Chapter Nine: The Ashen Shadow

The gray hound heard Xigu’s command and happily lifted its head, rubbing against his trouser leg before leaping to the center of the room.

However, it paused, shaking its head from side to side, and didn’t act immediately.

“Master… here… things break easily.”

“Oh?” Xigu raised his eyebrows in surprise.

He hadn’t expected that the evolved gray hound could grasp the rule of “not wantonly destroying things” on its own, without any reminder.

Clearly, its intelligence deserved even higher estimation.

“Alright.” Xigu snapped his fingers and led the gray hound outside.

Beyond the dwelling was a desolate expanse of countryside, and at its edge, dense forests loomed.

“Come, let’s try it out here. Now you can let loose without worry!”

…

In the wild woods, the gray hound’s figure turned into a streak of gray, weaving through the forest at will. Wherever it passed, shrubs and even sturdy trees bent and toppled as if struck by flying boulders.

The gray blur darted like a shuttle, howling as it surged through the mountains, exuding a domineering presence, wild as a wolf, fierce as a tiger.

It was as though the shackles on its body had been crushed, or the boulder weighing down its back had finally been lifted. The gray hound’s eyes brimmed with joy—this wild sprinting brought it an unprecedented exhilaration, and its four limbs ran freely with abandon.

Since it was born, it had only been a few years. Yet, in its memory, from birth to adulthood, it had never experienced such unrestrained running.

As a pup, it lived with its first owner, its body not yet developed; as an adult, it was tied up in a small country yard, able only to howl at the sky. After being abandoned, it hadn’t even begun to wander before its leg was crushed, making running impossible…

Only now, in this reborn body, could it finally savor the thrill of running at full speed.

The gray shadow leapt from the treetops, traversing dozens of meters in a single bound, its body shooting toward the mountain peak like a thunderbolt!

“Awooo!”

With another wild howl, the streak of gray abruptly halted, and in an instant, its body passed from a state of extreme motion to utter stillness, landing lightly atop the mountain.

This sudden transition was enough to astonish world-champion boxers, move grandmasters of martial arts to tears, and render centuries of human fighting techniques pale by comparison.

Yet for this gray hound, it was but a simple leap.

Once atop the mountain, it immediately turned its head, looking at Xigu, who had followed all the way, and wagged its tail excitedly.

With a nod to show he understood, Xigu smiled.

Thanks to the “Blood of Evolution,” during the gray hound’s leap, everything it felt and thought, Xigu could sense as well.

He naturally understood the source of the hound’s excitement.

More than that, every muscle, every drop of blood, even the vibrations of nerves inside the gray hound’s body had been meticulously recorded in Xigu’s memory, becoming part of his “Superpower Era Creation Plan.”

“Hm… so that’s how it is—average speed about 120 meters per second, with bursts up to 180 meters per second, and even crawling through the forest, it can exceed 75 meters per second.

“In terms of sheer speed, its burst is nearly six times the cheetah’s maximum, and its average is about four times as fast. Judging from the way it crashed through wood and toppled trees without injury, its body’s resilience rivals steel.

“…In that case, let’s test its impact force.”

At this thought, Xigu sent a command to the gray hound through his mind.

“Charge at me with all you have—use your strongest attack.”

The gray hound’s eyes widened, staring at him and whimpering.

It tucked its front paws, looking reluctant, and even shook its head.

“Master… I can’t… do that…”

“It’s fine, just give it a try.”

“But…”

After a long hesitation, seeing Xigu’s insistence, the gray hound finally made a face and, cautiously, rammed into Xigu at less than 10 meters per second.

“Bang—”

Xigu, dissatisfied, patted its body, sending it flying back with a single slap.

“Don’t be perfunctory! Full strength! I said, with all your power!”

“Whimper—” The gray hound raised its front paws, rubbing its head in grievance. This time, it reluctantly increased its speed to about 20 meters per second before charging at Xigu.

“Thunk—”

Xigu slapped it back again, his face dark.

“Don’t worry about hurting me. Trust me, your strength is no threat to me!”

To reassure the hound, he tapped the ground with less than a trillionth of his power—

“Boom!”

The earth shook and the mountain trembled.

Centered on man and hound, a massive fissure split the mountainside!

“—!!”

The gray hound, utterly astounded, covered its eyes with its front paws.

Bathed in the “Blood of Evolution,” this beast could sense Xigu’s presence, felt deep devotion, and regarded him as its absolute master…

Yet, until now, without a demonstration, it had no idea just how powerful its master truly was.

Only after witnessing this small display of Xigu’s might did the gray hound begin to understand what kind of master it had found…

“Awoo~ awoo~”

It howled softly in amazement. This time, the gray hound finally adopted a solemn stance. Responding to Xigu’s call, it lowered its body, gathering its strength—

A long moment passed—

“Boom!”

The gray hound shot forward like a cannonball!

“That’s more like it~” Xigu finally smiled, watching the gray silhouette charge at him. He lightly extended a finger and flicked upward—

“Awoo awoo!”

The gray hound was instantly tossed away like a kite with a broken string!

“Again!” Xigu commanded in his mind.

Not far away, the gray hound, covered in dust and debris, clambered up, nodding excitedly. In that wild spin and rebound, it discovered a strange joy, reminiscent of the rolling games it played as a pup.

This time, it charged with even greater power, velocity, and impact toward Xigu!

Yet, once more, it was flicked away without surprise—

“Again!”

The cold, merciless language of testing.

“Awoo awoo!”

The joyful cries of playful abandon.

…

At last, the testing was complete.

After collecting data for most of the day, Xigu finally let the still-reluctant gray hound drop its “impact wave” and walked it slowly home.

He savored the test results of this first “alien beast” in his mind.

“Burst speed at 180 meters per second, and when extremely excited, close to 190. Maximum instantaneous kinetic energy approaching 2 megajoules—tens of thousands of times a rifle bullet, over ten thousand times a heavy machine gun round, hundreds of times a rocket shell, rivaling the force of an anti-tank shell… In modern warfare, it could destroy tanks, unstoppable; in the city, it could demolish a hundred buildings in half a day and kill tens of thousands…”

Pondering these numbers, Xigu glanced at the gray hound closely following at his heel.

Noticing its master’s gaze, the hound looked up and barked in excitement. Its gray-white fur gleamed in the moonlight—its more-than-a-meter-long body sturdy but not frightening, and with its comical expression, it seemed utterly harmless.

No one would ever guess that this was a beast capable of leveling a city block in the blink of an eye.

At that thought, Xigu could not help but smile.

“It seems my ‘Superpower Era Plan’ can proceed. But as for this gray hound… it needs a name. Otherwise, it would be unworthy of its role as a pioneer of this era.”

With that, Xigu crooked his finger, having the hound present its head for a gentle pat. In his heart, he spoke to it:

“From today onward, your name shall be ‘Gray Shadow’!”