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

The journey from Taiping Town to the provincial capital is not short, but for Li Tuantuan, this journey was basically spent in a half-asleep state and suffering from indigestion.

The feast he had under the old locust tree last night has left him with a strong smell of braised pork in his burps ever since.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the backstage lounge of the Provincial Public Security Department's auditorium was as tense as if a bomb was being defused.

"Inhale! Roll, listen to me, inhale!"

Lin Wan was sweating profusely as she tried to tie a specially made red ribbon around Li Tuantuan's round belly. However, the thick layer of fat was extremely elastic, and as soon as it was inserted an inch, it stubbornly bounced back with a burp from Li Tuantuan.

"Hiccup—" Li Tuantuan blinked innocently, lazily slumped on the leather sofa, her two paws still subconsciously protecting a piece of fat around her waist.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: Stop it, Miss Lin. This is called a "rich man's belly," a symbol of a national treasure. If you keep pulling, I'll throw up the braised pork knuckle from last night.

"Forget it, just hang it around your neck!" Chief Wang paced anxiously to the side, holding the giant red silk flower, half a meter in diameter, in his hands. "We're about to go on stage, and this is going to be broadcast live across the entire province! Gun Gun, you have to stand up for yourself today. Whether our Taiping Town Police Station can get any recognition depends on this one move!"

Li Tuantuan looked at the tacky big red flower with disdain. This aesthetic was like something out of a village wedding in the 1980s.

But he couldn't resist, because Director Wang was still holding a sausage as bait.

I endured it for the sake of the sausage.

Li Tuantuan let the big red flower hang around his neck, making his black and white bear-like face look both festive and comical, like a silly son of a landlord who had just married into the family.

"Good! Energetic!" Director Wang gave a thumbs up in satisfaction.

A rousing march filled the air from the stage, and the host's booming voice pierced through the curtain: "Now, let us give a warm round of applause to welcome our heroic and exemplary representative of 'Operation Snake Hunt'—Comrade Lin Wan, and our top-class hero, the invincible—Li Gun Gun!"

The applause was thunderous.

Lin Wan took a deep breath, straightened her brand-new police uniform, and confidently took Li Tuantuan's hand: "Let's go, you've seen it all, don't let me down."

Li Tuantuan pouted, wiggled her hips, and walked with her signature pigeon-toed gait as she was dragged onto the stage in a very perfunctory manner.

The auditorium was packed, with the first row filled with VIPs who frequently appeared on television news. At that moment, hundreds of eyes, along with dozens of cameras, were all focused on the panda wearing a big red flower.

Li Tuantuan originally wanted to strike a cool pose, like "Huang Feihong spreading his wings," but he was just too sleepy.

So, on the nationally televised screen, this legendary "kung fu beast," which is said to tear apart drug dealers with its bare hands and trample thugs with its feet, opened its blood-red mouth as soon as it walked to the center of the stage and let out a thunderous yawn that was so loud that even its tonsils could be clearly seen.

"Ah—woo—"

He even smacked his lips twice, seemingly reminiscing about the pig's trotters from last night.

There was a moment of silence in the audience, followed by a burst of good-natured laughter.

The governor, sitting in the middle, was amused and led the applause.

The next part was tedious. Speeches by leaders and readings of commendations went on and on, seemingly endless.

Li Tuantuan was placed in a specially made, widened and reinforced chair. At first, he could barely sit up straight, but after five minutes, it felt as if his spine had been removed, and his whole body slid down the back of the chair like a melting black sesame dumpling.

Lin Wan had no choice but to maintain a standard military posture while gently kicking his buttocks under the table with her toes, trying to wake up this national treasure who was making a fool of himself.

Annoyed by being kicked, Li Tuantuan simply stretched out her paw and started fiddling with the big red flower on her chest.

Is this edible?

He pried off a strand of red silk, put it in his mouth, and tasted it. "Pah, it tastes like synthetic fiber. Thumbs down."

Finally, the awards ceremony arrived.

The governor himself came over, carrying a tray.

Lin Wan stood at attention and saluted, her eyes slightly red with excitement. Her epaulettes had changed; from this moment on, she had been promoted three ranks and officially became the deputy head of the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division. In the history of police promotions, this was nothing short of a rocket launch.

It was Li Tuantuan's turn.

The governor smiled as he watched the panda still struggling with the red flower, and hung a heavy pure gold medal around its neck.

"National First-Class Meritorious Beast." The governor read out the words on the medal, "Comrade Gun Gun, thank you for your hard work."

Li Tuantuan weighed the medal in her paw. "Hmm, pure gold, quite heavy. If I sold it, I could get a lot of milk."

Immediately afterwards, the governor took out a small red book.

That was a special "letter of appointment" for Li Tuantuan.

The camera zoomed in, and the entire audience held their breath.

