Chapter 2

The voice vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea.

At the same time, the tiger reluctantly closed its eyes and, together with the other two, was taken away and locked up in separate rooms.

Ling Yue froze for a moment, an unbelievable thought popping into her mind: Could… the owner of that voice be that big tiger?

"Ling Yue, you…" the director's fawning voice sounded again, with so many people gathered around, many holding up their phones to film, the great hero who rescued someone from the tiger's mouth—what a big name that is!

The director didn't know how many marketing plans had flashed through his mind; now that internet celebrities are everywhere, why can't their zoo give it a shot?

Of course, the key still lay with Ling Yue.

He rubbed his fingers, about to say something, when Ling Yue curled her lips slightly, a chill in her eyes, and cut him off directly: "I'm feeling a bit unwell; can I resign early?"

She lowered her gaze slightly, her palm trembling a little.

That remark instantly drew agreement from many; everyone had just seen that dangerous scene; Ling Yue seemed fine now, but who knows if there's some internal injury? Remember, that tiger isn't a mall toy—many burly men find it frightening just to see, let alone Ling Yue facing it head‑on.

The girl's mother eagerly spoke up: "Benefactor, I'll drive you to the hospital! You saved Niu Niu—that's saving my life!"

The girl's father, more sensitive, caught the meaning, immediately frowned and said: "Resign? What happened? Why resign?"

That comment stirred up a storm like a stone throwing up thousand waves; the brave hero who saved someone actually wanted to resign? Many instinctively looked toward Director Zhao Fang, hoping he'd give an explanation.

Gazes from all sides pressed in, making Zhao Fang break out in a cold sweat: "This, this… we certainly haven't short‑changed her!" He shifted tone, speaking sincerely: "Resigning would be a good thing—she's a top student from the Capital Institute; burying her talent in our zoo would be a waste."

Zhao Fang's eyes darted about, yet the more he spoke the firmer he became; his righteous demeanor made many visitors half‑believe, half‑doubt—perhaps they were overthinking?

At that moment, a regular zoo visitor in the crowd suddenly shouted: "G, I get it now! This isn't the mermaid from the Ocean Aquarium, is it?"

"How could she be in the Tiger Enclosure? Where's the original keeper of the Tiger Enclosure? I clearly remember it was a young man—why, at the crucial moment, did a girl have to step forward to save someone?"

"She's right here!"

With a loud shout, everyone glared angrily.

Taking advantage of everyone's attention on Ling Yue, the keeper preparing to sneak off was caught off guard, his heart jumping; his guilty look made him unable to face anyone.

"So you're the keeper?" a visitor exclaimed, suddenly realizing: "You've been here all along? While they were rescuing someone, you just stood by and watched."

"Good heavens, aren't you ashamed? You're still the Tiger Enclosure keeper!"

"Why are you running? Where did you just go? Making a little girl step forward like that—you're utterly disgracing us men! Everyone, take a look at this coward!"

The keeper's heart raced; though he'd weathered many storms, hearing the death‑by‑hairnet comment on social media made him unable to bear it, and he blurted: "It's not me! I'm not the Tiger Enclosure keeper—she is!"

He pointed at Ling Yue: "She's the Tiger Enclosure keeper; if anything happens in the Tiger Enclosure, she's responsible—this has nothing to do with me!"

"You're lying!" an indignant visitor shouted: "Yesterday I still saw her and Sparkle dancing with the little dolphin next door at the Ocean Aquarium—how is she in the Tiger Enclosure today?"

Starting work in less than a day? No training at all, and it's the fiercest Tiger Mountain—what blockhead had his brain squeezed by a door? Isn't this just asking for trouble!

Zhao Fang's face darkened instantly like a pot bottom; since he was the one who gave the order, before he could even panic, the low‑level staff member had already given him away, saying over and over: "I don't know anything—the director told me…… it's all him……

Speaking, he covered his face and held up his WeChat chat log high.

Even visitors on the side knew this shouldn't have happened; the officer recording the accident, amiably, said to Zhao Fang: "Please come with us to the station for a moment; we'd like to clarify the facts."

Zhao Fang startled, wiped his sweat: "No, officer, we can't do without me at this huge zoo—I still have business to attend to……

His excuses faded under the police officer's gaze.

As for business, with the zoo suffering such a major accident that almost cost a life, it naturally couldn't go on.

By now the visitors had surrounded the scene three layers deep inside and out; hearing that this matter was tied to another issue, many rubbernecked and flew into a rage!

The angriest were the parents of the girl who had been in danger.

Fang Qinghui kept stroking her child's back, soothing her daughter; when she lifted her head and met her husband's gaze, she was practically blazing with anger.

They'd been married for years, with just this one daughter whom they valued more than their own eyes; today's accident had already chilled her heart halfway—if Ling Yue hadn't risked herself to save the girl, this family would have fallen apart.

Now hearing there was a reason behind this, she looked at her husband and said: "The child's father."

No need to say more; her husband already understood.

He wasn't particularly capable, but in Jing Shi he also had some connections, enough to get a word or two in.

