Chapter 278: Woof Woof, Don't Tag Along with Us
As they entered the military area, Meng Ci and the others headed toward the spot where the military dogs were usually trained.
As expected, the three of them saw two dogs, Eggplant and Eagle, sitting obediently on the ground.
On the nearby balance beams, obstacles, and other equipment, a few small pups wobbled around.
Qiao Ya, with a joyful smile, walked up to Meng Ci and Comrade Shen.
"Comrades Meng and Shen, you're here!"
He rubbed his hands together, eager to speak but hesitant.
Meng Ci ignored him and walked over to where Eggplant and the others were.
After all, anyone would be upset if someone tried to take their children away.
Qiao Ya didn't find Meng Ci's behavior rude; instead, he coughed and followed.
"Comrade Meng, you have no idea how talented these pups are."
"After Eagle and Eggplant brought them here, they climbed onto the balance beams without any instruction, and they're much better than the slightly older pups who have been training for over ten days."
"If they stayed in the military, they'd surely contribute more to the nation."
"Comrade Meng, if you don't believe me, I can have them show you."
"Don't worry, our people have been watching them closely, and nothing will happen to them."
...
Nearby trainers nodded, assuring the pups wouldn't be harmed.
Some even subtly mentioned that Beer, the third pup, excelled in search and rescue, while Cola, the eldest, was an outstanding tracker.
Meng Ci remained silent, while Eggplant, seeing his owner, hurriedly rubbed against him.
"Woof woof!"
I'm hungry, Master, do you have any food?
Eggplant then started sniffing the two of them, checking if they had brought any meals.
Eagle, knowing he was in the wrong, didn't dare approach Meng Ci and only glanced at him frequently.
Meng Ci still had a stern expression.
Despite their remarkable abilities, the base was teeming with psionics.
Moreover, they were still with the pups, and if they weren't careful, they could be caught and taken away!
Meng Ci's concerns were not unfounded, as on the way here, some psionics had thought about eating dog meat.
Fortunately, some who had seen Eggplant and the others enter the military zone earlier had warned those with ill intentions.
The military zone now held a significant position in the base, and if these dogs were eaten, it would likely cause a big problem.
Hearing this, they had no choice but to leave the pups alone.
Cola, Sprite, and the other pups wobbled a bit as they moved through various training exercises, but they quickly adapted and became more proficient.
Meng Ci couldn't help but remark that the five little ones were indeed suited to be military dogs after seeing this.
At this moment, Lu Chen returned from the office area. He had already heard that the eaglet's pups had an exceptional talent for being military dogs.
Seeing Meng Ci's expression, he could tell that Meng Ci wasn't very willing to send the pups to the army, so Lu Chen decided to take a step back to move forward.
"Little Meng, Comrade Shen!"
Ever since Lu Chen explicitly told Meng Ci that he intended to confess to Qiao Moyan, he had started addressing Meng Ci and the others in the same manner as Qiao Moyan did.
"Captain Lu," Meng Ci's eyes didn't spare Lu Chen a glance.
Lu Chen crouched down and patted the eaglet, thinking it had done a really good job today.
Of course, Lu Chen couldn't explicitly say that on the surface. He talked about unrelated topics and didn't mention keeping the five little ones.
Meng Ci was somewhat surprised. He remembered that Lu Chen had previously been keen on training the five little ones to be military dogs. Why had he suddenly changed his mind?
But since Lu Chen didn't bring it up, Meng Ci didn't intend to ask further.
After playing in the yard for a while, Cola, Sprite, and the other pups began to feel hungry and started to wobble over to Eggplant and the eaglet.
The little ones nuzzled affectionately at the eaglet, trying to get its attention.
Since the pups were over 40 days old, Meng Ci had been gradually reducing their dependence on milk. However, considering they were outdoors today, he decided to let them have a little more.
However, the eaglet's milk wasn't sufficient and could only satisfy the pups' needs halfway.
After drinking the milk, the five little ones ran to Meng Ci and Shen Que, circling around them.
Usually, the two of them were responsible for feeding the little ones, so when they were hungry, they thought of Meng Ci and Comrade Shen first.
But this time, no matter how much they whined, they didn't receive any food.
With their big, watery eyes, they looked at Meng Ci and Shen Que, conveying innocence and confusion.
Qiao Ya, knowing that the pups were hungry, spoke up.
"Little Meng, Comrade Shen, it's about mealtime. Why don't you stay and try our food?"
Qiao Ya was also thinking that if the little ones were convinced by the military food and decided to stay in the military district, Meng Ci wouldn't insist on taking them away.
Meng Ci, however, had no intention of staying. He didn't want to feel obligated to leave the pups behind just because of a meal.
"No need, the food at home is already prepared," said Meng Ci as he turned to leave.
Shen Que kicked Eggplant, signaling it to follow and not upset 'Dad' anymore.
Understanding the gesture, Eggplant followed along.
The eaglet also turned and left without hesitation.
Meng Ci glanced back and, seeing the little ones following behind, felt content.
"Woof, woof!"
Meng Ci had barely taken a few steps when he heard Xiong Ying's call.
He turned his head to look and saw that Xiong Ying had been calling out to the five little ones.
Hearing the sound, the five little ones immediately lifted their heads, alternating between barking and howling, their short legs persistently following their mom.
However, Xiong Ying was not satisfied with their behavior.
It turned its head and took two steps forward, and upon seeing that two of the puppies were following her, it turned back and barked again.
The five little ones seemed to understand Xiong Ying's intention and, helplessly, had to step back.
Watching everything unfold before him, Meng Ci understood in his heart.
It was likely that Xiong Ying had its own plan, intending to take these little ones to the military base to train them into qualified military dogs.
"Wang, wang, wang!"
"Ao wu, ao wu!"
The five little ones' tails drooped, their eyes filled with reluctance as they looked at Xiong Ying.
Xiong Ying turned around and left without a moment's hesitation.
Hearing the calls, Qie Zi froze in place, looking at his mate and then at the children, letting out a couple of howls.
Hearing this, the five little ones ran over on their stubby legs.
However, halfway there, they were called back by Xiong Ying.
Although the five little ones desperately wanted to be by their father's side, they did not dare to defy Xiong Ying's wishes and could only gaze at Qie Zi longingly.
Immediately after, Xiong Ying barked loudly at Qie Zi again, who, with its head hanging low, felt too hurt to argue back.