The day of the Pet Carnival—
The central pool deck exploded with noise.
Crowds surged.
Laughter, music, barking—
Fur everywhere.
From teacup dogs to giant poodles…
Hairless cats to Angora rabbits…
Every kind of "elite pet" had gathered.
And their owners?
Even more competitive.
Perfume. Sunscreen. Dog food. Catnip.
And beneath it all—
A faint, cold scent.
Sharp.
Controlled.
Dangerous.
Silas Moore caught it instantly.
Entropy.
They were here.
Entrance of the Dog Squad
Lin Wan stepped onto the deck—
With the team.
Five dogs.
Uniformed.
Deep-blue tactical vests.
Perfect formation.
Silas at the front.
Ironfang. Flash. Boulder. Lingbi.
Aligned.
Synchronized.
Focused.
The crowd froze for a second.
Then—
"Wow! Look at that team!"
"Those are working dogs!"
"That husky—his eyes—holy…"
Silas ignored all of it.
No distraction.
No vanity.
His nose moved.
Slow.
Precise.
Filtering through chaos.
And then—
There.
The marker.
Faint.
But real.
And—
Moving.
His pupils narrowed.
P-07 is on the move.
Event 1 – Obstacle Relay
The competition began.
Other pets?
Chaos.
Running off course.
Stopping mid-track.
Getting distracted by snacks.
Pure entertainment.
Then—
The Dog Squad entered.
Everything changed.
Silas gave one signal.
A simple forward motion.
"Go."
(low-toned, altered command)
Execution—
Perfect.
Ironfang:
Carefully stepped over the wall—
Even adding a slight "hesitation"—
Crowd: laughter + applause
Flash:
Controlled speed—
Still fast—
But "playful."
Boulder:
Unshakable.
Lingbi:
Small.
Fluid.
Tunnel section—
Formation maintained.
No collisions.
No chaos.
Balance beam—
Ironfang paused.
Shaking slightly.
Silas gave a look.
A tiny nod.
Ironfang moved.
Slow.
Careful.
Success.
The crowd erupted.
Final stretch—
Smooth.
Clean.
Dominant.
Result:
1st place.
No contest.
But Silas Wasn't Watching the Race
He was tracking.
Always tracking.
Lying beside Lin Wan—
Appearing relaxed.
But:
Ears—activeNose—workingMind—calculating
The scent—
Closer now.
Slipping through layers:
ChlorineSweatAnimal odor
Like a snake.
Then—
He saw him.
Levi Wynn.
VIP platform.
Two men beside him.
Eyes sharp.
Watching.
Levi's gaze swept the arena—
Paused.
On the Dog Squad.
A faint smile.
Then gone.
He knows something.
Event 2 – Treasure Hunt
Lingbi entered the sand field.
Mission:
Find 3 colored balls.
Reality:
Find instantly.
But—
Today?
Act.
Lingbi started—
Confused.
Sniffing randomly.
Got distracted by a squeaky duck.
Played.
Crowd laughed.
Silas triggered a subtle signal.
Lingbi "realized."
Then—
Search mode.
But:
Wrong target (tennis ball)False alert (empty can)Dramatic digging
Finally—
Success.
Ball retrieved.
The crowd loved it.
Performance:
Perfect.
But Silas—
Locked onto something else.
Behind Levi—
A waiter.
Pushing a drink cart.
Normal.
Too normal.
But—
His eyes.
Scanning.
And—
His scent.
Silas froze.
Marker residue.
Faint.
But undeniable.
This man—
Had contact with P-07.
Target Acquired
Lingbi finished.
Victory secured.
Applause thundered.
Host called for group photo.
Crowds surged.
Flashlights exploded.
And then—
BOOM.
Not loud.
But enough.
From the emergency corridor—
Smoke.
"Fire?!"
"Move!"
Chaos.
Immediate.
Pets panicked.
Running.
Barking.
Owners screaming.
Security rushing in.
The perfect storm.
Lin Wan tightened her grip.
Chen Lin's team closed ranks.
But Silas—
Did not move.
He watched.
Calculated.
Too perfect.
Too timed.
Then—
He smelled it.
The smoke—
Carried—
The same chemical signature.
Marker-adjacent.
His eyes snapped—
To the waiter.
And there—
Movement.
Fast.
Controlled.
The man pushed his cart—
Toward a staff-only corridor.
Low-profile exit.
Not escape.
Transfer.
Silas acted instantly.
No bark.
No noise.
Just—
A shift.
A signal.
Ironfang.
Flash.
Both froze.
Then—
Eyes sharpened.
They slipped away.
Silent.
Like shadows.
Through chaos.
Around bodies.
Toward the corridor.
No attack.
No confrontation.
Just—
Tracking.
From the center of the storm—
Silas Moore lifted his head.
Cold.
Focused.
The hunt—
Had begun.