****

The midsummer heat was scorching. Even the leaves on the trees curled up under the blazing sun. A hot gust of wind blew by, accompanied only by the endless chirping of cicadas.

Suddenly, a furious roar erupted from inside an air-conditioned office, startling the birds resting in the trees into flight.

The pot-bellied zoo director slammed his hand on the desk. However, the moment his eyes landed on the person in front of him, he forcibly softened his tone. “Ling Yue, are you really sure you want to resign?”

He sighed and began “earnestly” persuading her: “The job market is tough right now. You know your own situation. Even though you graduated from Capital University, it’s hard to find such a good and fulfilling job elsewhere. Not to mention the future—just think about right now…”

A mix of threats, incentives, and empty promises. Under normal circumstances, someone with a weaker personality would have already started wavering. Ling Yue watched him coldly. In the director’s eyes, her silence was undoubtedly hesitation.

Zhao Fang’s heart leaped with joy. He wanted to press his advantage. His greedy gaze landed on the girl’s face—

What celebrity could compare to her? Ling Yue’s beauty was like something out of a painting. Especially those peach blossom eyes that always seemed to hold a pool of clear autumn water, with a red mole at the corner that gave her an innocent yet seductive charm.

She was the most stunning woman he had ever seen.

Zhao Fang barely tried to hide his lust and was about to say something more to keep her.

**Slap.**

Ling Yue placed her resignation letter on the desk. A hint of coldness flashed in her pure black eyes. Her voice rang out clear and melodious like jade striking against crystal: “Sorry, but my stomach isn’t good. I can’t swallow the big pie you’re offering.”

“Resignation is a notification, not a discussion.”

Ling Yue had no patience to waste time with him. In fact, if she hadn’t been waiting for today, she would have left the zoo long ago.

Zhao Fang’s face darkened. “Fine! A worthless college graduate. Let’s see which company in the entire capital dares to hire you after you resign!”

“Also, you haven’t finished your work for today. Forget about the aquarium—you’re transferred to the tiger enclosure!”

Ling Yue’s steps paused.

Zhao Fang laughed shamelessly. “What? Scared? Who do you think you are? We were being merciful letting you work at the aquarium. An orphan with no background who dared to offend—”

He paused before continuing, “If you won’t do it, then get lost! Don’t even think about getting your salary!”

Ling Yue sneered and walked straight toward the tiger enclosure without looking back. At the same time, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had gotten it. The recording from earlier and the chat logs she had saved beforehand—she had anticipated today’s difficulties and prepared everything. These people wouldn’t let her go so easily.

At least her salary was safe now.

Ling Yue pressed her lips together tightly. She had never underestimated the malice of others, especially in this snake pit of a zoo and the person backing them.

The story went back more than a month ago.

As a fresh graduate in animal medicine from Capital University, while her classmates had all found jobs, her resume had sunk without a trace. The few replies she received were all polite rejections.

It wasn’t that Ling Yue was overconfident. She had always been ranked first in her major and had received many offers, but every single one went silent after graduation. Only later did she learn that everything was because of one man.

What was even more ridiculous was that the man was merely one of her pursuers.

Because of her outstanding appearance, Ling Yue had had many admirers since childhood. Qin Junxin was one of them—and the most persistent. Once, he had made a grand public confession on the sports field, only to be rejected by Ling Yue on the spot.

Later, he supposedly started dating the daughter of a wealthy family and gradually faded from her life. She had almost forgotten about him.

Who would have thought that right after she graduated, he would strike.

The reason was even more absurd. Ling Yue learned it from her friend Qiao Qiao. Qin Junxin, that coward!

His girlfriend was spoiled and domineering. When she found out he had once pursued Ling Yue, she flew into a rage and questioned him. Afraid of being dumped by the “little princess,” Qin Junxin immediately pushed all the blame onto Ling Yue. He claimed she had seduced him, he couldn’t resist, and only later realized she was just playing with him because she had already hooked up with a rich second-generation heir.

The brainless little princess exploded in anger. First, she posted on the campus forum calling Ling Yue a green tea bitch who seduced other people’s boyfriends. Then she tried to interfere with her graduation. The first attempt was crushed by Ling Yue with evidence, and the second failed because of Ling Yue’s excellent grades and the school’s protection. Instead, she only brought trouble upon herself.

As expected of someone with no brain—she knew she had been lied to, yet instead of reflecting, she doubled down.

By a stroke of bad luck, the girl’s family was involved in the pet industry. They issued an order within the industry to blacklist Ling Yue. Between a thriving enterprise’s daughter and a newly graduated college student, anyone could guess which side people would choose.

In the end, only one zoo was willing to hire her. After joining, Ling Yue realized it wasn’t because they were brave enough to defy pressure—they had been instructed to torment her.

