After Clearing the Infinite Flow, I Tamed the Mad Dog Boss - Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Qin Xian said, “So that’s why you police are stretched so thin, and why you ended up running off to Fangu Village alone? Oh, right. You went there to save your colleague, didn’t you? How is he?”

At the mention of that, Huang Dehui’s expression eased a little. “He was rescued. He’s just taken a bit of a mental blow, but at least he didn’t lose any arms or legs. Sigh. All we can do is advise him to try to move past it… We’ve already wiped the related videos from the entire internet.”

Only then did Qin Xian remember what this police officer had been through.

“Mm… As long as he’s alive.”

Huang Dehui nodded. “We have you to thank for that. If it hadn’t been for you, not only he, even I might have died in there. When you have time, let me treat you to a meal. Do me the honor and be sure to come!”

Qin Xian looked at Huang Dehui’s honest, upright face and kept his guard up. “If it’s just you, then fine. You can’t invite anyone else.”

Sure enough, Huang Dehui’s eyes shifted guiltily, and he gave a dry laugh. “Of course, of course…”

Qin Xian laughed, seeing right through him, and continued asking, “Then what’s going on with Fangu Village now?”

“This morning, the chief reported it to the municipal headquarters, and headquarters sent a lot of people over. All the villagers who took part in the livestream will be arrested. The surviving victims will receive unified treatment and counseling before being sent home.”

“Sounds good, but there’s still one huge problem. Even Aunt Zou was only a streamer. What about the platform? A platform that allows this kind of livestream has to be abnormal. And then there are the viewers in the livestream room. Some of those viewers are uncanny entities, but some should be living people.”

“That is indeed a serious problem. I asked about it too, but leadership said those livestream platforms are all registered overseas. It’ll be extremely troublesome for us to investigate them. Right now, we’re doing our best to block them through the firewall and minimize domestic exposure.”

“Overseas…”

“Some places overseas are in even worse shape than us.”

When Qin Xian had been trapped in the Infinite Flow World, he had encountered foreigners before.

The Infinite Flow World had pulled in people from every corner of the globe, though people from different regions cleared stages separately. Only at the final stage were they mixed together to determine the ultimate winner.

So now, whether domestically or abroad, uncanny entities would be appearing everywhere.

Huang Dehui said, “But a lot of the uncanny entities here resemble ghosts and monsters from our legends. The ones overseas are different. On foreign sites right now, people are saying they’ve run into demons, vampires, sea monsters, and even zombies.”

“That makes sense. The forms uncanny entities take are connected to human consciousness and emotions. But this really is turning into a dance of demons… Some countries overseas don’t have the ability to eliminate uncanny entities at all. I’m afraid some entire countries may become playgrounds for them.”

Qin Xian thought about that scene and only felt that the situation at hand was even more serious than he had imagined.

“Forget it. No point thinking about it. What’s the use in getting anxious? While society still hasn’t collapsed, I’m going to grab a late-night snack.” Qin Xian’s emotions were remarkably stable.

Huang Dehui was speechless for a moment, but after thinking it over, he asked, “Are you sure you even have peaceful days ahead of you? Didn’t you run into two people with guns attacking you today? Why did they attack you?”

Probably a lot of people wanted him dead right now.

Qin Xian sighed. “Why didn’t I get myself a mask to wear? Or why couldn’t I have had an ordinary face…”

Many players knew what he looked like.

Ghost Path had probably set its sights on him some time ago, maybe even a month back. It was just that he had never appeared…

Huang Dehui looked at his perfect profile, the kind that could be on a magazine cover, then remembered the treatment he had received in Fangu Village. He felt a little like crying… It took him more than ten seconds to recover before he tentatively asked, “How about it? Why don’t you join us? It’s not like you have any peaceful days left anyway…”

“No.”

Seeing his visibly displeased expression, Huang Dehui thought about it, then still asked with concern, “Can you handle it? The enemy may very well be able to use uncanny entities, and special abilities too…”

“I should be able to handle it. I’ll be more cautious from now on. What I’m more worried about is whether the neighbors around me will be affected.”

Although he never interacted with others much in daily life, some of the older neighbors could be said to have watched him grow up. They had been on good terms with his parents, and they treated him well too.

They were getting on in years. If they got dragged into danger, they could very well lose their lives…

Huang Dehui blinked and stared carefully at Qin Xian.

Qin Xian felt a chill under his gaze and asked, “What? What’s with that look?”

Huang Dehui smiled. “Nothing. You really are a very good person after all.”

Qin Xian immediately waved him off. “Don’t. It’s just that I’ve known them for a long time, so there’s some attachment. Looks like I’d better move out for a while and only go back occasionally to check in.”

“Are you really not going to join us? We can provide staff dorms, and you wouldn’t have to pay any rent. There’s also a free cafeteria.”

To be honest, Qin Xian was tempted for an instant. But the words “going to work” still pulled that thought back in time…

Huang Dehui scratched his head and continued trying to persuade him. “Although I don’t get to make the decision, well… I’d say the higher-ups might very well agree to hire you for assistance. You can choose whether to accept or decline, and after the job is done, they can also pay you handsomely.”
Qin Xian lowered his eyes in thought.

