"I’ll help you find the whereabouts of your friends and family now."
Xu Ying patted Mountain Peak’s head, and the cal’s fur felt similar to the texture of a coconut shell—quite fascinating.
[Thank you, Little Xu Station Chief!]
Mountain Peak followed Xu Ying out of the cave; to the 500-kilogram cal, this human girl before it seed small, yet remarkably reliable—she kept her promises.
Xu Ying approached her quad bike and saw it was covered with creepy-crawlies, all pitch black. She nearly crushed a few when she almost sat down.
Xu Ying clicked her tongue, "Didn’t we say to send a few representatives? Why so many?"
The caravan of insects emitted a low-frequency, excited hum: [Little Xu Station Chief, we all want to go see outside the canyon!]
"Alright, but make sure you target the group of tomb raiders handcuffed and squatting on the ground,"
"And don’t go stirring up the soldiers in green military uniforms,"
Xu Ying instructed.
"Otherwise, there might be a big hole in your body!"
[Okay, okay, we’ll follow your command, Xu Station Chief!]
The little critters considerately left Xu Ying with space for the driver’s seat and a safe distance.
They seed to know Little Xu Station Chief was actually a bit afraid of them, so they huddled together, even stacking on each other, but left space for her.
Mountain Peak was too large to fit on Xu Ying’s bike, but it was smart. Xu Ying pointed in a direction, and it knew where to go.
The twenty-eight mbers of the tomb raider gang had been captured and were awaiting the police handover.
Since Xu Ying hit a wall during her inquiry, they hadn’t been asked any more questions, leaving them smugly thinking they were at a standstill.
However, as they hung their heads pondering how to deal with the police, a dark "curtain" began moving across the dunes.
The shadow moved closer, an eerie rustling on the sands like countless tiny claws scraping the ground or so viscous liquid slowly flowing.
Initially, they thought it was just the desert wind sweeping up dried branches and leaves, but as the "shadow" neared, they realized—it wasn’t a shadow but living creatures.
Dense clusters of scorpions swished their venomous tails, leaving winding tracks on the sand;
Venomous snakes flicked scarlet tongues, scales shimring coldly under the sunlight,
Spiders’ eight long legs moved swiftly, matted with sticky venom, each step grating on nerves...
More terrifyingly, they didn’t crawl in chaotic disarray but marched like a trained army, slowly encircling, trapping the tomb raiders at the center.
Deputy Yang and his n had been forewarned by Xu Ying; upon seeing a mass of insects swarming over, their eyes widened in horror.
Having braved many storms, they weren’t afraid of these venomous creatures but were astounded that Little Xu Station Chief could beco friends with such creepy crawlers!
As expected of her!
"Where... where did these things co from?!"
A tomb raider cried out shakily, desperation in their voice.
The air was filled with a foul stench, like rotting flesh mixed with secretions from venom glands, making them nauseous.
These creatures were only encountered in underground crypts, where they carried plenty of torches and repellents.
Now, bound hand and foot, they felt like fish on a chopping block, helpless, with no sense of security.
The tomb raiders watched as the insect army reached their feet, terrified, and pleaded with Deputy Yang and his n: "Sir, please, get us on the vehicle!"
Deputy Yang responded sternly, "Our armored vehicles strictly prohibit unauthorized personnel inside. You wouldn’t be trying to exploit this opportunity to obtain military secrets, would you?"
The tomb raiders shook their heads vigorously, like rattles: "No, no! We’re really scared!"
"How about blindfolding us? We promise not to peek!"
Deputy Yang shook his head, "Blindfolding you doesn’t comply with our capture protocol nor humanitarian principles."
"We’re rely assisting with the capture; wait for the police!"
The tomb raiders were going mad with frustration.
Xu Ying chuckled, "If you’re scared, then answer the questions I asked earlier honestly."
Soone couldn’t help shouting, "This is coercion! It’s illegal!"
Xu Ying fluttered her bright almond eyes with a naive, harmless smile, "Excuse , what coercion have I used?"
Xu Ying pointed to the reptiles encircling the tomb raiders, "These insects were growing moldy underground, so they ford a circle to sunbathe."
"You lot, being out from underground, carry a familiar scent to them, so they like to circle around you."
"You, shaless!"
The tomb raiders were left speechless by Xu Ying’s words.
anwhile, the reptiles, eager to scare people, were indulging in playful interaction with these tomb raiders, adept at underground activities.
A toad with two young ones hopped onto the head of a buzz-cut man.
With short hair, the man could distinctly feel the coarse webbed hands of the toad rubbing against his scalp, giving him a real "hair-raising" experience.
The buzz-cut man let out a terrified scream, "Ahhh! There are so many toads jumping on my head!"
But he dared not shake his head to fling the toad off as a horned viper coiled on his shoulder, breathing against his ear in a close whisper.
He dared not move.
Xu Ying waved her hand, "Haven’t washed your hair for a long while in the desert, right? This toad is helping you catch lice!"
"Did you say thank you?"
Buzz-cut man: ...
A gray-brown desert viper crawled up the neck of a long-necked tomb raider.
Its snake skin had a granular texture, and as it tightened its body, the raider could feel the small granules on the viper’s skin along with his goosebumps.
His eyes rolled back, almost fainting in fright, but still managed to say, "This snake is going to strangle , doesn’t the army do anything?!"
Xu Ying replenished her energy with a can of fruit from Deputy Yang, "It’s just shielding you from the sun. Don’t panic."
"Did you say thank you?"
...
The twenty-eight tomb raiders had beco playthings for the reptiles, creating a scene of chaos everywhere.
Captain Liang and Deputy Yang, watching Xu Ying openly "bully" the raiders, both shared a knowing look, marveling inwardly.
They had long heard of Little Xu Station Chief’s reputation; seeing is indeed believing.
Xu Ying paced before the tomb raiders, "Confess for leniency, resist for severity. If you speak up now, you can still seek a reduced sentence."
Soon, as two rattlesnakes attempted to kiss a raider in a black headscarf, persistently flicking their tongues against their lips, the raider finally broke down: "I’ll talk, I’ll talk!"
"We have three mbers still in the underground tomb."
"Items retrieved from the tomb are handled by designated agents and sold on the black market."
At this mont, Mountain Peak beside Xu Ying started calling out "Woo-aoo woo-aoo" noises.
The cal’s voice was quite peculiar, similar to that of a water buffalo but with a deeper and hoarser tone, like a large truck living in its throat.
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