Wanted notice

"In that case, why don't you complete a bounty for me? Then I'll give you this stack of photos."

Yinlin stopped bickering with Ling An and suddenly made the offer.

"What bounty? Piece of cake." Ling An readily agreed.

There wasn't a single mission in Jinzhou he couldn't complete.

Yinlin took out a wanted notice and placed it in front of Ling An.

"Wanted! Wanted!

A powerful Tacet Discord racing through the Flaming Sea...

Challenge it! Defeat it! Destroy it!

Anyone who succeeds will receive a whopping bounty of one hundred thousand!

Issued by: Tide and Weather Research Center, affiliated with Huaxu Academy."

A black-and-white photograph was attached to the wanted notice.

He could vaguely make out a figure riding a motorcycle.

Ling An shifted his gaze from the wanted notice to Yinlin. "Sure, I can do it, but the reward is a hundred thousand."

Yinlin set down the wanted notice. "The Black Shores' intelligence is worth that price."

Ling An thought for a moment, then reached out a paw and pressed it against the wanted notice. "Deal!" he said quietly.

As a cat, he mooched food and drinks every day anyway. Money was no use to him.

"Very good." Yinlin's lips curved into a lovely smile.

She turned and strode away on her long, slender legs.

"I'll be waiting for your good news."

Ling An lowered his head to look at the Tacet Discord on the wanted notice, a glint flashing in his eyes.

Come to think of it, this would be his first encounter with a powerful Tacet Discord.

Interesting.

He examined the wanted notice again. A line of small print appeared at the very bottom:

"Interested parties should visit Professor Woodrow at the Eastern Foothills Research Station in Guixu Harbor City."

Guixu Harbor City, Eastern Foothills Research Station?

Ling An was momentarily stumped. Where was that?

Just then, his miniature Terminal suddenly received a message.

Ling An glanced at it. Surprisingly, it came from Jinzhou's largest logistics company-Wuwu Logistics.

Wuwu Logistics had sent him a rejection message.

As Ling An read the notification, a familiar term quickly caught his eye.

Guixu Harbor City.

Someone there had ordered goods from Wuwu Logistics, only to have the order rejected. Somehow, the rejection message had been sent to him instead.

The coincidence piqued Ling An's interest.

Wuwu Logistics' base was right beside Instructor Yan Yan's Training Camp, not far from here. He might as well go take a look.

He put away the wanted notice and headed toward Wuwu Logistics' base.

Only a road separated the base from the Training Camp.

When Ling An arrived nearby, he inevitably caught the attention of Yan Yan and the recruits at the Training Camp.

One recruit waved at him. "Patroller Ling An!"

Ling An looked up to see a dozen or so recruits poking their heads out to watch him.

They grew even more excited when they noticed him looking their way.

"Holy crap, it really is you!" someone exclaimed.

"Look, it's the cat who beat Jingming last time!" another called out.

"What do you mean, 'cat'? That's the Patroller!" someone else corrected him tactfully.

"Jingming, want to come take a look?" someone called into the Training Camp with a laugh.

Ling An remained unfazed by these recruits, who seemed to have energy to spare every day.

That earlier assessment had undoubtedly left a deep impression on Yan Yan and the recruits.

By now, he was probably a favorite topic of conversation around the Training Camp. Calling him a celebrity wouldn't even be an exaggeration.

"What are you staring at? Get back to training!"

At Yan Yan's roar, the recruits all pulled their heads back inside.

Ling An paid them no mind. He turned and stood before Wuwu Logistics' base.

Unexpectedly, a man and a woman were arguing inside.

"Manager Tang Manliu, have you forgotten Wuwu Logistics' guiding principle? If someone requests a delivery, we have to get it there!" the woman argued.

"Mimika, you know perfectly well how dangerous Guixu Harbor City is. Anyway, the delivery rejection email has already been sent. Just pretend this never happened." The manager, Tang Manliu, looked utterly serious.

Ling An stood at the entrance and listened for a while.

He soon understood what had happened.

Just moments ago, Wuwu Logistics had received an order from the Flaming Sea in Guixu Harbor City.

However, Manager Tang Manliu had refused delivery courier Mimika's request to take the shipment, saying it was too dangerous.

He had also sent an email declining the delivery, but that email had mistakenly ended up with Ling An.

With the whole story clear, Ling An couldn't be bothered to listen any longer.

Standing at the entrance, he pressed the switch. "I'm Ling An, a Patroller of Jinzhou."

The voice immediately brought their argument to a halt.

Tang Manliu looked around in bewilderment. "A Patroller? Where?"

There was no one at the entrance.

Mimika suddenly tapped him and pointed at Ling An by the door. "Manager, do you think it might be this cat?" she asked hesitantly.

Only then did Tang Manliu remember that a cat had apparently become a Patroller recently.

He hadn't expected to meet him so soon.

He hurriedly put on a smile. "Patroller, are you here to buy something or arrange a delivery?"

Ling An shook his head, then extended a paw toward Mimika. "I need her."

"Her?" Tang Manliu was puzzled.

Ling An used the Terminal's projection function to display the misdirected email before them.

Tang Manliu finally understood and apologized repeatedly. "I'm sorry. That email was meant for our customer..."

The Gourd's voice interrupted him as Ling An continued pointing at Mimika. "Guixu Harbor City. Lead the way."

Mimika's eyes lit up. "Manager, just let me go! Look, with this, uh... Patroller beside me, I'll be perfectly safe."

Tang Manliu refused coldly. "That's the Flaming Sea! Do you know how dangerous it is in there? Going there is practically suicide!"

His words sparked Ling An's curiosity. "Dangerous?" he asked.

"That's right, Patroller. The Flaming Sea is a sea of Flameblooms, and their pollen gives off a potent toxin."

As though trying to make Ling An and Mimika back down, he continued with an exceptionally grave expression:

"Not to mention all the terrifying Tacet Discords in there. Practically no one makes it out alive!"

"Tacet Discords?" Ling An asked curiously.

"Exactly!" Thinking Ling An was frightened, Tang Manliu nodded solemnly.

"Lots of them?" Ling An's eyes lit up.

"Yes..."

Watching Ling An's reaction, Tang Manliu suddenly sensed something was off.

There seemed to be something strange about this newly appointed cat Patroller.

Why hadn't he shown the slightest fear at the mention of Tacet Discords?

And why did he seem so eager?

Tang Manliu coughed twice. "Anyway, that's the situation. I absolutely won't allow my employees to throw their lives away. With any delivery, employee safety always comes first."

Mimika looked helpless.

She desperately wanted to complete this order to uphold Wuwu Logistics' commitment to delivering without fail.

Even if the destination was the Flaming Sea, she wasn't afraid in the slightest.

Just then, Ling An pressed the switch. "I'll go with her and protect her."

"You?" Tang Manliu gave Ling An a doubtful look.

True, this cat Patroller had reportedly helped bust an organization called the Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society a couple of days ago.

But the headline had made it perfectly clear: he had only helped.

"The Flaming Sea is incredibly dangerous," he said seriously. "I hope you'll give this some real thought."

Suddenly, a familiar voice came from behind Ling An.

"Tang Manliu, put your trust in this Patroller..."

Ling An turned around. A tall figure stood where the voice had come from.

It was Instructor Yan Yan!