Crayon Shin-chan: As someone who's traveled through time, all I want is a huge reward!

The little bird flapped its wings, still holding a nut in its mouth, and spoke somewhat indistinctly, its gray feathers trembling as it explained to Lin Yu, "Snakes are the natural enemies of us birds. Last time, I almost got entangled by a green snake. Luckily, I flew fast, or I would have become the snake's snack! I'm still scared when I think about it!"

Lin Yu pointed to the stone wall not far away and said seriously, "Could you help me see how many people are in that cave? Also, is there a child in there? About this tall?"

He took out a picture of Shinnosuke Nohara from the system and showed it to Kotori.

Chapter 251 The Gray Bird's Exploration

"However, he might be wearing different clothes than those in this picture, so he's most likely locked up."

He didn't mention the prince of the Kingdom of Bribri for two reasons: first, he himself wasn't sure if the child inside was the prince of the Kingdom of Bribri; second, it would be useless to talk to the bird, as it probably wouldn't understand.

The little bird tilted its head and thought for a moment, its black eyes darting around as if weighing the pros and cons. Then, it took a nut from Lin Yu's hand, swallowed it, and said:

"Okay! But you have to keep your word and give me a whole bag when you're done! I'll go right now and promise to be right back, I can fly really fast!"

After saying that, it flapped its wings and flew towards the stone wall.

Its grayish feathers are almost invisible in the dark jungle. Even if someone sees it, they would just think it's an ordinary little bird and wouldn't pay any attention to it.

Moreover, it flies very nimbly, able to slip through the gaps in the vines without touching the thorny ones, its movements as agile as a little shadow.

Lin Yu waited in the tree, holding binoculars in his hand, his eyes fixed on the hole, even blinking as slowly as possible, afraid of missing the moment the bird came out.

He felt a mix of anticipation and nervousness; he hoped the bird would bring useful information, but he was also nervous that the situation inside the cave was more complicated than he had imagined.

About five minutes later, the bird finally flew back and landed on his shoulder, with a half-eaten nut in its beak and its wings trembling slightly.

As if she had just run a fast route, her breathing was more rapid than before, her small chest heaving. "There are only eight people inside! It's so easy to check! It's so small inside, I can see everything in one go, there's not even a place to hide!"

"Tell me more specifically, what's the situation inside? Is the child I'm looking for there?"

Lin Yu put away the binoculars and asked softly:

The little bird pecked at his collar, its tone full of disgust, and flapped its wings as if it were brushing off something dirty.

"It stinks in there! There are two people dressed weirdly, their clothes are neither green nor pink, like moldy watermelon rinds, it's disgusting to look at! They are also smoking next to the cave entrance, the smell of their smoke is so awful I almost choked, I quickly flew away!"

It paused, then mimicked the two people smoking, holding a small twig between its wings and bringing it to its mouth.

Its head bobbed up and down, looking quite comical.

Lin Yu couldn't help but smile as he looked at it, and gently touched its soft feathers.

The little bird continued, "There were also four people dressed in white, their faces covered with white cloths, only their eyes showing, playing cards around a bonfire. The sound of the cards was deafening. I just heard them say, 'We need to keep an eye on that kid; we can't do anything without him.'"

Lin Yu felt a chill run down his spine. That child?

Could he really be the prince of the Kingdom of Bribri?

"Where are the other two? Have the children inside been found?" he continued, leaning forward slightly to listen more carefully, even clearly hearing the sound of birds flapping their wings.

"There are two more inside the cave!" the little bird continued, lowering its voice as if afraid of being overheard by the people inside the cave. It also cautiously glanced towards the cave entrance.

"A man dressed in white, without a mask, with a fierce look and high cheekbones, was constantly cleaning a gun. He was cleaning it very carefully, and the gun was still shining. It must be new, without a single rust."

"The other one was particularly fat, his white shirt was almost bursting at the seams, and his belly was round and chubby like a ball!" "He was sitting on a stone chair, cursing and swearing, as if to say, 'They're all useless, they can't even kidnap a child.'"

The little bird swallowed hard and added, "Oh, right, the child you mentioned, I found him! He was locked behind the innermost iron fence, sitting on the ground with his back against the fence. Oh, and there were two doors inside. I pushed them, but they were locked tight. It was pitch black through the cracks, and I couldn't see anything. I don't know what's hidden inside, but there was that snake smell that I hate the most!"

