Chapter 165 - 164: The Old Mother Lets Out a Piercing Shriek

Chapter 165: Chapter 164: The Old Mother Lets Out a Piercing Shriek

As soon as she logged into Sharkstream, a novel recommendation video popped up on her feed. The voiceover played:

"Is this the collapse of humanity, or the decay of morality?! After working diligently at his company for two years, why did he ultimately choose to resign? Watch closely. This man holding a cardboard box filled with everyday items is the protagonist of our story, Shane.

"Knowing he had finally quit this job, Shane felt a sudden wave of relief. Since graduating from college, Shane had dedicated two years of his life to the company. Working overtime and staying up late day after day had given him chronic headaches. A week ago, it got so bad that he was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. Fortunately, tests revealed it was just caused by his irregular sleep schedule. However, this incident served as a wake-up call for Shane, a perpetual bachelor. This time, he planned to take a good, long break. He wanted to spend a month traveling and visiting tourist spots to relax his mind before diving into his next job.

"As he walked out of the company doors and pulled out his phone to hail a cab, a strange voice suddenly echoed in his ears. Shane looked around in a panic, but the voice continued: ’DING! Congratulations to the host for activating the Travel Check-in System. You will receive wealth rewards for checking in at scenic spots across the country! Please select your starting travel destination: 1. North Boro. 2. North Boro. 3. North Boro.’

"In the end, Shane didn’t get to choose, and he kicked the bucket in some obscure corner of North Boro. The end."

Rian Sinclair opened the comment section. Sure enough, the best talents were always hidden in the comments.

[Did they really have to kill off the male lead, Shane?]

[Isn’t he just going there to spill his guts? (Smirk.jpg)]

[1. Harvest heart. 2. Harvest lungs. 3. Harvest kidneys.]

[Even the ultimate Special Forces King wouldn’t dare go there!]

[Shane: Does anyone get my pain, fam?!]

Rian chuckled as she scrolled through the videos. Watching Bandage play was honestly making her sleepy. However, she didn’t realize that in the brief moment she wasn’t paying attention, Bandage had nearly eloped with another dog.

In another video featuring a beautiful woman, Rian saw the following comment: [Excuse me, how did your work manage to break through the barrier of my skin and mucous membranes, survive the phagocytosis of lysozymes and macrophages in my secretions, evade the antibodies secreted by plasma cells and the lymphokines secreted by sensitized T cells, and take up residence right in my heart?]

Rian read the comment and silently gave it a like. After all, you didn’t see geniuses like this very often anymore.

She continued scrolling through her feed.

"Don’t scroll away! Don’t scroll away! If your Feixin balance is under 5,000, look here. Click the link below the video right now to download ’Grandpa’s Small Farmyard’. New users will receive a 100-yuan Feixin red envelope upon login, which can be withdrawn straight to your account!

"In ’Grandpa’s Small Farmyard’, planting a winter melon rewards you with 5 yuan, planting a watermelon gives you 10 yuan, and planting a cantaloupe earns you 20 yuan! You can withdraw it all to..."

Sitting in her chair, Rian found her interest piqued. She clicked straight in. It was indeed a vegetable-planting game, but she had to reach a certain amount before she could withdraw the cash.

She fell for it.

She sent the link to her friends, as she only needed to invite five people to cash out. Her friends tried to warn her not to trust these scams, but she insisted she would only believe it this one time; if she got scammed, she would never believe it again for the rest of her life.

After successfully inviting them, the money still didn’t arrive. Instead, the game claimed she needed to plant specific vegetables. However, those specific crops had to be chosen at the very beginning of the game. Not easily discouraged, she switched to a different phone number and started over. This time, she selected the required vegetable, but when she reached the same stage, the game demanded yet another type of crop.

Now, Rian understood. She was a total clown. A freshly baked one.

She decisively uninstalled the app.

Just as she was about to swipe to the next video, she heard Bandage barking.

She shot up from her seat and looked around for the dog. She was worried that someone had approached and Bandage had frightened them. She wasn’t worried about Bandage biting anyone unprovoked, as Auntie Alden had told her that the dog had a remarkably sweet temperament and would never initiate an attack.

Bandage’s fur was easy to spot, and the area was well-lit. Rian quickly followed the sound and spotted her dog. Seeing that there was someone standing in front of Bandage, she hurriedly ran over.

"I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry! This is my dog."

Rian’s voice arrived before she did. Hearing her, Bandage wagged her tail and trotted over. Looking at her good girl, Rian simply smiled and rubbed the dog’s little head.

"Miss Sinclair."

Hearing a familiar voice, Rian snapped her head up and met the gaze of a young man dressed in casual clothes. "Ronan Ford?"

Ronan chuckled. "It’s been a while."

Rian stood up straight, meeting his eyes on the same level, and gave a faint smile. "It’s been a while."

She never expected to run into Ronan here. She glanced at the Krovian Shepherd next to him. "Is he yours?"

Ronan nodded. "He’s a military dog I used to work with. He retired recently, so I took him in. His name is Yuri."

Rian looked at Yuri. He still carried that solemn, disciplined aura, but...

She looked at Yuri, then looked at Bandage. No matter how she looked at it, something seemed off.

Bandage was staring at Yuri with sheer infatuation, and Yuri was looking right back at her. The military dog’s serious demeanor had vanished almost completely, his eyes tracking Bandage’s every move.

Noticing Rian’s gaze, Ronan asked, "Bandage is your dog?"

Rian was a bit surprised. "You know Bandage?"

Her surprise was justified. After all, this was her first time bringing Bandage out to play. She genuinely had no idea that Bandage’s social circle included Ronan.

Ronan pointed at Yuri. "This guy used to play around here all the time, and that’s how he bumped into Bandage. An older woman used to walk her before. I had no idea Bandage was your family’s dog."

"Our housekeeper used to bring Bandage out to play. I’ve been a bit busy, so I haven’t had the time to walk her."

Ronan nodded. He was also in the same boat, lacking much free time to walk Yuri. Yet, on the rare occasions he did bring him out, they always ran into Bandage.

He also knew exactly what kind of intentions Yuri had toward Bandage. So, seeing Rian’s shocked expression right now, he felt a twinge of a guilty conscience.

Rian looked utterly incredulous. Seeing how familiar Bandage and Yuri were with each other, she suddenly felt as if her innocent little puppy was being corrupted by a dirty old hound.

"How old is Yuri?"

Rian knew that military dogs had short active-duty careers. They typically served between three to six years of age. An eight-year-old dog was considered old, and by ten, virtually all of them had to be retired. This was because, after the age of ten, a dog’s hearing, scent detection, and mobility declined sharply, making them unable to meet combat demands.

But regardless of all that, her Bandage was still just a baby—a chubby, five-month-old baby!

Hearing her question, Ronan let out a light cough. "He’s seven."

"HOW OLD?!"

Like a protective mother, Rian let out a sharp shriek. She couldn’t believe the age she had just heard.

Ronan felt somewhat awkward. At first, seeing how small Bandage was and knowing Yuri’s aloof temperament, he never imagined the two of them would actually get along. But later on, whenever the time came, Yuri would insist on going out to find his little girlfriend.

Having watched Bandage grow up, Ronan also felt that Yuri was an old man robbing the cradle. However, since it was so rare to see Yuri having a companion to play with, he had never intervened.

Listening to the girl’s shrill voice, Ronan chose to...