Chapter Nineteen: The Mutated Dog

"Tsk, this nutrient solution is draining faster than I expected."

Bai Qi stared at the rapidly diminishing number of nutrient solutions in the refrigerator, feeling a bit of a headache rising.

Though he'd already tried to reasonably time the use of the Evolution Egg, the consumption rate of the nutrient solution significantly exceeded his projections. In just one week, he'd exhausted half a month's worth of supply from his plan.

"At least it'll last till the end of the month, guess I'll just have to tighten my belt."

Bai Qi calculated the consumption, reconsidered, and decided to abandon the idea of taking on any missions.

It wasn't because it was troublesome, but rather because he simply did not have the time.

While university coursework wasn't extensive, it still demanded attendance. After all, general knowledge is quite important, not to mention cybernetics was a subject he was deeply interested in.

Compared to those F-class missions with pitiful rewards, Bai Qi preferred attending classes at the university.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The knocking interrupted his thoughts. Closing the fridge, Bai Qi advanced towards the door. Upon opening it, he found Zhuge Chen standing there, a husky at his side.

With a confused glance at the man and the dog, Bai Qi asked, "Zhuge Chen, what brings you here? And why did you bring this guy?"

Zhuge Chen scratched his head awkwardly, answering, "I had no choice, this fellow has been acting up recently, I don't know why. He was almost attacked by the other Arctic Ice Wolves. He doesn't want to stay alone in his room, so I was hoping you could look after him for a while."

"Acting up? Don't tell me... is he in heat?"

Bai Qi eyed the husky's belly skeptically, suggesting, "Have you considered giving him a little surgery?"

Hearing Bai Qi's words, the husky, who had previously been curiously scanning his surroundings, immediately stiffened and quickly crossed its paws over its private region.

Howl! Howl!

(This guy, he's definitely evil!)

Zhuge Chen let out a bitter laugh, conceding, "Let's not, I don't want any complaints from the dog lovers in the shop, plus he isn't even fully grown yet, it's impossible for him to be in heat."

Bai Qi nodded, saying, "I don't mind housing him, there's still room in the yard, just consider it as having an extra guard dog. However, I won't cover his food costs."

It's not that he was stingy, but he was barely managing as is.

Thankfully, Alpha belonged to the Undead Clan and didn't need to eat, otherwise living conditions would have been even tougher.

"Don't worry, I've made arrangements for that,"

Zhuge Chen pointed towards a truck parked in the back, saying, "Food and a temporary kennel for half a month. If it's not enough, I'll have someone bring more over."

Zhuge Chen certainly deserved his reputation as the future heir of Elf House - his wealth was striking!

Bai Qi gave Zhuge Chen a thumbs up, and together they unloaded the truck and set up the temporary doghouse in the courtyard.

As soon as Zhuge Chen stepped into the yard, he saw Alpha training with the Steel Training Dummy, and he was momentarily stunned on the spot.

"What on earth have you come up with now?"

Zhuge Chen glanced at Bai Qi who was next to him, at a loss for words.

"Nothing much, just some training equipment for Alpha. The training areas outside are simply too expensive."

"Are you sure it's training equipment and not some kind of offensive weaponry?"

"If this isn't training equipment, then what is?"

"..."

The two worked together and quickly finished setting up the temporary doghouse for the husky. Afterward, Zhuge Chen didn't stay around for long and quickly left.

For some reason, the number of people who came to Elf House to buy Undead pets had suddenly increased, and he had just managed to squeeze out some time.

Having seen Zhuge Chen off, Bai Qi removed the leash from the husky. The husky instinctively tried to frolic about the yard, but after catching sight of the remote control in Bai Qi's hand, it obediently came to a standstill.

Bai Qi nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Good, I don't have Zhuge Chen's patience, so you'd better behave while you're here."

Awooo...

(Darned human, one day I'll let you taste what it's like to be electrocuted!)

The husky obediently nodded its head, but its constantly wandering eyes revealed its inner thoughts.

Is this fellow really the Arctic Ice Wolf renowned for its cold and aloof personality…

Feeling a bit helpless, Bai Qi patted the husky's head. Suddenly, he felt the Evolution Egg in his mind vibrate.

[Name]: Evolution Egg (Black Iron Egg 23%.)

[Condition]: Activated

The progress of the Evolution Egg had increased by ten percent.

Bai Qi looked at the husky, somewhat puzzled. He had just interacted with the creature a few days ago and the Evolution Egg showed no changes then. So why was there a movement today?

Could it be that the Evolution Egg progress had a specific time to increase?

Bai Qi rolled his eyes, then focused his attention. The husky's information instantly appeared in his mind.

[Name]: Arctic Ice Wolf

[Race]: Wolf Species (Mutant)

[Growth Level]: Zero Stage Three Level

[Bloodline Level]: Low-level Elite

[Racial Skills]: Ripping Claw, Bite, Perception, Current Resistance

[Condition]: Evolvable

So, this guy had also mutated!

Perhaps, the reason he'd been so agitated these past few days was because of the mutation.

But there was nothing special about these attributes; it didn't look like he'd mutated at all.

Certainly, it couldn't be the Current Resistance, could it?

Bai Qi examined the husky from head to toe but found nothing particular. He then turned his focus to the 'Evolvable' condition.

Dating back to when he first cleared the Screaming Mushroom mission, Bai Qi learned that the Evolution Egg could also be used on other pets.

However, Bai Qi had no plans to benefit others with his gift. Besides, this ability was rather astonishing, it was better not to expose it so casually.

Anyway, using it on the husky once or twice should be fine, considering it was to spend half a month in his house. Nobody would figure it out.

By the way, he wanted to confirm something.

Since the Evolution Egg could fuse metal and bone, could it perhaps also fuse cybernetics and flesh?

"Behave and stay still."

After warning the husky, Bai Qi placed his right hand on its head. A jet of dark energy gushed out immediately, rapidly enveloping the husky.

Awoo? Woof! Woof! Woof!

(What on earth is this!)

Seeing the strange energy suddenly gushing out of Bai Qi's hand, the husky was scared into barking, its legs shaking as it tried to escape.

However, the Black Iron Egg was notably fast and instantly enveloped the husky.

Scritch! Scritch!...

A series of scratching sounds emanated from the Black Iron Egg, which wobbled slightly before the scratching sounds gradually ebbed.

Weren't the creatures supposed to fall into a Deep Sleep upon being enclosed by the Black Iron Egg?

This oddity did not escape Bai Qi's observant eyes. He made a mental note before sitting off to one side to wait.

An hour quickly passed, the agitated husky broke free from the Black Iron Egg, warily considering the shattered eggshell all around.

This thing was capable of making it fall asleep unwittingly, it was even more dangerous than that metallic lump that could produce electricity!