this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!
dedicated to sam who donated on ko-fi and reminded me of this series QAQ this 11k chapter is for u !
Perhaps it was because Ling Yue had previous knowledge that a murder had once occurred here, but even with the bright sunlight pouring in from outside, she still felt as if pairs of eyes were watching her from the shadowy corners of the house.
She felt a sudden chill make her back clammy with sweat.
The more things seemed like this, the calmer Ling Yue became. After all, her formidable fighting skills gave her a sense of security, while her keen sense of smell would alert her to other dangers too.
Her gaze lingered on those dark corners, but in the eyes of the Black Cat Queen, she seemed to think she was frightened.
She licked her paw, “Are you scared now?”
Before Ling Yue could respond, she had already taken the initiative to walk in. Her entire body was pitch black, and once inside, she blended seamlessly with the house, like a drop of water merging back into the sea.
Ling Yue smiled slightly, walking over to the heavy floor-to-ceiling curtains. She sniffed lightly, her eyes filled with understanding, “Why would I be scared?”
Just then, the curtains in the room fluttered without wind.
A sharp cry followed, and the curtains swayed wildly as if possessed.
But Ling Yue swiftly pulled the curtains open, and golden sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling window. She looked down at the pile of fluffy, palm-sized kittens huddled together, the sunlight casting them in a vibrant oil painting.
“Meow meow meow~~”
“T-Take my cat punch!”
The kittens, not even a month old yet, stumbled around as they tried to attack the human, only to tire themselves out and topple over.
In the dark corners of the room, large cats soon appeared: elegant and beautiful calicos, dignified and steady orange tabbies, and bicolor cats resembling huskies.
Ling Yue: “…”
Did she just… stumble into a cat den?
The cats in the villa were quite surprised by the arrival of a human, though it seemed the Black Cat Queen had already informed them. Although the mother cats dared not approach, the kittens were quite unrestrained in their actions.
Ling Yue casually pulled up a chair to sit down, surrounded by the soft and cuddly kittens at her feet. She surveyed the house and found it had been kept very clean, with the various furniture and decorations still looking brand new, though some of the decor seemed outdated by today’s standards.
As for the initial bit of dust, it should have been done deliberately as a protective disguise by the cats; in reality, the place was spotless.
Ling Yue: “So clean.”
The Black Cat Queen snorted coldly: “Do you think I’m one of those filthy, stinky dogs? Under my command, these cats don’t just stay here for free; they have to clean up to pay rent.”
“Who dares to dirty my house—” Before it could finish, the kittens had already shrunk back in fear.
Ling Yue fell silent for a moment, truly unable to imagine what that scene would look like.
Suddenly, her pant leg was tugged down, and when she looked down, she found a little calico cat biting her pants, meowing in a language she couldn’t understand.
There were also a few other small ones trying hard to climb up, the circle of soft, tiny cats meowing delicately. Ling Yue was overwhelmed by the fluffiness and found herself at a loss for what to do.
A somewhat scruffy calico cat suddenly jumped out: “Xing Xing, come back quickly!”
The little calico cat stumbled before rolling over to its mother’s feet.
The calico mother met the gaze of the Black Cat Queen and heard her big boss point at her and say, “Tiao Tiao is the calico who witnessed the murder. So many years have passed, and she has already had several litters. You can ask her anything.”
The calico cat’s body stiffened.
Ling Yue looked at the cats on the round table; even with their scruffy appearance, they exuded an elegance from within.
With a pop, she opened a can of meat, and the aroma wafted out, instantly attracting the attention of countless cats.
Ling Yue said, “After you answer my questions, this can will be yours.”
Tiao Tiao licked her paw, squinting her eyes under the envious gazes of her companions: “Go ahead and ask.”
Ling Yue didn’t have many questions, but each one shot straight to the core; she was well-prepared.
“Let’s take it slow. That night, you were the only cat to witness it, right? When did you first notice him in the house? Was it at the start or the end of the murder?”
Tiao Tiao was directly stunned by her interrogation, needing to take a moment to adjust. If it weren’t for the big boss, she really didn’t want to recall such a terrifying event for humans, as it was equally terrifying for cats!
She squatted on the table, her long, fluffy tail wrapping around her paws, and slowly began to recount the events.
Although a cat’s sense of smell is not as strong as a dog’s, it is still much stronger than that of humans, so to be precise—she hadn’t accidentally discovered the scene but had actually been actively drawn in by the smell of blood.
Being a kitten just over a month old, she didn’t make a sound while walking. As soon as she ran out, she saw her owner lying motionless on the ground, the tiles covered in human blood, and a man in black crouching on the floor.
He was wrapped up tightly, like a motionless stone.
He didn’t notice the kitten’s gaze but looked down at the owner of the villa, his low, hoarse voice somewhat muffled as he interrogated him. The kitten couldn’t remember all the words, only vaguely recalling phrases like “looking for death,” “treasure,” and “hand it over.”
At this point, Ling Yue had already noted down most of it in her notebook, her brow furrowed.
Tiao Tiao continued, “But my master ignored him. I heard a laugh; it was my master’s voice. Then, that human suddenly moved, pressing a knife against my master’s neck!”
She suddenly became agitated as she spoke this sentence.
But how could the naive, young calico cat know? She thought her master was just playing another game with her and stumbled over, meowing sweetly.
The man suddenly stopped and turned his head, his face covered by a black mask. Upon seeing the cat, disgust seemed to overflow from his exposed eyes, “What? There’s another cat?!
“I hate cats the most!
“Damn cat, you’ve ruined everything for me!”
While he was saying this, he walked towards the calico cat, thinking his plans would go smoothly, not knowing that the kitten had already sensed the unfamiliar scent in the air and was on high alert, her fur standing on end!
She jumped and hid in a small crevice, looking up and feeling that the man was tall and thin.
As he approached, she also caught a whiff of a fishy scent from him, the kind that came from the seafood that cats love, the smell concentrating the most in his pockets and hands.
“…I hid for a while, then heard a creak, knowing it was the big boss coming back through the front door. The man was startled too, and when I peeked out again, he had already disappeared.
“That’s all I know. Is that okay?”
Ling Yue nodded, looking at her notebook filled with notes, where she had neatly written down four key points:
1. The murderer is a tall and thin man.
2. He hates cats.
3. The fishy smell at the crime scene came from his pockets, but why would someone who hates cats carry the seafood that cats love?
4. He might have killed to seize treasure. (Though he failed.)
Ling Yue reviewed everything again, but then suddenly heard the sound of Queen’s sharp cry. It wasn’t just her who had heard the whole process; Queen had also been replaying it in her mind.
The black cat’s fur stood on end, seemingly in an extremely agitated state: “How did I not realize this sooner!”
Ling Yue thought she had recalled some clue, but before she had time to ask, the Black Cat Queen had already scratched the wall with a paw, leaving terrifying claw marks on the light-colored wallpaper: “He could still be saved! Master could still be saved! Why didn’t I come home sooner?”
The treasure hunting mouse, who had been quiet all along, fearlessly crawled out. Even under the gaze of more than ten large cats, it still boldly walked towards the Black Cat Queen: “Wife, if you’re unhappy, just lick me, okay QAQ.”
The deranged Black Cat Queen stared at it, her anger mixing with hunger, but at that moment, the treasure hunting mouse’s intelligence seemed to drop: “I heard that cats love the taurine in mice…”
It trembled, unable to complete even a single sentence. The sight of it, clearly terrified yet still standing out, was truly comical and ridiculous.
