INHA Chapter 73

Xu Dongyou did his best to hide his embarrassment from everyone. After some thought, he decided to take the small package, just in case he had to stay inside for an extended period. The food and water in the package might prove necessary.

As for the blankets and other items, they weren’t needed for the time being, as the weather had started to warm up. It was likely that summer would arrive in another month.

Xu Dongyou immediately drove the small vehicle inside. A translucent light screen appeared in front of the array gate, allowing him to see the current state of Zhulong within.

It had awoken half an hour earlier. Elder Chen and the others had rushed to the entrance of the sealed array as soon as possible. They had thought Zhulong might be curious when it saw the beef and water dispenser placed there, but instead, it searched around as if looking for something. Then it went berserk, smashing the water dispenser without even glancing at the beef, and attempted to break through the array gate.

As a result, Elder Chen had no choice but to send Jiu Chao personally to fetch Xu Dongyou. Although the ancient Zhulong was still in a frenzy, its power was gradually returning. The array gate was barely able to suppress it now.

When the headquarters received this news, they were immediately alarmed and hurriedly sought the help of Elder Bai to predict what should be done.

However, Elder Bai said that when it came to Zhulong, any attempt at prediction would be courting death.

Yet he also said something intriguing: “Even if something does happen, the world will still leave humanity a sliver of hope.”

The headquarters pondered this for a long time and seemed to realize something, but they kept it to themselves.

Meanwhile, as Xu Dongyou drove inside, he could see the colossal creature in the distance, madly ramming against the great seal. Even from this far away, the oppressive and terrifying aura could be felt.

Xu Dongyou had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue forward until he believed Zhulong could see him. Then, he forced himself to stand up, waving his arms vigorously and shouting loudly, “I’m here!”

He had originally wanted to address it as “Zhulong”, but felt that it would be somewhat disrespectful. After all, this being had sacrificed so much to protect the world and deserved his respect.

Although Zhulong’s senses weren’t as sharp as before it went mad, it immediately heard Xu Dongyou’s voice and noticed the tiny figure on the ground that was almost invisible.

The creature suddenly quieted down and slowly began to move forward.

The great seal was quite remarkable. When Zhulong was frantically crashing into it, it couldn’t move deeper into the array. But if it ceased its ramming and desire to break free, the great seal no longer restricted Zhulong’s movements.

However, the chains did.

This was exactly what Xu Dongyou had been worried about. Only after confirming that Zhulong had stopped crashing into the great seal did he quietly breathe a sigh of relief and quickly drive forward.

Zhulong quietly stopped advancing, slowly lowering its head until it was level with Xu Dongyou, who had just arrived.

To say “level” was not entirely accurate; it was more of a downward gaze because just its head alone was as tall as several floors of a building. After all, its eyes alone were as tall as two stories.

This gave a clear indication of just how enormous Zhulong was. Even though it had begun to withdraw its oppressive aura, its sheer size alone still exerted immense pressure and awe on Xu Dongyou.

Xu Dongyou jumped out of the car, looking around at the mess and noticing the blood lightly seeping from the now fully restored body of Zhulong. He felt a deep sense of regret and guilt.

If only he had come to visit Zhulong earlier today, it wouldn’t have gone mad from not seeing him, leading to its injury.

Xu Dongyou slowly approached Zhulong, reaching out to gently touch its cheek. The scales here were equally beautiful, so reflective that they mirrored his blurry figure.

“I’m sorry. I should have come to see you today,” Xu Dongyou couldn’t help but quietly blame himself.

Zhulong still couldn’t understand Xu Dongyou’s words, but it instinctively felt agitated. It gently nudged its head forward, showing affection.

Xu Dongyou couldn’t help but smile slightly, his fear dissipating as he embraced Zhulong, though he could barely cover even one of its scales.

Zhulong could hear Xu Dongyou’s heartbeat and sensed the calming aura emanating from this incredibly fragile life. The chaos and frenzy in its eyes gradually subsided.

Outside the great seal, Elder Chen and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief.

They had managed to calm Zhulong once again, successfully safeguarding the human world for another day.

Xu Dongyou felt that he had grown closer to Zhulong. He gently coaxed it to return to the innermost part of the array. The fragments and remains of the water dispenser were still there, and Xu Dongyou decided to load them onto his vehicle. Fortunately, he was still driving the crane, so he could easily pick them up.

As for the beef, it hadn’t been damaged by Zhulong. It was still wrapped and emitting its distinctive aroma.

Xu Dongyou thought that perhaps he could try to get Zhulong to eat some of it. After all, even if it were a powerful ancient Zhulong, stronger than any demon, it still needed to eat something.

Xu Dongyou unwrapped the packaging, then pointed at the beef and mimicked an eating motion. “Do you want to try it?”

His tone was a mix of suggestion and hopeful anticipation.

Zhulong’s blood-red eyes shifted slightly but remained still. Xu Dongyou thought for a moment, then tore off a piece of the beef and ate it himself. Afterward, he tore off a larger piece and extended his hand, offering it to Zhulong.

This time, Zhulong finally understood Xu Dongyou’s intention. It lowered its head and slightly opened its mouth, and Xu Dongyou threw the piece of beef inside with force.

Zhulong closed its mouth and chewed a few times, its blood-red eyes still fixed on Xu Dongyou. It made a gentle breathing sound, as if afraid that it might blow the beef away like before.

