Chapter 423

In the courtyard, a sense of anxiety and irritability pervaded.

If it weren't to learn more information, Zheng Tan would definitely stay far away; it's too oppressive.

The master wasn't home today; two days ago an old friend from the provincial city invited him over. Hearing that something had happened at the courtyard, he didn't bother with that place, rushed back immediately, and had the people there help.

The person who took Peijie wasn't a resident here; local inhabitants, including Dakang, had never seen him. After he took Peijie from outside the courtyard, he quickly left; the traces that Er Mao and the others could follow went only to the roadside, where there were tire marks from a motorcycle departing, and beyond that it became hard to track.

The three split up and drove along the road searching, but at first found nothing. This area is too remote; don't expect any road surveillance cameras. Er Mao kept driving along the road for over half an hour before discovering the motorcycle dumped at the roadside.

The person was gone. He must have ditched the motorcycle then gotten into another vehicle, so the scent ended here; even if Zheng Tan and Dashan came to help, they couldn't find them.

The three could only return to the courtyard to think of a plan; Peiliang now especially hoped the other side would call, even if it was extortion, just to hear some news, but there had been no movement at all.

"My fault." Wei Leng said softly. Because of his former profession, he was sensitive to certain special trades, so that time at Dahao's house he spoke up to inquire about that passerby.

"I'm also at fault." Er Mao said. At that time he too had pointed toward Dahao's house, thinking of going over to look.

After returning to the courtyard, Peiliang had been silently smoking; he waved his hand and, with a hoarse voice, said: "It's none of your business."

Peiliang knew they all shared the same thought; even if Er Mao and Wei Leng didn't speak, upon seeing that person he would inquire and go take a look, because in this place any potentially dangerous figure would not be ignored by them—this is where the master lives, and they won't allow dangerous people to exist.

What Peiliang wants to know now is: why did that person take Peijie away?

Based on some information provided by Dakang, plus the master's connections in the provincial city, they managed to find quite a lot in half a day.

What Dakang said was correct; the zoo that hired Dizhi at the time indeed had problems, with people using animals to transport contraband to other places. The people and matters involved are still under deep investigation.

Everyone knows. Zoos sometimes exchange animals, or receive donations or purchases to supplement their collections. In recent years, because building wildlife parks can yield considerable profits and higher returns, many places have seen a boom in constructing them. Although these wildlife parks' establishment and development have indeed made positive contributions to enriching public leisure, spreading science education, and expanding tourism, many suffer from poor management and chaotic operations, leading to problems such as illegal trade, secretly slaughtering sick and aged wildlife, and even deliberately throwing herbivorous animals into carnivores' enclosures to attract visitors—a bloody spectacle.

Due to lack of scientific planning and market research, plus lax approval and supervision from above, wildlife park construction boomed; the zoo that hired Dizhi was set up in that relatively chaotic environment. With many loopholes, it couldn't withstand scrutiny; now that a proper investigation has begun, indeed many problems have surfaced. Dakang's brother Dizhi, who was initially framed and made a scapegoat, is merely one insignificant detail among them.

The zoo affair involves too many administrative departments, which Er Mao and the others don't care about nor want to handle; they only want to know whether Dizhi's case is related to Peijie's abduction, and they are eager to find out exactly who took Peijie.

After analyzing the information they gathered and relating it to today's events, the three felt the other party likely had some knowledge of them, even if they had never met before, possibly through others' talk.

Knowing that being watched by Er Mao and the others would turn the situation highly unfavorable, those people sensed danger and even thought they might accelerate exposure of those hidden matters; if the truth came out, they would definitely receive heavy sentences. Thus, taking Peijie might have been a bargaining chip for their escape.

"His target was originally Peijie, not Er Yuan and Wei Xiaopang." Peiliang said. The latter two are too small, hard to look after, and they cry a lot; taking them would be a big hassle, whereas Peijie is already ten, understands things, can obey, and would be more cooperative under threats or intimidation.

Knowing his own son, Peiliang believes that if those people merely used Peijie as an escape chip, Peijie is certainly still safe now; this boy is sharp, mischievous and stubborn children have more thoughts, are more slippery, and also better at reading the situation; Peiliang has never felt so fortunate that his son possesses such virtue.

As long as Peijie's side stays stable and doesn't provoke those people, Peiliang and the others will have more chances to seek answers.

While Er Mao and the others were analyzing and discussing the matter, Zheng Tan thought of the people he had seen in the forest when Dashan brought him there; if those forest folks were connected to this, would Peijie have been taken there? After all, the woods have no police or other surveillance, making escape easier if something happens.

That night, aside from Er Yuan and Wei Xiaopang, the two little brats, everyone else was destined to stay awake.

Zheng Tan had originally intended to take a nap, but tossing and turning, he still couldn't sleep.

He stepped out, jumped onto the second-floor railing, and Zheng Tan gazed at the endless black sky around him.

The courtyard's first floor still had lights on; Er Mao and the others were downstairs, and in the evening a few people had come from the provincial city to help search for the child, also bringing other possibly useful information; it looked like those on the first floor wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

Sensing something, Zheng Tan looked toward the corner of the wall.