But Ling Yue couldn’t bring herself to laugh at all. She said to the Black Cat Queen, “Don’t worry, I think I’ve pieced together some clues.”
The Black Cat Queen leaped up, landing lightly on the table, looking down at the treasure hunting mouse: “Stinky mouse, who would want to eat you? You smell terrible!”
Then she turned to Ling Yue with a gentler gaze: “I lost control just now. I won’t do it again.”
Ling Yue nodded, not expecting her to voluntarily provide information: “I lost control just now because I remembered something. Master had many injuries, but none of them were fatal. I overheard the forensic doctor say that the cause of death was shock from excessive blood loss.”
She lowered her head in disappointment, the entire demeanor of the cat appearing very dejected: “So I feel very guilty. If I had come back earlier that day, would Master not have had to die?”
Suddenly, it stiffened all over.
A soft female voice came from above, “But now those things have passed, and what we need to do now is find the murderer who harmed your master!
“The sky may fall, but a little cat shouldn’t bear the brunt of it; after all, I’m here too.”
As she spoke, she withdrew her hand that had been kneading the cat’s head, lowered her body, and opened her arms: “Here, cuddles are free today. Want one?”
An indescribable warmth flowed from the cat’s limbs to her heart. The Black Cat Queen raised her chin proudly and snorted coldly, “Who needs it! Don’t you know I’m the Queen?!”
But in the next moment, she was held in the human’s arms. Her body was extremely stiff, the familiar scent wrapping her like soft cotton soaked in sunlight.
Ling Yue sighed as she looked down: “But I need it.
“Please have pity on me, Your Majesty.”
Only when Ling Yue released her grip did the Black Cat Queen leap onto the cabinet, reverting to her previous aloof demeanor. When she saw Ling Yue looking over, her tone was particularly harsh: “What are you looking at? This doesn’t mean that you’re my master now! That was just an accident, and you’re not allowed to touch me so casually again!”
Ling Yue nodded, picked up the notebook placed on the table, and prepared to leave.
The cats stationed in the big villa seemed to sense something, all poking their heads out.
“Is she leaving? Am I not cute enough?” The slightly larger orange cat tilted its head.
“When will she come back? I still want to eat… meat.” The little kitten curled its tongue and licked its pink nose.
Not to mention the little kittens, even the big cats recalled the taste of the meat cans they had just eaten, their eyes sparkling as they involuntarily licked their paws: “I heard the big boss say that this is the new owner of the house and that she’ll be living here from now on.”
“Great! Does that mean there will be tons and tons of meat cans!”
Ling Yue seemed to sense something. She looked back from the car and, good heavens, behind the villa’s floor-to-ceiling curtains, cats of all sizes were awkwardly pressed against the glass, like stuffed cat plushies in a window display—just one glance could melt your heart.
When she finally arrived at the agreed location, the zookeeper, Xiao Liu, was almost overwhelmed from the heat.
Ling Yue’s pet shop was closed, with only a small section of awning in front. Xiao Liu, tall and robust, had been afraid of missing this opportunity, so he had been waiting at the door this whole time.
In the scorching heat, even the asphalt road seemed to be almost boiling over, let alone people.
Just as Xiao Liu felt he was about to be baked into a dried corpse, he felt a patch of cool shade over him, and the drowsy Xiao Liu instinctively looked up.
Ling Yue looked down at him from above, puzzled, “Why are you waiting here? You could have just called to let me know.”
Xiao Liu: “…”
That’s right, how had he forgotten that he could contact her by phone?
Anyone overhearing this would surely have no choice but to call him an idiot.
*
At the zoo.
After not seeing it for a while, Ling Yue was astonished to find that the zoo had fallen to such a state.
Even on a weekday, there shouldn’t be so few visitors; it was too empty. To exaggerate, there were more animals in the park than people, a complete contrast to the previously bustling place.
Xiao Liu was so embarrassed he could barely lift his face. He was fully aware of the exact situation. It was still because of Zhao Fang. Who knew how he could still pull off such idiotic operations, yet wanted to hide the facts, offending people in the process!
During this time, not only was the government’s constant investigation affecting business, but even netizens were no longer buying it, launching a boycott online, causing the zoo’s business to plummet even more. This was the current situation, and if things didn’t change soon, the zoo probably wouldn’t be able to continue operating much longer.
On the surface, Xiao Liu still said respectfully, “Miss Ling, I’ll take you to the area where the incident occurred.”
Ling Yue frowned, retracting her gaze, but ultimately said nothing.
A voice suddenly rang out from behind her, “Xiao Liu, why are you wandering around during work hours instead of staying at Tiger Mountain? You’ll be the one held responsible if something happens!”
It was another face familiar to Ling Yue: Zhao Fang.
Ling Yue glanced at his haggard old face with disgust. He had lost quite a bit of weight, probably due to the stress of recent days.
Ugh, the more she thought about it, the more nauseating it became. She quickly stopped, having no desire for continued interaction. She had already severed all ties with the zoo when she settled her wages.
But Zhao Fang spotted her at a glance.
His face revealed a deep-seated hatred, and he mistakenly thought she had come to him out of desperation, causing him to immediately burst with anger, “What? Feeling hopeless now that you’re hitting walls and dead ends out there, and now you want to beg me to let you come back?
“Well don’t even think about it!”
Before he could finish his insults, Ling Yue had already slapped him: “Shut your filthy mouth!”
She looked at Xiao Liu: “Is this how you treat your guests? I have other things to do, so I’ll be leaving now.”
“No! Please!”
Seeing the situation take a turn for the worse, Xiao Liu was dumbfounded. The hard-won savior he had searched for was being driven away by his idiotic boss!
He was almost begging her not to leave, hurriedly explaining, “Director, what nonsense are you talking about? Ling Yue is the expert we’ve invited to our zoo! You might be busy with the zoo’s affairs so you’re naturally not aware, but she’s become a sensation in the capital’s pet industry—there isn’t anyone who doesn’t know of her now!”
Zhao Fang pressed a hand to his face in shock. Ling Yue truly hadn’t shown him any mercy with the slap she had given him, and as he watched his face swell up, instead of feeling angry, a chill shot straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
He had heard of the Capital’s most popular pet master, but at the time, he hadn’t paid much attention to it. Who would have thought it was Ling Yue!
It felt like he had swallowed a mouthful of bittermelon, so bitter it almost brought tears to his eyes.
He stammered, wanting to argue that it might not be true.
But Xiao Liu was almost dying from the anxiety, “Director, have you forgotten about Tuan Tuan from our zoo? Are you that eager to go to jail?!”
Zhao Fang suddenly jolted to his senses, “Ling Yue, don’t go! Please don’t go!”
“I’ll pay you double! Can you please overlook my past mistakes and spare me this once!?” He said, slapping his face repeated, his despicable demeanor hard to look at.
But Ling Yue knew that this person was inherently sycophantic, willingly degrading himself! So what if he had to slap himself in the face? As long as there was profit to be made, he could even kneel if necessary.
She turned to Xiao Liu and asked, “Where is the area with the troubled animals? Take me there.”
Xiao Liu was so embarrassed that he could’ve almost dug a Disneyland out of the ground with his toes. Upon hearing this, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning: “Right away, right away!”
Originally, Zoo Director Zhao Fang was supposed to join them, but after the earlier embarrassment, he didn’t even dare to let out another peep and firmly decided not to go along with them.
As they walked there, Xiao Liu began explaining the situation to Ling Yue, who now understood that two animals in the zoo were sick.
What she didn’t know was that for the current zoo, these two were the very lifeblood of their establishment! This was also the fundamental reason why Zhao Fang’s attitude had made a complete turnaround after learning about her identity.
