Chapter 147: Chapter 137: Then Give Me Back My Things
「Zone 19 Center.」
A snowmobile drove down a street in the Center’s residential district. Inside, the driver’s and front passenger seats were relatively spacious, but the backseat was crammed with five or six Beastmen.
"Can’t your department spare another vehicle?!"
Said Belial, covering his mouth and nose as he was squashed in the middle.
He was really sick of this stinking, cramped vehicle.
Even with the windows cracked for air, the smell of eight Beastmen crammed inside—none of whom had showered after days on the road—was suffocating.
They’d been chasing fugitives with Leighton for days. Forget showering—they barely had time to sleep, mostly just catching a few winks in the car or directly on the snow.
Leighton, chewing on a compressed grass cake in the passenger seat, glanced in the rearview mirror at the young lions squeezed in the back. "The department’s vehicles are all out on assignment. We’re lucky we got a snowmobile this good. Some officers don’t even have a snow bike."
Mingxi pulled his head back inside and looked at Leighton, frowning. "Is the department that short on equipment?"
Leighton said, "This is Zone 19, not the Upper District where the rivers flow with gold, young masters. Just hang in there. Once we’ve landed the biggest fish, you can take your impressive list of accomplishments back to your dads and ask for a reward."
"You’re welcome to donate to our department then."
Belial rolled his eyes at him. "Get us something to eat."
Leighton grabbed a bag from the storage compartment and tossed it to the back. Ming Ze, who was closest, caught it. When he opened it, several heads craned to look inside. It was full of grayish-green grass cakes that smelled of hay.
"We’re lions! Not sheep!" Belial threw the bag back at Leighton. "At least get us some jerky."
"Take it or leave it. It’s your own fault for not storing food for the winter." Leighton took out a grass cake and handed it to Little Black, who was driving.
Mingxi pulled a few ration biscuits from his pocket and handed them to Belial and the others. "This will have to do for now. The Military Department should be finishing off the Mutant Species soon."
Leighton snorted. "Far from it."
Mingxi said, "According to our intel from the military, they’ve already slain the King Seed. The Mutant Species are in disarray. Now the military is just hunting down the lesser leaders throughout Zone 19. It should all be over soon."
Leighton gazed out the window. "It’s not that simple."
"Whatever," Belial said. "Let’s just catch this ’fish’ or whatever so we can go get that..."
Before he could finish, Ming Ze jabbed him with an elbow, shutting him up.
Leighton tilted his head. "Get what?"
"Our objective," Mingxi said.
Leighton bit into his compressed grass cake. "Don’t worry, your target isn’t going anywhere. Those smugglers have been on our list for years. Since you’re helping us nab our guys, if you can’t handle it, I can lend you a hand."
Mingxi exchanged a look with his teammates. "We’d appreciate that."
Leighton smiled. "Don’t mention it."
Belial coughed and whispered to Mingxi, "The Military Department is opening a checkpoint in three days. We still need to hurry."
Mingxi glanced out the window. A figure on a motorcycle was tailing them from a distance.
Mingxi looked away. "No need to rush. He’s not going anywhere."
Despite his words, he felt a flicker of anxiety.
’But that leopard promised he would hand over the little Mixed Breed before we leave. He follows us around all day, so I have to take him at his word, whether I like it or not.’
’The power and internet are down in Zone 19, so we can’t contact Eric’s group. We have our own people in the military, but for certain reasons, I don’t dare ask them for official confirmation right now. All I can do is have our contacts in the Military Department keep watch and report any developments.’
’If it’s really just a Mixed Breed, that’s one thing. But if it isn’t, and it gets mistaken for one—or worse... a Mimic Mixed Species—the consequences would be unthinkable.’
He had been monitoring the military’s movements daily. According to their intel, this cleanup operation was going smoothly. The King Seed had been slain, and they hadn’t reached the point of needing to deploy a Mimic Mixed Species.
’That little Mixed Breed is probably in W’s hands. Maybe he’s just holding out for a bigger reward.’
’For now, the Military Department is still busy clearing out Mutant Species, and Zone 19 is on lockdown. With Mutant Species everywhere, we have no way to search for anyone ourselves. Our only choice is to play along with W and Leighton for the time being.’
’If it comes down to it, we can always try to get some information from Leighton.’
The snowmobile slowed to a stop at the side of the street.
The moment the vehicle stopped, Belial and the others couldn’t wait to scramble out.
