"I'll just take a little bit."
To Putato's surprise, Elena actually drank only a small amount of blood, appearing quite rational.
"You've recovered from your injuries then? You're not as wild when drinking blood as before."
"No, it's just because we're friends."
Elena wagged her tail, looking a little proud that she was savoring it now that she was full.
Last time on the rooftop, even though Elena intentionally slowed her movements, her Bloodfiend nature still made her eating somewhat urgent. The faint bite marks on Putato's wrist were still visible.
"That's good then."
Putato yawned. The moment he slumped onto the sofa, a thick wave of drowsiness hit him, making his eyelids clamp shut like magnets.
"But, don't you think our friendship is a little strange?"
"Hmm?"
"I mean, we could be even more intimate. Good friends are inseparable, after all."
"Mhm."
"So, is there anything I can help you with? As a Bloodfiend, this is my first time making friends, so I'm not quite sure what to do."
Putato had already fallen asleep, leaving Elena a little disappointed as her tail drooped. She walked over to Putato's neck.
Looking at the unguarded blood vessels exposed before her, Elena began to feel happy again. Her cat tongue licked them, then she reluctantly left.
Putato, barely opening his eyes, stood up and went to sleep in the bedroom. After all, having a Bloodfiend next to him was still quite frightening.
...
Morning.
Putato was awakened by a noise. Opening his eyes, he saw Katae crouching beside him, holding his communicator.
"Hurry up! Those cultists dared to attack our Syndicate again! Get Putato here quickly!"
"Damn it! Where did they get so many stray dogs?! Who are the real Stray Dogs?!"
"Tell Putato, it's Myn Church attacking!"
Grabbing the key information, Putato immediately sobered up. He snatched the communicator, and with his other hand, hastily put on his clothes and grabbed Honesuki.
When he went outside, he saw a motorcycle in front of the tall building, with Elena standing on it.
"Use this. It's my gift to you."
Looking at the brand new motorcycle, Putato hesitated slightly. God knows what Elena, in her cat form, had done to get it. What if he rode it and suddenly found himself with a five-star wanted level?
Elena seemed to sense Putato's worry, gracefully jumping off the front of the bike.
"Don't worry, I bought it with money. The Workshop just delivered it this morning."
Alright, laundering money meant not having to worry about future troubles. Putato, excited, got on the motorcycle and immediately set off.
...
The Factory.
BOOM!
The explosive flames instantly plunged the factory entrance into darkness. Parui could only be grateful there weren't too many fuel barrels piled inside, anxiously peering in.
"Where did these dead dogs come from! Get out!"
Gyeong-mi punched a wolf-man over 2 meters tall, sending him flying. However, visible claw marks bled on his body.
On the side, Executive Zulu and Dino were leading their men to fight a dozen wolf-men rapidly swinging on steel beams. Occasionally, someone's arm would be torn off, their entire body sent flying.
"What's wrong with these puppies?! Kill that mongrel!"
Standing in front of the factory, a black-furred man, like a bear, resembled a mountain of flesh, blocking everyone's path. Just as he stepped forward, he was attracted by the sound of a motorcycle engine behind him.
"Boss Gyeong-mi!"
Work, work! He absolutely had to shout it out to show his bravery. Putato, without hesitation, accelerated the motorcycle again, charging head-on at the Black Bear.
The heavy metallic impact, like a kinetic cannon, seemed to make the Black Bear somewhat wary, but he didn't dodge. Instead, he used his enormous bear paw to grab a dilapidated large iron gate, effortlessly holding the massive metal panel in his hand.
"Tell me, where is Rhytand? He helped me enlightened from They They They into You You You."
WHOOSH!
Sensing deadly danger, Putato closely watched the Black Bear's movements. The moment he threw the large gate, Putato jumped off the bike, rolling to the right, feeling the world spin.
BANG!
The brand-new motorcycle, just delivered today, was instantly smashed to the ground, tumbling and grinding, sparking a huge amount of friction.
"Master-disciple, elder-junior, and friend are all artificial hindrances. My enlightenment seems far inferior to Me Me Me. Is this also a test from The City?"
