There's a chat group for pets in my neighborhood.

the day after tomorrow.

The night breeze was cool, and the early summer night sky was covered by thick clouds, not a single star could see through.

On the railway tracks outside the old steel factory in the north of the city, a green train rumbled past. As the green train disappeared at the end of the road, a large group of figures quietly appeared in the night.

Using the weeds as cover, they quickly reached the outer wall of the old steel mill.

Lu Fang is not here.

On the one hand, the sheriff didn't want to see animals roaming around in large groups; such a scene would make anyone question their existence.

On the other hand, it's because the land-based creatures, being the only humans, are too conspicuous, making it difficult for them to hide their tracks.

Therefore, Lu Fang was assigned to stand by in another direction, and it was only his turn to act when they rescued the dogs from the old steel factory.

The sheriff walked at the front of the group. After all the animals had stopped, it leaped lightly to the top of the outer wall, its dark green vertical pupils coldly staring at the few lights that were on in the factory.

It hasn't been idle these past few days either, memorizing the factory map that the gray mouse and sparrow had inquired about and investigated, all for this moment.

It turned around and looked down at the hastily assembled team.

Besides seven or eight stray cats, the dog walker also brought a bone for each visit, and two large yellow dogs guarding the restaurant in Tiancheng Community.

The Sparrow Know-It-All was circling in the sky, but since it was dark and it didn't have the night vision of a cat, it was mainly responsible for guiding the land.

"I want you to remember that tonight's mission is to save lives, not to fight!" The sheriff's voice was deep and authoritative, clearly reaching the ears of every animal in the quiet night breeze.

"The gossip columnist investigated during the day and found out there were three dog thieves in the old steel factory. They had special dog snares, iron bars, and even an old-fashioned hunting rifle."

"This is not an exaggeration. I don't want any of you to get hurt, do you understand?"

Tanuki leaped to the sheriff's side, crouched down, and licked the fur on its paws: "Unless there are special circumstances, you are absolutely not allowed to take the initiative to attack."

"We heard you!" The animals nodded. They knew how dangerous a shotgun was; if they were shot, even a veterinarian wouldn't be able to save them.

"The dogs are too big. Each walk costs one bone. You lead the dog squad outside. They are not allowed to rush in without my instructions."

"If anything goes wrong inside, or if I need you to create chaos, I will let you know. Otherwise, I don't want to hear a single bark from this place."

"When you see dogs rushing out, I need you to guide them back to the city immediately."

"Mission accomplished!" The dog walker, who charged for each dog walk, lowered its head, its eyes serious. Behind it, two large yellow dogs nodded solemnly.

"Grey Mouse." The sheriff turned his gaze to a gray shadow next to the sewer grate.

"Yes, Sheriff. Give me your orders." Gray Mouse immediately stood up straight, like a soldier waiting for inspection.

"You lead the elite of your rat family, go in through the sewage pipes. You are the vanguard of the infiltration mission, undertaking the most crucial task."

"Once inside, the first thing to do is find the cages where the dogs are kept and find a way to unlock them. Meanwhile, the brothers who stay at each intersection should report immediately if they spot any dog ​​thieves."

"Leave this to me. I've investigated it thoroughly these past few days. The dog cage uses an old-fashioned bolt lock, no key needed. The brothers are all experienced." Gray Rat patted his chest, and the rats behind him squeaked several times, making a solemn pledge.

"As for Tanuki," the sheriff said, glancing at Tanuki who was lazily sharpening its claws beside him, "the two of us will take a few of the best-skilled stray cat brothers and sneak in through the ventilation ducts. Our main role will be to provide cover. If the dog thieves notice anything amiss, we need to buy time for Gray Rat's men."

"No problem." Tanuki stretched out its paw hidden in its paw pads, which reflected a cold glint in the dim moonlight.

"Hopefully we won't need to get involved." The sheriff sighed, then looked at all the pets.

"Did you all hear me clearly?"

"Listen carefully!" The stray cats jumped onto the wall one by one.

"No problem." He paid for each dog walk with a bone, then led the big yellow dog to hide in the weeds.

"Wait for our good news." The gray rat flicked its tail and led its horde of mice away from the sewer entrance.

"I hereby announce that Operation Codename: Break the Cage has officially begun!"

Like two ghosts, the sheriff and Tanuki used the abandoned pipes on the outside of the wall to quickly climb onto the roof of the factory, which was more than ten meters high, and then nimbly slid into the factory through the gaps in the louvers of the exhaust fan.

Lu Fang, carrying a backpack, plopped down in the haystack, took a deep breath, and stared at the words "Operation Break the Cage" sent by the sheriff in the group chat on his phone.

I wonder if these kids are up to the task.

Sparrows circled in the sky.

Inside the factory, dim incandescent lights swayed in mid-air, casting large patches of shadow.

In the very center of the factory, on an open space, stood a dilapidated folding table, where three burly dog ​​thieves, their faces flushed with anger, were drinking heavily.

"Hey Monkey, come on, let's have a drink. Tell me, why are we so unlucky? This batch of goods has been stuck in our hands for so long and we still haven't sold them, resulting in a lot of losses. It's really damn unlucky." A burly man with a big belly threw a peanut into his mouth, picked up the cheap liquor in his plastic cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

"I don't know who's gone crazy, there's a crackdown everywhere. Last time, the goods were already halfway delivered when they were blocked again." The skinny man known as Monkey King spat on the ground. "But I've also noticed these past two days that there are far fewer police patrolling outside. If we wait another two days, we can send out this batch of goods that's been piling up, and then we can live carefree for another half a month."

"That's right, we can just dump them at a dog meat restaurant in another province and be done with it." The burly man glanced around; the dogs in the iron cages lay listlessly on the ground, not daring to meet his eyes. "Speaking of which, dog meat tastes really good."

"By the way, I think that German Shepherd is about to die. It probably won't make it past the day after tomorrow. If you ask me, we should just slaughter it tonight because my back hurts. How about we have a dog meat hot pot to enjoy?"

Upon hearing this suggestion, the man on the other side frowned: "The boss is still sleeping, why don't we ask him for his opinion?"

Monkey King glanced at the half-dead German Shepherd in the cage, swallowed hard, and said, "Why bother asking him? It's just a worthless dog. Even if it dies, it'll just be thrown out. I've made the decision. We'll slaughter it tonight. We've been stuck here for so long; it's time to have some meat!"