Two-thirty in the afternoon.
The sun at the border was at its fiercest, scorching the gravel-covered training field until the ground was blazing hot.
With a sharp whistle, the police dog unit began its training session.
More than thirty handlers stood in formation with their respective dogs. Every one of these police dogs had been carefully selected as an elite. Each had earned outstanding merits in anti-drug operations, search-and-rescue missions, and on the battlefield.
Especially Black Panther at the front.
He was a purebred Kunming Dog with a sharp gaze and sleek, powerful muscles that made him look like a killing machine.
Li Tieniu, the squad leader of the police dog unit, held a stopwatch and shouted, “Obstacle course! Ready—go!”
At his command—
More than thirty police dogs shot forward like arrows released from a bow.
However—
An accident happened at that very moment.
Black Panther, who was leading the pack, suddenly slammed on the brakes as soon as he reached the wooden balance beam.
Instead of leaping onto it as he normally would, he spun around in place and plopped his butt down on the ground.
Then the police dogs behind him began stopping one after another, as though they had been involved in a massive pileup.
Some spun around in circles.
Some barked furiously at the air.
Others simply flopped onto the ground and started rolling around.
“Black Panther! What’s going on? Get up!”
Li Tieniu panicked and blew his special dog whistle.
The frequency of this whistle was specifically designed to issue commands that police dogs would obey without question. Normally, the moment they heard it, even if a sea of blades or a mountain of fire stood in front of them, Black Panther would charge forward without hesitation.
But today, Black Panther merely lifted his eyelids lazily and glanced at Li Tieniu.
There was actually a hint of…
disdain?
“Woof—”
Black Panther raised his head and let out a long howl.
That howl sounded like a battle horn signaling a charge.
The next second, everyone was dumbfounded.
Dozens of police dogs suddenly broke free from their handlers’ leashes.
Some even snapped their collars.
As though possessed, they all turned around at once and charged madly toward the family compound.
“Oh no! The police dogs are out of control!”
“Go after them! The family quarters are ahead! Make sure no one gets hurt!”
Li Tieniu’s face went pale with terror as he and dozens of handlers sprinted after them.
If Captain Huo’s wife or children got bitten, the entire squad would be punished!
A huge pack of dogs rolled up clouds of yellow dust as they thundered into the family compound.
Yet the bloody scene everyone feared never happened.
Huo Feng was sitting on the steps outside the dormitory, discussing with Zhao Gang how to officially register his marriage to Su Man.
When they heard the commotion, they looked up.
Their jaws nearly dropped to the ground.
Dozens of ferocious police dogs were now obediently gathered into a semicircle.
At the center, Huo Xiaoman was sitting cross-legged on a little stool, holding a stalk of foxtail grass and waving it around like a conductor.
“Sit!”
Huo Xiaoman gave a childish command.
“Whoosh!”
Dozens of police dogs simultaneously planted their butts on the ground.
Their movements were even more synchronized than during training.
“Stand!”
“Whoosh!”
The entire pack stood up at once.
Li Tieniu and the other handlers came running over, gasping for breath.
The moment he saw the scene, Li Tieniu practically collapsed to his knees.
“This… How is this possible? Black Panther! Come here!”
Li Tieniu called out unwillingly.
Black Panther didn’t even turn his head.
He even seemed annoyed by Li Tieniu’s shouting and bared his teeth at him.
Then he turned back toward Huo Xiaoman and began wagging his tail, his tongue hanging out as he put on an utterly sycophantic expression.
Huo Feng stared at his daughter, his head buzzing.
“Huo Xiaoman! What did you feed them?”
Huo Xiaoman blinked her big eyes innocently.
“Nothing! I just added some of Mommy’s special seasoning. They said it was delicious, and they want to put on a show for me.”
“Put on a show?”
Huo Feng’s heart sank.
Before he could react—
The drug’s effects fully kicked in.
Su Man’s specially formulated “Carefree Powder” was originally used in the Miao village to stimulate fighting beasts and make them more energetic.
But when used on dogs, the side effects were a little…
unique.
Suddenly, a Rottweiler named Tank stood upright on its hind legs.
It actually balanced itself on two legs, waving its front paws rhythmically in the air.
Its huge head bobbed back and forth as though it were nodding along to some invisible beat.
Then—
Every single police dog stood up!
Black Panther wrapped his front paws around the waist of a Labrador, and the two dogs began dancing like ballroom partners.
The other dogs showed off their own talents.
Some spun wildly across the ground, performing something resembling a Thomas spin.
Some were doing sit-ups.
Several others put their paws on one another’s shoulders, lined up in a row, and began kicking their legs in unison!
The scene was absolute chaos.
It was like a horde of demons had descended upon the world and every ghost had come out to dance.
“Holy shit…”
Zhao Gang rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was dreaming.
“Are these damn dogs doing the disco?”
Li Tieniu and the other handlers stood there with their mouths hanging open, completely dumbfounded.
Their mighty comrades, the police dogs that struck fear into the hearts of criminals, now looked like a bunch of drunkards who had downed counterfeit liquor.
“Dad! Look at that dog! It has no rhythm!”
Huo Xiaoxie crouched nearby, seriously critiquing their performance.
“That black one isn’t bad, though. Good hip control.”
Huo Feng felt his vision go black.
This was the military!
A disciplined military unit!
Dozens of police dogs were dancing disco in broad daylight!
If word of this got out, would he, the feared “Wolf Head,” still have any dignity left?
“Su Man!”
Huo Feng gritted his teeth and shouted toward the house.
“Get your daughter out of here! And make these dogs normal again!”
Su Man’s lazy voice drifted out from inside.
“Why are you in such a hurry? Let them dance for a while. It’ll help them detox.”
“The dose isn’t strong. They’ll be fine in half an hour.”
Half an hour?
Huo Feng looked at the pack of dogs dancing their hearts out.
He felt as though those thirty minutes were going to take ten years off his life.
Just then—
A low engine rumble came from the camp entrance.
Huo Feng’s body instantly tensed.
He knew that sound far too well.
It was the official vehicle assigned to a senior military commander.
“We’re screwed.”
Zhao Gang glanced toward the entrance, his face instantly turning pale as paper.
A dark-green military jeep bearing the red license plate “Military 00001” rolled into the open area of the family compound, kicking up clouds of dust.
Before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop, the door was suddenly pushed open.
A pair of polished black military boots stepped onto the ground.
Then an imposing, gray-haired elderly man emerged.
The three golden stars on his shoulders were almost painfully bright beneath the sunlight.
It was Commander Lei, the commander of the military district!
Behind him was Jiang Yingxue, who had returned once again.
Although Jiang Yingxue still couldn’t speak, she was holding a notebook in her hand, a smug, gleeful smile on her face.
Clearly, she had gone to bring in reinforcements.
The moment Commander Lei stepped out of the vehicle, his commanding gaze swept across the entire scene.
He was preparing to deliver a stern speech about strengthening discipline and maintaining military standards.
However—
Before he could utter a single word, the sight before him forcefully choked the words back into his throat.
Five meters directly in front of him—
The decorated Black Panther was standing on one hind leg.
It struck an incredibly seductive pose.
Then, facing directly toward Commander Lei—
It wiggled its butt.