If you were made a mascot, you would become a legend in the police force.

It started raining.

The rain in the Qinling Mountains comes suddenly, and it's the kind of freezing rain that's cold and mixed with ice shards. This is a devastating blow to the search and rescue efforts.

The rain washed over the ground, and the once clear scent trails began to become intermittent. Li Tuantuan had to stop again and again, pressing his nose against the muddy ground, even though the mud covered his face.

"GunGun, if it really doesn't work... then forget it." Lin Wan looked at Li Tuantuan, who was covered in mud and water, and her voice trembled with heartache. Her raincoat was already soaked through, and her lips were purple from the cold.

The two special police officers were also somewhat exhausted. They had been marching in the dark for three hours in this primeval forest, constantly on guard against deep pits underfoot and falling rocks overhead; the exertion was immense.

Li Tuantuan shook her head.

Forget it?

What about the seven or eight children? What about the little girl whose head he touched?

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: "That doesn't count. When I was a human in my past life, the thing I despised most was giving up halfway. If I can't even protect a few kids in this life as a bear, then this skin is a waste."

He continued to arch forward.

Finally, at the edge of a cliff, the trail went completely cold.

Ahead was a rushing mountain stream, its water level swollen due to the torrential rain. On the opposite bank lay an even denser forest of black pine trees, with no path in sight.

"We can't get across." A SWAT officer looked at the rushing river in despair. "The current is too strong; we can't swim across without equipment. And the water has washed away our scent."

Lin Wan slumped onto the rock, tears streaming down her face along with the rain.

Did they really lose track of them?

Li Tuantuan stood by the river, looking at the dark forest on the opposite bank. He could sense that the group of people were right there on the other side, perhaps hiding in some cave, or perhaps mocking the police's incompetence.

anger.

An unprecedented rage burned in my chest.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: "System! Get out here! I know you have a way!"

[Ding! Detected severe emotional fluctuations in the host.]

"Stop talking nonsense! I need to find someone! The rain is too heavy, my sense of smell is failing me, give me a usable solution!"

[System Shop Recommendation:]

1. [Intermediate Olfactory Enhancement]: Increases anti-interference ability by 50%. Price: 1500 Merit Points. (Limited effectiveness in the current environment)

2. [Thermal Imaging Night Vision Eyes]: Visible distance 500 meters. Price: 1000 merit points. (Poor performance in dense forests).

3. [Mastery of All Animal Languages]: Able to communicate seamlessly with any animal and command low-intelligence animals to a certain extent. Price: 2500 Merit Points.

Proficient in animal language?

Li Tuantuan's heart bled as he looked at the price tag of 2500. All the merit points he had saved up over the years amounted to only 5200.

Of the 2000 spent on upgrading the hacking skills, the remaining 3200 would be gone in an instant if used for other purposes.

but……

He glanced back at Lin Wan's desperate eyes.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: "Money can be earned back, and merit can be accumulated again. But if these children lose their lives, I will have nightmares for the rest of my life."

"Bought it!"

[Ding! 3000 merit points consumed. Congratulations, host, you have acquired the skill: Mastery of All Beast Languages ​​(Grandmaster Level).]

[Skill loading... Loading complete.]

In an instant, Li Tuantuan felt that the world had changed.

The forest, which had previously only contained the sounds of rain and wind, suddenly became noisy.

"It's freezing cold, this awful weather!" — This is a squirrel complaining in a tree.

"Those two-legged creatures down there look delicious, but unfortunately that black and white fat guy is too fierce." — This was a viper coiled in a crevice of a rock muttering.

"It's so noisy in that cave over there! Those two-legged creatures with their cubs have taken over my den!" — This was a faint voice drifting from the other side of the river on the wind.

Li Tuantuan suddenly raised her head, her ears standing up like antennas.

Who is speaking?

He focused his attention and locked onto a large tree on the opposite bank.

There squatted a golden monkey, soaking wet, angrily scratching at the tree bark and chattering incessantly.

To Lin Wan and the others, it was just the sound of monkeys calling. But to Li Tuantuan, it was clear Mandarin (with a slight Shaanxi accent).

"Damn two-legged beasts! They stole my fruit and beat my child! I'm going to call the king to beat them up!"

Li Tuantuan's eyes lit up.

found it!

He turned around, called out to Lin Wan, and then made an extremely exaggerated gesture—he pointed to the opposite bank, then imitated a monkey scratching its cheek, and finally made a "sleeping" gesture, pointing in a direction.

"You mean...monkeys?" Lin Wan looked confused. "There are monkeys over there?"

Li Tuantuan nodded.

He walked to the narrowest part of the river, where a fallen tree lay across the water. Although it was slippery, it was still passable.

He glanced back at Lin Wan, his eyes full of provocation: Dare to follow?

Lin Wan gritted her teeth and stood up: "I'll go! Even if I have to crawl, I'll crawl over!"

The group carefully crossed the log bridge.

Upon reaching the other side, Li Tuantuan did not rush on her way. Instead, she stood under a tree and made a series of strange noises at the golden monkey.

"Squeak! Chirp chirp chirp!" (Hey! You red-haired one! Come down and let's talk!)

The golden monkey in the tree was startled and almost fell. It stared wide-eyed at Li Tuantuan:

"You...you can speak monkey language? Are you one of those monsters raised by two-legged beasts?"

Li Tuantuan rolled her eyes and continued chattering:

"I'm the new boss of this hill. I heard someone's taken over your hideout? Lead the way, I'll help you drive them away, and I'll even give you some good food."

As he spoke, Li Tuantuan, as if by magic, pulled a slightly wilted apple from the pocket of his oversized police vest (which Lao Ma had specially sewn for him).

He hadn't eaten it for dinner, so he secretly hid it away to have as a midnight snack.

The golden monkey's eyes lit up when it saw the apple. In this heavy rain, the fruit had long since been knocked off, and the monkey had been hungry all day.

"Deal!" The golden monkey jumped down from the tree, snatched the apple, took a bite, and said, "Follow me! Those bad guys are in the bear's den up ahead! They have one of those fire-breathing sticks (guns), so be careful!"

A cold smile curled at the corner of Li Tuantuan's lips.

A fire-breathing stick?

Once the location is known, it's uncertain who will hunt whom.

He turned around and waved to Lin Wan, then pointed to the golden monkey leading the way.

Lin Wan was completely dumbfounded.

"He...he was just negotiating with a monkey?" SWAT officer Xiao Zhang swallowed hard. "And...he succeeded in bribing him?"

"This is beyond scientific explanation." Lin Wan took a deep breath and gripped the gun tightly. "But it means we have hope. Keep up!"

The rain was still falling, but this time, the hunter had become the hunted.

Li Tuantuan is weaving a vast net that consists of the entire forest.