Her superiors targeted her, and her colleagues ostracized her. This one month had been harder than a year. As for why she hadn’t resigned earlier, Ling Yue lowered her eyes and smiled bitterly.

Her mother, who had raised her alone, had suddenly passed away. The funeral had drained nearly all her savings.

Then came the scene at the beginning.

These thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. Ling Yue was still thinking about what path she should take next. She didn’t regret offending them. She just refused to accept it. She had no family background or connections, but did that mean everything she had worked for could be erased?

Was she really supposed to just give up?

Leave the city?

In the sweltering summer, the wind brought no relief, only more stifling heat. Ling Yue could hear her own heartbeat, heavy and dull.

As for the tiger enclosure, it was purely Zhao Fang’s way of making things difficult for her. Sending a newcomer who had only worked for a month to feed the tigers was dangerous—even veteran keepers could get injured. Tigers were the kings of ferocious beasts, after all.

“Ah! Help! Niuniu fell down!”

Before Ling Yue could get close, a sharp scream rang out. All kinds of chaotic and panicked shouts exploded like cold water hitting hot oil.

Ling Yue rushed over in a few quick steps. Through the tightly woven wire mesh, she could see that beneath the visitors’ viewing railing, a three- or four-year-old child was sitting on the grass, looking up curiously at the adults above, thinking it was some new game.

Dozens of meters away on the tiger mountain opposite her, two or three tigers seemed to have noticed something. They stretched lazily, licking their paws with long tongues. Their heads were as big as bathtubs.

“Aaaah! My Niuniu! Someone save my child! Help! Please save my daughter!”

The child’s mother in the viewing area was crying her heart out. Ling Yue glanced at the crying little girl.

At this rate, the tigers would spot her in just a few minutes. The consequences would be disastrous.

Ling Yue immediately opened the gate to the tiger enclosure. She took a deep breath as she looked at the tigers. The commotion had also drawn everyone else’s attention. The little girl’s mother’s eyes lit up for a moment, but when she saw who it was, she immediately looked disappointed.

“Who is that visitor? What is she doing going in there? Is she trying to get herself killed?!”

“Where are the keepers? This is a matter of life and death!”

Ling Yue heard them too. She glanced at the tall, burly man in the corner, whose legs were shaking. He clenched his fists. “You… you’re going in? Are you tired of living? Those are tigers!”

As for the shouts from above—damn it, was he crazy? Who would dare snatch someone from a tiger’s mouth? These tigers had just been borrowed from another zoo. Even veteran keepers didn’t dare get close!

Only a fool would go in to save her.

Oh, and there was exactly one fool standing right in front of him.

The keeper wanted to say more, but Ling Yue had already walked past him without looking back. Her attitude made the keeper’s face flush red with embarrassment and anger. After a long pause, he spat out dryly, “Ptui! Not knowing good from bad!”

Ling Yue walked lightly, making almost no sound. Even the tigers hadn’t noticed her yet. She went into a small side room, opened a locked drawer containing several long, thin needles and vials of medicine. Others noticed her actions and grew puzzled.

“What… what is she doing?”

“Wuwuwu, my Niuniu, don’t move! Mommy is coming!” If not for others holding her back, the little girl’s mother would have jumped down herself. The situation was becoming increasingly critical.

People outside had already called the police and contacted zoo security, but the question was whether the little girl could hold on until rescuers arrived.

Suddenly, a tiger roared, its mouth opening wide. Its bloody maw looked big enough to swallow a child whole.

Some people were paying attention to Ling Yue and were shocked by her actions. Someone even took out their phone. The tiger enclosure was now surrounded by tourists who had heard the news.

Ling Yue focused solely on preparing the correct dosage of anesthetic according to the tigers’ weight. Too little or too much would be useless. These anesthetics were scarce—she didn’t even need to guess that the zoo’s regular supply had been skimmed. There were three tigers here; she couldn’t afford to miss any of them.

On her first day, Ling Yue had already memorized all the animal information in the zoo thanks to her photographic memory.

The tigers had no idea what was happening outside.

Two tigers were lazily lying down licking their paws. One on the tiger mountain looked eager to move, its bold black “king” character marking on its forehead making people’s hearts tremble. The spot where the little girl had fallen was in a blind spot, but once the tiger jumped down, it would definitely spot her!

Not to mention the smell of humans—animals had incredibly sharp senses.

The little girl’s mother was on the verge of breaking down. No one was coming, and she was starting to despair. In the end, her only hope rested on Ling Yue.

Such a beautiful girl… could she really do it?

For a moment, everyone doubted her.

“Done.” Ling Yue picked up the syringe and was about to head out when she noticed the fresh chunks of meat prepared on the side. An idea struck her. She grabbed the bucket and walked toward the tiger mountain, one hand holding the syringe.

