Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 367 Arrest and Capture! Dark-type Pet Beast Youmi

The afternoon sun, like melting honey, warmly bathed the smooth cobblestones, and the air was filled with the sweet aroma of freshly baked pastries and the refreshing scent of fruit.

After a tiring week of running around, Chen Yuan finally got to enjoy this moment of leisure, strolling slowly down the familiar streets.

When the townspeople, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, saw him, their faces immediately lit up with joyful smiles. They greeted him warmly, their voices filled with genuine concern.

"Oh, Xiao Chen, you're finally back! You look a bit thinner. You must have had a tough time out there, right?" An elderly woman with a full head of white hair squinted and carefully examined him.

"Little Chen's back! Come, come, here's some freshly made sesame sugar pancakes, still piping hot, take them!" The auntie from the pastry shop next door shoved a package of oil paper into his hand without a word. The pancakes were golden brown and emitted an enticing aroma.

"Advisor Chen, you must do your best at the Donghuang Conference! We all support you!" Several teenagers who were helping their families with their stalls waved excitedly, their faces beaming with pure admiration.

Surrounded by this warm feeling, Chen Yuan smiled somewhat shyly and sincerely thanked everyone.

His already handsome features appeared especially gentle in the sunlight, and his hands were soon filled with various thoughtful little gifts, from crisp cookies to juicy fruits, which warmed his heart.

Xuanhe Town has grown bigger and more prosperous, but some things have never changed.

Unbeknownst to him, he wandered to Xiao Zhao's fruit stall, which was always laden with a dazzling array of fruits.

Xiao Zhao was carefully applying wax to a row of apples with a soft cloth to make them look more appealing.

Seeing Chen Yuan approaching alone, he quickly put down his work, wiped his hands on his apron, and stepped forward with a concerned expression, lowering his voice to ask:
"Consultant Chen, why are you wandering around alone? Didn't your dog Cola take the Paw Patrol to catch a thief this morning? Did they catch him?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan's gentle smile faltered slightly, revealing a hint of confusion: "Thief? What thief?"

Xiao Zhao was stunned for a moment, then slapped his thigh and immediately began to vividly recount the strange things that had happened in town recently, such as the pastry shop next door going missing pastries, his own fruit going missing, and several people saying they felt lightly touched by something they couldn't see.

He then recounted how Cola led the investigation like a little detective in the morning, and how he chased the thief like a whirlwind.

Chen Yuan listened, first surprised, then shook his head and chuckled, his eyes full of understanding and a hint of helpless smile.

No wonder Cola looked so sullen when it came back earlier. It turns out it took on a big case but failed miserably, feeling it had lost face. That's why it secretly gathered its adventure team members to get revenge.

The thought of those kids huddled together, whispering and making plans with great seriousness brought a smile to Chen Yuan's face.

The little ones are used to solving problems with their own strength, so it's normal for them to stumble and fall when they suddenly encounter something like this.

However, the clever and resourceful Electric Flying Cat went along too, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

Just in case, he thanked Xiao Zhao and turned to walk toward the town's Beastmaster's Office to inquire about the details.

Song Guohao was sitting at his desk with a cup of hot tea in his hand. When he saw Chen Yuan come in, he quickly put down his teacup, stood up, and a smile instantly spread across his face: "Little Chen."

"Brother Song," Chen Yuan said, getting straight to the point, "I heard there's been a lot of theft in town lately? How come I had no idea?"

Song Guohao chuckled, instinctively trying to brush it off with a laugh: "Oh, it's nothing serious, just some trivial trouble. We've already arranged for people to investigate."

Before he could finish speaking, a figure approached from the side; it was Zhang Hao, who happened to be at the office.

He winked and interrupted Song Guohao, explaining to Chen Yuan:
“Brother Yuan, actually, we all agreed that you’re about to participate in the Donghuang Conference, which is the most important event, and you must focus on preparing without any distractions. How could we trouble you with such trivial matters as catching petty thieves?”

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but also a mix of amusement and exasperation.

Song Guohao glared at Zhang Hao, who grinned and spread his hands: "Brother Song, this can't be kept secret anymore, after all, Kele went to catch that thief."

Chen Yuan pondered for a moment, his slender fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the table as he slowly uttered:
"It's alright, this kind of thing won't bother me. I've been tired from training lately, and this kind of fun thing can help change my mood."

He paused, then analyzed based on the specific information provided by everyone: "According to your descriptions, this guy can turn invisible, moves strangely and is difficult to catch, is very interested in food, and is also a bit mischievous."

“Yes.” Song Guohao nodded.

"Hmm." Chen Yuan nodded slightly, his eyes nodding. "If I'm not mistaken, this should be a hungry dark-type pet."

Song Guohao and Zhang Hao exchanged a glance. They did not question Chen Yuan's guess at all. Instead, they stroked their chins, frowned, and said in a deep voice, "A dark-type pet beast, huh? That's not good."

Dark-type pets are extremely rare; even the well-informed Chen Yuan has only seen a few.

Chen Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "The most effective way to deal with this type of pet is to have a light-type pet take action and break its invisibility ability."

Spark is a light-type pet, and its [Radiant Illumination] skill can perfectly counter dark-type pets.

Under the light, nothing can hide.

Before he could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly erupted outside the office, with a growing commotion that included children's excited screams and adults' surprised laughter and discussions.

A young staff member practically ran into the office, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement, and panted, "Director, Consultant Chen, we caught him! We really caught him!"

"Cola and the others are amazing! They caught that thief!"

Chen Yuan and the others immediately got up and left the office.

The street was already bustling with people, all with curiosity and smiles on their faces.

The farm adventure team is making its way into the street in a very cool way.

The majestic Cola walked at the front with its head held high, each step firm and solid. Its light brown fur seemed to gleam in the sunlight, and its azure eyes sparkled with undisguised pride and smugness. Its fluffy tail was held high and swayed happily from side to side.

Sprite followed closely behind, remaining vigilant, her light blue eyes calmly scanning the cheering crowd around her, as if dutifully maintaining order during the "escort."

The tall and imposing Fallen Horned Beast followed behind with steady and powerful steps, while on its broad and flat back, the exhausted Runrun Duck lay sprawled out, its soft belly rising and falling with its breath, its precious bag of food still clutched tightly in its arms, its little mouth slightly open as it slept.

Despite the hustle and bustle outside, the duck remained unmoved.

The Electric Flying Cat nimbly flew in mid-air, its slender tail extending from the end with dazzling golden electricity, precisely weaving into a constantly flashing lightning net.

Trapped in the net is the mysterious dark-type pet that caused such a huge uproar.

The little guy was trapped in the crackling electric grid, dangling precariously in mid-air.

But when faced with countless curious, surprised, scrutinizing, and even somewhat annoyed gazes around it, it not only didn't show any fear, but instead widened its big, round, amber eyes, nimbly turned its little head, bared its teeth at the crowd, even sticking out its pink little tongue, and made all sorts of exaggerated and comical faces.
The little guy even tried to reach out his tiny paws to hook a toy windmill in a little girl's hand, showing no signs of changing his mischievous ways. Fortunately, the electric net crackled again, making him wince in pain and quickly withdraw his paws. But his plush toy-like appearance and his deliberately fierce yet adorable expression drew laughter from the surrounding children, and many adults couldn't help but chuckle, leading to a lively discussion.

"What kind of pet is this?"

"It looks like a devilish little kitten."

"As expected of Consultant Chen's pet, it was caught in just one afternoon."

Enjoying the attention of the crowd, the cheers of the children, and the waves of praise, Cola's pride was practically overflowing.

Although they all knew perfectly well that it was only thanks to the leader's miraculous radiance that the cunning little fellow was finally exposed, the leader didn't care about such things. So, the adventure team could enjoy the glory and honor of ridding the people of a menace.

Cola and the others quickly saw Chen Yuan standing at the office entrance and immediately walked over, surrounding him and making all sorts of cheerful noises as if they wanted to claim credit. Each of them tilted their little heads up, their bright eyes staring straight at him, their tails wagging rapidly, their faces saying "Praise us!"

Only the ducks, amidst the bustling city, remained fast asleep.

Chen Yuan smiled and patted each of their heads, his fingers brushing over Cola's smooth fur, Sprite's cool nose, and the Fallen Horned Beast's rough skin. He nodded at Electric Flying Cat and finally glanced at Runrun Duck, who was still fast asleep, his eyes filled with a helpless smile.

