Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 292: Chapter 282: Bo Niou Was Captured

”Bo Niou?”

If Xiao Fei hadn’t mentioned it, Tang Mo would have completely forgotten their team even had a large Golden Retriever.

’That’s right. This world has no place for real pets. How could they possibly let Bo Niou stay?’

Fortunately, the knowledge she had gained about this world from the system hadn’t gone to waste. Tang Mo knew that while real pets didn’t exist here, there were intelligent AI-simulated pets to satisfy people’s need for companionship.

These AI pets looked very realistic, but they didn’t shed or excrete to pollute the environment, make noise, or eat and waste food. They also had no teeth or any other physical features that could threaten a person’s life.

They were, however, just lines of programmed data, completely devoid of emotion.

Tang Mo had a pretty good idea of what had happened. When the law enforcement officer first brought them to the villa, he must have mistaken Bo Niou for an AI pet.

Tang Mo carefully questioned Xiao Fei about the details of Bo Niou’s capture.

It turned out that after settling in, Xiao Fei and Xiao Mo, curious about their new world, had taken Bo Niou out for a walk.

They hadn’t gone far and thought it would be fine to just walk along the deserted roads near the villa. But they hadn’t expected Bo Niou to get overly excited while playing and let out a loud bark.

Even though there wasn’t a single person around, a squad of law enforcement officers quickly drove up to them and forcibly took Bo Niou away.

Xiao Fei desperately tried to hold Bo Niou back, but he was no match for them. They wrenched the leash from his grasp.

There was no doubt that in this world, the Heavenly Eye surveillance system covered nearly every corner. It was so advanced that if you so much as coughed on the street, the people monitoring the feeds would know someone was feeling unwell.

For a moment, Tang Mo was even reminded of The Truman Show.

”Do you know where they took Bo Niou?”

”They said... they were going to euthanize Bo Niou.”

Recalling their cold, emotionless words, Xiao Mo couldn’t help but shudder.

’They probably take them to the same place,’ Tang Mo thought, reminded of the little green sprout she had seen when she first arrived, forcing its way out from a crack in the stone.

”Sister Tang Mo, can we go save Bo Niou?”

Xiao Fei looked at Tang Mo expectantly. Though still a teenager, the past few years had taught him that not everyone considered pets to be companions. In a world where protecting oneself was a struggle, most people had already shed what they considered humanity’s ”superfluous emotions.”

Tang Mo stared into Xiao Fei’s eyes, which remained startlingly clear despite several years in the apocalypse, and felt herself zone out for a moment.

’How long has it been since I’ve seen eyes so pure?’ In this man-eat-man world, everyone had given up so much, one way or another.

Yet here was Xiao Fei, who would rather forsake an easier life to wander from place to place with his family member, Bo Niou, just to find a safe haven for his companion.

Some people live just to survive. Others live for something they hold dear.

As Tang Mo was lost in her thoughts, a small paw tapped her from behind.

Tang Mo turned to see Jingjing, who had been resting in her backpack.

Jingjing and Bo Niou had gotten along very well over the past few days, quickly becoming good friends.

The world of animals was beyond human comprehension. Jingjing had even taken Bo Niou under its wing as a little brother, inviting him to visit its home in S Base and promising to introduce him to its other dog underling, Zhima.

The moment Jingjing heard Bo Niou had been captured, it grew just as anxious as Xiao Fei. Seeing Tang Mo still spacing out, it impatiently swatted her with its paw.

”Okay, I get it. Don’t you worry. I’ll go find Bo Niou and do my best to bring him back.”

In the end, Tang Mo promised them she would get Bo Niou back, even though she had no idea where he was.

”I’ll go with you!”

Xiao Fei and Xiao Mo said in unison.

”The two of you can’t even protect yourselves. Just stay here at home and wait for my return.”

Xiao Fei and Xiao Mo were both children with no special Talent, and their attribute values were low across the board. Taking them along would be like saddling herself with two liabilities, so naturally, Tang Mo refused.

With that, Tang Mo returned to her room and accessed the system.

She needed to find out where this world’s euthanasia facility was. Hopefully, she could get to Bo Niou before the worst happened.

Soon, Tang Mo found it: in the northeast corner of the city was a place called the Humanitarian Euthanasia Room.

Tang Mo clicked on the place’s description. It was precisely where any living thing deemed unfit to exist in this world would be taken and subsequently destroyed.

’This is it!’

There was no time to waste. Tang Mo packed Jingjing into her backpack, quickly prepared, and was about to head out.

”Tang Mo!”

Just as Tang Mo reached the villa’s entrance, Mr. Hu, who had been sitting bolt upright on the sofa, called out to her.

”I’ll go with you.”

Apparently, Mr. Hu had already heard from Xiao Fei and Xiao Mo about Bo Niou’s capture. He now looked like a soldier heading into battle, ready to leave with Tang Mo.

”There’s no need, Mr. Hu. I can go by myself.”

Tang Mo had already gotten a sense of Mr. Hu’s character from Xiao Fei, so she wasn’t surprised by his offer to help rescue Bo Niou.

”I brought them here, so I’m responsible for them. Don’t worry, I’m a Power Attribute Superpower User. My attribute value is decent; I won’t hold you back.”

Mr. Hu had been unable to sit still after hearing Xiao Fei’s story. He had just brought them here, and now Bo Niou had been captured and was likely to be killed. How could he accept that?

He absolutely had to go and help rescue Bo Niou!

Tang Mo was momentarily taken aback by the sudden aura of righteousness radiating from Mr. Hu, though she remained skeptical of his claim that he wouldn’t hold her back.

But seeing Mr. Hu’s determined stance—one that clearly said, ”You’re not leaving without me”—she finally agreed to let him join her search for Bo Niou.

The law enforcement officers she had seen earlier had all arrived in little cars, but aside from illusions, Tang Mo couldn’t find a single taxi or any other vehicle on the road to take them to their destination.

Besides herself and Mr. Hu, there wasn’t a third living soul to be found on the street.

It couldn’t be helped. They would have to run.

Bo Niou had been gone for a while now. The more time they wasted, the greater the danger he was in.

So Tang Mo set a blistering pace, practically sprinting toward their destination.

After all, this was a strange world with surveillance everywhere, so Tang Mo didn’t dare to rashly use her spiritual power to fly.

This, however, was torture for Mr. Hu. He had to use every ounce of his strength just to keep up with Tang Mo. Of course, he understood the importance of time, so he simply gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep charging forward.