The governor opened the red certificate and showed it to the audience. The photo of Li Tuantuan in the certificate had been photoshopped to show him in a police uniform, making him look imposing.

"After deliberation by the Provincial Department, it has been decided to specially appoint Comrade Li Gungun as 'Provincial Special Operations Commissioner,' with his position under the Municipal Bureau, and enjoying—" The Governor paused, his voice rising a few decibels, "**Deputy Division Chief level benefits!**"

The entire audience erupted in uproar!

Deputy division chief level!

A panda has risen to the rank of deputy director! What does this mean? It means his current administrative rank is several levels higher than Director Wang's!

Although Li Tuantuan didn't understand the hierarchy of human officialdom, he keenly noticed Lin Wan's gasp and the envious looks from the bigwigs below the stage.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: Deputy division chief? Sounds pretty impressive. Does that mean I can eat as many bowls of milk as I want without anyone daring to stop me?

The governor seemed to see through his thoughts and added with a smile, "Furthermore, with special approval from the organization, Comrade Li Gungun has an independent 'national treasure-level' special food allowance, which is reimbursed based on actual expenses with no upper limit."

"Buzz!"

It was as if a firework exploded in Li Tuantuan's mind.

Reimbursement based on actual expenses! No upper limit!

These eight words are simply the most beautiful language in the world!

He instantly snapped out of his drowsiness, his previously dull dark circles widening dramatically. He snatched the little red book from the governor's hand, clutching it tightly to his chest as if afraid someone would take it away. To express his gratitude, he even extended the hand that had just been scratching his foot, warmly grasped the governor's hand, and shook it vigorously.

"Okay!" (Deal made! Keep in touch if there are any more good deals like this!)

The governor was nearly knocked off his feet by the immense force of his hand, but he still couldn't stop smiling.

After the awards ceremony, there was a group interview with the media.

Long guns and short cannons were instantly thrust in front of Lin Wan and Li Tuantuan.

"Captain Lin, as the youngest deputy branch captain in history, what are your thoughts?"

"Do puppies really understand human speech?"

"I heard that Gun Gun used nunchucks during the capture operation, is that true?"

While answering the reporter's questions, Lin Wan also had to hold back Li Tuantuan, who was trying to snuggle into the female reporter's arms.

Just then, a reporter from a TV station, in an effort to create an interactive experience, held a microphone with a black foam cover to Li Tuantuan's mouth.

"GunGun, you're now a deputy division-level cadre. What would you like to say to your fans across the country in front of the camera?"

Li Tuantuan stared at the dark, sponge-like cover.

Round and black, it looks a bit like... a giant black truffle? Or some kind of special chocolate ball?

He's a big shot with an "unlimited" food allowance now, so it's not unreasonable for him to have a taste, right?

So, under the watchful eyes of the entire nation, Li Tuantuan didn't give an acceptance speech, but instead opened her mouth wide in a flash—

"Awoo!"

It bit down on the microphone's foam cover.

"Hey! You can't eat that! That's a microphone!" The reporter was terrified and desperately pulled it back.

Li Tuantuan felt the texture was off; it tasted entirely of sponge and had no chocolate filling. He spat out the saliva-covered sponge sleeve with a disgusted "Pui!" and it stuck right onto the reporter's glasses.

The whole place burst into laughter.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: What a load of rubbish! Deceiving consumers. This kind of event is so boring. I want to go back to my air-conditioned room and eat my special-supply meal!

He turned around, leaving the camera with a dashing and rounded silhouette, and didn't forget to pat non-existent dust off his butt with his paw before swaggering backstage.

Just then, the long-dormant mechanical voice in his mind suddenly rang out.

[Ding! Detected that the host has completed a major milestone task: Official appointment (Deputy Division Chief level achieved).]

[Rewards being processed... 10000 Merit Points awarded.]

[System version update complete, officially entering the 2.0 era.]

[New Feature Unlocked: [Beast Domination (Beginner)]]. The host can consume merit points to "enlighten" animals that have not yet developed intelligence, establish a spiritual connection, and build an animal force belonging to the host.

Li Tuantuan's foot stopped in mid-air.

Dominate all beasts? Recruit followers?

An extremely arrogant image instantly flashed through his mind:

In the bustling city, he wore a custom-made suit (if it didn't make him look fat), sunglasses, and a bamboo cigar dangling from his lips. Behind him followed a group of stray dog ​​bodyguards in black suits, while overhead eagles with headsets scouted the skies, and a network of rats provided intelligence in the sewers…

By then, we'll have a complete grasp of which restaurants are good, which sales assistants are kind-hearted, and which criminals are hiding in which nooks and crannies.

This isn't about being a policeman, it's about becoming a godfather!

Li Tuantuan turned her head, looked at her adorable photo on the big screen, and a mischievous smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

[Li Tuantuan's inner monologue]: Hehehe, you bad guys in the city, your panda grandpa... has arrived with a cheat code.