The Observer reached into his black robe and produced the first item.
A rubber bone.
Ordinary. Cheap.
Er'gou glanced at it once.
Unmoved.
The look through the crooked qilin mask said it all:
You insult me.
The Observer didn't react. He replaced it with a second item—
A small dish of premium freeze-dried meat. Rich aroma. High-end brand.
Er'gou's nose twitched under the headpiece.
Just once.
But his body remained perfectly still.
Tail unmoving.
Eyes cold.
Translation:
You think I can be bought?
The livestream exploded.
[Even I want that snack, and he doesn't care??][Sacred Beast integrity confirmed!][This dog has seen things.]
The Observer paused.
Then slowly put the snack away.
And took out the third item.
It wasn't a toy.
It wasn't food.
It was a small silver perfume bottle.
Vintage design. No label.
The Observer lifted it casually and pressed the nozzle once.
Tss—
A fine mist dispersed into the air.
Subtle.
Almost undetectable to humans.
But the moment it spread—
Lin Wan, behind the partition, felt her blood run cold.
That scent—
Cold metallic sharpness.
Damp earth.
Underneath, a sickly sweet floral note.
Weaker than the amusement park version.
Cleaner.
Refined.
But unmistakable.
Entropy's marker compound.
Er'gou's body jolted.
Violently.
Even under the ridiculous golden costume, his muscles locked tight.
His pupils shrank.
Blue eyes flooded with shock, disgust—
And something deeper.
Memory.
A human memory dragged violently to the surface.
A low, strangled growl tore from his throat.
He stepped back half a pace.
Not fear.
Resistance.
The Observer leaned in slightly.
Voice distorted through the modulator.
"Do you recognize this scent, little qilin?"
Pause.
"Does it remind you… of fireworks?"
"Of chaos?"
"Of change?"
Each word struck like a needle.
Behind the screen, Lin Wan's heart pounded so hard it hurt.
This was it.
The induction.
Trigger scent + verbal suggestion + public stage.
Force the "human" residue to surge.
Force instability.
Force loss of control.
Er'gou's breathing grew heavy.
His gaze snapped between the silver bottle and the dark void beneath the plague mask.
His body trembled harder.
Not fear.
Rage.
His consciousness was being dragged, stretched, pulled between worlds.
And the Observer wasn't done.
From beneath the robe came a fourth device.
A compact projector.
It flickered to life.
On the wall beside Er'gou—
Rapid flashes of distorted light.
Blurry shapes.
Fragmented noise.
Low-frequency audio, like underwater whispers.
"…Shen…""…Celeb…""…Grab him…"
Visual chaos.
Auditory distortion.
Entropy's compound in the air.
For a creature with hyper-sensitive scent memory—
It was psychological torture.
"Wuu—AOW—!"
Er'gou let out a broken, strained howl.
He shook his head violently.
The qilin mask twisted sideways, exposing one eye rimmed faintly red.
He lifted a paw—
Not to attack.
To clutch his own head.
Body curling inward.
Panting.
Fighting.
Human memory vs canine instinct.
Pain vs survival.
The other pets reacted.
The corgi barked nervously.
The golden retriever stood alert.
The ragdoll cat retreated into its basket.
The Observer stood still.
Watching.
Evaluating.
Enjoying.
Livestream chat detonated.
[WHAT IS HAPPENING??][He's in pain!! Stop this!][That spray is wrong. Something's wrong!][Director?? DO SOMETHING!]
Behind the screen, Lin Wan was about to run out.
She didn't care anymore—
Identity be damned—
—
BANG.
A dull impact echoed.
Not from her.
From Er'gou.
In the peak of pain—
He moved.
Instead of collapsing—
Instead of exploding—
Instead of losing control the way Entropy clearly wanted—
He lunged sideways and rammed his head into a nearby decorative Roman column.
It was padded.
The impact wasn't brutal.
But it was deliberate.
A shock.
A reset.
A self-inflicted anchor.
The hall fell silent.
Er'gou shook his head once.
The golden headpiece sagged further.
He straightened.
Slowly.
Breathing steadied.
The trembling stopped.
He did not rip off the mask.
He did not attack the Observer.
He did not howl again.
Instead—
With absurd dignity—
He raised a paw.
And adjusted the crooked qilin headpiece.
Carefully.
Methodically.
Straightened.
Then he turned.
Blue eyes locked onto the plague mask.
All pain.
All chaos.
All fury—
Gone.
What remained was ice.
Cold.
Controlled.
Mocking.
As if asking:
Is that the best you can do?
The Observer did not move.
For the first time—
There was hesitation.
Then Er'gou did something no one predicted.
He walked.
Calmly.
To the spot where the mist still lingered faintly on the marble floor.
He positioned himself over it.
Lifted his hind leg.
And—
With precision.
With elegance.
With far longer duration than strictly necessary—
He marked it.
The sound of liquid striking marble echoed in the dead silence.
Unavoidable.
Unapologetic.
Absolute dominance.
He finished.
Shook his hind leg once.
Set it down.
Turned away.
Did not look at the silver bottle.
Did not look at the projector.
Did not look at the Observer.
He walked—composed, ridiculous costume and all—to the edge of the dance floor near Lin Wan's partition.
Sat down.
Golden tail covering swaying lightly.
Calm.
Centered.
Unbothered.
Entropy wanted him to remember being human.
To relive pain.
To lose control.
To expose himself.
Instead—
He chose the most primal declaration possible.
You want the man?
Too bad.
Right now—
He was a dog.
A dog who marks territory.
A dog who can endure humiliation in costume.
A dog who headbutts columns to stay conscious.
A smart dog.
And he had just shredded their induction trap in the most humiliating way imaginable.
The entire hall was silent.
Even the Observer did not speak.
For several seconds—
No one breathed.
Then the livestream chat exploded into digital hysteria.