"This muddy, rotten relationship is simply disgusting. The burden of letting The City feel the light of freedom must be borne."
Putato got up, knowing that the opponent was also a You You You priest, even more powerful than the one he'd encountered before, and had a dozen wolf-men under his command.
Recalling the intelligence he'd gathered earlier, these They They They zealots could only transform for short periods.
"Boss Gyeong-mi, these cultist madmen are still human! They can't maintain this state for long!"
"You damn dog arrived just in time. Then let's fight them! If we don't kill them all, Stray Dogs' reputation will be in tatters!"
The brown bear's eyes, set against thick, lush fur, were quite indistinct, but Putato keenly noticed those emotion-filled pupils staring directly at him. It seemed to be the blessing from the Ring tattoo.
It was neither vengeful hatred nor fervent belief, but a greedy desire to eat.
"ROAR!"
A terrifying palm strike hit him. Putato's pupils contracted. He absolutely dared not let himself be hit even slightly. He activated the Hematic Pump, kicked off the factory wall, and dodged inside.
Putato and Gyeong-mi converged, once again engaging the towering bear-man. The factory instantly plunged into intense combat.
"Die!"
Putato's right flank was struck by the bear's paw. He felt his ribs, just healed by Katae, break again. Fortunately, he was still wearing his chest brace, preventing the broken bones from piercing his internal organs.
Beside him, Gyeong-mi's right hand plunged into his pocket. A pair of spiked knuckles instantly appeared in his grasp. He swung his fist, making the bear's arm tremble with the impact.
All three, engaged in fierce combat, retreated a step, panting slightly.
This You You You priest's strength was outrageously formidable. Originally, even Putato and Gyeong-mi combined couldn't match him. Unfortunately, Putato had a weapon specifically to deal with this type of enemy: Honesuki.
Putato, bleeding from the corner of his mouth, watched the Black Bear, who was covered in startling wounds, and urgently roared.
"Quickly retreat to the dormitory area! Use crossbows to deal with them!"
"Gyeong-mi and I will hold off this bastard bear!"
Some people immediately followed, but the two Executives and most of the others looked at Gyeong-mi.
"Do it! Quickly! Shoot these bastards into shreds for me!"
The swaying wolf-men above immediately descended to attack and harass, making the situation even more chaotic.
Excellent.
Putato touched the powerful sedative dart on his belt. The time to become the leader of Stray Dogs was today!
"Hey, Putato, are you f***ing okay?!"
Faced with Gyeong-mi's inquiry, Putato merely gave a slight nod.
As the two Executives also entered the passage, only three people remained at the factory entrance.
"You are Myn Church'sYou You You priest, aren't you? I know where Rhytand is, but I want you to immediately take these bastards and leave!"
"No, I must kill them all!"
Gyeong-mi gnashed his teeth. He was truly enraged by the continuous attacks targeting Stray Dogs.
Was his Syndicate even truly part of the Thumb?! Why were all these cats and dogs showing no respect whatsoever?!
"..."
"I can't hold on!"
Marveling at this bear priest's immense strength, Putato, with trembling hands, hastily retreated behind Gyeong-mi, letting the boss face the enemy.
Gyeong-mi's hands were tangled in iron chains, but the moment he clashed with the giant bear, he still couldn't help but spit out a large mouthful of blood, making Putato frown deeply.
When it came to taking a beating, it had to be the people of The City. If he had taken a hit like that a few days ago, he'd be paste.
"Who the hell do you think I am!"
Both fought extremely aggressively. In just a moment, brown bear fur flew everywhere, almost making Putato sneeze at this serious moment.
ROAR!
The You You You priest suddenly opened his mouth and bit. His terrifying maw clamped down tightly on Gyeong-mi's right shoulder. Before the other party could counter, he immediately lifted his head and flung Gyeong-mi.
Such an unexpected move caught Gyeong-mi off guard.
BANG!
Gyeong-mi, flying backward, knocked over the steel shelving. His blood-stained iron chains clanged as they hung on the shelves.