Watching the wrongdoer being led away by police, head down and spiritless, the visitors clapped in delight—only then did they notice that the hero who had rescued someone from the tiger's mouth, Ling Yue, had already vanished.

Fang Qinghui looked anxiously at the crowd: "Where's the benefactor?"

Her husband: "……"

Just moments ago everyone's attention was on the black‑hearted boss; no one noticed how this had turned out……

By the asphalt road, lush green trees cast cool shadows; Ling Yue hurried home, her eyes widening in astonishment at something to the side.

Just ten minutes ago, she had been bound to the System.

The System spoke in a mechanical tone, telling her that the voice that had just sounded in her mind was the tiger's inner voice; furthermore, she could also hear other animals' voices, for example——

Beside the big tree ahead, a French Bulldog puppy dozed, its chubby body round as a washing‑machine drum, short jaw resting on its paws; seeing her stop, it didn't move, only its round, glass‑like eyes turning toward her: "You're a person—how's that? Never seen such a pretty dog? Too bad I already have an owner; I'm a dog you can never have."

Ling Yue: "……No need to be so confident—I can barely keep a person alive."

The French Bulldog's ears perked up: "You're talking to me?"

Ling Yue nodded.

The air fell silent for three seconds; the French Bulldog let out a grunt, sprang up, its sturdy four legs flinging sideways as it bolted, shouting while running: "Help! I've run into a lunatic!"

Ling Yue watched its fleeing form; according to her will, the System automatically displayed the attribute panel for the French Bulldog:

【Name: French Bulldog】

【Gender: ……male】

【Age: five and a half years】

【Temperament: gentle】

【Skill: guard the home】

【Wish: none】

Ling Yue felt a wave of exasperation; finally grasping the System's purpose—after the initial self‑introduction, it simply offers an on‑demand attribute panel to help her understand animals better.

Except for one skill: if she fulfills an animal's wish, she can gain that animal's skill. Of course, few animals have wishes—the French Bulldog just now wasn't one of them.

"Hahahahaha, the stupid dog finally ran away!"

Ling Yue looked up; a bird's nest was perched on a tree branch, and a black crow stood at the edge of the nest, laughing loudly: "Although I don't know why that stinky dog suddenly ran off today, it saved me a lot of trouble!"

"That damn dog is really terrible, snoring every day under the tree, it's driving the birds crazy!"

"Big sis, you're the best! That dog must have been scared off by your aura!"

Several young crows in the back were vying for favor, cawing nonstop, making people's heads hurt.

A thin, warm breeze blew by, making the weather even hotter.

Ling Yue shook her head, still controlling the fading crow attribute display, and calculated her balance to see if it was enough to unlock a shared bike; suddenly, a voice from the crow elder above her head rang out: "Sisters, hurry up and follow!"

The flapping of wings came with an excited shout: "Caw caw caw! This guy is a big thief—I saw him rob a jewelry store, humans have a bounty of five hundred thousand on him! He also buried a sack of shiny loot by the big willow tree at East Lake, sisters, charge!"

Ling Yue: "A five-hundred-thousand bounty?"

She instinctively looked across; a rag‑picking uncle carrying a trash bag and wearing tattered clothes walked toward her, and when he saw her looking, he squeezed out an embarrassed smile from his wrinkled face.

He looked uneasy and shy.

His appearance and dress were exactly that of a scavenger; if it weren't for the crows, Ling Yue might not have noticed him at all.

She finally recalled the sensational jewelry heist in the eastern part of the city half a month ago; the story had been on Jing Shi news, and online it was all over the place—reportedly the thieves stole jewelry worth tens of millions, the whole city was on lockdown, and the police issued a notice saying the suspects had not yet left Jing Shi.

He was coming over!

Ling Yue's heart skipped a beat; she pulled out her phone and started scrolling through Douyin—you keep to yourself, I'm socially anxious, let's just not talk to each other.

As for what she's thinking, she's a talent!

If she remembered correctly, the jewelry store was just one street away from here, yet he strutted out in broad daylight dressed as a scavenger—not only would she not recognize him, even the police probably wouldn't.

It's just that human plans fall short of heavenly designs.

That big willow tree at East Lake? It's way too close; Ling Yue used to play there all the time as a kid, she made a phone call and turned back on her feet.

In the scorching heat, not a soul could be seen in East Lake Park—it was just too sunny.

Ling Yue wiped her face, noticed a bald‑looking patch of grass beside the tree, felt how unusually soft the soil was, and after only a few digs with her shovel, the tip struck something with a thud.

A half‑buried, dusty sack lay in the soil; Ling Yue pulled it up, opened the mouth, and the gleaming gold inside almost blinded her eyes.

The sack was full of gold and jewels!

Ling Yue didn't have time to marvel when her ears twitched; she heard a distant crow call: "Big sis, someone's digging up treasure here!"

"Hurry up and follow! I want to see the sparkle! The glitter!"

Ling Yue's heart jumped; this flock of crows had been following the thief, and now that they were here the thief would surely appear too—we can't let him catch us.

She didn't know where the strength came from, but she stuffed several dozen pounds of loot into a tote bag in one go, quickly covered the hole, and stomped hard a few times.