Ling Yue didn’t expect to find herself back at Tiger Mountain after all this time.
Compared to last time, the security had been significantly reinforced. Under the rockery lay several large tigers. Ling Yue counted and asked, “How come there’s another one?”
Her keen observation skills allowed her to remember the characteristics of the tigers clearly, even though she had only seen them briefly not long ago.
The additional male tiger had slightly darker orange fur, and the patterns on its skull were quite messy, forming a crooked “king” character.
At that moment, it was swishing its tail near the iron bars, occasionally roaring in a certain direction, contrasting sharply with the behavior of the three lazy tigers lying at the bottom of Tiger Mountain.
Xiao Liu introduced with a worried expression, “The one causing the trouble is precisely that one, named Zhuang Zhuang!
“This tiger was borrowed from another zoo at a high price. Previously, he was kept with a female tiger next door for breeding. After they had cubs, he was moved back, but unexpectedly, he ended up like this. He hasn’t eaten much in the past few days and just howls at the moon every night. If it weren’t for his large size, I would have thought he was actually a wolf!
“He’s losing weight every day, and if he starves to death in our zoo, we’ll go bankrupt!” In truth, he didn’t really care about whether the zoo went bankrupt or not. The key was that if it went bankrupt, there would be no money to pay the employee’s salaries!
“So can you tell what’s going on?” Xiao Liu asked cautiously, using honorifics.
Before Ling Yue could respond, the tiger roared again.
“Roar! Roar!”
“Cuihua! Cuihua! My1 wife Cuihua!”
At that moment, another tiger suddenly began to roar urgently from the other side of the wall as well. The two tigers roared at each other despite not being able to see each other, with just the noises they were making causing ordinary people to feel uneasy upon listening.
Ling Yue listened for a moment and almost laughed out loud. Her deliberately serious expression made Xiao Liu panic: “Is it something serious?
“These two tigers go at it every day, as if they’re about to start fighting at any moment now. But at the very least, they used to be a couple.”
He complained, and suddenly, the big tiger slapped his paw against the concrete wall, leaving deep, fierce claw marks: “My wife, my cubs, I want to go home! Let me go home!”
The other female tiger also roared from behind the wall: “Husband, you need to find a way to come back! I can’t take care of the cubs anymore! They’re about to fly up to the sky!
“Shut up, little cub, or I’ll bite you!”
“Wife, be gentle! That’s my cub! Wahhhh, when can I go back?” As he spoke, Zhuang Zhuang’s large tiger eyes blinked, and a few drops of tears were actually squeezed out.
“Ah, just shut up; you’re driving me crazy!”
The tigers lying at the bottom of Tiger Mountain couldn’t take it anymore, raising their paws to cover their ears: “So damn annoying! Who let this good-for-nothing in here? Every day, all he talks about is his wife and cubs! What have we single tigers done to offend you?! Is there no justice left in this world?!”
“Big brother, it’s so noisy. When will he go back?” A slightly smaller tiger rubbed its eyes, clearly just waking up.
“Yeah, hurry up and send this jerk back. You sissy tiger, you’re an embarrassment us male tigers!”
In an instant, Tiger Mountain erupted into a grand chorus of roars.
Xiao Liu’s face stiffened with anxiety. Oh no, are they just going to start brawling now?
He looked at Ling Yue for help.
Ling Yue had already understood the situation. Under Xiao Liu’s eager gaze, she made a gesture for him to calm down: “I think I’ve found the problem. As long as we solve this, the tiger will be fine. However, let’s first address the immediate situation.”
Xiao Liu stared at her in disbelief, astonished and amazed. He had seen video clips of Ling Yue on his phone, and the only word to describe her was: miraculous!
Now the whole internet knew she was incredibly popular, with probably only Ling Yue herself being unaware.
Xiao Liu couldn’t help but ask, “What do you mean? I’ll do whatever you say!”
Ling Yue smiled slightly, “Let it go back.”
Ignoring the stiff-faced zookeeper, she walked to the edge of the enclosure where the tigers were gathered. Ling Yue said, “If you keep making a racket, Zhuang Zhuang won’t be able to go back and will be stuck here with you all forever.”
“Don’t! I was wrong! Hurry up and send it away!” The lead tiger suddenly froze, its eyes wide as saucers: “Damn, it’s you!”
Ling Yue waved at it: “Long time no see.”
This was indeed the Northeast tiger that she had once tranquilized with a gun.
The tiger quickly reacted: “Wait, you can understand me?!”
Ling Yue explained, emphasizing her purpose for coming, and the tigers listened in shock. Once they understood, they all cheered: “Hurry and send it away! He’s taking this tiger’s life! He can’t live without his wife and cubs!”
Ling Yue snapped her fingers: “Of course.”
She had the tigers call Zhuang Zhuang over, looked at it intently, and suddenly her eyes lit up. Under Zhuang Zhuang’s profile, there was actually a wish: a warm home with his wife and cubs!
Ling Yue’s eyes curved into a smile. Well, wasn’t this task delivered right to her door?
When the system asked her if she accepted, Ling Yue decisively accepted. The reward left her astonished: it was the Animal King’s aura!
And Zhuang Zhuang, hearing that he could go back, leaped several times, almost rushing to Ling Yue’s, his eyes filled with urgency.
The spirited appearance startled zookeeper Xiao Liu, who heard Ling Yue’s voice say, “Is it mealtime yet? Bring today’s food over and see if it eats.”
Xiao Liu was skeptical, but after seeing the tiger devour its food, he was completely convinced and gave Ling Yue a thumbs up, “I’ll call someone to take the tiger back right away. Do you want to stay here and watch?”
Ling Yue decisively shook her head. She had worked at the zoo before and knew how troublesome the process could be, so she directly moved on to the next one.
The tigers at Tiger Mountain were so moved that they were on the verge of tears. Hearing Zhuang Zhuang’s excited shouts, they exclaimed, “Damn, he’s finally gone. I’m almost traumatized; just hearing the word ‘wife’ now gives me a headache!
“I think I’ll just stay single as a tiger from now on; it’s quite nice.”
Ling Yue stumbled slightly. Was it really that bad? Even the tiger was scared into being single.
Xiao Liu was startled: “Are you okay? We’re almost at the panda exhibit.”
Pandas!
Was their national treasure in trouble?
Although the panda exhibit was a venue, it was quite large, featuring a grove and various small structures. Currently, there is only one panda residing there. Before Ling Yue resigned, she had heard Zhao Fang talk about plans to introduce two more giant pandas this year, though now it seemed completely hopeless.
And now, the only remaining one was also having issues.
Since Xiao Liu had been the one to recommend her, he naturally knew the panda’s information and introduced it alongside the round-faced young female zookeeper, “His name is Tuan Tuan, he’s four and a half years old, still not an adult, but his condition is very poor right now. He’s not eating or moving. We called the doctor immediately to check, but there’s nothing wrong. He just won’t eat or drink, lying down all day.”
Ling Yue listened and decisively pulled up Tuan Tuan’s exclusive panel.
[Species: Giant Panda]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: Four and a half years]
[Personality: Depressed, irritable, melancholic]
[Skills: Climbing trees, swimming]
[Wish: ???]
This wasn’t the first time Ling Yue encountered a wish column filled with question marks. She recalled the first time, it was Da Hei, who hadn’t yet determined his wish. The second time was with the panda Tuan Tuan.
Because giant pandas are naturally gentle, and with the zookeeper nearby, the situation was different from the tiger enclosure, and Ling Yue could observe it up close.
