Setting his bowl down, Yan Fei watched the impatient militia members waiting to sign their fingerprints. He casually tossed his bowl aside and got to work. Once their fingerprints were inked, the worry would leave their throats where it hung. The sight of them scratching their heads anxiously was disturbing, making him want to relieve their stress for them!
After bustling about and sorting out the agreement, another half-day passed. Yan Fei left the rest to Zhang Hui, who was sharing cattle-rearing experiences with the militia. Of course, most of the time, it was Zhang Hui talking while the others listened.
Yan Fei might stand a chance against Zhang Hui in theory, but when it came to practical experience, he fell short.
Zhang Hui, especially with his knowledge on prevention and treatment of common diseases, combined theory with the realities of their rural setting. Being a local veterinarian, he spoke confidently of these matters, including some tricks not found in textbooks.
This was practically a theoretical class for the militia. As Yan Fei dealt with familiar faces showing up, he wondered what chores needed attending to ASAP.
Just then, Old Ou sidled up to him and gave him a nudge. Once they went somewhere quiet, Old Ou said cryptically, "Brother Fei, I’m going back to gather information!"
Yan Fei blinked, "Where are you going?"
Old Ou winked and grinned, "Car! Oil!"
It finally dawned on Yan Fei that he was referring to the ’free’ vehicle scheme they had negotiated when buying cattle. Yan Fei asked, "How’s the investigation going these past few days?"
"I’ve already connected with them," Old Ou whispered. "We’re just waiting for their next big move!"
Upon hearing about a big move, Yan Fei thought for a moment. "Tell me about where you’re going and the defining features there. When will you be back? I’ll come and support you then."
Old Ou paused, a flicker of appreciation in his eyes. He chuckled, "No need to worry, Brother Fei. I told them I wanted to make some extra cash and spent last night there, they trust me. Nothing will go wrong!"
"It won’t take up much time to talk more! Rest assured, I’ll just come to support you then without revealing anything. If there’s anyone you’re close to there, point them out to me beforehand..." Yan Fei wasn’t as optimistic.
While people could be described as simple and respectable, they could also be blindly obedient, giving anyone a headache.
Thus, there were two types of oil thieves. Professional ones, like the one Yan Fei caught, were quick to pull out a knife. The second type were ordinary farmers. They would have been found out by their neighboring villagers, who might be inspired to join them in theft.
These farmers didn’t understand the consequences they could face for their actions - they just wanted to fetch a cartload of oil bags, make some money, and didn’t even care about being caught by patrols. Unaware of the severity of their actions, they thought it was just a bit of oil mischief. But be it large or small theft, the oil pipelines were equally damaged, posing the same danger.
The ones Old Ou connected with were surely the former type - ready to pull out a knife at a moment’s notice. What if something happened while they were acting on their behalf? Would they be able to bear it?
Since this matter had been discussed beforehand, it wasn’t suitable for Yan Fei to resist now. They could only ask for clear details and try their best not to run into trouble.
Seeing Yan Fei’s persistent question, Old Ou gave a detailed account and explained, "Actually, we don’t really get along well. It’s just that I’ve also been in jail, so they deem me trustworthy."
"That’s good! Be careful and if it really doesn’t work out, sneak back early and we’ll think of another way!" Yan Fei, not entirely reassured, gave him another piece of advice before letting him go.
Seeing nothing wrong around him, he decided to return to the vegetable greenhouse.
Upon his return, he patrolled a few rounds inside the greenhouse, teasing the tigers and murmuring, "Tonight, you guys can taste some meat that you haven’t eaten before..."
With that, he entered the greenhouse, lay back in the rattan chair, and zoned out.
In the dinosaur world, the Kronosaurus family had set up camp in a bay close to the river estuary, seemingly ready to make it their home.
The primeval forest was still buzzing with activity at twilight. The herbivorous dinosaurs were searching for safe places to rest at night, while the predators who had already hunted enough during the day were laying lazily in their dens. Some young ones were playing around their parents; some were even scrambling about on them.
These terrifyingly ferocious carnivorous dinosaurs were now lying quietly, afraid that their slightest movement would harm their young!
Far from there, scenes of predation were playing out. Warmth and cruelty, calmness and brutality - these were forever the themes of this world.
By the riverside, two spined dragons were confronting each other under the setting sun, growling out strong warnings. These two were not fighting over territory, but over the mating rights to another female spined dragon nearby.
People often say that a raging man is like a bull in heat. It’s clear that animals in heat are entirely irrational--just like prisoners who can’t control their lower bodies! For five seconds of pleasure, they lose their freedom for five or six years; how irrational is that?
The two spined dragons were the same. Despite their injuries, they were still showcasing their manliness to the female dragon.
In this kind of situation, no male, especially the top-ranked carnivores like the spined dragons, could back down!
Watching as the two spined dragons roared a few times before rushing forward, biting with their large mouths, clawing with their forelimbs, and even wrestling with their bodies, Yan Fei showed up not far from them. Like watching a live broadcast of Animal World, he even cheered them on.
The three spined dragons ignored the little creature nearby. He wasn’t even as big as their mouths, definitely not worth their attention.
The fierce brawl continued by the riverside under the setting sun, with the female spined dragon occasionally joining in cheering!