Pet Movie Night was held in the hotel's basement screening room.
Compared to the abandoned cinema Lin Wan had been hiding in before, this place looked surprisingly modern.
Soft pet-friendly seats.
Anti-slip mats covering the floor.
The air carried a strange mixture of disinfectant and buttery popcorn.
Only a handful of guests had shown up—seven or eight groups at most. Dogs lay beside their owners, some excitedly looking around, others already half asleep.
Lin Wan and Er'gou sat in the back corner.
Er'gou refused to sit on the floor and had taken the entire seat next to her.
Tonight his mood was darker than before the spa.
He sat upright.
Silent.
Those icy blue eyes stared at the blank screen ahead.
Lin Wan could feel the tension radiating from his body.
She quietly pulled out the small audio device Chen Lin had given her.
A miniature calming headset designed to hide inside fur.
She tried to place it near his ear.
Er'gou tilted his head away.
One glance said everything.
No.
He would face this himself.
The lights dimmed.
The movie began.
Hachiko: A Dog's Story.
The early scenes were warm.
A tiny Akita puppy being brought home by the professor.
Several people in the audience whispered soft "aww" sounds.
A few small dogs whimpered curiously at the screen.
Er'gou didn't react at first.
He simply watched.
Still.
Silent.
Then the story moved forward.
Hachiko waiting at the train station.
Every day.
Rain or shine.
Year after year.
Waiting for his owner to return.
Lin Wan felt the shift before she saw it.
Er'gou's breathing changed.
Not loud.
Just… uneven.
His ears twitched faintly.
His claws slowly tightened against the edge of the seat until the tips turned pale.
Those blue eyes locked onto the Akita on the screen.
Like gravity pulling him closer.
Lin Wan's heart tightened.
Then came the turning point.
The professor collapsed.
Heart attack.
Never returned.
But Hachiko kept coming back to the station.
Every single day.
Waiting.
Through rain.
Through snow.
Through time itself.
Er'gou's body trembled.
Not with anger.
Not with alertness.
But with something deeper.
Something breaking.
The final scenes arrived.
An old Hachiko lying weakly in the snow.
Dreaming of the professor walking out of the station again.
Smiling.
Calling his name.
The music swelled.
Warm.
Devastating.
Then—
A sound escaped.
"...Whine…"
It was quiet.
So quiet it almost disappeared beneath the soundtrack.
But it came from Er'gou.
His body shook.
He was still staring at the screen.
But his eyes…
Those blue eyes were filling with moisture.
Reflecting the glow of the film.
Not the wet shine of a dog reacting to noise.
But the fragile shimmer of human tears.
Lin Wan held her breath.
Er'gou tried to fight it.
He shut his eyes tightly.
Shook his head hard.
His breathing turned ragged.
But the tears still forced their way out.
Sliding from the corners of his closed eyes.
Darkening the fur beneath them.
He raised one paw.
Not to wipe the tears.
Dogs didn't know how to do that.
Instead—
He pressed the paw over his eyes.
Clumsy.
Confused.
Trying to hide.
His body shook harder.
Broken whimpers escaped his throat.
Low.
Hoarse.
Like a wounded animal crying in the dark.
He was crying.
Not like a frightened dog.
Not like a scolded pet.
But like a man trapped in a body that wasn't his—
Watching the purest story of loyalty and endless waiting.
And suddenly realizing how much it mirrored his own fate.
The longing to return to being human.
The fear of never becoming Silas Moore again.
The exhaustion of being hunted.
Manipulated.
Forced to hide.
All of it—
Burst through the fragile dam inside him.
The small internal livestream chat from the hotel went silent.
Then messages slowly appeared.
"…Teacher Er'gou?""Is he… crying?""My god… he actually understands the movie…""That paw covering his eyes… that hurts to watch…""Maybe he's remembering a former owner…"
Lin Wan's chest felt tight.
Like something had grabbed her heart and squeezed.
She reached out slowly.
Placed her hand on his trembling back.
Er'gou froze.
For a second.
Then—
He leaned into her.
The husky buried his head into her chest.
Curled up inside her arms.
The suppressed whimpers turned into muffled sobs.
Warm tears soaked into her shirt.
He was seeking comfort.
Like a child.
Lin Wan wrapped her arms around him.
Gently stroking his back again and again.
"It's okay…"
She whispered softly.
"You'll make it."
"You'll get there."
Her voice trembled.
She didn't know whether she was talking about Hachiko—
Or Silas.
The movie ended.
Lights slowly returned.
Around them, quiet sniffles filled the room.
Several owners wiped their eyes while hugging their pets.
Most of the animals had no idea what had happened.
But they sensed their humans' sadness and stayed close.
Er'gou had stopped crying.
But he refused to lift his head.
Still buried in Lin Wan's arms.
His ears drooped.
His tail hung lifelessly behind him.
The exhaustion after emotional collapse weighed over him like a storm.
Lin Wan kept gently patting him.
Waiting for the other guests to leave first.
She could feel eyes in the darkness.
Watching.
Observing.
Maybe Li Wei'an's people.
Maybe Entropy's watchers.
How would they interpret what they just saw?
A dog with extreme empathy?
Or something…
far more abnormal?
Finally the last few guests were leaving.
Lin Wan carefully prepared to stand, still holding Er'gou—
When suddenly—
BANG.
A heavy crash exploded from the emergency exit at the back of the theater.
Something large had fallen.
Glass shattered.
And a short, sharp human gasp cut through the darkness.