INHA Chapter 74

As the movie progressed to a scene where the protagonist began to unleash their hidden potential and fight back, Zhulong’s attention was immediately drawn back. It watched the screen intently, highly focused and engaged.

At the end of the movie, cheerful music played as the protagonist, smiling broadly, ran through the sunshine with his girlfriend, with lavender swaying in the breeze. The scene was incredibly beautiful and dreamlike.

Xu Dongyou turned his head.

Zhulong still maintained its original position, but its chaotic gaze seemed to flicker with what could be interpreted as happiness.

It calmly turned its head again and enveloped Xu Dongyou, making a series of confusing and meaningless sounds that no one could understand.

Xu Dongyou felt helpless but did not resist. Taking the opportunity, he played another movie.

Zhulong’s attention was quickly captured once more. However, midway through, it fixed its gaze on Xu Dongyou, who had fallen asleep at some point. Zhulong gently lowered its body and closed its eyes.

When Xu Dongyou woke up, Zhulong was still peacefully sleeping. For a moment, Xu Dongyou hesitated, unsure whether to leave quietly. After much thought, he decided to stay and began eating.

The rustling of the plastic bag quickly woke Zhulong, who curiously observed Xu Dongyou. Xu Dongyou tried to feed it a snack, but Zhulong chewed it briefly and then lost interest. When Xu Dongyou attempted to offer more, Zhulong shook its head, indicating refusal.

Xu Dongyou was pleasantly surprised.

This meant that Zhulong could express its feelings now. Perhaps, in time, it would learn some simple thinking and stop crashing into the sealing array.

Xu Dongyou quickly used his spiritual energy watch to search for videos on teaching two-year-olds and started playing one for Zhulong. In a serious tone, he said, “You must watch carefully and learn well.”

Zhulong couldn’t understand what Xu Dongyou was saying, but it instinctively looked at whatever Xu Dongyou pointed out. Unlike children, Zhulong wouldn’t get distracted and watched the entire tutorial video quietly and attentively.

Xu Dongyou wasn’t sure if Zhulong understood, but he continued playing the next episode of the tutorial. When all the videos were finished, he tried taking out some bread, pointed at it, and clearly said, “Bread. This is bread. You can eat it.”

He took a bite himself, then tore off a piece and tried to feed it to Zhulong. “Want to try some?”

Zhulong was silent for a few seconds before shaking its head.

Xu Dongyou felt even more surprised. Could it be that Zhulong was learning to think?

He initially wanted to find more tutorial videos for Zhulong but was concerned that it might lead to boredom, although the likelihood of this was low.

Instead, Xu Dongyou decided to talk to Zhulong, guiding it to express itself more. This approach seemed to be more effective, making Zhulong more cooperative.

Soon, night fell, and by then, it was already the second day. All the supplies Xu Dongyou had brought were gone, and since there was no way to use the restroom here, he needed to leave.

Moreover, he wanted to leave before Zhulong fell asleep.

Xu Dongyou didn’t want to leave as he had done before, waiting until Zhulong was asleep. Maybe the reason for Zhulong’s extreme reactions upon waking up was due to this pattern.

He made an effort to look up at Zhulong and explained that he had to leave, “You see, I have to go to work. I’ll come back tomorrow to see you, and I’ll bring you some good food.”

The beef had long been eaten by Zhulong, and he thought he could bring more food and water next time.

Zhulong stared at Xu Dongyou, seeming to understand his words. It appeared somewhat anxious, even a bit frantic.

Seeing this, Xu Dongyou felt nervous and cautiously took a step back. Zhulong remained still, not moving from its spot.

Xu Dongyou took several more steps back, eventually getting into the vehicle and starting it slowly. Before leaving, he looked back at Zhulong one last time. Zhulong remained quietly watching Xu Dongyou, its body restlessly shifting, and the chains rattled loudly through the valley.

Seeing this, Xu Dongyou felt a deep sense of melancholy. He had no choice but to leave, believing that only by doing so could he help Zhulong learn to remain calm and, eventually, leave the sealing array.

Xu Dongyou’s vehicle slowly disappeared into the distance.

Zhulong continued to watch silently, its initial frenzy gradually fading into profound disappointment. It turned and entered its cave, curling up like a mosquito coil, and stared at the place where Xu Dongyou had vanished for a long time.

At the entrance to the sealing formation, Elder Chen and the chief were incredulous, almost thinking they were dreaming. They only came to their senses after confirming with each other.

Zhulong had managed to remain calm while awake.

There was an inexplicable feeling of pity, despite its enormous size that evoked fear and awe at first glance.

Not long after, Xu Dongyou emerged from inside. Elder Chen hurriedly asked, “How did you manage it?”