At that moment, the crowd suddenly cried out in alarm.

“The tiger! The tiger is coming down!”

Amid heart-wrenching screams and shouts, a ferocious tiger leaped down. Its powerful body landed steadily, digging deep claw marks into the soft soil. It tilted its head—clearly, it had spotted the little girl at the base of the wall.

“Niuniu!” The girl’s mother turned deathly pale, her whole body going limp. “My Niuniu!”

**Thud! Thud! Thud!**

The loud knocking sound instantly drew the tigers’ attention. Ling Yue flung chunks of meat from the bucket toward the base of the tiger mountain. The other two tigers were also lured over and jumped down.

All three tigers were now on the ground!

Terrified tourists watched them. Even from behind the railing, they could feel the tigers’ terrifying presence. Two tigers immediately lowered their heads and began tearing at the meat. For their appetites, the amount was barely enough to pick their teeth.

The two tigers were happily munching away. The first tiger that had jumped down licked its lips and walked toward Ling Yue. The tourists instantly understood her plan: “She’s… she’s using meat to lure the tigers!”

“Oh my God! How does she dare? Those are tigers!”

“Wuwuwu, I’m kowtowing to you! Please save my child!”

The first tiger was clearly smarter. It saw the meat bucket at Ling Yue’s feet. Every day, humans pulled lots of fresh meat out of it. Feeding time had arrived!

As for the strange human, it was nothing compared to the delicious fresh meat it was used to.

Ling Yue threw out a few more chunks of meat, successfully drawing all the tigers away. Seeing the little girl left behind, the adults above breathed a sigh of relief. Ling Yue, however, remained tense. Unless you had experienced it yourself, you couldn’t understand the feeling of being locked onto by three apex predators.

Danger!

Her scalp tingled, and every nerve in her body screamed in alarm. With one hand holding the tranquilizer gun, she waited for the two tigers to lower their heads to eat again, then fired!

She was betting her life!

Thankfully, she hadn’t forgotten the skills she learned during military training. The moment the darts hit the tigers’ backs and necks, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The two tigers let out low, angry roars, clearly provoked.

But they were no longer a threat. In a few seconds, the anesthetic would take effect. However, right at that moment, disaster struck!

The last tiger that had been walking slowly suddenly roared. It had noticed something was wrong and charged straight at Ling Yue. The tourists above tensed up: “Watch out!”

Everything happened in a split second!

The tiger was over three meters long, yet its leap was incredibly agile and powerful.

Tigers, being part of the cat family, had astonishing jumping ability—over ten meters easily. At its current distance from Ling Yue, it would only need a few leaps to pounce on her!

The heart-stopping scene made everyone gasp. Before anyone could react, Ling Yue violently threw out a piece of meat. The delicious scent made the tiger mid-leap hesitate for a split second. It twisted its head and caught the meat cleanly, like a circus performance.

This was also because it had been raised in captivity for a long time and no longer possessed the full ferocity of the wild. Ling Yue seized the moment and shot it. The dart hit the tiger squarely in the waist.

The tiger bit down on the meat, looking somewhat dazed as it shook its head. The other two tigers had already collapsed under the anesthetic. It chomped on the meat while staring fixedly at Ling Yue with its tiger eyes.

The tiger shook its head on the spot. Its four limbs gave out.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds—

**Thump!**

The tiger crashed to the ground. The new anesthetic worked extremely fast. Once its prey was down, all it could do was watch helplessly as it lost consciousness.

At that moment, the crowd erupted into deafening cheers and screams.

“Aaaah! The child is saved!”

“A hero! A hero who snatched a person from the tiger’s mouth!”

“She really did it! She actually succeeded! The child is fine!”

The child’s mother cried tears of joy. She wanted to kneel before Ling Yue. In the end, she collapsed into her husband’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Ling Yue quickly picked up the little girl and found that she only had a few scrapes. She had been incredibly lucky—the fall had been cushioned by a tree and she had landed on soft grass.

“Security is here!”

“The police are here!”

The rescue team had finally arrived late. Ling Yue carried the child and walked past the collapsed tigers. Zoo Director Zhao Fang finally rushed over, sweating profusely and panting like he had just been fished out of water.

He put on a flattering expression, clearly having seen Ling Yue’s actions and knowing many people were watching. He immediately changed his attitude and asked with concern: “Ling Yue, how are you feeling? Are you hurt? You’re a great hero of our zoo, you…”

The director’s mouth was running dry, but when he looked up, the girl didn’t even spare him a glance.

Ling Yue looked at the anesthetized tiger on the ground in surprise. It was staring at her with wide tiger eyes. In her mind, a silly, husky voice suddenly rang out:

“Mommy, this meat… the meat has poison in it!”

