Wanai saw the message from Eric. ’They certainly don’t make deals they’ll lose money on,’ he thought.

He hadn’t wanted to agree. They had their own people in Zone 19; he just needed to hand the person over, and the money would be his.

Wanai gazed at the photo of the Mimic Mixed Species on his terminal screen, then reached into his pocket and pulled out a plastic-sealed bag.

He glanced at the contents of the bag. ’This was probably worn by that little Mixed Breed,’ he mused, before opening a nearby drawer and tossing it inside.

He then swiped his finger across the terminal’s screen, pulling up the file on the atavistic Mixed Breed.

An atavistic Mixed Breed, a Dwarf hybrid, and a Mimic Mixed Species, all living together.

And that Mimic Mixed Species worked at a construction site every day, yet had taken on a female appearance.

Interesting.

Since he was going to be in Zone 19 for a while, he might as well keep an eye on them. He was curious to see what these three were really up to, all shacked up together.

He opened Eric’s message window and replied:

[Deal.]

...

Gu Ning was in the living room peeling potatoes for dinner when she heard the sound of someone prying at the front door.

She took the piece of jerky from her mouth, tossed the potato into a bowl, and, gripping the small knife in her hand, crept toward the door.

Spotting an iron rod in the entryway, she gently set down the knife, picked up the rod, and fixed her eyes on the front door.

CLICK... The door was pushed open from the outside.

Gu Ning tightened her grip on the iron rod, gritted her teeth, and swung with all her might at the figure in the doorway.

With a muffled THWACK, Gu Ning’s blow sent Barto, who had been standing on a box, flying.

Gu Ning got a clear look at the person at the door. "..." ’It’s them?!’

"Woof?" Cook, who was beside him, froze for a second, tilting his head and looking at Gu Ning in confusion.

The next second, he limped over and threw himself at Gu Ning, hugging her.

"What are you doing?! Are you crazy?" Barto shouted, clutching his head as he jumped up from the floor.

Gu Ning immediately dropped the iron rod.

...

"Eat it!"

Barto shoved a Purification Crystal Stone in front of Gu Ning.

Gu Ning quickly scribbled on a piece of paper: *Sorry! I thought you were someone else.*

Barto clutched the large lump swelling on his forehead and poked her in the head. "You can’t even tell our scents apart? I think you’re starting to degenerate. Hurry up and eat the Purification Crystal Stone!"

Gu Ning pushed the Purification Crystal Stone back, changing the subject by writing: *Didn’t I give you a key? Why were you picking the lock?*

Barto said, "Got into a fight. Lost the key."

’A fight?’

Gu Ning looked down at Cook, who was sitting by her feet, and quickly checked him for injuries.

Sure enough, she found several cuts and scrapes on his body, hidden beneath his thick fur.

She brought out her first-aid kit, found some antiseptic, and started treating Cook’s wounds.

"Hey!" Barto said indignantly. "How come you’re not asking if I’m hurt?"

Gu Ning looked at him and held up the bottle of antiseptic.

"I’m not injured," Barto said, pointing to his own forehead. "The worst wound I have is the one you gave me."

Gu Ning: "..."

She went back to treating Cook’s wounds.

Once she was done, she asked Barto what had happened.

"Someone tried to grab Cook," Barto said. "A lot of Mixed Breeds have been getting captured lately. You need to be careful, too."

Hearing this, Gu Ning told him about how she had almost been captured, and about someone trying to pick their lock the past couple of days.

"What?" Barto’s expression turned grim. He grabbed her by the shoulders, looking her up and down. "Are you hurt?"

Gu Ning shook her head and wrote: *We have to move.*

Barto frowned in thought for a moment. "Alright, leave it to me. I’ll find a new place. Until then, we’ll walk you to and from work."

...

「East Defense Construction Site, Outer Wall.」

Gu Ning held a flashlight for Alex, passing him tools from time to time and generally helping out.

After a few days as Alex’s assistant, she had already memorized the use of all the tools.

As their shift was about to end, a light rain began to fall. Droplets dripped continuously from the brim of Gu Ning’s hard hat, and her goggles were smeared with water.

The weather had already turned cold the last couple of days, and the rain made it even colder.

Gu Ning’s hands quickly grew stiff with cold. Even though she had put on two extra layers that morning, suspended high in the air in the falling rain, the slightest breeze was enough to make her tremble.

Her soaked mask was starting to make it difficult to breathe.

Alex, who was focused on adjusting the defense system, noticed the little Mixed Breed’s breathing grow heavy and turned to look at her.

Gu Ning was passing him a tool, and her hand brushed against his skin.

It was warm.

The icy rain seemed to beat down only on her, a small human.

When Alex felt her freezing hand, a hint of surprise crossed his eyes. "You’re cold?"

Gu Ning shook her head.

’From what I understand, Beastmen are highly resistant to cold,’ she thought. ’There are plenty of shirtless Beastmen working right next to me.’

’Not to mention Mixed Breeds, some of whom have fur to keep warm.’

’Cook, for example, only wears a single layer these days.’

’If she and Barto didn’t make him wear clothes, he probably wouldn’t wear any at all.’

"We’re about done." Alex saw that the little Mixed Breed was trembling from the cold. He glanced at the time and said, "You can clock out early."

Gu Ning let out a silent sigh of relief. She wiped the rain from her goggles, looked at Alex beside her, and fiddled with a pre-written note in her pocket before finally taking it out and handing it to him. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Alex took the note and shone his flashlight on the words. "You want to move?"

Gu Ning nodded.

’Barto had been searching for a place for two days with no luck, so she’d thought of Alex.’

He had told her before that she could come to him if she wanted to find a new place to live.

Alex said, "Alright. I’ll have Kloer take you there."

Gu Ning froze. ’Just like that, I have a place to stay?’

Alex said, "You can stay in my room. If you have anything to pack, have Kloer help you. For safety, you should move in as soon as possible."

Gu Ning frantically waved her hands.

’Live with him? Absolutely not!’

’Never mind that she had her own family to look after; even if she were alone, she couldn’t possibly live with Alex.’

She pulled out the pen and paper she carried with her and wrote with her stiff hand: *Is there another place?*

Alex read it and said, "If you don’t want to live with me, you can stay with Kloer. Our rooms aren’t crowded with two people. Just tell us if you need anything."

Gu Ning shook her head vehemently.

’No way!’

"You just want to live by yourself?" Alex considered this. "In that case, you can have my room or Kloer’s. You pick."

Gu Ning just pushed the same note toward him again.

’Whether it was his place or Kloer’s, they were both inside the construction site. The only people coming and going were internal personnel, and their building was basically reserved for management. There was no way she could have Cook and Barto live with her there. Her cover would be blown.’

Seeing that she was adamant about not staying in their rooms, Alex said, "Alright, I’ll look around for you. I’ll have an answer for you tomorrow."

Zone 19 didn’t lack for housing, but with winter approaching, the Beastmen had all begun to congregate in the central districts to avoid the Mutant Species, making housing a bit scarce.

After work, Gu Ning walked out the main gate of the construction site and saw two figures, one large and one small, standing across the street in the distance.