Beast Taming: I'm Really Just a Forest Ranger - Chapter 348 - 197: An Unexpected Plot Development (Part 2)
As soon as these words left his mouth, Jiang Wenning raised her eyebrows, Chen Wenhao’s pupils shrank, Zhang Yu widened his eyes, and Lu Ran blurted out, “So you’re the Instant Noodle Captain?”
He had heard a rumor at the Academy about a captain of a small investigation team who had a fondness for instant noodles, always bringing a full box on missions, earning him the nickname Instant Noodle Captain.
Yao Li coughed lightly and gave an embarrassed smile, “That nickname was an accident.”
Lu Ran mumbled, “So the rumor is true. Is the Investigation Department’s budget really that tight? Looks like I shouldn’t join them after graduation.”
A black line appeared on Yao Li’s forehead, “I just purely love eating instant noodles! It has nothing to do with the budget!”
Lu Ran found this bewildering, “There’s no way anyone could like eating instant noodles.”
Yao Li sighed and rubbed his forehead, “It’s just because the job is too tiring, and I often only have time to make instant noodles. Eating them so much, I started to like them.”
Lu Ran: “I guess the Investigation Department is as busy as the rumors. I really shouldn’t join them.”
Yao Li: “…”
Yao Li decided that regardless of what Lu Ran said, he would no longer respond. He turned to look at Chen Yuan, who wore a thoughtful expression, and smiled slightly, “Advisor Chen, I know you have many questions in your heart, so let me explain them one by one.”
“In fact, the organization learned early on that some illegal organizations had an interest in this research activity, so we made preparations ahead of time.”
“We are a team out in the open, responsible for coming to Baokun City and entering Qinling openly, without hiding our movements.”
“But in the shadows, there are several other investigation teams accompanying us.”
Hearing this, Chen Yuan had a strange expression, “So, we’re actually bait?”
Yao Li shook his head, looking serious, “Advisor Chen, you can’t say it like that.”
“Professor Song is still the overall leader of this activity, and everyone present is a talented Beastmaster, each representing the future of Donghuang.”
“To be serious, it’s the other teams’ duty to ensure your safety while capturing those New Star Association members.”
Chen Yuan fell silent for a moment.
He had considered this issue before; entering the Mysterious Forest to search for the World Tree was a major event for the authorities, and was the team composition a bit too sparse for this trip?
Sure enough, the authorities had long prepared with both overt and covert plans.
This was the careful and well-prepared approach of the authorities.
Chen Yuan suddenly remembered something Yao Li had said earlier and guessed, “So, have those New Star Association members already been captured?”
“Advisor Chen guessed right,” Yao Li nodded, confirming this speculation, “They followed us with Pet Beasts and used some special skills to keep each team in contact.”
At this point, Yao Li’s lips curled into a smile, “But we have those methods too.”
“Advisor Chen, weren’t you curious about what my second Pet Beast is?”
“Now, please take a look.”
As his words fell, Yao Li’s thoughts moved, and a mysterious white array appeared in front of him. A peculiar-looking Pet Beast gradually appeared before Chen Yuan’s eyes.
Its appearance resembled a golden disc, with a golden key-like pattern embedded in the center, and complex silver runes flowing on the back.
On both sides, there extended a pair of black and slender hands, and two small black dots were on the upper left and right of the disc, resembling its eyes.
Chen Yuan had never seen such a peculiar Pet Beast, and his eyes were filled with surprise.
All the Pet Beasts he had seen before, while very different from ordinary creatures in form, ultimately fell under the category of living beings.
But this thing in front of him looked nothing like a living creature but more like a compass with hands.
Professor Song’s voice suddenly rang in his ears, “Advisor Chen, this is the Key of Secret Technique, a Spirit-type Pet Beast.”
“Key of Secret Technique?” Chen Yuan frowned slightly.
He had never heard of this Pet Beast.
“Besides, there’s a Pet Beast similar to it called the Key of Observation, and the two Pet Beasts have a special connection,” Professor Song explained slowly, his tone low, making everyone feel like they had returned to the classroom.
