Being the Wife of a Fluffy Creature [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: The First World (11)

After being given a new name, Wu Shi Yi never imagined it would return to this place.

The stench of rot in the air was even heavier than on the streets, so thick it felt suffocating. The blood-stained steps, the cage-like dog-fighting ring, the desperate screams from the audience and the tortured howls from the ring—every person and every inch of this place made Wu Shi Yi feel nauseated.

That included the long-haired man beside it, with his delicate features and simple attire.

This man had given it a name only humans should have; he had custom-ordered a set of table and chairs so it could eat at a table instead of licking food off the ground. He had surrendered the sofa bed in the living room to it, using corrugated iron to partition the space and a simple sliding door to give it a tiny, private corner of its own. Although the “too cute and pink” decor of that small room didn’t suit Wu Shi Yi’s aesthetic, it cherished it nonetheless.

The man worked online, busy in front of a computer every day. At night, he would squeeze onto the sofa bed and tell it his stories. He spoke of being bullied by older children at the orphanage, of being molested by caregivers. With no parents and no support system, he had suffered through years of school bullying. After graduating, he had been stalked by a crazed admirer and was forced to abandon his dreams and job, fleeing to the unfamiliar Paradise Island to live.

Every time he reached the middle of his story, the corners of his eyes would turn a faint, thin red, as if he were about to cry, only to forcefully hold the tears back. Wu Shi Yi could not speak; all it could do was lift its front paws and hold him.

Wu Yao often talked to himself: “To live a little better, I taught myself many things. I’m very capable of fighting now; the people who bullied me can never hurt me again. I have a way to make a living; I can get by anywhere. But my life hasn’t changed. I still can’t see any hope ahead.”

“Shi Yi, do you think this is all there is for me? Just pretending to be foolish and oblivious in a strange island for the rest of my life?”

When the man wasn’t smiling, his brow was always etched with a faint, lingering loneliness. He had nothing in this world, which was why he confessed his secrets to a dog. Wu Shi Yi couldn’t even protect itself, let alone help him. As a dog, the only thing it could do was accompany Wu Yao.

It wanted to tell him not to be afraid, that it would stay by his side until the end of his life. If they ever had the chance to leave this island, it would help him take revenge on everyone who had ever bullied him. After all, they were dependent on each other in this world; they were friends.

Wu Shi Yi never expected that Wu Yao would send it to a dog-fighting arena.

The man was smart; he had sensed the “other side” of Paradise Island. He was brave, too, risking his life to break into the Hot Pot City to save him. Wu Shi Yi was willing to use every beautiful word in existence for its savior and friend. But why did things turn out this way?

Wu Yao was filling out a registration form, and the people around them were unabashedly sizing him up. Several greedy gazes moved over his body like venomous snakes, burrowing into his collar.

The administrator took the form: “Don’t say I didn’t warn you—in this competition, if you lose, not only do you get no money, but you have to pay up. Hand over a 100,000 deposit first. If you win, you get it back; if you lose, it’s forfeited.”

Dog fighting wasn’t exactly a secret; ordinary townspeople knew this place existed. It was located near the landfill and could be reached by bus. It was divided into two levels: the upper layer was for ordinary people to watch real dogs biting real dogs, while the hidden underground area was the true fighting ring, where only registered “fighting dogs” were allowed.

The gambler had told the Hot Pot City boss in front of Wu Yao that Wu Shi Yi was a numbered fighting dog. So, when the staff asked about the dog’s breed, Wu Yao answered blankly, “I don’t know. The person who sold me the dog said it was a numbered fighting dog.”

He entered the underground area smoothly. The documentation hadn’t mentioned a deposit, and even combining all of Wu Yao’s cards wouldn’t add up to 100,000. Seeing the embarrassment on his face, the administrator started looking him up and down: “No money is fine, too. You can put your body up as collateral. You look decent enough to be sold as a sex slave. The ugly ones over there can only sell their organs.”

Wu Yao followed the man’s finger. A gaunt, malnourished man was being dragged by thugs toward an iron door, behind which screams and pleas for mercy erupted periodically.