Lin Yu nodded

He took out a whole bag of nuts from the system and handed it to the bird. The bag was unsealed, and the aroma became even stronger. "Thank you for your hard work. Here, take all of these. They'll be enough for you to eat for several days. If it's not enough, I'll get you more next time we meet."

The little bird happily picked up the bag of nuts and patted Lin Yu's cheek with its wing, the feathers tickling him a little.

"Thanks! You're such a nice person! Please let me know if you need any more nuts!"

After saying that, it flapped its wings and flew away, not forgetting to turn back and call out three times, as if confirming a signal for their next meeting. Its figure quickly disappeared into the dense foliage.

Lin Yu jumped down from the tree, bending his knees slightly as he landed to cushion the impact and avoid making too much noise.

He patted the leaves and dirt off his pants, and the leaf fragments fell off and mingled with the other fallen leaves on the ground, not noticeable at all.

He didn't go to the cave entrance immediately because he didn't know the specifics of the two doors inside, and it would be troublesome if they ran away with the child through one of the doors.

Secondly, in the original storyline, when Shin-chan was captured by the White Snake and imprisoned with the prince of the Kingdom of Bribri, the prince told Shin-chan that taking the treasure of the Kingdom of Bribri would be cursed.

Based on the original plot, it's likely that the evil vase among the two wishing vases is cursed. He still remembers how the leader of the White Snake Gang turned into a monster that merged with the White Snake after wishing for the power of the vase. Luckily, Shin-chan's prince from the Kingdom of Bribri sealed him away with two pig-nose stones, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Lin Yu was still thinking that it would be great if he could take both vases away, but he didn't know how.

It wasn't mentioned in detail in the original storyline, so it seems we can only ask the prince of the Kingdom of Bribri.

Lin Yu looked up and saw that it was already getting dark; the sunset here was ridiculously absent.

He decided to go back to the wallpaper room first and come back to check it out tomorrow.

On the way back, Lin Yu deliberately took a longer route, wandering around several places with clean water sources and edible wild fruits.

He also ate a wild fruit, which was red, about the size of a small apple fist, with a smooth skin and quite sweet.

He picked another one and tasted it. The flesh was juicy, with a slightly sweet and sour taste that was very thirst-quenching. It was even fresher than the fruit he bought in the store.

When he passed a stream, he filled his water bottle with some water. The stream was crystal clear, and he could see the pebbles and small fish at the bottom.

He took a sip; it tasted a bit earthy, so he used the purification function from the system to filter it.

The purified water became even more transparent, without any impurities. He tasted it and found it refreshing with a hint of grassy flavor, even better than bottled water. He couldn't help but drink a few more sips, which quenched his thirst and relieved his fatigue.

Back in front of the tree trunk where the wallpaper room was located, Lin Yu could hear noises coming from inside from afar.

Shin-chan's laughter was crisp and clear, mixed with Hiroshi's somewhat helpless and annoyed voice, and Misae's occasional nagging, making it quite lively.

He gently opened the door, and Xiao Xin rushed out holding a game controller, almost bumping into him. Luckily, Lin Yu reacted quickly and reached out to support him.

"Ayu! You're back! I made it through level three by myself! Dad's still struggling with the turtle in level two, and he even lost Mario's hat. Now Mario's running around with a shaved head, it's so funny!"

Shin-chan tilted his head back, his eyes sparkling, the game controller in his hand still trembling slightly, the screen still showing the scene of completing the level.

Lin Yu followed him into the house, where the temperature was just right, warm and cozy, making people feel very comfortable.

Misae was heating chicken soup in the kitchen. The pot was bubbling away, and the aroma of chicken filled the entire room, making everyone hungry just by smelling it.

Hiroshi sat on the sofa, holding a game controller in his hand. On the screen, Mario was running forward with his head shaved, while a green turtle slowly crawled in front of him.

He stared intently at the screen and pressed down hard with his finger, but Mario still crashed headfirst into the turtle, and the words "Game Over" instantly appeared on the screen in red.

Hiroshi slapped his thigh in frustration, making the sofa shake. "Ugh! I died again! Why does this turtle always work against me! Lin Yu, come help me! I refuse to believe I can't get through this! Today I'm going to show Shin-chan that I'm no pushover!"

"Lin Yu's back? Come on, have a seat and some juice to tide you over. It's still a little chilly from the fridge." Mei Ya poked her head out from the kitchen, holding a soup spoon with some chicken scraps on the rim and a smile on her face.