Tuan Tuan truly lived up to its name, looking adorably cute, with two little semi-circular ears, the snow-white and jet-black colors distinctly separated as clearly as the Chu River and Han Border.
The panda’s “smoky eye” makeup made its eyes big and round, sparkling like black glass beads: “What are you looking at? Never seen a giant panda before? How boring.
“What’s the point? Living is such a hassle!”
Everyone watched as the giant panda, which had been lying down, sat up because of the strangers, only to suddenly flop back down.
A salted fish2.
Ling Yue could only use this term to describe it.
She was somewhat uncertain if Tuan Tuan was truly as she guessed, so she had the zookeeper Xiao Yuan bring over a bowl of milk. The fragrant smell made Tuan Tuan move its paw, and Xiao Yuan’s eyes instantly lit up: “It moved!”
In the next moment, the panda Tuan Tuan flopped down again.
“Forget it, I don’t want to move; I might as well starve to death.”
The zookeeper withdrew her gaze in disappointment, and the atmosphere instantly became heavy. Only Ling Yue, having finally confirmed her suspicion, said confidently, “He’s not sick, he’s mentally ill!”
Ling Yue pointed at the pile of fruits next to the panda: “You’ve spoiled him too much, and without any competition from his kind, Tuan Tuan has become depressed and lazy. Now he thinks everything is meaningless and is preparing to starve himself to death.”
Xiao Liu was taken aback, panicking: “T-Then what should we do?”
Ling Yue heard the system’s prompt sound, a signal showing she had now obtained the Animal King’s aura and smiled slightly, “What to do? Get it moving!”
Tigers should pose a significant threat to pandas, especially with her system’s enhanced aura.
Ling Yue had all its food taken away, leaving only bare tree stumps. She said to the panda Tuan Tuan, “Do you want to starve yourself?”
Tuan Tuan looked at her in surprise, perhaps not taking it to heart. He wasn’t surprised that Ling Yue could understand animal language. Instead, he lazily patted his belly, “Yeah, life these days is so tasteless. What’s so good about living?”
Ling Yue: “Then let me help you. I guarantee your wish will come true, and it’ll be much faster than starving to death.”
The panda Tuan Tuan looked at her in astonishment. In an instant, the Animal King aura fully activated. As an underage panda, facing the pressure of a powerful predator for the first time made him feel breathless, fear rising alongside Ling Yue’s description.
“Panda skin, panda meat, don’t you know that humans eat everything? Even if you are a panda.”
Tuan Tuan’s eyes widened in terror as he kept retreating: “W-What are you talking about?”
Ling Yue: “Alright, I’m just talking nonsense. After all, you’re a national treasure, so even if you die, a master taxidermist will turn you into a specimen for exhibition, ensuring you look exactly the same as when you were alive.”
The panda Tuan Tuan swiped at her: “Y-You, get lost!”
Ling Yue swayed to dodge but suddenly stopped because she realized Tuan Tuan couldn’t actually land a swipe on her. Under the powerful Animal King aura, all animals would succumb to their instinctive fear.
She looked down at Tuan Tuan, who was hugging himself, his massive body trembling: “Don’t eat me! I don’t want to be a specimen! I want to live!”
Ling Yue: First dose of treatment, success.
But it wasn’t over yet, as it had only merely stirred Tuan Tuan’s emotions.
Ling Yue bent down, stroking the panda’s soft ears. The other two had been stunned by the earlier turn of events and, once they came to their senses, dared not intervene.
Xiao Liu sighed: “She really is a master!”
Just look at how Ling Yue already tamed the giant panda into obedience despite not having done anything yet. Tuan Tuan was known to be quite endearing when well-behaved, but he was also notoriously troublesome when irritable. Now he was like a little ball of dough, allowing Ling Yue to haphazardly knead and shape its fur.
Tuan Tuan cast a glance at the two zookeepers, letting out a whimper for help, but unfortunately—
Ling Yue cruelly shattered his rosy filter on reality, “They listen to me now, and you have to listen to me too.
“From now on, run laps around the exhibit! I’ll run with you, and no slacking off!”
Panda Tuan Tuan: QAQ
The giant panda, which had long developed a lazy physique, began to drag his heavy body to run. After just two laps, he felt as if there were stars dancing before his eyes. Looking at the great demon king beside him, how come she didn’t seem to be out of breath, and why weren’t her legs shaking?!
He also wanted to make trouble for her, but could Ling Yue, the Great Demon King, be so easily fooled?
“I’m so hungry, someone save me, she’s going to starve the bear to death!”
After running three laps, the exhausted giant panda directly lay down, his stomach rumbling, only to find that the fruits he had previously looked down upon were all gone!
Ling Yue continued to provoke him, “Want to eat something? Didn’t you want to starve yourself? If you keep this up for another two or three days, you’ll get your wish.”
The panda cried out, “Bad person!”
But it was this bad person who suddenly pulled out a big, red apple. Holding it in his paws, he ate with delight, the sweet juice splattering around his mouth, almost to the point where he stuck out his tongue to lick it.
Suddenly, a human voice came from above his head, “Do you want to become strong like me?”
Tuan Tuan was taken aback, looking at the tall figure of the human. Could he really do that?
In fact, he wanted to give up not just because it was spoiled, but mainly because he had no goals. But what kind of panda did he want to be? How strong did he want to be?
At this moment, Ling Yue unleashed her final move.
She let the panda watch the movie “Kung Fu Panda”!
She had long discovered that animals capable of having tasks assigned by the system were quite special, at least in terms of intelligence, far surpassing other animals, each with their own talents, like this one.
Tuan Tuan was very smart; being melancholic was also a form of intelligence because those with low IQs simply couldn’t retain anything in their heads.
It was both cruel yet realistic.
The other two people widened their eyes in disbelief. What the heck, showing a movie to a panda!?
Later, when they saw Ling Yue really pull out a tablet, Panda Tuan Tuan was indeed sitting on the ground watching, and he even seemed to be quite engrossed in it!
Xiao Liu glanced at the sky. The sun wasn’t setting in the west yet, so why did he feel like he was dreaming?
After finishing the movie, Panda Tuan Tuan was now completely different, his big panda eyes sparkling with excitement as he exclaimed, “I want to learn kung fu and become Kung Fu Panda!”
The system prompt sounded:
[Fulfill Tuan Tuan the panda’s wish: to become Kung Fu Panda!]
Accept or reject?
Ling Yue clicked accept without hesitation. She had already made up her mind during the guidance phase. Wasn’t it just Kung Fu Panda? It’s just that… this was Kung Fu Panda!
She turned her head away. When a fish cries, the sea knows—but if I cry, who would know?
Ya Ya, who had just returned, circled above her head, laughing heartily, “You reap what you sow!”
Ling Yue glared at her: So you think your language skills are good, huh?
If Tuan Tuan really succeeded in becoming Kung Fu Panda, that would truly be shocking. Not to mention being the darling of the zoo, it would definitely be one of a kind in the world!
Ling Yue first had it exercise, turning all that fat into muscle, then promised that next time she would bring the sequel of Kung Fu Panda with her, and if Tuan Tuan performed well and worked hard to complete the tasks, she would definitely take it to learn martial arts!
This was a secret conversation between one person and one bear, with even Xiao Liu and the others being left in the dark.
As for how to fulfill her promise, Ling Yue naturally already had it all planned out!
When she left, Tuan Tuan the panda was still drinking from a bowl of milk. Seeing her about to leave, he rushed over. In the astonished gaze of the keepers, it hugged Ling Yue’s thigh: “Wuwuwu, Great Demon King, are you leaving already?”