Although Zhulong’s mind was confused and it had lost its ability to think, its memory was excellent and very attentive.

Such a Zhulong made Xu Dongyou’s eyes soften with tenderness. He tried to point at the beef, encouraging Zhulong to eat it all. The piece of beef he had torn off earlier was quite large for him, but for Zhulong, it might barely be considered a morsel.

Xu Dongyou even doubted that Zhulong had truly tasted the beef.

However, Zhulong seemed not to understand his gesture, continuing to stare at Xu Dongyou with unwavering focus, as if it could keep its gaze fixed all day.

Helpless, Xu Dongyou puffed out his cheeks and tore off a larger piece of beef. Although still small compared to Zhulong, it was the largest piece he could manage.

He made the feeding gesture again. This time, Zhulong understood and obediently opened its mouth. Xu Dongyou used all his strength, turning red in the face, to throw the piece of beef into the air.

He wasn’t worried about missing, as Zhulong’s mouth was quite large. As long as he threw it high enough, it would land in Zhulong’s mouth without needing precise aim.

After finishing the beef, Zhulong opened its mouth again. Xu Dongyou quickly understood and continued to tear and throw the beef. But his stamina wasn’t very good, and after several rounds, he began to sweat lightly and looked quite tired.

Zhulong stared intently at Xu Dongyou and then stopped opening its mouth. Instead, it used its tail to move the remaining beef towards Xu Dongyou. Xu Dongyou instinctively stepped back, but the beef remained stubbornly in front of him.

Xu Dongyou suddenly understood Zhulong’s gesture. Was it trying to feed him?

The problem was, the piece of beef was so large that it was taller than himself. How was he supposed to eat it?

But for Zhulong, this wasn’t a concern. It simply stubbornly waited for Xu Dongyou to eat.

Xu Dongyou looked somewhat troubled. He could only tear off a piece of beef, eat it, and then quickly shake his head, saying, “I’ve eaten enough. I really can’t eat any more.”

He had already had dinner before coming here, and besides, he had eaten a large piece of beef earlier to demonstrate for Zhulong, so he wasn’t hungry at all.

Zhulong persisted in offering the beef, and Xu Dongyou could only step back, using a firmer tone and gestures to express his inability to eat more.

Only then did Zhulong set the beef down, its actions showing a hint of disappointment and dejection. Xu Dongyou felt like smiling but was also touched by how this Zhulong’s demeanor contrasted with its formidable appearance.

It made him want to comfort Zhulong even more.

For the next while, Xu Dongyou stayed with Zhulong, talking to it and occasionally checking its wounds. Despite the short time, Zhulong’s injuries seemed to be healing significantly.

However, Xu Dongyou remembered that the last time Zhulong was injured, it had taken several days to recover.

Could this mean that Zhulong’s healing ability had improved?

He reflected that he had been with the bureau for almost a few months now and was no longer the clueless newbie he once was.

Before its self-sealing, the ancient Zhulong had been injured in a battle with another entity. Over such a long period, it might have needed to remain in a deep sleep to continually restore its strength.

Moreover, Elder Chen had mentioned that in recent years, Zhulong’s awakening periods had become shorter and more frequent.

This all pointed to one thing.

Zhulong was indeed growing stronger. Perhaps one day, the array would no longer be able to contain it. When that time came, it was hard to predict what terrifying consequences might ensue.

Just thinking about it made Xu Dongyou feel very gloomy. Not to mention the potential disasters it could bring to the human world, just considering Zhulong itself, which had sealed itself to protect humanity, would surely feel immense guilt upon realizing such a situation.

Xu Dongyou felt a strong sense of responsibility rising within him. He needed to try to awaken Zhulong’s reason. Although he didn’t yet know how to do this, perhaps he could start by allowing Zhulong to learn a little bit at a time.

With this in mind, Xu Dongyou immediately took out his phone to check the signal, but he found that the phone couldn’t connect to the internet.

No matter, he still had his spiritual energy watch. As long as there was spiritual energy, it could connect to the internet—a truly magical electronic device.

Despite its small size, the watch’s projection function could make the image as large as a laptop screen and even adjust to be larger, projecting directly onto the wall like a movie screen.

Xu Dongyou decided to find a movie suitable for children and clicked play.

The moving and talking screen immediately captured Zhulong’s attention. Its previously indifferent tail stopped moving, and it focused intently on the screen, its chaotic eyes revealing a strong curiosity.

Xu Dongyou found this version of Zhulong even more endearing. He relaxed and leaned against Zhulong’s scales, also watching the movie with focused interest.

The relaxed demeanor and reactions also helped to ease Zhulong’s tense muscles, which had stiffened up due to the magical device, making it watch the movie in a similar fashion as Xu Dongyou.

Although there were many parts it didn’t understand, it seemed to vaguely grasp the movie’s plot. When the villain appeared and started attacking the protagonist, Zhulong’s tail whipped rapidly, as if trying to smash the screen.

But it quickly stopped, sensing that the screen held no life force.

Xu Dongyou was startled and quickly reassured Zhulong, “This is fake. Look,” Xu Dongyou picks up a nearby rock and throws it, and it goes right through the screen and lands on the ground.

Zhulong’s eyes widened in amazement, staring fixedly at the screen as if seeing something incredible. It even made an intentionally suppressed sound of astonishment and repeatedly moved its tail back and forth, passing through the transparent screen.

It was even more astonished.

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Moonlit: Soooo cuuuute >.<