"I actually had high hopes for that one," Terry said, spinning in his chair. "Didn't he get into a brawl with a few Beastmen a while back? I saw he was pretty banged up and figured he wouldn't be coming in anymore. But then, the very next day, I saw him clock in for work."
"And now, he's a no-show again." Terry shook his head and sighed. "Winter's coming. We won't just have to watch out for Mutant Species, but these guys too."
Alex listened to him while looking through the Mixed Breed's timecard records.
Just then, an icon for a successful real-time clock-in popped up on the interface, and Cook's timecard records refreshed.
Alex's finger froze on the interface. His gaze fell on the newly updated clock-in time: 9:25.
The Mixed Breed had come to work.
He checked Cook's assigned work area, then stood up and walked out.
"It's already got over ten thousand likes, why haven't they posted a teaser for the next one?"
Terry grumbled, posting a comment under the video, urging for an update.
As Alex walked past Terry, he casually glanced at Terry's terminal. Terry had been scrolling through videos of that virtual Beast Female ever since he'd sat down.
From Terry's constant muttering, Alex knew that a new virtual Beast Female character had appeared online.
Alex paid it no mind. There were many films and short videos online featuring virtual Beast Females, but he rarely paid attention to them.
He was a male beast from Zone 5 and had seen many real-life females. The temperaments of the Beast Females portrayed in films were vastly different from those in reality.
The virtual Beast Females were even more different; he just couldn't get into watching them.
His Beast Mother had rapped him on the head and lectured him since he was little, telling him to spend less time online so he wouldn't rot his brain.
"Is this female an adult? Her build looks a little small." Just as Alex looked over, Terry had clicked back on the video.
Alex unintentionally glanced at the virtual Beast Female in the video, and his steps suddenly halted.
"This is a virtual Beast Female?" Alex asked, placing a hand on the back of Terry's chair.
In the video, the "virtual Beast Female" had her back to the camera, sitting in a chair and flipping through a book. She occasionally ran a hand through her semi-damp hair. It looked like a casually shot, everyday scene.
"Yeah." Terry looked up from the video at Alex. Seeing him staring intently at the video of the little female on his terminal, Terry curled his lip in disdain before smiling. "You like her too? I thought that since you're from Zone 5 and have seen plenty of Beast Females, you wouldn't be interested in virtual ones."
After speaking, he cursed internally, 'Fucking poser.'
Alex ignored Terry's sarcasm.
He was indeed uninterested in virtual Beast Females, but this one in the video right now...
"Go watch it on your own. It's not like you don't have a terminal." Terry didn't like to share. He spun his chair around, avoiding Alex's gaze.
Alex noted the video's title and opened his terminal as he walked out.
...
"If you come in after nine one more time, I'll have to mark you down for unexcused absence."
The Beastman supervisor said, looking down at the short Dwarf hybrid in front of him.
Gu Ning pressed her palms together, expressing her gratitude to him.
'This new Beastman supervisor looks a bit fierce, but he's actually a decent guy. He knew that... well, that Cook... was out for a day after getting injured in a fight, but he still counted him as present.'
'It's just that the foreman is an inhuman bastard, a beast in human clothing who insisted on docking my pay.'
"Get on up. And fasten your safety rope." The Beastman supervisor watched the little Mixed Breed's movements and found them inexplicably a little cute, so he decided not to quibble with it.
It had come to work before while limping from its injuries after that fight, which showed it was a mentally stable Mixed Breed.
Gu Ning nodded and quickly walked toward the high wall ahead.
She was thankful that the supervisor for this area had been switched out the day before Cook was injured. Otherwise, she might very well have been discovered for taking Cook's place.
Passing through the dense web of scaffolding, Gu Ning arrived at the base of the city wall.
She looked up. The sunlight was blocked by the immensely tall city wall, with only a few rays piercing through the scaffolding, casting mottled patches of light and shadow on her.
Beastman architecture was even grander than human architecture. The scaffolding was dense overall, but its sections were spaced wide and high.
Gu Ning stood in a small, sliced patch of sunlight, looking as tiny as an ant.
Heavy, slow footsteps sounded behind Gu Ning, and then she was covered by a shadow.
Gu Ning turned to look, only to see a pair of legs as thick as pillars and an even thicker, furry tail hanging down behind them.
Then, the shadow moved, and a giant hand appeared above Gu Ning's head.
Gu Ning looked up. Before her was a giant Mixed Breed Beastman, over three meters tall. She barely even came up to its knees.
The Mixed Breed Beastman gently stroked Gu Ning's head, as if petting a small animal.
Even though its touch was very light, the stroking motion still made Gu Ning's body sway.
'Daily pat from Borg, accomplished (1/1).'
After patting her head, Borg squatted down in front of her.
"Come..." Borg rumbled from deep in his throat.
Gu Ning patted the giant beast's hand, showing her friendliness.
Borg extended a thick finger and gently tapped her on the chest. He let out a low hiss of air, his eyes questioning.
He was asking why she didn't come yesterday.
Gu Ning could understand what Borg was expressing, and she could also read the expressions of other Mixed Breed Beastmen.
She mimed giving herself a shot in the arm, then pressed her palms together, tilted her head, and rested it on the back of her hands, indicating to it that she was sick yesterday.
"Hah..." Borg's expression showed he understood. Then he immediately frowned, his eyes filled with worry.
Its features were distinct and well-defined, but they were too large, and its lips were on the thicker side, making it look a bit dopey.
This was a fairly common appearance for a giant Mixed Breed.
Gu Ning held her head high and, full of vigor, patted her chest to show she was all better.
Borg's giant palm closed around her waist and gently picked her up, as if grabbing a toy.
It didn't squeeze, holding her very carefully and gently as it looked her over. After confirming that she was indeed healthy, it placed her on its shoulder.
Gu Ning grabbed onto its hair and breathed a sigh of relief.
'It's been grabbing me like this for days, but I'm still not used to it.'
On her first day, several giant Mixed Breeds had gathered around her, poking and prodding her as if they'd seen some strange new thing.
She had been scared to death, frozen on the spot. They had prodded and played with her like that, and her legs had been too weak to move a single step.
She even thought she was going to be eaten by these giant Beastmen.
Later, it was Borg who had shooed them away, saving her—this little human who had been scared into a boneless puddle.
After spending these past few days with them, Gu Ning learned that these giant Mixed Breeds were the most good-natured of all the Mixed Breeds, even if they weren't very smart.
And ever since the day he saved her, Borg had become a sort of partner to her, often handing her tools or helping her carry materials that were too heavy for her.
Borg sensed the small person on his shoulder relax. His beast ears twitched, and he tilted his head to give her a reassuring nuzzle.