"Such a unique crow, I like it..." Lin Qi said with a grin after a slight surprise.
If even the wild ones are this fierce, then... bringing it back to America for some training might mean it graduates only to fly into a plane and crash through the Pentagon?
"Three tons of gold, two crystal columns..." Ansheng said with a face full of exasperation, looking at Lin Bingyun:
"How's the situation over there? If it's not looking good, give that gluttonous snake a call and let it go over for some extra snacks."
While crystal columns aren't valuable, three tons of gold are solid precious metals. If the theft of three tons of gold is reported, it won't just shock Xia Dong but will be a nationwide sensation.
Considering today's gold price on Blue Star is over 300 per gram, even at 300 per gram, that crow stole items worth up to nine billion at Lin Manor.
Nine billion, that's enough money to buy its bird life.
"Engineer Feng's partner got slightly injured; that crow is now stuck to the wall of Lin Manor with chemical adhesive," Lin Bingyun reported to Master Fuli.
"At least it's resolved; I don't want to hear that there's been the first-ever nine-billion Spirit Beast robbery in my district." Ansheng sighed with relief, taking the chance to vent slightly.
"Let's go pick up Lin Ying! After a shower, I want to go home and rest; after flying all night, I'm exhausted."
With Master Fuli's physique, flying from Xia Dong to Peace Island and back wouldn't be tiring, but having gotten accustomed to daily sleeping and rest, the fatigue was merely habitual inertia.
After all... Huhu doesn't need to work or do overtime, and Ansheng wasn't willing to change these lifestyle habits.
If a day comes when Huhu is required to work, Ansheng feels it would be better to dismantle the assembly line and nail the screws into the boss's rear.
"Hmm?"
Ansheng sank into the seat of the car, took out a coke from the fridge, and looked with slight surprise at Lin Qi who was putting people into the car's tailgate, asking:
"Why are you bringing those dirty things home? Aren't you afraid they'll affect your home's feng shui?"
Lin Qi was loading not just any items, but the landlords hunted at Peace Island, along with the tied-up Little Angel, and some small branches roasting on a charcoal grill.
"The most valuable things on them aren't the words they spew but what's on them." Lin Qi continued to pack the landlords into the car with a cheerful face:
"Guests are guests; I naturally want to keep them in Xia Country until after New Year before sending them back. By then, the struggle between the new and old Family Head should be interesting."
"After all... where have you ever seen a bandit kidnap people, receive ransom, not tear up the tickets, not release the person, and then send them back months later?"
Lin Qi glanced at the boxed landlords, chuckled, and sat on the middle row's aviation seat, crossed his legs, and took his phone out of his pants pocket to start playing games.
Lin Bingyun glanced through the rearview mirror at the crowded tailgate, revealing a peculiar look on her face.
It seemed... she knew them all. If she remembered correctly, the man with the small swordfish stuck on his skull should be a spokesperson for the United Royal Mutual Benefit Group, often seen in photos on S&P Index news.
The other man with a pale face and clenched legs should be the one who succeeded his grandmother's position a year ago, just appointed as the board director of the Group, known as the youngest shareholder of the trillion-dollar consortium.
They were all significant figures! Lin Bingyun, driving towards Lin Manor, mused to herself.
The black business car drove to the manor, where the entrance was surrounded by a variety of vehicles, with the Security Bureau's logistics support team clearing the manor, erasing all traces of the battle.
However.
Restoring the manor's interior proved far more challenging than the logistics support personnel had anticipated, especially given Lin Manor's somewhat eccentric hobbies and traditional customs.
Seemingly silver water pitchers, when inspected with a spectrometer, were found to contain gold; although the content was low, essentially five grams of gold for every hundred grams of silver; artwork and antique decorations were mostly replicas, yet gold was visible everywhere.
It felt... like you could pick any item from the house and use it as travel money.
In a physical sense, the old manor shimmered opulently in unseen layers.
The Security Bureau's logistics support team quietly muttered deep down; no wonder the gang background prevailed even after the shift a hundred years ago, the essence remained.
"Take care of Fuli, I've got a few things to handle."
Lin Qi stepped out into the garden from the car, fetched a handcart from the utility room, and dragged everyone from the tailgate into the woods, planning to bury them there for a few days.
"So, that fat chicken over there is the crow that raided Lin Manor?"
"I have to admit, it's stuck in quite an artistic way." Once inside the manor grounds, Lin Qi's eyes settled on a big black-winged bird stuck to the mansion wall, neck twisted and red tongue protruding; it had a wingspan of about three meters, with a bird head the size of a human torso.
A mass of chemical adhesive was shot at it, securely sticking the unconscious crow to the wall.
"Hmm..."
Ansheng took on a ruminative expression, looking at Lin Bingyun and saying, "I don't know much about textiles, can feathers besides stuffing down jackets be made into other clothing? Winter is coming, I'm preparing to get Lin Ying and Ah Qing some new clothes."
"Yes, bird feathers can be made into blended yarns and also woven or feather yarn garments." Without hesitation, Lin Bingyun rattled off several processing techniques for feather textiles.
"Alright! Go and draw the bathwater for me, I'm going over to pluck its bird feathers now."
Ansheng nodded slightly, looked towards the crow, revealing a smile, and leaped towards the mansion, tearing away the adhesive while ripping the protective chest feathers of the crow.
"Caw caw caw—Fox is killing birds! Killing birds!"
The crow, suddenly alarmed from the pain, saw the big boss of Xia Dong in front of it plucking its feathers as if preparing to roast it into a pigeon and screamed for human help.
The logistics support team, busy repairing the manor, glanced over but seemed unfazed, continuing their respective tasks without offering assistance.
Master Fuli's Spirit Beast re-education.
The Security Bureau was well aware; in Spirit Beast education, Master Fuli was top-tier, deserving the title of "Spirit Beast Teacher."
Spirit Beasts under Master Fuli's tutelage became exceptionally well-behaved and brimmed with rational wisdom.
Amidst the crow's wails, the logistics support team members discussed the restoration craft for manor belongings.
Inside the house, Lin Ying and Jin Wanlin, sensing the commotion outside, immediately stepped out to find Master Fuli tugging at bird feathers on the wall.
With adhesive sprayed, a strong yank left the crow with its beak wide open, a pair of big claws dangling, frantically wiggling its rear and twisting all over.
"Lin Ying! Come and help; winter is coming, I want to give you a down jacket."
Seeing Lin Ying approach, Ansheng grinned and immediately lifted a paw to wave at her:
"Plucking this is quite stress-relieving, like popping bubble wrap, 'pop pop' and a rip; it feels like watching the hoof repair short videos..."
"This..."
Lin Ying hesitated slightly, but beside her, Jin Wanlin, wore a curious expression and pulled out a spiritual particles injection pen, offering it to Lin Ying, tapping her shoulder.
"Plucking crow feathers is better than demolishing home..."
"Your home's decorations are somewhat warped, repairing them needs extensive labor hours."