Animal Detective

He had the documents, but now there was another problem.

How was he going to get back to Nanjiang?

When he came, he had Tian Kui with him.

Now, he’d added a bird to the mix—and a raptor at that, a level-one protected species.

As for taking a plane, Shen Xin consulted the airlines.

At first, the lady on the phone was very pleasant, saying that birds could be checked as long as he provided a valid animal quarantine certificate and used a container of the proper size.

But the moment Shen Xin mentioned he was bringing a Hunting Falcon, a nationally protected level-one species, the other end of the line went silent.

He felt like she was about to call the police.

If a plane was out of the question, the only other option was the high-speed rail.

But the high-speed rail was also a no-go. Shen Xin had already asked; the regulations were the same, and they weren’t allowed on the train.

Of course, if you secretly snuck a little budgie in your bag, they might turn a blind eye and pretend not to see it.

But when you’re carrying a Hunting Falcon with a wingspan of over a meter, there’s no way they can look the other way, even if they wanted to.

After thinking it over, Shen Xin came up with a plan.

He would just drive them back.

The whole trip was 1,700 kilometers. It would take two days.

Maybe there would be some nice scenery along the way that he could check out.

Besides, Shen Xin felt this was the most reliable method. Public transportation had too many people and too many unknown variables.

He would just have to ask for two more days off.

He gave Zhang Hancheng a heads-up. When he heard Shen Xin was bringing back a Hunting Falcon, Zhang Hancheng was completely baffled.

In the end, he didn’t say much, just told Shen Xin to be careful on the road.

Instead of renting a car, Shen Xin decided to just buy one right there in Wugai Banner.

The Camry he’d been driving had been with his dad on trips all over the country back in the day. He’d been wanting to save up and replace it for a long time now.

Now he had an excuse to mooch off his dad a little.

He called Shen Haolin.

When Shen Haolin heard that his son was not only bringing back local specialties but also a Hunting Falcon, he immediately perked up.

He asked mysteriously if it was the same kind of Hunting Falcon kept by those "piece of cloth on their head, richest in the world" types.

After getting a confirmation, his voice couldn’t help but sound a little smug.

He kept a donkey at his factory, which inevitably earned him a few jokes on his social media feed.

But now? He was getting a Hunting Falcon. That was a whole different level of class.

Other people had a wooden carving of a great roc spreading its wings in their office. He would have a live one.

Shen Haolin waved his hand magnanimously and promptly transferred the money.

With the plan settled, it was time to say goodbye again.

This time, there was no need to sneak out at the crack of dawn.

Early in the morning, Doniya still came to the camp to see him off.

"Goodbye."

Shen Xin reached out his hand to bid her farewell.

But Doniya didn’t shake it. Instead, she took a light step forward, opened her arms, and gave Shen Xin a hug.

It wasn’t a deep embrace, just a light one, and she quickly let go before saying with a bright smile, "See you again."

They had said goodbye before, and sure enough, they had seen each other again.

’So if we say "see you again" today, we’ll see each other again soon.’

Shen Xin didn’t overthink it. He said his final goodbyes to everyone, got in his car, and left.

When he arrived, the sky had been clear above the vast, boundless Earth. As he left, the grasslands had grown a shade greener under another clear, wide sky.

He rushed to Wugai Banner and went straight to a 4S dealership.

Duan Zijie came in person. First, to see him off, and second, because Shen Xin had asked for his help in getting the temporary license plate processed as quickly as possible.

Shen Xin didn’t buy a luxury car.

There was no need, and he couldn’t afford one anyway.

Tired of driving a sedan, he bought an SUV—a Tiguan.

This time, with his dad’s support, he bought it outright, paying in full. He would just have to slowly repay his father’s kindness later.

The temporary plate was ready. He’d get the permanent one back in Nanjiang. The gas tank was full. He was all set to go.

"Shen Xin, have a safe trip!"

Duan Zijie and Lakshen waved goodbye.

The new car was stable, smooth, and quiet. He finally didn’t have to listen to his old Camry idling and shaking like a tractor anymore. It almost felt like he’d just married a new wife.

But he hadn’t driven far before Tian Kui started acting up in the back.

And Teddy, too.

He had decided to drive back specifically so he wouldn’t have to keep the falcon in a cage the whole way.

But what does he do? Given his freedom, instead of being grateful, he starts clawing at the car seat.

’You think this is a scratching post?’

Even though Shen Xin stopped him quickly, he couldn’t prevent a faint scratch from being left behind.

It made Shen Xin so mad he wanted to smack him.

And then there was Tian Kui, who was chewing on a seatbelt in the back seat.

’Is that your chew toy?!’

"Teddy, if you scratch that again, I’ll kill you," Shen Xin warned viciously.

He even made a slicing motion across the falcon’s neck with his hand.

’If I just apply a little pressure with this finger, I’ll instantly land myself a five-year prison sentence.’

So Shen Xin couldn’t help but lecture him a bit more.

’Do you have any idea what a huge risk I took bringing you back?’

’I’m your guardian! What happens if something goes wrong and you die on my watch?’

’You have a proper household registration! You’re officially on the books!’

Teddy’s personality wasn’t as cheeky as Tiger Stripes’. If this were Tiger Stripes, his inner voice would definitely be retorting, ’I’m worth way more than this piece of junk car.’

Shen Xin figured Teddy was a classic case of being love-struck.

He’d heard from Duan Zijie that Dawag and his brother had been staking out Teddy for half a month.

They had followed Teddy all over the place.

And the reason Teddy was running all over the place was that he was looking for a mate.

As for Yuexiao, he was different. His intelligence was simply on another level; he had already transcended basic animal instincts.

Being cooped up in the car for the whole journey was fine for Tian Kui, but not for Teddy.

He was miserable being stuck for so long without being able to fly.

Of course, he could probably just let him out and have him fly alongside the car.

But the risk was too great.

The best Shen Xin could do was find some time at a service area to let him out for a short flight, allowing him to stretch his wings.

After driving three or four hundred kilometers in one go, Shen Xin pulled into a service area called Fengning.

He had already crossed the provincial border.