Dashan wasn't asleep; he leapt onto the perimeter wall and was crouching there, staring at the stars. The hall side only shows the wall around the courtyard gate, so Dashan squatting on the wall at the corner went unnoticed by Er Mao and the others.

After thinking, he made a decision in his heart; Zheng Tan hurried downstairs.

Dashan heard the sound and turned to look at Zheng Tan; this fellow is too big for the narrow wall, looking somewhat awkward, yet he stood quite steadily.

Zheng Tan jumped onto the wall, paused beside Dashan, then vaulted out of the courtyard, took two steps, and looked at Dashan. "Buddy, wanna come along?"

Dashan crouched on the wall, staring at Zheng Tan for a few seconds, probably still not reacting to Zheng Tan's desire to go out in the middle of the night. Normally, because Dashan always accompanies the master, his routine gradually matches the old man's, so he wouldn't run around at night; but now, seeing Zheng Tan want to leave, he momentarily didn't know whether to follow.

He looked back at the lit first-floor area, then turned his head again and jumped down from the wall.

Seeing Dashan follow, Zheng Tan felt a bit more relieved. Although he had run that way with Dashan before and might not recall the route clearly, having Dashan as a guide would let him avoid some detours.

Yes, Zheng Tan still decided to go to the place with suspicious figures and tents they had seen before; even if he didn't find Peijie there, he could still gather other clues from the people and objects there. Based on what Zheng Tan overheard from Er Mao and the others' conversation, those forest folks were highly likely related to Dizhi's affair, which would likely connect them to the person who took Peijie.

The night was filled with endless unknowns and dangers; many nocturnal animals posing a considerable threat to Zheng Tan and company would come out to move. Zheng Tan removed his cat tag and hung it on a tree, so that even if he ran far, Er Mao's side wouldn't get an alarm alert, and before he truly found useful information, he didn't want to divert their attention.

Actually, for Zheng Tan, nighttime travel isn't that difficult, given a cat's night vision is still good, not like humans who lose their bearings in darkness. Even so, the journey was much slower than last time. One reason: Dashan isn't accustomed to moving about here at night, and sneaking out late at night, he carries doubts, expecting to be scolded if he returns, so he doesn't run as decisively as before.

As dawn approached, Zheng Tan passed a spot and smelled a familiar scent—it was Peijie's, left behind, and the other was from the person who had taken Peijie.

Peijie was indeed brought here!

Not a wasted trip.

To facilitate nighttime movement, Zheng Tan didn't wear a vest, so he couldn't bring a phone. Without a phone, the cat tag was also left at the courtyard and not carried; he had to think of another way to inform Er Mao and the others, since Zheng Tan and Dashan alone couldn't oppose those people.

Dashan clearly recognized Peijie's scent as well; this time he ran more decisively, without the hesitation he had before.

The person who took Peijie likely entered this forest via another route, probably to shake off Er Mao and the others' pursuit.

Following the scent, Zheng Tan and Dashan sped up. The sky was already beginning to brighten; normally at this time Dashan would have been up and about, 'activating his alarm clock,' and even though he hadn't slept all night, by this point his spirits had improved considerably, of course partly due to excitement from finding Peijie's scent.

It was still that place, still the cloth shelter housing animals. Around the shelter there had originally been two tents; now there was a third, suggesting someone had joined.

Having learned from last time, Zheng Tan temporarily stayed away; someone was guarding beside the tent, appearing to be asleep, but Zheng Tan didn't dare risk it—those people were too alert, and a moment's inattention could turn out badly.

Dashan also remained still, each movement cautious and quiet, afraid of disturbing those people.

Zheng Tan thought it over, then retreated farther away, leaving those people's alert zone.

After Zheng Tan moved, Dashan also quickly withdrew.

Needless to say, Dashan is indeed smart; this intelligence isn't about learning quickly, but about knowing his limits. He knows he's no match for those people, and that rashly approaching would gain nothing, so after picking up Peiliang's scent, his thought is simply to return and report.

Dashan planned to retreat first, then bring people back. But after a few steps he noticed Zheng Tan still lingering there, with no intention of returning together, so he paused and waited.

Zheng Tan waved his hand, telling Dashan to hurry back on his own. He intended to stay and observe the situation, ready to help in an emergency, since Peijie is just a child.

Seeing Zheng Tan truly had no intention of leaving, Dashan ran a few more steps, stopped to look back, ran another stretch, glanced back again, and seeing Zheng Tan still not following, he broke into a run.

Zheng Tan believed Dashan could bring Er Mao and the others over; Dashan could understand some simple words, and even knew the yes-no tail-wagging game.

As long as the people are brought over, that's fine.

Zheng Tan leapt onto a tall tree, first to observe the people here, also to rest a bit; after walking so long he was somewhat fatigued. (To be continued...)

PS: In the last three hours of the Double Monthly Ticket period, friends with tickets can choose to cast them.

There will be another update later.

The seven-day National Day holiday felt like it passed in the blink of an eye.