Beast Taming: Starting from Transmigration and Starting with a Cheat Code

This misunderstanding... seems a bit big, but it seems... by sheer luck, it provides him with an excuse to intervene and explain the subsequent underwater activities?

Qin Ming paused for two seconds, then, under Officer Mu's increasingly anxious gaze and the team leader's existential doubt, slowly spoke, his tone carrying a perfect balance of reminiscence and uncertainty:

"Features... well, it's a grass turtle. It's melanistic, with a pure black carapace, very beautiful."

He secretly transmitted his voice to the chubby little guy underwater: "I've arranged a new skin for you—a black turtle, the size of a palm. Remember to change back to your original skin later."

"Hmm?" Although Little Fatty was puzzled, he had become somewhat addicted to acting today and was now accepting the role well. He was also increasingly aware of the usefulness of the multiplication and mimicry skills and secretly resolved to practice them diligently.

Qin Ming considered that he had saved Officer Mu's face and ensured the future developments, and had also reconciled his statements with Little Fatty. He was quite satisfied, so he didn't mind the increasingly disdainful look the frogman leader was giving him.

Officer Mu, however, tried to smooth things over: "It was Consultant Qin's carelessness... uh, he wasn't watching him closely enough when he was walking him, and that's how he ended up in the river. Even though he's a pet turtle, we've grown attached to him, like family, so please keep a close eye on him, brothers."

The team leader looked at Qin Ming's calm yet bewildered face, and then at Officer Mu, who seemed even more anxious. He rubbed his temples, feeling that today's mission was truly fraught with strangeness.

"...Alright then." The team leader finally relented. "Once the main areas are surveyed, if time permits, we can have the team members keep an eye out for them as well."

"However, case investigation is the absolute priority, and there is no guarantee that it will be found!"

He specifically emphasized "by the way" and "no guarantee".

"Of course, of course! Thank you so much!" Officer Mu quickly replied, as if he had solved a major problem.

Qin Ming nodded to the team leader at the right time and said politely, "Thank you all for your help. There's no need to go to any special trouble. Just let things take their course."

But in his heart he was thinking, "Little Fatty will come knocking on my door again soon, I guarantee you're destined for him."

Just as he thought of Little Fatty, Little Fatty's voice, filled with a wronged and complaining tone, came through: "Boss! They took the stuff and left, how heartless of them!"

"The tortoise worked so hard to lead the way, but they couldn't keep up after following half of it; it was simply impossible to lead them!"

"Huh?" Qin Ming was taken aback.

"The turtle originally wanted to take them to the mudflats a little further downstream from where the box was yesterday, maybe there would still be some goods there!"

They swam for a short while before getting out of breath and couldn't keep up with the tortoise! ​​The tortoise had to deliberately slow down and wait for them, but they still gave up! Sigh!

Xiao Pang's description was so vivid that Qin Ming could even picture him wagging his tail underwater, looking utterly disappointed.

Qin Ming tried hard to control his facial muscles, reminding himself that he was in the persona of "losing his beloved pet and feeling down," and that he absolutely could not laugh out loud in such a serious situation.

"Actually... if we go halfway as you said, swimming 400 meters at high speed in just a few minutes is a huge strain for a normal human diver," Qin Ming said honestly, suppressing a laugh.

Little Fatty grumbled smugly, "Actually, it's more than four hundred meters! The tortoise even went in two big circles to make it look natural!"

Qin Ming now understood why the frogman team members who had chased the "giant turtle" were all flushed and panting heavily after coming ashore, and needed to rest and replenish their fluids.

He quickly took another deep breath, suppressing the wildly upturned corners of his mouth.

Calm down! You must calm down!

He took two deep breaths to calm his expression, then took a few steps closer, turning his attention to the pile of debris that was being preliminarily cleaned and inspected by the technicians, his face showing the kind of amazement one would expect from a "spectator."

Actually, everyone is quite curious. What kind of things can a turtle bring up here?

Several pieces of rusted iron, half a heavy earthenware pot, a section of an old bicycle tire, a worn-out shoe sole covered in weeds...

There was also a brass pocket watch that was carefully removed and placed on a waterproof cloth.