Putato hastily pushed aside debris and helped Gyeong-mi to his feet. Myn Church truly lived up to its Urban Nightmare rating; this guy had actually taken Gyeong-mi down.
"Help me up! I'm going to kill this idiot!"
Taking advantage of Gyeong-mi's numerous injuries and dulled senses, Putato took out a sedative dart and plunged it into his kidney. After a quick injection, Putato dropped the syringe and stomped on it, crushing it.
"Boss Gyeong-mi, I'm afraid the enemy is too strong. We should think of another plan."
"With things like this, what other f***ing plan is there!"
Gyeong-mi pushed Putato away, intending to re-engage, but felt his legs give out. He immediately reached for his shoulder, where a large chunk of flesh had been bitten off by the damned wolf-man.
"Bastard, this dog's teeth are filthy."
Gyeong-mi continued cursing as he stumbled backward, but Putato supported him. Putato then immediately shouted at the charging giant bear.
"Rhytand has already been sent to a nearby Association branch! If you're any slower, he'll likely end up in the Corporation's hands, and then he'll be dead for sure!"
"You all can't escape your connection to the Green Journey!"
Putato and his companions, who had previously completed commissions, weren't qualified to directly contact the Corporation. To put it bluntly, those Association tasks were merely outsourcing troublesome and time-consuming jobs.
An Association was not an Office's babysitter; any good opportunities would definitely be given to directly affiliated Fixers.
WHOOSH!
Putato, one arm clamped around Gyeong-mi's head, hastily retreated. The enemy's dangerous claws barely missed, only grazing Gyeong-mi's tattoo.
As Putato continuously dodged, Gyeong-mi's body accumulated several more bloody wounds.
"Damn it! Putato, pay attention, for f***'s sake!"
"I'm still dragging you around, and you're complaining? If you demand so much, I'll let you eat a bear paw!"
THUMP.
After overturning a large section of shelving, the crouched brown bear slowly stood upright. He seemed to have noticed Putato's extraordinary agility, to the point where he couldn't grasp the other's figure.
"Beasts also don't betray. Even if these bothersome relationships are about to be severed by Me Me Me, I cannot forget."
Putato vigilantly retreated, holding the semi-conscious Gyeong-mi. He also noticed the You You You priest's bear fur shortening, and even his massive skeletal frame was shrinking.
Was the transformation time up?
Immediately, Putato heard the priest cry out. The remaining wolf-men quickly jumped out of the passage, many bearing arrows and wounds.
They didn't utter any fierce words, silently following the priest away, ending this sudden attack.
"Chase them!"
"Quickly go check on Gyeong-mi and Putato! Those guys must have been driven back by the boss!"
The injured Stray Dogs members, as soon as they came out, saw Gyeong-mi unconscious in Putato's arms nearby. The two Executives rushed over anxiously to check on him.
Gyeong-mi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but the potent sedative combined with excessive blood loss meant he had already exhausted all his strength just by moving his lips.
"What are you standing around for? Quickly take the boss for treatment first!"
Zulu hastily stepped forward to help Gyeong-mi up. Dino also began directing people to clean up the mess.
"No!"
"What did you say?!"
Putato's sudden interjection made the two Executives angrily turn their heads. The others also looked on, questioning.
"Those guys weren't driven back! It's just their time limit. They can't maintain that beast form for long, understand?! They'll definitely bring more wolf-men next!"
"The fire's already at our heels! Do you expect us to stay here? We absolutely must leave!"
"I mean, we can't split up. Didn't we get three tubes of regeneration serum from the Axe Gang last time? Use them now. Don't save them for a high price."
"But Syndicate assets must be decided by Gyeong-mi. What gives you the right to make decisions?!"
"Damn it! Fine, fine, fine, you ask him then!"
Everyone saw Gyeong-mi, whose eyelids were drooping. They waved their hands in front of him, but he showed no reaction.
"You listen carefully to me! If Gyeong-mi has an opinion, then it's my decision, Putato's decision!"
"Otherwise, everyone will just get bitten to death later!"
