Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 266 Cola: Wasn't it me who was trying to steal the spotlight?

"Driver, Changhe Park."

After getting into the taxi, Chen Yuan told the driver his destination.

With an excited expression, Jiang Wenning couldn't help but say, "Master, can you hurry up? We're in a rush."

The driver remained unmoved, speaking calmly: "Changhe Park is quite far from here, it would take at least half an hour even if we went as fast as we could. Besides, we can't drive too fast. Our goal is to get every passenger to their destination safely."

"I'll add money."

Jiang Wenning took out a hundred-yuan bill and slapped it onto the central armrest.

The driver glanced at the crisp new hundred-yuan bill out of the corner of his eye, his expression unchanged, his tone still calm: "It's not about the amount of money. I have my own service principle: safety and security are what truly matter."

Snapped!
Another 100-yuan bill appeared.

The driver swallowed hard, gripping the steering wheel tightly, but remained calm: "Miss, this really isn't about the amount of money."

Snapped!
The driver stopped abruptly, turned his head silently, stared at the three large bills, and fell silent.

For a long time,

The driver straightened his back silently, let out a shallow breath, rubbed his hands together, then gripped the steering wheel tightly, his tone as steady as ever: "Although safe travel is my service principle, meeting the needs of passengers is equally important."

He paused for a moment, then slammed on the gas pedal. The old taxi emitted a deep, guttural roar unique to gasoline-powered vehicles as it sped toward Changhe Park.

“It would take a normal driver thirty minutes, but you ran into me.”

"I guarantee I'll get you to your destination in fifteen minutes."

"I'm just making a fool of myself!"

Thirteen minutes later,
The driver stuck his head out of the car window, beaming with pride: "How about that? Two minutes faster than I expected."

Chen Yuan glanced silently at Chang Yuhuan, who was squatting by the roadside retching, and gave the driver a thumbs up: "Amazing."

After the taxi drove away, Chang Yuhuan's nausea gradually subsided, and she returned to the two men's side.

The west gate of Changhe Park is right in front of them.

It was past 10 p.m., and Changhe Park was completely silent under the dark night sky. Occasionally, a street lamp emitted a faint light, which only made the quiet night scene of the park seem more sinister and terrifying.

But when the three summoned their respective pets, the atmosphere suddenly changed.

"Ouch!"

Seeing that there was another special mission, Cola, full of excitement, couldn't wait to rush into the park gate, but Chen Yuan stopped him: "Don't rush."

"boil!"

Cola, looking resentful, stopped in place, turned around, and cried out urgently.

This time, we can't let the big sister steal the spotlight!

Chen Yuan understood what Cola was thinking. He turned to look at Spark standing on his shoulder and said slowly, "How about this, if anything happens later, Cola, you can make the first move."

There are no gigantic Tier 3 pets here, so Cola's strength allows her to easily handle any unexpected situation.

Let it have its moment in the spotlight.

Upon hearing its master's words, Cola's eyes widened, and then it opened its paws and suddenly hugged Chen Yuan's leg, its tail swaying left and right.

Cola stared intently at Chen Yuan with delighted eyes, which made him ponder: "Such a strong reaction, have I been neglecting Cola lately?"

As the number of people on the farm increased, his attention was inevitably diverted, and he could no longer focus all his attention on Spark and Cola as he used to.

But Chen Yuan knew this was no excuse. As a qualified beast tamer, he had to pay more attention to Cola.

Once Cola released its paw, it raised its head and strode forward, its tail wagging proudly as it scanned its surroundings with its azure eyes: "Awooooo!"

Where are the enemies?
Come out here and accept my punishment, Cola!

Taking out their phones to navigate to the location sent by Li Junyue, the group followed the park path, passing old fitness equipment, and passing through deep woods and dark ponds.

The little ones reacted differently when walking in this environment.

Although the Water Spirit Turtle witnessed many grand scenes with Chang Yuhuan, such as venturing deep into the Flaming Mountain and facing the shocking battle between the Fire Flower and the Blazing Soul Flame Lord, the eerie and terrifying environment still caused it to lose control and feel fear.

"Ugh."

But when the water turtle looked around and saw its companions' reactions, it immediately felt relieved.

"Chirp~"

Spark gently spread its wings, concealing its bright flames, and flew stealthily through the dense forest, its golden-red eyes scanning the surroundings, probing for any dangers lurking in the shadows.

To avoid alerting the enemy, it doesn't make a fuss; otherwise, a flap of its wings would create enough sparks to illuminate most of the park.

