"We're almost there!"
Benjamin Cao, who was driving, glanced at the electronic map on the navigation screen. The moving icon marking their vehicle had reached the end of the planned route.
The SUV drove into a valley dotted with wooden cabins.
"This is the task force's temporary headquarters. It used to be a Boy Scout training camp, but we've rented it now. The rent's cheap, and it's a better deal than staying in tents. It's got everything—running water, electricity, and internet. No need to worry about wind or rain."
Zhao Ziwu showed Li Bai and his senior brother around the cabins in the valley, then let out a huge yawn.
He'd slept for more than three hours on the way here, and most of his energy had finally returned.
When they saw the vehicle arrive, someone poked their head out of one of the cabins to look.
The grayish-yellow bird circling above the SUV quickly darted into one of the cabins.
"Old Zhao's back!"
A few seconds later, a young woman dashed out of the cabin and ran to meet the SUV.
"Yooo... Junior Brother, you've got game!"
Seeing the young woman sprinting toward them, Benjamin Cao couldn't resist whistling as he brought the SUV to a stop.
"She's a colleague, just a colleague!" Zhao Ziwu awkwardly protested. He opened the door and climbed out, then spread his palm to reveal a few pellets of chick feed.
"Xiaoya, is your shift over?"
The grayish-yellow bird, its claws gripping the young woman's shoulder, fluttered over and landed on his palm without hesitation. It bobbed its little head, quickly pecked up all the food, then flew back and chirped at Zhao Ziwu, clearly wanting more.
Birds needed highly nutritious food. For anyone who couldn't mix their own feed, ordinary chick feed was