And those big dogs! They melted into the ground and disappeared into thin air! Was that a 3D projection?!"
"It doesn't look like it," said Professor Meng Feiqin behind her. "It's too realistic."
"Let's go downstairs first." Lu Qi grabbed Tian Miaoying's hand to calm her down. "Let's check on Dr. Lü and the others first."
She looked at Meng Feiqin, "Professor, you..."
The old professor said, "I want to see my students and colleagues."
"We'll take you there first."
“No need,” Meng Feiqin said playfully, glancing at Lu Qi and Tian Miaoying’s arms, both of which were thinner than hers. “It’s just a short distance; I might run faster than you two.”
Tian Miaoying was worried, "But..." "Alright, stop nagging." Meng Feiqin waved her hand, "Hurry up and get on with your own business."
Lu Qi added, "We are at 0218. If you can't find us, you can ask the front desk to make an announcement, and we will come looking for you after we hear it."
"A missing person announcement?" Professor Meng asked in surprise. "Was that access control rule you announced last night?"
“Yes,” Lu Qi readily shared the information she knew, “The front desk doesn’t allow guests to use the public address system, but they can use it to find people. They will completely copy the names, locations, and other key information provided by the guests.”
“I understand.” Professor Meng’s eyes were clear. “I’ll contact you if I need anything. Be careful.”
“You too,” Lu Qi hesitated for a moment, but still said, “Try not to touch the food and water here.”
Professor Meng accompanied Tian Miaoying to see Lu Qi and Lulu before leaving.
Compared to Tian Miaoying, whose eyes were bloodshot, and Lu Qi, whose face was pale, Professor Meng was in high spirits and in better condition than them.
Lulu glanced at Meng Feiqin's departing figure.
He frowned, but eventually looked away and went upstairs with Lu Qi and Tian Miaoying.
The five met, discussed what had happened the night before, and immediately went to the front desk to check on the situation.
When they arrived, a large number of people had already gathered in the lobby, demanding an explanation from the hotel.
The front desk remained like a human machine, offering no useful information and simply telling everyone to settle in comfortably.
There were about thirty or forty people in the hall. This was an opportunity to share information, and Lu Qi wanted to tell everyone about the manual. Suddenly, he heard a familiar male voice:
"What the hell are you doing! My dogs are waiting for food at home. If you don't let me go back, my dogs will starve to death. Are you going to compensate me?!"
My heart skipped a beat.
Lu Qi spotted Zhao Feipeng in the crowd and spontaneously took a half-step back.
As she stepped back, Lulu blocked her way.
He must have sensed her fear, but instead of a typical boyfriend putting his arm around his girlfriend's waist or holding her hand, he directly blocked her view, completely obstructing her sight.
"Sir, please calm down," the receptionist continued to persuade him.
"You're just talking without understanding the situation." Despite Lulu blocking his way, Zhao Feipeng's aggressive voice still reached Lu Qi's ears without missing a beat. "My dogs are all show dogs, each costing six figures. If they get sick or ugly, will you compensate me?"
The familiar tone, the familiar words—memories of that day surged back. A tightness gripped her chest. Lu Qi looked down, peered through the crowd, and saw two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels standing at Zhao Feipeng's feet.
A very beautiful dog, standing quietly and obediently beside its owner, elegant and docile.
Tian Miaoying clicked her tongue in disgust, "What bad luck, it's him again."
"How did he end up here?" Huang Zhenyi asked in a low voice.
"I don't know, I saw him at lunch the day I arrived."
In fact, not only were the people at Anxin Hospital wondering why Zhao Feipeng was there, but even Zhao Feipeng himself was a little confused.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, he should have been busy recording pet videos to boost the popularity of his kennel during the holiday season.
I don't know who it was, but they slipped an invitation to a dog training course into his mailbox.
It was a medical training program, which had nothing to do with Zhao Feipeng, but a strong attraction drew him here as if by magic.
He found out about the training course, but the other party refused to acknowledge his invitation. Zhao Feipeng was furious when he inexplicably spent two nights' accommodation fees and was then detained by the hotel before leaving.
"I don't care what tricks you're playing, I'm going back today, or I'll sue you!"
Lu Qi's fingertips trembled slightly. The man's domineering attitude was like a thick, foul smoke mixed with the smell of alcohol, seeping into her very being.
She covered her mouth, her stomach churning, feeling nauseous and suffocating.
