“Doctor Furu, would you like your wound bandaged?” “Yeah… put some antiseptic on it first.” Doctor Furu sat at his desk with a pained expression while an AI medical robot treated the injury on his forehead.
“Seriously… there are way too many lunatics these days.
Xiao Jiu, analyze the severity of this injury for me.
I’m suing that bastard.” “Understood, Doctor Furu.
I have already transferred the relevant data to your computer.
However, according to my recommendation, this matter should preferably be settled privately rather than escalated to court—” “No need.
Just give me today’s schedule.
What’s urgent?” Doctor Furu cut the AI off immediately.
He had no interest in hearing it.
As far as he was concerned, understanding the suggestions of artificial stupidity was a complete waste of time.
Like always, Xiao Jiu continued without pause, listing every item on his schedule one by one.
After reviewing the day’s workload, Doctor Furu prepared to leave.
“Doctor Furu, there is one additional matter requiring notification.
The patient from Chamber C4, Mr.
Lidi, has been confirmed negative for the Sudadi virus and has already completed discharge procedures.” Hearing the name, Furu initially failed to remember who it was.
Only after Xiao Jiu’s reminder did he recall the fox beastman from yesterday.
“Show me his report.” Xiao Jiu immediately transferred the corresponding files onto his computer.
Doctor Furu skimmed through the contents rapidly.
Very quickly, he noticed something wrong.
Several sections of the data were drastically different from what he had personally seen yesterday.
“Xiao Jiu, was this report obtained directly from the testing system… or was it routed through something else first?” For the first time ever, Xiao Jiu froze mid-response.
Two full seconds passed before it answered.
“Source trace unavailable.
Unable to determine data origin.” “…” Doctor Furu knew immediately that something was off.
With thirty years of experience surviving inside this hospital system, he understood exactly how abnormal this situation was.
Someone had effortlessly altered government hospital records— and even fooled the newest AI system without triggering any warnings.
That was not the kind of problem a department chief should interfere with.
“Doctor Furu, regarding the abnormal data irregularities, would you like me to notify the hospital director and initiate an investigation?” Furu thought silently for a moment before answering: “No need.
And there’s no need to tell anyone else about this either.” “Understood, Doctor Furu.” Xiao Jiu disappeared shortly afterward.
Doctor Furu remained seated quietly, staring at the photograph attached to the report.
The exhausted-looking fox beastman.
“…The less trouble, the better.
Good luck to you, kid.” …
“Achoo!” Lidi sneezed violently, causing the half-eaten meat skewer in his hand to fall straight onto the ground.
The commercial street outside the hospital district was narrow and chaotic.
Pipes crawled up the sides of low buildings like tangled vines, while the air was thick with the mixed aromas of grilled meat and spices, enough to make passing carnivores instinctively swallow their saliva.
Since he had slept through dinner yesterday and still had not eaten breakfast today, Lidi decided to grab something near the hospital.
Unfortunately, the Paka meat skewer he had just bought was now ruined.
He sighed helplessly.
“…Sigh.
Boss, another Paka skewer.” The stall owner was an old gray wolf skillfully turning meat wings over a smoking grill.
“Coming right up.
Fresh off the fire.
Ten Tera.” Lidi waved his hand across the simple payment terminal beside the stall.
After the transfer notification sounded, he casually accepted the freshly grilled skewer.
Paka was a type of domestic flightless bird species.
Though unable to truly fly, its powerful legs allowed it to glide short distances, and it had long since become one of the primary protein sources for carnivorous beastmen.
Just as Lidi was happily devouring the meat, his nose suddenly caught a strange, irritating smell.
It did not resemble cooking smoke.
It smelled more like some kind of harsh chemical irritant, stinging deep inside his nose until tears began forming in his eyes.
“…Weird.
Am I getting sick?
Is my nose malfunctioning or something?” He did not think too deeply about it and simply continued eating.
Then suddenly— a commotion erupted near the street entrance alongside loud chanting that grew closer and closer.
“Reject blood consumption!
Respect life!” “Stop the slaughter!
Choose veganism!” A large crowd of herbivore protesters marched forward wearing green scarves and carrying banners and flags.
Among them were even several bear and canine beastmen supporting the movement.
The same damn Grass Union.
At the front stood a tall giraffe beastman.
Silver ribbons were wrapped around his horns while a long banner attached to his neck fluttered dramatically in the wind.
“Meat consumption is the rotten poison of barbarism!
We no longer need predation to survive!” His amplified voice echoed through the street, drawing enthusiastic cheers from the supporters behind him.
