Rocky

The flash into the eyes of the creature behind was too sudden and it whimpered as it got too shocked by the light. Li Ming Hao was almost about to lift Su Xin Yu up in his arms when he suddenly halted.

He looked behind and found a dog groaning and running around in circles, like it was in absolute pain. He looked a bit closely, the silhouette in the darkness, only illuminated by the light from the half blocked entrance was very familiar.

It was not just any dog, it was his own German Shepherd, Rocky.

"Oh God!! Rocky? Is that you?" Li Ming Hao called the dog that suddenly did not look as big as it did before.

The dog barked hearing its name. In the silence of the cave, one could hear the animal wagging its tail excitedly.

Li Ming Hao felt pity in his heart, for this was his most beloved dog. He could not bear to even scold it and he asked Su Xin Yu to flash light in his eyes directly. It must have been so painful.

"Oh my God, I am so sorry buddy, I did not realize it was you, I am so very sorry," it calmed down the dog and then gave him a few pats. The dog finally licked its owner's face and whimpered again, voicing how sad it was over the treatment just now.

"Yes, yes. I know. It was my fault. Sorry," Li Ming Hao scratched its ears and touched its forehead with his own.

For some reason, Su Xin Yu found the image of the handsome guy with as handsome a dog together very… heartwarming. This guy, who was always about just business or flirting or lusting, could show such expression of love and gentleness too?

Darn! If only, this was his regular facial expression, she could just fall in love… Oh wait! Why was she thinking like that?

"I… I am sorry too," Su Xin Yu spoke softly from the side. Her eyes were sparkling with anticipation, as if she wanted to pet the dog really badly. Her eyes never left the shimmering fluffy fur of the animal. Li Ming Hao glanced at her and then stifled his laughter.

Su Xin Yu glared at the guy who was snickering at the side but the immediate next moment, she went back to the handsome animal, sitting obediently by her master's side.

"Meet my dog, her name is Rocky," Li Ming Hao finally made the introduction.

"Her? She is a female? Rocky? Sounds like a solid name," Su Xin Yu stretched her hand to pet the good girl but got a low growl in answer. Rocky had not forgotten the person who had just given her such a pain in eyes. She was just going to surprise her master and lick here and there, but this human in front of her had to interrupt. Why was she close to her master to begin with?

"Sorry, sorry. Rocky is a bit sensitive and the flash from earlier didn't help. She will warm up soon," Li Ming Hao really wanted to laugh at the two females. He knew Rocky would not open up so easily, especially to Su Xin Yu.

"How did she come here anyway? That too, from your behind. There should be another entrance. Can you ask her to take you there?" Su Xin Yu asked. If there was another entrance further ahead, there was a high chance that the person she had seen earlier could have gone ahead and might be lying in ambush. They had to be careful.

"She is very intelligent. She could take me there. I will scout the area and come back," Li Ming Hao thought it was reasonable. But he was not the one who had seen the fourth person. So, he did not think that far ahead.

"No wait, we three must be together. No need to separate. If there is someone else, then Rocky should sense them, right?" Su Xin Yu waved her hands. No way she was sending this guy alone.

"Do you mean there is someone else beside us?" Chen Chen's ears perked up hearing what his sister had to say. He had gone back to his seat once again for he was not a big fan of animals. For him, they were just for eating. He looked at the plump dog and a drool formed into his mouth.

Rocky sensed his bad intention towards her and hid behind his master, whining again. 'Master! One person is after me and another is after you! Why did you get involved with this pair of humans, ah?'

"N… no. I mean, just in case. You know we have encountered paranormal before, have we not? Who is to say we would not see anything like that again?" Su Xin Yu tried to salvage the situation. Chen Chen was rather hot headed and if he knew someone bombed the place intentionally, he would just run after them. Then, they could forget the whole trip.

"Oh yeah, that one time those green flames floating around us. Oh man, I cannot forget about it. Buddha, Amitabha, please save us," Chen Chen folded his hands and prayed to the Gods.

"Ghosts?" he asked Su Xin Yu in hushed tone because he was afraid his question would hurt Chen Chen's fragile ego.

"More like illusion. But again, you never know," the girl shrugged her shoulders.

"Okay, now, if we really go inside, I don't know if there will be any openings to the surface inside. What I am trying to say is, we can still walk at the night because in the caves, there is no day or night. So, we can have our meals right now and then continue," Su Xin Yu proposed to both of them.

Chen Chen readily agreed while Li Ming Hao expressed concern over her sprained ankle.

"It's okay. I feel like it's not really sprain. Rather some rock hit it or something. I should be okay with some painkiller," she replied.

And so, it was decided that they would spend one hour there and then continue, with a new mate on the journey.