Chapter 19: Chapter 19: A Stranger Arrives

[Host will receive rewards for completing the task: Proficiency in Beast Language, one cubic meter of nutritious soil.]

Receiving the system’s task notification, Xu Ying suddenly understood that the paw prints that resembled plum blossoms were left by a Desert Cat.

Her heart tightened; this Desert Cat was injured.

“This might be the footprint of a Desert Cat.”

Xu Ying said, “It’s likely it came to our rescue station for help and was captured.”

“Who knows whether they were poachers or other people.”

Director Yi frowned and then unloaded five large cardboard boxes from the jeep.

“Little Xu Station Chief, these are supplies and self-defense items. If anything is missing, just call me anytime.”

The passenger seat of his jeep was stuffed full of supplies for Xu Ying.

Can’t let the children suffer.

“Okay!” Xu Ying looked at Director Yi’s slight frame and the three large boxes, “Leave it here, I’ll move it into the rescue station!”

Saying this, she picked up a large box to show Director Yi that she was strong enough. This body’s physical strength was quite decent; otherwise, she wouldn’t have lasted so long in the no-man’s land.

Director Yi glanced at his phone’s time, “Alright, I need to head back to headquarters for a meeting now.”

“The rescue station is not very safe right now.”

“You need to be extra careful.”

“If you encounter any danger, be sure to call us!”

Director Yi reminded her as if walking away from an old father, looking back three times with each step.

Xu Ying nodded and waved goodbye to Director Yi.

Qi Xiao moved the supplies on the motorcycle and the other two boxes into the rescue station one by one and then went to the nearby well to fetch water, filling the water tank in the rescue station and organizing it neatly.

The thirty-square-meter rescue station didn’t seem so empty anymore.

The seventy or so rescue stations in the Desert Area were all set up in areas with underground water resources, powered by solar panels and temporary small generators, ensuring basic water and electricity needs. As for the rest…

Xu Ying counted the supplies; the mineral water and food were enough for a month. However, the food mainly consisted of bread, self-heating rice, instant noodles, and vacuum-packed vegetables; the only fresh item was the grapes Director Yi brought her.

Xu Ying thought about the reward of one cubic meter of nutritious soil for completing the task this time, and the farming instinct etched into the bones of Huaxia people began to stir.

Qi Xiao, observing the spartan environment of the rescue station, was filled with concern: “Do you want to stay at our ranch for a while?”

“During the day, I can drive my car to patrol the Desert Area, and you can return to the rescue station after catching any suspicious individuals.”

“We have plenty of beef and mutton at the ranch, and the food is excellent.”

Although the conditions were very tempting, Xu Ying still politely refused: “If we never catch them, wouldn’t I be living at your ranch indefinitely?”

The daily commute would take two hours, which is too long, and what if a small animal comes to seek help at the rescue station at night?

Changes need to be made fundamentally; self-reliance brings clothes and food, changing the living environment of the rescue station.

Qi Xiao had to return to the ranch, and seeing this, Xu Ying quickly said, “I’ll transfer the money for the milk powder and bottles to you.”

“No need.” Qi Xiao shook his head, put on his helmet, and said, “Just getting to hold an ear fox today is reward enough for me.”

He swung his long leg over, sat on the motorcycle, and made a call gesture with his hand: “If you’re scared, just call me anytime.”

“Alright!”

Xu Ying waved goodbye to Qi Xiao and brought the five little ear foxes into the rescue station.

The cubs, once out of their carrier, were like birds released from a cage, bringing life to the otherwise simple rescue station.

She surrounded the paw prints and the bloodstains on the ground with a box.

Xu Ying asked the ear fox cubs, “Guys, can you identify what animal left the bloodstains on the ground?”

The fox cubs sniffed with their noses.

[We can’t, but we remember this smell.]

[It’s not human blood, anyway.]

Remembering the phone number Chen Su gave her last time, Xu Ying searched the number and added Chen Su on WeChat.

Chen Su quickly approved the friend request, and the first thing he asked was whether Xu Ying had encountered any danger.

Xu Ying took a photo of the footprints and bloodstains inside the rescue station and sent it to Captain Chen Su at the police station, explaining the situation to him.

Chen Su immediately called Xu Ying through video and asked her to point the camera at the footprints on the ground.

“Little Xu Station Chief, do you have a measuring tape on hand? Could you measure the length of the footprints left at the scene?”

“Alright.” Xu Ying found a measuring tape from the toolbox, measured the length of the footprint, and sent the data to Chen Su.

Shortly after the call ended, Chen Su sent an important message.

“Analyzing the footprint features, two people entered Rescue Station 032, one tall and one short.”

“The tall one is over 1.8 meters, and the short one is about 1.65 meters, with a pigeon-toed walk.”

“From the distribution path of the footprints, it looks like they were searching for something in your rescue station.”

“And the appearance of this cat got in their way.”

“Thank you for providing this information. We will be more alert during our police patrols.”

Just from the footprints at the scene, they were able to deduce so many clues. Xu Ying was full of respect for Chen Su.

Noticing something unusual inside the rescue station, the fox cubs quickly asked:

[Sister, what happened? It seems a bit scary.]

Xu Ying sighed, “A sand cat came to the rescue station and was taken away by bad people. I need to find a way to find it and rescue it.”

[Why don’t we ask other small animals in the desert?]

[Who should we ask?]

[The Little Desert Rat, of course. They’re the most informed in the desert.]

Xu Ying’s eyes lit up; the sand rat, like a mouse, has a wide range of activities, a large family, and relatives all over the desert, practically intelligence agents.

[But the Little Desert Rat isn’t easy to deal with. Er Bao even had a fight with them. Will they help us?]

While one person and the five foxes were discussing, the Fox Boss suddenly fell silent.

[Hush! Something’s happening!]

The Fox Boss pointed outside the door.

Xu Ying swallowed nervously, picked up a stun gun for self-defense, and quietly moved to the door.

The sound of claws scratching the door echoed from outside.

Xu Ying opened the door nervously and found a completely black, large-sized feline animal crouching outside, resembling a black panther but with a cat-like head.

This was an extremely rare Black Jungle Cat!

The Jungle Cat’s fur is typically tawny, with black spots, but the Black Jungle Cat is the result of a genetic mutation, entirely jet black, and extremely handsome.

Because of their long legs and neck, which gave them a model-like striking appearance, Jungle Cats became prized pets among Middle Eastern tycoons, worth about 300,000 Huaxia Yuan, with purebred ones reaching into millions.

Xu Ying blocked the Black Jungle Cat with a stun gun, fearing it might snatch the fox cubs.

The Black Jungle Cat’s golden eyes fixed on Xu Ying with an intense sense of pressure.

[This place has the scent of my apprentice. Is it with you?]

Apprentice? Xu Ying was puzzled.

Thinking about it, the only thing related to the Black Jungle Cat that had been to the rescue station was the Desert Cat. Wait, the bloodstain at the rescue station!

Xu Ying had a bad feeling. Could she be misunderstood?

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep