Live Cat Appraisal: Starting with a Beast That's Got a Long Prison Record

Chapter 117 The Mystery of Snow Shadows!

As the tattered animal trap appeared, the air in the corner instantly froze.

Chen Nian's face immediately darkened.

He stretched out his slightly cool fingers and gently brushed over the dark red and black stains remaining on the broken serrations. The roughness and coldness from his fingertips seemed to make him hear the unspoken cries of agony.

Chen Nian already had a guess about the origin of this thing.

If it were a local, they would definitely recognize the Gesang tree, and the infinitesimal quantity wouldn't have sought them out so earnestly.

Therefore, the answer is obvious:
Poachers!
"There really are poachers around here!" Chen Nian's voice was low, filled with suppressed anger: "Brother Gesang, where did you find them?"

Gesang spoke in a hoarse voice:
"About two kilometers from the camp, next to a snow hare burrow, it was half-buried in the snow."

Infinite Quantity also looked grave: "When we set up camp yesterday, Brother Gesang noticed signs of recent human activity here."

"We also found the rivets that are unique to animal traps."

"This ruled out the possibility of it being a local resident or an ordinary hiker, so today we expanded our search area and found this."

He pointed to the menacing iron weapon.

"It will probably happen within the next two months."

"Two months?"

Chen Nian frowned, her thoughts racing, and in a flash, she thought of two adorable little ones, blurting out:

"Could it be related to Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu?!"

Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu were born in these two months.

Moreover, the closest place to here is Xinlong County, making it hard not to connect the two.

"Probably!"

Infinite Quantity nodded: "So we told you about this so that you could talk to Lin Qidong. If there is a connection between the two, it might provide them with a good direction for their investigation."

Everyone present was someone who deeply hated poachers.

It would be best if these poachers could be caught as soon as possible.

"Okay! I'll tell you now!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Nian immediately took out her phone and dialed Lin Qidong's number.

The phone rang for two seconds before being answered.

"Old Chen?" Lin Qidong's hoarse voice, heavy with sleep, rang out.

"Old Lin, it's urgent!"

Chen Nian spoke rapidly, clearly and logically recounting the location and time of the discovery of the animal trap, as well as Gesang's and Infinitesimal's speculations.

Gesang and Infinite Quantity stood by, holding their breath and adding crucial details as needed.

"Therefore, we strongly suspect that this was left by a group of poachers active near the snow line!"

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds.

Then came the sounds of clothes rubbing together and bare feet stomping on the ground.

"wait!"

Lin Qidong's voice rose, his sleepiness long gone.

He rolled out of bed and walked to the desk with a serious expression.

A map of Xinlong County was spread out on the desk, with various areas marked on it in pen.

Lin Qidong quickly located the positions of Chen Nian and the others.

A snow line located at the junction of snow-capped mountains.

Due to the harsh environment and difficult route, this snow line was not within their usual search area.

He picked up a pen and quickly began to search along the snow line, muttering to himself:

"If they camped there, their only way out is to continue west along this route, traversing the treacherous Yalong River Gorge, which is the only way they can eventually reach it."

Snapped!
The next second, the pen tip was slammed into a point on the map.

Baiyu County!

Lin Qidong excitedly grabbed his phone:

"Old Chen! We found them! Their only route is Baiyu County! This perfectly matches the location pointed to by the gene fragments we extracted from Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu!"

"I knew it! These slippery mudskippers were impossible to catch by the tail. Turns out they dare to walk on this deadly snow line!"

"Let's see where you run this time!" Lin Qidong became more and more excited as he spoke, and Chen Nian and the other two exchanged glances.

Chen Nian interrupted, "Old Lin! I know you're excited, but don't get excited yet!"

"What's the situation with Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu's genes? Have you found a clue?"

"Hoo," Lin Qidong took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement as he explained, "It's like this, a couple of days ago my colleague extracted a fragment from Xiao Wu Xiao Liu's genes, and this fragment perfectly matches the gene database of a desert cat named 'Mei Mei' that we rescued last year."

"It can now be confirmed that Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu are Mei Mei's descendants!"

He spoke very quickly:
"At that time, we released Meimei in Baiyu County."

"We were wondering how they managed to evade our surveillance, but we never expected you to find them by accident!"

Lin Qidong stayed up until morning yesterday because of this matter.

But at this moment, he felt no sleepiness whatsoever.

“These people must have evaded our surveillance from your line, then arrived in Baiyu County, where they captured Meimei, forced her to mate with the cat and gave birth to Xiaowu and Xiaoliu, and finally abandoned them in that guesthouse.”

As the clues connect one by one.

Chen Nian and others' discovery filled the most crucial gap in this chain!
The truth, becoming increasingly clear, is unfolding before everyone.

Lin Qidong's voice trembled again with excitement: "As long as we dig along this line, I believe we will be able to catch them by the tail soon and then wipe them out in one fell swoop!"

"Old Chen! I have to get going! I need to head to Baiyu County immediately to set up surveillance and save time! I don't want this hard-won lead to expire!"

Just before hanging up, Chen Nian heard Lin Qidong's solemn words of thanks:

"Old Chen! On behalf of everyone who protects this mountain forest, thank you!"

Chen Nian chuckled and shook her head: "For every person who tries to sabotage, there is someone who will protect."

“I don’t want to have to point to a picture and tell my future children, ‘Look, this cat is called a desert cat, and it’s extinct.’”

"Protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility!"

"Well said! Just wait for my good news!" Lin Qidong nodded emphatically, then hung up the phone.

The heavy air in the corner of the rock seemed to begin to flow again as the phone call ended.

Chen Nian put down her phone and exchanged a glance with Gesang and Wuqiong Xiaoliang.

The three of them then laughed together.

"I didn't expect that!" Wuqiong Xiaoliang chuckled and patted Chen Nian on the shoulder. "Our trip to the snow line not only yielded some material, but we also helped Lao Lin and his team find a crucial clue. Judging by his enthusiasm, solving the case is just around the corner!"

"Yes!"

A smile also broke out on Gesang's dark face.

He gazed at the distant snow-capped mountains, his eyes firm yet gentle: "Those mountain spirits should not become victims of human greed!"

"Alright, let's leave the poacher situation to Lao Lin and the others. They're the professionals. We should continue with our mission."

Infinite Quantity patted Chen Nian on the shoulder.

This indicated that he could go back.

Jingle Bell--

Just then, Chen Nian's phone suddenly rang.

It is Lin Qidong.

After answering, the other party only said one sentence before hurriedly hanging up.

"Oh, right, Lao Chen! I almost forgot! A colleague of mine who studies snow leopards mentioned that a few months ago, some herders spotted a snow leopard near your snow line! It's just a rumor, but it's probably true, so you can keep an eye out! Good luck! Hmm... I guess I'm hoping the cat god will smile upon you! Bye!"

snow leopard?!
Chen Nian's eyes suddenly lit up!
An indescribable longing instantly swept over his heart.

At the same time, the sound of the mission being activated rang out.

-

Limited-Time Mission: Snow Shadow Mystery
Content: Locate and photograph a snow leopard.

Time limit: 10 days.

Reward: Cat's White Bell (When rung, it emits a soothing sound wave inaudible to humans, extremely effective on felines)

-

Chen Nian shouted excitedly in her heart: 'Call! Xiaomi, call me now! I must find that snow leopard!'

(Isn't he handsome? Isn't he handsome? Isn't he handsome!)
(End of this chapter)