Qian Yu switched on the thermal imager, carefully scanning the undergrowth for indentations or tracks left by a snake.

Meanwhile, Yang Qi quietly activated his Great Derivation Spirit-Controlling Technique to heighten his sensitivity to life auras.

The auras of ordinary snakes weren’t exactly rare in a wide-open park like this, teeming with lush vegetation and small animals.

But after carefully sifting through them, Yang Qi did manage to catch a trace of a unique aura amidst the jumble—one that was extremely faint, carrying a cold and slightly musky scent.

This aura was identical to the one he had sensed from the leather bag back at the restaurant!

It felt like a slippery, icy thread, leading intermittently toward a pile of rocks on the lakeshore.

"Qian Yu, over here."

Yang Qi pointed toward the rocks. "It might have gone that way. If this snake is as brightly colored and fast as the old man said, it could be aggressive, and we don’t know if it’s venomous. Tell everyone to be careful. No one should be turning over rocks or digging through the brush with their bare hands."

"Understood."

Qian Yu immediately got on his radio, instructing his colleagues and the park staff to expand the perimeter and pay special attention to the rocky area by the lake, while also reminding everyone to take protective measures.

Guided by his flashlight beam, Yang Qi slowly approached the pile of rocks.

It was a stack of ornamental rocks, full of crevices—a perfect hiding spot for snakes.

The cold aura grew stronger here, but it remained elusive, as if it were constantly on the move.

’This snake is very alert, and its movements are incredibly fast,’ Yang Qi thought.

He tried to pinpoint the aura’s exact location, but the snake seemed to possess a natural talent for concealment, its presence flickering in and out of his perception. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Just as he and Qian Yu were searching the rocks, a flicker of movement in his peripheral vision caught Yang Qi’s eye. Beyond the park’s wrought-iron fence, standing in a shadow untouched by the streetlights, was what looked like a slender figure.

Short hair, an off-white t-shirt.

Su Wenxuan!

’She actually followed us?’

And she was standing just outside the police tape, quietly watching them.

Her face was hard to make out in the dim light of the evening, but Yang Qi could feel her gaze fixed on the pile of rocks, as if she were searching for something.

’Is she looking for the snake, too?’

’She didn’t let it out...’

’Or was there an accident, and the snake escaped?’

As he pondered this, Yang Qi felt the cold aura in the rock pile suddenly tremble. Then, it shot off at an even greater speed, moving away from the lakeshore and toward a small bamboo grove deeper in the park.

"There’s movement!"

Yang Qi immediately moved closer to Qian Yu and said in a low voice, "The snake is heading for the bamboo grove."

Without a hint of doubt, Qian Yu signaled his colleagues and raised his radio. "All units, be advised, the target is moving toward the bamboo grove. Cordon off the perimeter!"

The police officers and park security guards sprang into action.

Beyond the wrought-iron fence.

Su Wenxuan’s expression grew anxious as she watched the police move.

She was frantic but didn’t dare reveal herself.

She saw that the handsome young man she’d met once before at the restaurant was actually with the police, apparently assisting the search as an "Animal Expert"!

’From the Zoo?’

Su Wenxuan immediately recalled some short videos she had seen. They had mentioned the Donghua Wildlife Park a few times, and there was apparently a famous young keeper there who could communicate with animals or something.

’Could that be him?’

Su Wenxuan watched as the young man carefully inspected the edge of the bamboo grove, his expression focused and his movements professional.

Her heart was in her throat. She was afraid he would find the snake, yet she also clung to a sliver of hope.

If he found the snake, given his status as a Zoo employee, he might follow the standard procedure for escaped or abandoned animals. That would give her a chance to get the snake back by claiming it as a "lost pet" or some other excuse. The risk was huge, but it was better than the snake disappearing completely or being dealt with by the police as a dangerous species.

However, the search didn’t seem to be going smoothly.

The police and the young man searched the bamboo grove for a while but found nothing.

Seeing this, Su Wenxuan took the opportunity under the cover of darkness to quietly pull out a small leather pouch. She poured the remaining pheromone-laced herbs into her palm and began calling out in an extremely low voice, her fingers making the familiar, soothing gestures she used to calm the little snake.

It was a little snake-taming trick she had learned from the seller.

The call was a success.

The special pheromones for this type of snake, emanating from the herbs in Su Wenxuan’s palm and mixing with her own scent heightened by her anxiety, created a faint guide in the air.

The little snake, which had taken fright and was hiding deep in a crevice in a corner of the bamboo grove, sensed the familiar and soothing scent. It began to move slowly in Su Wenxuan’s general direction.

The process was slow, as the little snake was extremely wary, moving in fits and starts.

However, Su Wenxuan’s actions happened to fall right under the watchful gaze of Yang Qi, who had been secretly observing her the whole time!