At the bottom of the stairs, several barks from a dog were heard.
"Woof, woof—" Accompanying the barks was the sound of heavy, hot breath as the dog sniffed around.
"Hurry up! It's coming after us!" Tian Fang hurriedly pushed Wen Xirou, rushing towards the second floor.
"Huh?" Wan Qian was just about to ask someone to help blow the dust out of her eyes. Before she could say anything, she was swept up by four people pushing and shoving from all sides and dragged into the butler's bedroom on the second floor.
The last one to enter, Liu Wen, closed the door behind them. She still wasn't satisfied and, along with Tian Fang, pushed a table against the door.
Wan Qian's eyes were filled with dust, making it hard to open them or see anything. With the dim light on the second floor, she might as well have been blind.
"What are you doing?" Unable to see, but hearing the clattering of sounds, Wan Qian knew the others were making a big move.
Tian Fang anxiously said, "That thing is coming, we need to stop it!"
"What thing?"
"A dog!"
Wan Qian was momentarily stunned by the unexpected answer. However, she quickly convinced herself.
As the saying goes, dogs are humans' most loyal friends. But in this world, there are certainly people terrified of dogs.
It was a bit surprising, though, that all four of these people were afraid of dogs! But considering the size of the dog outside, it was somewhat understandable.
Even without seeing it, the way the door shook violently under the impact, making the entire building tremble. That alone was enough to show just how ferocious that giant dog outside must be.
Surely, most people would be frightened if they encountered such a giant dog, wouldn't they?
"Didn't they say we should take the dog to the farm owner's office and he'd handle it?" Xiao Lin anxiously asked.
The girl, barely past adulthood, was already in tears. Yet she refused to give up on saving herself. Gritting her teeth, she lifted a chair and stacked it against the door, trying to buy just a few more moments.
Tian Fang and Liu Wen were no longer calm, their voices trembling.
"The premise is, we need to catch it and take it to the office."
Farm Employee Code of Conduct, Rule 29: "There are no dogs on the farm. If you see a dog, please take it to the farm owner's office, where the farm owner will handle the situation."
But the four of them clearly didn't have the ability to fight off the dog. The door had already started to crack. It wouldn't withstand many more hits.
"It can't hold much longer." Liu Wen glanced around the room, her eyes settling on the window. "Before that thing gets in, we jump out the window!"
"What?" Wan Qian, who had been rubbing her eyes the whole time, suspected that she had misheard. No way. Even if they were afraid of dogs, there was no need to go as far as jumping out of a window to escape, right?
"Bang—" Another loud crash.
There was no time left! Liu Wen rushed to the window and pushed it open. She then yanked the bedsheet off the bed, tied it to the bedpost, and grabbed the other end before jumping down.
She moved quickly, almost as if she had trained for this. She didn't even give Wan Qian a chance to stop her, and Liu Wen landed safely.
Inside the room, Tian Fang looked at Xiao Lin and Wen Xirou. "You two go first. Wan Qian and I will cover the rear."
She and Liu Wen had already coordinated, one to cover the rear, the other assisting support.
"Alright!" Wen Xirou and Xiao Lin didn't waste any time. They grabbed the bedsheet, climbed out the window, and jumped from the upper floor.
Neither of them had experience jumping from buildings for survival, but luckily, Liu Wen was there to assist. The height was only a little over three meters, so they only suffered minor scrapes.
In the blink of an eye, all three inside the room had jumped out the window and escaped.
Wan Qian rubbed her eyes, but the dust was still in them, causing her tears to flow uncontrollably, unable to open them.
Tian Fang forcefully pushed the last cabinet she could move behind the door to block it, then looked up at Wan Qian.
"You go first!" She pushed Wan Qian toward the window.
Seeing that Tian Fang really wanted her to jump, Wan Qian stopped rubbing her eyes and quickly shook her head.
"No, no, no, I won't jump. I'm not afraid of dogs."
Tian Fang froze. She hadn't expected Wan Qian to give up the chance to escape for her. After all, in situations like this, the last person to leave is the most at risk.
But in the brief moment of hesitation—
"Bang!" A huge crash echoed as the door was shattered open, and the creature's head already poked through. Its tongue dripped with saliva, and it was panting heavily.
Tian Fang snapped back to her senses. There was no time left to argue. She looked at Wan Qian deeply.
"Alright, I'll jump."
Tian Fang grabbed the bed sheet skillfully and was about to jump when she suddenly noticed a notebook on the desk by the window. Without thinking, she grabbed the notebook and stuffed it into her chest, then leaped out the window.
At the very moment she jumped— The dog had finally broken through the door. The things stacked behind the door to block it were sent flying by the impact, falling to the floor in pieces.
Wan Qian still couldn't get the dust out of her eyes. She heard the noise and instinctively looked up. Instantly, a huge shadow covered her.
"Thud—" Wan Qian was knocked down to the ground.
The heavy, labored panting and the massive body that could cover her entire form all indicated it was a large dog.
Based on the feeling alone— Even though she couldn't see, by instinct, Wan Qian reached up and touched the dog pressing on her.
Its fur was incredibly thick, but it felt as if it were tangled. Strands of hair—thick and rigid—made her wonder: how long had it been since it was bathed?
Suddenly, a warm, foul-smelling liquid dripped down and landed on Wan Qian's face.
Damn! Could this be saliva? Wan Qian couldn't take it anymore.
Wan Qian ignored her eyes, even though they were still watering and everything was a blur. Without a word, she raised her hand and gave the dog a big slap right across its face.
"Awooo... Woof woof woof!!!"
From the first floor, all that could be seen was the dark, open window on the second floor. But just hearing the sharp, changing barks, it was easy to guess how intense Wan Qian's battle with the creature was.
Tian Fang closed her eyes for a moment, as if thinking of something. Her pale face showed a complex expression. When she opened her eyes again, her gaze was cold and decisive.
"We leave!" Tian Fang said.