Chapter 205: Chapter 152: Warning! Evil Cultivator Discovered
The system designated the Zoo as the "Beast Taming Sect," so the "evil cultivator invasion" likely referred to people with malicious intent toward animals who had infiltrated the Zoo.
At this thought, Yang Qi immediately grabbed his phone, turned it on, and quickly opened the "Zoo Family" main work group chat.
The group was quiet. The last message was from after 8 p.m., when the cafeteria posted the next day’s menu.
There were no reports of anything unusual.
’Did the security guard on duty not notice? Or are these "evil cultivators" so skilled that they avoided the cameras and patrols?’
In the middle of the night, Yang Qi had no proof. He couldn’t just post "there might be a thief" in the group chat; that would only cause unnecessary panic and suspicion.
He had to confirm the situation first.
With this in mind, Yang Qi got up and tiptoed downstairs.
"Ar-rrooo?"
Bai Wan, who was lying on a cushion in the living room, immediately raised his head in alarm, his eyes glinting in the darkness.
Master, what’s wrong?
Beside him, Hu Zi and Leopard also got up from their comfy dog beds, looking at Yang Qi with wary postures.
"Meow?"
At the turn of the stairs on the second floor, Xiaojiu leaped down gracefully, landing at Yang Qi’s feet and looking up at him.
"It’s nothing. You all go back to sleep."
Yang Qi raised a hand to soothe them.
He had initially wanted to take the dogs out with him, but on second thought, walking three dogs through the park in the middle of the night would cause too much of a commotion. If he startled the other animals or was caught on camera, it would be a pain to explain.
’Take the cat?’
’Xiaojiu would be fine, but just one cat...’
Lost in thought, Yang Qi walked to the front door. Just as he was about to open it, a Spiritual Light flashed in his mind, and he stopped in his tracks.
"That’s right, the stray cats!"
Yang Qi turned, beckoned to Xiaojiu who was shadowing his every move, and activated his Basic Spirit Communication Technique. "Xiaojiu," he asked, "do you know where Hua Qi usually lives?"
"Meow~"
Xiaojiu replied.
I do.
Does Master want to find Hua Qi?
"Yes, take me to Hua Qi," Yang Qi said with a smile.
These stray cats had a large territory, and night was when felines were most active. They were the best secret sentinels in the Zoo.
If an outsider had really snuck in, these highly vigilant stray cats would most likely have noticed something.
With that, Yang Qi turned to the three dogs, who were staring at him eagerly, and gave them an order.
"Hu Zi, Leopard, Bai Wan, you three stay home and guard the house."
"Woof~"
"Woof woof~"
Though reluctant, the three dogs obediently responded with soft barks and lay back down on their cushions.
Yang Qi followed Xiaojiu out the door.
Xiaojiu was incredibly familiar with the nighttime environment. It gracefully led the way, cutting through the paths of the employee dormitory area and heading deeper into the Zoo.
Unexpectedly, halfway there, as they passed a streetlight next to a small grove of trees, Yang Qi saw a familiar figure.
It was the calico cat, Hua Qi. It was squatting by a half-open trash can, carefully rummaging for any possible food scraps, its ears twitching intermittently as it remained vigilant of its surroundings.
"Hua Qi!"
Seeing the cat, Yang Qi quickly jogged over, calling out in a hushed voice.
Hua Qi was startled at first, arching its back and letting out a low, warning growl. Only when it turned and saw Yang Qi and Xiaojiu did it relax. It trotted over, rubbed its head against Yang Qi’s pant leg, and let out a questioning meow.
What’s wrong?
"Hua Qi, have you seen any sneaky Two-legged Beasts acting strangely?"
Yang Qi crouched down, gesturing with his hands. "The kind that are different from the Two-legged Beasts you usually see."
If Hua Qi said it hadn’t seen anything, he would have Xiaojiu and Hua Qi split up to contact the other stray cats in the Zoo, activating the "meow-meow intelligence network" to conduct a thorough search. They were bound to find some clues.
To his surprise, Hua Qi barely hesitated. It looked up, let out a firm "meow," then turned its head to look toward the right and back, in the direction of the Bird District.
Yes.
Over there just now, near the big bird cages, there were two Two-legged Beasts who were very different.
They had a smell that made me very uncomfortable, and they moved fast, avoiding the lights.
"There really are!"
Yang Qi was delighted. ’Could it really be "evil cultivators"?’
He immediately urged, "Quick, Hua Qi, take me over there. I’ll give you something good to eat when we get back!"
"Meow~"
Hearing the promise of good food, Hua Qi instantly perked up. It meowed in agreement and turned to sprint toward the Bird District, its movements much swifter than before.
Yang Qi followed closely behind Hua Qi, with Xiaojiu silently trailing them.
The man and two cats moved quickly through the night, avoiding the main roads and streetlights, sticking to the greenbelts and small paths as they approached the Bird District.
At night, the Bird District was lit by only a few dim ground lights, with most of the enclosures shrouded in shadow.
Hua Qi led Yang Qi and Xiaojiu, deftly skirting around Swan Lake, and arrived behind a relatively secluded, combined-enclosure area that housed several species of pheasants and rare birds.
There was an inconspicuous staff entrance here, usually locked, used by keepers for entry, exit, and transporting feed.
At this moment.
In the faint light of a distant streetlight, Yang Qi could clearly see two figures in front of the iron gate. They were dressed in dark tracksuits, wearing hats and masks, their backs to him as they fiddled with the lock.
’Picking the lock to steal birds?’
A chill ran down Yang Qi’s spine.
He was just about to grab his phone to message the security guard on duty.
Just then, the phone in his hand suddenly rang.
The crisp ringtone echoed through the empty Bird District, instantly shattering the night’s tranquility.
"Shit, we’ve been spotted!"
"Run!"
The two "lock-pickers" cried out in alarm, turned, and started to run.
"Stop!"
Yang Qi shouted as he got up and gave chase, answering the call at the same time.
"Brother Qi, you’re in the Bird District now, right? What are you doing running over there...?"
"Brother Li, there are thieves trying to steal the birds!"
Yang Qi responded quickly while mobilizing his Magical Power, casting the Entanglement Technique on the two people running ahead.
An invisible force instantly crossed several dozen meters and wrapped around the ankle of the person in front. With a THUD, the person tumbled to the ground. The one behind couldn’t avoid being tripped and fell forward as well, crying out in pain.
"What!?"
