Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Walking 500,000

The Black Jungle Cat spoke with a voice as cold as ice: [If anyone dares to run now, I will bite off their neck.]

[You know my speed.]

The oppressive feeling brought by the natural enemy made the sand rats freeze instantly, with their expressions completely stiff on their faces.

The sand rats are timid and easily frightened into seizures or sudden heart attacks. Encountering a creature that overwhelms them, their legs turn to jelly quickly.

They belong to those cowardly guys who love to sneak around doing bad things.

The Black Jungle Cat Sheriff cast a glance over, making the little sand rats tremble in fear.

The Black Jungle Cat directly lifted up the Sand Rat Boss by the tail:

[Your sand rat family are repeat offenders. If I leave, you’ll dare to do it again. Just perfect, I haven’t had dinner yet today…]

Suspended in the air, the Sand Rat Boss was flailing its two short legs. With its paws resting on its chest, it timidly made a gesture of supplication: [Great King, spare us. We were merely joking with this little ear fox friend here, with no ill intention.]

The other sand rats were so scared their legs went weak, they couldn’t even run away.

[Spare us, please, we know we were wrong!]

[Life is not easy, we just moved to a new home and our storehouse is still empty. We wanted to invite the Little Fox over to help us find some food and maybe pay us a visit as well.]

[How could we sand rats harbor any ill intentions?]

Hearing the excuses of these little sand rats, Xu Ying couldn’t help but grin, realizing that sand rats are indeed smart creatures, adept at making excuses and even knowing how to win sympathy.

Upon hearing them say they just moved to a new home, Xu Ying’s eyes glimmered with thought.

Different from city rats, sand rats love cleanliness, often washing their faces with their paws for half an hour, and their homes are also well-kept, each burrow system equipped with entrances (doors), passageways (corridors), storage rooms, toilets, blind holes (emergency exits), and nests (bedrooms)…

Each burrow system generally has 5 to 6 entrances, and some have more than 30, forming a burrow community, practically an underground villa.

Xu Ying fished out half a piece of compressed biscuit from her pocket, crumbled it, and sprinkled a small portion in front of the sand rats: “Little rats, I have something I want to ask you about.”

The compressed biscuit was sesame-flavored, so delicious.

The sand rats living in the desert had never smelled such a delicacy, gulping eagerly.

Xu Ying coaxingly said: “If you can help, I can help fill up your new home’s storehouse.”

Sand rats love to hoard; a burrow system can store about 30 kilograms of food, enough to feed an adult for about a month, and enough for them to eat for two to three months.

Though it lasts only two to three months, the lifespan of a sand rat is just two to three years.

So stocking up on food is a major project for sand rats. Now that Xu Ying offers to help, it’s like pie falling from the sky for the rats!

The Sand Rat Boss widened its eyes: [Really?]

Xu Ying patted her chest: “Really, I am the station master of the rescue station. How could I fool you? If you need me, just come to the 032 Rescue Station to find me.”

Xu Ying informed the sand rats of the route to 032.

“However, the premise is that you are able to help us find some clues.”

The sand rat closest to the crumbled pieces stretched out its little paw, wanting to grab a piece. The Black Jungle Cat touched its back with a tail, making it instantly freeze, not daring to move.

[Director Xu hasn’t finished talking yet.]

The Black Jungle Cat signaled the sand rats to listen to Xu Ying.

[Sorry, too greedy.]

The little sand rat immediately stood up straight.

Once released by the Black Jungle Cat, the Sand Rat Boss assumed a fawning attitude towards Xu Ying, the big benefactor: [Dear leader, what do you need us to do?]

“Mobilize your family members, both near and far, to help us find the suspicious people and the sand cat.”

“These two suspicious people, one tall and one short, and the short one walks pigeon-toed.”

While Xu Ying communicated these details to the little sand rats, Fox Xiao Wu mimed alongside them, acting out the pigeon-toed gait to help the sand rats understand, looking funny and adorable.

