31: How do we make a move on such a powerful male beast?

"No, I'm switching to my Beast Form."

Before he finished speaking, Gaia leaned down and flattened himself against the sandy ground.

Almost the instant he hit the ground, Gaia expanded like a dandelion suddenly bursting into bloom.

His entire body was covered in long, light yellow fur, transforming him into a massive yellow Big Dog, fully the size of a small pony.

A Golden Retriever.

In her original world, they were famous for a specific trait: in their eyes, there were no bad people, and no good dogs.

So now, in Gaia's eyes, does Tu Nan count as a "person" or a "dog"?

Without wasting any time, the Big Dog Gaia clamped his jaws onto her cloak and tossed her onto his back.

"Hold on tight."

A Beastman switching forms didn't affect his ability to speak.

His tone carried a hint of mockery, "It's going to be a bumpy ride and might hurt, so hold on."

"I don't think you're actually willing to die."

Tu Nan's lips twitched.

What now? It seemed Gaia had seen right through her.

But though his words were harsh, his heart was soft. In the end, he hadn't left Tu Nan behind.

Tu Nan gripped the fur on Gaia's back tightly as he carried her, bolting forward like an arrow.

The ground behind them shook incessantly.

It felt as if something had erupted from deep underground; gravel and shards of water struck their backs, accompanied by a deafening roar.

Gaia didn't even look back, his four legs pumping as he sprinted.

Even though her cheeks stung from the spray of sand and gravel, Tu Nan struggled to turn her head and look.

A massive column of water had burst through the ground, forming a giant fountain that had no business existing in the desert.

Earth-traveling Worms were swept up, hurled high into the air, and then crashed back down.

And there was...

The most heart-stopping sight Tu Nan had ever witnessed in this world.

An Orca, as massive as a warship, was rolling at the crest of the water column.

With a flick of his tail fin, the Earth-traveling Worms were smashed to pieces.

High above the desert. At the peak of the water column.

He rolled and struck.

Though he was reaping lives, his movements remained elegant.

It was like a solo performance, a waltz of slaughter.

Tu Nan's attention was completely captivated, and she nearly slipped off.

Gaia roared, "What are you doing! Are you trying to die?"

"I saw... a, very, very massive Orca."

Tu Nan murmured as if in a trance.

"Incredible... truly magnificent."

She wasn't just talking about the scene before her eyes, but also the information that no one else could see.

That's right, the System scroll had appeared again.

This time, it was just an update.

【Hain, Ancient Sea Beast (Divine-Grade). Successful breeding can complete 5% of the host gene chain.】

It was that nobleman from before—the one whose voice she'd heard but whose face she hadn't seen.

* * * Gaia, currently fleeing for his life, absolutely should not have looked back, but... massive? How massive?

A Beastman's Beast Form was closely tied to their rank.

Gaia turned his head.

At just a single glance, he stumbled, and Tu Nan was nearly thrown off.

"... No way, this one is almost at S-Rank, at least an A+."

"Where would a powerhouse like that come from on the Border Star?"

He shook his head, trying to clear his mind and confirm this wasn't a hallucination.

The Earth-traveling Worms, also fleeing, were getting closer, forcing Gaia to keep running. His voice was scattered by the wind, reaching Tu Nan's ears in fragments.

"... That Kong Jiamu is an A+ too. Could this be that friend of his?"

"Damn it, we're still on his wanted list! Aaaaah..."

You guessed right.

Tu Nan really wanted to tell him that this was indeed the delicate, elegant Young Master they had all encountered that day in Old Hei's shop in Sand City.

He was also her 5%, her next target.

His combat power was completely at odds with his appearance—it was terrifyingly high.

Her thoughts veered in an unrelated direction.

What about Li's combat power?

He had once dismissed Kong Jiamu's combat power as nothing special.

Did that mean he had the strength to fight Kong Jiamu? But he was in the water—would he have the same advantage as he did on land?

Was there a possibility that he was still alive?

Then... should she continue to pin her hopes on him?

Gamble on the slight chance that he had escaped? Gamble that he... could still help Tu Nan survive in this chaotic world?

No.

She might be crazy, but she wasn't stupid.

Whenever there was a choice, she never bet it all.

Tu Nan looked back once more from the back of the golden Big Dog. She stared at Hain for a moment and told herself.

Don't rush. She would get him... as long as she was given enough time.

Her leg hurt too much; every jolting step was a test of her willpower.

How much further was this road...

With these thoughts, she nearly lost consciousness.

But even as her mind shut down, she still remembered to cling tightly to Gaia's fur.

Never letting go—just as Gaia had said, she didn't actually want to die.

* * * When she woke up again, Tu Nan was enveloped by a source of warmth.

In front of her was a faint, dying campfire. The starry sky above was about to shift, and the long night was nearly over.

They were safe.

They had escaped the danger.

There were no Earth-traveling Worms, no floods. Only sand; as far as the eye could see, there were only sand dunes.

She propped herself up, her hands meeting a soft, resilient texture.

She froze for a moment, then looked down—the nest was Gaia.

He had maintained his Beast Form, curling around her. It was his soft chest and abdomen that rose and fell; the fur there was short and soft, and the skin of his belly was faintly visible.

"You're awake?"

Gaia shifted slightly, his massive black nose resting on his thick paws.

"I re-bandaged you. Relax, your wounds are fine; they didn't hit any major arteries."

Gaia's thick ears suddenly perked up, twitched twice, and then drooped back down.

"What exactly do you want?"

He asked in a muffled, rumbling voice.

How was she supposed to answer... Tu Nan lowered her head.

Gaia's voice was terribly hoarse. "You lied to Li... and you lied to me. Are you like this with everyone?"

Oh... so this Big Dog still had some bite. It seemed Tu Nan's credit with him was completely bankrupt.

Tu Nan let out a very faint, soft laugh.

She gazed at the last remaining star in the sky and sighed helplessly.

"What else could I do... if you were me."

The manic intensity she'd displayed earlier was gone; her expression was calm, with no intention of defending herself.

"A Foster Mother is just duckweed drifting with the current." She sighed. "You expect too much of me."

"We are required to be loyal to our nurturers; that is the iron rule of every cultivation center."

"We have no self, and we aren't allowed to have our own thoughts. We are fragile, unable to live independently. From the moment we reach maturity, we are to give birth until we die—that is our destiny."

She thought of her past—her life in the research institute as a "spare part."

"No one ever asked what we wanted."

"Then..."

She slowly turned toward Gaia. As the first light of dawn appeared, she asked the silly dog, very softly.

"You want me to sacrifice myself for others, don't you?"

Tu Nan curled her lips slightly.

"I don't know what that is."

"Who has ever sacrificed themselves for us—for a Foster Mother?"

"You are asking me for something I have never received."

"Why do you demand the steadfastness of a star from a piece of duckweed?"

She asked this into the void, addressing the "parents" of her former world.

She had known the answer for a long time...

Hadn't she?