Lin Hao kept his gaze down, filtering the overwhelming sensory data, his mind focused on a single, simple task: get to the dorm. He moved with a light, purposeful gait that ate up the ground, weaving through the small, nervous clusters of students on the quad.
His path took him past the campus cafe, the hub of student life. Its large, plate-glass windows and outdoor patio were usually packed with people. Today, the patio was empty. Almost.
He smelled them before he saw them: the same coppery tang of blood and the musk of feral animals. The dog pack. The four of them, led by the scruffy, red-eyed terrier, were sniffing around the empty metal tables, their bodies tense, like a miniature wolf pack claiming new territory.
Then, a different scent. A faint, floral perfume. And fear, but not the sour, terrified kind from the BSA guards. This was a nervous, hesitant fear, mixed with... kindness?
He looked up.
A girl was standing at the edge of the patio, about twenty feet from the dogs. She was holding a small, grease-stained paper bag, probably a muffin or a scone, and was holding it out, her hand trembling slightly.
He recognized her instantly. Su Yun.
She was in his "Digital Control Systems" class. She was the class president, the "campus goddess" who was as famous for her kindness and volunteer work as she was for her straight-A's. She was the kind of person who lived in a bright, successful world, completely opposite to the one he had inhabited. She was popular, she was kind, and she was, he realized with a cold, clinical sense of detachment, an idiot.
Another girl, her friend, was hovering by the cafe door, her hand on the handle. "Yun-yun, I don't know..." her friend whispered, her voice tight with anxiety. "They look... sick. Let's just go."
Su Yun, her brow furrowed with concern, took another tentative step. "It's okay," she said, her voice soft, trying to be soothing. "I've been feeding them since freshman year. They're usually so sweet. Hey, boy... hey, Scruffy..."
She was trying to use the old rules in a new world.
The scruffy terrier, its muzzle still matted with the squirrel's blood, lifted its head. It had heard her.
It did not wag its tail. It did not look hopeful.
It locked its red-glinting eyes on her, lowered its head, and a low, terrible, guttural growl rumbled from its chest. It was the sound of a predator, not a stray. The other three dogs instantly fanned out, their bodies dropping into low, predatory crouches, creating a half-circle between her and the cafe's exit.
Su Yun froze. Her face went pale. The bag in her hand crumpled. "Scruffy...?" she whispered, her kindness finally giving way to a very real, very cold fear. She was prey, and she had just realized it.
Lin Hao sighed. He was this close to his dorm. He was hungry. He didn't have time for this. It was inefficient. If he did nothing, she would get bitten. Badly. The new, [Level 1]-infused dogs were fast. A bite from them wouldn't just be a bite; they'd tear a chunk from her leg.
He changed his path.
He didn't run. He didn't shout. He just walked, his steps calm and silent, angling his body to place him directly between Su Yun and the pack.
His sudden, silent appearance startled everyone. Su Yun let out a small gasp, her hand flying to her chest. Her friend, at the door, looked relieved and confused.
But the dogs' reaction was electric.
The moment Lin Hao stepped onto the patio, he became the only thing in their world.
The scruffy terrier's growl cut off, replaced by a half-choked snarl. It recognized him. It recognized the [Level 6] power, the true apex predator from the quad. The fur on its back stood straight up. The dogs took a collective step backward, their aggressive posturing instantly replaced with wary, defensive fear. They were facing a wolf. He was a dragon.
"I wouldn't," Lin Hao said.
His voice was flat. Cold. It was not loud, but it cut through the morning air with an absolute, uncaring authority. He wasn't even looking at Su Yun. His eyes were locked on the terrier, holding the animal in place with the sheer, cold weight of his presence.
Su Yun was stunned into silence. This was Lin Hao, the quiet, poor kid who sat in the back of her class, the one who always looked stressed. But this... this was not him.
"They're not just 'dogs' anymore," Lin Hao said, his voice quiet. "Stay away from them."
He didn't wait for a "thank you." He didn't wait for a reply. His duty, as a human being who didn't want to watch another get mauled, was done. He had wasted enough time.
He turned his back on the snarling dogs, an act of supreme, careless dominance that made them flinch, and continued walking toward his dorm, his mission resumed.
Behind him, Su Yun stood frozen, her heart hammering against her ribs. Her friend ran out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back inside the cafe.
"Oh my god, Yun-yun, that was terrifying! And that guy... who was that? So creepy!"
Su Yun didn't answer. She just stared through the glass at Lin Hao's retreating back. She was taken aback, not just by the coldness, but by the confidence of his warning. She had seen his eyes for a brief second. They weren't creepy. They were... old. They were calm and serious, and they held a certainty that made her skin crawl.
She had been in danger. She knew it. And that quiet, stressed-out kid from her class had just saved her, and he hadn't even looked at her.