“I’m so sorry, sir,” the receptionist, who had been repeating the same words, suddenly spoke up cleverly, “It’s too early now, and you might not be able to get a ride. How about this, you go have breakfast first, and after you’re done, I’ll have our manager come to see you.”
Zhao Feipeng roared, "What's the point of breakfast? I'm already full of anger!"
"I'm so sorry," the receptionist said apologetically to everyone. "To make up for it, the hotel will provide you with a free meal. Please wait a moment while we have your meal, and our manager will explain the reason to you afterward."
Her attitude was sincere and humble. The guests were hungry after the commotion last night, so they reluctantly followed the steps offered by the front desk.
Before leaving, Zhao Feipeng glared at the receptionist again, "If you still can't come up with a satisfactory solution after we finish eating, don't blame me for exposing you online!"
"Yes, yes." The three receptionists bowed in unison. "We are very sorry."
The crowd dispersed, and Huang Zhenyi looked around. "How about we go eat first?"
Tian Miaoying was exasperated. "Even in this state, you're still thinking about eating?"
"I may be scared, but I still need to eat," Huang Zhenyi said, feeling wronged. Even ghosts need to drain people's life force.
Tian Miaoying said irritably, "Aren't you afraid of turning into a pig like Spirited Away after eating the food here?!"
"It can't be that bad." Huang Zhenyi is a homebody, but also a materialist. "Although the food in the supernatural tales is generally inedible, I can still distinguish between reality and fiction. Maybe we're just overthinking it. I believe in science and I believe in materialism."
Lu Shi'an pondered for a moment, "Since everyone has gone to the restaurant, let's go too. Even if we don't eat, it'll be good to chat with others."
Tian Miaoying had no objection to this.
She turned to ask Lu Qi, only to see Lu Qi standing behind Lulu, head bowed, face slightly pale.
This demeanor was completely different from how she analyzed the situation last night and this morning; it was her usual reaction when she was harassed by male customers.
"Don't worry, Sister Lu," Tian Miaoying guessed the reason for her fear and hugged her arm. "There are three men here, so that guy surnamed Zhao won't dare to do anything to us. Besides, we've already signed the mediation agreement and received the money, so why would he bother us?"
Hearing her words of comfort, Lu Qi managed a weak smile in return.
They followed the crowd to the restaurant.
As soon as you enter, a warm fragrance wafts over you, instantly easing everyone's tension.
The clean glass display case was filled with buffet dishes, including cold dishes, hot dishes, desserts, and fruits, which were more plentiful than the previous two days.
As they ate the delicious food, the guests, who had been either irritable or depressed, began to look a little better.
Hey, kids.
A cheerful voice came from behind. The group turned around and saw Meng Feiqin walking over with two professors of similar age and three young people.
"Professor Meng," several people greeted her.
"So," Meng Feiqin asked them, "has the hotel given an explanation?"
Lu Shi'an shook his head. "The front desk told us to have breakfast first, and then the manager will come to explain the situation."
“Okay.” Meng Feiqin readily agreed. “Then let’s wait a bit, there’s no rush.”
"It's the food here..."
“It’s alright,” Professor Meng said, taking a bag of peach shortbread from the canvas bag he was carrying. “I brought some food with me, let’s share. I also have some eight-treasure porridge and compressed biscuits in my suitcase.”
They found a place to sit down and each took a pastry that was bigger than a plate.
Although she was very grateful for the professor's kindness, Lu Qi felt even thirstier.
"Isn't it too dry?" Before anyone could ask, Professor Meng turned around and took out a 2L thermos from his bag, unscrewed the lid, and poured out a cup of tea.
"I was packing my things to leave, so I filled the water bottle." She handed the lid to the student next to her, "Drink up."
The other person said thank you and finished the drink.
Professor Meng poured another glass and handed it to Lu Qi.
Lu Qi waved his hand, "I can't accept that, let's give it to the other two professors first."
The other two professors pulled out thermos cups together, revealing smiles that reflected their experience of conducting scientific research in arid regions.
The staff at Anxin Hospital were filled with respect.
Lu Qi accepted the offer.
After a night, the water temperature was just right. The warm tea entered her mouth and washed over her dry lips and tongue, and she suddenly had an appetite for the sweet peach shortbread.
The dry, crispy pastry was filled with moist chocolate chips. She took a bite and found it quite delicious.
They sat at a round table, observing the situation in the restaurant.
"Are all the people here? It feels like a lot are missing," Huang Zhenyi asked.
One of Professor Meng's students said, "Many people left yesterday."
"Is it evening?" Lu Qi asked immediately.
