Brother Zhang suddenly felt a sharp ache in his chest. He looked at Lan Jin and the others. "If you have nothing urgent, try to spend more time in the main hall. The ice has melted, the paths are clear. I'm worried the mutated creatures might attack the base. Don't worry, I will be in the hall often too."
"Okay."
After speaking, they headed down. After all, the base had already broadcast all necessary information, and drones circled above the city with speakers. Anyone still looking for trouble would be beyond their control. This was not something they needed to worry about.
Just as she stepped out of the elevator near the wall, Lan Qiaoqiao called. On the phone, Lan Qiaoqiao wailed, "Mama, Nana sick, Mama~."
Nana sick?
Lan Jin asked in confusion, "Wasn't Nana fine just now when we left? How is it sick inside the base?"
"Don't know, Mama."
Lan Jin quickly said, "Qiao Qiao, give the phone to Grandma Ling. Mama will ask Grandma Ling."
On the other side, Lan Qiaoqiao handed the phone to Grandma Ling. Grandma Ling said, "Xiao Lan, here's what happened. This morning, Nana already seemed a bit off. Now it's lying on the sofa, not moving, tongue sticking out, looking very uncomfortable. I already gave it spiritual spring water. Normally, if there was a problem, the water should help, but Nana is still like this. Qiao Qiao got very worried and insisted on calling you."
Before Lan Jin could respond, Lao Gao's faint voice came through, "Maybe it's too hot. Nana was fine earlier, but after extreme cold, its fur mutated. The skin tolerates cold but not heat. Even with air conditioning, the temperature is already…"
Seventy-three degrees.
Stepping out of the elevator, she arrived on the first floor of the new main hall. A massive LED screen displayed nothing but the temperature. Seventy-three degrees glared across the screen.
Well, it was caused by extreme weather.
Lan Jin quickly replied, "We are coming back. Don't worry. Probably the fur is too thick and trapping heat. Back home, we can trim it, and it should be fine."
They hurried home. Inside, they found Nana sprawled across the three-person sofa, taking up the entire space. Lan Qiaoqiao had placed a small chair between the sofa and the coffee table. She petted Nana's head while sobbing quietly.
Hearing movement at the door, Lan Qiaoqiao looked up and almost cried again seeing Lan Jin.
But to Lan Jin, Nana didn't look sick at all.
Lan Jin approached and touched Nana's forehead with a thermometer. Temperature normal. She looked at Nana's eyes—alert, not dazed. The tongue sticking out was from heat, not illness.
Lan Jin used her mind to summon a piece of ice from spatial storage and placed it in Nana's mouth.
Feeling the cold, Nana perked up. The ice was small enough to swallow, leaving a little drool stain on the sofa, and he finally held all of the ice in his mouth.
After a while, ice gone, Nana jumped down and nuzzled Lan Jin, asking for more. His energy showed clearly it wasn't sickness, just heat.
Seeing Nana fine, everyone else relaxed a little.
Ling Jiang drank a large cup of water. "Nana really needs a fur trim."
"Fur too thick traps heat, must trim." But Lan Jin didn't plan to trim Nana herself. She had asked Brother Zhang earlier. He didn't say whether the base offered trimming.
Lan Jin called Brother Zhang. He answered instantly. "Hello, Lan Jin. What's up?"
Lan Jin explained, "Brother Zhang, Nana needs a trim. His fur mutated too thick in the extreme cold. Now extreme heat is too much. Does the base offer this service?"
Brother Zhang said, "Yes. Bring Nana to the hall. I will find someone to trim him."
The person Brother Zhang called was the base's pet doctor. Few people raised dogs in the base, but dogs were base resources. The base had a small pet shop, not for sale, just for service.
Because few owned dogs, the pet doctor was almost invisible to most people in the base. Still, the doctor's services were complete: checkups, surgery, bandages, prescriptions. Bathing and trimming were basic services. Pet treats, dog food, cat food—all available.
Knowing this, Lan Jin put a leash on Nana to bring him out. But Lan Qiaoqiao refused to leave Nana's side. As they were about to leave, the girl and the dog clung to each other as if parting for life. Lan Jin had no choice but to bring both along.
In the end, the whole group left together.
On the first floor of the base hall, they met Brother Zhang, who immediately took them to the pet hospital.
When they arrived, Brother Zhang had something to discuss with Lan Jin, but so many changes had occurred that he never had the chance. Now he finally spoke.
"The base wants to use your dog for breeding. Don't worry, for Nana's safety it won't be frequent. You've stayed long enough to know. Aggressive dogs are rare in the base, so we want your opinion. If you agree, Nana's dog food, scheduled nutrition, bathing, and trimming will all be free. The dog still belongs to you. You just need to bring him for a few days at specific times. Even if you transfer to the Capital city base later, the service continues."
Lan Jin considered carefully. It was a fair deal. Nana was male, so breeding would have minimal impact. Regular care—bathing, trimming, food—was expensive otherwise, so having it included was a big help. The dog still belonged to her.
Still, she worried a little. Breeding was fine, but what if something went wrong and his fur got damaged too much?