It turned out that the people were here specifically to interview her, which made things a little awkwardâŠ
At that moment, a slightly chubby middle-aged man in a white police uniform walked in, followed by two young officers in blue uniforms.
"You must be Qiao Sang. Truly impressive, so young and yet you managed to calmly apprehend an A-class fugitive." The middle-aged man in the white uniform smiled as he approached her.
"This is Director Pan from the Hanggang City Public Security Bureau." The male officer in the blue uniform on the left introduced.
Qiao Sang froze for a second, not even having time to respond before Director Pan chuckled, âSeveral media outlets have come to report on this case. Weâll make sure they spread the word about you, so everyone knows Hanggang has produced such a young heroine.â
The female reporter chimed in perfectly, "I'll make sure to report it well."
Qiao Sang: ...
At this point, what else could she say?
By the time she left the police station, two hours had already passed.
The reporters had been too enthusiastic, and Qiao Sang felt she couldnât handle it.
One question after another. Not only did they ask how she subdued the A-class fugitive on Huangming Mountain, but they also asked about Yabao.
It was understandable, though. Recently, the blurry photos of the Fire Fang Dog's new form had gone viral, and the story was still trending.
Any pet beast resembling the new form of the Fire Fang Dog would naturally draw attention.
Qiao Sang didn't try to hide anything. Since theyâd find out eventually, she just told the truth.
Little did she know, the reporters went wildâŠ
If she hadnât quickly put Yabao back into the Beast Codex, judging by the looks in their eyes, it felt like they mightâve devoured him whole.
She had to admit,
news reporters are really⊠dedicated. Not like ordinary people who would be scared of fire-type beastsâŠ
Rounding a corner, Qiao Sang summoned Yabao from the Beast Codex.
Yabao looked around, startled by the change in environment.
Where are the people? The microphones? The cameras?
"It's okay now. We're out." Qiao Sang said, watching Yabao glance around.
"Yap."
Yabao let out a sigh of relief.
He hadnât even had time to look in the mirror or wear sunglasses.
With so many cameras pointed at him, he was really worried they'd capture his bad side. Thankfully, it was all over now.
Just then, the ground suddenly shifted.
A 50-centimeter creature appeared in front of them. It had short brown-gray fur, round ears, and a black stripe on its forehead.
"Yap!"
Startled, Yabao instinctively prepared to shoot Ember.
Recently, due to his focus on practicing this skill, Ember had become Yabao's go-to move whenever he wanted to attack.
"Wait, donât hit it!" Qiao Sang stopped him.
The pet in front of them was a mid-tier Short-Eared Mouse, naturally gifted with burrowing abilities. But that wasnât the most important part.
The important thing was that this Short-Eared Mouse had a work badge and a camera hanging from its chest, clearly, it was a working pet with an owner.
"Sho."
The Short-Eared Mouse politely greeted them, lifting its work badge with its right paw.
Qiao Sang bent down for a closer look.
It was a press passâŠ
She gave the Short-Eared Mouse a complicated look.
Indeed, its ability to dig underground and reach interviewees directly, without fear of crowds, made it quite suited for being a journalist.
"Sho, sho."
The Short-Eared Mouse, seeing that Qiao Sang had checked its work badge, raised the camera and snapped a couple of shots of Yabao.
Yabao froze for a second when the camera was pointed at him, but quickly understood what was happening. He puffed up his chest and posed with a cool expression.
Qiao Sang: ...
Should she remind Yabao that the Short-Eared Mouseâs low angle would result in some rather unflattering shots?
She glanced at Yabao, who was trying hard to look tough.
Oh well, Yabao was flawless from every angle!
This was just a brief interruption.
The Short-Eared Mouse waved goodbye and left, without bombarding them with annoying questions like the other reporters.
Then again, even if it had asked questions, Qiao Sang probably wouldnât have understoodâŠ
With a hefty reward in hand, Qiao Sang felt ecstatic, as if she were walking on air on her way to school.
---
At Shengshui High School.
In the vice principalâs office.
Liu Yao crouched down, inspecting Yabaoâs paw, then opened his eyelid for a closer look.
Watching from the side, Qiao Sang couldnât help but think how much this resembled a doctor examining a patientâŠ
"Have you given it a name?" Liu Yao lightly tugged on Yabaoâs ear, peeking inside.
Qiao Sang hesitated for a second.
"Yabao."
Liu Yao: ...
"No, I mean its species name. You're the first to evolve a Fire Fang Dog into this new form, so you have the right to name it." Liu Yao explained.
"Flame Hound." Qiao Sang suddenly remembered she hadnât yet told the vice principal the name.
âFlame HoundâŠâ Liu Yao paused, glancing at her in surprise.
âThatâs a fitting name.â
âIs it?â Qiao Sang scratched her head sheepishly.
Of course it was. She didnât come up with it, the Beast Codex had shown the name. It's legit.
"When did you first realize his ears were special?" Liu Yao asked.
Special earsâŠ? She had no ideaâŠ
"From the moment it evolved. His ears got noticeably bigger." Qiao Sang answered quickly.
The Fire Fang Dog had prominent ears to begin with, and after evolving into the Flame Hound, his ears seemed even more pronounced. Not a complete lie.
Liu Yao: ...
"You're only seeing the surface. I'm not entirely sure either, but Iâll check its ears more thoroughly." Liu Yao said, nodding to the Sky Bat beside him.
The bat vanished instantly.
Five seconds later, it returned with an otoscope.
The speed, the efficiencyâŠ
Qiao Sang was seriously impressed.
Liu Yao placed the thin endoscope into Yabao's ear.
Yabao flinched,
so itchyâŠ
The viewing screen, just an ordinary tablet, displayed the results. After a few moments, Liu Yao had his answer.
âAs expected, the Flame Hound has a structure in its ears that allows for ultrasonic detection. The specific frequency range isnât clear yet, but itâs at least twenty times greater than a humanâs hearing.â Liu Yao said as he put the endoscope away.
âUnfortunately, it canât emit ultrasonic waves like the Echolocating Bat, or it could navigate perfectly in the dark.â
Qiao Sang suddenly understood.
She didnât feel too bad about the lack of ultrasonic emission, though. Normally, the Fire Fang Dog would have evolved into the Blaze Hound.
Now that it had become a Flame Hound with enhanced hearing and powerful psychic abilities, she couldnât be more grateful.
"I think heâs perfect as he is." Qiao Sang said with a smile.
"Yap!"
Yabao sensed his masterâs gaze, smiled with his eyes, and wagged his tail in response.
Liu Yao smiled as well, dropping the subject of the Flame Houndâs ears.
âIâve finished examining the Flame Hound. I remember you have a Treasure-Seeking Ghost as well, summon it, and Iâll take a look.â Liu Yao said as he stood up.
Qiao Sang nodded, then called out into the air, "Little Treasure."
"Xuuun~"
In the next moment, the little ghost appeared on the screen.
He even mimicked Liu Yaoâs actions, holding an endoscope and pretending to examine his own ear.