"After I heard the broadcast, I didn't go out after 10:30. I don't know how many people went out during the night, but quite a few went out before dusk," the man said. "I heard that a dog-headed man appeared, but when we went to the first floor, we didn't see anything. We just saw a group of people questioning the front desk, and after not getting any answers, they left."
Professor Meng added, "Some doctors also left, and they said goodbye to me before they left."
Lu Qi pondered. It seemed that the dog-headed man hadn't caused much chaos; it disappeared quickly, and none of the people who came down after it encountered it.
She turned her head and scanned the entire room.
Some of the people who had seen the dog-headed man were also eating in the restaurant. They were all calm and didn't seem to have witnessed any tragedy.
Is it really a prank show? Are they just trying to scare them and then run away?
Just as I was thinking this, a gasp suddenly erupted in the restaurant.
The group quickly looked over and saw a man gripping the edge of the table and vomiting on the ground.
On the table in front of him was a bowl of noodle soup, the type of which was now unrecognizable, and the surface was covered with vomit.
What happened?
Professor Meng stood up and was about to go over.
Lu Shi'an stopped her, "Professor..."
His eyes held a worry that could only be understood.
Even when performing surgery on animals, a risk agreement must be signed beforehand. Suddenly touching the patient could lead to complications later.
"It's alright." Professor Meng walked forward and patted the man's back. The man was vomiting so badly that he couldn't straighten up. After vomiting twice, he covered his mouth and hurriedly ran to the toilet.
"Hiss..." The young woman at the next table suddenly clutched her stomach, her face contorted in pain.
"There's something wrong with this food!" someone in the restaurant immediately realized. "Everyone, don't eat it! This is unsanitary!"
Many people experienced abdominal pain of varying degrees, while others appeared normal and showed no abnormalities.
Lu Qi quickly scanned the plates of the people suffering from abdominal pain. There were cooked and raw food, rice and noodles, all kinds of food, with no discernible pattern.
Not everyone experienced stomach pain, but with so many people affected, no one dared to touch the food in front of them anymore.
"Fuck your mother!" Zhao Feipeng slammed down his chopsticks and yelled at the waiters in the restaurant, "You told us to come eat, and what did you bring us? I'm not waiting anymore, get your manager out here!"
"Yes, bring the manager out here!"
"What are you guys doing! You won't let us leave, and you're serving this inedible stuff. You're treating our guests like monkeys!"
The suppressed emotions were completely triggered by these spoiled foods, and even the best temper turned irritable.
The situation was getting out of control, so Lulu pulled Luqi away to avoid the chaos.
Lu Shi'an saw them and asked, "Where are you going?"
Lulu ignored him and led Lu Qi to a secluded corner.
Lu Qi did not object.
It's so noisy there, if something happens, there are tables and chairs everywhere, so it's hard to hide.
She was touched by Lulu's thoughtfulness and consideration, but also a little puzzled. "When they weren't together, she was a righteous hero who always stood up for what was right. How come she's starting to play it safe now?"
Without hesitation, Lulu replied, "I have to protect you first."
Lu Qi held Lulu's strong forearm and said, "If you have the energy, help others too."
Lulu glanced at her and nodded, "I will try my best to help women in need."
“…” Lu Qi was speechless.
She saw Tian Miaoying and Huang Zhenyi also standing against the wall. The people from Anxin Hospital and those around Professor Meng remained relatively calm and did not join the protest.
Despite the excited guests, the staff behind the counter remained calm and continued replenishing the ingredients without paying any attention to them.
This indifferent attitude is even more infuriating.
"Pretending not to hear, huh!" Zhao Feipeng picked up the food tongs and threw them onto the dining table. The stainless steel tongs hit the ground with a metallic clang.
From that point on, some hot-tempered individuals immediately started throwing cutlery at the bar.
No one dared to throw things at the employees; they only smashed walls and floors as a form of protest.
Amidst the clattering and clanging sounds, inconspicuous footsteps blended into the crowd.
The excited protesters didn't notice, but the doctors who were watching from the sidelines immediately did.
"Holy crap!" Tian Miaoying gasped, covering her mouth with one hand and gripping Huang Zhenyi tightly with the other.
Huang Zhenyi met her gaze in horror, and the two hit it off immediately. Crouching low and using the dining table as cover, they quickly ran toward Lu Qi.
"Brother Lü, Brother Lü!" Huang Zhenyi called out to Lü Shi'an in a low voice as he ran, signaling him to leave quickly.