How many people would envy this guy's sleep quality?
His gaze finally settled on the mysterious pet trapped in the electric fence, scrutinizing the little creature from head to toe:
Its short, smooth, dark purple fur, the pair of restless, trembling little devil antennae on its head, its large, bright amber eyes that are still lively even when it's making a face, and its long, slender tail that keeps swaying restlessly...

“So it was Youmi,” Chen Yuan said softly, his tone certain.

"Youmi?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Hao frowned, pondered for a long time, and finally his eyes lit up. He exclaimed, "Isn't that the dark-type pet beast known for its stealth and pranks?"

“Yes.” Chen Yuan looked at Youmi, who was baring its teeth at him, and smiled slightly. “Clearly, this guy does fit our stereotype.”

One of the staff members exclaimed in realization, "I see! I saw a news report a while ago about a remote town where strange things were happening one after another. Strange figures with unpredictable shapes kept appearing at night, and there were a series of unfortunate incidents. There were even rumors of it being haunted."

"Finally, the Criminal Investigation Department went to investigate and found that it was a ghost that was causing the trouble."

As they spoke, more and more onlookers surged forward. Song Guohao frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "Let's go back to the office first."

Office/branch office.

Yumi was placed on a large desk. The electric grid still surrounded it, but the intensity of the current was significantly reduced, serving only a limiting function.

Chen Yuan pulled up a chair, sat down at the table, looked at Youmi at the same time, and asked in a calm tone, "Youmi, why did you come to town to steal things and play tricks on everyone?"

Upon seeing someone approaching with a smile and a calm tone, her big, mischievous eyes darted around, and she immediately resorted to her old trick.

Those amber eyes instantly became misty and watery, making them look innocent and pitiful.

Its tiny ears and antennae drooped softly, and its small body, covered in dark purple down, curled up slightly, emitting trembling, soft whimpers, looking as if it had suffered a great injustice and was shivering.

"Electricity!"

Electric Flying Cat glared at the little guy, flying up and down in anger. The electric arcs on its cheeks crackled with excitement. It had witnessed firsthand how fast this little guy could change his expression and how superb his acting skills were.

farmer!
It's lying!

It's copying me!

Chen Yuan smiled, said nothing, but raised his head and said softly, "Spark."

The next moment, a radiant aura that seemed capable of dispelling all shadows instantly filled the entire room; it was not dazzling, but incredibly vast.

Spark's figure was not fully revealed. It appeared behind Chen Yuan at some unknown time, its golden-red wings constantly swirling with dazzling golden light, like a blazing golden sun.

This sacred and majestic aura, like the midday sun, enveloped her warmly yet undeniably, locking onto Youmi precisely.

"Coo-choo!"

Yumi let out a short, terrified scream, its previous disguise instantly crumbling.

The little guy trembled violently from the sparks and tried to shrink to the farthest corner of the table, but was trapped by the electric grid.

Yumi could only curl herself into a ball, not even daring to look up at the sparks, letting out intermittent, fearful moans.

Everyone immediately praised it:

"Light element is indeed the father of dark element."

"Advisor Chen's Blazing Falcon is as powerful as ever."

"It seems that this Youmi was caught by the Blazing Sky Falcon, but the latter has kept its merits hidden."

Hearing the lively discussion, Cola's eyes widened suddenly, and his body trembled.

I was clearly there first.

Chen Yuan spoke again, his voice still calm, yet carrying an irresistible seriousness: "Now can you tell me the truth?"

Why did you become a thief?

Under the powerful deterrent of the spark, Youmi finally behaved.

It lowered its head, cradled its head with its tiny paws, and stammered in a weak, tearful voice, "Coo-choo."

Chen Yuan glanced at Cola, who immediately forgot about the troubles he had just been dealing with, and the dog translator came online just in time.

It turns out that this guy's experience is quite similar to that of Electric Flying Cat. Since birth, he has been hiding and wandering. In addition, food is scarce in winter, and the hungry Youmi had no choice but to muster up the courage to break into Xuanhe Town, which has strong security forces.

Thanks to its excellent stealth abilities, even the Paw Patrol failed to spot it, allowing Youmi to thrive in Xuanhe Town.

Until Coca-Cola returns.

(End of this chapter)