Hearing that, Dino still felt uneasy. He sat down and pushed open Gyeong-mi's eyelids.
"Hey, Gyeong-mi, can you hear me? If you can, blink a few times."
Putato's heart immediately rose. He didn't expect the sedative dosage wasn't strong enough. He should have told Katae to add some compressed Enkephalins earlier.
What made him let out a long sigh of relief was that Gyeong-mi still blinked a few times. This time, he finally fell asleep.
"Hmph."
Even though Dino was still somewhat unconvinced, he and Zulu still retrieved the three tubes of regeneration serum.
Dino took out a needle, about to inject Gyeong-mi. Putato quickly stopped him.
"Do you understand human anatomy? Do you understand safe medication? If you can't handle it, let me do it."
"I learned about this when I studied Prosthetic knowledge. The other two can be diluted to restore everyone's combat strength; otherwise, we won't be able to cope with the approaching cultists."
Putato snatched the syringes, ordered someone to bring out a pile of bottles and jars, and conveniently hid three tubes of potent sedatives in his belt, placing them on the table.
Boss Gyeong-mi, while your body recovers, you should also get a good sleep. Only then can you fully recover.
The factory floor immediately became a scene of injections. One might have thought it was a battle preparation period for a bodybuilding competition.
After two injections of the mixed regeneration serum, Gyeong-mi slept soundly, without even the twitch of an eyelid.
"Bastard!"
Putato suddenly threw the syringe away, angrily overturning the wooden table.
"That priest's teeth definitely have some unknown toxin! Boss Gyeong-mi was bitten fiercely, and he's still unconscious! The regeneration serum is useless!"
The Stray Dogs immediately panicked. Leaderless, they didn't know what to do.
"There must be a corresponding antidote within the Church. Boss Gyeong-mi has shown me kindness. I'm going to raid Myn Church; no matter what, I must get the antidote!"
"Hey, wait."
This time, Dino and Zulu couldn't sit still.
If Putato went to storm the Church alone, what would happen if the enemy attacked again?
Just by looking at Gyeong-mi's current pathetic state, they knew the enemy's strength surpassed the limits Stray Dogs could handle, not to mention that just now, one person who stopped the enemy was unconscious, and another wanted to go alone.
"You don't understand. Last time, when we completed the mission, Gyeong-mi completely disregarded his mental and physical exhaustion, talked with me, and sent me home."
"On the way, I told Gyeong-mi to rest, but he said that young people like me are the future of the Syndicate, and my matters are the Syndicate's matters."
"Boss Gyeong-mi even suggested holding a Syndicate banquet to celebrate my joining. I hastily said that this banquet should be held when Stray Dogs grows strong, and for Boss Gyeong-mi, who leads us to glory."
"The Boss sighed, thinking he shouldn't waste the gang's assets because of himself, since he only had 24-hour safekeeping authority. I was full of gratitude then, tears welling up."
"On the way, we accidentally encountered a lab monster. I tried my best but couldn't defeat it. It was Gyeong-mi who smashed it with an automatic vending machine that saved me."
"For me, Boss Gyeong-mi's kindness is simply unpayable!"
The Stray Dogs members didn't know what to say. Gyeong-mi's personal charisma was too strong, and what was with this strange scent coming from Gyeong-mi?
Beside him, Parui immediately stood up.
"No, Executive Putato, how can you go alone? Why don't we take the initiative to attack!"
"Anyway, this damned cult is looking for trouble with us. Let's give them a show."
Hearing about going out to rob, the gang members also chimed in.
Putato was extremely satisfied with Parui's support, and used the opportunity to butter himself up.
"Since Boss Gyeong-mi agreed just before he fainted, then this time I will temporarily take the leader's position to command the operation."
"I don't wish to be so abrupt, but at this moment, the Syndicate must have someone stand up and bear all this!"
Dino immediately thought 'No, bro, when did Gyeong-mi ever agree to this?'
However, after realizing that Zulu next to him also didn't object, Dino stared at Putato but didn't act out. After all, it was only temporary, and the most important thing was to wake Gyeong-mi up.