The music was loud.
"Pet-friendly loud," meaning the bass was toned down, but it still shook the lobby floor.
Colored lights spun across the ceiling. A small dance area had been cleared in the center.
The receptionist from earlier had transformed into the night's host—now wearing an exaggerated clown costume and holding a microphone like she was hosting the Super Bowl.
"Welcome to Planet Woof Masquerade Night!"
She spun dramatically.
"Let's see our amazing contestants! Superman dog! Dinosaur dog! Oh! And here we have our internet celebrity—Teacher Er'gou! Tonight's look is… devil angel fusion? Iconic!"
Spotlights snapped toward him.
Er'gou froze.
Just for half a second.
Bright lights.
Dozens of strangers.
Cameras.
His ears flattened slightly.
Behind the ridiculous devil horns, his blue eyes sharpened.
If killing intent could be measured in lumens, the lights would've dimmed.
He lifted a paw to rip the headband off—
Lin Wan grabbed it mid-air.
"Six cans," she whispered.
He paused.
Slow exhale.
Tolerance activated.
"First game!" the host announced.
"Where Did My Owner Go?"
"The owners will move to the side lounge and wear blindfolds! Pets stay put! Let's see who finds their human first!"
Lin Wan resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
Again with this setup?
She allowed herself to be guided to the side lounge with the other owners. They sat down. Blindfolds on.
Darkness.
Only music.
And scattered barking.
Her chest tightened slightly.
He'd be fine.
Right?
Center floor.
Chaos.
The corgi spun in circles chasing its own tail.
The Pomeranian froze exactly where its owner had stood.
The Shiba in a bee costume tried desperately to claw its way out of humiliation.
And Er'gou—
Did not move.
He stood perfectly still.
Head slightly tilted.
Ears rotating.
Nose drawing in subtle currents of air.
He wasn't searching.
He was calculating.
"Ten… nine… eight…"
The countdown echoed.
At "three," he moved.
Not randomly.
Not hesitantly.
He turned—
And walked straight toward the lounge.
Direct line.
Clean trajectory.
He bypassed the overexcited poodle.
Stepped around the dinosaur corgi.
Didn't even glance at distractions.
"Two! One! Time's up!"
The host gasped.
"Whoa! Teacher Er'gou already found his owner?! That was fast!"
Lin Wan felt a familiar weight brush against her leg.
A warm nose.
A calm presence.
She pulled off her blindfold.
There he was.
Looking up at her.
Devil horns slightly crooked.
Blue eyes steady under spinning lights.
Expression clear:
This level? I could win it in my sleep.
The lobby's livestream screen exploded with comments.
"WHAT?!"
"No hesitation?!"
"He locked on instantly!"
"Is this scent tracking or GPS??"
"Teacher Er'gou: Even blindfolded, I can locate my human."
Lin Wan let out the breath she'd been holding.
She crouched and ruffled his head.
He tilted slightly away.
But didn't step back.
Second game.
"Pet Runway Show!"
Owners would walk their pets down a makeshift T-stage.
Strike a pose at the end.
Smile for photos.
Lin Wan's soul left her body for a moment.
But she stepped onto the runway anyway.
Music shifted into something comically dramatic.
She walked.
Er'gou followed.
Unhurried.
Measured.
The crowd noise faded.
He didn't look left.
Didn't look right.
Didn't acknowledge the cheers.
He walked like someone who had once crossed red carpets for a living.
They reached the end of the runway.
Lin Wan awkwardly threw up a peace sign.
The crowd laughed.
Then—
Er'gou moved.
He lifted one paw.
Placed it casually on the decorative railing.
Leaned his weight slightly.
Tilted his head just enough.
Chin lifted.
Blue eyes sweeping across the audience.
Not as a dog.
But as someone accustomed to commanding rooms.
For one second—
The entire lobby went silent.
No corgi.
No dinosaur suit.
No carnival lights.
Just presence.
It wasn't a pet on a runway.
It was a top-tier male model holding his mark at Fashion Week.
Two meters of invisible aura expanding outward.
Even with devil horns.
Even with a leash.
He owned the stage.
Someone in the crowd whispered,
"…Why does that dog look cooler than me?"
The livestream comments detonated.
"I'm done."
"He's not walking. He's dominating."
"Why does this feel like Paris Fashion Week??"
"Devil horns but CEO energy."
Lin Wan blinked at him.
For a split second—
She didn't see a husky.
She saw Silas Moore.
The man who once froze camera flashes with nothing but a glance.
Then the music resumed.
Applause broke.
Er'gou stepped down from the pose as if nothing had happened.
Just another game.
Just another performance.
But somewhere in the crowd—
Someone had stopped smiling.
Because that wasn't just intelligence.
It wasn't just training.
That—
Was control.
And control was dangerous.
Especially when the hunters were watching.