Chapter 23: A Critical Situation

"Squeak, squeak, squeak—"

When they were less than two kilometers away from the spies, the lead sand rat issued a warning, signaling Xu Ying to stop.

[Your motorcycle is too loud. To be safe, leave it here.]

[Those bad guys have set up their temporary camp less than two kilometers ahead. You approach them slowly, and I’ll pay a visit to my relatives nearby to find out what’s going on.]

Watching the lead sand rat disappear into a burrow, Xu Ying couldn't help but marvel at how these tiny creatures could project such immense reliability when they were being serious.

She followed the path indicated by the sand rat. It was just past seven in the morning, and the sky over the desert region of Xizhou Province was still dark, providing cover for her approach. The black caracal walked in front, its ears twitching as if it were conducting reconnaissance. Moving like a dark knight, it scouted the path for her, giving Xu Ying a profound sense of security. She never imagined a cat could be this cool!

Once she could see the enemy’s tent camp through her binoculars, Xu Ying found a sand dune nearby and hid at its base. However, she noticed the Gobi bear she had brought along was missing. Looking left and right, she spotted a tuft of fluffy, sandy-yellow bear tail poking out from behind a massive boulder. Wow, the big bear even knew how to hide; its anti-reconnaissance instincts were truly impressive.

The current location was a no-man's-land. Xu Ying used a satellite device to pinpoint her coordinates, sent them to Chen Su via the internal communication channel, and then placed a satellite call.

"Captain Chen, I’ve found the two bad guys who took the sand cat. They are spies! Please bring your team here to capture them."

Chen Su responded instantly: "Understood. Be careful, I’m on my way."

Xu Ying hung up, feeling a bit more at ease. Twenty minutes later, the lead sand rat arrived with a group of smaller rats to meet her.

[Boss! There are four people in the camp, including that short one with the pigeon-toed gait you mentioned. He is currently operating the computer you described.]

[They have modified shotguns and alloy crossbows. It looks quite dangerous.]

The next piece of news from the lead sand rat made Xu Ying’s heart ache. [The little sand cat has an injured leg; the wound is festering and it looks like it's in a lot of pain.]

The desert heat was intense during the day, and wounds left untreated could easily fester and rot. Xu Ying’s eyes darted around. "Rat leader, can you do me a favor?"

"Take a few of your relatives, sneak up to the little sand cat, and tell it that its master has brought people to find it."

"Tell it to pretend to be chasing a sand rat so it can run out of the camp."

"Then bring it to me so I can treat its wound."

The lead sand rat hesitated for a moment, then nodded with a look of stoic resolve: "Fine, wait for me here."

What was there to fear from a sick cat? For the sake of filling the warehouse, the rats would give it their all!

As the sand rat was about to leave, the black caracal grabbed its tail: "Rat leader, are there any snake dens around here?"

The lead sand rat stiffened, then pointed a claw at its group of relatives: [Ask them; they are the locals, I’m just visiting.]

A small sand rat immediately spoke up: [There’s an especially fierce king cobra five hundred meters away. It moved in just last night, and it’s made us too afraid to come out.]

[Good.]

The black caracal nodded, then said to Xu Ying: [Station Master Xu, I’m going to go catch a few snakes. You be careful.]

After the black caracal left, the lead sand rat successfully completed its mission, leading the limping sand cat toward her. It had a bloody, mangled wound on its left foreleg, which made Xu Ying’s heart ache.

Just as Xu Ying was feeling distressed for the little sand cat, she was shocked to see that the moment the little cat saw her, it stopped limping and its walk became steady. It dashed toward her like a small bolt of lightning, meowing, [Big Rescuer, I’m here!]

[Catch me!]

This unexpected transformation left Xu Ying stunned, but she quickly caught the little sand cat as it leaped into her arms. It seemed to be a very outgoing kitten!

[Big one, I know you~ You’re just as righteous and kind as my master. I’ve run into you three times in the desert, and you were always helping small animals~]

The little sand cat, having suffered so much at the hands of the bad guys, rubbed its head against Xu Ying: [I encountered this group of suspicious people in the desert and followed them all the way to your rescue station. I was discovered, so they caught me and brought me here to guard their equipment.]

Seeing how friendly the little sand cat was, Xu Ying was spared the process of building trust.

"Let me see your leg. Can you actually walk on it?"

[I can, I can! My leg isn't broken; the limp was just something I acted out~] The little sand cat’s tail wagged, and its light golden eyes were bright and alert. [Master said that camouflage lowers other people's guard, making it easier to find a chance to escape.]

The little sand cat looked adorable and naive, but she never expected such a clever soul to hide behind that cute exterior. It was truly the apprentice of the black caracal!

"You’re so good, baby! So smart!" Xu Ying rubbed its head. "Your master, the black caracal, went to find you some snacks."

"Let’s leave this dangerous place first to treat your wound, okay?"

Don't let the little sand cat's cuteness fool you; it was actually a fierce, adorable girl who could treat venomous snakes like spicy snacks! People even nicknamed them "snake hunters."

[Okay, I’ll listen to you, Big One.] The little sand cat curled up in Xu Ying’s arms: [I’m a bit tired, I want to rest for a while~]

Xu Ying felt the little cat’s body temperature was a bit high; it seemed the wound was still causing it a lot of discomfort. The little cat was just very strong and holding on through sheer willpower.

Just as she was about to sneak away with the little sand cat, a sand rat scrambled over, anxious and hurried: [Boss, Boss, it’s bad! The enemy has discovered your presence!]

[I just heard them say they used some equipment to detect a satellite phone signal being transmitted, and they’ve already started looking for you!]

Xu Ying’s heart tightened; she was about to bolt.

Another small rat popped out to stop her: [You can't run now. That short man is already heading your way with an alloy crossbow. If you show yourself now, you’re very likely to get hurt.]

Xu Ying held her breath, placed the little sand cat on the sand, and drew the self-defense stun baton from her waist.

"Crunch, crunch—"

The sound of footsteps on the sand grew closer. Xu Ying swallowed nervously. She finally understood why the desert was called the "Sea of Death"—it was truly riddled with hidden dangers.

Just then, a black figure appeared in her field of vision. The black caracal strolled over with a wriggling king cobra in its mouth, winking at Xu Ying.

Xu Ying’s chaotic heart calmed down instantly. She realized the black caracal wanted her to cooperate. She held her breath and nodded.