Who was speaking?

****

The voice completely sank into silence.

At the same time, the unwilling tiger closed its eyes and was carried away along with the other two. They were separated and locked inside the holding rooms.

Ling Yue was stunned for a moment. An unbelievable thought rose in her mind — could the owner of that voice be… that big tiger?

“Ling Yue, you…” The director’s flattering voice sounded again. With so many people watching and many holding up their phones to record videos, the title of “hero who snatched a person from the tiger’s jaws” carried immense weight!

Countless marketing ideas flashed through the director’s mind. There were so many internet celebrities these days — why couldn’t their zoo seize this opportunity?

Of course, the key was still Ling Yue herself.

He rubbed his fingers together, about to say something, when Ling Yue slightly curled her lips, a cold glint in her eyes, and interrupted him directly: “I’m not feeling well. Can I leave work early?”

She lowered her eyes slightly, her palms trembling faintly.

Her words immediately drew support from many people. Everyone had witnessed how dangerous the situation had been earlier. Even if Ling Yue looked fine now, who knew if she had suffered internal injuries? After all, those weren’t toy tigers in a mall — even grown men found them terrifying, let alone a girl who had faced them head-on.

The little girl’s mother spoke up proactively: “Benefactor, I’ll drive you to the hospital! You saved Niuniu — you saved my life!”

The child’s father was more perceptive. Hearing the implication, he frowned and asked, “Resign? What happened? Why do you want to resign?”

His words were like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating huge waves. The heroic girl who had bravely saved someone actually wanted to resign? Many people subconsciously looked toward Director Zhao Fang, hoping he would explain.

Pressured by gazes from all directions, Zhao Fang broke out in a cold sweat. “W-we didn’t mistreat her!” He quickly changed his tone and said earnestly, “Resigning might actually be a good thing. She’s a top student from Capital University. Working at our zoo would only be wasting her talent.”

Zhao Fang’s eyes darted around. The more he spoke, the more confident he sounded. His righteous appearance made many tourists start to doubt themselves. Maybe they were overthinking it?

At this moment, a regular zoo visitor in the crowd suddenly shouted, “Hey, I remember now! Isn’t this the mermaid from the aquarium?”

“Why is she in the tiger enclosure? Where’s the original tiger keeper? I remember it was a young man. How come at the critical moment, a young girl had to step up and save the child?”

“He’s right here!”

With that shout, everyone turned their angry gazes in one direction.

The keeper, who had been trying to sneak away while everyone’s attention was on Ling Yue, was caught off guard. His heart jumped, and his guilty expression made him too ashamed to face anyone.

“So you’re the keeper?” Someone in the crowd realized. “Weren’t you here the whole time? You just stood there and watched while she risked her life to save the child?”

“Oh my God, don’t you feel ashamed? You’re the tiger keeper!”

“Why were you running? Where did you go earlier? Forcing a young girl to step forward! You’ve completely embarrassed all men! Everyone, take pictures! Look at this coward!”

The keeper panicked. He had never experienced such a big scene. Hearing that this would go viral and ruin his reputation, he blurted out, “It wasn’t me! I’m not the tiger keeper — she is!”

He pointed at Ling Yue. “She’s the one in charge of the tiger enclosure. If anything happens here, it’s her responsibility! This has nothing to do with me!”

“You’re lying!” The tourists were furious. “I saw her yesterday at the aquarium next door dancing with Jingjing, the little dolphin. How is she suddenly in the tiger enclosure today?”

“She started the job in less than a day? Without any training? And assigned to the most dangerous tiger mountain? Whose brain is malfunctioning? This is clearly intentional harassment!”

Director Zhao Fang’s face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He was the one who had given the order. Before he could panic, the low-level employee had already sold him out, repeatedly saying, “How would I know? The director told me to… It was all him…”

As he spoke, he covered his face and held up the WeChat chat records high for everyone to see.

Even the tourists knew this was wrong. The police officer recording the incident calmly said to Zhao Fang, “Please come with us to the station. We need to understand the full truth.”

Zhao Fang froze and wiped his sweat. “No, officer, our zoo is so big — we can’t do without me. I still have business to handle…”

His protests grew weaker under the police officer’s steady gaze.

As for business, with such a major accident at the zoo — one that nearly cost a child’s life — it was naturally impossible to continue operations.

The tourists had already formed a dense crowd. Upon hearing there was more to the story, many were hooked on the drama and filled with righteous anger!

The angriest were the parents of the endangered little girl.

Fang Qinghui kept stroking her daughter’s back, comforting her. When she looked up and met her husband’s eyes, her gaze was burning with fury!