Several young rabbit and mouse beastmen waved small flags excitedly, their eyes burning with fanatical idealism.
The street vendors immediately changed expressions.
Especially the meat sellers.
One after another, they cursed under their breath while glaring at the protesters ruining business.
The old gray wolf quickly packed up his stall and dragged his food cart away, already sensing danger approaching.
Lidi intended to leave as well.
Unfortunately— someone noticed him first.
A chicken beastman wearing the same green scarf stared directly at him before pointing furiously at the unfinished meat wing in his hand.
“Do you even know what you’re eating?!
That’s exploitation!
Slaughter!
Pollution!
People like you are exactly why this planet keeps sinking deeper into corruption!” “…I’m literally just trying to eat breakfast, man.” By now the street had already descended into chaos.
Several vendors had begun physically fighting with protesters.
Within the crowd, carnivore beastmen—already outnumbered—were being shoved to the ground as the situation spiraled rapidly out of control.
Meanwhile, the irritating chemical smell grew even stronger.
Lidi suddenly sensed something was wrong.
Without wasting another second, he quickly stuffed the remaining meat into his mouth and turned to leave.
“You’re still eating?!
Then this one’s for you!” The chicken beastman leapt forward with a flying kick aimed directly at Lidi’s face.
Fortunately, Lidi reacted quickly enough to dodge sideways.
The chicken beastman crashed awkwardly onto the ground.
Before the idiot could stand up again, Lidi immediately sprinted toward the least crowded direction.
But the other end of the street had already been blocked by another wave of green-scarfed protesters attacking the remaining carnivores.
“Oh come on!
Why does this kind of crap always happen to me?!” Every escape route was sealed.
Behind him, the chicken beastman had already recovered and resumed chasing him with a vicious grin.
Lidi swallowed nervously and awkwardly raised his fists into a terrible imitation of a boxing stance.
He knew perfectly well how hopeless this was.
The chicken beastman had thick feathers, sharp claws, and heavily muscled arms.
Meanwhile, Lidi was just a skinny, exhausted little fox.
He stood absolutely no chance.
[PAH—!
PAH—!
PAH—!] Three sharp magnetic bursts suddenly split through the air.
A Black Guard descended directly between them.
The high-voltage electromagnetic baton in his hand crackled violently with electricity loud enough to make even the strongest elephant beastman collapse unconscious instantly.
Moments later, more Black Guards landed across the street and immediately began suppressing members of the Grass Union.
“Illegal assembly and disruption of public order!
All participants are under arrest!
Any resistance will be suppressed by force!” The gorilla captain leading the operation wore no visor.
His cold voice boomed through the street via amplifier.
Chaos exploded instantly.
Some people screamed and fled.
Others were pinned down almost immediately.
As for the chicken beastman who had wanted to beat Lidi up— he was already running for his life.
Lidi also tried escaping amidst the confusion.
But suddenly— BOOM.
A tear gas canister detonated right beside his feet, releasing thick white smoke.
“COUGH—!
ACK—COUGH!!” The irritating smell he noticed earlier had been lingering tear gas residue.
And now one had exploded almost point-blank beside him.
Pain stabbed through his nose and eyes like burning needles.
Tears poured uncontrollably down his face while his vision blurred into white haze.
Police sirens.
Shouting.
Panicked footsteps.
The entire world became noise.
“AAAAAHHHHH—!!” Lidi collapsed onto the ground coughing violently, unable to move.
It felt as though the entire world had become nothing but unbearable pain tearing through his senses.
Crowds surged past him wildly.
At this rate, he was about to get trampled.
Then suddenly— a powerful arm yanked him violently to the side.
“Kid!
Stop crying and get up!” Through his blurry vision, Lidi recognized the voice.
The old gray wolf vendor.
Supporting Lidi against the wall, the old wolf slowly guided him away through a side alley while dragging his cart behind him.
The Black Guards did not stop them.
Clearly, this operation specifically targeted members of the Grass Union.
Only after leaving the riot zone did Lidi finally regain enough strength to stand on his own, though his nose still burned like it had been set on fire.
“Cough… thank you… for saving me…” The old gray wolf waved casually while continuing to pull his cart farther away.
“Don’t mention it, kid.
Canines should look out for each other.” Lidi inhaled deeply before dragging his exhausted body back toward his car.
Once inside, a loud ringing still echoed endlessly inside his ears.
Only after lightly slapping his forehead several times did it begin easing slightly.
“…God, my luck sucks.”