"As you can see, these gangsters broke into his home and attacked him, but fortunately, they only harmed his dog, leaving the person unharmed," Peter said, standing up after ensuring the man's life wasn't in danger. "He did suffer a severe blow to the head, though, and lost a few teeth."
"Oh, poor dog," Barry said, approaching the beagle. It was covered in blood, with many dents—likely beaten to death with a blunt object, possibly out of anger or spite.
The owl flew down, circling the scene, and reached out its claws as if to grab the dog.
"You can't eat this. It's someone's pet. I'll get you something tasty soon," Barry quickly said, grabbing the owl and placing it back on his bamboo hat. He gestured toward the people on the ground and Peter.
The owl flapped its wings in dissatisfaction but didn't fly off.
Meanwhile, John Wick, lying on the ground in a semi-conscious state, overheard talk of eating his dog and snapped awake. Seeing the panda's face and broad paws under the bamboo hat, he fainted again from shock.
"I've called an ambulance and the police, but they're slow to arrive," Peter said, tossing a gangster's phone aside.
"Do you know who these people are?" Barry asked, looking at the figures wrapped tightly in spider webs.
"Local Russian gangsters," Peter replied calmly, then shifted the topic, "But now, let's discuss what's going on between us."
After tending to John's head wound, Peter left with Barry.
---
Once outside, they perched on the balcony of a high-rise.
"Why did you tag along?" Peter asked, looking slightly distressed.
"Well... to punish evil and promote good," Barry replied with a shrug.
"But I remember you talking about enjoying freedom," Peter said, stepping closer.
"That's true... but I'm staying with Sheriff George's family. To repay them for their kindness, I thought I'd earn some credit for him," Barry reasoned, after a moment of thought.
"Then why follow me?"
"You still owe me a big meal, and I'm not familiar with this city. It's safer with you, and I can help find criminals," Barry said, crossing his arms defiantly.
"Gugu..." The owl on his head echoed in agreement.
"Oh my God, you're a panda. Don't you understand how precious you are?" Peter sighed, trying to persuade him to return home.
"Think about it: if you and a human were in danger, everyone would choose to save you first, understand?" Peter explained patiently, wary of Barry's potential destructiveness. He still couldn't comprehend how so much glass broke at the Empire State Building that day.
Barry shrugged, finding the hypothetical scenario about values and relationships nonsensical. "I'm just a bear."
"I'll stick with you for a few days. If everything goes well, I might become a police officer. If not, I'll stay in New York as a mascot," Barry suggested, lowering his demands for now.
In the meantime, he planned to earn more destruction points and increase his martial arts skills to 100%, gaining more self-defense ability and less reliance on Peter.
Once his martial arts reached 100%, maybe he'd leap between buildings without needing spider silk.
For now, though, he needed Peter to replenish the spider silk.
"You want to be a police officer?" Peter asked, surprised. The idea of a panda becoming a cop seemed outrageous.
"Why not? In special situations, a bear was once a transport soldier and earned a rank. Why can't I be a cop?" Barry retorted.
"That's different. It was wartime, and the bear played a major transport role," Peter countered.
"Do you think I can't contribute as a police officer?" Barry asked, throwing a few mock punches.
Peter was about to agree but paused, considering the panda's potential influence in the U.S. If Barry became a cop, it could be more impactful than any PR campaign.
Despite potential controversy, the greater the debate, the bigger the influence.
And if a panda really became a cop, it might never leave the station, surrounded by reporters and crowds everywhere.
Ultimately, the publicity could outweigh the panda's role as an officer.
Peter understood the implications clearly.
"Alright, you can follow me for now, but you must follow my orders and not act on your own," Peter agreed with a sigh.
"Don't worry, I won't hold you back. Plus, we have an extra partner," Barry said, pointing to the owl.
"It can scout for us. And by the way, you should prepare some food for it as a reward," Barry added.
Peter shrugged, feeling like he was becoming a zookeeper. "If I don't feed it, would it be dishonest? Could you still hang out in the animal kingdom?"
"Do you think I'd miss your food?" Barry gave him a sidelong glance.
"Well... you eat better than I do, ha," Peter replied awkwardly.
"Let's move on to the next mission. Finding those on the wanted list would be best," Barry urged, bouncing on his paws eagerly.
"Those criminals are well hidden. Finding them won't be easy," Peter said, rolling his eyes before launching himself with spider silk.
"Maybe later!" Barry followed, thinking about the city's hidden rats, stray cats, and other creatures. Maybe he could issue a wanted order among the animals.
Together, man and bear navigated New York, tackling crime after crime.
Gangsters, robberies, wanted criminals, murders, assaults, and even terrorist threats...
Following Peter through the dark alleys of New York opened Barry's eyes to the scale of crime.
It truly is a land of freedom...
🛸EXTRA CHAPTER IS AVAILABLE IN PATREON 🗿
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