Ling Yue patted his fur, her voice very low, “Tuan Tuan, drink more milk so you can grow tall and strong, then wait for me to take you to learn kung fu!”
One person and one bear high-fived to seal the promise.
She walked quite a distance but could still hear Tuan Tuan’s sobbing murmurs. Ling Yue pinched her fingertips. To be honest, she didn’t want to leave either. After all, a spoiled panda was just too adorable!
Xiao Liu pondered and said, “Tuan Tuan seems to be very attached to you. If the zoo gets through this crisis, you’re welcome to come and play often.”
Ling Yue smiled, with a meaningful look.
“Growl growl growl!”
“I want revenge! I will have my revenge! Just you wait!
“I am the king of the brown bears!”
A rough voice suddenly echoed in her mind. Ling Yue turned in surprise to see a particularly strong bear among the lazy group of brown bears that was eating.
In the outer part of the bear group, there was a particularly strong bear with a tuft of white fur on its paw. The voice had come from that bear, filled with anger, standing out conspicuously amidst the murmurs of the other gluttonous bears.
This was clearly a bear with great ambitions.
Seeing her stop, Xiao Liu also halted: “Miss Ling, what’s wrong?”
Ling Yue shook her head, “It’s nothing, just looking at the group of brown bears. This one looks quite strong, so why is it positioned so far out?”
In the natural world, the rule was that only the leader could grab the best position and eat the best food!
Xiao Liu said, “That bear over there, it’s silly and foolish. Even when the other bears bully it, it simply doesn’t dare to fight back. It’s simply a disgrace! And this brown bear just looks foolish, but in reality, it’s very brave and fierce; you can’t control it at all!”
He wanted to say more, but the missing Zoo Director Zhao Fang walked over, directly tossing four bundles of red cash at Ling Yue, “This is your pay for today, take it and leave quickly.”
His arrogant demeanor was a complete contrast to his earlier behaviour.
Xiao Liu felt his heart tremble twice, steeling himself to say, “Director, Miss Ling was specially invited by us—”
“Shut up!” Seeing him reminded Zhao Fang of his earlier humiliation and he instantly became furious, “When I’m speaking, you have no right to interrupt! Besides, is there anything wrong with what I said?
“It’s getting late; let’s not waste any more of Miss Ling’s time!”
Ling Yue gave him a deep look, her cold gaze making the smug Zhao Fang’s heart skip a beat, but he quickly calmed down. The borrowed tiger was well-taken care of, and the zoo’s treasure, the giant panda, had already been cured, so what should he be so nervous for?
But despite thinking this way, he still felt a chill running down his back.
Ling Yue turned her head, her gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the brown bear enclosure. With a little guy capable of hiding himself so deeply, this place would eventually turn upside down sooner or later!
Besides, why should she remind him?
“I hope Boss Zhao can always continue to smile this happily!”
Ling Yue sincerely wished him well.
Zhao Fang chuckled. Suddenly, a cawing sound came from above, and he felt something wet fall on his head. When he touched it, his face turned ashen, “Damn beast!”
Ling Yue could still hear the other person’s roar from far away. She glanced at Ya Ya, who was standing in the rearview mirror, and smiled, “Well done!”
Ya Ya puffed out her chest and raised her head, filled with pride: “I didn’t do just that, I also contacted the sparrows around here. I can hire them with just a bit of food. These past few days, I’ve made sure they’ll drop their droppings right on his head every day!
“After all, who told him to bully you!”
Ling Yue laughed, not taking it too seriously since that guy was destined to be like a grasshopper after autumn—unable to jump around much longer.
She tapped the steering wheel: “Since someone’s treating us, we’ll have a feast tonight!”
Ya Ya’s cheerful laughter floated far away with the car.
In the following days, Ling Yue spent half the day running the shop and the other half spending money. After all, what was the point of having savings if she didn’t spend them? Moreover, she wanted more people to know that she was rich now, that way, that particular family would completely fall into her trap.
On a sunny day, Ling Yue headed to the Capital City Cemetery to bury the bones she had discovered in the secret room.
She only knew that the person’s surname was Zhou, and had no clue what his given name was. Holding a bouquet of vibrant flowers, she placed them in front of the grave.
“Mr. Zhou, I think you’d much rather sleep in this lively place over that cold basement. You can wait here and be at ease. Since I’ve been entrusted with this task by others, I’ll do my best to fulfill their trust in me.”
Ling Yue’s gaze swept over the rows of graves, landing below: “I’ll let you witness their end.”
Those events had long been washed away by time, and apart from that letter written with blood, there was no evidence left. Ling Yue had thought about reporting it, but what result would that yield? In those chaotic years, the evidence had likely long since disappeared.
Moreover, based on Ling Yue’s investigation of the surrounding small animals, she had already used one clue after another to finally piece together the truth. However, Mr. Zhou should have been dead for fifty or sixty years, and the direct perpetrators from the Wang family, who benefited the most back then, had long since passed away, possibly having even died peacefully in their beds.
How ridiculous.
When Ling Yue returned home to grab her things, she could still feel the astonished gazes of others, which didn’t surprise her at all.
You see, today Ling Yue had specially dressed up, wearing a rarely seen fitted long dress, her long hair that was as black as raven feathers cascaded down her back, the ends slightly curled. An exquisite sapphire necklace adorned her fair and slender neck, and with a light touch of makeup, every gesture and movement exuded an icy yet elegant charm, stunning everyone.
Aunt Liu watched in awe, “Truly, a girl changes every eighteen years, becoming more beautiful. Ling Yue looks just like a little princess in this outfit.”
Aunt Wang stood on the periphery, wanting to get closer, though she knew her current reputation was quite poor!
She pouted, resentfully thinking: What little princess? Isn’t she just making money from running a shop? Sooner or later, she’ll have to get married! And after getting married, she won’t be a little princess anymore, just a haggard housewife!
Suddenly, she heard something about buying a house, and her ears perked up instantly.
Aunt Liu sighed, “…It’s still that little girl Ling Yue, saying she wants to buy a house and asking me to keep an eye out for her. But where can I find a suitable house in such a short time? She even said any house would do, since she plans to renovate it later. She’s really not picky at all!”
“The requirements are low, but where can you find a house… Oh, isn’t the Wang family…”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Who would want that broken house from the Wang family? Isn’t that just scamming people!?”
Aunt Wang’s eyes darted around, her heart pounding. Oh my, isn’t this just the perfect coincidence! She just so happened to be eager to get rid of that broken house so she could use the money to help her son get promoted!
As for Ling Yue, if that little girl got deceived since she was soft-hearted? Well, what did that have to do with her Wang family? It wasn’t like they had forced her to buy it!
She suddenly stood up and limped back home, preparing to think of a way to trick Ling Yue!
When Aunt Liu saw this, she thought, Oh no, that old woman overheard us.
She made a call, repeatedly reminding Ling Yue to be careful and to remain vigilant around the Wang family!
Ling Yue hung up the phone, her beautiful brows and eyes reflected in the mirror, like a crescent moon.
The Black Cat Queen in the back of the car noticed her good mood and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ling Yue fastened her seatbelt: “After leaving the bait for several days, the fish have finally bitten the hook.”
She was referring to the Wang family. When the news of the demolition comes, the one being scammed might not be her.
As she started the car, she thought, This was just the beginning.
As for now, Ling Yue drove onto the road, and the navigation announced: “Confirming destination: Jingxiang Grand Hotel.”
Ahem, she had been delayed for a while, and Sister Long insisted on treating her, planning to make up for it tonight.