"Yingying~"

The twin concubines sat quietly on Chen Yuan's shoulder with indifferent expressions, seemingly resting with their eyes closed, but in reality, they were practicing each poison skill in their minds.

It constructs different battle environments and opponents through thought, simulates battles with them in its mind, and analyzes the effects of using poison skills. Then, it analyzes the results of the battles to strive to use skills faster and with greater power in the next battle.

But the twin flower concubines seemed to sense the gaze from the water spirit turtle. They opened their eyes, gave it a cold look, and the water spirit turtle was so frightened that it quickly looked away and ran to hide on the other side of Chang Yuhuan.

"woo"

The Water Spirit Turtle always felt that this seemingly weak little guy was more terrifying and frightening than Cola and Spark.

Once the initial shock subsided, the Water Spirit Turtle raised its head again and looked at the equally cold-looking Ice Crystal Illusion Cat.

"Meow~"

The Ice Crystal Cat's two-tone eyes were incredibly deep, glowing with a striking, eerie light in the darkness. Its delicate, silvery-white body clung to Jiang Wenning's shoulder, and its icy-blue tail drooped backward.

The Water Spirit Turtle could clearly sense that each of its companions was more capable than itself, and that they could play a much stronger role in similar situations.

"Oh, my child."

Thinking of this, the Water Spirit Turtle glanced at Chang Yuhuan, lowered its head, and let out a sob, full of disappointment.

It felt like a burden, only able to help cool down, but useless in other ways.

Chang Yuhuan glanced at the water spirit turtle, whose emotions were clearly off, and hesitated to speak.

Isn't that the same thought she had?
Among the four, Chen Yuan was considered one of the most skilled beast tamers in the entire Eastern Empire, and his reputation was widespread.
Although Jiang Wenning and Li Junyue are not as strong as Chen Yuan, the former is an outstanding student at the headquarters of Donghuang Beast Taming Academy with a bright future; the latter is the captain of the investigation team and his career is progressing steadily.

But she was just an ordinary photographer, and the water spirit turtle she had contracted was still only at the second level.

Among the four, she was the most mediocre, and her role was almost nonexistent.

It's impossible for them all to be busy fighting when facing special situations, while you stand on the sidelines carrying a camera and recording the battle process, right?
"arrive."

Chen Yuan's voice suddenly rang out, pulling Chang Yuhuan back from her wandering thoughts.

She looked ahead and, with the help of the dim light, could vaguely see Li Junyue leading several teammates walking briskly toward them.

As the two sides met, the members of Group Nine all cast secretive, curious glances their way, showing a keen interest in Li's foreign player.

Captain Li has such young friends?
Doesn't he usually not have any social activities?

Given the urgency of the situation, Li Junyue didn't waste any words and immediately began to describe the details of what had happened.

Chen Yuan summarized all the information Li Junyue had provided in his mind and analyzed it through brainstorming, trying to find useful clues.

After a while,
He pondered for a moment and asked, "Are there any traces of them now?"

“Yes.” Li Junyue nodded and pointed northwest. “It was discovered by the Qinglan Hunting Dogs. There were fairly obvious footprints and scents. They don’t seem to have done any cleanup.”

"This is very unusual." Recalling the way the New Star Society operates, Chen Yuan's eyes flashed, and he made a judgment.

“Yes.” Li Junyue agreed with Chen Yuan’s statement, and he voiced his many doubts one by one, “There are still many strange things.”

How did they know about our operation in advance?

"Since an ambush has been set up and Captain Wang and his men have already fallen into it, why not take care of them while we're at it?"

"I carefully examined the warehouse earlier, and there were no signs of a battle inside. Yet the Nova Society deliberately set up an ambush. What exactly are they trying to do?"

After listening to Li Junyue's doubts, Chen Yuan stopped in his tracks, looking thoughtful. Li Junyue stood quietly to the side, waiting for Chen Yuan's answer.

This scene was particularly surprising to the team members, and Xiao Lin even muttered to himself, "Why does this person seem like Captain Li's leader?"

and many more!

It's really possible!
Thinking this through, Xiaolin's eyes flickered, and a bold guess emerged in his mind: "They come from out of town, and their qualifications to join this operation midway are clearly unusual."

"the most important is"

Kobayashi glanced at the imposing Gale Hound, its sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, seemingly oblivious to the dangers lurking in the shadows.

This is the most direct manifestation of strength.

