Zi Ming was completely stunned. When did that beast appear by his side?

"Wait. Something isn't right." He looked at the traces of red in the snow and then at his injuries and considered something.

"Wuwu!" The little guy was pacing around Zi Ming seemingly pleased to see him wake up.

"How did my injuries heal all of a sudden?"

"Something is definitely wrong here." He once again looked at the trotting pup at his feet and said.

"I wonder how much time passed. Also, how did this guy find me?" Zi Ming suddenly moved. He was testing an absurd possibility.

He was shocked by how unimpeded his movements were. It looked as if he had already regained his abilities.

"Recovering in such a short time..." Zi Ming was flabbergasted but was equally pleasantly surprised. He didn't know what happened, but he sure as hell was glad he was back at top fitness.

The smile on his face didn't last long, however. He looked at the side and caught the black pup running along with insane ease.

"What?" The little furry ball was displaying astonishing speed. Zi Ming was dashing thrice as fast as earlier, but the beast was able to keep up.

He stopped running and sighed as he thought out loud: "I definitely wasn't paranoid before..."

He made a very queer face which seemed to catch the attention of the small creature.

"Wuu..." The beast stood close and arced its head as it looked at him curiously.

"Nevermind, I think I've had enough things to fuss over in one night." Zi Ming said. His head was still aching and despite feeling healthier and rejuvenated, he needed to relax his mind and spirit. Too many things had happened in one day for him to add one more mental load.

This feeling of being a survivor of death two times in a row was good, even though he didn't understand how he managed to do so the second time around.

He looked at the beast and asked: "Want to come with?"

He was no longer so keen on getting rid of this little guy if he had to be honest.

First of all, he didn't know if this little pup had something to do with him waking up in his current condition. Secondly, he didn't want to take it back in that dangerous area after it had taken the trouble to follow him of his own accord.

Thirdly, this little beast had shown a speed that was abnormal for its age. Zi Ming was thinking of taking this little guy as his own personal pet. Maybe it could become useful in the future.

"Wuwu!" The pup didn't seem to understand what this human was saying. It was simply wagging its tail and yelping as if waiting for the boy to continue to run.

"Let's go, I'll use this opportunity to test your skills." Zi Ming just smiled and chose to put everything aside for now. He wasn't an indecisive person. He moved and was quickly followed by the creature.

"Swoosh..."

The wind whooshed as the pair disappeared from the spot in a flash.

.......................................................................................................

At the other end of the forest, a dozen of people were running anxiously. None of them exchanged words as they all looked at the back of one man leading at the front.

The man's face was dark, and the people behind him knew better than to provoke his anger.

At the same time, talking wasn't of much use in this situation. They had been searching the forest for more than an hour but they couldn't find any traces of the boy. If anything happened to him, it would be a disaster.

"Zi Chang, We'll split into two groups now; you lead five people in that direction and search!" The man wasn't asking, this was an order.

The man known as Zi Chang nodded with haste and followed the orders. He was a tall bald man with very small eyes. He seemed to possess some authority among this group as five men instantly split from the group to follow him after he waved.

The man at the center was about to issue another salvo of commands when loud noises erupted from the group which just left.

"Young head!"

The man's face twisted before he darted in the direction of the voice.