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

Chapter 220 Finish this job and then stop.
Like Dragon Town.

It is located on the edge of the county.

It's not a tourist attraction; it's just an ordinary town where travelers occasionally stop to rest and replenish their supplies.

But although the sparrow is small, it has all the internal organs.

There are still many farmhouses in the town that provide food and lodging, and the town is fully equipped with basic infrastructure such as supermarkets and clinics.

The architecture blends local ethnic characteristics with modern functionality, creating a unique and rustic charm.

It happened to be the local monthly market day.

The town, which used to be quiet, has become bustling with people.

When Chen Nian and her group arrived, the market was already packed with people.

Most local residents were dressed in brightly colored traditional clothing, negotiating prices loudly in fluent Tibetan, creating a strong sense of local life and bustling atmosphere.

Temporary stalls were set up on both sides of the street.

They sell all kinds of ethnic handicrafts, mountain products, yak meat, ghee, tsampa, etc., attracting the curious eyes and purchasing desires of many passing tourists.

See this scene.

Chen Nian and her fellow law enforcement officers first frowned slightly, then relaxed.

Such a large-scale market, covering almost all the shops along the street, undoubtedly greatly increased the difficulty of searching for the target's hiding place.

But on second thought, this large crowd also perfectly concealed their actions, making it easier for them to conduct undercover reconnaissance and less likely to arouse the suspicion of the suspects.

I can only say there are pros and cons.

The operation leader quickly gathered the team members aside and whispered instructions:

"Everyone broke up into smaller groups and disguised themselves as tourists or shoppers to sneak in."

"Pay special attention to two aspects: First, any unusual smells, similar to animal musk or the distinctive odor of animals raised for a long time. We had you smell these before we set off."

"Second, observe people with abnormal behavior, such as those who repeatedly check vehicles, appear nervous, frequently enter and exit non-business areas, or purchase large quantities of animal feed but do not seem to be herders."

"The suspect may have already discovered that the Indian civet is missing, and may be preparing to move other animals or destroy evidence. Keep your eyes peeled!"

"Remember, if you spot a suspicious target, confirm their identity first. Do not act rashly to avoid misidentifying them and alerting the enemy! Always keep communication channels open!"

"Yes!"

"Understood!" the team members replied in hushed tones.

They then naturally dispersed, disappearing into the crowd in twos and threes.

The person in charge then looked at Chen Nian.

"Teacher Chen, should we arrange for someone to come with you?"

"No need. I'm more like a tourist when I'm alone, so I'm less of a target. We can keep in touch via walkie-talkie if anything happens."

Chen Nian declined the person in charge's offer.

Then he put on his hood and blended into the bustling crowd.

The person in charge had great trust in Chen Nian's abilities.

So he didn't say much. After watching Chen Nian's figure disappear, he returned to the command vehicle and began to deploy another task—

Hidden checkpoints were set up at several entrances and exits of the town.

The focus is on inspecting vehicles attempting to transport live animals or large enclosed containers away.

Search the town, and guard the area outside the town.

Chen Nian appeared to be wandering aimlessly in the crowd, but in reality, she had already quietly activated [Best's Ear].

Although the Indian civet is not a cat in the strict sense.

But the Cat God's Ears still greatly enhanced his hearing.

Chen Nian spent some effort filtering out the clamor of voices, haggling, and car horns, trying to tune her hearing to the more subtle animal sounds.

Soon, the voice in my ear subsided.

Chen Nian was able to multitask like this.

While trying to detect anything unusual in the sounds, I strolled around like a real tourist.

Xiaomi perched on Chen Nian's head, curiously looking around.

Chen Nian smiled.

"Speaking of which, is this your first time going to a market, Xiaomi? How was it? Was it lively?"

'Yes, meow~'

It jumped onto Chen Nian's shoulder and settled down.

A furry little paw gently patted his cheek, like a soft cloud brushing against him.

'Over there, over there, smells so good, meow~'

Chen Nian perked up, thinking that Xiaomi had discovered the target's scent so quickly, and hurriedly turned her head to look in the direction its little paw was pointing.

What we found was a stall selling dried yak meat that was extremely popular.

"."

Chen Nian took a sniff, and it did indeed smell very good!

I can smell the fragrance even from this far away.

Seeing this, Chen Nian also went over, intending to buy some to take back.

After all, we have come.

Moreover, carrying the goods makes him look more like a tourist.

It's fair to say that Chen Nian is a natural-born actress. 'By the way, Xiaomi, can you eat now?'

'I can always eat, meow~ It's just that I'm not as greedy as other cats.'

'Hmm, looks like this dried yak meat is to your liking.'

