After everything was settled, Chen Lin walked over and handed Lin Wan a thick folder.
"This is the preliminary training and observation schedule for the next week."
"It's mainly for His Highness."
"You'll need to assist with the records and participate in some of the interaction drills."
Lin Wan opened the folder.
The pages were packed with training modules.
Olfactory Precision Control Tests
Incremental Command Complexity
Simulated Social Scenario Responses
Stress Tolerance Enhancement
And one line that made her pause:
Human–Canine Consciousness Synchronization Drills
"Human–canine synchronization?" she asked.
Chen Lin nodded.
"It means simulating crisis situations."
"We train him to maintain the external behavior of a dog while communicating with you efficiently and discreetly."
"For example—"
"Using body language."
"Different barking rhythms."
"Environmental objects."
"To transmit simple information."
He tapped the folder.
"The goal is to develop a communication system only the two of you can understand."
"A private code."
Lin Wan glanced toward the bed.
Er'gou had opened his eyes at some point.
He was listening quietly.
"There's something else," Chen Lin continued, his tone serious.
"Old Wu will handle physical and instinct reinforcement training."
"Tracking."
"Stealth."
"Combat response."
"And canine reconnaissance techniques."
He paused slightly.
"The training methods will be… direct."
"You should prepare yourself mentally."
Lin Wan's chest tightened.
Combat training?
She remembered the violence Er'gou had shown at the amusement park and in the hotel.
Were they going to amplify that side of him?
"Is this preparation for Entropy's final move?" she asked.
Chen Lin stayed silent for a moment.
Then nodded.
"They're done waiting."
"Li Wei'an's approach."
"Zhao's public provocation."
"And the attack tonight."
"All signs point to one thing."
"They've identified a window of opportunity."
"Or a reason they must capture him immediately."
His gaze moved to the husky.
"We need to restore as much of his combat capability as possible before their next move."
"At minimum…"
"He must be able to protect himself."
"And cooperate with us."
Combat capability.
The phrase sounded absurd.
Lin Wan looked at the large husky sitting calmly on the bed.
It was hard to imagine the fluffy animal as something called combat-ready.
But Er'gou understood.
He jumped down from the bed.
Walked straight toward Chen Lin.
And looked up at him.
No fear.
No hesitation.
Only calm focus.
Like a soldier receiving orders.
Chen Lin crouched to meet his gaze.
"The training will be harsh."
"Some parts may even challenge the limits of what you can accept as a human."
"But it's necessary."
"If you want to go back…"
"If you want to protect the people you care about…"
"Then first you have to survive."
"And then you have to win."
Er'gou held his gaze.
Three seconds passed.
Then he gave a slow, deliberate nod.
The next morning, life inside the underground base shifted into training mode.
Old Wu's methods were exactly what Chen Lin had warned.
Direct.
Brutal.
Olfactory Precision Training
This wasn't simple scent recognition.
Old Wu mixed extremely complex chemical scent compounds.
Many nearly identical.
Er'gou had to isolate a microscopic target smell from dozens of interfering odors.
Sometimes he had to memorize a scent signature from a person and track it after it had been intentionally masked.
Mistakes weren't punished.
But success always meant the next test would be harder.
Physical and Instinct Training
This wasn't just running.
Old Wu built simulated terrain using the basement obstacles.
Er'gou had to climb, leap, crawl, and ambush targets while carrying weighted vests.
Sometimes under loud noise bursts.
Sometimes under blinding lights.
Sometimes while exposed to scent shock stimulants.
Even mild electric pulses—harmless, but sharp enough to disrupt concentration.
The goal was simple.
When chaos struck, his body had to react correctly.
Attack.
Hide.
Or misdirect.
Combat Drills
Old Wu wore a reinforced protective suit.
Then he became the enemy.
These drills weren't about killing.
They were about control.
Er'gou learned to use speed and body weight to destabilize a target.
To bite equipment straps.
To tear off masks.
To disable tools.
To create escape windows.
Soon small wounds appeared.
Minor scratches.
Bruises beneath the fur.
But the husky never cried.
Never hesitated.
His eyes simply grew colder.
Sharper.
More precise.
Lin Wan watched everything.
Her heart twisted each time he returned with another small injury.
But she couldn't stop it.
Instead she handled the support work.
Cleaning wounds.
Preparing food.
Using Chen Lin's calming audio to relax his nervous system between sessions.
The change in him became obvious.
The soft pet aura was fading.
Replacing it was something leaner.
Harder.
A quiet predator's vigilance.
Even while resting his ears rotated constantly like radar.
His muscles stayed ready beneath the fur.
And whenever his gaze moved across a room—
It evaluated everything.
Distance.
Threat.
Escape routes.
Yet the training that changed the most was the synchronization drills between him and Lin Wan.
Chen Lin designed dozens of small exercises.
Some looked like games.
But each carried hidden meaning.
Touching specific toy color combinations meant safe.
Another combination meant danger.
Different barking rhythms meant:
Someone approaching.
Suspicious movement.
Need help.
Er'gou even learned to scratch arrows or warning crosses into dust on the floor.
Primitive symbols.
But effective.
His learning speed was terrifying.
It was as if he treated the system like a puzzle.
A code-breaking exercise.
Within three days, he and Lin Wan could communicate through almost invisible signals.
Eye movements.
Ear direction.
Tail rhythm.
Paw gestures.
Short bark variations.
Basic tactical communication had been established.
Old Wu watched the training session from the side.
Then quietly said to Chen Lin:
"His learning ability…"
"Especially abstract reasoning and symbol recognition…"
"…has surpassed ordinary dogs by a massive margin."
"Even many military K9 units wouldn't reach this level."
Chen Lin frowned slightly.
"So the human cognitive layer is still active."
Old Wu nodded.
"The disguise compound didn't erase Silas Moore."
"It compressed him."
"Twisted him."
"And forced him into the foundation of canine instinct."
He looked back toward the obstacle field where the husky was sprinting across platforms.
"Right now he's a hybrid system."
"A human mind running inside a canine neural structure."
Chen Lin spoke quietly.
"Which means the training could unlock potential…"
"…or trigger something unstable."
Old Wu nodded again.
"Risk and opportunity always come together."
"He's a double-edged blade."
"If we control it properly…"
"He becomes our greatest weapon against Entropy."
"If not…"
His voice lowered.
"The consequences could be catastrophic."
He tapped the desk lightly.
"That calming audio."
"You keep it ready at all times."
Training days were exhausting.
But there was one small break in their routine.
Old Wu owned a heavily encrypted computer.
It was the only device in the underground base that could safely connect to the outside world.
Through layers of signal masking and data scrambling.
Sometimes—
Just sometimes—
They used it to peek at what was happening outside.