C3 Elf Pet App Three

Liu Xu nearly burst into laughter as he glanced back at the Husky pacing impatiently in its cage. Quickly, he grabbed his phone and moved closer.

"Listen up, I'll change your water, but you've got to keep the cage clean from now on. If you don't, you're just making more work for me, got it?" Liu Xu spoke into the phone. The Husky looked startled, its eyes bulging as it stumbled backward, yapping incessantly.

Husky: "Holy smokes, holy smokes, you scared the heck out of me! A poop-scooping human who speaks dog? No way!"

Liu Xu rolled his eyes and repeated his earlier statement. The Husky, apparently thick-skinned, quickly overcame its fear and barked twice in agreement.

With that, Liu Xu changed the water, and the Husky settled down, contentedly lapping up its drink with a look of bliss.

Simultaneously, a notification popped up on the phone.

"You have successfully pleased a pet, earning its gratitude. You've gained 10% progress toward your mission!"

"90% remains to unlock the hidden ability. Keep up the good work!"

It seemed easier than Liu Xu had thought.

Feeling a surge of excitement, Liu Xu was eager to unlock the app's hidden ability. Pet Communication might seem trivial at first glance, but in reality, it was far from it. With this skill alone, wealth and success were well within reach, especially since the hidden ability required mission completion to activate—it was bound to be something extraordinary.

Caught up in his excitement, Liu Xu completely forgot about cleaning the cages.

As fate would have it, just then, Hsu Xiaoyue arrived to check on his progress. Seeing the untouched dirty cages and Liu Xu daydreaming, she lost her temper.

"What have you been doing all this time?" Hsu Xiaoyue demanded, hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. "If you're reluctant to work, you might as well leave early. We have no use for loafers here."

Liu Xu offered an awkward smile, acutely aware that he was at fault, and sensibly chose not to argue with a woman experiencing her menstrual cycle. He was about to get to work when Huang Ziqi came running over, clearly flustered.

"Ms. Yue, you need to come quick. There's a customer claiming we've spoiled his pet, and he's causing a scene in the storefront..."

Huang Ziqi, still young and seemingly unsure of how to handle the situation, was visibly distressed.

Hsu Xiaoyue immediately dropped any thought of reprimanding Liu Xu and made a beeline for the front of the shop.

Liu Xu, noticing the urgency, glanced at his phone, pondered for a moment, and then followed suit.

Once they all reached the storefront, Liu Xu was met with the sight of a young man cradling a Golden Retriever.

The man's face lit up with ire upon seeing Hsu Xiaoyue. "Boss Xu, can you explain this? My Golden Retriever was in your care for just three days, and since returning home, it hasn't eaten a thing. It's so starved it can barely walk! I'm warning you, if anything happens to it, I'll hold your shop responsible!"

Liu Xu couldn't help but roll his eyes at the pet's clichéd name, "Da Huang."

He observed the Golden Retriever's peculiar, somewhat melancholic demeanor. After a moment's thought, he pulled out his phone and activated the camera.

"Target confirmed. Analyzing," the app chimed in.

Shortly thereafter, Liu Xu saw the results. Whatever he saw made his face contort in a mix of emotions. He quickly and discreetly used his phone to communicate with the Golden Retriever.

Though it might sound complicated, the entire exchange happened in the blink of an eye.