The abandoned Xinghe Cinema served as a temporary safehouse for several days.
By day, Lin Wan followed Chen Lin's "training outline" with relentless creativity—which Silas Moore, currently known as Er'gou, interpreted as systematic torture.
"Professor Er'gou, look here!"
Lin Wan held up her phone. On the screen: a sharp, high-definition promo shot of Silas Moore in his human form—eyes cold, presence lethal.
She grinned.
"What kind of expression is this?"
Er'gou glanced at the photo.
Then at Lin Wan.
Blue eyes radiating a single, exhausted verdict:
Are you seriously asking me this?
But food was involved.
So he cooperated.
He turned toward the camera and attempted to mobilize his facial muscles.
Which, unfortunately, belonged to a husky.
Complex emotional nuance did not translate well across species.
The final result hovered somewhere between:
Severe constipationandExistential despair
Lin Wan clapped happily.
"Perfect! Melancholy Prince!"
Chicken reward delivered.
Er'gou chewed.
Eyes dead inside.
Next drill.
"Er'gou, this is ANGER!"
Lin Wan bared her teeth dramatically.
Er'gou half-heartedly mirrored the gesture.
A token snarl.
Two symbolic "grrr" sounds.
Then instantly reverted to his default:
Emotionally unavailable aristocrat
His paw tapped Lin Wan's wrist.
Meaning clear:
Meat. Now.
"Transition not natural enough! Again!"
Er'gou:"… "
If humiliation could kill, Lin Wan would not have survived the morning.
Unexpected Genius Zone
While acting exercises drained his will to live,
the tablet revived him.
Er'gou sprawled beside it like a scholar reclaiming dignity.
Paw swiping.Nose assisting delicate scrolling.Eyes razor-focused.
Encrypted documents flickered past:
Fragmented experiment logs.Suspicious corporate structures.Chemical composition tables.
Then—
he froze.
A biotech company logo.
A luxury perfume brand ingredient sheet.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
His paw moved rapidly between the two.
Breathing slowed.
A low, thoughtful rumble vibrated in his throat.
He turned to Lin Wan.
Tapped the screen.
Then tapped a notebook.
Lin Wan blinked.
"…You want me to write that down?"
Paw tap.
Impatient.
She became a stenographer for a husky with insider-level analytical instincts.
Somewhere in the world,
a boardroom wept for its missing CEO.
Lin Wan scribbled keywords while muttering:
"My dog probably knows more corporate secrets than I ever will…"
Button Toy Evolution
The interactive button toy had also become a weapon.
Er'gou now pressed with fluent precision:
"Action!" – Start performance"Cut!" – Displeasure / refusal"Stupid Human!" – Directed at Lin Wan"Coffee" – Pressed daily out of spite
He even began constructing sequences.
One afternoon:
Action!→ Zhen is hungry→ Stupid Human→ Cut!
Lin Wan translated with great difficulty:
"We're filming. Feed me. That portion was insulting. I quit."
"…You are impossible."
Tail flick.
Unrepentant.
Internet Explosion
Lin Wan edited portions of the training footage into short videos:
"My Dog Might Have Attended Acting School""Breaking: Husky Reacts to Financial News Like a Market Analyst"
Clicks skyrocketed.
Comments flooded.
Debates ignited.
Er'gou's legend grew.
The Calm Before Something Worse
Chen Lin's encrypted updates arrived intermittently.
Brief.
Clinical.
Unsettling.
Entropy-linked accounts emerging.Financial anomalies.No direct move.
Which worried Lin Wan more.
Because silence from hunters rarely meant mercy.
Fourth Filming Notice
The message came:
"Cute Pets Battle Royale – Episode 4"
Location:
Wonderland ManorA newly opened suburban estate marketed as:
Pet-friendly.Immersive scripted experience.
Lin Wan frowned.
"Scripted experience? For pets too?"
Chen Lin's reply followed immediately:
"Manor background complex. One investor has indirect financial ties to Entropy.Could be coincidence. Could be bait.Stay alert. Adapt.Continue observing his condition.Let him respond 'naturally' within the scripted scenario.Cover and training."
Er'gou, at that moment, was studying a blurred molecular diagram on the tablet.
At the word—
Script
His ears twitched.
He lifted his head.
Blue eyes igniting with something faint but unmistakable.
An actor's instinct.
The primal thrill of:
A new role.
Lin Wan saw it.
And sighed.
"…Of course you'd be excited."
Arrival at Wonderland Manor
The manor truly lived up to its name.
European-style castle façade.Expansive emerald lawns.Fairytale cottages and statues.
But unlike a normal resort—
this place was crawling with characters.
Staff dressed as:
Medieval maids.Knights.Wizards.
Pets wandered freely:
Collars.Tiny outfits.Absurd confidence.
Lin Wan stood at the entrance with Er'gou on his leash.
Surveying the theatrical landscape.
Er'gou sat beside her.
Silent.
Blue eyes scanning.
Calculating.
Because beneath the charm,
the lights,
the fantasy—
Both of them knew:
When the world looked most like a stage,
someone was always writing a trap.