Animal Detective

By the time Tang Tongxue ran off and returned with the so-called hat, it was already almost five in the afternoon.

Shen Xin sized up the hat. It was shaped like an ordinary bowler hat.

It was very thick, and its front was perforated with a honeycomb pattern of holes dense enough to give someone with trypophobia a panic attack. It even had a feather-like texture.

The whole thing was made of medical-grade silicone. According to Teacher Chen, it wasn’t cheap.

They had also prepared everything for extraction and preservation.

Then, one by one, they all turned to stare expectantly at Shen Xin.

Teddy, of course, was no exception.

"This... this is so awkward," Shen Xin said.

Doniya had been enjoying the show all day. Now that it was nearing the finale, she couldn’t let it end on a flat note.

Seeing Shen Xin’s hesitation, she offered to do it herself.

’It’s just putting on a hat, anyway,’ she thought. ’It shouldn’t matter who does it.’

Shen Xin sighed. "Forget it. He has to accept you first."

Having come this far, Shen Xin stopped overthinking it. He plopped the hat onto his head and looked at Teddy, who was whimpering on the floor.

Just as Teacher Chen had said, animals in heat were like a tinderbox waiting for a spark.

A single glance from Shen Xin was all it took. Teddy immediately flapped his wings and landed on Shen Xin’s head.

"Get ready!"

Beside them, Teacher Chen and the other two had already put on sterile gloves, fully prepared.

’For science, for science,’ Shen Xin chanted inwardly, trying his best not to move.

Teddy flapped his wings atop his head, and then... it was over.

Including the time it took to get into position, the whole process from landing on his head probably took a dozen seconds, maybe?

Teddy slowly descended to the floor, whimpering excitedly.

Before Shen Xin could even react, Teacher Chen and his team had snatched the hat away as if it were a priceless treasure.

Shen Xin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as he looked at Teddy.

’So you’re a quick-draw artist, huh.’

The bird flapped its wings, hopping around on the floor.

He had the air of someone filled with the relief and abandon of having fulfilled a great purpose in life.

Then, he flapped his wings and landed on the table next to Shen Xin, staring intently at him and crying softly.

Before Shen Xin’s astonished eyes, a favorability icon appeared above Teddy’s head.

First it was green, and then it... filled up completely?

Then it quickly turned yellow and filled up too!

Shen Xin’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the icon above Teddy’s head turn to the third stage: red.

Yuexiao’s favorability had increased quickly enough.

But Teddy’s speed simply stunned Shen Xin.

With such a sudden surge in favorability, Teddy seemed a bit dazed.

’The talent’s effects probably still need time to kick in.’

Shen Xin beckoned to him.

After a brief hesitation, he immediately hopped onto Shen Xin’s shoulder.

Then he gently rubbed his head against Shen Xin’s cheek, letting out a long, low cry.

The moment they touched, a series of images immediately flashed through Shen Xin’s mind.

A fierce wind howled. The blue sky and white clouds were right overhead, and a vast grassland stretched out below.

Then, his vision focused, as if a camera was optically zooming at incredible speed, locking onto a wild rabbit on the prairie.

It was the same wild rabbit that Teddy had caught earlier.

It had just run out of its burrow and was cautiously looking left and right, surveying its surroundings.

The image was incredibly clear.

Shen Xin could even see the rabbit’s dark eyes blinking.

Just then, as the rabbit darted out, the point of view began to move.

It seemed to be circling.

Then, Teddy made his move.

In an instant, it was like a supercar flooring the gas pedal. The surrounding scenery actually... slowed down.

It was like bullet time in the movies.

Shen Xin could see the rabbit moving as if it had been hit with a slow-down debuff. The blades of grass it ran over sprang back up in slow motion.

It wasn’t that Teddy was slow, but that he was too fast.

In a flash, Teddy was already incredibly close.

The rabbit had already sensed the approaching danger and kicked off the ground forcefully.

Shen Xin could even see the muscles in its powerful hind legs contracting.

It tried to change direction and escape.

But it was useless. It was as if Teddy had an aimbot turned on; the rabbit’s every move could not escape his sight.

The point of view moved with it like a shadow.

Then, just at the moment of impact with the ground, it came to a sudden halt.

Shen Xin saw Teddy extend his talons, gripping the rabbit’s head and back with cold precision. With a sudden twist and a puff of dust, the rabbit instantly went still.

He shook his head, and the vision vanished.

Shen Xin looked at Teddy on his shoulder in utter disbelief.

The entire time, it felt like he was wearing a panoramic VR headset, possessing Teddy and experiencing the hunt firsthand.

’So cool!’

And...

Shen Xin sucked in a sharp breath. A sudden thought struck him: now that their bond was at the third stage, didn’t having Teddy mean he basically had his own high-altitude reconnaissance drone?

After a moment of thought, Shen Xin quickly ran out of the room with Teddy.

With an upward toss of his hand, Teddy flapped his wings and immediately soared high into the sky.

He was excited too, circling in the air and letting out occasional cries.

Shen Xin whistled towards the sky.

Hearing it, Teddy immediately circled back down and landed on Shen Xin’s shoulder.

[Here!]

Shen Xin could even hear his thoughts now.

Shen Xin reached out and touched him.

In an instant, he saw the image of Teddy circling high in the sky.

He saw the entire Gacha, with Camp No. 2 right below.

Then Shen Xin saw himself.

The image was so clear... could he even see the pimple he got from staying up too late?

The feeling was too incredible.

Looking at Teddy, Shen Xin had another thought. ’Since he can do reconnaissance, what if I give him a target?’

’A person, for example?’

Shen Xin turned his head and looked at Doniya.

Doniya was still watching Shen Xin command Teddy with a face full of envy. Sensing his gaze, she asked warily, "What?"

Shen Xin said immediately, "I need you to do me a favor."