Alex listened patiently until she finished. "Don’t worry," he said. "Barto knows you’re living with me. You’re safer here with me than anywhere else."

Gu Ning nodded softly.

"I’ll go check on Cook for you later," Alex said.

Gu Ning nodded repeatedly.

"What do you think of the bike?" Alex asked, changing the subject.

"It’s great," Gu Ning replied.

"Do you like it?" Alex asked.

Gu Ning’s gaze swept over the bike. She nodded, feeling like she could probably ride it too.

Alex let go of the handlebars, shifted back to make some room, then wrapped an arm around her waist and lifted her onto the seat in front of him. He took her hands and placed them on the handlebars. "This is the throttle, and this is the brake."

As he spoke, he guided her hand to gently twist the throttle, and they moved forward a short distance.

Gu Ning looked up at Alex in surprise.

"Try it yourself." Alex slightly loosened his grip but didn’t let go of her hands completely, just in case she sent the bike flying.

Hearing his words, Gu Ning’s heart skipped a beat. ’So this bike is...’

She twisted the throttle and rode forward steadily.

Seeing how skillfully she handled it, Alex wasn’t too surprised. He slowly released her hands, letting her ride more comfortably.

Gu Ning was completely focused. When she was first learning to ride an electric scooter, she had fallen twice, and one of those falls had even fractured her hand. Ever since then, she had always been extremely careful when riding, preferring to go a little slower rather than race for speed or time.

She rode out from the corner of the building. Just as she made the turn, a squad of patrolling Beastman soldiers appeared in front of her.

The lighting nearby was too dim, and the squad had appeared so suddenly that she jumped in fright, scrambling to hit the brakes.

The Beastman soldiers reacted faster than she did, stepping aside.

Gu Ning brought the bike to a screeching halt. Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, an impatient voice sounded in her ear.

"Who’s being so blind?"

Her body tensed instantly.

Alex patted her hand, signaling for her to relax.

A bright light shone in Gu Ning’s face, and the glare forced her to turn her head away.

Alex wrapped a hand around Gu Ning’s head and spoke in a cold voice to the Beastman waving the flashlight, "Turn off the flashlight."

"Well, well, if it isn’t the Chief Administrator."

When Leo saw it was Alex, he lowered the flashlight but didn’t turn it off, twirling it in his hand. "Chief Administrator, out on inspection?"

Alex gave a slight nod and a cold grunt of acknowledgment.

Leo’s gaze fell on the figure in front of him. "Who’s this?" he asked.

As he spoke, he habitually stretched his neck out to sniff the air.

He didn’t smell anything, just Alex’s wolf stench.

Seeing his movement, Alex pulled Gu Ning closer into his embrace, cupping her head with his hand. He said to Leo, "One of my subordinates."

"Subordinate?"

Leo sized up the figure in his arms for a moment, then asked suspiciously, "Is that a Dwarf hybrid?"

’With a body that small, what else could it be but a Dwarf hybrid?’

’It can’t be a cub, can it?’

’This wolf is so protective of a Dwarf hybrid, he’s even masking their scent.’

After he spoke, the Beastman squad patrolling with him all turned their gazes toward Alex and Gu Ning.

"You’ve all worked hard on your patrol."

Having said that, Alex moved to twist the throttle and take Gu Ning away.

Leo stepped in front of their bike, planting his foot against the front wheel. "Chief Administrator, isn’t it wrong to abuse your power for personal reasons? At a time like this, you’re still keeping a Dwarf hybrid in the base?"

When Gu Ning heard Leo’s words, her heart sank, and then began to pound wildly. She instinctively shrank back, burying herself in Alex’s arms to make herself as small as possible.

Alex’s arm around her tightened, and he whispered close to her ear, "Don’t be afraid."

After speaking, Alex looked at Leo. "Her mutation value is very low. She passed the screening."

Leo scoffed. "What rules? Don’t you know that having a Mixed Breed around us increases our mutation rate?"

Alex said coolly, "Only Mutant Species do that. Move."

Leo didn’t move. He’d already taken a dislike to this wolf. Just last night, Alex had come looking for trouble and even reported him to Andrew, which had really pissed him off.

"Mixed Breeds can’t stay in the base," Leo said. "As the Chief Administrator of the base, what do you mean by keeping a Mixed Breed by your side?"

Alex’s brow furrowed deeper. He repeated with emphasis, "Move."

’This little dog is just deliberately picking a fight. I don’t need to explain too much to him.’

Leo still didn’t move. The squad members behind him tacitly surrounded them, posturing as if to make Alex hand the person over.

Gu Ning grew even more tense, her hand gripping Alex’s arm tightly as she completely shrank into his embrace.

Alex patted her back reassuringly, not at all worried by the current situation.

Just as they were locked in a standoff, a voice broke the deadlock.

"What are you all doing crowded around here?"

A Beastman in a crisp military uniform pushed through the Dog Clan squad surrounding Gu Ning and Alex and walked up to them.

Alex looked up at the newcomer.

"Adjutant Cyril."