Chapter 68: Chapter 68: The Scent on the Little Mixed Breed

Gu Ning didn’t really want to talk to the Beast Police officer, Leighton.

She glanced at Leighton, meeting his assessing gaze. She immediately lowered her eyes and huddled a little closer to Alex.

She didn’t like being stared at like this. Besides, as a police officer, Leighton’s eyes were bright and sharp, as if he could see right through a person with a single glance.

Compared to the prying and curious looks from other Beastmen, this direct, almost scrutinizing gaze made her even more uncomfortable, even a little frightened.

To someone like her, who was hiding her identity, Leighton felt like a natural predator, sparking a primal fear. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

She had disguised herself as a Dwarf hybrid for so long, and even when working in Cook’s place at the construction site, no one had discovered her true identity.

But one trip to the police station, and her identity was stripped away by Leighton.

Thankfully, Alex was a good Beastman. Otherwise, things wouldn’t have turned out so well for her.

Involuntarily, Gu Ning moved even closer to Alex, almost pressing against his arm.

Alex was looking down, handling some work on his terminal. He noticed Gu Ning’s movement toward him, his fingers pausing slightly. Then, pretending not to have seen anything, he went back to his work.

"How old are you, still clinging to your brother like that?" Leighton scoffed when he saw the little Mixed Breed sticking close to Alex.

After he spoke, he remembered that Gu Ning was a Dwarf hybrid, not a normal Beastman.

Mixed Breeds with someone to look after them tended to be more dependent on their relatives. Such Mixed Breeds were also easier to manage. At least if they caused any trouble, there was someone to hold responsible for them.

Dwarf hybrids lack the mental capacity to be responsible for their own actions. Their behavior is mostly dictated by their mood. Those with less severe regression or more stable personalities can still be disciplined. But the more severely regressed ones will snatch food when hungry and attack when they feel threatened, no different from primitive beasts.

Seeing the little guy sitting obediently next to his friend, Leighton felt an urge to tease him.

This little Mixed Breed was a bit different from the usual Dwarf hybrids. First off, his build was much smaller, like a Beastman still in his growth phase.

But when were growing Beastmen ever this well-behaved? They were bursting with energy every day, never happy unless they were causing some trouble.

"Have you had breakfast?" Leighton asked, looking at Gu Ning.

The little Mixed Breed kept his head down, swinging his legs absently. The police station bench was too high, and her feet couldn’t reach the floor.

So, his tone became like he was coaxing a child. "What do you want to eat? I’ll have someone go buy it for you."

Gu Ning didn’t want to deal with him, so she pretended not to hear.

’I’m a Mixed Breed, after all. It’s normal not to respond to people. It’d be weirder if I actually talked to him.’

’I can’t let him think I’m easy to talk to.’ She chanted to herself internally, ’I’m a Mixed Breed. A Mixed Breed. A short-tempered, unreasonable Mixed Breed.’

Leighton: "Hey, little guy, did you hear me..."

"She’s already eaten," Alex said, looking up from his terminal.

Leighton: "How do you discipline him? He’s way too docile."

’Docile?’

Alex tilted his head to look at the quiet little female and said, "This one of mine isn’t much different in temperament from other Dwarf hybrids."

Gu Ning’s leg-swinging stopped.

Alex continued, "His Aberration Value is only 25% right now. I can still manage him. As long as you don’t provoke him, he’s relatively obedient."

Leighton raised an eyebrow, noncommittal.

Based on his two encounters with this little wolf, the kid’s personality was indeed as Alex described.

He opened a drawer, took out a can of jerky snacks, and tossed it to Alex. "Give him some snacks to pass the time."

Alex caught it, opened the lid of the snack can, and offered it to Gu Ning.

Gu Ning shook her head.

’Eating means taking off my mask, and I wouldn’t dare eat under the noses of so many Beastmen.’

Alex knew she wouldn’t eat, so he placed the can beside them.

"Still holding a grudge?" Leighton said.

He could tell Gu Ning didn’t like him much. Of course, no Beastman he’d arrested ever liked him, but he felt the little Mixed Breed held a certain resentment toward him.

He had been a cop for nearly ten years, dealing with all sorts of bastards and criminals day in and day out. He had sharp instincts and perception.

"I didn’t beat you or lock you up. I’ve been pretty nice to you."

Leighton’s gaze swept back and forth over Gu Ning. His professional instincts drove him to find the source of that resentment.

As he stared, a strange, indefinable feeling welled up inside him.

Soon, Leighton knew what was strange.

It was the little Mixed Breed’s scent.

Leighton’s nose twitched slightly as he sniffed the air.

He couldn’t smell the little Mixed Breed’s scent, only the rather strong Wolf Clan scent from Alex.

Leighton’s eyes shifted between the two "brothers," a thoughtful look passing through them.

As if having thought of something, he discreetly opened the little Mixed Breed’s personal file to check it.

The file clearly stated that Gu Ning was a Wolf Clan Mixed Breed.

Leighton remembered that during his previous encounters with Gu Ning, he had smelled of Beast Smell Agent.

That stuff could fool other Beastmen, but it couldn’t fool him.

But since the little Mixed Breed hadn’t committed any serious offenses, he wasn’t going to make a big deal about it.

Now, he didn’t smell any Beast Smell Agent on the little Mixed Breed, nor did he smell the kid’s own scent. He only smelled Alex’s wolf scent.

Leighton found this strange.

While some Beastmen were very protective of their own Mixed Breeds, and in a place like Zone 19, covering a Mixed Breed brother with one’s own scent for protection was understandable... but the aggression in this scent...

BANG! The office door was shoved open violently, interrupting Leighton’s thoughts.

The sound startled Gu Ning, and she whipped her head toward the door.

"Leighton, that guy escaped!" a Beastman officer gasped, standing at the door.

Leighton frowned. "Who escaped? Speak clearly."

Beastmen broke out of the holding cells from time to time; it was a common occurrence. Other than the young, newly assigned officers, no one would be shocked by something like this anymore.

The officer stammered, "That... that one named... named... the Mixed Breed named Cook!"

Gu Ning was shocked and immediately jumped down from the bench.

Alex instantly closed his terminal and stood up.

Leighton shot up from his chair, grabbing his police uniform from the back of it. He started shrugging it on as he headed out. "Which way did he run?"

The officer replied, "Not sure. He was too fast. He bolted out the door and vanished. Our people are already in pursuit."

Leighton didn’t rush to give chase. Instead, he first asked, "Was the paperwork finished?"

The officer said, "Not yet. The moment we opened the door, the guy charged out like a madman. We couldn’t stop him. He even knocked over several of our officers."

Hearing this, Gu Ning immediately understood where Cook had run off to.

’He must have gone looking for me.’

"Don’t worry." Seeing Gu Ning about to run out, Alex placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. "He should still have a tracker on him."

The officer nodded. "That’s right. We hadn’t had a chance to remove his tracking anklet before he ran."

Beastmen who are going to be held in the cells for a few days are all fitted with tracking anklets. If they run, they can be quickly located and recaptured.

Leighton glanced at Alex, then opened his terminal to search for Cook’s tracker.

Gu Ning was very anxious. Just as she was about to write a note to Alex to tell him where Cook was, Alex spoke up. "Officer Leighton, I know where he is."