Chapter 24: The Matchmaking Gala

"Meow—"

A chilling cat call rang out. The short man, who had been searching with a crossbow in hand, was immediately drawn to the sound. He turned his head to see a black cat, shaped like a leopard, standing behind him with a king cobra clamped in its jaws.

"Damn it!" the short man cursed. "Pitch black, that's terrifying!"

Before he could react, the black cat whipped the snake from its mouth directly at him.

"Ah!!!"

The king cobra flew through the air and coiled around the man's neck. Panicked and screaming, he flailed wildly. The serval arched its back, seized the perfect moment, and pounced like an arrow released from a bow, sinking its teeth into the man’s wrist.

The man cried out in pain and let go, his crossbow clattering to the ground. With a powerful kick of its hind legs, the serval sent the dangerous weapon skittering far away.

At the same time, Xu Ying rushed over in a few swift strides and zapped the man from behind with a stun baton.

As the man slumped to the ground, the serval jumped on him, sniffed him, and nodded at Xu Ying: [He is unconscious.]

"Sheriff Blackie, you’re amazing! So brave and clever!" Xu Ying exhaled, giving the serval a thumbs-up. Her admiration deepened; the intelligence of animals was truly astounding.

[The situation is in our favor this time. The man isn't tall, so I could throw the snake onto him.]

Xu Ying didn't dare slacken. She pulled a rope from her tool kit and bound the short man hand and foot. After finishing, she went to scoop up the little sand cat, only to find it had already approached the king cobra the serval had tossed aside. The sand cat was batting at the snake's head with its front paws, hitting it until it was dazed and confused.

It was Xu Ying’s first time witnessing a sand cat hunting a snake. She hadn't expected their technique to be a flurry of "Meow-Meow Eighteen Palms"—the moves looked strangely hypnotic!

"Hiss—"

[I can't believe I, a noble King Cobra, have been reduced to being bullied by a sand cat that just reached adulthood. I die with regret!]

[Boo hoo, and I'm still single! I was supposed to go to the singles mixer.]

Xu Ying, currently using a "Universal Beast Language Mastery" trial card, heard the dying "last will and testament" of the king cobra.

"You call yourself a King Cobra, looking like a weakling like that?"

The king cobra, realizing Xu Ying understood its words, braced itself in its death throes: [Woman, you can actually understand our snake language!]

[Please, tell this cat to let me go! I’ll agree to any condition!]

Seeing Xu Ying talking to the king cobra, the sand cat tactfully withdrew its demonic claws.

Xu Ying was interested in the "singles mixer" the snake had mentioned. "What kind of singles mixer are you going to? Are there many snakes?"

[It’s our breeding season now. Cobras are common in the desert, but we King Cobras are rare.]

Dazed from the beating, the king cobra lay flat on the ground, panting as it spoke: [I couldn't find a mate, so I organized a mixer myself.]

[The main goal is to meet more snake friends of different species and have them keep an eye out for other King Cobras in the desert.]

Although King Cobras share a name with cobras, they are a distinct species. Within their own species, it was the only one of its kind, whereas the *Naja* genus includes many varieties like the Monocled Cobra or the Chinese Cobra.

The King Cobra, with the "King" in its title, is indeed formidable. Not only are they generally larger and longer than other cobras, but their massive venom output can kill twenty adults at once. They are so ruthless they even eat their own kind, and even adult elephants will detour when they see them. Thinking about it, its status as a "King" wasn't surprising—the only fault was that the serval was just too strong and had managed to catch a big one.

Xu Ying shook her head. "Rare population, foul temper—no wonder you’re having trouble finding a mate."

[What is that supposed to mean? What kind of talk is that!]

[I have a very good temper! I have great 'snake-relations,' you know!]

"Indeed, you are the most pathetic King Cobra I have ever met." Xu Ying nodded in agreement. "Tell you what, do me a favor."

"Call all your snake friends from the mixer to come here and back me up, and I will help you find a mate."

The King Cobra was about to curse when it heard it was being called pathetic, but upon hearing the next sentence, it wagged its tail ingratiatingly: [Really? You can help me find a mate?]

"I am the station chief of the 032 Desert Rescue Station." Xu Ying showed it her ID badge. "I’m often out on patrol in the desert, and I understand all kinds of animal languages."

"Let me tell you, I am your ultimate matchmaker."

The previously weak king cobra looked like it had been resurrected, springing up instantly—a medical miracle in the animal kingdom: [As soon as you give the order, I will immediately recognize you as the new queen of our snake tribe!]

[I’m going to call the snakes to back you up right now, just wait.]

The King Cobra twisted its body and slithered away excitedly.

Xu Ying patted the little sand cat’s head and pulled a cat treat from her pocket: "Baby, I’m sorry, I let your little snack get away. How about you eat this instead?"

The sand cat rubbed against the back of her hand: [It’s okay, Big Human. Letting it go was the better choice.]

[I can eat snacks anytime. The situation is dangerous now; staying alive is more important than filling my stomach.]

Wow, this little apprentice was so understanding!

Xu Ying’s heart softened. She crouched down to clean and bandage the sand cat’s wounds. Just then, a small gerbil ran over to report: [Boss, those bad guys realized they’ve been exposed and are trying to run!]

[They have a jeep, and they’ve already packed their equipment, preparing to drive away.]

Xu Ying tightened her grip on the stun baton. This group had advanced equipment; they had even managed to detect her satellite phone call. She didn't know how much classified information they had stolen, but she absolutely could not let them escape, or the consequences would be unimaginable.

Although her primary duty as an animal rescuer was to protect desert wildlife, as an official, she had a duty to stop acts that harmed national interests. She was only one person and couldn't afford to be reckless.

Xu Ying checked her watch; Chen Su would likely arrive in about half an hour. Her gaze fell on the sand and gravel scattered across the desert, and suddenly, she had an idea.

She took a steel caltrop from her tool kit. These caltrops were specifically designed to puncture the tires of moving vehicles. Poaching was rampant in the desert; the most common way poachers hunted fast-moving animals like gazelles was to lasso them from a moving vehicle and use the car's power to drag them closer. In some rural towns, dog thieves often used the same tactic.

Experienced animal rescuers always carried these nails to prevent confrontations with poachers. Although the original owner of this body had been reassigned here, she was clearly dedicated to the job and had kept these steel caltrops in her kit.