This kind of arrangement might actually work. For him, it was comfortable too-no restrictions on his freedom. If he did not want to take a case, he could just refuse, and there was still money involved.

“What do you think? Give it some thought? How about I bring my superior to your place tomorrow so we can talk it over?”

Qin Xian was just about to nod when he suddenly remembered the vicious dog at home and immediately refused. “No. I have a dog at home that bites people.”

Huang Dehui did not mind at all. “Hey, we’re not afraid of dogs. Our police dogs can be pretty fierce too. It’s fine.”

But thinking of Tangyuan’s abnormalities, Qin Xian said flatly, “No. It might really tear the flesh off you…”

Huang Dehui sucked in a cold breath and frowned. “You… are you keeping a large dog without a permit? You can’t do that, man.”

Qin Xian was speechless. “It’s not a large dog. Just a mutt. I picked it up a few days ago.”

After thinking for a moment, he added, “It just doesn’t like people coming into the house. It’s pretty obedient otherwise.”

Huang Dehui spread his hands. “All right, then. How about a restaurant tomorrow? I was planning to treat you to a meal anyway.”

Seeing that, Qin Xian did not bother dragging it out and nodded in agreement.

Once the police had finished investigating what had happened, the two attackers were locked up on the spot. Qin Xian, meanwhile, finally made it home after eleven that night.

As soon as he got home, Tangyuan came out from behind the sofa just like last time. It stood silently two meters away, its lowered tail swaying once.

Qin Xian walked over and patted its head, watching the black fur slip between his fingers as he recalled how he had first picked Tangyuan up.

Assuming someone had started watching him that day, could Tangyuan have been deliberately placed there? The alley had been unusually dark that day, and the dog had whimpered there for so long without attracting anyone else’s attention.

As far as he knew, two households in the building were very enthusiastic about rescuing stray animals. One elderly lady had even taken in eight cats and two dogs at home.

He stared at the swirl of fur on Tangyuan’s forehead and narrowed his eyes.

Whether there was a conspiracy or not, wouldn’t he know if he tested it?

“Here, boy.”

Hearing the sound, Tangyuan instinctively raised its head, its ears turning toward him.

Qin Xian crouched down and said to the dog, “Come on. Paw.”

He spread his palm.

But Tangyuan did not seem to understand. It lowered its head, stared at Qin Xian’s palm, sniffed it, then looked back up at him.

Seeing that, Qin Xian tapped his own palm and repeated, “Come on. Put your paw here. Shake.”

Tangyuan tilted its head in confusion. It still did not move, only staring at Qin Xian’s palm.

“Stupid dog.” Qin Xian spat out the two words without emotion. He reached out and grabbed the loose skin on both sides of the dog’s muzzle, then pulled hard to either side.

Its face was immediately stretched long, squeezing Tangyuan’s dog eyes into two thin slits. Its entire head widened by a large margin, making it look extremely funny.

Qin Xian tugged the skin back and forth, even flapping it up and down. It looked ridiculous, while Tangyuan did nothing the whole time and simply let him knead it.

Only after more than ten seconds did it shake its head and break free.

Qin Xian reached out again and held the dog’s ears. The tips were cool because they were far from the heart, and he could fold them down at will, turning the dog into a lop-eared version of itself.

Tangyuan stayed completely still, showing not the slightest resistance. It even narrowed its eyes directly, looking as if it were about to fall asleep.

Seeing that, Qin Xian let go, sat down on the sofa, took off his shoes, and slid his bare feet straight under the dog’s belly.

“Warm my feet.”

The temperature under the dog’s belly was very high, warm and toasty. It felt like he was wearing a pair of furry slippers.

Qin Xian sat on the sofa with one hand propping up his face, observing the dog’s reaction.

Tangyuan lowered its head and glanced at its owner’s two feet. It did not refuse; instead, it adjusted its position and continued pressing his feet under its belly.

But after lowering its head and studying them for a long while, it suddenly bent down, sniffed the top of his foot, and then stuck out its tongue.

Qin Xian yanked his feet back as if he had been electrocuted and stared at it in shock.

“What are you licking? Do you have some kind of special fetish?!” Qin Xian got off the sofa, grabbed the dog’s head, and shook it.

Tangyuan panted twice with its tongue out, then leaned over again as if wanting to lick Qin Xian’s cheek.

Qin Xian pinched the dog’s mouth shut, trapping the tip of its tongue at the front.

“Mm-mm!”

Perhaps it had bitten its own tongue and hurt itself a little, because Tangyuan whined twice.

Qin Xian did not speak. He only smiled and stared at it quietly. The incandescent light cast shadows across his face, and his eyes lit up gold once more. The golden light did not fade. Before long, blood began dripping down from the edges of his eye sockets.

The blood slid down his face, but even then, his expression remained smiling. He looked exceptionally terrifying.

Tangyuan seemed to sense danger. It folded back its ears and made a submissive sound deep in its throat, looking extremely aggrieved.

Qin Xian gave a cold snort and wiped away the blood at the corners of his eyes. Then he said softly to Tangyuan, “You’d better be a real dog. If I find out otherwise, you’ll spend the rest of your life as a barking little dog for me.”