As she came out, she bumped right into him; Ling Yue lifted the bag as if it were light and walked past.

In the instant they brushed past, a cold sweat broke out on Ling Yue's back.

Behind the tree.

The jewelry thief toted a withered snakeskin bag; just yesterday he finally found his chance, waiting to take this pile of gold and then soar free, sky‑high and boundless.

A simple smile appeared on the man's honest face as he glanced around—no one was there.

His heart eased; he reached the spot he had marked earlier, suddenly saw a few footprints, stuck his fingers in, and the fresh soil turned up loose, moist and damp—what was underneath?

Holy shit, I've been robbed!

He suddenly recalled bumping into two women just moments ago, and like an angry bull he charged forward!

Ling Yue had already taken off, the heavy bag weighing on her back, the weather hot and dry; as she ran, crows circled overhead, cawing wildly.

"Mom, she's amazing! Only now did that jewelry thief behind notice!"

"He's chasing after her, on the right—hey, little lady, turn left quick!"

Ling Yue immediately turned and ran toward the park gate.

At the same moment, several cars pulled up one after another at the entrance of East Lake Park; a few young men in casual wear stepped out, moving with agility, and subtly one of them took the lead.

Longxiang Jewelry's general manager Zhao Lin came down surrounded by his subordinates, saw the leading man, and smiled: "Captain Lin, what's this?"

The man had handsome features, a lofty aloof air; he rolled up his sleeve to reveal a pale white wrist, his long, clean fingertips like a delicately displayed artwork in a venue—little did anyone know how many criminals he had cleanly snapped the arms of and brought to justice.

His gaze was like a blade drawn from its sheath, his dark eyes flashing a glint: "You also got that call?"

Zhao Lin immediately turned serious: "You too? She told me to meet at the East Lake Park entrance—anyway, there's nothing going on in the shop these days, so I came along."

If he hadn't accidentally bitten his lip while speaking—those few blisters from being hot‑tempered—Lin Shaoze thought the credibility of his words could gain another point or two.

After the Longxiang Jewelry case occurred, it caused extremely bad effects; jewelry worth nearly ten million was stolen, yet the culprit left no trace—undoubtedly a hard slap in the face of the police.

The Longxiang Group offered a five‑hundred‑thousand bounty; the police had the same reward and launched a dragnet search, but because the opponent's methods were seasoned and his actions swift, up to now there have been hardly any clues.

Meanwhile, civilians flocking for that five‑hundred‑thousand bounty were countless; in fact, it only took one sentence—there was no need for Lin Shaoze, captain of the criminal investigation brigade, to come in person, but the female voice on the phone was so certain, as if she had personally seen the thief hide the loot, insisting on the spot.

It was completely different from the guilty‑sounding voices of others.

Lin Shaoze keenly sensed some unusual clues; beforehand he had looked up information on East Lake—a park built over a decade ago, decades old, usually only frequented by nearby elders—but crucially, it was only a ten‑minute walk from the crime scene.

The criminal fled in disgrace; it's impossible he'd keep carrying dozens of pounds of gold and jewels all the time—to evade police attention and escape quickly, he would certainly choose to dispose of the loot as fast as possible.

The man's gaze, sharp as a hawk's, seemed to pierce the iron gate and stretch far into the distance.

They had no idea that a tense chase was unfolding inside the park.

In terms of legwork and speed, Ling Yue actually couldn't outrun the thief, but she had those crows acting as a GPS navigation squad, able to give real‑time alerts, and besides, East Lake Park isn't that big.

She pressed her hand against the gate and finally arrived.

The crows circling overhead cawed loudly: "Wow wow wow, the jewelry thief is chasing after her!"

Ling Yue pursed her lips and smiled lightly: "No problem, the people I'm waiting for have already arrived."

In the sky, the excited crows flapped their wings, hesitated for a beat, then let out a loud caw.

"Are you talking to me?"

"Ahhh, help! She can speak bird language!"

Ling Yue had already pulled open the door; what greeted her was not just the scorching sun, but also a group of people outside. She instantly fixed her gaze on Zhao Lin, the only person she knew among them.

Ling Yue had seen him online before; he was the general manager of the East City Dragon Auspicious Jewelry branch store, although only once. But she had an innate photographic memory.

Ling Yue: "Manager Zhao, I'm the one who reported the case earlier."

"What I'm holding in my hand is the stolen goods; please wait a moment."

She made a motion of listening sideways; her mysterious demeanor made people instinctively hold their breath and focus. Apart from the experienced officers, the man at the forefront, Lin Shaoze, frowned tightly—a strange person.

The next moment, a shrill bird cry rang out; Ling Yue, hiding to the side, suddenly flung the bag in her hand, and what happened next was simply astonishing.

Dozens of pounds of jewelry slammed into the man who rushed out, producing a dull thud that made one's teeth ache.

The man staggered; his brain took a heavy blow. In the dizzying spin, he only had time to make out Ling Yue's appearance, which matched his guess exactly—it was that despicable person!

Ling Yue: "I want to report him; he is the mastermind behind this East City jewelry theft case!"