Future Pet Shop

’Huh? Where did Maphario go?’ Shen Yibin had just started to relax seeing Xiaoliu get closer to the woodpecker. He glanced back beside him, only to find that Maphario seemed to have disappeared! He immediately tensed up. ’This is the deep wilderness! You’re so fragile; if you get lost, you’ll never make it back.’

Just as Shen Yibin was about to pull out the Pet Radar to find Maphario, Hah’Er grunted and tugged on his sleeve, pointing ahead. Shen Yibin followed his gaze and saw Maphario nimbly scurrying to the base of the old tree where the woodpecker was, then scrambling its way up.

’Hey, don’t do that! Xiaoliu is just about to get it! Aren’t you afraid you’ll disturb the bird? If it gets scared and flies off, when will we get another chance?’ Shen Yibin started to get anxious. He quickly stood up, wanting to call Maphario back, but the moment he rose, the woodpecker stopped pecking and looked in their direction. He immediately ducked behind the bushes. Luckily, the woodpecker didn’t spot him, but it was too late to stop Maphario.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" As if afraid the woodpecker wouldn’t notice it, Maphario kept squeaking as it climbed. But because of this, the woodpecker paid it no mind. ’Perhaps the woodpecker figured a mere little mouse couldn’t possibly be a threat?’

A pincer movement was now forming up ahead. Xiaoliu had already climbed to the top of the large tree next to the woodpecker’s, hiding the net behind its back with one paw. It blocked the woodpecker’s upward escape route. Maphario had also climbed up close to it, looking eager and ready to pounce.

"CHIRP!" Xiaoliu suddenly cried out. The woodpecker instinctively glanced over, only to see a large net blotting out the sky as it swooped down over its head. Well, the net wasn’t that big to Shen Yibin, but to the bird, it was unbelievably huge! Startled, the woodpecker kicked off the branch, flapped its wings forcefully, and tried to quickly escape the net’s reach.

But as luck would have it, it flew directly toward Maphario. The moment Maphario saw the woodpecker fly right beneath it, it reflexively leaped from the branch and pounced onto the bird. The woodpecker had dodged the net, but it couldn’t dodge Maphario’s flying pounce. In an instant, Maphario landed right on its back.

Ever since arriving at Shen Yibin’s pet store, Maphario had been eating well and sleeping well. Its figure had gradually started to resemble Hah’Er’s, and it was now a round little fatty. Its weight was nothing to scoff at. With such a heavy load suddenly on its back, the woodpecker found it couldn’t fly properly. It wobbled and tumbled downwards.

"Look out!" The scene terrified Shen Yibin. He leaped out from behind the bushes and dashed desperately toward where the woodpecker and Maphario were falling. ’If they hit the ground, it’s all over! You two better be okay!’

"CHIRP! CHIRP!" But Xiaoliu was faster. The moment Maphario pounced on the woodpecker’s back, Xiaoliu had already let go of its branch and dropped straight down. It extended a long arm and scooped up both the woodpecker and Maphario in its paw. Then, before hitting the ground, Xiaoliu shot out its other paw with lightning speed and, with a THWAP, grabbed another branch, coming to a steady halt in mid-air.

’Holy crap! That was so cool! A top enforcer from the Emei Sect indeed! That skill, those moves... definitely a first-rate Martial Arts master.’

After steadying itself, Xiaoliu didn’t linger in the tree. It swung from the branch with one arm, then again, and after a few fluid movements, it landed in front of Shen Yibin. Grinning to reveal its pearly white teeth, it presented Maphario and the woodpecker to Shen Yibin as if offering a treasure.

"Oh my god, don’t you ever do that again! Look how you scared me and Hah’Er." Shen Yibin quickly cupped Maphario in his hands, gently stroking its fur. ’This little guy really scared the daylights out of me. If the woodpecker escaped, we could always try to catch it again. But if you got hurt, Hah’Er and I would be heartbroken.’

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Maphario seemed to want to defend itself, but when Shen Yibin pointed to the spot where it had almost fallen, the little guy promptly rolled its eyes back and fainted. Looks like the belated fear finally hit it!

"It’s alright. It’s normal for a timid little thing to feel some belated fear after doing something so dangerous. Just hold him and let him rest for a bit. He should wake up soon," Shen Yibin said comfortingly, placing Maphario into Hah’Er’s paws.

’Alright, now that all the other problems are solved, it’s time to check if this woodpecker is the Mutant Animal I’m looking for.’ Shen Yibin carefully took the woodpecker, pulled out his phone, and opened the Pet Radar. He walked around in circles for a while, checking from every angle, and saw that the orange dot of light consistently followed his movements. Now, Shen Yibin was finally certain: this woodpecker was his target in the Qinling Mountain Range.

’Hmm, a completely crimson crest, a white forehead, a black-and-white patterned body, a pale crimson rump, and white spots forming patches on its wings and outer tail feathers... It occasionally lets out a "KIK, KIK" sound and doesn’t seem too afraid of me.’ This had to be a White-backed Woodpecker. The Qinling Mountain Range was this species’ natural habitat. Comparing it with the results of his earlier phone search, Shen Yibin confirmed the woodpecker’s identity.

He sat back down in front of Hah’Er. Maphario had already woken up and was happily nibbling on a piece of nut brittle. Xiaoliu had also retrieved the lost net. Shen Yibin then began to prepare the medicine for the bird.

"Hah’Er, help me hold it so it doesn’t fly away." Shen Yibin handed the woodpecker to Hah’Er. Hah’Er quickly mimicked Shen Yibin’s posture, cupping the bird in its paws. Xiaoliu stood by, ready to act at a moment’s notice in case it tried to escape.

Shen Yibin took the pill from an inner pocket and gently offered it to the woodpecker’s beak. "Here, try this. It’s really tasty!" ’You’d better eat it nicely. Don’t make me pry your beak open and force-feed you. That wouldn’t be pretty.’

At first, the woodpecker was resistant and ignored Shen Yibin. But it couldn’t stand him constantly dangling the pill by its beak. After a few moments, it finally couldn’t resist and took a peck. Once it started, it couldn’t be stopped. PECK PECK PECK PECK PECK! After a flurry of pecks, the pill was completely gone.

’Alright, now all I have to do is wait for the medicine to take effect.’