Just as Tang Yiyi was hesitating about what to do next, the mutant husky puppy, pressed hard under the Mutant Rat's belly, finally freed itself after its death, and gradually squeezed its head out from underneath. Then, it suddenly sensed something, its body stiffened all of a sudden, and its pair of blue eyes darted around, cautiously glaring at Tang Yiyi. It tried hard to appear fierce, but to Tang Yiyi, whether it was its round plump little head, its sapphire-blue eyes, or that pretended fierceness, it was all extremely adorable!
Nonetheless, Tang Yiyi had witnessed how it pounced to kill the Mutant Rat earlier, so she didn't dare underestimate it because of its appearance. Thus, when it let out a warning growl from its throat, Tang Yiyi smartly retreated. As she continuously stepped back, the mutant husky puppy successfully crawled out from under the Mutant Rat's belly. It was clever and didn't lower its guard just because Tang Yiyi retreated, instead, it continued to look at her warily.
Tang Yiyi knew that taming a Mutant Beast wasn't an easy task. But having encountered a living mutated young beast like this, she was really unwilling to let it go just like that! She thought to herself, huskies are generally smart, even ordinary huskies have the intelligence of a four-year-old child. Although the husky in front of her was just a puppy, it had already mutated, so its intelligence was surely higher. Perhaps she could give it a try!
Therefore, after retreating to a certain distance, she tentatively said, "Hello, I mean no harm. You see, I even helped you just now. Were it not for me killing that Mutant Rat, you'd still be trapped under its belly now."
Upon hearing this, the mutant husky puppy's expression changed, looking at Tang Yiyi with a rather disdainful gaze. Tang Yiyi immediately realized that her guess was right; this mutant husky puppy was indeed very smart. However, it seemed to be a little too smart! Just based on its current attitude, Tang Yiyi felt that wanting to tame it was simply wishful thinking!
Tang Yiyi knew it wouldn't be easy, but she still didn't want to give up. Coming across a mutated young beast was extremely rare, even in Safe City, without enough Credit Points, you'd have no access to the Exotic Beast Store, let alone find one in the wild! So she gritted her teeth and tried again, "I know which part of the Mutant Rat's meat is the most tender; I can help you find it, how about that?"
The mutant husky puppy lowered its head, thought for a bit, and then suddenly lifted its right paw and pointed at the three Mutant Rat corpses nearby. Tang Yiyi almost instantly understood its meaning—it was asking for help! However, she wasn't too trusting of this mutant husky puppy and didn't dare casually walk over. She just tentatively took two steps forward, and seeing that it had no reaction, she continued to advance cautiously.
In this stop-and-go manner, she finally reached the mutant husky puppy's side. It didn't show any hostility toward Tang Yiyi; instead, it sat on the side, looking at her with its chin lifted, in a sort of bossy manner, its gaze slightly contemptuous, as if saying, "Why are you so slow?" Tang Yiyi smiled slightly, grabbed the leg of the Mutant Rat, flipped it over, and after testing the Chef's Knife in her hand and finding the blade sharp enough to effortlessly slice open the Mutant Rat's belly, she swiftly peeled back the thick fur, selected the most tender portions, and cut it out to present to the mutant husky.
When she was with the Liu Family, because Liu Shuya always complained she was freeloading, Tang Yiyi had been helping with chores from a young age, starting with sweeping and wiping tables, to later cutting vegetables and cooking; she had done almost everything she could! Although she hadn't handled a Mutant Rat before, there was a type of artificially farmed meat rat in Safe City, specifically bred for consumption. These meat rats are similar in size to the Mutant Rats but have tenderer meat, contain no toxins, and lack the Mutant Rat's unique fishy and foul smell!
These Mutant Rats live on Garbage Mountain, surviving on the trash from it, making their stench even stronger, nauseating anyone who smells it. Tang Yiyi held her breath ahead of time, preventing herself from vomiting! With her years of cooking experience, she could immediately identify the tenderest parts, making quick and precise cuts, swiftly slicing out the tender portions from a Mutant Rat. Then, she efficiently processed the remaining two Mutant Rats.
There aren't many tender parts on a Mutant Rat; though the three Mutant Rats were huge, the combined tender meat was just barely enough for the mutant husky puppy. It ate quickly, and by the time Tang Yiyi finished preparing, it had already consumed the tender meat from earlier.
After finishing the last bite of meat, it burped, then suddenly looked up, its bright blue eyes fixed on Tang Yiyi, clearly plotting something. Tang Yiyi instinctively became wary, gripping the Chef's Knife in her hand, tentatively asking, "So, are you full now? This place isn't safe for long; the leftover meat will attract other things, we need to leave quickly. Do you know where there's a safe place?"
At this moment, Tang Yiyi didn't know whether she could trust this mutant husky puppy. She wasn't delusional enough to think that by helping it once, it would obediently sign a contract with her. She asked on purpose, mainly to test its attitude. Being stared at continuously by it, Tang Yiyi felt somewhat uneasy.
The mutant husky puppy seemed to know the place wasn't safe for long either; it stopped staring at Tang Yiyi and turned to leave. Seeing it just walking away like that, Tang Yiyi felt disappointed and frustrated. Even so, she dared not follow rashly. Though the husky was still just a puppy, judging by its earlier ruthlessness in hunting the Mutant Rat, it wasn't one to mess with! But just when Tang Yiyi was about to leave, it suddenly stopped, turned to look at her, and barked lowly, as if urging her.
Tang Yiyi hesitated for a moment but decided to take a gamble. She was completely unfamiliar with the area around Garbage Mountain, and without a battle vehicle, wandering around blindly was too risky. This mutant husky puppy should be local to the area and would know it much better than she did; it was fast, with sharp claws. As long as it had no ill intentions, following it would be safer.
Moreover, only by following it would she have a chance to form a contract with this mutant husky puppy! At worst, even if it had bad intentions, she still had that odd system, and if she could activate the protective shield from before, she'd be safe. With this thought, Tang Yiyi tentatively asked in her mind, "System, are you there? Can that protective shield from before still be activated?"
The system's voice quickly sounded, "When the host encounters a life-threatening danger, the protective shield will automatically activate."
Hearing this, Tang Yiyi felt completely at ease, and then she followed with light steps.