Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 385 Youmi: I hate pranksters the most!
The night was deep, a gentle breeze caressed my face, and I was surrounded by a thick shadow nearby.

The three executives of the New Star Society, like lurking vipers, coldly observed everything before them.

The smiling ghost's smile grew even brighter, and he even clapped his fat hands lightly, his voice gentle yet carrying a chilling undertone:
"Tsk tsk tsk, what a magnificent performance! It seems that bringing out all the Soul-Eating Gu that the organization has carefully cultivated was indeed a wise move. Look, we have successfully lured out this meddlesome little fellow."

His gaze lingered greedily on Qingpo, as if he were admiring a rare treasure.

Leng Yi put his hands in his pockets, his whole body like an ice sculpture, only his lifeless eyes blinked occasionally, seemingly indifferent to everything in front of him.

Wendie chewed her gum a little faster, looking Qingpo up and down as if evaluating an interesting toy.

But she quickly looked away, tilted her head, and asked somewhat impatiently, "Hey, Fatty, when are we going to make a move? Watching it play this world-saving game here is so boring."

The smiling ghost chuckled, waved his fat fingers, and said insincerely, "No rush, no rush. Such a perfect creation, such surging and pure life energy, is truly an amazing masterpiece. Let me admire it a little longer."

However, at this moment, Qingpo in the center of the arena seemed to sense something. It suddenly raised its head, and its clear eyes seemed to pierce through layers of space and obstacles, staring straight at the members of the New Star Society and the direction where the Eighth Squad was hidden further back!
Discovered?

In an instant, everyone, whether it was the New Star Society members or the Eighth Squad behind them, felt their hearts clench, instinctively held their breath, and tensed up, all thinking that Qing Po's gaze had been locked onto them.

The smile on the smiling ghost's face froze for a moment before returning to normal, but a hint of surprise and gloom flashed deep in his eyes: "Such keen perception."

He no longer hesitated, his voice still gentle, but carrying a chilling killing intent: "It seems we can't hide any longer, Wen Die, we can begin our operation."

"It should have been so long ago."

Wendie excitedly licked her lips, casually spat out her chewing gum on the ground, then gently raised her right hand and snapped her fingers crisply.

hum! !

A phantom poisonous butterfly with complex fluorescent patterns on its wings silently emerged from the shadows behind her. Its purple-black gradient wings flapped, suddenly stirring up a gust of demonic wind, like countless evil spirits baring their fangs and claws in the night.

"Hoohoho!"

At the same moment, dozens of figures emerged from the shadows of the trees in all directions. These were all kinds of pet beasts that had obviously been lying in ambush for a long time. Like a well-trained army, they quickly formed a tight encirclement, surrounding Qingpo in the center. Accompanied by fierce roars, an extremely solemn atmosphere suddenly enveloped the entire area.

"Yo?"

Looking at the suddenly appearing pets, Qingpo blinked, clearly not understanding what was going on.

The leader of the Star Moon Deer, however, took a sturdy step forward and stood shoulder to shoulder with Qing Po, his eyes gleaming, and roared with his head held high: "Roar!"

In an instant, roars rang out, and a fierce battle was inevitable.

"It's our turn to show ourselves."

Seeing the sudden change, Lei Yue, with a solemn expression, took a deep breath. He straightened up from the shadows, shaking off a pile of fallen leaves. The Earth-Splitting Roaring Bear behind him also stood up. Its huge figure, about three meters tall, was like a silent guardian of the night, with only its bright eyes clearly visible.

"Roar!!!"

The Earth-Splitting Roaring Bear pounded its chest and roared, its thunderous cry suddenly echoing through the dense forest, a terrifying sense of oppression carrying a powerful wave of energy that radiated forward.

The wind began to roar.

“What a strong wind.”

The wild boar stretched out its hand to shield itself from the biting wind, then tugged at the hem of its clothes fluttering in the wind, and couldn't help but sigh.

"Stop pulling, with your physique, you can't be blown away by the wind." The white fern next to him retorted without any politeness.

"Hehe, so being a little stronger has its advantages." The wild boar grinned, then looked up at the tall, burly figure in front of him.

This Fallen Horned Beast truly lived up to its reputation as the champion pet of the first Qinling Riding Competition. Consultant Chen had been riding it at full speed for quite some time, yet the Fallen Horned Beast still had plenty of energy, and its speed had only slowed down slightly.

