Future Pet Shop

Chapter 329: Chapter 329: Could It Be a Monkey?

"Hah’Er, time to get up." Early in the morning, Shen Yibin was woken from his sleep by the chirping of birds. He crawled out of his sleeping bag, opened the tent, and stepped outside. After taking a few deep breaths of the crisp, fresh air, Shen Yibin felt completely re-energized.

"Ngh?" Hah’Er lazily poked its head out of the tent. Maphario stood on its shoulder, curiously sizing up their surroundings. Before long, it scurried up a nearby wild fruit tree, picked a few fruits, and tossed them down.

"We ate nothing but dry rations all day yesterday. Let’s have some fruit today." These wild fruits weren’t as sweet as cultivated varieties, of course, with a slightly tart flavor. But to the trio who had been munching on dry rations for a day, they tasted pretty good. After eating some fruit and drinking some mineral water, Shen Yibin carefully collected the seeds Maphario had separated. The three of them once again set off on their pilgrimage... er, no, on their quest to find the sixth pet.

HUFF... PUFF... Hah’Er walked at the front, breathing heavily. Maphario would alternate between climbing onto its shoulder to gaze into the distance and retreating into a pocket to rest and munch on candy. Shen Yibin, carrying his large hiking pack, brought up the rear. Up the mountain, down the mountain. Up the mountain, down the mountain. They crossed a stream and sat for a brief rest, then it was up the mountain, down the mountain, up the mountain, down the mountain all over again. By evening, they had finally closed in on the location of the orange dot of light.

By now, the sky had grown dark, and it seemed unlikely they would find the animal today. Shen Yibin had no choice but to set up the tent again to rest for the night. They would continue their journey with Hah’Er and Maphario in the morning.

By noon the next day, they finally arrived near the orange dot of light. Fortunately, this creature wasn’t running all over the place like Shi Gaofei had. Barring any surprises, the animal should be right here in the valley before them.

"Let’s take a break, have some water, and take our time looking for any unusual animals." Shen Yibin plopped onto the ground, handing a bottle of mineral water to Hah’Er. He then opened another for himself and started chugging it. GLUG, GLUG. After finishing the bottle in one go, he crushed it flat and stuffed it into his pack. Littering was a huge no-no during outdoor activities, so Shen Yibin had been carefully collecting his water bottles, energy bar wrappers, and other trash along the way. He would dispose of it all properly once he was out of the mountains.

"Ngh!" Hah’Er nodded, took the mineral water, and drank a few GULPS. It then poured a capful and passed it to Maphario, which was just the right amount for him.

"You stay put. I’m going to climb that big rock up ahead and see if any animals are stirring." Shen Yibin pointed to a large rock, about four or five meters tall, that looked like a perfect vantage point. He then pulled an energy bar from his bag and offered it to Hah’Er. "This will have to tide you over for now. I’ll make you a proper, delicious meal once we’re out of here."

Hah’Er, of course, understood. It reached out its paw to take the energy bar, but just then, a whoosh of air passed between them. In a flash of yellow, the energy bar was snatched right out of Shen Yibin’s hand.

Looking closer, he saw a monkey with pure golden fur squatting on a tree branch across from them. It triumphantly held up the energy bar and chittered at them incessantly. CHITTER! CHITTER!

"Ngh!" Hah’Er was instantly displeased. ’That was the food Shen Yibin got for me! How dare you steal it?’ It looked ready to go over and teach that monkey a lesson.

"Heh, forget it. No need to get angry, I’ve got more. We’re on its turf, after all. We can consider it a tribute." Shen Yibin pulled another energy bar from his bag, intending to give it to Hah’Er.

But as soon as he held it out, he saw the monkey on the branch gnawing at the wrapper, apparently unable to figure out how to open it. ’Oh, no, that’s not good,’ Shen Yibin thought. ’It’s one thing if it can’t get to the food, but it’ll be terrible if it accidentally swallows the plastic wrapper.’

"CHEE! CHEE!" Shen Yibin quickly mimicked the monkey’s cry, holding his own energy bar high. When the monkey looked over, he tore open the top of the wrapper to reveal the bar inside. Monkeys are natural mimics, so with Shen Yibin’s demonstration, this one also managed to tear open its wrapper.

"Alright, now eat it like this!" He waved the energy bar, tossed the wrapper aside, and took a big bite, nodding to show how delicious it was. The monkey followed suit. Shen Yibin only breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the wrapper flutter down to the base of the tree. At last, he didn’t have to worry about the monkey making itself sick.

’Otherwise, I’d have to carry it out of the mountains to get help, which would be a huge waste of time, and I’d feel guilty for ages.’ The monkeys of Emei Mountain were known for their boldness. The ones in the tourist areas would block paths to demand food, and the wild ones here were likely just as brazen. Perhaps seeing that Shen Yibin meant no harm, this monkey grew courageous. It climbed down from the tree and began to circle him, its eyes glued to his hiking pack, as if wondering if there was more food inside.

"I can’t give you any more. If I do, we’ll starve," Shen Yibin said, quickly clutching his pack. Hah’Er, however, crouched down and let out a series of growls at the monkey. It was not at all happy with the creature that had stolen its food.

Whether it believed Shen Yibin or was scared off by Hah’Er, the monkey chittered twice, scrambled up a tree, and swung away. Shen Yibin seized the opportunity to retrieve the wrapper he had tossed aside, then took out another energy bar to split between Hah’Er and Maphario.

’Huh? That monkey seemed pretty clever,’ Shen Yibin mused. ’Could it be the one the Future Pet Shop sent me to find?’ He immediately pulled his phone from his bag and opened the Pet Radar. Unfortunately, the orange dot was still some distance away, meaning it couldn’t have been that particular monkey. Shen Yibin couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.

However, when he climbed onto the large rock and looked toward the location of the orange dot on the map, he saw a large troop of monkeys playing in the forest. While it wasn’t the one he’d just met, it now seemed very likely that the pet he was searching for was a monkey.

’Hmm, should I go over and check it out?’ Shen Yibin hesitated. If he were alone, he would have gone without a second thought. But Hah’Er and Maphario were with him. If that troop of monkeys started making trouble, he wasn’t entirely sure he could protect them both.

Just as he was hesitating, he heard a sound from the bushes. RUSTLE, RUSTLE. The monkey from before popped its head out and came bounding toward him.

’Huh? What on earth is it trying to do?’ Shen Yibin couldn’t figure it out.