Live Cat Appraisal: Starting with a Beast That's Got a Long Prison Record

Chapter 182 This leopard must be angry!
The off-road vehicle sped through the twilight of the plateau.

Outside the car window, the outline of the distant mountains gradually blurred.

As Xu Dafei drove, he quickly kept Chen Nian updated on the latest intelligence.

"It has been confirmed that this 'uninvited guest' is a leopard."

Xu Dafei said in a serious tone: "There is no record of it in the Cat Alliance database. The experts in the alliance analyzed the footprints and behavioral patterns and deduced that it is likely a young male leopard that has just become independent and was forced to leave the territory of the female leopard. It is estimated that it lost the battle for the new territory, had nowhere to go, and was so hungry that it took a risk and came down the mountain to target the livestock of the herders."

"Ah."

Chen Nian nodded slowly.

This is roughly in line with his deduction.

"Did it cause any damage? Were any herders' livestock injured?" This was Chen Nian's biggest concern.

"not yet."

Xu Dafei's eyes flashed with relief: "This guy is a novice, with little experience and a high level of vigilance. Every time he gets close to the pasture fence, he's probably not even able to find a suitable infiltration point before he's startled by the sensitive yaks or dogs that notice the movement and runs away, without even managing to climb over the fence."

"That's good!"

Chen Nian breathed a long sigh of relief.

Without actual losses, the likelihood of herders resorting to extreme retaliatory actions is greatly reduced, leaving the greatest room for a peaceful resolution.

"You said on the phone that you had roughly located its position?" Chen Nian pressed.

"It has identified the area where it is most likely to hide."

Xu Dafei explained, "Although this guy is cunning, the surveillance network is very dense now. The public security's Skynet system, along with some surveillance cameras installed by herders themselves, compared multiple sources and finally captured the direction in which it last disappeared."

The vehicle made a turn and entered a quiet side road.

When I came out again, the scene before me had suddenly changed.

"—This is it." Xu Dafei stopped the car and pointed ahead.

What comes into view is a huge construction site that looks like it has been put on pause.

A commercial street that should be bustling with activity is currently undergoing expansion and renovation.

Everywhere you look, there are half-built steel frames, exposed red brick walls, piles of building materials, and roads that are only half-paved and full of potholes.

Vehicles kick up a cloud of dust as they drive by.

The entire area was temporarily fenced off, and the silence exuded a sense of desolation.

Only a few vehicles with flashing police lights and forestry markings were parked at the entrance, indicating that the area had been completely cordoned off.

"The good news is..."

Xu Dafei said in a heavy tone: "Because of the large-scale construction, all the merchants and residents here have been temporarily relocated. It's a ghost town, so we don't need to worry about it directly hurting people."

“But the bad news is”

Chen Nian surveyed the vast, maze-like area and continued, "The bad news is that there are so many abandoned houses, piles of building materials, and unfinished foundation pits here; it's practically a tailor-made hiding place for felines!"

"Trying to find a deliberately hidden leopard in here is like looking for a needle in a haystack, isn't it?"

Xu Dafei nodded silently.

This is precisely the main reason why he had to invite Chen Nian.

If the target is a wolf or other animal, they might be able to search methodically, but when faced with a large feline that may be frightened and extremely hungry, the most professional people must be present to assess the situation and prevent it from reacting excessively.

In his subconscious, anything related to felines is a taboo subject.

You can't go wrong with Chen Nian!

"I'll do my best."

Chen Nian dared not speak too definitively.

Because he couldn't guarantee whether his affinity would still be useful when facing a starving leopard.

'Of course it's useless, meow!'

Xiao Mi immediately shattered Chen Nian's fantasy, patting his head with her little paws.

'Even Best's body can only prevent it from attacking you immediately, meow! A starving creature doesn't care about such things! Don't try to solve this with charm, you'll have to use professional methods, meow!'

'Understood. '

Chen Nian completely gave up the idea of ​​'reforming' him.

Once the leopard is found, we will still need to rely on the forestry bureau's professional equipment and solutions to deal with it.

At this moment, the sky quickly darkened.

The last rays of the setting sun were swallowed by the horizon.

Xu Dafei led Chen Nian across the cordon and found the police chief who was discussing the search plan with everyone at the temporary command post.

"Director, this is Teacher Chen Nian."

Instantly, everyone's eyes were focused on Chen Nian.

There is admiration and envy.

There are also doubts.

The person in charge was a decisive person. He stepped forward, patted Chen Nian's shoulder forcefully, and got straight to the point without any unnecessary pleasantries.

"Comrade Chen, the situation is urgent! Finding this leopard and preventing a conflict between humans and leopard depends on you! Just let me know what kind of support or equipment you need, and I'll have my men fully cooperate with you!"

