"When you fall into my hands, it’s best if you can recite the National Wildlife Protection Act fluently. Otherwise, I’ll surely skin your crocodile and make a leather bag, and grind your leg bones into beads to play with..."
Sitting alone on the rooftop, Chen Zhiyu wore an expression of dissatisfaction and gloominess as she gazed at the river, biting a piece of bread bitterly, letting out a cold snort.
Today, Changping Mountain Pet Paradise should be at its weakest in terms of defenses.
Ever since encountering the crocodile and the mysterious disappearance of two free-range wild boars from the mountain, Changping Mountain Pet Paradise has had staff on duty day and night. Usually, ten hunters patrol in the morning, equipped with compound bows and carbon fiber fishnets.
At night, eight hunters carry compound bows, carbon fiber fishnets, and two explosion-proof guns made by Beigong.
Living off the mountain if near it, living off the sea if near it, and when there is neither mountain nor sea, relying on welfare lottery.
Some hunters in Changping Mountain have been registered with the Public Security Bureau and can legally apply for hunting tools.
Chen Zhiyu is among the few in the Chen family of Changping Mountain who passed the review and can apply for hunting guns.
The Public Security Bureau, though unable to catch the crocodile, noticed some clues and gave Chen Zhiyu and her father a specially approved hunting gun to prevent assaults, just in case.
Because there are indeed large estuarine crocodiles that have crossed the strait in the section of the river near Changping Mountain.
"Damn crocodile..."
Chen Zhiyu took a bite of bread, somewhat angry.
Including herself, there should be a total of nine in the night patrol hunter squad, but due to the Chen family of Changping Mountain hosting a banquet to entertain the Lins from a distant location, almost all eligible men and women of the Chen family went back home for matchmaking events.
Chen Zhiyu, as the village head’s daughter and one of the few specially approved armed hunters,
had to take charge of the night surveillance task.
Chen Zhiyu wasn’t actually interested in going back for the matchmaking; if she really wanted to get married, she wouldn’t still be single at twenty-eight.
What irked Chen Zhiyu was that the whole village, from old to young, were having a grand feast in the ancestral hall, enjoying shark fin and bird’s nest soup, while she had to huddle on the rooftop gnawing on bread.
Her dad did say that once the young ones in the village were done with the matchmaking, they’d immediately return to the Pet Paradise to join her, and that he’d bring a big red envelope to her then.
But being irked was still being irked, with the entire village feasting in the ancestral hall, and she alone gnawing on bread, it felt as if she deserved to be thrown out like a single dog.
Getting more and more infuriated, Chen Zhiyu picked up her phone and opened up a floral language of grievances in her dad’s WeChat.
Despite her grievances, Chen Zhiyu still steadfastly carried out her surveillance task.
The estuarine crocodile had to be dealt with before the Chen family of Changping Mountain could have peace before winter.
Only, what Chen Zhiyu didn’t expect was that shortly after she sent the WeChat voice message, her dad replied.
It was a sixty-second-long voice message.
Sixty seconds, not her father’s limit, but just the upper limit for a single voice message.
Chen Zhiyu’s eyelid twitched slightly as she clicked to play her dad’s voice message:
"Bark! Keep barking like a dog! If you weren’t such an unfilial daughter unable to succeed at matchmaking and even got into a fight, would it end up with the whole village having a feast while you pull a night watch? If you’re so capable, why don’t you bring a child back! Hah!"
"Unfilial daughter!" added another voice message as if the first wasn’t satisfying enough.
Chen Zhiyu was stunned, then furious, calling her old man via voice call.
He rejected it.
Call again.
Still rejected.
Chen Zhiyu: "......"
If you have the guts to scold, you should have the guts to answer the phone!
...
While Chen Zhiyu tirelessly kept trying to call her old man.
A black business car drove into the parking lot of Changping Mountain Pet Paradise.
And a new WeChat message fittingly arrived on driver Xiaolin’s phone.
