That night—
The atmosphere in the lab turned heavy again.
Chen Lin and Old Wu stood in front of the screens.
Neither of them looked relaxed.
A new encrypted report had just come in.
"Li Wei'an and Zhao have been transferred," Chen Lin said coldly."High-level containment. Our people can't reach them—for now."
He pulled up a few blurry surveillance images.
"But Entropy's response… was faster than expected."
"After the carnival incident, their activity in this city—and nearby ones—dropped sharply."
"Looks like they're pulling back."
Old Wu frowned.
"Retreating?"
Chen Lin shook his head.
"No."
"Regrouping."
"Money trails show massive transfers—"
"Black-market bio labs."
"Private military contractors."
"They're gathering resources."
Old Wu's expression darkened.
"…Preparing something big."
"Or cleaning up before they disappear?"
Chen Lin's eyes narrowed.
"If they were running—"
"They wouldn't move like this."
He paused.
Then said quietly:
"This feels like… a reset."
"A strategy shift."
He looked at the screen again.
"Li Wei'an's last words…"
"'Your life as a dog has just begun.'"
"…That wasn't a threat."
"It might've been a prediction."
Silence fell.
Entropy…
Wasn't done.
Not even close.
Old Wu tapped another report.
"There's more."
"We analyzed the residue from Li Wei'an, the hotel attackers…"
"And that pink gas."
He zoomed in on the chemical composition.
"Some of these compounds—"
"Don't exist on the market."
"Not even fully documented in research."
Chen Lin's gaze sharpened.
"…Go on."
Old Wu's voice dropped.
"These alkaloids… these neuroactive agents…"
"In theory—"
"They can temporarily simulate… or trigger specific gene expressions."
The air froze.
Chen Lin spoke slowly:
"You're saying…"
"They're trying to—"
"Induce changes in Silas Moore."
"Artificially."
Old Wu nodded.
"Maybe accelerate his return to human form."
"…Or something worse."
He looked up.
"Force instability."
"Create something uncontrollable."
"A hybrid."
"Human intelligence."
"Animal instincts."
"A weapon."
"And then step in publicly—"
"Under the excuse of 'containment.'"
Silence.
Heavy.
If Entropy went that route—
Everything would escalate.
Fast.
Then—
The lab door opened.
No sound.
Silas Moore walked in.
Calm.
Silent.
Like he had been there all along.
He glanced at the screen.
At the reports.
At the names.
No surprise.
No shock.
Just—
Recognition.
He stepped forward.
Tapped Chen Lin's leg.
Then raised his paw—
Pointed at the names.
The labs.
The contractors.
A low sound.
Question.
Chen Lin crouched down.
Met his gaze.
"You want to know about them?"
Silas nodded.
Eyes sharp.
"These are hard targets," Chen Lin said.
"Complicated backgrounds."
"Some tied to governments. Some to powerful corporations."
He pulled up another file.
Encrypted codes.
Coordinates.
"We intercepted fragments from Li Wei'an's communications."
"These repeating codes…"
"Could lead to something bigger."
"Their core."
Silas stepped closer.
Studied the screen.
Long.
Focused.
His nose twitched slightly—
As if he could smell danger through data.
Then—
He lifted his head.
Looked at Chen Lin.
Then Old Wu.
Finally—
At Lin Wan, who had just arrived.
His gaze swept across all of them.
Calm.
Steady.
Unquestionable.
Then—
He raised his paw.
Drew a circle in the air.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Then—
Tapped the center.
Once.
Silence.
Circle.
Encirclement.
Center.
Core.
Target.
Chen Lin and Old Wu froze.
They understood instantly.
He wasn't asking.
He was deciding.
Take the fight to Entropy.
Strike the core.
A direct assault.
Mad.
Risky.
But—
Also—
The only way forward.
Defending forever?
Impossible.
To survive—
They had to break the system.
"Then we plan properly," Chen Lin said slowly.
"We prepare."
"We gather support."
"And you—"
He looked straight at Silas.
"Need to be at peak condition."
"Because if this goes wrong…"
"We don't get a second chance."
Silas Moore nodded.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Then—
He turned.
Walked out.
Into the training area.
No rest.
No delay.
He began running.
Sharp turns.
Sudden stops.
Explosive acceleration.
Simulating combat movement.
Every step—
Faster.
Sharper.
Deadlier.
Ironfang and the others stood up.
No commands.
They just followed.
Like instinct.
Like soldiers falling in line.
A squad.
Forming.
Lin Wan stood at the lab doorway.
Watching him.
That gray-and-white figure—
Full of restrained power.
Her chest tightened.
From the moment she picked him up—
Her life had never been normal again.
But now—
Watching him step forward—
Taking control of his fate—
Charging toward something bigger—
She felt something else.
Pride.
Trust.
And—
A strange, burning excitement.
Because that dog—
Was never just a dog.
He was—
Silas Moore.
Even trapped in this body—
Even caged—
He was still the man—
Who tore open escape routes in hopeless situations.
Who stood at the top—
And looked down on the world.
And now—
He was about to lead his pack—
To rip the roof off the organization that created him.
Lin Wan took a deep breath.
Then walked forward.
Picked up a towel.
Water.
"Hey!"
Silas stopped instantly.
Turned.
Those blue eyes—
Bright.
Sharp.
Alive.
"I'm in."
Her voice was steady.
"We take down Entropy."
"Find the cure."
"Get you home."
"You don't get to leave me out of this."
Silas looked at her.
For a few seconds.
Then—
His tail moved.
Just slightly.
But enough.
Answer given.
He lowered his head.
And resumed training.
Faster.
Stronger.
Outside—
Night deepened.
But underground—
The lights burned bright.
Training intensified.
And in the shadows—
A counterattack—
Led by a man trapped in a dog's body—
And a pack that chose to follow him—
Quietly began.
This time—
They weren't prey.
They were hunters.