"it is good!"

Chen Nian didn't stand on ceremony and quickly made her request.

"I need an electric motorcycle that is quiet and won't easily alert the target. I also need a partner who is familiar with the terrain and has experience."

"no problem!"

With a wave of his hand, the person in charge immediately pushed a police electric vehicle over.

As for people

Xu Dafei stepped forward without hesitation.

“Teacher Chen, I’ll go with you! I know the terrain well, and I’m fully equipped!” He waved the tranquilizer gun and emergency kit that he had already checked.

"it is good!"

The person in charge then asked, "Anything else?"

Chen Nian shook her head: "That's all."

Seeing this, the person in charge didn't say anything more.

He chose to believe in Chen Nian, the young man who could create a 'miracle'.

Then, he waved his hand.

"Other search teams shall proceed with the original plan, conducting a grid-based, carpet-style search, and maintaining uninterrupted communication! If a target is spotted, do not act without authorization; report immediately!"

"Now, let's go!"

"Yes!"

"Each group received the order and quickly dispersed, with beams of powerful flashlights sweeping across this abandoned city."

Chen Nian and Xu Dafei put on their helmets and got on their electric bikes.

With a flick of the accelerator, the vehicle silently glided into the deep darkness.

Cat-themed wristbands help with location tracking.

Therefore, Chen Nian didn't need to search slowly; she only needed to maintain sufficient quietness and speed to quickly locate the leopard's position.

"It's not here...it's not here either."

Based on the feedback from the bracelet, Chen Nian drove the electric car quickly along the wide but dilapidated main road.

The wheels rolled over the gravel, making a soft rustling sound.

Xu Dafei gripped the tranquilizer gun tightly in the back seat, watching the dark buildings rushing past on either side, and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Teacher Chen, are we going a bit too fast? Can we even see the clues?"

"There are many people and vehicles near the entrance, and the noise is loud. Even if the leopard was in this area before, it would have been scared and hidden deeper away. So we don't need to waste too much time in the outer area. It's more efficient to cut directly into the core area."

Chen explained it concisely.

"hold head high!"

Xu Dafei suddenly realized.

How could he not have thought of that!
Sure enough, Teacher Chen is really smart!

However, after quickly circling around the perimeter and several main streets, the cat bracelet on my wrist remained silent.

There were no streetlights in the entire commercial area; darkness enveloped everything like thick ink.

Only the headlights of their cars pierced a small patch of the unknown ahead.

This is not the way to go!

Chen Nian frowned.

The area is too large, and blindly searching is too inefficient.

"Old Xu." He slammed on the brakes. "Is there any area in this region with a lot of trees? Preferably a continuous stretch of woodland or an abandoned park? Leopards are forest animals, and even in this kind of environment, they will instinctively seek out hiding places that are closest to their native habitat!"

Xu Dafei concentrated on recalling for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh.

"There used to be a small natural park in the southeast corner of this area, with many trees! Later, it was included in the development area and was planned to be demolished and replaced with homestays. It has been abandoned for a year or two and no one goes there at all! It is very likely that it is there!"

"That's probably it!"

Chen Nian perked up: "Give me directions!"

"Turn right at the intersection ahead!"

The electric car started again and drove in the direction Xu Da had indicated.

A few minutes later, the vehicle bumped along across a narrow, old stone bridge, the drainage ditch beneath which had long since dried up.

Just as the wheels rolled over the stone bridge surface—

Buzz... Buzz!

The cat bracelet on Chen Nian's wrist finally started vibrating continuously and clearly!

"Found it! It's right here in this park!"

Chen Nian's expression betrayed her excitement.

He immediately slowed down and turned down the headlights to avoid the bright light directly disturbing the target.

Before us lay an even deeper darkness, the dense canopy of trees almost completely blocking out all starlight, with only the car headlights barely illuminating the winding, broken path and the rampant bushes ahead.

The air was filled with the mixed smell of decaying plants and dust.

Chen Nian and Xu Dafei got out of the car and carefully walked forward, trying to make each step as light as possible, their ears listening for any subtle sound.

brush--

The beam of the flashlight cautiously swept through the trees.

Soon, near a broken stone bench, Chen Nian's gaze was drawn to a small patch of dark-colored reflection on the ground.

He crouched down and focused the flashlight beam.

It was a small puddle of liquid that had not yet completely dried.

Xiaomi, who had been perched atop Chen Nian's head, twitched its tiny nose slightly, revealing a human-like expression of disgust on its face.

'Hey! This leopard's got a fever, meow!'

A pungent smell wafted over.

Chen Nian instantly understood what this meant.

"Old Xu! Call for help!"

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(End of this chapter)