“As for the appearance of the Key of Observation, you can imagine a key with wings.”
A key with wings?
Chen Yuan squinted his eyes, and his expression quickly turned strange.
This appearance was easy to imagine but vastly different from typical Pet Beast forms.
“The Key of Observation and the Key of Secret Technique were discovered in an ancient ruin; they can establish a special connection to sense each other’s location and even share information and imagery.”
“Oh, the Key of Observation records images, and the Key of Secret Technique can project them.”
After a pause, Professor Song smiled, “So you can understand the importance of these two Pet Beasts, right?”
Chen Yuan thoughtfully nodded.
Just by listening to Professor Song’s description, Chen Yuan could imagine many application scenarios for these two Pet Beasts.
For instance, letting the Key of Observation infiltrate special places, sharing images through the Key of Secret Technique.
Especially in the wild where signals are blocked, these two Pet Beasts can be extremely useful.
Yao Li picked up the topic, “With the Key of Observation, other teams can locate us in real-time.”
“And as for those tailing New Star Association members… naturally, they’ve all been tracked down.”
“When the enemy is in the open but we’re concealed, these guys naturally can’t escape our grasp.”
“Two officers, and a dozen senior members have all been captured. This is the biggest loss for the New Star Association since its founding, enough to make them quiet down for a while.”
After hearing this, Chen Yuan quietly sighed.
This was completely different from what he had initially imagined.
He was prepared to turn the tide, but it turned out the authorities had already considered everything, and there was no need for him to take action at all.
“Oh, come on.” Lu Ran scratched his head, complaining, “I was all set for a battle, and then you tell me it’s all been over for a while.”
The three Combat Type students nodded in agreement.
Upon hearing the news about the New Star Association, they, as students from the Headquarters of Donghuang Beast Taming Academy, were naturally prepared to fight against the evil forces to the end.
But the result…
Seeing their expressions, Yao Li laughed heartily, “I know you’re all amazing, each one an outstanding Beastmaster.”
“But it’s better to let us handle these things, after all, it’s our job.”
“Besides…”
“You all are the future of Donghuang, and we’re not allowing any accidents to happen because of things like this.”
Chen Yuan quickly accepted this fact, and of course, he hoped there would be no chaotic illegal organization attacks. He walked quickly to the Key of Secret Technique, “Brother Yao, can I…”
Before he could finish speaking, he heard Yao Li’s voice, “Touch it as much as you want!”
Chen Yuan was momentarily speechless.
It seemed that his “hobby” was already well-known to everyone…
“By the way, did you already know about these things, Professor?” Zhang Yu looked at Professor Song.
Professor Song didn’t answer directly, “I am the person in charge.”
Zhang Yu coughed lightly and said in a low voice, “Professor, I don’t doubt your choices, but letting an ordinary person like me participate in such a dangerous mission, isn’t it a bit…”
“You’ve got some nerve, speaking to your professor like that,” Professor Song glared at him.
Unfazed, Zhang Yu laughed, “Only in front of my most respected and admired professor would I dare speak like this.”
Professor Song smiled helplessly, “In future academic research, you’ll inevitably encounter similar situations; you must get used to it in advance.”
“Besides, this time is already very safe.”
“Not only do we have investigation teams protecting us in the shadows, but we also have Advisor Chen among our team.”
Zhang Yu looked up at Chen Yuan’s back and suddenly felt a wave of reassurance.
Yes, we have Advisor Chen too.
The night was deep,
Sparse lights hid among the continuous mountains, and the silhouette of Xuanhe Village was indistinct in the night.
Finally, Chen Yuan and his group returned to Xuanhe Village.
It was already late at night, and this remote mountain village had fallen asleep. Thankfully, there were newly installed solar streetlights on the streets and roads, casting a dim light that dispelled some of the darkness.
Chen Yuan stood at the farm’s entrance, taking a long breath, “Finally home.”
“Awoo!”
“Chirp!”
