Working in a Zoo with Beast Taming System

"They’ve had professional tracking training. They’ll definitely be much faster than us searching blindly on our own!"

Luo Kaifeng and Yu Bo, who were also present, immediately looked toward Yang Qi.

"Of course, no problem!"

Without hesitation, Yang Qi put down his teacup and stood up. "Finding him is what matters. Hu Zi, Leopard, Bai Wan, we have a mission!"

Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard instantly shot to their feet, their gazes sharp and focused as they awaited their orders.

Luo Kaifeng and Yu Bo immediately chimed in.

"We’ll go too. Many hands make light work."

"Thank you so much!"

Chen Shuangquan and the political instructor thanked them profusely.

The group quickly made their way to the police station’s main hall.

A man in his forties with slightly dark skin, wearing oil-stained work clothes, was anxiously wringing his hands and pacing back and forth. It was Ma the Sixth, the one who had reported the case.

His eyes were red-rimmed, and his face was covered in sweat.

"Lao Liu, don’t worry. This is Advisor Yang, an Animal Expert from the city. These two beside him are professional police dogs, and they’re experts at tracking!" Chen Shuangquan quickly made the introductions.

When Ma the Sixth saw how young Yang Qi was and heard him called an "Animal Expert," a flicker of doubt instinctively crossed his eyes.

But when his gaze fell upon the two powerfully built, upright dogs, Hu Zi and Leopard, standing beside Yang Qi, that sliver of doubt was immediately replaced by a surge of hope.

’These dogs are clearly no ordinary animals!’

As for Bai Wan, due to its breed, it was once again overlooked.

Yang Qi had no time for lengthy explanations. He stepped forward and said quickly, "Master Ma, do you have any unwashed clothes your son wore today? Something close to the skin would be best, with a stronger scent."

"Yes! Yes! The short-sleeved shirt he changed out of this morning is still at home!" Ma the Sixth said, as if waking from a daze. He nodded hastily and turned to rush outside.

"Let’s all go. It’ll be faster that way."

Yang Qi called out, leading Hu Zi, Leopard, and Bai Wan out the door.

Xiaojiu and Ta Xue nimbly followed.

Luo Kaifeng, Chen Shuangquan, the political instructor, two officers on duty, and the frantic Ma the Sixth all either got into cars or mounted police motorcycles and electric scooters. They quickly formed a small convoy and sped toward Ma the Sixth’s home on the west side of town.

A few minutes later, the convoy arrived at Ma the Sixth’s house.

It was an ordinary farmhouse courtyard, now brightly lit. Ma the Sixth’s wife was slumped by the gate, wiping away tears. When she saw her husband return with so many police officers and strangers, she was too flustered to speak.

Ma the Sixth had no time to explain. He rushed into the house and quickly ran back out with a brightly colored child’s T-shirt, handing it to Yang Qi breathlessly.

"Expert, this is it. He wore it this morning."

Yang Qi took the T-shirt. He could feel the cotton fabric and the faint, sweaty scent of a child clinging to it.

He crouched down, holding the shirt to the noses of Hu Zi, Leopard, and Bai Wan in turn, letting them get a good sniff. At the same time, he reinforced the command through his Basic Spirit Communication Technique.

"Alright, memorize this scent."

"Woof~"

Bai Wan gave a low bark, indicating it understood.

Hu Zi and Leopard also sniffed with focused expressions, firmly committing the scent to memory.

A moment later, the three dogs each responded, ’Got it.’

"Good. Spread out and search!"

Yang Qi gave the order.

Like arrows loosed from a bow, the three dogs instantly shot out of the yard.

They first lowered their heads, sniffing rapidly around the gate to get their bearings.

Bai Wan was the first to find something.

It let out an excited whimper and, without hesitation, started trotting west out of town, its nose pressed to the ground and its tail wagging in short, excited bursts.

Hu Zi and Leopard quickly followed. The three dogs formed a loose fan shape with Bai Wan at the point and began tracking along a small path.

"Xiaojiu, Ta Xue, you two stay in the car. Captain Luo, could you please keep an eye on them?"

Yang Qi gave the quick instruction, then broke into a run, keeping close behind the three dogs.

Chen Shuangquan, two police officers, Ma the Sixth, and a few curious neighbors all followed, forming a rather spectacular search party.

Along the way, Chen Shuangquan briefly explained the situation to Yang Qi.

The missing boy’s name was Ma Jihui, a third-grader. This afternoon, he was scolded and spanked by his parents for not finishing his homework and watching TV instead. The boy got upset and ran out of the house a little after two o’clock.

Similar things had happened before, but the boy was timid and would usually come home on his own before dark.

But today, as the sky turned completely dark with still no sign of him, his parents panicked. They searched all the relatives’ and neighbors’ houses, the arcade he frequented, the local convenience store, and his classmates’ homes, but found nothing. That’s when they finally called the police.

"He’s not really a brave kid, just a little stubborn..."

Ma the Sixth muttered regretfully as he ran along, his voice choked with sobs.

Yang Qi reassured him.

The search party followed the three dogs, soon leaving the town’s paved roads and turning onto a dirt path that led to the fields outside of town.

It was dark now, and everyone turned on their flashlights, the beams cutting through the darkness.

The three dogs had a clear target and didn’t hesitate for a moment. They crossed a vegetable patch, followed a ridge between the fields for a stretch, and finally stopped at the foot of a small, overgrown hill.

At the base of the hill, the faint silhouette of a low, dilapidated mud-brick house was visible, looking like a long-abandoned melon shed or an old warehouse.

Just then, a faint, orange-red glow seeped out from the broken windows of the house.

And was that the faint scent of something roasting?

"WOOF WOOF~"

Bai Wan barked excitedly and was the first to charge forward.

Hu Zi and Leopard quickly followed.

Yang Qi and the others quickened their pace.

As they neared the dilapidated house, the scene inside came into clear view through the glassless windows—

In the center of the room, a simple stove had been built from a few bricks. A fire of scavenged dry twigs and grass burned brightly inside.

Two soot-covered boys, around eight or nine years old, were squatting by the fire, intently poking at several blackened objects buried in the embers with sticks.

At their feet lay several mud-caked sweet potatoes they had dug up from the fields. Clearly, they were having a "backcountry barbecue."

"Ma Jihui!!"