As soon as Ling Yue got out of the car, she saw Zhao Lin waiting outside the hotel and couldn’t help but smile. He must have been pushed out by his wife to wait for her. After spending a bit more time together, Ling Yue knew very well that Brother Zhao was just a softie. He would never contradict Sister Long, and if she said to go east, he definitely wouldn’t dare to go west.
Zhao Lin saw her and instantly beamed, “Hey, you finally came! Since your Sister Long is treating you today, don’t hold back on the good food and drinks!”
Ling Yue smiled and nodded. As she passed through the revolving door, she suddenly heard a piercing voice, “Welcome! Welcome!”
She instinctively turned her head and saw a parrot in the lobby that greeted guests with auspicious words.
Quite cute.
The next moment, she heard a grumbling voice, “Damn it, do they treat me like a doorbell every time? My voice is already so hoarse, yet they don’t even consider my feelings.
“Every day it’s just millet and water, not even a stinky dog would eat it!”
After complaining, the parrot kicked over the birdseed jar.
Ling Yue: “…”
The parrot seemed to sense her gaze and suddenly turned its head: “Hey, little girl, you’re so pretty! Do you have a boyfriend? What do you think of me?”
Ling Yue fell silent again.
Beside her, Zhao Lin introduced it with a smile, “Isn’t this little guy quite interesting? Apparently it’s the boss’s beloved pet and can say all kinds of auspicious greetings. It’s very smart, but it’s too aloof and doesn’t let anyone touch it.”
Ling Yue nodded, “That’s true.” It was just a bit too smart for its own good.
Just as she was about to leave, the parrot suddenly shouted loudly, “The most beautiful lady in the blue dress with long hair, look at me, look at me!”
“An esteemed guest has arrived! An esteemed guest has arrived!” It was truly shouting at the top of its lungs, and in an instant, everyone in the hall turned to look.
Ling Yue was taken aback and turned around, glancing around only to realize she was the only one in a blue dress with long hair.
The parrot spread its wings, and to be quite frank, its colorful feathers were quite beautiful. It lowered its head, its voice sweet and delicate, “Would you like to touch me?”
Zhao Lin, who had just finished talking about how it was cold and aloof: “…”
You little parrot, are you sure you’re not trying to sabotage me?
Of course it wasn’t, it had important matters at hand!
Ling Yue approached, not because she was tempted by the parrot’s colorful feathers, but because she heard its inner thoughts.
“What do you want to tell me?” She leaned down slightly, lowering her voice to ask.
Staring at her in surprise, its big eyes widened, “Oh my, it really was the old turtle who guessed right, you really are his benefactor!”
Ling Yue was puzzled, though she continued to skillfully stroke the bird, looking as if she was captivated and reluctant to leave at the moment. In reality, she was still whispering to the parrot.
Parrot: “Who is the old turtle? The old turtle is a poor fellow!” It said, cackling a few times, almost laughing itself into a fit, its body swaying until Ling Yue steadied it.
The parrot continued, “The old turtle says it’s over five hundred years old and is bigger than a washbasin, but now it’s been caught in the hotel kitchen, just waiting for a guest to order it and become a pot of turtle soup.”
Although the parrot’s words were a bit jumbled, Ling Yue still managed to piece the whole truth together, and the conclusion left her astonished, “You mean, the one who told you to call me an esteemed guest is a turtle? And it even predicted I would come?”
The parrot nodded: “Yes, it seems it really isn’t a scammer. It wants me to tell you to save it, and that investing in it will definitely not be a loss!”
The parrot shook its head: “It didn’t say anything more.
“It feels so good to actually talk to a human. Next time I see Xiao Lan, I’ll have something to chat about. Do you have anything you want me to help with? Feels like I should change my owner.”
The parrot suddenly remembered something and burst out cursing, “You son of a bitch! I knew I couldn’t trust that stinky man! He said he would treat me well, but bought me just to hang me here as a welcoming bird! If I could see him right now, I would peck his eyes out!”
Ling Yue wasn’t interested in this, but she suddenly recalled something, “You said the old turtle is waiting for me to save it?”
The parrot nodded, and she smiled brightly, “Is this hotel secretly selling illegal wild animals?”
The parrot opened its beak wide: “Y-You guessed it?”
Actually, it didn’t just act as a welcoming bird. When it wasn’t busy, it would wander around the hotel, discovering many hidden secrets in the process.
For example, like how the lobby manager was having an affair with a certain waitress, or a waiter juggling three relationships while having a wife… as well as other gossip, though the biggest secret was the hotel’s operations.
A hotel chosen by Long Xinhua would naturally have no problems in regard to its taste and attentive service, after all, this was a four-star hotel that was quite reputable in the industry. But in the parrot’s words, this was all just skimming the surface. The hotel’s specialties were known only to some regulars, known as rare mountain delicacies, and when simply put—well, they were protected animals.
The old turtle was just one of the unfortunate ones caught.
There were also pangolins, roe deer, wild boars, antelopes, various protected birds and fish—everything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, or swims in the water—none were spared!
It could be said to have caught them all.
When Ling Yue returned to the dining table, she was still thinking things over. She couldn’t act rashly, but—
The Black Cat Queen squatted elegantly on the chair, licking her paw pads: “Silly human, just look at me.”
Ling Yue didn’t react for a moment, suddenly covering her forehead, almost shouting, “But you little animals can.”
“But the cat is a bit too conspicuous, so let Duo Duo handle it.”
The treasure hunting mouse Duo Duo proudly puffed out his chest, finally having the chance to show off after being silent all this time. He waved at the Black Cat Queen, and slid down from the tablecloth: “Wife, just wait for my good news!”
“Sister Yueyue?”
Ling Yue was startled. Meeting her concerned gaze, she smiled, “I’m fine, just a bit lost in thought earlier.”
The people in the room didn’t mind.
Although, in the private room, it was just her, Zhao Lin, and his wife.
In the kitchen storage.
In a hidden corner, the treasure hunting mouse stood on a hard rock, raising his arm and calling out, as many little ones rushed in from all directions.
He smiled proudly, “Finally, it’s time for me, Duo Duo, to finally show off my skills today!”
Suddenly, the ground shook beneath his feet, and an old voice came from below, “Hey, kid, where are you stepping with your paws? At such a young age, you still don’t understand respect for the elderly!”
The treasure hunting mouse was taken aback.
The voice grew louder, and a slow, round head poked out from a shell.
The treasure hunting mouse jumped in fright: “Oh my, that scared the hell out of me!
“Wait, aren’t you a rock?”
He took a closer look and realized it was a turtle shell! Instantly recalling his master’s instructions, he waved his hand: “Boys, carry it away for me! Don’t let the humans find out!”
The old turtle instantly understood, “Is my benefactor the one who sent you?” Before it could finish speaking, the entire turtle was lifted into the air: “Heavens! This is too high, I’m an old man, I’m afraid of heights! I’m afraid of heights!”
After the chaotic commotion, the turtle in the corner disappeared without a trace. The treasure hunting mouse Duo Duo didn’t forget its master’s instructions, pulling out a mini headset designed for mice from its bag, looking quite like a little spy mouse.
Its voice reached Ling Yue’s ears, “Master, everything is going smoothly!
“I’m about to complete the final step.”
This was the mini headset Ling Yue had customized during this time, specifically for communicating with her pets.
Ling Yue moved her lips, looking at Sister Long, “I need to step out for a moment, I’ll be back soon.”
She only made one phone call.
Half an hour later, a row of cars suddenly appeared outside the hotel, with uniformed employees from the Industrial and Commercial Bureau and police appearing together. In the hotel lobby, guests witnessing this scene were somewhat at a loss.
