Chapter 9: Grey Shadow
Upon hearing Xi Gu's command, the grey dog proudly raised its head, nuzzled against Xi Gu's leg, and then leaped to the center of the room.
However, it hesitated, tilting its head side to side, seemingly uncertain about its next move.
"Master... it's... fragile here."
"Oh?"
Xi Gu arched an eyebrow, pleasantly surprised.
He hadn't expected the evolved grey dog to instinctively grasp the rule of "not causing wanton destruction".
From this, he surmised that its intelligence level had significantly enhanced.
"OK."
Xi Gu snapped his fingers, leading the grey dog outside.
Outside the house lay a desolate countryside, bordered by a dense forest.
"Let's try out here, where you can unleash without holding back."
…
"Arf!"
In the wild forest, the grey dog transformed into a streak of grey, zigzagging through trees and shrubs. As it passed, vegetation bent and fell in its wake, as if hit by a speeding meteorite.
As a grey shadow, it soared and sprinted, embodying the majesty of a ruler of the wilderness.
It was as if shackles had been shattered, a weight lifted off its back. The joy in the grey dog's eyes was palpable. The exhilaration of running at such speeds was a sensation it had never known.
From its birth to its adult years, it had never truly experienced such unbridled freedom. Now, with its reborn body, it reveled in the thrill of the chase.
With a powerful leap, it soared tens of meters into the air, charging straight to the mountain peak.
"Arf!"
After another exhilarating howl, the grey streak paused momentarily, shifting from extreme motion to perfect stillness, alighting gently onto the mountain's summit.
This momentary change from motion to stillness could astonish legendary martial artists and overshadow millennia of human martial arts techniques.
Yet for this grey dog, it was but a simple leap.
Upon landing, it quickly turned to face Xi Gu, who had been following, wagging its tail in excitement.
Nodding in acknowledgment, Xi Gu smiled.
Thanks to the "Evolutionary Blood," every sensation and thought the grey dog experienced during its jump was simultaneously sensed by Xi Gu.
He clearly understood the source of the dog's elation.
Beyond that, every muscle movement, the flow of blood, and even the neural impulses within the grey dog were captured and stored in Xi Gu's memory, adding to his " Miraculous Era Creation Plan."
"Hmm... So it's like this, huh?— average speed around 120m/s, burst speed up to 180m/s. Even in the forest, it can easily achieve speeds over 75m/s.
"From its speed alone, its burst speed is nearly six times the cheetah's maximum, and its average speed is about four times that of the cheetah's maximum. And judging by the way it effortlessly tore through trees without a scratch on itself, its body is as sturdy as steel.
"…Hmm, now let's test its impact force."
With that thought, Xi Gu sent a mental command to the grey dog.
"Rush towards me with all your might, use your most powerful attack."
The grey dog widened its eyes, letting out a whimpering sound, looking hesitantly at Xi Gu.
It tucked its paws beneath itself, expressing its reluctance with a shake of its head.
"Master... I can't... do that..."
"It's okay, just give it a try."
"But..."
After some time, and with Xi Gu's insistent urging, the grey dog finally approached Xi Gu at a low speed of 10m/s.
"Boom-"
Xi Gu, unsatisfied, gave it a slight push, sending it flying back.
"Don't hold back! Go all out! I mean ALL out!"
"Woof..."
The grey dog lifted its paws, touching its head pitifully, before reluctantly increasing its speed to 20m/s to charge at Xi Gu again.
"Thud-"
Xi Gu sent it flying back with another push, his face stern.
"Don't worry about hurting me. Trust me; you pose no threat to me!"
Saying this, and to prove his point to the grey dog, he gently tapped the ground with less than a billionth of his full strength -
"Bang!"
The ground shook violently.
With the two of them at the center, a massive crack appeared, splitting the entire mountain!
"----!!"
The grey dog, in disbelief, covered its eyes with its paws.
As a creature that had been enhanced by Xi Gu's "Evolutionary Blood", it could sense Xi Gu's aura, seeing him as its absolute master.
However, without witnessing Xi Gu's power, it couldn't possibly grasp the magnitude of his strength.
Now, having seen just the tip of the iceberg of Xi Gu's capabilities, the grey dog began to comprehend the kind of master it had encountered.
"Arwoo~ Arwoo~"
Letting out a soft howl to express its astonishment, the grey dog finally readied itself. Bending low, it began gathering its strength-
After a while -
"Zoom!"
The grey dog shot forward like a bullet!
"That's more like it~"
A smile finally emerged on Xi Gu's face. Watching the grey figure rushing towards him, he casually lifted a single finger, tilting it upwards slightly—
"Awooo!"
The grey dog was thrown away, as if it was a kite with its string severed.
"Again!"
Xi Gu mentally conveyed to it.
Not far away, the ash-faced grey dog, emerging from the dust and debris, nodded excitedly. Just now, when it was hurled back at an astonishing speed, it felt a peculiar joy, reminiscent of the tumbling games it played as a pup.
So this time, it gathered even more power, burst out with even greater speed, and showcased an even stronger impact as it charged at Xi Gu! But, as expected, it was effortlessly flicked away by a mere finger—
"Once more!"
The cold and unfeeling command echoed.
"Awooo!"
The excited playful sound reverberated in response.
...
Finally, the testing came to an end.
After collecting data for most of the day, Xi Gu beckoned for the still somewhat reluctant Greyhound to stop its "shockwave rushes." He led it slowly back home, savoring the test data of this very first "beast" in his mind.
"A burst speed of 180m/s, reaching close to 190m/s in extreme excitement. The maximum kinetic energy it can generate is close to 2 trillion joules. That's thousands of times the power of a bullet from an automatic rifle, tens of thousands the power of a heavy machine gun bullet, hundreds of times a rocket's payload, and close to the force of an anti-tank shell... On a modern battlefield, it could decimate tanks and roam freely; in a city, it could destroy hundreds of buildings and kill tens of thousands within half a day..."
As Xi Gu pondered over these figures, he glanced at the grey dog that loyally trotted by his side.
Feeling its master's gaze, the grey dog looked up, barking joyfully at Xi Gu. Its grey-white fur gleamed under the moonlight. Although its body was robust, it didn't seem particularly intimidating. Its comical expression made it seem harmless.
No one could imagine that this seemingly harmless creature could decimate an entire block in a blink of an eye.
Realizing this, a smile crept onto Xi Gu's face.
"It seems my 'Miraculous Era Creation Plan' can proceed. But first, I should give this grey dog a name, otherwise, it'd be an injustice to this pioneering creature of the new age."
With that thought, Xi Gu beckoned the dog closer, gently petting its head, and mentally communicated:
"Hmm... from today onwards, you shall be called 'Grey Shadow'."
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