"It’s like being completely powerless. Humans, co on, show so backbone..." ng Lang couldn’t help but sigh in his heart.
Their weaknesses are obvious and easy to exploit. They might even be sold off, yet they adorably help pay the electric bill...
Here I was thinking of brainwashing Zero, but now it seems I should be more cautious about not being brainwashed myself...
Clearing his complicated thoughts, ng Lang refocused on the present.
After all, creating a buzz was just the first step; the real goal was "localized dog restrictions"...
Checking the information Zero had gathered, it appeared that Mountain City, at the storm’s center, had already fired the first shot for city-wide dog capture.
Several surrounding developed areas were starting to emulate the approach, addressing issues of banned dog ownership and stray dog overpopulation.
Now, if you open Douyin, videos of dog-catching are virtually everywhere.
The ti is ripe...
...
"Could this be the handiwork of that one..."
In Jinghai Town, Ning Shisan, wearing a black security uniform and smoking a cigarette, looked at the news on his phone with an unusually odd expression.
All around him were nurous iron cages, inside which dozens of wild dogs were barking incessantly.
Just days ago, he received the task of joining a dog-catching company, only for overwhelming publicity to follow, making anyone naturally suspicious.
Yet, thinking it over, it seed unlikely.
Using high-tech against a bunch of people is one thing, but against a pack of dogs... seems utterly baffling.
What’s the grudge?
"Tsk~" "Elder Cat, more tasks ca in; let’s go!"
At that mont, a van pulled up in front of the sowhat crude warehouse, and a middle-aged man with a slightly sleazy appearance rolled down the window, calling out to Ning Shisan.
"Coming!"
Ning Shisan stomped out his cigarette and quickly climbed into the slightly rundown van’s passenger seat.
"Our task today is the town’s elentary school and several main roads to the south. We have to do another round at night...
Damn, either there’s no work for a week or two, or all the work piles up at once. What the hell is this!
The town has given us a tight schedule and heavy workload. We won’t be getting any rest these days.
For you to just get here at this ti, what a stroke of bad luck."
The middle-aged man’s nickna was Dark Skin, a "veteran" at this dog-catching company.
Compared to the private dog-catching groups in the gray area, this company, nad Jinghai Dog Catching Team, was sowhat more legitimate, being an outsourced team under the city sanitation departnt...
In general, it was the police departnt’s dog-catching squads that handled unlicensed dog-keeping, illegal dog outings, and such.
Of course, so situations are outsourced, like in small towns such as Jinghai Town.
A mysterious person placed him in this company a few days ago, with no explanation as usual.
The difference from last ti was they inexplicably took several vials of his blood, claiming it was for employee health checks.
Putting aside why soone without basic benefits was now getting health checks, our seasoned comrade, Black Cat, had beco a glorious professional dog catcher...
"It’s alright. There have been too many news reports about rogue dogs biting people recently. The whole country is doing crackdowns. It’s probably a temporary hot trend; it won’t last long." Ning Shisan grinned.
"Exactly, fixing the problem at the source. But the commotion this ti is really big. I heard they even invited a dog-catching team from out of town to help. I’ve never seen such an operation my whole life.
Well! A nationwide dog-catching campaign, how novel..."
When Dark Skin, after chatting a bit, seed to be struggling to stay awake and yawned, Ning Shisan handed him a cigar.
"Wow! Good smoke!" Accepting the cigar, Dark Skin gave his new "colleague" a once-over.
"I say, Elder Cat, you don’t look like soone from the countryside. What brings you to this line of work, so dirty and tiring?"
"Couldn’t make a living back ho, and a job’s a job wherever you go!"
"Really? On the run from debt? I thought so, hehe. Frankly, I’m in it because I enjoy it. How about we cook one up tonight?"
Dark Skin chuckled knowingly, then smiled slyly.
"Sure, I’ll bring good liquor tonight." Ning Shisan laughed.
