Chapter 108: Using You for an Experiment

The little rooster stretched out its neck and pecked twice at the bottle of body wash.

“Alright, this one it is then!”

After bathing the chicken and blow-drying it, Annan lay down on her bed, ready to sleep. Only then did curiosity get the better of her, and she grabbed her tablet to look up what you’re actually supposed to use to bathe a chicken.

To her surprise, the encyclopedia she’d downloaded earlier was pretty comprehensive—she actually found the answer.

It clearly stated: “The best way to bathe a pet chicken is with a sand bath. Washing with water carries the risk of illness or even death.”

Annan: …

She got up and went back to the living room, checking on Laifu, who still seemed in good spirits.

“The body wash was your own choice, alright? If you die, you can’t blame me…”

She shamelessly shifted the blame: “You can’t use body wash with a sand bath—I was just respecting your wishes.”

Laifu wasn’t as clever as Fugui and didn’t understand a word she was saying, just wandered around the house on his own.

Annan consoled herself: It’s fine. If it really dies, I’ll just turn it into crispy fried chicken and give it to Chu Peipei. Judging by the way she looked at those two hens today, she’d probably love it.

Laifu had no idea his owner had already planned out his funeral in her mind, and was still strutting around the house, full of himself. As he passed by Fugui, he even shook his feathers smugly.

Fugui bared his teeth, wanting to bite him again.

Annan, feeling a bit guilty, stopped the dog. “Fugui, don’t mess around. Come sleep with me.”

Who knows if this chicken will still be alive when I wake up…

Fugui shot Laifu a triumphant look.

Hmph! The owner cuddles me to sleep, not you. You can stay in the living room by yourself!

Human and dog slept soundly for nine hours, not waking until night had fallen.

Outside, the sounds of bustling crowds drifted in.

Now, as soon as night fell, the outside world would come alive. Some people were fighting over supplies, some were wailing over family members who’d died, some were being chased by mutant rats…

Annan opened the window to check the temperature outside: 52 degrees Celsius.

The temperature had gone up again.

Before, it would only reach this high during the day. At night, it would top out at forty-eight. Now, even nighttime temperatures had broken the fifty-degree mark. Tomorrow’s daytime heat would be even more terrifying.

She frowned, trying to remember if the extreme sixty-degree heat was supposed to hit tomorrow or the day after, but just couldn’t recall.

Either way, it was coming in the next day or two.

It didn’t really matter which day—it’s not like she was planning to go out anytime soon.

Zhao Ping’an and Chu Peipei wouldn’t be going out again after their fuel run tonight, either.

As long as they stayed holed up at home with the air conditioning on, they’d be safe.

She leaned out to look at the crowd below, marveling at how much energy these people had.

At such high temperatures, they could still shout and run around.

Their bodies might seem to be holding up, but inside, they were already suffering serious damage.

Once the temperature shot up to sixty degrees, some people would collapse immediately—dead on the spot.

Annan sighed and closed the window, only to discover that in just that short time, two green-headed flies had flown into her home.

They were two or three times the size of normal flies.

They seemed to be a male and a female, tangled together, buzzing around in a disgusting dance.

She was just about to find something to swat them with when a shadow suddenly darted in from the living room.

It was Laifu, the rooster.

He moved with surprising speed, flapping his not-quite-fully-developed wings, leapt up onto Fugui’s back, then quickly scrambled onto the dog’s head. Using it as a springboard, he gave a powerful kick, flapped his wings, and swallowed both tangled flies in one gulp.

He landed smoothly, smacking his beak with satisfaction.

The whole thing took just a few seconds.

Annan stared, dumbfounded.

This guy is basically a kung fu chicken!

She happily patted his head. “Laifu, you’re still alive?”

Thank goodness, the chicken didn’t die from its bath. Not only was it alive and well, it was also a great bug-catcher!

Annan hadn’t expected him to be able to catch flying insects in midair. She looked at him with newfound respect.

Those smooth, fluid moves—he was a real warrior among roosters!

Fugui, however, was fuming.

Damn it!

So you think you’re all that? You really stepped on my head to catch a bug!

Seeing the look of admiration on his owner’s face made him even angrier.

I’m going to bite you, you bootlicking, attention-seeking rooster!

In no time, the dog and the chicken were at it again, fighting tooth and nail.

Fugui was bigger and stronger, but Laifu was quick and nimble. Neither could get the upper hand.

Annan could only laugh and cry at the chaos.

Life with this chicken and dog duo sure was lively…

She thought to herself that she’d never need to bother with exercise routines for Fugui again. The chicken was way more interesting than any toy ball—Fugui could chase him all day and never get tired.

Seeing that the dog wasn’t really losing the fight, she felt at ease, went to wash up, and took out some food from her space.

It wasn’t until she sat down at the table with her plate that the dog and chicken finally called a truce and ran over to her in perfect sync.

Annan looked at the two little guys squatting by her feet and couldn’t help but laugh.

Before, Fugui would always guard her during meals. Now, there was a chicken too!

But…

She quietly covered her plate with her hand.

“Laifu, don’t look!”

After all, what she was eating was… delicious Beggar’s Chicken.

Annan got up and scooped some cornmeal mixed with greens for Laifu, luring him away.

Then she poured Fugui’s food.

Fugui was not pleased with this order and nudged Annan angrily.

Knowing how temperamental he was, Annan quickly patted his head and even tore off a chicken leg from her Beggar’s Chicken as a treat.

The moment Fugui smelled the chicken leg, his mood improved instantly, and he rubbed his head against Annan’s palm.

Seeing this, Annan returned to the table to eat in peace.

Fugui, meanwhile, strutted around Laifu with the big chicken leg in his mouth, showing off.

See that?

To me, you’re just a dish!

After showing off, he went back to his own bowl and started eating with gusto.

Laifu had no idea what the dog was eating, just focused on his own food.

When they were both done, Fugui cheekily tossed the clean chicken bone into Laifu’s bowl, then let out a provocative fart before swaggering off.

Annan stifled a laugh as she cleaned up their bowls, then took both of them into her space.

As soon as they entered the manor, Fugui ran straight to the spring for a drink.

Laifu looked a bit dazed at first, as if he couldn’t figure out how he’d suddenly ended up outside. Then he started exploring the lawn.

He’d barely taken a few steps before Annan scooped him up and carried him to the spring behind the villa.

“Good boy, let’s do a little experiment.”

She’d always suspected that Fugui’s mutated physique had something to do with his unusual habit of drinking the spring water.

This time, she wanted to use the little rooster for an experiment, to see if the spring water really had some kind of magical effect."