Li Miao reached out and patted the husky's head.
"Don't be afraid."
The husky was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. This was probably the first time since becoming Li Miao's beast that it had sensed any tenderness from her.
The husky wagged its tail, then nuzzled against Li Miao's palm, whining softly in its throat.
"Look at you, all pouty."
Li Miao lowered her voice and leaned close to its ear, giving its head a pat. "Good boy, don't be scared."
The husky whined even more eagerly.
Li Miao tried to soothe it for a while, only to find the husky growing more and more worked up. Finally, she smacked it on the head.
"Don't push your luck. Sit!"
Husky: ?
So love just disappears, huh?
Ignoring the now-sulking husky, Li Miao turned her attention to Chen Bin in the aisle.
Chen Bin lazily called out, "Listen up, everyone."
"I'll be sending out my beast to patrol and inspect. If any of you can't calm your beasts by the time it's done, then sorry—I'll have to ask you to leave the bus."
"That's all. Any objections?"
The group shook their heads.
Yeah, right. Who'd dare complain under this kind of pressure?
Li Miao stayed quiet too, her gaze fixed on the summoning circle appearing at Chen Bin's feet.
Generally, the size of a summoning circle correlates with the beast's body size.
Chen Bin's circle took up nearly half the space in the bus, and even then, some of it couldn't fully manifest—but that didn't stop it from glowing brightly.
As the light illuminated the bus, a jet-black canine with paws wreathed in golden flames leaped forth. A crescent moon-shaped golden mark adorned its forehead, its ear tips flickered with golden fire, and its tail was long and whip-like.
The moment it appeared, Li Miao got a rush of excitement.
"Wow—"
Before she could finish saying "handsome," the dog—its fur sleek as satin—slammed headfirst into the ceiling, then crashed face-first onto a nearby seat with a loud thud.
Li Miao: "..."
Everyone else: Snorts.
The driver: "Chen Bin, can you not for once!? If my bus gets wrecked, I'm holding you accountable!"
Chen Bin stood there, so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole and disappear.
To make things worse, someone giggled just then.
He coughed.
"What's so funny?"
"Keep laughing, and I'll boot you off the bus!"
Everyone immediately shut up.
The black dog finally picked itself up off the floor, sitting rigidly next to Chen Bin. Its glossy black short fur resembled fine silk, and its golden eyes gleamed with a cold, regal light. Even with one ear flopped down, it still looked effortlessly cool.
Okay, yeah, it was handsome—but Li Miao couldn't unsee that faceplant moment.
Sensing everyone's gaze, the big black dog puffed out its chest and lifted its chin, showing off every inch of its majestic fur.
"Alright."
Chen Bin shot the dog a glance and snorted. "Do your thing, Blackie."
Li Miao rubbed her ear.
Did she hear that right?
A dog that dashing, and he calls it Blackie?
Clearly, Blackie hated the name too. It side-eyed Chen Bin before bumping him aside with its rear.
"Woof!"
Chen Bin: "..."
Snickers erupted again.
But this time, Chen Bin had moved past the embarrassment, sitting back down with an air of indifference. The two-meter-tall beast slowly prowled the aisle.
Given its size, the walkway was nearly filled. It moved carefully, trying to stay graceful—but kept bumping into chairs and wiggling awkwardly around turns.
After a few rounds of patrol, someone finally succumbed to temptation.
Blackie froze for a second, then turned to see Li Miao grinning at it.
"Big Bro Dog, you're so cool!"
The dog's ears twitched. "Awoo?"
Li Miao didn't understand.
But that was fine—she had backup.
She glanced at the husky.
The husky snorted. "Woof."
Not doing it.
"Three cans."
The husky's eyes darted. "Woof."
Not happening.
"Five cans."
Hmph.
"Man, I was gonna throw in an extra one if you did a good job, but now..."
Li Miao sighed dramatically. "You've really let me down."
The husky scrambled up.
"Woof woof woof!"
Fine, five cans. Deal.
Li Miao happily ruffled its head. "Now translate."
She nearly pet it bald.
Grumpily, the husky barked. "Awoof."
It says flattery won't work. It's not taking bribes.
Li Miao peeked at Blackie, now sitting nearby.
"Big Bro, I'm not bribing you—I genuinely think you're the coolest. Can we take a selfie?"
The black dog wagged its tail.
"Woof woof."
Husky's translation: It says you've got taste, but it doesn't do photos. Pass.
"That's too bad."
Li Miao sighed with regret. "I really wanted to show my family. You're literally the handsomest dog I've ever seen in my life."
Blackie grinned. "Woof woof woof."
Husky's translation: Fine, you can take one. Go ahead.
(The husky skipped the "Ugh, can't help it—I'm just too good-looking. Fine, I'll humor you" part. It just rolled its eyes.)
Shameless.
Flirting with another beast's owner. What askank, hmph.
Li Miao spent a long time happily snapping pics with Blackie.
Following her lead, other students hesitantly asked to take photos too—and soon, a line formed.
The quiet bus livened up again, but this time, Chen Bin didn't stop them.
As the bus pulled out smoothly, the chatter gradually died down.
Under the night sky, the bus merged onto the highway, joining a convoy.
Perched atop a telephone pole, bats hidden in the dark cocked their heads, watching the procession of vehicles speed by.
When Li Miao woke up, her body ached all over.
She glanced at Yao Chen, groggily stirring beside her.
"My everything hurts..."
Yao Chen rubbed her neck. "This bus ride is brutal."
"At least we got seats."
Gao Yuanzhi turned around from the front. "I heard some teams with too many beasts couldn't even fit in one bus. They had to sit on tiny stools in the back—no seatbacks, nothing."
"What kind of beasts take up that much space?" Yao Chen asked, curious.
"Bird-type."
Gao Yuanzhi shrugged. "Apparently, more people this year picked birds as their first beasts."
Li Miao froze for a second.
A news headline she'd seen online flashed through her mind:
[New dimensional rift on the horizon—are avian beasts the ultimate winners?]