Despite having a belief and spirit hardened by a thousand trials, Xiaolin couldn’t help but be taken aback as he opened the message.
Boss Lin: [Take a taxi to the city and buy me a new phone.]
Xiaolin showed some hesitation and sent a message to Lin Ying in the back of the car.
Xiaolin: [Miss Lin, this area is already remote and deserted, it might not be safe for you alone.]
Boss Lin: [Go ahead, it’ll be fine.]
Seeing Miss Lin’s reply, driver Xiaolin was left helpless. After getting off the car, he turned back every three steps, looking toward the mountain of Changping, as if afraid of hidden threats like fearsome wild beasts.
He was primarily in security, driver came second.
In the city, the greatest threats might be stray dogs or drunks, but now, in the mountains at eight thirty at night, it’s different.
"Mazu bless, Master bless..." Xiaolin muttered under his breath, pulling out his phone to call a car, then ordered a flash delivery for a phone to Pet Paradise.
After watching Xiaolin leave, Lin Ying, wearing a cap, backpack slung over one shoulder, and hugging a small fox, stepped out of the business car and headed up the mountain.
Meanwhile, a new wish on the list in Ansheng’s mind popped up.
[Mazu bless! Master bless! May Miss Lin’s secret rendezvous pass without incident, though if anything goes wrong, my thirty thousand monthly salary with six insurances and two funds will go down the drain! — Xiaolin sneaking back through the bushes as I’m worried Miss Lin might encounter danger, yet also fear witnessing unwanted sights will get me fired outright.]
[Wish achieved: Position Defense Battle! (Miss Lin’s presence is extremely important; where she is, people are. If Lin Ying encounters trouble, the tribe on the Tropical Continent will explode.)]
"Huh?"
Seeing the wishlist update and the wish-achievement prompts, Ansheng was taken aback.
Why would the Tropical Continent explode if far-off Lin Ying is in trouble in Xia Country?
And what does it mean by ’where she is, they are’?
Ansheng mulled it over, widening his eyes, as if suddenly realizing something.
"Holy smokes! Could it be... if Lin Ying is in trouble, all associated security staff will be assigned to the Tropical Continent picking fleas off gorillas in the future?"
And you know, the more Ansheng thought, the more he felt his guess was probable.
But why would sending those security personnel to the Tropical Continent lead to such a massive tribal explosion there?
"Huhh?"
Instinctively gazing toward Lin Ying, Ansheng suddenly received a light smack from a shadow overhead.
"Huh?"
Ansheng, bewildered, raised a paw to cover his fox face that received the "smack."
"Hm? Sorry, Master Fox..."
On the way to Changping Mountain, there was a slope, and as Lin Ying descended, there seemed to be some jostling.
It seemed Lin Ying also felt her movement was excessive and knocked against something.
"Did I just get smacked by a human cub’s feed dispenser?" Coming back to his senses, Ansheng turned his head, showing a hint of awkwardness, slightly fidgeting uncomfortably.
"Huhh..."
Lin Ying seemed unfazed, and after crossing the muddy terrain, reached the mountain’s path where stone and concrete steps had been erected, enabling Master Fox to move freely.
Lin Ying set Master Fox down, calmly apologized to him, then asked:
"Master Fox, we’re at Changping Mountain. What’s our next move?"
"Huhh... huhh."
Ansheng took the lead, trotting ahead, guiding Lin Ying to a spot halfway up the mountain.
Following Master Fox’s instructions, Lin Ying settled onto a pavilion located mid-mountain, casting a puzzled gaze at Master Fox.
[Stay here, I’ll go catch a couple of wild boars to fish with. That thing is in the waterway.]
Ansheng typed on his phone, full of confidence.
Upon arriving at Changping Mountain, Ansheng envisioned a beautiful prospect of Wish Power +3 then +1.
His current urgency to act was at its peak.
Even if there were an eight-meter crocodile in the river, or even a one-hundred-meter whale, he’d have to haul it out of the water.