Lu Shi'an was watching Zhao Feipeng's side when he heard Huang Zhenyi's shout. He turned his head and was shocked to meet a poodle's head.
A pair of dark, round eyes stared intently at him from within the curly brown hair.
The dog's head opened its mouth, panting excitedly with its tongue lolling out. Yellowish teeth were visible inside, and a green collar was around its neck. Below that, however, was a black suit.
Lu Shi'an broke out in a cold sweat.
This is definitely not a prop!
He could even see the tartar on the dog's teeth, the damp texture on the dog's nose, and the twitching of the dog's nose as it breathed.
Lu Shi'an took half a step, and a woman in a red down jacket walked out from behind the dog-headed man.
She had her hands in her pockets and was looking at the food table in front of the crowd.
Several doctors saw the woman standing with the dog-head sticker on her. Someone shouted "Watch out!" and the woman slowly looked at them.
She turned her head, revealing a red string on the side of her neck.
One end of the rope was attached to her neck, and the other end was attached to the dog-headed man's collar.
Lu Shi'an's pupils suddenly contracted.
From his position, he could clearly see the red rope inserted into the woman's neck.
A red rope extends from the woman's carotid artery and is attached to the man's collar, pulsating rhythmically.
The woman walked towards him, and he stiffly stepped back to make way for her.
Not everyone noticed her like Lü Shi'an did. The woman took two more steps forward, only to be shoved aside by an impatient tenant's shoulder. "Don't push! What are you pushing for!"
The woman was knocked off balance and fell to the ground.
She cried out in pain, then clutched her tailbone and stood up angrily, shouting, "Why did you push me!"
"What's wrong with pushing me? What's wrong with pushing me!" the man in front yelled without turning his head. "Who told you to push forward? What's in front of you? What are you trying to squeeze through?"
The woman's eyes reddened with anger. "I just wanted a plate of food, why are you yelling at me!" She slapped the dog-headed man on the back and said angrily, "Rice ball, bite him!"
Upon hearing the command, the dog-headed man rolled his eyes, then wrinkled his nose, bared his teeth, and let out a low growl.
It placed its hands on the back of the man's shoulders. The man turned his head and was suddenly confronted with a dog's head growing on a human body.
"Oh my god!" he cried out, leaning back and exposing his throat.
The dog's mouth immediately opened wide, and its yellowed canine teeth bit into the man's neck.
"ah!!!"
The horrific screams drowned out the protesters' voices. When everyone turned around and saw the dog-headed man buried in front of the man's neck, they erupted in anger.
Dishes and cups were knocked over, and screams rose and fell like waves.
The middle was left empty, leaving only the suited VIP straddling the man, nibbling at his neck, and the smug hostess.
Bright red blood gushed from the man's arteries, forming a two-meter-high column of blood that stained the surroundings like a fountain.
Zhao Feipeng stood there dumbfounded, still holding a plate he was about to smash.
He was at the forefront of the protest, but was blocked at the back when he tried to escape. Just when the crowd dispersed and he had a place to put his feet, he was splattered with blood before he could even take a step.
His vision was completely red; his eyelashes were covered in blood, and a few drops of blood had splashed into his eyes.
Zhao Feipeng covered his face and wiped his eyes, the fur of the two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels at his feet was also dyed pink.
The strong smell of blood in front of their noses and the close-up killings before their eyes made them somewhat restless.
They wagged their tails and barked.
Zhao Feipeng's eyes were full of blood, and the more he wiped them, the more blurred they became. He rubbed his eyes while pulling the dog leash backward, but the dog charged forward even more.
The incessant barking caught the attention of the dog-headed man.
It turned its head from the man's half-broken neck and stared straight at Zhao Feipeng.
Zhao Feipeng had just managed to peek out when he was suddenly confronted with the blood-soaked head of a poodle.
He was terrified and frantically pulled on the leash to back away, but the two dogs leaned back, their weight on the ground, and barked loudly at the poodle as if they were defying him.
Zhao Feipeng was so anxious he wanted to curse. He used all his strength to pull backward, but he couldn't budge it no matter what he did.
What brainless beasts! He fed and clothed them, treated them like royalty, and these two idiots wanted him to be buried with them!
Seeing the dog-headed man stand up and face him, Zhao Feipeng broke out in a cold sweat. He pulled desperately on the leash, unwilling to give up the two show-quality dogs, but he simply couldn't budge the large dog that had shifted its center of gravity backward.