The black dog, which had been quietly trailing behind him, finally reacted. It barked twice to make Wu Yao turn, turning its body to reveal its disabled right hind leg, as if urging him not to be reckless. Wu Yao patted its head: “It’s okay. I believe in you.”

The black dog went silent, biting onto his trouser leg and pulling with all its might, nearly knocking Wu Yao over.

The System grumbled: “Is this really okay? Isn’t it too risky?”

Wu Yao said while pressing his thumbprint: ‘The target’s mental stability is already this low—how much lower could it get? Let’s gamble.’

“No! I’m worried about you being forced to sell your body! If you get caught by these people, you’ll be like a cabbage thrown into a pig pen, devoured in seconds!”

Wu Yao hooked his lips in a contemptuous smile: ‘I didn’t plan on actually letting it fight anyway. Even if I lose, so what? Does this rabble think they can catch me?’

He handed the form back. The administrator flicked it with his finger: “What kind of garbage did you write here? ‘Shi Yi’? This name is no good. Change it to something louder.”

“Hmm…Black Cyclone, Black Iron Tower, Lightning Cyclone Wolf. Pick one.”

Wu Yao: …

Wu Shi Yi: …

“Cyclone Wolf! Cyclone Wolf! Tell him you want Cyclone Wolf!”

Wu Yao had brought the target to a dog-fighting arena the first time he ever put a leash on it—the big dog probably wanted to bite him to death. Not wanting to offend the target to the point of no return, Wu Yao pondered how to continue his psychological offensive.

After signing the contract, Wu Yao bent down to grab the leash. As he lowered his head, he met the black dog’s eyes. There was no hatred, only sadness and worry for him. It bit the registration form and shook its body again.

Although Wu Yao was experienced in his work, the targets he dealt with before were all trashy villains. This was his first time encountering a “Saint Mother” dog like Wu Shi Yi. Wu Yao looked away awkwardly; he couldn’t stand people like this.

Most of Paradise Island’s workers kept a nine-to-five schedule; by 6:00 PM, the stands were packed. As the owner of a contestant, Wu Yao was assigned a seat near the ring. With an hour left before the match, several bunny girls moved through the stands, handing out apples to everyone.

Wu Yao finished his apple in a few bites, and the world before his eyes began to change.

The big black dog transformed back into the man in the black trench coat. His muscles were taut; whenever someone approached Wu Yao with malicious intent, he would let out a warning growl to drive them away. Before eating the apple, the black dog in Wu Yao’s eyes had just been lying at his feet. After eating the apple, he realized Wu Shi Yi was pressing a hand against his chair, completely circling him in its arms.

The System was silent for two seconds: “I ship it.”

Wu Yao didn’t think there was anything to “ship”; the target just had that kind of personality. If it were the gambler sitting there, it would definitely protect him, too. Actually, no—the gambler wouldn’t let people take advantage of him.

Wu Shi Yi looked around, its brow suddenly furrowing. Wu Yao followed its gaze to a young man standing not far away. He was trailing behind a middle-aged, burly man, thin and frail, with a dog leash tied around his neck, barking in terror. That fighting dog was too weak; being on stage was a death sentence.

Wu Yao observed for a moment and tugged at the black trench coat: “Shi Yi, why do you have a number on your neck, but it has nothing on its neck?”

Wu Shi Yi’s face darkened: “Woo.”

Wu Yao didn’t understand. The black dog was in a bad mood and didn’t want to talk to him, so he didn’t press it.

The System chimed in: “Hey, fighting dogs can only bark, right? How can that female dog talk?”

On the other side of the stands, a young woman was pulling desperately at her collar: “I’m not a dog! You have the wrong person, I’m not a fighting dog! My name is Liu Li, I’m a waitress at the Youran Xiaoju Restaurant, you can go check!!!”

“I was kidnapped! Please help me call the police! I beg you! Save me, I’m really not a dog!”

The System realized what was happening: “Holy crap, they grabbed a real human!”