In contrast, the riding pets they brought were either exhausted and had to rest several times, or were struggling to keep going despite their fatigue. In short, their condition was far from that of the Fallen Horned Beast.

The night was pitch black, and the wind was biting cold. As the wild boar and the white fern gradually stopped their discussion, the hoofbeats and footsteps of the pets running around sounded exceptionally clear in the silent snowy night.

They rushed forward without stopping, heading towards the coordinates provided by the Eighth Squad at top speed.

Before long, the mysterious forest, shrouded in the power of the World Tree and still lush and vibrant despite the bitter cold, came into view. The snow-white mountains and dark green forests contrasted sharply with the vast snowfield behind them, as if two completely different worlds had met.

While running, Cola suddenly slowed down, turned its head to look in one direction, and let out a low bark: "Awooo!"

Then, Cola quickly ran up to Chen Yuan and gently nibbled at the latter's trouser leg with its mouth, its call filled with a hint of longing.

Chen Yuan looked in the direction of the sound and gazed at the steep mountain peaks shrouded in the dark night. He immediately understood what Cola meant.

If he remembers correctly, following this direction will lead him to the habitat of the bear cubs and their father.

Come to think of it, it's been a long time since they last visited their two good friends, since they started preparing for the Donghuang Tournament. They wonder if the two friends are doing well.
Chen Yuan lowered his eyes, looking at the excited Kele, and asked, "You want to visit them? And ask them for help?"

Several months have passed since the unfortunate couple was rescued from their father. The little bear cub who was chased by a swarm of angry servant bees while stealing honey with Cola has grown into a massive and powerful earth bear, virtually unmatched in the area.

Furthermore, the bear father had once defeated Zhuang Jianbai, a genius student from Yunhua Beast Taming Academy. These two earth bears were quite famous in the area, and beast tamers would often travel long distances to challenge them. This made the bear cub and bear father more and more experienced in battle, and stronger and stronger.

The two bears, united, have already dominated this area.

"Ow!"

Cola's eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly.

Seeing Cola's reaction, a hint of hesitation flashed in Chen Yuan's eyes. Bear Dad was quite powerful and had even helped him defeat the servant Bee Valley. Bear Cub also had a deep bond with Cola and was an invaluable asset.

But considering the dangers of the New Star Society and the strangeness of the Soul-Eating Gu, he quickly made a decision.

He gently rubbed Cola's head, shook his head, and said in a gentle but firm tone, "The situation this time is extremely dangerous, and the opponent is no ordinary one. Letting Papa Bear and the cubs stay at home safely is the best protection for them." After a slight pause, Chen Yuan saw that Cola's eyes suddenly dimmed, smiled slightly, and added, "Next time, next time I'll go with you to find them, and we'll also visit Sang Biao and the others."

Although Cola was a little disappointed, it understood its owner's considerations. It could only let out a soft "woof" and rub its head against Chen Yuan's hand to show its understanding. Then it looked deeply in the direction of the bear father and cubs, and quickly cheered up and ran faster.

With Coke leading the way, the group bypassed all the dangers lurking in the thick darkness and headed to their destination as quickly as possible.

Even if ferocious wild beasts appeared, they would never dare to provoke such a large group.

Led by Cola, the group quickly crossed the clearly defined boundary, stepping from the cold snowfield into the warm and humid dense forest. The sudden change in environment left everyone momentarily disoriented, but their urgent mission left no time for reflection.

Based on the coordinates, they continued forward under the cover of night for a while, silently making their way to the vicinity of the disguised cave entrance.

"Stay alert."

Nie Li lowered her voice and ordered everyone to immediately spread out and form tactical formations using trees and rocks for cover.

The Firefly Hound lay prone on the ground, its nostrils flaring as it carefully sniffed the air. The other pets each performed their duties: some gracefully flapped their wings and flew high into the sky to survey the surroundings; others looked around, their sharp eyes remaining alert.

Everyone had something to do, so Chen Yuan naturally couldn't be idle. He turned his head and gestured to Youmi, who was resting on the back of the Fallen Horned Beast, lying face up: "Youmi, it's your turn. Go check the situation inside, be careful."

Despite being exhausted from the long journey, Youmi was full of energy at the thought of the generous reward upon completion of the mission. However, being naturally cautious and skilled in pranks, it glanced at Chen Yuan, its eyes flashing: "Coo-choo?"