They had been married for many years and had only this one precious daughter, whom they cherished more than their own lives. Today’s incident had already chilled her heart. If not for Ling Yue risking her life to save their daughter, their family would have been destroyed!

Now that she learned there was more behind it, she looked at her husband. “Dear.”

No more words were needed. Her husband understood perfectly.

He wasn’t extremely powerful, but he had some connections in the capital and could speak up when necessary.

Watching the villains being taken away by the police with their heads down, the tourists clapped and cheered. Only then did they realize that the hero who had saved the child from the tigers, Ling Yue, had already disappeared.

Fang Qinghui looked around anxiously. “Where’s our benefactor?”

Her husband: “…”

Everyone’s attention had been on the corrupt boss earlier. No one had noticed her leave. This matter…

On the side of the asphalt road, under the cool shade of green trees, Ling Yue walked briskly toward home. Her eyes fell to the side in astonishment.

Just ten minutes ago, she had been bound by the system.

The system, speaking in a mechanical voice, told her that the voice she had suddenly heard in her head was the tiger’s inner thoughts. Not only that, she could now hear the voices of other animals too. For example—

The chubby French Bulldog napping beside the big tree in front of her. Its round body was as fat as a washing machine drum. Its short chin rested on its little paws. When it saw her stop, it didn’t move, only turning its round, glassy eyes toward her: “It’s a human. What? Never seen such a handsome dog like me before? Too bad I already have an owner. I’m the dog you can never have!”

Ling Yue: “……You don’t have to be that confident. I can barely afford to feed myself.”

The French Bulldog’s ears suddenly perked up. “You’re talking to me?”

Ling Yue nodded.

The air fell silent for three seconds. Then the French Bulldog snorted, leaped up, and ran away on its sturdy legs in a zigzag pattern, shouting as it fled, “Help! I met a crazy person!”

Ling Yue watched it run away. According to her will, the system automatically displayed the French Bulldog’s attribute panel:

[Name: French Bulldog]

[Gender: …Male]

[Age: Five and a half years]

[Personality: Gentle]

[Skills: Watchdog]

[Wish: None]

Ling Yue was covered in black lines. She finally understood the system’s function. Aside from the initial self-introduction, it could pull up attribute panels at any time to help her better understand animals.

There was also one skill: If she fulfilled an animal’s wish, she could obtain one of its skills. Of course, few small animals had wishes. The French Bulldog earlier was not one of them.

“Hahahahaha, the stupid dog finally ran away!”

Ling Yue looked up. On a branch of the big tree was a bird’s nest. A black crow stood by the nest, laughing loudly: “I don’t know why that smelly dog suddenly ran off today, but it saved me some effort!”

“That smelly dog is so annoying, snoring under the tree every day and disturbing us birds!”

“Big Sis is the best! That dog must have been scared off by Big Sis’s aura!”

Several younger crows behind her flattered her, cawing nonstop and giving Ling Yue a headache.

Hot gusts of wind blew by. The weather grew even hotter.

Ling Yue shook her head and dismissed the crows’ attribute screen. She was just about to check her balance to see if she could unlock a shared bike when the big crow sister’s voice sounded above her head: “Sisters, follow me!”

The sound of flapping wings mixed with excited cries: “Caw caw caw! That guy is a thief! I saw him rob a jewelry store! There’s a fifty万 human reward! He buried a sack of shiny stuff by the big willow tree at East Lake. Sisters, charge!”

Ling Yue: “Fifty万 reward?”

She subconsciously looked across the street. A scavenger uncle wearing ragged clothes and carrying a trash bag was walking toward her. When he saw her looking, his wrinkled face squeezed out an awkward smile.

He looked very uneasy and shy.

Dressed like a typical scavenger. If not for the crows, Ling Yue probably wouldn’t have noticed him.

She finally remembered the sensational jewelry robbery case in the east of the city half a month ago. It had made the news in the capital, and the internet was flooded with reports. The thief had stolen jewelry worth over ten million. The whole city was on high alert, and the police had issued notices saying the suspect had not left the capital yet.

He was walking straight toward her!

Ling Yue’s heart skipped a beat. She took out her phone and started scrolling through Douyin. *You stay in your shell, I’ll stay in mine — let’s not talk to each other.*

As for what she was thinking inside: What a talent!

If she remembered correctly, this place was only one street away from the jewelry store. He actually dared to walk around openly disguised as a scavenger. Not just her — even the police probably wouldn’t recognize him.

But man proposes, heaven disposes.

The big willow tree at East Lake? It was very close. Ling Yue had often played there as a child. She dialed a number and turned back.

On such a hot day, East Lake Park was deserted. It was simply too sunny.

Ling Yue wiped her face. She noticed a patch of grass near the tree that looked bald. She walked over. The soil was unusually loose. Using a small shovel, she dug for a short while before the tip hit something hard.