The hotel staff were astonished and hurried to notify the general manager, but they didn’t seem to take this operation seriously, thinking it was just a routine inspection.
Thus, the situation turned chaotic, turning into the scene of the Calabash Brothers saving Grandpa3—one comes, one gets taken out; a pair comes, a pair gets wiped out!
The sudden noise startled Ling Yue and the others in the private room. They had already finished eating most of their meal. Zhao Lin opened the door to the room, and came face to face with something rumbling out with a gulugulu.
He was stunned by the scene before him: birds flying in the sky, pigs running on the ground, and in an instant, he was completely bewildered.
Long Xinhua, a hardcore novel enthusiast, couldn’t help but murmur, “Did we just travel through time?”
But wait, this was still the same corridor and ceiling.
Ling Yue, who had been silent, wanted to speak, but the sounds from afar interrupted her. Wild chickens and pigeons flapped their wings trying to fly away, while a fierce dog stood on the messy carpet, its eyes filled with eagerness.
What a chaotic scene!
Ling Yue was taken aback: “Da Hei?”
Only then did she notice that Da Hei was wearing a police uniform, with a badge, and a collar connected to a leather leash that was held by a pale hand.
The man in the shadows stood tall, wearing a police cap, his long fingers pushed the brim of the cap back slightly, revealing sharp and unruly brows and eyes. Even the dim light couldn’t compare to his eyes, like a sword drawn from its sheath.
Lin Shaoze seemed to glance over casually while Cheng Ziming shouted, “Police investigation! Guests in the hotel, please don’t panic. As long as you haven’t committed a crime, nothing will happen to you!”
“Captain, shall we go quickly?” After Cheng Ziming finished speaking, he looked at him with a grin, or rather, at Da Hei in his hand, “Can I borrow Da Hei for a bit?”
Lin Shaoze could see through his little scheme and glanced at him, “Bring him back in ten minutes.”
“Got it!”
When it was almost over, Ling Yue finally came out of the private room. The news about the hotel secretly selling wild game was already spreading like wildfire in their circle. Long Xinhua felt particularly embarrassed by this, “To think that I’d run into this sort of mess when it’s my first time treating you to a meal!
“Really, the more I think about it, the angrier I get!
“I’ll treat you to another meal next time.”
Ling Yue thought she was going to keep complaining, but the tone in her voice soon changed unexpectedly, “Oh my, but this time I’ve really broadened my horizons.
“Is this hotel selling wild game or running a zoo? I’ve never seen so many animals in my life! They really captured everything, from land, sea, and air!”
Her words carried a hint of Northeast dialect, and later Ling Yue learned that Long Xinhua’s family business was in the Northeast. She was also originally from the Northeast, but had settled in the capital later, which made her a bit more restrained.
Ling Yue couldn’t help but laugh, and the atmosphere became even more harmonious than before, regardless of the two’s worries.
Ling Yue smiled brightly, “Well, besides me, they’re also here too.”
Behind her stood the aloof Black Cat Queen and her group of little brothers and sisters, a mighty army of cats.
Long Xinhua’s heart skipped a beat. She finally dared to confirm her previous guess: this new sister she had recognised really did seem capable.
She could even command animals.
The previous jewelry theft case must have been solved with the information she got from the little animals.
So envious, this must be someone who’s born to be a druid!
After they left, Ling Yue watched as one by one, the despondent criminals were taken away in handcuffs, feeling pleased. They deserved it!
After all, reporting illegal activities is everyone’s responsibility.
At that moment, the welcoming parrot swooped down, squawking with laughter, “I’m free!”
It showed no fear of the police officers behind it and even prepared to say goodbye before leaving, scanning the area until it finally spotted Ling Yue, “Goodbye, beautiful sister!”
After saying that, it dashed off into the night, disappearing completely.
“T-This shouldn’t be a protected animal, right? We haven’t even identified it yet!”
“No, the hotel has surveillance.”
“Then why did it greet her? What’s their relationship?”
Listening to the discussions behind her, Ling Yue silently calculated that in a few seconds, she might also have to take a trip to the police station. The next moment, she fell silent.
“Ling Yue.”
Ling Yue swayed slightly and turned to see Lin Shaoze holding Da Hei, saying to her, “What a coincidence.”
Da Hei stuck out his tongue, “What coincidence? Please.
“Master, you must not believe his words. Obviously he’s the one who came after hearing you were here.”
In fact, that was exactly the case.
However, unlike what Da Hei thought, Lin Shaoze was just curious and happened to bring the dog along so he could drop him off.
So he didn’t expect Ling Yue to suddenly say such a thing.
“You want a lead?”
Ling Yue nodded without any hesitation, “I’ve already looked up the information, but it’s been eight years, and there’s very little that’s still been preserved. I wanted to ask if you have any channels or information. I can guarantee in Da Hei’s name that I won’t leak a word.”
It was completely silent on the other side.
After a while, Ling Yue finally heard his voice as he looked at her meaningfully, “I can give it to you. I also hope to solve the case as soon as possible.”
Ling Yue’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly realized that he must have known about the previous events, that she had retrieved the bow-knot diamond necklace from Auspicious Dragon Jewelry.
She smiled. Regardless, the outcome was good.
At the police station.
Lin Shaoze’s overtime didn’t attract any attention from his colleagues because during this time, their captain had been investigating unsolved cases to find a breakthrough.
Naturally, this included the villa murder case from eight years ago.
Although this case was classified as accidental homicide, it had been sealed due to their failure in finding the murderer after such a long time. However, over the years, there had always been people attempting to uncover the truth.
All of the former captains of the Capital’s Criminal Investigation Unit had.
Generally, cases have a statute of limitations, but for these unsolved murder cases, the country never sets a statute of limitations. As long as evidence can be found, the criminals must be brought to justice!
Lost in thought, a voice suddenly rang out. Cheng Ziming scratched his head, “Wait, I remember you looked up this case’s information before. Why are you reorganizing it again? Are you hiding something from us?”
Lin Shaoze swept a glance over, and the team members fell silent. Perhaps the only one capable of being unable to sense the tension was the straightforward Cheng Ziming, though he soon changed the topic under his colleagues’ urging.
“Captain, what’s your relationship with Miss Ling now?”
Lin Shaoze paused for a moment, “Police and citizen.”
Cheng Ziming immediately expressed disbelief, trying to pry for more information. Lin Shaoze stopped his movements and shot him a glance, “Are you very concerned about her?
“If you care about her, help her organize some materials and send them over tomorrow.”
Cheng Ziming was taken aback by the abruptness of his words. He was the least patient with secretarial work, especially document organization, and his face almost scrunched up like a bitter melon, “What do you mean, Captain? What do these materials have to do with Miss Ling?”
Lin Shaoze didn’t intend to hide anything from his team members, especially since he was also eager to see what miracles Ling Yue could create.
He briefly explained the situation.
Cheng Ziming had already slid down from the table, “Miss Ling wants to investigate this murder case? Captain, don’t lie to me! Although she did have some luck with that small case before and did solve it, why is she suddenly challenging this?”
Compared to a murder case, theft was indeed a small matter.
In Cheng Ziming’s eyes, it was like a child who hadn’t learned to crawl yet suddenly started to run, which was quite suspicious.
Lin Shaoze: “…
“Then who do you think can investigate?
“Do you know who found the treasures from the theft of the eight million dollar treasure from Auspicious Dragon Jewelry?
“Ling Yue.”
After a long silence, a sudden exclamation burst out, “Miss Ling truly is a great detective!