Thanks to his job, he’s encountered all sorts, so mingling with Dark Skin was just par for the course.
While making small talk with Dark Skin, he glanced over the task list for the past few days.
Experintal Elentary School, Qinghe Community, Old District Streets...
His gaze swept over the nas but abruptly halted.
Jinghai Welfare Institute!
As expected, the dog-catching was just a smokescreen; the real target was still here!
"Brother Dark Skin, catching stray dogs at the community school makes sense, but even the welfare institute?" Ning Shisan feigned curiosity.
"Why not? The area around Jinghai Welfare Institute has the most strays.
Maybe it’s because the old dean likes to take in strays; all the wild dogs in town seem to flock there."
"Oh? Brother Dark Skin, you know the welfare institute’s dean?" Ning Shisan feigned surprise.
"Ahem! Not exactly know, just saw her a few tis while wandering nearby, got sowhat acquainted.
I see them as poor souls, all orphans and widows. We thieves have our code. I don’t go around there anymore after all."
Dark Skin spoke righteously, but Ning Shisan discerned, from his sowhat evasive gaze, that there was more to it.
Hmm! Looks like I’ll need to bring an extra bottle or two tonight...
"Cough! Cough, cough, cough!"
"Elder Cat, what’s up? You seem fit as a fiddle; why do you cough a lot?"
"Cough! Nothing, just caught a cold lately."
Calmly putting the handkerchief back into his pocket, a flash of red briefly appeared.
With a sowhat desolate look at the passing scenery outside, savoring the sweet bloody taste in his mouth, Ning Shisan couldn’t help thinking of Xiao Yue.
If I’m gone, that girl will surely be heartbroken.
I really want to see her stand up again.
But it’s a pity...
...
At sunset, with a satisfying haul, Dark Skin bead, claiming he’d treat the new colleague to an unforgettable hotpot feast, heading straight to the warehouse’s backyard.
However, before the sowhat tired Ning Shisan could sit and rest for long, Dark Skin’s cursing ca from the back.
"Damn it, daring to steal a dog from ! Let find out who you are, and I’ll make you into bar snacks!"
When the bewildered Ning Shisan reached the backyard, he found one of the cages holding dogs had beco empty.
"What happened?"
"So bastard stole that plump dog, which I caught with much effort yesterday, and I had my eyes on it for a long ti!" Dark Skin cursed.
"A dog thief?"
Ning Shisan was puzzled, examining the undamaged cage lock.
These dog cages used simple hook locks, where a turning iron hook latched onto a lock catch, making them easy to open but not theft-proof.
But to steal just one from so many dogs and leave, it seed like a case of soone leaving empty-handed after reaching a treasure trove.
Could it be soone with a gourt palate like Dark Skin?
With 3,000 stray dogs, and I just take this one?
"Brother Dark Skin, isn’t there surveillance in the storeroom? Watching it should reveal what happened, right?"
Ning Shisan pointed to the surveillance cara above as a reminder.
"Oh yeah! We just installed it not long ago, and I totally forgot!" Dark Skin slapped his forehead and rushed to review the footage.
However, when they pulled up footage recorded after their departure, they were instantly dumbfounded.
No figures appeared in the surroundings; only the yellow stray dog in the cage, upon hearing the van’s departure, extended a paw.
Whether by sheer luck or adeptness, with a few scrapes, the paw that slipped through the cage actually managed to unhook the lock.
No further explanation was needed for what followed.
It was akin to breaking out, gliding gracefully like a dragon escaping its chains.
"Whoa! This dog is possessed, it’s definitely a pro!" Dark Skin gaped at the scene.
The world has its share of intelligent dogs capable of escaping cages, albeit rare.
So, despite the amazent, Dark Skin could only curse his luck, grumbling about finding a new target for his culinary pursuits.
However, as Ning Shisan observed the yellow stray’s adept movents, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that the dog’s gaze at the cara just before leaving...
Carried a hint of disdain?
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