Chapter 231: Chapter 230: Rapid Response, Rapid Wrap-up

The wild horse squad charged out from behind the sand dunes on both sides, surrounding them completely.

Xu Ying reined in her horse, tapping her toe lightly against its side. The wild horse immediately reared up, its front hooves drawing a dangerous arc in the air.

She looked down at the poachers from above, the morning light sketching a sharp silhouette behind her.

And behind Xu Ying were raptors and a herd of wild horses, exuding the aura of someone who had charged out from a vast army!

“Hey, hand over the lizards.”

Xu Ying’s voice was not loud, but it made the three burly men shiver with fear.

One of them tried to resist, but a falcon suddenly swooped down, its sharp claws brushing past his scalp, scaring him so much that he sat down on the ground.

The leader turned pale as ash, trembling as he pointed to the box tied to the back of the motorcycle: “In the box.”

Xu Ying dismounted, her boots making a dull sound on the sandy ground. With every step she took forward, the three poachers collectively stepped back half a step, like mice seeing a cat.

To these men, this 1.6-meter-tall girl was now more terrifying than a pack of wolves in the desert—after all, wolves couldn’t command raptors and herds of horses.

“Bring it over to me!” Xu

Ying extended her hand, her almond eyes wide open.

The lead poacher jumped up like a dog with its tail stepped on, nervously retrieving the iron cage from the motorcycle’s rear seat, holding it with shaking arms in front of Xu Ying.

The baby lizard inside the iron cage let out a weak cry upon seeing Xu Ying.

Xu Ying didn’t take it; instead, she squinted her eyes: “Not just these, what about the lizards caught last week?”

Sweat dripped from the leader’s forehead, splashing onto the sand: “Those…those were all…all sold…”

“What?!”

Xu Ying’s voice suddenly rose by eight degrees, startling the nearby raptors to all lift their heads. A dozen pairs of sharp eyes locked onto the poachers, scaring the leader so much his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground with a thud.

“I can track them! Spare me, ma’am!”

He fumbled to take out a phone, “I’ll call them right away to return them!”

The two underlings beside him were already prostrated on the ground, wishing they could bury themselves in the sand.

“And who is the buyer?!” Xu Ying placed her hands on her hips, fierce and domineering, with her entourage backing her up, she looked like the little tyrant of the desert.

“It…it’s…”

“I want to catch the buyer, too!” She kicked the motorcycle beside her, her boot making a loud clang, “You must cooperate!”

“We’ll cooperate, cooperate!”

The three men nodded vigorously under Xu Ying and her “underlings’” death stares, looking like three quails being watched by eagles.

Sirens approached from afar, and three off-road vehicles kicked up waves of sand. The lead vehicle came to a steady stop, the door opened, and a pair of shiny police boots stepped onto the sand.

Chen Su removed his sunglasses, revealing a handsome face with sharp features.

The morning light highlighted his straight nose and clean-cut jawline, his police uniform shirt buttoned meticulously to the top, sleeves neatly rolled to the forearm, revealing his well-defined wrists.

His gaze swept over the scene, calm and piercing, but softened slightly upon seeing Xu Ying.

“Little Xu Station Chief.” His voice was as clear as a spring, with a barely noticeable hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth, “Looks like we’re late. You’ve taken care of these bad guys already.”

Seeing Chen Su arrive, Xu Ying breathed a sigh of relief.

The three poachers also inexplicably relaxed upon seeing the police, at least these officers seemed more polite and civilized than the fierce woman before them.

Xu Ying ran over to Chen Su in a few quick strides, her hair tips still dusted with fine sand: “Not late at all!”

She looked up, the morning light dancing on her eyelashes, “These guys have a buyer gang behind them, we need you all to track them down!”

“The lizard group at my rescue station is eager to reunite with their companions and children!”

Chen Su’s gaze swept over Xu Ying’s sun-reddened cheeks, he discreetly moved half a step to her side, just enough to shield her from the glaring sunlight: “I’ll personally oversee the lizard case, ensuring Little Xu Station Chief doesn’t wait too long.”

Noticing her slightly dry lips, he retrieved a bottle of chilled sea buckthorn juice from his thermo bag, condensation clinging to the bottle: “Brought from the station, refreshing.”

“Wow, just what I need! Chasing these guys, I haven’t had a sip of water!”

Xu Ying excitedly took it, their fingers brushing lightly, Chen Su retracted his hand, his earlobes slightly red.

Xu Ying unscrewed the cap and took a few gulps, satisfied, she squinted her eyes.

The other officers looked on in disbelief as their usually stern captain unobtrusively blocked the sun for the young girl and thoughtfully brought her a drink, jaws nearly dropping.

Xu Ying shook the bottle in her hand, suddenly remembering: “Oh right! Among the sold lizards, there’s a baby night lizard. This type of lizard…”

— “Viviparous, nocturnal, with very high habitat requirements. When we retrieve it, we’ll use a thermal box and ensure it’s in the dark…”

Chen Su smoothly continued, explaining to Xu Ying’s surprised gaze, “I watched the latest episode of the rescue station observation notes you posted on the video platform.”

Xu Ying smiled with her eyes curved, patting his shoulder in praise: “I give you a hundred on this assignment!”

“Then I’ll leave it to Captain Chen!”

— “It’s my duty, happy to serve you.”

Chen Su nodded slightly, the curve of his lips deepening imperceptibly.

When he turned, the hem of his police uniform drew a neat arc, his voice returning to its cold, business-like tone: “Squad one, secure and interrogate the suspects; squad two, contact the forestry bureau to trace the stolen goods.”

The officers swiftly took action, the clinking of handcuffs especially crisp in the desert morning light.

Chen Su stood beside the off-road vehicle, his long fingers tapping lightly on the case file, the desert’s morning light casting a faint golden glow on his chiseled profile.

Out of the corner of his eye, through the fluttering police uniform, he involuntarily followed the petite figure—not far away, Xu Ying was crouched on the sand, carefully checking on the rescued lizards, her hair tips swaying gently with her movements, glinting a soft chestnut in the sunlight.

“Captain Chen, everything’s ready, we can wrap up now.”

His subordinate, Kong Cheng’s voice suddenly emerged from behind, startling Chen Su’s fingers into a pause.

Kong Cheng had somehow sidled up, grinning, “Little Xu Station Chief’s work efficiency is stellar, we arrived just in time to catch the leftovers, like sitting and waiting for the rabbit. Lightning-fast response, lightning-fast wrap-up.”

Chen Su lowered his gaze, quietly closing the case file.

He watched as Xu Ying lifted a lizard, her nose slightly wrinkled, and suddenly felt this mission ended too quickly.

Usually, he’d think the faster the case was resolved, the better, but now he inexplicably wished time would slow down a bit.

“Who wouldn’t agree?”

He replied softly, his voice so light it was almost blown away by the desert wind.

His slender fingers absently caressed the edge of the file, where a pamphlet from the rescue station—stuffed into his hands by Xu Ying last time—was tucked away.

Kong Cheng, keenly aware that their captain was unusually quiet today, followed his line of sight and saw Xu Ying standing up and dusting off sand from her pants.

His eyes twinkled with understanding, “Right, Captain Chen, about…tracking down the buyer, should I coordinate directly with Little Xu Station Chief?”

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