Half of a gray sack was buried in the ground. Ling Yue pulled it up. The moment she opened it, the golden shine nearly blinded her!

It was a whole sack full of gold and gemstones!

Before Ling Yue could marvel, her ears twitched. She heard the distant cawing of crows: “Big Sis, someone’s digging up the treasure!”

“Hurry! I want to see the shiny stuff!”

Ling Yue’s heart jumped. These crows had been following the thief. If they came, the thief would naturally follow. She couldn’t let him catch her.

She didn’t know where her strength came from, but she lifted the dozens-of-jin sack in one go, stuffed it into her tote bag, quickly filled the hole, and stomped on it hard several times.

As she came out, she ran straight into him. Ling Yue carried the bag as if it weighed nothing and walked past calmly.

The moment they brushed past each other, cold sweat broke out on Ling Yue’s back.

Behind the tree.

The jewelry thief carried an empty snake-skin bag. Yesterday, he had finally found the chance. He was just waiting to retrieve this pile of gold and then disappear to live freely!

A smile appeared on the man’s honest-looking face. He checked his surroundings — no one around.

He breathed a sigh of relief, found the marker he had left before, and suddenly noticed several footprints. He dug in with his fingers. The fresh soil was still loose and moist. But where was the stuff underneath?

Fuck! His stash had been robbed!

He immediately thought of the woman he had bumped into twice earlier. Like an angry bull, he charged forward furiously!

Ling Yue had already run away. The heavy bag pressed against her back. In the sweltering heat, crows circled above her head, cawing chaotically.

“Mommy! She’s so awesome! The jewelry thief just noticed!”

“He’s chasing you! On the right! Hey girl, turn left quickly!”

Ling Yue immediately turned and ran toward the park entrance.

At the same time, several sedans stopped one after another at the East Lake Park entrance. Several young men in casual clothes moved agilely, with one man clearly in the lead.

Longxiang Jewelry’s branch manager Zhao Lin got out surrounded by his subordinates. Seeing the leading man, he smiled and said, “Captain Lin, what brings you here?”

The man had handsome features and a cold, lofty temperament. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing a cold white wrist and slender, clean fingers. They looked as exquisite as art pieces displayed in a gallery. Few people knew how many criminals had had their arms broken cleanly by those hands and been brought to justice.

His sharp, blade-like eyes flashed with light. “You received that call too?”

Zhao Lin immediately became serious. “You too? She told me to come to the East Lake Park entrance. There’s nothing much going on at the store these days, so I came.”

If he hadn’t accidentally touched the angry fever blisters on his lips while speaking, Lin Shaoze would have found his words a bit more credible.

After the Longxiang Jewelry robbery, the impact had been extremely bad. Jewelry worth nearly ten million had been stolen, yet the perpetrator remained at large — a hard slap to the police’s face.

Longxiang Group offered a 500,000 reward, and the police offered one as well. They had launched a massive manhunt, but because the criminal was experienced and moved quickly, there had been no solid leads so far.

In the civilian sphere, countless people were chasing the 500,000 reward. Normally, a single phone call wouldn’t warrant the personal appearance of Lin Shaoze, captain of the criminal police squad. But the female voice on the phone had been too certain, as if she had seen the thief hiding the loot with her own eyes, and she had firmly named the exact location.

It was completely different from the hesitant voices of others.

Lin Shaoze had keenly sensed something unusual. Before coming, he had checked information on East Lake Park — an old park built decades ago. Usually only elderly locals visited. Most importantly, it was only a ten-minute walk from the crime scene!

The criminal couldn’t possibly keep carrying dozens of kilograms of gold and jewelry while fleeing. To avoid police detection and escape quickly, he would definitely choose to stash the loot as soon as possible!

The man’s sharp, eagle-like gaze seemed to pierce through the iron gate, looking into the distance.

They had no idea what kind of intense chase was happening inside the park.

In terms of speed and stamina, Ling Yue was actually no match for the thief. However, she had the crows acting as living GPS, giving her real-time directions. Besides, East Lake Park wasn’t very big.

She slammed her hand on the gate. She had finally made it.

The crows circling above cawed loudly: “Waaaah! The jewelry thief is catching up!”

Ling Yue pressed her lips together and smiled lightly. “It’s fine. The people I’ve been waiting for have already arrived.”

In the sky, the excited crows suddenly froze mid-flap. Then they let out a loud caw.

“You’re talking to me?”

“Aaaah help! She can speak bird language!”

Ling Yue had already opened the gate. What greeted her was not only the scorching sunlight but also a group of people outside. She immediately locked onto Zhao Lin — the only person she recognized.

