"What was that sound?"
Someone in the theater whispered nervously.
Before anyone could react—
A thick wave of pungent smoke suddenly poured through the crack of the emergency exit.
The color was… wrong.
A pale, eerie pink.
Within seconds the smoke spread across the screening room.
"Cough—what is that smell?!"
"Is something burning?!"
"Everyone get out!"
The crowd exploded into panic.
Dogs barked.
Owners shouted.
But something about the smoke was off. The moment it was inhaled, throats started itching and heads spun with dizziness.
Several small dogs had already begun sneezing violently.
Lin Wan instantly covered her mouth and nose.
Her heart dropped.
That smell…
Even though it was slightly different from the versions used at the amusement park and the manor, the sweet metallic undertone was unmistakable.
Entropy.
An upgraded interference gas.
And they were using it here.
In a crowded theater.
Er'gou reacted instantly.
The moment the smoke touched his nose, the sadness from the movie vanished from his eyes.
Replaced by pure, lethal alertness.
His nose twitched violently.
Then came the pain.
His body convulsed as the gas hit his system.
He coughed violently.
Tears and mucus streamed from his face—this time purely physical.
But instead of retreating, he tore himself from Lin Wan's arms and jumped to the floor.
Standing in front of her.
Fur bristling.
A low growl rolled from his chest toward the spreading smoke.
"Er'gou, get back!" Lin Wan tried to grab him.
But she had inhaled a little gas herself.
Her head spun.
The emergency door burst open.
BANG.
A man in a hotel maintenance uniform stormed inside.
Gas mask.
Pink smoke canister in hand.
His target was clear.
Straight toward Lin Wan and Er'gou.
Behind him, another shadow moved in the corridor.
Entropy.
They had chosen to strike inside the hotel.
While civilians were still present.
The gas clearly wasn't meant to kill the crowd.
It was meant for one specific target.
"Grab the dog!"
The masked man barked through the respirator.
Guests screamed.
People rushed for the exits, accidentally blocking the main door in their panic.
Chaos exploded across the theater.
But Er'gou didn't charge.
He adapted.
Instantly.
As the attacker rushed forward, Er'gou suddenly leaped sideways.
He landed on the armrests of a row of seats, using the height difference as a launch platform.
Then—
He sprang through the air.
Straight for the man's hand holding the gas canister.
CRACK.
Er'gou's jaws clamped down on the nozzle joint of the device.
Not the man.
The weapon.
The masked man hadn't expected that.
The canister slipped from his grip.
It smashed into the wall.
Pink gas exploded into the room even faster.
"Shit!"
The attacker lunged for the dog.
But Er'gou had already landed.
And vanished.
He sprinted across the theater.
But not toward the exit.
Toward the projection control console beside the giant screen.
While running, he barked.
Loud.
Sharp.
Rhythmic.
"WOOF! WOOF-WOOF!!"
The sound cut through the chaos like a command.
Not ordinary barking.
Something closer to a battle signal.
And then something unbelievable happened.
The depressed Shiba Inu in the bee costume—
The same one Er'gou had "comforted" earlier—
Suddenly stopped trembling in its owner's arms.
Its ears shot upright.
It looked toward the gas.
Then toward Er'gou.
A low growl escaped its throat.
Then it leaped free from its owner and charged toward him.
Next—
The corgi from the earlier game sprinted forward on its short legs.
Then the poodle.
Even the poodle that had been mocked during the runway earlier hesitated—
Then joined the charge.
Within seconds, several dogs were racing through the pink smoke behind Er'gou.
A chaotic but determined animal strike squad.
Even Su Xiao's normally aloof Ragdoll cat poked its head out of the carrier.
Its blue eyes locked onto Er'gou.
A low rumbling purr vibrated from its chest.
Like a predator preparing to move.
The attackers froze.
This…
Was not in the plan.
Er'gou reached the control console.
It was too high to jump onto.
So he did something else.
He barked again—sharp, deliberate.
Then pointed with his paw toward a red emergency button mounted low beneath the console.
Emergency alarm.
Manual sprinkler activation.
Perfect height for a dog.
The Shiba understood first.
It jumped.
Body slamming the button.
The corgi rammed it with its head.
The poodle joined in.
Teeth, paws, bodies—anything.
BANG!
BANG!
The button slammed inward.
Instantly—
A piercing alarm exploded through the theater.
And then—
WHOOSH.
The ceiling sprinkler system activated.
Water blasted down from above.
Ice-cold.
Relentless.
The pink smoke dissolved almost instantly under the spray.
Everyone—human and animal alike—was drenched.
The masked men staggered backward.
Water flooded their masks.
Their vision blurred.
They coughed violently.
"Retreat!"
One of them shouted furiously.
The gas attack had failed.
The alarm was blaring.
Security would arrive any second.
They couldn't stay.
The two men turned and bolted back through the emergency exit.
Vanishing into the dark corridor.
Leaving behind—
A soaked theater.
A stunned crowd.
And one dripping husky standing beside the emergency console.
Blue eyes cold.
Like a battlefield commander surveying the aftermath.