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

The meeting room was deserted after everyone left, and only a cheap smell of cigarettes remained in the air, making Li Tuantuan frown.

He slumped back into the dilapidated boss's chair, his round, chubby face scrunched up like an undercooked, broken bun. He'd put on a show of perfect composure and confidence in front of Lin Wan earlier, just to bolster morale; in reality, he was incredibly insecure.

This hunting method, which uproots the entire food chain and leaves not a single mouse behind, is something that mindless wild beasts would never do. Wild beasts eat to fill their stomachs, but this "scavenger"-like sweeping exudes a chilling sense of order.

He painstakingly tapped the search bar on the iPad screen with his thick paw pads and typed in two words: "[Raising Gu]".

A bunch of science facts popped up on the screen: If you throw poisonous insects into a jar and they kill each other, the one that survives to the end is the Gu King.

Li Tuantuan stared intently at those two words, her previously languid gaze instantly turning cold, as if covered in frost.

If the Qinling Mountains are that jar, then the vanished cattle and sheep, the stray dogs, and even the missing Old Wang are all "experience packs" thrown into it...

So this operator hiding in the shadows is playing a real-life version of "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds"!

Is this a forced shrinking of the encirclement, compelling all creatures to fight to the death, ultimately creating some kind of monster? A super beast king? Or some kind of indescribable bio-weapon?

Just thinking about that sanctimonious Dr. Zhao and that group of "civilian superpowered individuals" who drove around in armored vehicles made Li Tuantuan feel nauseous, even more so than if she had eaten leftover bamboo shoots.

If it's a natural disaster, then that's fate; if it's man-made... well, then don't blame Master Xiong for performing physical exorcisms.

"Gah! Boss, when you put on that long face, it looks like you're about to eat a child. It's kind of scary." Coal Ball flapped its wings and flew over, curiously pecking at the iPad screen with its beak.

Li Tuantuan ignored the noisy crow and, with a thought, summoned the system panel that he both loved and hated.

The balance in the upper right corner is a glaring red: [250 points].

Seriously stupid.

Li Tuantuan's lips twitched. This little bit of merit points wouldn't even be enough to exchange for a few boxes of high-calcium milk, let alone go head-to-head with a boss in that "poisonous circle" deep in the Qinling Mountains. This mission was fraught with danger; with his flabby frame, what if he encountered a mage monster who could conjure fireballs? Wouldn't he just turn into a roasted panda?

We must bring in more people, strengthen the organization, and get this makeshift team up and standing on its own.

Li Tuantuan scrolled quickly through the shop list, finally locking onto a skill book that gleamed with golden light.

[Basic Reiki Guiding Technique (Team Version)]

[Note: For host and their accessories only. A foolproof tutorial to guide beasts to awaken their intelligence and strengthen their physical bodies. While it won't allow you to ascend to immortality, it can quickly transform you from "food" into a "hunter."]

Price: 3000 merit points.

3000? !

Li Tuantuan felt as if Rong Momo had stabbed his heart with a needle. He was now destitute!

But he didn't hesitate for even a second; his eyes were resolute.

[System! You jerk! I want to apply for a personal loan! I want double the amount I earn from it! Give me a straight answer, stop beating around the bush!]

The system panel flashed for two seconds, and a crackling sound seemed to be conducting some kind of high-risk assessment.

[Ding! Detected that the host is about to enter a high-risk instance, triggering the "Emergency Assistance Protocol for Working People".]

Overdraft allowed! Current balance: -2750 points.

[Friendly Reminder: Interest is calculated daily. Please repay as soon as possible, otherwise the system will forcibly extract fat from your body to settle the debt (liposuction is performed without anesthesia).]

Liposuction?! Absolutely not! That's my protective gear, a symbol of national dignity!

Before he could even finish his rant, a massive influx of information rushed into his brain. It wasn't like reading a book; it was more like the knowledge was being etched into his DNA. He instantly "understood" those mystical methods about absorbing spiritual energy and cleansing the meridians.

Li Tuantuan suddenly opened her eyes, her dark circles gleaming, and looked at the bird and mouse in front of her.

"Mmm!" (Gentlemen, gather around! Open your heads, class is starting!)

Coal Ball and Golden Bean sat side by side, looking completely bewildered, like two kindergarten children waiting for candy.

Li Tuantuan, like an old cadre inspecting his territory, swaggered in front of them with his paws behind his back, exuding a strong sense of oppression.

"Listen up! This trip into the mountains isn't a picnic, it's a life-or-death adventure! Anyone who doesn't want to turn into monster poop, get the water out of your head and get your act together!"

Through the mental contract granted by the system, he directly planted the "seed" of the guiding technique into the brains of his two underlings.

"Inhale—! Draw your breath into your dantian! That spot below your abdomen! Don't use your throat to inhale, use your abdomen! That's your engine!"

As expected of an SSR-level treasure-hunting mouse, Jin Dou's comprehension is simply off the charts. It imitated Li Tuan Tuan, like a wise and enlightened mouse, folding its hind legs, placing its two front paws on its knees, closing its eyes to rest, its golden belly bulging.

Within minutes, a faint golden light actually appeared on Jin Dou's body, and even the surrounding dust began to swirl around it, making it look like a gilded figurine.

"Squeak!" (Boss! My stomach feels warm, like I've drunk fake alcohol, so good! I feel like I'll be able to smell even more expensive treasures in the future!)

Li Tuantuan nodded in satisfaction. This mouse was a good candidate for cultivation; they would rely on it to find spirit stones in the future.

He turned to look at the coal briquettes.

The black bird was imitating Jin Dou, crossing its wings in front of its chest, rolling its eyes, and opening its mouth wide like a high-powered water pump, sucking up water.

"suck--!"

The coal ball's face turned red from holding its breath, its neck thickened, and its belly swelled up like a balloon that was about to burst.

"call--!"

"Hiccup—Pfft—!"

A loud burp followed by a deafening fart, carrying a strong smell of fermented chive dumplings, sprayed directly onto Li Tuantuan's face.

Li Tuantuan's face turned green instantly, even more intoxicating than the venom sprayed by that wasp.

"Gah! Boss, I can't hold my breath! It goes in here and out there, I'm so desperate!" Coal Ball looked innocent, and even wanted to burp again.

Enraged, Li Tuantuan grabbed the folder on the table and slapped it at the black head.

"Can't keep it sealed? I'll physically seal it for you!"

"Snapped!"

"Gah! Murdering a parent bird! The deputy director is assaulting someone! Is there no law anymore?!"

The conference room erupted into chaos, with black feathers flying everywhere – it was a complete mess.

While chasing and beating this good-for-nothing, Li Tuantuan sighed inwardly.

What kind of god-like lineup is this?

A greedy rat who only knows how to find treasure, a useless bird who only knows how to talk nonsense, plus himself, a panda burdened with a huge debt of over two thousand.

Can this "Special Police Team of Monsters" really crawl out alive from that "jar" full of monsters?

But regardless of whether we can win or not, this battle must be fought.

The noise gradually subsided. Li Tuantuan stopped what she was doing, walked to the window, and looked out at the dark Qinling Mountains, as if she were looking at a giant beast ready to devour its prey.

Raising treacherous creatures, huh? A battle royale mode, perhaps?

Row.

Let's go into the tank and have a go.

Let's see what comes out in the end: those monsters you raised, or me, this panda in the system with cheat codes!

"Men, pack your gear! To pay off our debts... no, to uphold justice, let's go!"