“I swear, Captain, I won’t dare to casually gossip about you two anymore, I’m not worthy!” The criminal police team had worked tirelessly for over ten days without finding a single clue, while Ling Yue only took a few days.
Cheng Ziming wanted to cover his head and flee. Miss Ling was indeed capable, and he no longer dared to joke about her!
But—
He frowned at Lin Shaoze and cautiously asked, “Captain, haven’t you been investigating this case all along? Have you found any leads?”
Lin Shaoze shook his head. He was helping Ling Yue precisely because he hadn’t found anything. Perhaps she would succeed?
For once, he showed a hint of a smile, “That’s why I need you to organize the materials. These are all categorized and in order, downloaded or photocopied by me. Don’t worry, none of them involve internal documents.”
Ling Yue was unaware of this conversation. As soon as she got in the car, she was startled.
What on earth was that big black thing that was the size of a basin in the passenger seat?
Ling Yue turned on her phone flashlight, and the old turtle stretched its neck out, waving at her, “Hello, little girl.”
Ling Yue didn’t have time to respond, staring in surprise at the exclusive panel displayed by the system.
[Name: Feng Shui Turtle]
[Gender: Male]
[Age: 580 years]
[Personality: Gentle]
[Skills: Feng Shui and Metaphysics, Treasure Appraisal]
[Wish: To live a long life]
Ling Yue immediately focused on its age and skills. She looked at the feng shui turtle. This was definitely a big shot, definitely a big shot!
A five-hundred-year-old turtle, it must be almost a spirit by now!
Sure enough, the first thing it did when it got home was to turn on the water faucet, and with a splash, it jumped into the big basin to take a bath!
Upon closer inspection, Ling Yue found that it was actually crying.
“Are you okay?”
The feng shui turtle looked at her with its beady little eyes, “Little girl, I’m detoxifying.”
Ling Yue was taken aback, then heard its barely suppressed, overwhelming anger, “That damn son of a bitch chef insisted that I’m a sea turtle and made me soak in a basin of saltwater, but I’m clearly a! Freshwater! Turtle!”
It was truly heartbreaking to hear, and too moving to see.
“Pfft—” Da Hei couldn’t hold back and turned his head, his tail wagging like a fan as he tried to explain while stifling laughter, “Grandpa Turtle, I didn’t mean it! I just couldn’t help it; I’m actually very sad too!”
Feng Shui Turtle: “Then why don’t you turn around and look at me?”
Da Hei: “…”
“You little stinky dog, you’re not even a fraction of my age! I can’t even be bothered to argue with you. But you need to be careful these days; there’s a calamity in your fate. If you get through it, little stinky dog, you’ll ascend directly to immortality. If not, you might be in danger, and it could even implicate your master!”
Da Hei wagged his tail, looking at it in shock, and then immediately reacted, “Master, it’s promoting feudal superstition!”
Ling Yue: “…”
You might have forgotten that I, your master, am also a form of feudal superstition.
However, her worried gaze fell on Da Hei, secretly noting it in her heart.
*
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
At ten in the morning, after sending off the last consulting client, Ling Yue glanced at her phone, feeling like she had forgotten something, only to realize it was Saturday. She almost forgot about the promised livestream on Saturday and Sunday!
Ling Yue skillfully opened the livestream. Without any announcement, in just a few minutes, the online viewer count surged to nearly three million and still seemed to be rising. Ling Yue looked up at her followers. She had eight million followers?
Who bought me followers?
Would the livestream get banned if she was caught for using bot accounts as followers?
That was Ling Yue’s first reaction, as she greatly underestimated her popularity. She was like Bald Qiang, the debunking streamer, who lost hundreds of thousands of followers due to a failed debunking attempt but then gained a massive following due to an unexpected cute moment, and now had completely transformed into a cute pet streamer.
Not to mention, he was even more popular than before!
The concerns Ling Yue had didn’t materialize. Instead, she received a special comment from the Orca platform right away, written in a huge red font: [Streamer, I have an S-level contract here, may I ask what you think?]
Ling Yue: “Chat, is this really an official announcement?”
The enlarged and bolded text was eye-catching and ugly! Ling Yue simply couldn’t believe it.
Hearing this, the chat laughed so hard they held their stomachs. It was hilarious, the Orca livestream’s official team was truly talented!
The staff who had been in charge of this matter felt wronged. Was it easy for them? It had been so many days, and the messages they sent had sunk without a trace. All they could do was wait in the livestream room, when the streamer finally came back online, they rushed to get her to sign.
At this moment, many other livestream donation comments had already covered the screen.
Ling Yue frowned; her purpose for livestreaming was not to receive donations, but to attract more animals. After all, netizens came from all over, raising all sorts of pets. This was something Ling Yue had figured out herself—interacting with new breeds of animals made it easier to receive rewards.
She cleared her throat, “I will respond after the stream ends. Please do not interrupt my livestream now.”
The viewers burst into laughter.
[Laughing to death, this is the first time I’ve seen a platform begging a streamer to sign a contract, only to be rejected!]
[Anyone who sees this would say it’s truly tragic!]
[Forget it, forget it, I still prefer the streamer to connect with fated pets, hurry and bring on the cats!]
The livestream room suddenly froze, and Ling Yue was taken aback, “Did it crash? What’s going on?”
At the same time, in the Orca streaming backend, the programmers were stunned, staring at the skyrocketing data, mouths agape, “The backend is overloaded!”
The leaders were also momentarily shocked, then quickly reacted, “Hurry and fix it!
“Get through this crisis, and I’ll give everyone a bonus!”
So, a few minutes later, Ling Yue finally saw her livestream room. The donations on Orca Livestream appeared in a showering format, and as a result, Ling Yue’s livestream room was directly buried under the donations.
[Where did the streamer go?]
[She got buried by the viewers’ donations, hahahaha!]
Ling Yue: “…”
Not funny at all.
She adjusted the time and found the first viewer who donated, clicked to connect, and asked, “Feng Xiaoxiao, what would you like to consult about?”
“Huh? It’s me?”
In the shaky screen appeared a girl with a doll-like face, seemingly still in shock. The next moment, she suddenly jumped up, “Yay, I won! I won!”
The viewers in the live stream were dumbfounded.
[F-Fan Jin passed the imperial exam4?!]
[Fellow chatter, no need to get all worked up like that! Take my advice, you’re too young to handle this, better let your big brother handle this!]
Feng Xiaoxiao’s almond eyes widened, “No, I’ve waited for several days, and it’s finally my turn!” With tears in her eyes, she pleaded, “Streamer, please help me!”
Ling Yue: “But I only consult about animals.”
Feng Xiaoxiao: “That’s exactly it! Help me ask it if it wants to come home with me!”
As she spoke, she moved the screen, and the camera focused on a car not far away, or to be precise, the top of the car.
yawl,,,this was 19k chinese characters and 11k words !!!! what the hale,,,the despair i felt when facing this chapter is indescribable…
- 俺 (northern dialect bc he’s a tiger from the north part of the country i guess HAHAHAA) ↩︎
- Someone who is extremely lazy, just wants to coast along ↩︎
- refers to the classic Chinese animated series Calabash Brothers. In the story, the brothers go one by one to rescue their grandfather—and each gets captured in turn. So it became a meme meaning: reinforcements arriving one at a time and getting defeated one at a time ↩︎
- “范进中举” refers to a famous episode from the classic novel The Scholars (儒林外史), where Fan Jin finally passes the imperial exam after years of failure and becomes so overwhelmed he nearly goes mad. ↩︎
