I raise furry animals and fly them to my motherland.

Chapter 322 I'm here to arrest them.

What's most remarkable is the female crane's gaze—gentle yet wary, occasionally lowering her head to preen her partner's feathers with her beak.

And look at those three little chicks, they're absolutely adorable! Their fluffy gray down makes them look like three chubby little ducks, waddling as they walk. One of the little ones tried to jump to the edge of the food bowl, but "plop!" it fell flat on its bottom, knocking the other two down with it, and the three fluffy balls rolled together in a ball.

"Don't let their clumsy appearance fool you, they'll be able to fly in three months," Su Xiao said with a smile. "When they're about six months old, they'll gradually shed their gray feathers and grow white feathers like their parents, then they'll be elegant little cranes!"

Xu Ying made a shushing gesture: "Shh, don't call them stupid to their faces, they can understand~"

Su Xiao immediately fell silent, glancing guiltily at the Baihe family.

Upon seeing Xu Ying, the female crane lowered her long neck and gave her a solemn bow. She gently shook her snow-white feathers and said in a tender voice, "[Station Chief Xu, thank you so much.]"

[If it weren't for you, the white crane's father might be...]
Its voice was choked with emotion, "[You gave it a second life.]"
Xu Ying knelt down and gently stroked the feathers of the male crane on the hospital bed, her eyes slightly red: "It's my fault for not protecting you."

In spring, the white cranes returned to the north, but little did they know they would spend their entire lives here.

This adult male crane is no longer able to travel long distances. It will take about a month before it can walk on the ground and begin to adapt to its prosthetic limbs. It will take another six months to get used to them.

Fortunately, white cranes have a relatively long lifespan among animals, averaging over thirty years, and can live forty to fifty years in captivity. This adult male crane still has most of its life left to begin a second life.

Her fingers gently touched the bandage on the male crane's leg, her voice filled with self-reproach.

The male crane on the hospital bed struggled to lift its head and gently touched Xu Ying's hand with its beak: [This isn't your fault, Station Chief Xu.]
Its gaze was firm yet gentle; [Those bad people were truly despicable.]
The three little cranes hopped and skipped over, chirping, "[Daddy will get better!]"
[Station Chief Xu is the best!]
We'll be together forever!
Xu Ying took a deep breath, wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and solemnly said to Xiong He, "I promise you, I will definitely find out who is behind this harm!"

Her gaze swept over each of the white cranes in the ward, "We will also protect your families."

The female crane lowered her head again, her snow-white feathers shimmering in the sunlight: [We believe in you.]
The three little cranes, imitating their mother, awkwardly bent their fluffy little heads. The male crane on the sickbed let out a clear cry: [Thank you.]
Xu Ying gently stroked the white crane's feathers on the hospital bed, her voice very soft: "Do you remember what the person who launched the drone looked like?"

A flicker of fear crossed the white crane's eyes. It trembled slightly as it recalled: "After that horrible machine severed my leg, I was in so much pain I almost fainted. But in my dazed state, I saw a young man approaching."
It paused, [his heavy boots crunching on the sand. He crouched down to check my injuries, and finding them too severe, he hurriedly fled with the drone.]
[I remember it very clearly]
The white crane suddenly raised its head. [A round, green stone hung around its neck, swaying as it bent over, particularly conspicuous in the sunlight.]
"A green, round stone?" Xu Ying's eyes lit up, and she immediately took out her phone to search for pictures. "Is this what it looks like?" She clicked on a picture of a jade safety buckle.

The white crane excitedly flapped its wings: [Yes, yes, yes! That's it!]
[And] it tilted its head and continued to recall, [that he wore something sparkling on his left ear, more dazzling than a dewdrop.]
"Is this it?" Xu Ying pulled out a picture of the diamond earrings again.

The white crane nodded repeatedly: [Exactly the same!]
Xu Ying quickly jotted down key information: "He's about 175cm tall, half a head taller than the reeds. Short hair." She thoughtfully chewed on her pen cap, "Looks like a young person who pays attention to their appearance."

Closing the notebook, Xu Ying gently patted Bai He's head: "The clues you provided are very important. Take good care of your injuries, and I will definitely find this person."

As she left the ward, her eyes hardened. With these characteristics—a jade safety buckle, diamond earrings, and a short-haired man around 175cm tall—the search pool had been significantly narrowed.

Now, it's time to begin the "hunt." After lunch.

As the sun shone brightly, Chen Su's police car drove across the desert highway, kicking up a cloud of fine dust.

Xu Ying sat in the back row, holding a carrier full of gerbils. Ten furry little heads were crowding around the ventilation holes, looking around curiously.

Qi Xiao rested one hand on the car window, his sharp eyes scanning every suspicious trace along the way.

“This time we need to do a thorough search,” Xu Ying said, gently stroking the head of the gerbil. “We need to find more witnesses.”

Amidst the sound of wheels rolling over gravel, she looked out the window—the wetlands were already faintly visible in the mist.

As soon as the car came to a stop, the gerbil special forces eagerly scrambled out of their cages. Like well-trained scouts, they instantly dispersed into the reeds.

Xu Ying squatted down and lightly tapped the ground with her fingertips: "Remember, focus on finding small animals that have witnessed the drone."

Half an hour later, the gerbil leader hurriedly returned with the intelligence.

Water droplets still clung to its whiskers. [Station Master Xu, I've found out!]
It gestured excitedly, "[My distant relative saw the man wearing the jade pendant with his own eyes. When he realized he'd caused trouble, he turned pale with fright and scrambled to get on a red motorcycle and sped away!]"
Xu Ying frowned: "He took the drone? Without leaving any evidence?"

The gerbil leader shook his head. "[My cousin said he stuffed all the drone wreckage into his backpack, not even leaving out a single propeller.]"
Xu Ying translated the words of the grizzly leader to Qi Xiao and Chen Su.

Chen Su said coldly, "What model is that drone?"

Qi Xiao's eyes sharpened: "A German-made octocopter drone, with a camera gimbal." His deep voice carried suppressed anger.

“These types of imported equipment all need to be registered and filed.” Chen Su frowned slightly, his long eyelashes casting a shadow under his eyes. “The suspect wouldn’t dare to discard the evidence nearby; he’ll likely take it back to his residence to handle it.”

Xu Ying pursed her lips, a hint of urgency flashing in her eyes: "Then let's ask around along the way in the southeast direction."

The police car slowly made its way along the desert highway, asking questions from noon until dusk.

Xu Ying suddenly straightened up, her amber eyes reflecting the distant lights: "We're getting closer and closer to the desert resort."

(End of this chapter)