[Current Location: Rooftop of the Asylum.] [Time: 02:15 AM.]
The night wind howled. Rain began to pour, washing away the smell of antiseptic and blood from their clothes.
Chen Qing stood on the edge of the roof, looking down at the dark city. Beside him, Sun Mengjia was trying to catch raindrops with her tongue, completely unbothered by the fact that half the city's police force and the Syndicate's hitmen were looking for them.
"Hey, handsome," she asked, wiping wet hair from her face. "Where are we going? Disneyland?"
"No," Chen Qing checked his tactical watch. "We need a safe house. And food."
[System Alert!] [Enemy Detected. Danger Level: C-Rank.]
SCREECH!
Three black armored SUVs drifted around the corner below, blocking the asylum's rear exit. A dozen men in black suits jumped out. They weren't police. They held jagged, futuristic blades that glowed with a faint green light.
"Subject 007 is on the roof!" one of them shouted. "Release the Hounds!"
The back of the lead SUV opened. A creature leaped out. It looked like a Doberman, but it was the size of a cow. Its skin had been peeled off, revealing red muscles and metallic implants. Its jaw was replaced with mechanical saw-blades.
[Monster: Bio-Hound (Type-II)] [Combat Power: D-Rank] [Weakness: The battery pack on its back.]
"A puppy!" Sun Mengjia's eyes lit up. She leaned over the edge, waving. "Here, boy! Who's a good boy?"
The Bio-Hound roared, a sound like grinding metal, and began to scale the wall with its claws.
"That's not a puppy, Mengjia," Chen Qing sighed. "That's a biological weapon."
He gripped his knife. He had just unlocked the Genetic Lock (Phase 1), but fighting a bio-weapon head-on while protecting a mental patient was risky.
Just as the monster was about to reach the roof—
Clang!
A trash can in the alleyway below was knocked over. Out stumbled a stray dog. It was a Husky. A very dirty, very confused Husky with cross-eyes. It looked like it had gotten its head stuck in a yogurt cup and just managed to pull it off.
The terrifying Bio-Hound froze. It stared at the Husky. The Husky stared back, its tongue lolling out sideways.
"Woof?" (You got food?) the Husky barked tentatively.
The Bio-Hound, insulted by this creature's existence, abandoned its climb. It roared and pounced on the stray dog, jaws wide open, ready to tear it apart.
"No! The puppy!" Sun Mengjia screamed.
Chen Qing prepared to jump down to save the dog. But then, he saw something that made him stop cold.
The Husky didn't run. It didn't whimper. It looked... annoyed.
Vwoom.
The Husky's shadow suddenly expanded. The air distorted. The dog's mouth opened. And opened. And opened some more. It unhinged like a snake, but far wider, revealing a throat that looked like a black hole swirling with stars.
[Talent Detected: Gluttony (S-Rank)]
CHOMP.
It happened in a split second. The terrifying, metal-jawed Bio-Hound disappeared. Gone. Swallowed whole.
The Husky closed its mouth. It sat down, scratched its ear with a hind leg, and let out a loud, metallic burp. Buuuuurp.
A piece of the Bio-Hound's mechanical tail fell out of the Husky's mouth. The dog looked at it, sniffed it, decided it wasn't tasty, and kicked it aside.
The Syndicate hitmen below stood frozen in silence. Their ultimate weapon... was just eaten by a stray dog?
[System Notification:] [Rare Beast Tamed!] [Pet Name: God-Eater (Juvenile Form)] [Current Disguise: Husky with low intelligence.] [Loyalty: 100% (As long as you feed it).]
Chen Qing rubbed his temples. "System," he muttered. "Are you telling me this idiot dog is a mythical beast?"
[System: Yes. But it is currently very hungry.]
"I want it!" Sun Mengjia pointed at the Husky, jumping up and down. "Can we keep him? Please, please, please?"
Chen Qing looked at the chaos below. The hitmen were retreating in fear. He looked at the Husky, which was now chasing its own tail in circles.
"Fine," Chen Qing sheathed his knife. "But you're responsible for cleaning up its poop."
He jumped down from the roof, landing gracefully beside the dog. The Husky looked up at him with those "pure, stupid eyes."
"Come on, Dogmeat," Chen Qing said.
"His name is General Fluffles!" Sun Mengjia corrected, landing beside him.
"Whatever," Chen Qing walked towards the dark alley. "Let's go find a billionaire to rob. I have two mouths to feed now."
[Party Updated:] [Leader: Chen Qing (The Slayer)] [Member: Sun Mengjia (The Crazy Fox)] [Pet: General Fluffles (The World Eater)]
The night was still young, but the legend of the "Demon Trio" had officially begun.