Chapter 118: Traffic

At the police dog base, orders were executed swiftly.

Early the next morning, as the first light of dawn broke, while other dogs were accompanying their trainers on morning runs for basic training, Lightning was led toward the medical room.

Lightning was a smart police dog and knew what the “medical room” signified—cold needles and bitter pills. When they were still a dozen meters away, it suddenly stopped in its tracks, refusing to take another step forward.

“Whine…” Lightning drooped its ears, its tail hanging low, emitting a pitiful whimper. The trainer squatted down, rubbing its furry head, “No shots today, I promise. How about I get you two boxes of yogurt instead?”

Lightning tilted its head, pondering for a few seconds, then suddenly turned around, presenting its rear to the medical room, its tail stubbornly raised. The trainer, seeing his beloved dog’s antics, felt his heart soften but still steeled himself, giving the leash a tug.

Man and dog were thus locked in a stalemate in the corridor, a tug-of-war across the leash.

However, whenever the trainer thought that Lightning might be sick, he couldn’t bring himself to issue a forceful command.

In the end, he seized a moment when Lightning was off guard, scooped it up, and sprinted towards the medical room with the hefty dog slung over his shoulder.

Lightning enjoyed this kind of “play.”

In the swift wind, it howled joyfully.

Its tongue lolled out of its open mouth, drool dripping onto the trainer’s neck.

Trainer: “…”

Wiping away the sticky mess, he handed the dog over to the doctor with a resigned, amused smile.

Once inside the medical room, Lightning knew escape was impossible and resignedly complied with the examination, opening its mouth when told, lifting its paw when asked.

In the end, it couldn’t avoid a blood test. As the needle pierced its skin, it cast a reproachful glance at the trainer, as if to say, “You promised no shots.”

The trainer, feeling guilty under that gaze, rubbed his nose. He unzipped his jacket, tucking his dog’s big head under his arm and wrapping it in the coat.

“Be good, be good, if you can’t see it, it won’t hurt.”

The doctor, aware of the background of this check-up, didn’t treat it lightly just because it was sparked by an online drama.

Working at the police dog base, he understood the bond between dogs and their trainers.

Many trainers couldn’t move on after their long-time police dogs passed away and were unable to handle new dogs.

The work of service dogs is imposed by humans, making them live to serve humans, which is not their obligation.

As a veterinarian, all he could do was take the best care of every dog that came through his hands.

This examination was conducted with answers in mind.

Every step was taken with extra caution.

After repeated comparisons and checks, the doctor found the bug hidden within this seemingly healthy dog.

There really was a problem.

What a coincidence.

The doctor couldn’t help but remove his glasses to wipe away the dust before looking at the results again.

The trainer, unable to wait any longer, asked, “Doctor Lin, what’s the verdict?”

The doctor inserted the MRI film into the lightbox, where the crisscrossing white lines wrapped around the olfactory bulb like a spider web.

“Olfactory Nerve Sheath Tumor, not an uncommon condition. But the cure rate isn’t high. First, it’s hard to detect; from the latent stage to onset, it can be as short as three months or as long as six months. Second, surgery is difficult, and even if the tumor is successfully removed, it can easily damage the brain and optic nerves.” Dr. Lin pointed to a part of the lightbox, “Given the current size of the tumor, theoretically, it has already compressed the olfactory nerve, affecting the sense of smell.”

“But…” The trainer was stunned, “Two weeks ago, Lightning scored full marks in the assessment.”

“Full marks because it corrected its mistakes.” Dr. Lin pulled up the training video used for research earlier, fast-forwarding to the part where Lightning repeatedly bypassed the target container, only to make a sharp turn at the last moment and rush in. “Lightning is very smart. It understands what an assessment is, and it can analyze tasks. You see, this behavior doesn’t confirm the target in that container, but it compensates for the loss of smell through elimination.”

The trainer’s throat tightened: “I thought it was upset because I took away the toy it hid in its kennel that morning. After the assessment, I even docked its treats for three days because of its imperfect actions.”

Sensing the trainer’s emotions, Lightning, lying on the examination table, lifted its head to lick the trainer’s fingers.

The trainer’s hand instinctively delved into its fur, stroking to soothe it.

Dr. Lin resumed analyzing Lightning’s condition.

The trainer interrupted, “I don’t understand all that. Just tell me if it can be treated and what the cure rate is.”

Dr. Lin adjusted his glasses: “…It’s caught early, so surgery is an option, and survival isn’t an issue. But you saw the abnormal shape of the tumor and its nerve adhesion. According to clinical cases, there’s about a 50% chance of leaving sequelae. Loss of smell, blindness, or even cognitive impairment.”

The trainer touched Lightning’s oblivious head, forcing a smile.

“It’s fine, as long as it can live.”

His palm felt the coin-sized scar on the back of Lightning’s head—a medal of honor from last year’s chemical plant explosion. Lightning could have avoided the falling steel beam with its agility but was grazed because it warned him.

Trainer: “It’s already a silly dog, so a bit more won’t matter much. If it can’t work after the surgery, I’ll retire and adopt it. I won’t skimp on a few pounds of meat a day for it.”

Lightning suddenly perked its ears, barking twice.

The trainer understood, chuckling, “Alright, I remember, and your yogurt too.”

After Lightning’s situation was reported, the surgery plan was quickly approved.

Several veterinarians discussed it together, simulating various emergencies. The next day, a fasting Lightning was wheeled into the operating room.

The surgery lasted six hours.

Other comrades from the base came to keep the trainer company as they waited.

It wasn’t until evening that Lightning was wheeled out.