Chen Nian wanted to buy some more to take home.

Food that Xiaomi approves of is definitely good.

With her agile skills, Chen Nian skillfully weaved through the crowd and quickly squeezed to the front of the stall.

"Boss, how much is this dried yak?"

at the same time.

In a corner of the market, in a small shop called "Rulong Convenience Supermarket", the dark-skinned owner, Dorje, leaned against the counter with a gloomy expression, looking restless.

"Damn it! How did I get out of there?!"

To ensure the long-term stability of his 'business', he went into hiding many years ago and deliberately chose this small town, which is far from the traditional habitat of civets but not too remote.

Then I took over this struggling little supermarket.

This perfectly concealed his true profession.

This is a classic case of 'blind spots under the lamp'!
Who would have thought that someone would dare to engage in such a shady business of privately raising a nationally protected animal to extract incense, right under the nose of the nature reserve management bureau?

Find wealth in danger!
Everything went smoothly for the past few years.

Dorje, through his boldness and meticulousness, earned in just a few years the wealth he could never have made in a lifetime of herding!
I had planned to squeeze every last drop of profit from this last batch of 'goods' before retiring from the business.

I took my elderly mother to Chengdu to enjoy life.

To my surprise, when I went to the basement this morning, I found that one of the large Indian civets had dug through a loose brick in the corner of its cage and escaped!
He searched all the possible hiding places nearby but found nothing.

This immediately threw Dorje into a panic.

If it runs away and gets eaten by wild animals, that's fine; no one will know.

But he was worried that someone else would catch or see him!
"I hope I'm not unlucky enough to get caught so quickly."

The supermarket owner didn't think about fleeing immediately.

Closing the store and running away now would only arouse suspicion.

Moreover, with the final batch of goods about to be traded and the huge sum of money about to be received, he was about to be able to 'retire' in glory. How could he just leave like that!

I have to at least finish this last job!

The most important reason was that the supermarket owner thought it was impossible for the large civet cat that had run away to be discovered so quickly.

"That little thing is so cunning, even if it runs away, it will only run to places with fewer people."

"And if it's just seen by someone, it will take at least several months for the forestry bureau and the police to track it down and determine that it's privately kept!"

"I probably would have left by now!"

The supermarket owner's speculation is not wrong.

The fleeing giant civet cat had been completely exhausted by him, and its physical strength was already at its limit to escape from here. There was a high probability that it would encounter wild beasts and be eaten.

There is a small chance that tourists will witness it.

However, if you're not a professional, even if you see a large Indian civet, you'll just think it's some kind of weasel and won't pay any attention to it.

That's why he chose this place.

No one would ever associate it with the large Indian civet, a national first-class protected animal.

Even if someone happens to recognize it, who would bother to investigate why a large civet cat would be here?
"Yes, we mustn't lose our composure!"

"It's just one that escaped; it's not that unlucky—it won't be discovered quickly."

Dorjee tried to comfort himself.

Then he forcibly suppressed the panic in his heart.

"Damn it, I'm getting hungry from thinking about it for so long."

He sniffed himself to make sure he wasn't tainted by the basement's peculiar smell, then decided to go to the familiar stall next door to buy some dried yak meat, as usual.

The gloom on Dorje's face vanished the moment he stepped out of the shop.

He has regained his former honest and simple demeanor.

The bustling crowd did not alert Dorje to anything unusual.

"Excuse me, excuse me, thank you!"

He easily squeezed into the crowd, speaking Mandarin with an accent.

Just then, I saw a young man wearing a hoodie haggling with the stall owner: "Boss, your jerky is too expensive, twice as expensive as the one I bought before, can you make it cheaper?"

Dorjee walked up behind the young man and took a look.

Then, laughing, he chimed in, sounding like a warm-hearted local: "Hey friend, this dried meat is a local specialty. It's made with high-quality yak meat, and the drying process is authentic. It's worth the price! It's delicious!"

After saying that, he looked at the stall owner and said, "Boss, can you give people a discount too?"

"It's not easy for young people to go out and have fun. If you give them a discount, they'll buy more, and it'll be easier for you to do business, right?"

The stall owner seemed to know Dorje well, and nodded with a smile: "Alright, alright, I'll give you a discount for Dorje's sake."

The young man immediately laughed: "Thank you, boss, and thank you, sir."

He turned his head, about to thank Dorje for helping him negotiate the price, but the smile on his face froze the moment he saw the other person clearly.

"Chen Nian, this person smells so good!"

(I told you cats are fluid creatures, they can sleep anywhere, but you didn't believe me! ╭(╯^╰)╮)
(End of this chapter)