Future Pet Shop

From the fleeting glimpse, Shen Yibin got a clear look at the animal's form. It was about fifty centimeters long, its body covered in fluffy white fur, with a large, equally white tail trailing behind it. It had pointed ears and a triangular face. Based on these features and the information he'd gathered beforehand, Shen Yibin easily identified it as a Snow Fox.

The Snow Fox, also known as the Arctic Fox, typically lives within the Arctic region, in places like Russia, Canada, Alaska, Greenland, and the outer edges of the Svalbard Islands, as well as sub-Arctic and alpine regions like Iceland, the Scandinavian mainland, and northern Siberia. Although this was already the northernmost part of China, it was still a considerable distance from the Arctic Circle. 'Why would a Snow Fox come all the way out here?'

As he was pondering this, he heard a rustling sound up ahead. He looked up and saw that the Snow Fox hadn't run far; it was hiding behind a thicket, staring warily in his direction.

Shen Yibin continued to recall the information he'd gathered. A Snow Fox's diet included lemmings, fish, birds and their eggs, berries, and arctic hares; sometimes they would also roam the coast to catch shellfish. In the summer, when food was plentiful, an Arctic Fox would store some of it in its den. In winter, when the stored food ran out, Snow Foxes would follow polar bears and scavenge their leftovers. 'It's winter now, and this isn't a Snow Fox's natural habitat. It must be having a hard time finding food. It's probably starving, which is why it's reluctant to leave. It's hoping to get something to eat from me.'

'Uh, all I have left in my bag are compressed biscuits and energy bars. Nothing you'd like.' 'Hmm? Lemmings are rodents from the hamster family, which makes them relatives of Maphario. Don't tell me this thing is after Maphario?' Shen Yibin quickly turned to look at Hah'Er and saw Maphario poking its head out of Hah'Er's pocket.

Shen Yibin quickly gestured for Maphario to pull its head back. 'It can't let the Snow Fox see it! Given the burst of speed it just showed, I'd never be able to catch it in this snow. If Maphario, oblivious to the danger, crawls out of that pocket, the fox could swallow it whole in an instant.'

"Here, how about you try this? It's a fish-flavored compressed biscuit!" Shen Yibin returned to his backpack and rummaged through it. He pulled out a few compressed biscuits, picked one with a flavor the Snow Fox might like, and gently tossed it near the thicket. Then, he raised his hands and slowly backed away to show that he wasn't a threat.

Perhaps it smelled a familiar scent. The Snow Fox mustered its courage and walked out from behind the thicket. It lowered its head, sniffed the compressed biscuit, stuck out its tongue for a lick, and then disdainfully smacked it away with a paw. 'This thing smells okay, I guess, but it tastes awful.'

'Hey, you're so hungry you're staggering, but you're still this picky?' Shen Yibin was exasperated. 'Huh? Wait a minute. Its staggering just now... it didn't look like it was just from hunger. Is its paw injured? There seem to be a few red spots on its left front paw. It looks like a wound that hasn't healed yet.'

'No wonder it's starving. Logically, even though there are no lemmings or shellfish around here, there should still be rabbits. With a Snow Fox's hunting prowess, catching a few rabbits shouldn't be an issue. It shouldn't be this hungry. It seems the injury to its leg has impaired its hunting ability, and that's why it can't get enough to eat.'

'What a poor thing. All alone, so far from home, and injured on top of it all. If I hadn't found you, you'd probably be dead in a few more days.' Shen Yibin scratched his head. 'Sympathy is one thing, but how am I supposed to catch it? Despite being injured and hungry, judging by that burst of speed from earlier, I'm not sure I can actually grab it.'

Shen Yibin glanced back at Maphario again. 'Uh, how about you pretend to be a lemming? You could run over and act as bait, lure it over to me, and then I'll grab it.'

"Maphario, your time to make a sacrifice for the team has come!" Shen Yibin went back to Hah'Er's side, pointed at the distant Snow Fox, and explained his request with a combination of gestures and miming.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK!" Maphario clutched Hah'Er's pocket for dear life, refusing to come out no matter what. Even though it had never seen a Snow Fox before, a deep-seated, instinctual fear of its natural predator meant it didn't even dare to look in the fox's direction, let alone act as bait. If they actually let it out, Maphario would likely collapse in terror before it even got close, becoming a free lunch delivery. There was no way it could lure the Snow Fox over to Shen Yibin like that.

'Alright, forget it. Looking at you, sending you out would be pointless. You'd just be a free meal.' Shen Yibin shook his head, no longer bothering with Maphario, and resumed his search for food.

His luck wasn't half bad. After turning his backpack inside out, he finally managed to find a half-eaten bag of dried fish snacks. He quickly pulled them out, tore them into small pieces, and tossed them toward the distant Snow Fox.

This time, the snack was finally to the Snow Fox's liking. The little creature limped out from behind the thicket and ate the dried fish pieces one by one. Shen Yibin smiled in satisfaction. He backed away slowly, creating a trail with the fish pieces, planning to pounce and grab the fox as soon as it was within reach. Then, he would feed it the pill.

The Snow Fox was getting closer and closer; his ruse was about to succeed. Shen Yibin grinned and reached into the snack bag, ready to toss out another piece. But after fumbling around inside for a moment, all he could feel were crumbs. There hadn't been much left in the half-eaten bag to begin with. He'd been so excited when the Snow Fox took the bait that he'd forgotten to pace himself and had carelessly thrown all the pieces out.

'Damn it, it was just a few steps away!' The Snow Fox had already finished the trail of fish snacks and was now looking up at the bag in Shen Yibin's hand, poised to flee at any second.

'Okay, I can't worry about that now. If I hesitate, who knows when I'll get a chance this good again.' Shen Yibin gritted his teeth, his mind made up. He discreetly reached into his jacket, pulled the pill from an inner pocket, and dropped it into the snack bag. He coated the pill with the leftover crumbs, then took it out and tossed it toward the Snow Fox.

'Come on, just eat it. It's delicious, I promise. Once you eat this, you'll never have to go hungry again,' Shen Yibin prayed silently, his eyes fixed on the Snow Fox, desperately hoping it would hurry up and eat the pill.