Lin Yu sat on the sofa, took the juice that Misae handed him, and took a sip. The rich orange flavor spread in his mouth. He had specially opened the treasure chest last time and knew that Shin-chan liked it, so he specially put some extra in the refrigerator.

He didn't mention the child or the treasure in the cave, only saying that he "saw some cute little animals on the way" to avoid worrying the Nohara family.

Xiaoxin shoved the game controller into his hand; the controller was still damp with sweat from his palm.

"Yu! Can you help me pass level four? There's a flying turtle in level four, and I've been hit by it five times already. I'm so close to passing each time! Dad is so bad at games. He can't even get the mushroom in level one. He said he was a gaming pro when he was a kid. I think he's just bragging!"

"Drink some chicken soup before you play, otherwise you'll get hungry halfway through and become distracted, making it easier to lose." Lin Yu smiled as he took the controller and placed it aside.

Hiroshi retorted, raising his voice slightly, "I was really good at Contra when I was a kid! I beat it multiple times! I even helped the neighbor's kid fight the boss! I'm just not that good at Super Mario, the controls are different, how is that bad!"

"Dad's terrible! Last time we played Contra, I was the one who helped you beat that giant robot at the end! You just hid in the back and were too scared to come out!"

Shin-chan pouted, showing no respect for Hiroshi, and gestured as if to say "Dad is hiding behind me," which made Misae laugh along with him.

Misae brought out a large bowl of chicken soup, placed it on the coffee table, and glared at the two of them. "Stop arguing! The soup is ready, drink it quickly, it won't taste good if it gets cold."

"Lin Yu, drink more soup. It's very delicious. You must be exhausted from being out here."

Looking at the chaotic scene before him, Lin Yu couldn't help but smile.

After dinner, Xiaoxin clung to Lin Yu like a little rice cake, hugging his arm and shaking it repeatedly.

Holding up the game console controller, he said, "Brother Yu! Play Super Mario with me! I'll be Mario, and you'll be Luigi, and we'll go fight Bowser!"

Lin Yu couldn't persuade him otherwise. As soon as he sat down, Xiao Xin hurriedly selected a level—the first level of the Mushroom Kingdom. He insisted on controlling the jump button himself, but after taking only two steps, he "plop" fell into a pit, yet he stubbornly patted the controller.

"The pit was too slippery! It's not that I didn't jump properly!" Lin Yu suppressed a laugh as he helped him restart the machine, and even taught him how to adjust the grip. When he saw the giant mushroom appear on the screen...

Shin-chan even stood on tiptoe and screamed, "Eat! Eat! When you grow bigger, you can step on turtles!" The two of them chatted back and forth, and finally made it to the level with the man-eating plant.

Misae's voice came from the bathroom, "Shin-chan! Time for a bath!"

Shin-chan immediately looked dejected, clinging to the controller and refusing to let go, even trying to bargain, "Just one more minute! Just one minute! We'll get the star soon!"

Until Misae came over with a towel, pretending to take away his controller and saying, "If you dawdle any longer, you won't get any good food tomorrow!"

He reluctantly let go, glancing back at the screen every few steps, as Misae half-dragged and half-pulled him toward the bathroom.

Just as Lin Yu put down the controller, Hiroshi Nohara came over, rubbing his hands together and handing over his controller.

"Lin Yu, can you help me with this second level? I've been stuck for half an hour!"

Hiroshi was stuck at a level with three green turtles in a line. Every time he tried to jump over them, the turtles knocked his items away, making him so frustrated that his hair got all messed up.

"This turtle is even more troublesome than my boss! I can't get away from it no matter what I do!"

Lin Yu smiled as he took the controller, his eyes fixed on the screen. He waited for the first turtle to crawl past, and then, taking advantage of the second turtle's turn, he precisely pressed the jump button. As soon as his feet landed, he quickly ate the fireball flower next to him, and then used a fireball to clear out the remaining turtles, also getting the golden star for clearing the level.

Hiroshi's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh, laughing like a fool. "Lin Yu, you're amazing! This turtle finally stopped going against me!" Just then, Shin-chan was being dragged by Misae as they passed by.

Hiroshi proudly raised his chin, "Shin-chan, look! Dad... oh no, Lin Yu helped Dad get through this difficult time!"

As a result, Xiaoxin pouted and swung his little arms, saying, "It's Brother Yu who's better, not Dad! Dad almost crushed the controller just now, and I could hear him shouting 'What's wrong with this turtle?' from my room!"