She had seen him online before. He was the manager of the Longxiang Jewelry branch in the east of the city. Although only once, she had a photographic memory.

Ling Yue said, “Manager Zhao, I’m the one who reported the case earlier.”

“What I’m carrying is the stolen goods. Please wait a moment.”

She made a gesture as if listening carefully. Her mysterious demeanor made everyone subconsciously hold their breath. Except for the experienced officers, Lin Shaoze at the front frowned. *What a strange person.*

The next moment, a shrill bird cry rang out. Ling Yue, who had been hiding to the side, suddenly swung the heavy bag in her hand. What happened next left everyone dumbfounded.

Dozens of kilograms of gold and jewelry smashed heavily onto the man who had just rushed out, producing a painful dull thud.

The man staggered. His brain took a heavy blow. In his dizziness, he could only make out Ling Yue’s face. It was exactly as he had guessed — it was this bitch!

Ling Yue declared loudly: “I want to report him. He is the main culprit behind the East City jewelry theft case!”

****

Inside the Capital City Police Station.

Everyone looked at each other in astonishment. The plain-colored tote bag was open, revealing gold and jewelry still covered in fresh, earthy-smelling soil. Yet it couldn’t hide their dazzling brilliance. After police verification, the items inside were confirmed to be all the jewelry stolen from the Longxiang Jewelry store in East City half a month ago.

Seeing this, Zhao Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Ling Yue with great excitement and gratitude. “Miss Ling! Thank you so much! Thank you for helping us recover these items. These past few days, I was almost in despair!”

After speaking, he remembered the room full of police officers and quickly added, “Of course, I also want to thank all the police comrades for their hard work these days. Without your help, we wouldn’t have caught the thief so smoothly.”

Lin Shaoze held a pen, his gaze repeatedly scanning the transcript. Everything seemed far too coincidental. Ling Yue had “accidentally” discovered where the thief buried the loot, was “coincidentally” discovered and chased on the very day she dug it up, and they had just happened to arrive in time to catch the criminal.

How could it all be so perfectly timed?

His eyes fell on Ling Yue. He didn’t speak, but his scrutinizing gaze was clearly felt by her. Her scalp tingled. She knew her story had many holes, but she couldn’t possibly tell them the truth—that she could hear animals’ thoughts. Would they think she was crazy, or would they be the crazy ones?

Ling Yue tapped her fingertips lightly and smiled at him. “Captain Lin, do you have any more questions? If not, I’d like to go home and rest.”

The other officers were stunned. They didn’t know what their captain was doing. The suspect had already confessed, and the story had been told multiple times. The young lady had just carried dozens of kilograms of goods while running for her life—she must be exhausted.

“Captain Lin, why don’t we let Miss Ling go back first?”

“Wait.” Lin Shaoze said calmly. Under everyone’s gaze, he continued, “We still haven’t processed the reward for this case. Although it’s only three thousand yuan, along with Mr. Zhao’s…”

Ling Yue suddenly smiled, bright and radiant, interrupting him, “Three thousand yuan is not little at all.” At least it was two hundred more than her previous monthly salary of 2,800 yuan before resigning.

Yes, 2,800 yuan — in a first-tier city.

She should be grateful she still had a place to stay. Otherwise, she would have been forced to leave the city long ago.

Zhao Lin quickly chimed in, “And from our Longxiang Jewelry as well. Miss Ling has solved a huge problem for us. Once everything is verified, the 500,000 yuan reward will be transferred to your account immediately! No later than three days!”

Ling Yue naturally didn’t doubt his words. The hardship along the way had finally paid off. Her eyes sparkled like little stars as she listened.

Fifty thousand three thousand yuan!

Fifty thick stacks of red banknotes — enough to fill an entire suitcase!

When she left the station, her steps were light and energetic. Her heart was pounding like a little deer was trapped inside.

Ling Yue curved her eyes in delight. After all, she was just a recent university graduate. Despite what Zhihu or certain books claimed about everyone earning over ten thousand a month with seven-figure savings, in reality, 500,000 yuan was already enough to buy her own house in a third-tier county. And if she had one 500,000, how far could the next one be?

Outside the police station, Ling Yue finally stopped hesitating between a shared bike or walking. Why choose? Taking a taxi was obviously better!

While waiting for the car, she suddenly thought of something, ran into a nearby supermarket, and came out carrying a large bag filled with many items.

Inside the police station, several officers hid behind the door, pushing each other while looking at their captain’s back. The simple-minded Old Zhu was pushed out by his colleagues.

His staggering steps immediately caught Lin Shaoze’s attention. He looked at them in surprise as they winked and made faces at each other. His tone was stern but relatively gentle: “What are you guys doing? Why aren’t you training? Have you finished today’s tasks?”