The farmer hasn't forgotten my payment, has he?

Chen Yuan smiled slightly and waved his hand: "Of course I won't forget. You can go with peace of mind. There will definitely be delicious snacks when you get back to the farm."

Hearing the farmer's affirmative answer, Yumi was overjoyed. It nodded its little head vigorously, and with a flick of its body, it instantly disappeared into the thick shadows.

The space rippled slightly, and Youmi, like an invisible ghost, silently slipped into the cave.

The cave was extremely dark, completely black, but it had no effect on the dark-type Youmi. It carefully hid in the shadows, its large amber eyes looking around.

The cave contained only some scattered living supplies and food packaging bags, and there was no sign of any living creatures.

But Yumi didn't let her guard down. She knew there were many bad pets in the world that would deliberately hide in the shadows and then suddenly pop out to make a face and scare people.

Yumi despised these mischievous pets from the bottom of her heart, so just in case, she carefully checked every corner again.

During the examination, Youmi floated around, her eyes sparkling: "Coo-choo~"

Hmm, this is a good spot. If I hide here, no one will find me!

Ah, this corner is even better; suddenly popping out here would definitely scare them!

As it pondered, Youmi's eyes crinkled into a smile, and it covered its mouth to chuckle. Its figure gradually blurred as it prepared to hide in its chosen spot for a perfect prank. But then it suddenly remembered something and froze in place.

and many more.

What did I come in here for?

Yumi suddenly remembered its mission. It glanced longingly at the hiding place it had painstakingly chosen, and then flew out of the cave.

A moment later, Youmi appeared, gesturing with her little paws to indicate the emptiness inside: "Chirp chirp~"

Chen Yuan frowned slightly and informed Nie Li of the situation.

"Let's go in and take a look." Nie Li gestured, and the team, remaining on guard, entered the cave one by one.

Just as Youmi had said, the cave was empty, with only some hurried traces of life left behind.

The members of the seventh squad, along with their pets, searched the area thoroughly several times to ensure there were no traps or ambushes before returning to Nie Li's side.

Some time ago, the fourth squad of the seventh group of the Criminal Investigation Department was ambushed by the New Star Society due to carelessness. During the mission, the entire team was almost wiped out. This incident attracted great attention from the senior leaders, who used it as a negative example to spread throughout the organization so that everyone would take it as a warning.

Although the fourth squad assisted Consultant Chen in arresting a group of members of the Rising Star Society, their deeds had already been firmly nailed to the pillar of shame, and every newly recruited member of the Criminal Investigation Department had to write a reflection on it.

“It seems this is the New Star Society’s temporary base,” Nie Li said in a deep voice, her eyes flashing as she combined the current information. “We haven’t found any trace of the Eighth Squad outside either. I think the New Star Society and the Eighth Squad seem to have left this place due to some kind of emergency, but there are no signs of battle outside, nor any coded messages left by the Eighth Squad, which means they left in a very hurry.”

Chen Yuan nodded in agreement: "The key now is to find the direction they left in and catch up with them."

Just as Nie Li was about to suggest that her Firefly Hound use its sense of smell to track the objects, she saw that Consultant Chen's Wind Rider Hound had already walked over to the discarded packaging bags, lowered its head, and sniffed them very intently.

Cola's nose twitched slightly, her eyes focused.

As the first dog of Donghuang, having experienced countless wild tracking and battles, its sense of smell and tracking ability have long been honed to an exceptional level.

Before long, it detected many unfamiliar human scents from the mixed odors.

"Ow!"

Cola suddenly looked up at Chen Yuan, her eyes bright and piercing, and let out a short, firm growl.

Chen Yuan immediately understood its meaning: "We'll follow Coke."

Seeing this, Nie Li swallowed back the words that were already on the tip of her tongue, and a relaxed smile appeared on her face: "Great, then I'll trouble Consultant Chen and Cola to lead the way."

"Let's go!" Chen Yuan said without hesitation, turning around and mounting the Fallen Horned Beast.

Cola, the dog, took the lead and, following the faint but clear scent clue, dashed out of the cave like an arrow.

Chen Yuan and the entire Seventh Squad immediately followed, like a silent arrow piercing into the depths of the dark forest.

(End of this chapter)