Chapter 11: Successfully Rescuing the Pangolin

Jiang Cha: “Thanks a ton! Do you think I’m some kind of deity? I’ve got a gun!”

“Come out! I saw you looking!”

Hearing the footsteps drawing nearer, Jiang Cha was at her wit’s end. What choice did she have? She had to confront the assailants directly and negotiate her only chance at survival. She braced herself to step forward and parley.

[Roar—]

[Roar—]

Countless tiger roars echoed nearby, as if tens of thousands of tigers were lurking, eyes fixed menacingly.

The warning from the king of beasts pierced deep into one’s soul; even a single roar sent chills through the body.

To the others, the tiger roars were terrifying; but to Jiang Cha, they sounded like…

“Have you eaten yet?!”

“I have, I ate two wild rabbits. How about you?”

“I had wild pheasant!”

Jiang Cha’s lips twitched sharply—she recognized that voice. It was the tiger mother from before, here to help them.

“Boss, boss, tigers, lots of tigers!”

The group panicked and fired wildly into the air.

“Are you stupid? You’ll just anger them! What are you standing there for? Run!”

“What about the stuff?”

“Saving our lives is the priority! We can come back for it tomorrow!”

Jiang Cha and her companions crouched in the bushes, listening as the chaotic footsteps of the others slowly faded away. Their limp bodies gradually regained sensation.

Before they could even exhale relief, the tiger roars approached again, growing clearer.

“Song Yang, it’s your fault! What treasure were you looking for here? Now we’re not killed by grave robbers, but we’ll die in the tiger’s jaws!”

Zhong Jialin sobbed uncontrollably, her usual haughty disdain gone.

Song Yang, anger flaring, retorted: “How dare you say that? You’re the one who said there was treasure here! Now you’re complaining!”

As the tiger pack surrounded them, Fan Minghui rolled up his sleeves with a desperate resolve. “You guys run first. I’ll fight them off and buy us some time!”

“Minghui! We can’t leave you behind. We’re brothers, remember? We live and die together!”

Song Yang’s eyes reddened as he gripped Fan Minghui’s arm, choking back tears.

“Waaah—I don’t want to die! I swear I’ll never come here again!”

“Don’t eat me, I’m skinny and not tasty!”

Deng Yixiang and Zhong Jialin clung together, weeping as they awaited death.

***

Jiang Cha’s brow twitched violently as she tried to explain, but her voice was drowned out by the others’ panicked chatter.

[Are you humans crazy? We have delicious wild pheasant and rabbits here and don’t eat them—why eat you? Your meat tastes sour and awful…]

The tigress approached them, puzzled by their wailing and despair.

In truth, the forest creatures feared humans far more than humans feared them.

“Stop! No more crying!”

Jiang Cha, headache throbbing from their sobbing, stood beside the tigress and shouted at them.

“Jiang Cha, we’re about to die—can’t we cry a little? How can you be so cruel?”

Zhong Jialin’s eyes were swollen, tears and snot mingling.

“Don’t mind them, they’re a bit crazy. But really, thank you all.”

Ignoring the terrified looks from the group, Jiang Cha turned to the tigress and her cub on her back.

[Sis, here’s the wild pheasant I caught today, it’s for you.]

The cub tossed the pheasant from its mother’s back into Jiang Cha’s arms, looking adorably spoiled.

“How did you know we were here?”

Jiang Cha felt a warmth in her chest as she stroked the cub’s soft fur—it seemed to have grown in the few days they’d been apart.

[We’ve been watching them nearby these days. Didn’t expect you to show up today.]

The group had left behind many things; this was a chance to find evidence to report to the secretary.

Jiang Cha decided to check it out. When she called the others, she found them huddled together, staring at her as if she were an alien.

“Y-you… how…?” Zhong Jialin stammered, terrified.

Jiang Yun put her hands on her hips, smirking proudly. “I told you my sister can understand animals. I’m telling the truth!”

Song Yang and Fan Minghui, being simple-minded, after their brief fright, stood up and cautiously stepped forward.

They realized the tiger pack didn’t attack but looked at them with a pitying, bewildered gaze.

“Hey? They really aren’t biting us!”

Song Yang clapped his hands, thrilled as if discovering a new world.

Jiang Cha shook her head and sighed—these students were truly difficult to manage.

“Let’s go check out what they left behind. If we find anything useful, we’ll take it back to the secretary and bring the police tomorrow.”

Night had fallen completely. The flashlight Jiang Cha bought from the supply cooperative finally came in handy.

She opened her backpack, pulled out the flashlight, and gently woke the pangolin who was sound asleep.

“Wake up, we’re going into the cave. Go see if your family is there.”

***

Everyone stared at the pangolin jumping out of Jiang Cha’s bag—something they had rarely seen.

Zhong Jialin covered her mouth, watching Jiang Cha with a hint of fear—so she really could communicate with animals.

The pangolin nimbly landed on the ground, eyes wary, afraid to move in front of the large group.

[W-why are there tigers here too…]

Tiger and pangolin languages were not mutually understood; the tigers couldn’t comprehend the pangolin but found the little creature quite cute.

“Pangolin, they’re all my friends. They won’t hurt you.”

At the cave entrance, the coffin the group hadn’t managed to take was propped upright, decorated with faint floral patterns.

The eerie night sent shivers down Jiang Cha’s spine.

“Nothing to fear, nothing to fear,” Song Yang muttered repeatedly, hiding behind Fan Minghui.

Jiang Cha felt fear too, but the tiger pack at her side gave her courage, and she led the way into the cave.

[Sis, don’t be afraid. This is our territory, it’s very safe here.]

The pangolin moved through the cave like a fish in water, hopping and skipping ahead, calling out as it went.

[Mom, brother, sister!]

The cavern echoed with its voice. Just as Jiang Cha thought the pangolin’s family had been moved, a weak voice came from deep within.

[We’re here…]

The pangolin’s spirit revived, dashing deeper inside. Jiang Cha quickened her pace.

Deep in the cave, several pangolins were locked in cages, bloodstained and curled up like balls.

Jiang Cha clenched her fists tightly—those people must have burned them and forcibly plucked their scales.

[Mom, how are you?]

The little pangolin outside wept pitifully, clawing frantically at its barely living family inside.

“Pangolins will die if their scales are plucked,” Jiang Cha’s anger surged as she forcefully broke the lock on the cage.

“Find my brother, he’s a zoologist. He’ll know what to do!”

Escorted by the tiger pack, Jiang Cha and her group left the forest under cover of darkness and made their way to the Song family’s bamboo house.