"Putting all these clues together, these four people are either top students from a beast-taming academy or prosecutors sent from headquarters."

Kobayashi leans more towards the latter guess.

He had long heard a rumor that headquarters was secretly training a group of prosecutors whose duty was to travel to various places and inspect the work of each branch.

If there is any slackness or oversight in their work, they will report it to headquarters and be punished. However, if their outstanding work performance catches their eye, they may be recognized and even get a promotion and a raise.

Thinking of this, Xiaolin's body trembled uncontrollably, his eyes gleaming, and he muttered to himself, "I must seize this opportunity for a promotion and a raise!"

Afterwards, Kobayashi tried his best to control his surging emotions, glanced around at his colleagues who were completely unaware of all this, and chuckled to himself: "It seems that only I can seize this opportunity."

As everyone waited in silence, Chen Yuan slowly spoke: "I think there's an ambush ahead."

"Yes, that's what I think too!" Kobayashi immediately replied, nodding emphatically.

Just as Li Junyue was about to agree with the idea, Xiao Lin's voice rang out first, and he couldn't help but look at the latter suspiciously.

But he quickly looked away and stared at Chen Yuan: "What do you think we should do now?"

Hearing this, Xiaolin became even more certain of her guess.

Chen Yuan gazed ahead, where the trees stood in the darkness like silent guardians, their shadows swaying and rustling in the occasional breeze.

"Keep going, I'll lead the way."

Chen Yuan strode forward, his black hair swaying in the evening breeze, his voice echoing in the wind.

He has always been someone who hates trouble, but when unavoidable trouble arises, finding a way to resolve it quickly becomes the most important thing at that moment.

Chen Yuan didn't want this matter to interfere with their rare gathering.

Furthermore, resolving the special events caused by the new star will grant additional contribution points.

As Chen Yuan took the lead, Ke Le excitedly came to the front to clear the way, and a gentle breeze suddenly swirled around him.

Li Junyue and his two companions followed closely behind, while the rest of the team members lagged behind.

At the same moment,

"Are the traps all set?"

Jiang Xun leaned against a large tree, gently adjusting his gold-rimmed glasses. His expensive suit accentuated his tall and slender figure, and a faint smile played on his lips, making him look like an elite professional entering and leaving a high-end office building.

As he spoke, the thin man beside him turned his head and looked at him, offering a fawning smile: "Boss, everything is arranged."

"That's good." Jiang Xun's smile was as gentle as a spring breeze. He gently pushed up his glasses with his index finger, and his dark eyes gleamed in the night. "Our opponents are the Ninth Group stationed in Deqing County. They are quite strong and deserve our serious attention."

"Understood, boss." The thin man nodded, his small eyes darting around. Suddenly, as if he had figured something out, he clapped his hands sharply.

Snapped!
A crisp round of applause rang out in the darkness. Jiang Xun frowned slightly and glanced indifferently at the thin man: "Viper, what are you doing?"

The Rising Star member codenamed "Viper" chuckled awkwardly, avoiding Jiang Xun's oppressive gaze, and explained in a low voice, "Boss, I finally know why we came here."

"Oh?" Jiang Xun seemed intrigued, a slight smile playing on his lips, his voice leisurely, "Then tell me about it."

With Jiang Xun's permission, Viper cleared his throat and spoke directly: "The cadre is currently planning that big event, and the existence of the Ninth Group happens to affect the cadre's plans."

After a slight pause, he saw Jiang Xun nod slightly, and his confidence grew even stronger: "So, we need to take advantage of the Ninth Group's vacation to turn this place upside down, keep the Ninth Group in LS City, and prevent them from disrupting the cadres' plans."

"Hmm." Jiang Xun nodded, but then corrected, "That's about right, but there's one thing that's not quite right."

Viper immediately feigned a puzzled look and looked at Jiang Xun with expectant eyes: "Boss, what's wrong?"

Jiang Xun smiled slightly: "We don't need to cause a huge upheaval. We just need to use a little trick to make them focus all their attention on us."

"Brother, what a brilliant plan!" Viper looked at him with admiration.

Jiang Xun shook his head: "It was all the cadres' idea."

Viper's smile remained unchanged as he continued to flatter, "The fact that the cadre entrusted such an important matter to the boss shows that he trusts you the most."

