Even Cola’s rejection didn’t discourage Caleb. He crouched down and spoke to the dog in a calm, reassuring voice.“You’re smart, and you’re already strong. But the world out there is dangerous. If you want to protect yourself and the people you care about, you need to become even stronger.”Ethan rubbed Cola’s head, trying to smooth things over. “Come on, Cola. You’ll protect me, won’t you?”Cola’s gaze shifted between the two of them.He liked Ethan. He liked everyone on their floor, too. After all, they’d just treated him to a delicious bowl of pork stew. But if he didn’t become stronger, what if he ended up in a cooking pot someday?After a moment of hesitation, he finally gave in, leaning against Ethan and pressing his head affectionately against him.He would protect Ethan. He couldn’t possibly abandon him!Ethan smiled softly. “Don’t worry. We’re only one wall apart. You’ll still see me all the time.”Back at his apartment, Ethan grabbed half a bag of dog food and handed it to C

Ethan couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. Fortunately, Cola hadn’t forgotten who his real owner was.Every training session ended the same way. The moment Caleb gave him permission to stop, Cola would dash straight toward Ethan, pressing his head against his chest and eagerly seeking affection. Whenever Ethan prepared to leave the apartment, the dog would grab his food bowl in his mouth and follow him to the door, determined not to be left behind.There was a simple explanation for this behavior.Caleb’s cooking was terrible.It was so bad that even Cola, a dog who had once survived on scraps, refused to eat it. Ethan had no choice but to prepare Cola’s kibble in advance, making sure the dog had enough food whenever he was away.Watching Cola grow stronger and more energetic by the day, Maya couldn’t resist taking a jab at Ryan and Lucas.“Look at the two of you! You can’t even measure up to a dog!”Ryan and Lucas exchanged offended looks, but neither could come up with a convinci

Ethan blinked in surprise when Caleb suggested sparring.The man had once served in special operations, and Ethan wasn’t even sure he could hold his own against him. From what he had observed during their training sessions, Caleb’s abilities were far beyond those of an ordinary person. Fighting him would be a completely different experience from sparring with Ryan and Lucas.Still, backing down wasn’t Ethan’s style. If he wanted to improve, he needed to challenge people stronger than himself.“All right, let’s do it.”In truth, Ethan had been itching to test his abilities against Caleb for a while. He had simply never found the right opportunity. He hadn’t expected the chance to present itself so conveniently.After a brief exchange of greetings, Ethan wasted no time. He stepped forward and threw the first punch.His attack was fast and direct, aimed at Caleb’s upper body. When Caleb shifted aside, Ethan immediately followed with another strike, refusing to give him much room to react

Hearing Ethan’s concern, Caleb frowned. “You mean Poppy is timid? Afraid of everything?”Ethan shook his head. “Not exactly. She’s more of a people-pleaser. She’s always worried about upsetting someone, so she tries to keep everyone happy without considering her own feelings.”For instance, Poppy would bring eggs for Ethan and Cola, then sneak glances at Ethan while doing her homework, as though she were afraid he might suddenly dislike her.She behaved the same way around Caleb. During training, she pushed herself to complete every exercise just to make him happy, even when she got hurt. She never complained.Ethan couldn’t help feeling sorry for her.Caleb remained silent for a while before finally speaking.“Poppy is my parents’ second child. They died in a car accident a couple of years ago. I was working out of town and couldn’t return in time, so she had to stay with our uncle.”He paused before continuing. “She used to be lively and always smiling. But when I returned after lea

Ethan stepped into the kitchen to help. He picked up a clean egg, dipped it into a bowl of vodka, rolled it in salt, and then wrapped it tightly in plastic.“Leave it for a month, and it’ll be ready.”Caleb watched carefully, committing the steps to memory. With food becoming increasingly difficult to obtain, learning how to preserve what they had was important.After finishing, Ethan returned to his room to take a nap. He had barely settled down when someone knocked on the door.Caleb and the others were preparing to head outside. Even Poppy had put on a raincoat, while Cola was already bouncing around excitedly, eager to begin another training session.Caleb intended to take them out for practical training. It was one thing to practice commands and exercises inside the building, but the real world was far more dangerous. Poppy needed to learn how to protect herself, and Cola needed experience dealing with unfamiliar situations.Ethan considered it for a moment before deciding not to