In desperation, he hooked his toe and kicked one of the King Charles Spaniels in the stomach without regard for the consequences. The force was so great that a piercing bark immediately rang out.
Lu Qi was taken aback.
She opened her mouth, but before she could utter a single "no," the kicked King Charles Spaniel suddenly froze.
It stopped barking and stood frozen in place.
"Go, go!" Zhao Feipeng shouted in exasperation, and simply grabbed it and ran to the side into the crowd.
The moment he moved, the dog-headed man, who had been moving slowly, became even more excited and strode towards the fleeing Zhao Feipeng.
It ran ahead, the bloodline on its collar pulling along the woman in the down jacket, carrying her with it at breakneck speed.
Two people and three dogs charged into the crowd, like a Border Collie herding cattle, instantly scattering the crowd into pieces.
Zhao Feipeng, dragging one dog and carrying another, ran until his face was red and flushed.
He wanted to check the distance between himself and the dog-headed man, but when he turned around, everything went black.
It felt like a salty, slimy jellyfish enveloped his entire head; before he could even process it, his consciousness suddenly blurred.
"Ah!!!" A loud scream came through the air, and Zhao Feipeng thought it was a bit noisy.
He shook his head, and something slapped his mouth.
He blinked blankly, then realized after a moment—it was his ears.
The way he tossed his head caused his beautiful, large, droopy ears to hit his mouth.
The next moment, an unprecedented pain shot through his brain, as if someone had grabbed his brain and was squeezing and kneading it hard in their hand.
Zhao Feipeng screamed in pain. He fell to the ground and rolled around. His head hit the ground, as if it were being pressed against a blade. The pain brought tears to his eyes and his abdomen clenched.
It hurt, it hurt so much—it felt like his entire brain was being put into a nutcracker, and every movement he made would trigger the sensitive nerves in his head, sending out excruciating pain that made him wish he were dead.
Zhao Feipeng could no longer bear it. He was in so much pain that he kicked his head, trying to push his head, which was in excruciating pain, away from his neck.
It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!
He doesn't want this head anymore! It hurts! It hurts!
Lu Qi stared at the scene in horror.
She watched helplessly as the King Charles Spaniel in Zhao Feipeng's arms split open, as if a snake had removed its jaw, and swallowed his entire head.
The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, which had bitten its owner's head, stretched out like a balloon, thinning and softening, slowly attaching itself to Zhao Feipeng's head. The dog's body beneath it rapidly shrank, like a flower calyx bearing fruit, becoming a dry, finger-sized piece that hung from the back of Zhao's head.
Zhao Feipeng looked as if he had put on a dog head hood, which slowly merged with his head until it was perfectly attached to his neck.
Half a minute later, Zhao Feipeng shook his head, loosened the leash of the other Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and collapsed to the ground, howling and crying in pain.
Lu Qi was all too familiar with the sound of those cries and the kicking motions at his head—
“Symplocytosis…” she murmured in horror.
The person... turned into a dog.
"Help! Help!" Having witnessed firsthand how a person could be turned into a dog, everyone realized something.
This is not a prank show, nor is it a hotel outburst. This is definitely not the real world, and there are no longer police or laws to protect their safety.
The entire restaurant was like a pot of boiling porridge, filled with terror, churning and bubbling in a shattered pot.
Lu Qi's legs went weak and she collapsed to the ground, but Lulu lifted her up by the bottom and carried her towards the door.
She stared blankly at the scene in the restaurant.
After kicking and thrashing his head on the ground for a while, Zhao Feipeng shakily stood up.
He tilted his head, avoiding the most painful spot, and walked unsteadily toward the person.
An elderly man was so frightened that he couldn't stand and collapsed to the ground.
He walked towards him, squatted down, grabbed the old man's shoulders, and pressed his neck against his, his overly long, drooping ears swaying in the air.
A thin, blood-red thread emerged from Zhao Feipeng's collar and pierced the old man's carotid artery.
The old man seemed dazed for a moment, but soon Zhao Feipeng tilted his head and used his upper body to lift the old man up.
They strolled slowly together, their faces no longer showing any fear.
Lulu ran far away, and Lu Qi could no longer see what was happening in the restaurant.
Her vision blurred, and she lay on Lulu's body, praying dazedly that it was all just a hallucination caused by her depression.
-----------------------
A note from the author:
Lu Qi: Please tell me, am I crazy?
Lulu: You're not crazy, you're the smartest little girl!
Lu Qi: I'm crazy! I'm crazy! I must be crazy!
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