Tiger, I rejected the iron rice bowl.

He dared not delay for a moment and immediately dialed the village forest ranger's number to quickly convey the order from his superiors.

They then organized the able-bodied men in the village to set up roadblocks on the roads leading into the mountains around the village, using tools such as shovels and wooden sticks, and cooperated with the arriving forest police to search the mountains.

"Everyone, stay alert! Set up the defenses! We must catch these two poaching bastards; we can't let them jeopardize our jobs!"

Liu Huanjun stood on the high slope at the entrance of the village and shouted at the top of his lungs to the villagers.

"Yes!" the villagers responded in unison, their faces showing no fear of the poachers. Instead, their eyes shone brightly, and they were excitedly rubbing their hands together.

They held shovels and sticks in their hands, some even carrying their own hunting forks, each one looking spirited and ready to go.

In their eyes, these two audacious poachers were not criminals at all, but rather "walking third-class merits"!

You should know that in this area, being able to participate in catching poachers and protecting the rare Siberian tiger is a very prestigious thing.

If you can actually catch the person yourself, not only will you receive a reward from the government, but you'll also become famous in the surrounding villages and towns—it would be a truly glorious thing for your ancestors.

Thinking of this, the villagers became even more motivated, eager to find the poachers immediately.

Meanwhile, deep in the mountains, Wang Yuyu was still making every effort to keep going.

He dared not stop for a moment, and kept running wildly toward Liujia Village.

This was the only place he could think of where he could get help the fastest.

As night gradually faded and dawn approached, a familiar open space finally came into view—the very place where he and Tang Li had parted ways a few days earlier.

But now, this place is no longer the empty snowfield it once was. A simple campsite has sprung up, with temporary tents neatly arranged and brightly lit.

Forest police, forest rangers from Liujia Village, and researchers from the research base moved back and forth, creating a scene of busy yet orderly activity.

When the researchers saw Wang Yuyu voluntarily show her face in front of the camera, they immediately concluded that the two poachers' target was not an ordinary prey, but Wang Yuyu!

It's important to know that Wang Yuyu is quite special. At just over two years old, it already weighs over 300 kilograms, far exceeding the weight of other Siberian tigers of the same age, and even heavier than adult Siberian tigers!

What's even more remarkable is its high intelligence and human-like qualities; for example, it can understand simple instructions, avoid danger, and even know how to ask for help.

All of these factors have led the research base to designate it as a core and special research subject, making it a "key focus sample" in the entire field of Siberian tiger conservation.

Upon learning the news, the director of the research base was terrified. He immediately called the mayor of Linhai City, urgently explaining the scientific value and uniqueness of Wang Yuyu, and pleading with the municipal government to allocate resources as soon as possible to catch the poachers, while ensuring that Wang Yuyu was not harmed.

The mayor of Linhai City also realized the seriousness of the matter and immediately agreed, not only allocating several helicopters but also urgently mobilizing police forces from the surrounding area for support.

Fan Zhengcheng, who had previously handled the Wang Yuyu incident and had some understanding of it, naturally became the person in charge of this arrest operation and was immediately transported by helicopter.

Seeing the brightly lit camp ahead, Wang Yuyu's tense nerves finally relaxed slightly, but her vigilance remained undiminished.

He abruptly stopped and quickly hid behind a thick tree, revealing only his amber eyes as he cautiously observed the activity in the camp.

He wasn't sure if these people were there to help him; after all, to him, humanity included both the kindness of people like Tang Li and the malice of poachers.

What Wang Yuyu didn't know was that the moment he entered the two-kilometer radius of the camp, a drone hovering high in the sky had already captured his massive figure using a thermal imager.

Inside the command tent in the center of the camp, Chen Chen, who was in charge of monitoring, immediately noticed the anomaly.

Upon receiving the message, Fan Zhengcheng rushed into the tent.

"How's it going? Any news? Have the poachers been found? Or is there any trace of the 'iron rice bowl'?" he asked anxiously, his eyes fixed on the monitor screen inside the tent.

Chen Chen pointed to a clear red heat source on the screen, his face beaming with excitement: "Captain, we've found a sure thing! It's just 700 meters to our northwest, hiding behind a big tree, and looks like it's observing our camp!"

"Found it! That's great!" Upon hearing this, Fan Zhengcheng's face instantly lit up with joy, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally felt much relieved.

"You all keep an eye on it and closely monitor its movements. I'll personally go and take over the secure job!"

After saying that, Fan Zhengcheng didn't dare to delay for a moment. He rushed out of the command tent, called over two experienced team members, and the three of them headed towards Wang Yuyu's hiding place.

Twenty minutes later, Wang Yuyu, who was secretly observing the camp from behind a big tree, suddenly narrowed his eyes and caught sight of three swaying beams of light.

It was Fan Zhengcheng and his two companions who arrived with flashlights.

After a night of desperate escape, his vigilance towards humans had reached its peak, and he couldn't distinguish whether the people who came were friends or foes.

Wang Yu did not act rashly, but moved silently through the snow and quietly moved to a more concealed thicket to ambush.

He lowered his body so low it was almost touching the ground, his colorful tiger fur blending seamlessly with the surrounding snow and branches, leaving only his amber eyes fixed on his target. His sharp claws were quietly extended, poised to strike when his opponent was off guard.

Just as Fan Zhengcheng and his two companions continued to explore forward, he suddenly stopped and raised his hand to signal his team to stop.

Chen Chen's urgent voice came through the earpiece: "Captain! Watch out! The iron rice bowl has changed hands!"

"According to the thermal imaging, it's approaching you in a very wary manner, as if it's planning to ambush you!"

"What?!" Fan Zhengcheng's heart sank suddenly, and his nerves tensed instantly.

He slowly looked around, subconsciously lowering the beam of his powerful flashlight and gently sweeping it across the surrounding bushes, but he found no trace of Wang Yuyu.

"Where exactly is it?" Fan Zhengcheng asked in a low voice, his tone full of urgency.

"It's just 50 meters to your right! It's still slowly approaching, very slowly, clearly waiting for an opportunity!"

Fan Zhengcheng immediately turned to his right, no longer daring to shine his flashlight randomly. He simply raised his voice and spoke softly into the darkness, shouting, "Iron Rice Bowl! It's me! Fan Zhengcheng!"

"Do you remember me? A few days ago, I accompanied Tang Li to bring you here, and we even gave you a fresh sika deer!"