And then—
"WOOO—WOOF!!!"
A thunderous bark exploded from above the maze walls.
The sound carried fury. Authority. Command.
Everyone froze.
Then they looked up.
Standing on top of the towering hedge wall—
Was the real Er'gou.
His silver-gray fur rippled in the wind.
His ice-blue eyes burned like frozen fire.
And his gaze was locked firmly on Zhao and Li Wei'an.
Behind him—
Silent shapes appeared along the hedge line.
German Shepherds.
Belgian Malinois.
Their handlers crouched beside them.
And scattered throughout the maze entrances—
Chen Lin's hidden team members stepped out of the shadows.
The real Woof Squad had arrived.
And the hunters had just been surrounded.
Zhao's face went pale.
"…A diversion?"
Li Wei'an's expression darkened.
"Well played."
"But do you really think this is enough to stop us?"
Suddenly he pulled a device from his coat.
A small remote controller.
His thumb hovered over a red button.
"I anticipated something like this."
His eyes flicked toward Er'gou.
"That dog is far too intelligent."
"So beneath this maze…"
His thumb pressed down.
"I buried a high-concentration anesthetic gas system."
"One press, and everyone here drops."
"Hand over the real Er'gou."
"Or—"
He never finished the sentence.
Er'gou moved first.
But not toward him.
Instead, the husky whipped his head sideways and barked sharply toward another direction in the maze.
The bark was piercing.
High frequency.
Almost beyond human hearing.
At the same time—
Chen Lin pressed a button on his own remote.
ZZZZT—!!
Hidden somewhere in the maze structure, a powerful electromagnetic interference device activated.
Li Wei'an's controller blinked.
The indicator light died.
The buttons stopped responding.
"What?!"
For the first time, genuine shock appeared on his face.
Chen Lin stepped forward calmly.
"We already smelled your backup plan."
He gestured toward Er'gou.
"His Highness' nose isn't just for finding snacks."
Earlier, Er'gou had detected faint chemical residues on Li Wei'an.
Combined with subtle soil disturbances beneath the maze, he had pinpointed a likely buried device.
Chen Lin's team quietly located it.
Disabled it.
And prepared the countermeasure.
Zhao's face twisted with rage.
"Shoot them!"
"Grab the dog!"
The two operatives raised their pistols—
THUD. THUD.
Two suppressed shots rang out.
Not bullets.
Tranquilizers.
From Chen Lin's hidden team.
Zhao's two men collapsed instantly.
Zhao himself reacted like a cornered predator.
A knife flashed into his hand.
But instead of attacking Chen Lin—
He lunged straight toward Er'gou atop the hedge.
He knew.
If he controlled the dog—
He still had a chance.
Er'gou's eyes narrowed.
He didn't dodge.
He leapt.
Zhao slashed upward with the blade—
But in midair the husky twisted with impossible agility.
The knife sliced through empty air.
Er'gou's hind legs slammed into Zhao's shoulder.
THUD.
The impact staggered him backward.
The knife flew from his grip.
Er'gou landed smoothly.
Then spun.
His tail whipped like a steel cable.
CRACK.
The blow smashed into Zhao's lower leg.
A sickening snap followed.
"AAAAAH!"
Zhao collapsed.
Before he could react—
Er'gou stepped forward.
One paw pressed onto his chest.
The husky lowered his head.
Blue eyes inches from Zhao's throat.
Fangs gleamed.
A deep growl rolled from his chest.
Death.
That close.
Zhao froze.
His face drained of color.
Nearby, Li Wei'an watched the scene unfold.
Then slowly exhaled.
Realization had dawned.
They had lost.
He straightened his collar calmly.
"You've won this round."
"But Entropy will never stop."
His eyes shifted to Er'gou.
"His Highness… Shen Mo."
"The secrets in your body—"
"To Entropy… and to science itself…"
"They're priceless."
"You can't hide forever."
"That's our problem," Chen Lin replied coldly.
He gestured.
Two operatives stepped forward and restrained Li Wei'an.
Before the cuffs snapped shut—
Li Wei'an looked once more at Er'gou.
A strange smile curled his lips.
"Shen Mo."
"You think turning back into a human will end this?"
"The side effects of the disguise agent."
"The fusion aftermath."
"And the biological data Entropy already collected."
His eyes gleamed.
"Your life as a dog may last far longer than you imagine."
"We'll meet again."
Er'gou stopped walking.
His eyes turned colder than ice.
Lin Wan rushed forward.
She dropped to her knees and hugged him tightly.
"Are you okay?"
"Did you get hurt?"
Er'gou nudged her hand with his nose.
Then shook his head.
His expression softened slightly.
Chen Lin directed the cleanup quickly.
Li Wei'an.
Zhao.
All captured operatives.
Silently removed from the maze.
Outside the hedges—
The carnival was still roaring with laughter and music.
No one had any idea a hidden war had just ended.
"Mission complete."
Chen Lin nodded toward Old Wu.
"The Woof Squad did excellent work."
The retired working dogs gathered around Er'gou again.
Their tails wagged enthusiastically.
For once—
Er'gou lowered his head and gently bumped a shepherd's forehead.
The highest form of approval.
Evening fell.
Carnival lights flickered on one by one.
The sky burned orange and gold.
Lin Wan walked through the slowly dispersing crowd with Er'gou beside her.
After everything that had just happened—
The joyful noise around them felt unreal.
"…Is it over?" she asked quietly.
Er'gou stared at the sunset for a long time.
Silent.
Then he turned and looked at her.
The glowing sky reflected in his blue eyes.
Along with her face.
He shook his head.
There was no relief in his gaze.
Only a deeper gravity.
Li Wei'an's words lingered like a thorn.
Turning human again might not be the end.
It might only be the beginning of new trouble.
But for now—
They had earned something priceless.
Time.
And real allies who fought beside them.
Er'gou nudged Lin Wan's hand.
Then lifted a paw.
Pointed toward the carnival exit.
And tapped his stomach.
The familiar annoyed look of "Teacher Er'gou" returned.
Lin Wan blinked.
Then laughed.
"Oh."
"You're hungry."
No matter what dangers waited ahead—
Right now—
The dog needed dinner.
"Let's go."
She tightened the leash with a smile.
"Eight cans tonight."
"On me."
Er'gou's tail wagged.
He started walking.
Under the fading sunset—
The long shadows of a girl and her husky stretched across the pavement.
Blending into the city's endless lights.
And somewhere in the future—
The legend of a superstar who turned into a dog…
Then led a Woof Squad to save the day—
Had only just planted the seed for an even stranger story yet to come.