Although Elder Chen and the chief could see inside through the screens at the entrance, they couldn’t hear any sounds. Also, Zhulong’s massive size had obstructed their view of Xu Dongyou.

Xu Dongyou explained what had happened inside. The chief was taken aback, realizing that Xu Dongyou had used a method to help Zhulong gradually learn to think. If they had known this earlier…

He quickly dismissed that possibility.

Even if they had known, they would not have been able to reach the interior or even see Zhulong.

Elder Chen, in a good mood, patted Xu Dongyou on the shoulder, full of satisfaction.

The chief added, “You’ve made another contribution to the bureau. I’ll submit a report, and you’ll receive corresponding merit points as a reward.”

The chief said, “And I think we can also try creating some video tutorials more suitable for the Zhulong’s learning. Once we’ve made them, we’ll send them to you, and you can show them to it next time you go in.”

Xu Dongyou nodded and quietly said, “Alright.”

In the following time, Xu Dongyou returned to school and attended classes as usual. The next day, he went to the bureau again to collect the weapon produced by the research department.

The dagger was very small and could be placed in a backpack. It wasn’t very heavy but was extremely sturdy, made from some special material.

In addition, the handle of the dagger was inlaid with a plain stone, which was a sealing stone. This gave the dagger the ability to harm evil entities.

It could be considered an enchanted item in the real world.

Xu Dongyou found this quite interesting. He carefully put the dagger into his backpack. As he was leaving the bureau, he ran into the captain of the 1st Squad.

Although the captain didn’t get along with Tian Ze, he had none of the previous displeasure and contempt when he saw Xu Dongyou. Instead, he greeted Xu Dongyou friendly and asked, “How’s it going with Tian Ze? Maybe you should consider joining my team.”

Was he trying to poach him?

Xu Dongyou was taken aback before he realized what was happening. Without a second thought, he directly declined, “I’m quite happy here, so I won’t be switching teams. Thanks anyway.”

The captain didn’t seem surprised by Xu Dongyou’s response but was still somewhat unwilling. “If you change your mind, you’re always welcome to join us.”

Xu Dongyou didn’t say anything. He felt he was unlikely to regret his decision. After leaving the bureau, he returned to school and continued his life as a normal student.

When Tian Ze heard that the captain of the 1st Sqaud was trying to poach Xu Dongyou, he immediately got angry and contacted that captain to give him a piece of his mind.

The captain wasn’t surprised that Tian Ze found out and even said, “I’m glad you’re angry.”

Tian Ze spat and hung up the phone, muttering, “It’s impossible to make me angry. This kind of provoking tactic doesn’t work on me.”

After all, Xu Dongyou hadn’t agreed to anything.

Tian Ze didn’t need to ask the captain of the 1st Sqaud or Xu Dongyou to guess the outcome.

After all, he was a very charismatic leader. How could any of his team members want to leave and switch teams?

Only the captain of the 1st Squad would act like this.

In the time that followed, besides attending classes and studying at the bureau, Xu Dongyou also deliberately signed up for a course to learn practical combat skills.

Time quickly passed by, and as summer arrived with its sweltering heat, people on the streets seemed to be in low spirits, especially with the sun directly overhead, making the ground feel as if it could fry an egg.

Storeowners with air conditioning watched as the number of customers gradually decreased, shaking their heads and sighing.

However, more people chose to go swimming or visit the beach. The city’s beach resort, which offered a full range of dining and entertainment options, was bustling with people. Many were surfing, laughing and having a great time.

Zhao Mingming, her boyfriend, and another couple had planned to visit the beach resort. Zhao Mingming, who didn’t know how to swim, was struggling to stay afloat with the help of a floatation ring.

Suddenly, she seemed to catch a glimpse of something black and ominous surfacing from the water, only to sink back down.

She didn’t think much of it, assuming it was just another tourist’s hair, and continued to play around, laughing. It wasn’t until her boyfriend swam over to pull her towards the deeper water that she felt a bit scared. Her boyfriend reassured her, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here. Besides, we’re not swimming out too far, so don’t worry.”

Zhao Mingming nodded, tightly holding onto the floatation ring while moving her legs. Suddenly, she thought she saw the black shape coming closer. She quickly turned her head but found no other tourists around.

The problem was that the black shape, which seemed to be a head, remained submerged and hadn’t surfaced.

Zhao Mingming felt a creeping sense of fear and urgently pulled on her boyfriend’s arm, nervously saying, “Ah Tao, look over there. Isn’t that someone drowning?”

That was her initial reaction and guess.

Her boyfriend, Ah Tao, immediately turned his head, wiped the water from his face, and looked back, puzzled. “Where? Did you mistake it for seaweed?”

“Is, is that so?” Zhao Mingming swallowed hard and looked in that direction again.

Indeed, there was nothing there.

It was as if what she had seen before was just an illusion.

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