Its head lolling and tongue hanging out beneath the restraints was a pitiful sight. Only the slight rise and fall of its abdomen indicated it was alive.

The exhausted Dr. Lin announced, “The tumor’s adhesion membrane was successfully peeled away, and the surgery went smoothly. Whether there are any aftereffects will require observation and assessment.”

This was already very good news.

–

Qin Qing learned about Lightning’s follow-up via social media.

Yes, the official account of the police dog base revealed the dog’s name.

Not only that, they posted a new video within 24 hours of being tagged, informing the commenting netizens about Lightning’s check-up, tumor, surgery, and post-operative recovery…

This sparked even more comments.

The popularity of Crystal Ball, bolstered by this real-life achievement, skyrocketed.

What a miraculous examination sphere.

Netizens, while enjoying the spectacle, flocked to the studio’s account to express their strong desire to touch the ball!

Wuyong seized this unexpected surge in traffic.

She quickly informed the netizens about the upcoming expansion and renovation of the Starry Sky Room and opened the reservation channel within a few hours.

The new Crystal Ball Touch Room was estimated to be ready for public interaction in a month.

They released a fixed number of touch slots each day, with available time slots for reservation.

The reservation link prominently warned in bold red letters that this was a paid reservation. If, for personal reasons, one could not attend, canceling more than ten days in advance would incur a 50% fee, and within ten days, the full amount would be charged. Buyers were urged to purchase carefully.

But these conditions didn’t deter many.

The slots for the consecutive 30 days released were all booked.

Netizens who missed out were still calling for more slots, but the studio refused, stating that they could only book up to 30 days in advance.

Afterward, they would only release one more day as time progressed.

Qin Qing never expected that her venture into the mystical industry would one day employ Hunger Marketing.

Wuyong cheerfully counted money with Qin Qing.

“With all seven balls operating simultaneously, in just a few hours, we’ve already made nearly ten million.” She chided Qin Qing, “With such treasures at your disposal, you still fret over airfare and hotel costs.”

Qin Qing couldn’t argue.

She felt a bit aggrieved.

She wanted to say that these balls weren’t that precious to her.

Barely managed to hold it in.

The “artifact’s” reputation had to be maintained.

She had to change the topic to the reservation channel.

Wuyong: “We needed it urgently, and it was nighttime. I directly contacted Liang Jian. This guy’s reliable; he gave me this reservation program in a few hours, not only writing it but also embedding it into our studio’s existing system. He didn’t even ask for payment, just requested to meet you if you had time.”

“Hmm?”

“Said he needed your help with something. It’s up to you. I didn’t promise him anything, just said I’d pass on the message. If you agree, you can contact him yourself.”

Qin Qing: “Is Jinsheng International up to something recently?”

“Not that I’ve heard. I don’t know what it’s about, but he’s been planning a startup with Lu Yang, so maybe it’s related.”

Qin Qing checked her phone to confirm that Liang Jian was on her approved contact list; they had even exchanged holiday greetings.

“Why doesn’t he contact me directly?”

“Who knows? Young people these days have strange ideas.”

Qin Qing: “…Don’t talk like you’re an old Taoist.”

Qin Qing still had some vacation left, so she casually messaged Liang Jian to ask what it was about.

As it turned out, Liang Jian was also in Beifu.

They arranged to meet directly at a café.

Liang Jian and Lu Yang came together.

These two were the beginning of her mystical career, so there was always something special about them.

The late spring sun filtered through the café’s floor-to-ceiling windows, casting diamond-shaped patterns on the wooden table. When Qin Qing pushed open the door, she saw two young men in suits sitting by the window.

Both hadn’t graduated yet, and their formal attire was something she wasn’t used to.

Lu Yang was half out of his seat, gesturing to the server, “Three more tiramisus! With cocoa powder, not powdered sugar!” His suit jacket was casually draped over the chair back, and upon closer inspection, the tie pattern was little yellow ducks.

Qin Qing couldn’t help but smile; Lu Yang always managed to carve out his unique style.

The two hadn’t noticed her yet.

She overheard Liang Jian saying, “Are you here to eat or to do business?”

Lu Yang didn’t care: “She’s not an outsider. I did my homework; this café’s tiramisu is particularly good. If she’s happy, maybe things will go more smoothly.”

Liang Jian: “You should also tone it down, don’t be so informal with her.”

Lu Yang suddenly leaned in close to Liang Jian: “Did you offend her at some point? I’ve noticed since the New Year, whenever she’s mentioned, you react strangely. You don’t even join our group chats.”

He speculated wildly, squinting at Liang Jian: “Could it be, you have a crush on her?”

Qin Qing: “…”

“Cough, cough… What nonsense are you spouting!” Liang Jian was so startled by his bold friend that he nearly spilled coffee on his shirt.

Qin Qing chose the right moment to speak.

“What fun are you talking about?”

“Senior.” This was Liang Jian, more composed than before. When he saw Qin Qing, he stood up, even managing to control the chair’s scraping against the floor to just the right degree.

Lu Yang was still his usual cheerful and talkative self. He bounced up excitedly and waved to Qin Qing, “Senior, I’ve ordered their signature cake. You have to try it.”

When it came to serious matters, Lu Yang couldn’t help but chatter on endlessly.

The gist of it was that the two of them had started a company together, with a core focus on intelligent development.

Liang Jian was the main technical lead, and the team was still in the process of being assembled.

Today, they came to see Qin Qing because Lu Yang had his eye on a talented tech professional that he wanted to recruit, but the person wasn’t interested in him at all.

They wanted to ask Qin Qing if she could help calculate how they might successfully bring the person on board.