I started by watching videos, and I chose 10,000 combat power.

After Director Qin finished speaking, he tightened the lid of the thermos, making a soft "click" sound.

He leaned back in his office chair, his body slightly tilted back, his gaze fixed on Luo Fei.

"Now it's not just about Liuxi Village anymore. The villagers filmed the animals' condition and posted the videos on their WeChat Moments, which were then shared on short video platforms, and the videos garnered over ten million views overnight."

He paused briefly and tapped the lid of the thermos lightly with his fingers.

"When the hype starts, trouble follows."

"Soon, people from several nearby cities started driving here."

"On weekends, the road at the entrance of Liuxi Village becomes a temporary parking lot, densely packed with all kinds of vehicles. There are local license plates, vehicles from surrounding cities and counties, and even quite a few vehicles with provincial capital license plates, which are obviously vehicles that have come from a long way."

"Some people were carrying DSLR cameras, some were holding up their phones, and some even set up drones, trying to fly to the river to film the animals. The village chief couldn't stop them at all; there were just too many people."

Luo Fei frowned slightly.

Director Qin continued, "The official account of Qingyang County quickly released a statement. The statement was strongly worded, pointing out that the animals were wild predators that had gathered near Liuxi Village for unknown reasons, posing a great deal of uncertainty and danger, and that they might attack humans if provoked."

The statement urged the public not to gather around the area, not to approach the cordon, and not to feed, provoke, or make loud noises.

"The county also set up a cordon around the village, arranged personnel to guard it, strictly prohibited anyone from entering, and turned back those who wanted to enter the village to see the animals."

"Most people were quite cooperative after seeing the official statement and the on-site security measures, and left after being advised. But there were a few people who still refused to give up. They seemed to be the kind of people who became more curious and wanted to go in and find out more the more they were forbidden."

"These people have come up with all sorts of ways. Many of them park their cars several kilometers away, then carry their bags and secretly walk along the country lanes, or go around to the mountains behind the village, trying to bypass the guards by going around from the back of the mountain."

"Fortunately, these actions were all discovered in time by our security personnel, who persuaded them to turn back one by one, preventing them from actually breaking in."

"Even worse, some people actually wanted to pay to rent villagers' houses to stay in, just so they could find an opportunity to sneak a close look at those animals."

"The village chief had no other choice but to mobilize several kind-hearted elderly people in the village to take turns guarding the village entrance and strictly controlling access, prohibiting anyone from entering. Only then did things finally calm down a bit."

"That's roughly the situation. The animals are still by the river, and Chu Yue and the others have been patrolling nearby. The snipers are on 24-hour shifts, and if any animals show any unusual behavior, they don't need to report it; they can fire if necessary."

"The villagers have gradually gotten used to it and are going about their lives as usual. It's just that there's now a police line at the village entrance, and some people who want to get in but can't."

After listening to Director Qin's account, Luo Fei stood up from his chair, extended his hand to shake hands with Director Qin, and said, "Director Qin, I understand the situation. I'll head back now."

Director Qin also stood up, took his hand, and said with concern, "Go on, your parents have probably missed you these past few days. Go back and spend some time with them."

Luo Fei released his grip, and with a thought, his figure vanished from Director Qin's office and appeared in his own courtyard in Liuxi Village.

The sunlight streamed down from above, warm and pleasant.

Everything in the courtyard was exactly the same as when he left.

Before he could even call out "Mom," a fluffy white ball suddenly darted out from under the eaves like a white cannonball and pounced right into his arms.

The little guy clung to Luo Fei's clothes with his paws and rubbed his head against his chin.

A smug and excited voice echoed in Luo Fei's mind:

"You're back! While you were gone, I gained so many subordinates! They all listen to me now; if I tell them to go east, they absolutely won't dare go west. I've put them by the river, and they're all very well-behaved, neither causing trouble nor biting anyone. Shouldn't you praise me?"

Luo Fei raised his hand and gently patted Xiao Bai's head.

My fingers slid from the top of its head to its back.

He smirked and said, "You're pretty good."

Little White squirmed in his arms, its tail swishing even faster.

Luo Fei's hand stopped on Xiao Bai's back.

His brows suddenly furrowed, he turned his head toward the back of the mountain, his eyes narrowed, his pupils contracted slightly, and his ears twitched slightly.

He heard an explosion.

It was so faint that an ordinary person standing next to him couldn't hear it, so faint that he needed to focus all his attention on his ears to distinguish that it was an explosion.

It wasn't just one sound, but several, with very short intervals, almost consecutive.

The direction is in the back mountains, in the deep mountains on the other side of the river where those animals gather.

Little White peeked out from his arms, its icy blue eyes looking at his solemn face, its voice tinged with confusion: "What's wrong?"

Luo Fei did not answer; his body flew up from the ground.

Little White was still nestled in his arms, its four paws gripping his clothes, its tail tucked between its legs, and its voice, tinged with nervousness, asked, "What are you doing? Where are you going?"