Confirming there were no monsters monitoring them, Wu Yao sent the information he had pre-edited to Officer Xiao Liu. After waiting two seconds, he dialed Xiao Liu’s number and set it to mute. Wu Yao pulled Wu Shi Yi toward the woman, ensuring her cries could be clearly heard over the phone.

When the woman saw Wu Yao from afar, she screamed: “Wu Yao! Wu Yao, I saw you in a photo! We live in the same apartment building! The manager gave your photo to his accomplices; they grabbed me, and you’re the next target!”

Wu Yao paused: “Which manager are you talking about? The new one or the old one?”

“It’s Uncle Wang! You can understand me, right? Please, save me!”

Just as Wu Yao wanted to ask more, he was blocked by a fat woman holding the leash: “Tsk, are you sick? Talking to a dog? Get lost.” She raised her hand to slap Wu Yao, but Wu Shi Yi immediately stepped in to block them.

The woman looked at it in fear for a few seconds, then turned and slapped Liu Li a few times. Liu Li glared at her with venomous hatred. Wu Shi Yi didn’t stop her and looked over coldly, wanting to go argue, but was pulled back by Wu Yao on the leash.

“What are you going over there for? To beat her up? Or to bark at her?”

Wu Yao dragged Wu Shi Yi away; the man hung his head, silent. After walking a few steps, Wu Yao couldn’t help but look back: “Why that expression? Feeling wronged? The thugs are very close to them, and they have guns. Nobody cares if a fighting dog lives or dies—I’m afraid the thugs would just kill you on the spot.”

Taking advantage of the fact that no one was watching, he reached out to undo the man’s collar, rolling up the leash and stuffing it into his trench coat pocket.

Wu Shi Yi looked at Wu Yao thoughtfully, then suddenly tilted its head and smiled gently at him.

The System was dazzled: “D*mn, if this were a Western fantasy world, he’d be a Holy Child of Light. Ah—I see your pure soul, may all your sins be absolved!”

This was the result Wu Yao wanted, but he now felt completely uncomfortable. Calculating against an honest dog made Wu Yao’s conscience prick. He began to miss the days of scheming and backstabbing with insane villains.

Wu Yao roughly figured out the situation. Uncle Wang was an apartment manager on the surface and a human trafficker in the shadows. He had sold Liu Li to his accomplices. His accomplices had heard something they shouldn’t have while helping to kidnap Wu Yao and were silenced by the Mayor. The fat woman was likely the family of the deceased accomplice, coming to sell his “assets.”

After wandering around with Wu Shi Yi a few times, Wu Yao basically mapped out the venue. He sat back down and patted his thigh toward Wu Shi Yi: “Come here, sit over.”

The black-clad man was still staring at Liu Li. He pointed at himself, then at Wu Yao: “Woof-woo?”

“Yes, sit on my lap.”

The “Holy Saint Dog” displayed the most complex expression on its face yet. Wu Yao couldn’t wait and reached out to pull him. The man had a crippled leg and was unstable; he stumbled under the pull, supporting himself with his hands on the chair to barely stand.

Wu Yao looked around. The man’s frame was larger than his, enough to hide him. That was enough.

“There are at least four ordinary people in this arena, plus many fighting dogs like you who are forced to participate. Do you want to save them?”

Wu Shi Yi didn’t answer, bowing its head to look at him earnestly.

Wu Yao avoided its gaze: “I’m just too unlucky. As soon as I moved to Paradise Island, I ran into human trafficking. These past few days, I haven’t slept well; I feel like I’m being watched. And if I died, nobody would care. There’s no hope for me in this life.”

“So I thought…rather than living in a daze, why not do something?”

The man smiled at him, anxiety in his eyes: “The thugs have guns. Maybe we’ll die here, but I still want to do something. Shi Yi, let’s destroy tonight’s competition together and let all the victims here go, okay?”

Thump.

Wu Shi Yi’s cheeks burned. Its heart seemed to suddenly come alive, pounding wildly in its chest. It had many questions to ask, but when it opened its mouth, only a whimper emerged.

Wu Yao understood what it meant: “I’m not lying to you this time—it’s the truth. Since neither of us wants to live that badly, why not do something crazy before we die!”