These words seemed to resonate with Jiang Xun, and a smile appeared on his face, but he did not respond.

at this time,

"Yay~"

A dark shadow pierced the night sky, soaring into the air. The Shadow Owl's scarlet eyes stared directly at Jiang Xun, who was leaning against a large tree, and it emitted a low, hoarse warning sound.

"They're coming."

Jiang Xun spoke softly, then patted his long suit jacket, straightened up, and his gentle voice drifted in the wind: "To reiterate, just like before, our mission is to cause them trouble, not to linger in battle."

"Once they fall into a deep sleep, leave quickly and rendezvous at ambush point number 3."

"Tonight is still long, let's play with them slowly."

"Understood." Viper and the group of ordinary members hiding in the shadows nodded.

Seeing that the warning had been successful, the Shadow Owl once again flapped its jet-black wings and silently flew back to the branch it had been on before. Using the dense foliage and the thick darkness of the night to conceal its form, its scarlet eyes gazed down, and no figure could hide from its gaze.

"Brother Yue, what are you thinking about?" Jiang Wenning followed behind Chen Yuan and Li Junyue. She saw the latter frowning deeply, looking deep in thought, and asked softly.

Li Junyue snapped out of his thoughts and voiced what he had been pondering: "I'm still wondering why they didn't attack the fourth group."

Logically speaking, the New Stars Society should have long been a key target of the Criminal Investigation Department. Once discovered, they would be arrested and sent to spend the rest of their lives in prison.

As a result, the Rising Star Society and the Criminal Investigation Department are irreconcilable enemies, and casualties are inevitable if a conflict breaks out.

But why didn't these guys take advantage of the fact that the members of the fourth group were asleep? It wouldn't take much time anyway.

This puzzled Li Junyue greatly; he couldn't understand what these guys were thinking at all.

Chen Yuan was never bothered by things for which the outcome was not yet known: "It's alright, we can just catch them and ask them later."

Li Junyue paused for a moment, then nodded.

This is indeed true.

Once we catch these guys, there are plenty of ways to get them to tell the truth.

"Ouch!"

Cola swaggered to the front, its sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, not missing any small corner that might hide danger, while its nose sniffed out any suspicious smells in the air.

Its owner has spoken, and this time it's determined to steal the show in front of everyone!

However, the next moment, Cola sensed something was wrong.

Why do I feel like I stepped on something weird?

Cola stopped and looked down, where a bright purple mushroom came into view: "Huh?"

Cola was taken aback. How come there were mushrooms here?

Is this mushroom edible?
The moment the thought arose, the purple mushroom rapidly expanded, its dazzling light engulfing everything in sight, followed by a deafening explosion.

Fortunately, Cola reacted incredibly quickly. The instant the explosion rang out, it darted away several meters away, easily avoiding the shockwave.

"Ow~"

Cola was pleased with his reaction and eagerly turned around to see everyone's expressions.

They must think I'm really awesome!
Tonight is my stage!

As the thought flashed through his mind, Cola looked back and saw a light purple mist spreading out, causing him to shudder.

Having known the Twin Flower Concubine for a long time, it could tell at a glance that this was poisonous fog.

It's best to hide from the poisonous fog first.

“These are poison spore landmines.” Li Junyue’s expression remained unchanged; he had long been prepared for an ambush. “Xiao Lin, you go.”

"okay!"

Desiring to impress the prosecutor, Kobayashi quickly led the Honey Mist Umbrella Spirit forward to deal with the poisonous fog.

"Yingying~"

But one of the pets moved even faster than him. The Twin Flower Concubine gently shook her arm, and purple light swirled in her palm.

The twin flower concubines emanated invisible waves of energy, causing the originally calm evening breeze to suddenly surge, their long, light pink hair that reached their waists to fly wildly, and their deep purple dresses to sway in the wind.

In an instant, the poisonous mist, which had been impacted by the invisible shockwave, vanished completely, as if it had never existed.

"mushroom?"

The Honey Mist Umbrella Spirit stopped halfway, tilting its head, its face full of confusion.

"what?"

Kobayashi, who was trying to show off, stared wide-eyed and stood there stunned.

Everyone turned to look at the twin concubines standing on Chen Yuan's shoulder, their expressions aloof and their hair flying in the wind, and fell into deep thought.

Chen Yuan was no stranger to this kind of look. He smiled slightly and explained, "This child has a little bit of knowledge about poison."

"Ow?"

Seeing everyone staring blankly at the twin concubines, Cola widened its dog eyes and barked urgently.

and many more!

Shouldn't I be the one stealing the spotlight?
(End of this chapter)