"Finding Er-Dog… was an accident."
Lin Wan's voice was slightly hoarse as she stood beneath the warm glow of fairy lights.
She gently stroked Silas-the-dog's head.
Silas's ears twitched.
"He was fierce at first," she continued with a faint smile,"Always looking at me like I was beneath his dignity."
A few soft laughs rippled through the set.
"But over time…"
Her fingers paused in Silas's thick fur.
"…he taught me a lot."
She remembered—
The nights he secretly manipulated her laptop.
The cold disdain in his eyes when he shoved that magazine to the floor.
The terrifying silhouette of him standing guard at her door.
"He made me realize," Lin Wan said softly,
"That sometimes, the one who looks the most unreliable…"
"…can end up being the most dependable."
"He can't talk.He destroys my house.He's picky, dramatic, and constantly insults me with his eyes…"
She laughed.
But her eyes were glistening now.
Silas lay quietly in her arms.
The flashing lights reflected in his blue eyes—
Softening them.
He lifted his head.
And gently licked her chin.
Warm.Wet.
A dog's simplest form of comfort.
Of approval.
Applause broke out.
The livestream chat flooded with emotion.
[I KNOW HE'S JUST TASTING CHIP FLAVOR BUT I'M STILL CRYING][Companionship is the longest confession][Wanwan & Er-Dog forever!]
Lin Wan hugged Silas tightly, burying her face into his fluffy neck.
That familiar scent—
Sunlight.Dog food.Her shampoo.
For one fragile moment—
Everything else faded.
The conspiracy.The danger.The absurdity of Silas's existence.
All distant.
Until—
Her eyes drifted beyond the cameras.
To the edge of the crowd.
Assistant Director Chen stood there, phone raised, recording the "heartwarming" scene.
He was smiling.
But—
At the corner of his lips—
Was a faint, chilling curve.
Cold.
Calculating.
And behind him.
Partially concealed by shadows and trees—
Stood another man.
Dark casual clothes.
Tall.
Rigid posture.
Cap pulled low.
Mask covering his face.
His gaze wasn't on Lin Wan.
Wasn't on the stage.
It was locked—
Directly onto Silas.
Sharp.Predatory.
Like a hawk marking prey.
Lin Wan's blood turned to ice.
In her arms—
Silas froze.
His body stiffened violently.
A deep, barely audible growl rumbled from his throat.
Warning.
He turned his head.
Blue eyes piercing straight through the distance—
And met the stranger's gaze.
For a split second—
The world seemed to stop.
Then—
The man turned.
Without hesitation.
Without panic.
And disappeared behind a building corner.
The fairy lights still blinked.
The music still played.
Laughter and applause still filled the air.
But Lin Wan felt only a rising, suffocating chill.
Who was he?
Why that look?
Was he connected to Chen?
To the notebook?
To Silas?
Silas jumped down from her arms.
His posture instantly shifted.
Body lowered.
Tail rigid.
Eyes fixed toward the direction the man had vanished.
No laziness.
No mockery.
Only razor-sharp vigilance.
And—
Something else.
Confusion.
Unease.
Even Silas didn't recognize that gaze.
But he knew—
It carried threat.
The recording wrapped smoothly under the illusion of warmth.
Equipment packed.
Guests exchanged farewells.
Chen approached Lin Wan, smiling politely.
"Excellent work today, Miss Lin."
"The footage was wonderful."
His eyes slid briefly toward Silas.
"Your dog is truly camera-friendly."
A pause.
"We hope he remains… healthy."
"…and special."
Lin Wan forced a stiff smile.
Said nothing.
On the ride back—
She clutched the airline carrier tightly.
Inside, Silas was unnaturally silent.
Outside the window, neon lights streaked past like blurred warnings.
Fragments of thought collided in her mind—
Notebook riddles.
Chen's layered words.
That stranger's predatory stare.
This was never an accident.
Silas becoming a dog.
Ending up in her apartment.
Nothing about this was random.
"Celebration fireworks make the perfect cover…"
Lin Wan whispered.
Silas's disappearance night—
A celebration banquet.
With fireworks.
"But the scent in blood cannot deceive a tracker…"
Bloodline.
Was it referring to Silas's identity as a human?
Or—
Something else entirely?
Something tied to his body now?
"Beware the Celebration."
Was today's filming another celebration?
Was Chen one of the trackers?
And—
Old Harbor District.
Warehouse No. 7.
Rust.
Fish stench.
Lin Wan opened her phone.
Searched.
Almost nothing.
Old abandoned docklands.
Polluted zones.
Dangerous neighborhoods.
She closed her eyes.
Fatigue and dread pressed heavily on her chest.
Then looked down at the carrier.
Through the air holes—
A pair of blue eyes stared back.
Deep.
Complex.
Sharing the same unspoken worry.
The car entered the city.
Closer.
Closer to her old, worn-down apartment.
To what once felt like safety.
But Lin Wan knew.
Some things—
Could never return to what they were.
She reached out and lightly tapped the carrier's vent.
"No matter what this is…"
Her voice was barely a breath.
"…we face it together."
Inside—
Silas let out a soft, low whuff.
His nose pressed gently against the vent.
Warm air brushing her fingertip.
A response.
A pact.
And then—
SCREECH—!!
Tires screamed violently.
The van lurched sideways.
A black sedan, headlights off, swerved aggressively—
Cutting them off.
The driver slammed the brakes.
The carrier flew from the seat—
Crashing into the front row.
"Ahh—!"
Lin Wan's head slammed against the window.
Stars exploded in her vision.
Before the van even fully stopped—
Two dark figures leapt from the black sedan.
Moving fast.
Precise.
Direct.
Their target—
The carrier in the backseat.
Not Lin Wan.
Not the crew.
Silas.