“Come on, Captain! Just tell us — are you interested in that… Miss Ling?”

“Hmm.”

The teammates who hadn’t expected an answer were stunned. They looked at their captain in disbelief. “You actually admitted it? Well, Miss Ling is really beautiful, and her smile is so sweet. No wonder even our captain is…”

“Cheng Ziming.” Lin Shaoze gave him a flat look. In an instant, Cheng Ziming felt like a helpless little prey being stared down by a terrifying demon king.

“Captain, I was wrong!” He dropped to his knees extremely quickly.

Lin Shaoze knew exactly what these guys were thinking. He just couldn’t figure it out. A faint ripple appeared between his handsome brows. “I just feel like things aren’t that simple.”

“Can there really be so many coincidences in this world?”

The team members looked at each other. After a while, Cheng Ziming scratched his head. “Don’t they say there’s no story without coincidences? Besides, I think Miss Ling is very observant. Who would have guessed the thief would disguise himself as a scavenger? If she hadn’t pointed him out, and we hadn’t interrogated him thoroughly, we might have really let him go.”

“Also, before we even reacted, she had already smashed the guy with the bag. That move was clean and decisive — so cool!”

People with sharp observation skills were good at uncovering clues from trivial details. Moreover, wasn’t that exactly what Ling Yue had done earlier? Her strange action before smashing the suspect was probably because she had heard his footsteps.

Lin Shaoze tried to convince himself. The light in his eyes flickered.

Ling Yue, who had been “given” the halo of extraordinary insight: “……”

If she knew his guess, her head would definitely show a row of ellipses like in a comic. He was really overthinking it. There were no footsteps — she had purely been listening to the crows. The crows told her the thief’s location, allowing her to time everything perfectly.

Outside the police station, Ling Yue looked up at the sky. After a while, she finally spotted a few sneaky black shadows behind a utility pole. The corner of her lips lifted in a faint, imperceptible smile.

“Wait—”

Zhao Lin ran over while wiping his sweat. “Miss Ling, wait! Are you going home? How about I give you a ride?”

Before Ling Yue could refuse, he smiled kindly and said, “Who knows how long you’d have to wait under this sun. Besides, you’re my benefactor. If we hadn’t recovered these items, I don’t know what kind of punishment I would have faced.”

Ling Yue’s phone rang at that moment. She answered it, and the driver’s voice came through: “Sorry, passenger, I’m stuck in traffic. I can’t take this ride.”

Ling Yue glanced at Zhao Lin, then at the empty asphalt road where not even a ghost could be seen. She immediately made her decision and smiled brightly, “Then I’ll have to trouble you.”

Her demeanor was graceful and natural.

Zhao Lin was overjoyed and chuckled, “No trouble at all. I’m the one who should be thanking you!”

As expected of a branch manager in charge of more than a dozen employees, Zhao Lin was very pleasant to talk to. Like a gentle spring breeze, he effortlessly shared some interesting trivia and stories about jewelry, making the conversation lively and engaging. Unknowingly, it also shortened the distance between them.

Ling Yue put away the business card he had given her and slipped it into her pocket.

The enthusiastic Zhao Lin suddenly sighed, as if something had touched him. With the weariness typical of a middle-aged man, he said, “To be honest, this isn’t the first frustrating incident.”

“I remember it started with the theft of our store’s signature treasure — the Butterfly Knot Diamond Necklace. The name sounds ordinary, but it has quite the background.”

“Four years ago, our boss bought it at Sotheby’s autumn auction for 8 million US dollars. It once belonged to the greatest emperor of the Snow Country.”

He lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear. Ling Yue instantly forgot to convert dollars to RMB. Her mind was only filled with that astronomical number.

“Has it been found yet?” Ling Yue felt light-headed. She shifted her foot, stepping on the car’s carpet as if stepping on a soft cloud.

*Sigh.* While she was secretly delighted about 500,000 yuan, other people were already dealing in US dollars.

Zhao Lin shook his head with a bitter smile. “It ran away as if it had grown legs. We still haven’t found it.”

He rubbed his forehead, looking puzzled. “That day was very unfortunate. The store’s surveillance just happened to be broken and didn’t capture the thief. Nothing else unusual happened that day. The employees were all working normally. In the blink of an eye, the item disappeared. I remember there weren’t many customers that day, and no one even went near the area where the signature piece was displayed. It was simply…” He paused. “It was like seeing a ghost in broad daylight!”

Ling Yue’s breathing hitched. An idea unconsciously formed in her mind. *If it wasn’t a human… could it possibly be…*

Zhao Lin didn’t want to dwell on it. He was already very happy to have recovered this batch of jewelry and was about to change the subject when he suddenly heard the young woman’s soft voice:

“Maybe… I have a way.”