It wasn't noticeable in the blurry underwater footage, but once ashore and after a simple rinse with the river, the delicate yet worn engravings on the watch case, the cracks in the glass, and the dark red rust marks in the tiny crevices were all clearly visible.

Anyone with a discerning eye can tell that this thing is quite old; it certainly didn't fall down in the last few years.

Technicians carefully opened the watch case. The internal movement was rusted, but the remaining hands and the blurred dial design faintly revealed the atmosphere of an old era.

"It looks... like an old item, maybe it fell into the river by accident, or... was it washed down from upstream?"

The frogman's deputy leader stroked his chin and analyzed, "These iron pieces and pottery jars, too, the degree of rust and the attached substances don't look new."

Qin Ming nodded secretly. It was indeed just dug from the depths of the water, because the shallow waters had all been given to the fishermen, and the more distant waters were not within the range of turtles and tortoises.

The group gathered around "The Turtle's Gift" to examine and discuss it. While the pocket watch might have some collectible or research value, the other items were basically junk and had no connection to the criminal case they were currently investigating.

Although this is normal, the atmosphere at the scene has gradually returned to calm.

Only Qin Ming, looking at the salvaged items, glancing at the pocket watch, the jar, the tire ring... his lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

These things... are so round!

Is this Little Fatty's "aesthetic sense"? He just grabs whatever's round? No wonder he swam so energetically earlier.

breathe--!

Qin Ming tried to control his expression again, telling himself not to take a turtle's aesthetic sense and collecting obsession too seriously, even if the details of his subconscious actions were the most authentic.

However, this subtle change in his expression was noticed by Officer Mu, who had been keeping a close eye on him.

Officer Mu leaned over and comforted him, "Advisor Qin, don't worry! The frogman team is very professional, and things have progressed so smoothly today. They'll definitely have time to help you find it eventually! Just relax."

With a stiff expression, Qin Ming forced out a reply from his throat, "Mm."

Officer Mu patted Qin Ming on the shoulder understandingly, and was about to say a few more words when a gasp came from behind—

"Report! Signal abnormality from underwater fixed camera #3! The location data is moving! It...it seems to be being dragged away by something!"

This instantly attracted everyone's attention.

The technician in charge of monitoring stared wide-eyed at the coordinates of camera number 3 on the screen, which was moving at a slow but steady pace.

"What?!" The frogman leader rushed to the screen, his expression changing drastically.

"How is that possible? That's professionally reinforced and waterproof equipment, with a counterweight on the base, disguised as riverbed rocks. Unless tools are used, otherwise..."

His words came to an abrupt halt as a frogman's helmet camera, which had immediately gone to investigate, happened to scan the spot where camera number 3 should have been.

The place is now empty, with only a little bit of churned silt remaining.

The image transmitted by camera number 3 was generally dark, with only a faint, deep, heavy, dark outline with unique scale-like patterns at the edge, and a short, thick tail flashing by.

The fleeting glimpse of the scale patterns made Qin Ming, who happened to be watching the screen, twitch at the corner of his eye, and at the same time, a familiar but ominous premonition rose in his heart.

He immediately sent a telepathic message, "Little Fatty, what are you doing?"

At the bottom of the water, the chubby little creature, its two front paws "supporting" a large, black, angular object covered in mud and seaweed, while its hind paws paddled vigorously and its tail aided in balance, responded joyfully to the spirit master's message:

"Picking up trash, boss!"

Qin Ming's lips twitched: ...

"It's quite heavy, you know. Most turtles and tortoises definitely couldn't move it. And since you wouldn't let the crocodile brother come over, it wouldn't be right to leave it alone. So we just let the turtle take it along the way! Isn't that great?"

Qin Ming felt the blood vessels in his temples throbbing. "...That's a specially designed underwater camera for humans!"

"Hmm?" Little Fatty paused for a moment, but then became indignant again. "But it was thrown into the water! Isn't that just trash? The turtles are busy cleaning the river!"

Qin Ming was speechless for a moment, took a deep breath, and then slowly exhaled.

At this moment, the shore was already in a state of slight chaos and noise due to the "missing camera" incident.

Underwater equipment is always expensive, and its damage or loss, regardless of the reason, is always worrying.

Qin Ming sighed, "Little Fatty, be careful, and then take the 'trash' you're carrying and head to the vicinity where you found the things yesterday."

"Okay, sure!"