Immediately!
A young dragon, about thirty to forty centimeters long, covered in solid scales, descended from the sky and climbed onto Dai Xiao Mei's delicate body. Its sharp eyes gazed intently at the two groups of people before it.
This was none other than Ao Yuan.
Seeing Ao Yuan, everyone's expressions shifted dramatically. Their mouths hung open, a look of utter disbelief on their faces.
A dragon!
It was actually a real dragon!
Even though they had known about the dragon's presence with Dai Xiao Mei from the internet, the feeling of seeing it in person was vastly different from what they had learned online.
Especially Liu Yun, the president of the Animal Protection Association.
He looked at Ao Yuan as if he had discovered a priceless treasure.
His eyes held a tenderness that suggested he would cradle it in his palm lest it melt.
"Hiss~"
Meeting their gazes, Ao Yuan felt goosebumps prickle all over his body.
What kind of looks were those?
Was it really necessary to react like this just because he made an appearance?
Despite his internal fluster, Ao Yuan's emergence this time was a carefully considered decision.
He knew that if they didn't resolve things decisively now, they would never give up.
"Dragon!"
Liu Yun pointed at Ao Yuan with a trembling hand, his face flushed with excitement.
"Hello... hello, I am the president of the Animal Protection Association. I'd like to take you to our wildlife sanctuary."
Seeing Ao Yuan look his way, Liu Yun couldn't help but speak.
He then paused, feeling a bit silly. How could a dragon possibly understand him?
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Ao Yuan subtly lifted his gaze and gently shook his head.
"He... he can understand?" Liu Yun faltered, finding it hard to believe.
"So, you don't want to leave here?" Liu Yun asked tentatively.
The next moment, Ao Yuan nodded slightly and, taking Dai Xiao Mei's hand, headed towards the villa.
A wildlife sanctuary sounded good, but in reality, it was no different from being caged.
As a dragon, could Ao Yuan possibly be confined like a protected animal?
"He... he... he!"
Seeing Ao Yuan nod again, Liu Yun's mouth gaped, unable to form a complete sentence.
The police, the Animal Protection Association, and the biological research institute members exchanged bewildered glances. According to the leaked videos online, this creature had only been born a few hours ago.
And now it could understand human language?
"You can't leave!"
Seeing Ao Yuan about to depart, Qin Hai reacted swiftly and stepped forward, attempting to stop him.
Ao Yuan turned and shot Qin Hai a cold glance. He had no reason to be polite to Qin Hai, who had intended to dissect him for research.
Ao Yuan's eyes widened, and he let out a roar.
"Roar~"
However, at that very moment, as Ao Yuan's voice echoed, the ground began to tremble subtly, and a fierce gust of wind swept through.
Whoosh!
Everyone's faces darkened, but they were well-trained.
Under Xie Chu Ran's guidance, they immediately moved to protect Qin Hai and Liu Yun's group.
Qin Hai and the others clearly panicked, instinctively stepping back and bracing themselves to maintain their balance.
But as Ao Yuan's roar subsided, the commotion around them strangely died down.
At this moment, everyone looked at each other, and an eerie silence fell upon the scene.
Then, their gazes collectively fixed on Ao Yuan.
A deathly silence descended.
Everyone could clearly see the shock on each other's faces.
If they hadn't misread the situation, an earthquake had just occurred.
Could it be... that all of this was caused by the young dragon?
A single roar eliciting natural phenomena like earthquakes and gales?
This was too far-fetched to be true.
But if it were true, it would undoubtedly confirm that the dragon-like creature before them was none other than a legendary true dragon!
After several minutes of silence, the police finally reacted.
With a swish, all of them raised their weapons and aimed them at Ao Yuan.
"Roar~"
Ao Yuan's expression darkened. Just as he was about to roar again, Liu Yun, seeing this, quickly stepped forward.
"Wait a moment!"
He then tentatively asked, "You just don't want to leave here?"
Ao Yuan glanced at Liu Yun, then nuzzled affectionately into Dai Xiao Mei's embrace, his intention clear.
Liu Yun looked at the scene unfolding before him and suddenly understood.
Indeed, a young dragon, newly born, would likely see Dai Xiao Mei as its mother.
That was why it was unwilling to leave her.
"Um... please wait a moment." Having understood, Liu Yun thought for a moment and said to Ao Yuan.
He then took out his phone and made a call, explaining the situation to the person on the other end.
"Um... someone wants to speak with you via video call, is that alright?" A moment later, Liu Yun asked Ao Yuan.
Ao Yuan nodded. Liu Yun immediately turned the phone towards Ao Yuan.
On the phone was a middle-aged man in his fifties.
"Dragon species? You can understand me?" the middle-aged man on the phone asked, adjusting his expression to be amiable.
As Ao Yuan nodded, he paused, then continued, "You don't want to leave here, I can agree to that."
He paused again, then got straight to the point, "But you have to agree to one condition."
"You must not arbitrarily harm the people of Da Xia."
Ao Yuan nodded nonchalantly upon hearing this. He had been a Da Xia citizen in his past life, and even after transforming into a dragon, his heart remained unchanged.
On the phone screen, the middle-aged man let out a sigh of relief and a slight smile. "Since you agree, I guarantee that all departments of Da Xia will not offend you in the future."
"And as for your agreement, Da Xia will fulfill all your needs."
"One last request, I'd like to invite you to serve as Da Xia's guardian beast."
Hearing this, Ao Yuan pursed his lips, his expression somewhat odd.
Serving as a guardian beast? Wasn't that restricting him?
"Please don't misunderstand. You are a dragon, a unique creature in this world. Da Xia guarantees not to harm you, but other countries are different."
"By serving as Da Xia's guardian beast, you can at least deter the covetousness of other nations."
"Of course, this is merely a title, and it will not affect you in any way."
Ao Yuan remained silent for a moment, then nodded gently.
Undeniably, it was as the man had said.
Possessing a human soul, he understood all too well how many people would covet him.
"Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation! Guardian Beast!" The middle-aged man smiled faintly and hung up the phone.
For some reason, looking at the man's smile, Ao Yuan felt an inexplicable chill, as if he had fallen into someone's trap.
"Roar~"
Shaking his head to dispel the thought, Ao Yuan scanned the surroundings, then simply pulled Dai Xiao Mei and turned to leave.
Watching Ao Yuan depart, Liu Yun and Qin Hai exchanged glances.
"Hmph!" Qin Hai flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.
"Elder Liu." Xie Chu Ran looked at Liu Yun, hesitant to speak.
"You want to ask why, don't you?" Liu Yun smiled.
Before Xie Chu Ran could answer, Liu Yun walked towards his car, saying as he went, "Xiao Xie, you are no ordinary person, and you should be aware that Da Xia has been experiencing more natural disasters recently."
"All I can tell you is that these natural disasters are not coincidental. The world may be changing!"
"Now that a divine dragon has descended, it is a blessing for Da Xia. We must seize this opportunity firmly."
"Let's go, we should head back first."