“Here’s the pattern of their shoe prints, take a good look.”

Xu Ying showed the photo on her phone to the sand rats. The rescue station didn’t have a printer, so she hand-drew a shoe print pattern and handed it to the Sand Rat Boss.

“Also, a mother of a litter of little ear foxes near me is missing. If you can help find clues, the next quarter’s stockpiling of your warehouse is on me!”

The Sand Rat Boss’ eyes sparkled hearing this, dragging the paper bigger than its body while waving its little fists: [Brothers and sisters! For our food, let’s take action!]

[Charge!]

[Hold a family meeting immediately! Mobilize all our strength!]

Listening to the Sand Rat Boss cheerleading, Xu Ying found the scene quite spirited.

“Squeak squeak squeak——”

All six sand rats echoed in agreement, then proceeded to move the crumbs of the compressed biscuit back to their nest to prepare for a meeting.

Fearing the scheming little rats might renege, Xu Ying and her group followed, ensuring the location and the various exits of the sand rat burrow were clear.

The sand rat burrow was divided into temporary emergency burrows and residential burrows. The complex-structured burrow they located was a residential one, requiring careful selection and excavation, not to be lightly abandoned.

After posting the “Find the Cat” notice for most of the day, the night had deepened with the temperature in the desert dropping.

Once the cooperation was confirmed, Xu Ying called back the other four ear fox cubs and returned to the rescue station together with the Black Jungle Cat.

Xu Ying had sent a message to Ning Zexi when setting off, saying she had returned to the 032 Rescue Station.

Now she received Ning Zexi’s reply, who, upon learning the ear fox cubs were fed shortly after he left, didn’t rush back, choosing to stock up on supplies in town and asking Xu Ying if she needed anything brought back, given it isn’t easy making a trip to town.

Xu Ying listed a long shopping list and sent a large red packet with most of yesterday’s live stream earnings to Ning Zexi, acknowledging his indispensable role in her and the fox cubs’ success.

Afterward, Xu Ying used an electric rod to heat some water, freshened up, and crawled into her sleeping bag.

One had to admit that tonight’s lodging conditions paled in comparison to the luxurious “Bear Bed” from the night before.

The remaining metal bed was hard, yet the sleeping bag was fairly warm, though her exposed cheeks and part of her neck felt chilly.

Xu Ying curled up, trying hard to ball herself up: “Wow, the desert nights are really quite cold!”

[Sister! Are you cold?]

The little foxes, hearing Xu Ying’s exclamation, rubbed their paws on the damp cloth on the table, then one after another jumped onto the sleeping bag, snuggling beside Xu Ying’s cheeks and neck, covering the parts of Xu Ying’s body exposed from the sleeping bag with their fluffy tails.

This was the real deal of fox fur! So warm!

Xu Ying instantly didn’t feel cold anymore, breathing in the milky fragrance from the little fox cubs, smiling with happiness as she peacefully slipped into slumber.

Had a wonderful dream.

The next morning, before the break of dawn,

Xu Ying was awakened by the successive squeaks in the room.

Rubbing her bleary eyes open, Xu Ying was greeted by the sight of the room full of little sand rats welcoming her with a “good morning,” nearly causing Xu Ying to faint with a roll of her eyes!

The Sand Rat Boss hopped onto Xu Ying’s bedside, loudly calling out like an alarm clock:

[Director Xu, wake up quick!]

[We’ve found the whereabouts of the sand cat, it has been captured by a group of spies.]

What! Spies?

And a group at that?

Xu Ying’s drowsy eyes immediately widened like copper bells, wasn’t this a walking 500,000 bounty!

***

A little tip.

Foxes don’t inherently have any body odor or so-called ’fox smell’, however, in case of nervousness or extreme fright, foxes’ anal glands release an unpleasant odor as a defense mechanism.

Our little ear foxes are fragrant babies~

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep