Chapter 139: Unusual Ears

It turned out that the people were here specifically to interview her, which made things a little awkward…

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, “Several media outlets have come to report on this case. We’ll make sure they spread the word about you, so everyone knows Hanggang has produced such a young heroine.”

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 couldn’t 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 they’d find out eventually, she just told the truth.

Little did she know, the reporters went wild…

If she hadn’t quickly put Yabao back into the Beast Codex, judging by the looks in their eyes, it felt like they might’ve devoured him whole.

She had to admit, news reporters are really… dedicated. Not like ordinary people who would be scared of fire-type beasts…

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 hadn’t 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, don’t 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 wasn’t 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 pass…

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 Mouse’s 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 wouldn’t have understood…

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 principal’s office.

Liu Yao crouched down, inspecting Yabao’s paw, then opened his eyelid for a closer look.

Watching from the side, Qiao Sang couldn’t help but think how much this resembled a doctor examining a patient…

"Have you given it a name?" Liu Yao lightly tugged on Yabao’s 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 hadn’t yet told the vice principal the name.

“Flame Hound…” Liu Yao paused, glancing at her in surprise. 

“That’s a fitting name.”

“Is it?” Qiao Sang scratched her head sheepishly.

Of course it was. She didn’t 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 ears…? She had no idea…

"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 I’ll 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 efficiency… Qiao Sang was seriously impressed.

Liu Yao placed the thin endoscope into Yabao's ear.

Yabao flinched, so itchy…

The viewing screen, just an ordinary tablet, displayed the results. After a few moments, Liu Yao had his answer.

“As expected, the Flame Hound has a structure in its ears that allows for ultrasonic detection. The specific frequency range isn’t clear yet, but it’s at least twenty times greater than a human’s hearing.” Liu Yao said as he put the endoscope away. 

“Unfortunately, it can’t emit ultrasonic waves like the Echolocating Bat, or it could navigate perfectly in the dark.”

Qiao Sang suddenly understood.

She didn’t 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 couldn’t be more grateful.

"I think he’s perfect as he is." Qiao Sang said with a smile.

"Yap!"

Yabao sensed his master’s gaze, smiled with his eyes, and wagged his tail in response.

Liu Yao smiled as well, dropping the subject of the Flame Hound’s ears.

“I’ve finished examining the Flame Hound. I remember you have a Treasure-Seeking Ghost as well, summon it, and I’ll take a look.” 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 Yao’s actions, holding an endoscope and pretending to examine his own ear.

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