Chapter 138: Rats and Birds Come to Help
Chapter 138: Chapter 138: Rats and Birds Come to Help
Renee Jennings had thought Old Hag Crawford would be the one punished for this, but to her surprise, it was Hugh Warren.
"Old Hag Crawford is so shameless," Rhea Dempsey clicked her tongue in amazement. "And she’s actually proud of it."
"It’s certainly an eye-opener," Renee Jennings couldn’t help but remark.
Rhea Dempsey opened her phone. The neighborhood chat group was buzzing with discussions about the incident.
Perhaps because Old Hag Crawford was so utterly shameless, no one bothered to hold back, even though she was in the group chat too.
Shameless as she was, Old Hag Crawford was still furious that everyone was discussing her like she was some kind of joke.
She stayed home, cursing up a storm, while Hugh Warren was out drinking with colleagues to drown his sorrows.
When her daughter, Joy Warren, and son, Xander Warren, found out, they felt their mother, Old Hag Crawford, had utterly humiliated them. The two siblings sent a barrage of messages in the family group chat, blaming her.
Old Hag Crawford felt deeply wronged. She held down the voice message button to reply, "You all blame me! But who do you think I’m doing this for? I’m doing it all for you! The money I earn is all to leave to you..."
Joy Warren: "Three thousand yuan split two ways means I only get fifteen hundred. What am I supposed to do with that little bit of money?"
Xander Warren: "I don’t want money you earned that way! It’s filthy!"
Hearing her son and daughter say this, Old Hag Crawford wailed so loudly that the neighbors upstairs and downstairs could all hear her.
As pathetic as her cries were, no one sympathized with her. Everyone just thought she was getting what she deserved.
**
「Two days later.」
Renee Jennings arrived at the police station and learned that Kyle Morgan and Zachary Conway, disguised as rich playboys, had successfully made contact with the wild game traffickers.
Seeing how freely they spent money, the traffickers mysteriously told them they had some "premium stuff."
Henry Stark said gravely, "After Kai did some digging, the other party revealed a little more. The ’premium stuff’ they’re talking about might be macaques."
"Could it be Yumi?" Renee Jennings’s eyes suddenly lit up.
"I think it’s possible," Levi Hollis said. "But they’re extremely cautious when they deliver the live animals."
Henry Stark said calmly, "That’s why we want you to ask your animal friends to help with surveillance. We need to catch them red-handed."
"I understand." Renee Jennings thought for a moment before speaking. "In that case, let’s have the birds and mice help. They won’t attract much attention."
"Good." Henry Stark nodded. "I’ll contact the tech department now to prepare micro-cameras with GPS for real-time surveillance."
Renee Jennings left the police station and began contacting her animal friends.
Jack the Mouse arrived with his friends and relatives.
Mary the Sparrow, now fully recovered from her injuries, was eager to get started. "Spying on people is what we sparrows do best!"
"Mary, are you sure you’re up for it?" Renee Jennings asked, concerned. "Why don’t you rest for a while longer?"
"I can do it!" Mary the Sparrow flapped her wings, circling around her a few times. "Look, Renee! I’m flying great again!"
"All right, then." Renee Jennings instructed her, "But if you run into any danger, you must retreat immediately. Don’t just rush in foolishly like last time, understand?"
Mary the Sparrow nodded. "I understand."
Renee Jennings reached out and stroked its little head. "First, you’ll all have to come with me to the police station. We need to fit you with some electronic devices."
"No problem!" Mary the Sparrow and Jack the Mouse agreed in unison.
The red BMW pulled up to the police station entrance once again.
Renee Jennings walked into the conference room carrying a black bag.
She unzipped the black bag, revealing more than a dozen mice inside.
Anyone with a fear of mice would probably faint on the spot at the sight.
Renee Jennings placed the food she had prepared on the conference table, and the mice scrambled out to eat.
She looked at them and said gently, "Alright everyone, in a moment, these officers are going to put some electronic devices on you. You don’t need to be afraid. They won’t hurt you."
Getting mice to hold still long enough to be fitted with electronic devices would normally be a monumental task.
But with a single word from Renee Jennings, they all became perfectly still and compliant.
Renee Jennings turned, opened the conference room window, and called out, "Mary, Inky..."
In no time, more than a dozen birds flew in through the window in an orderly procession.
The birds lined up on the conference table, their small, bean-like black eyes watching curiously as the mice at the other end of the table were fitted with their devices.
"Go ahead and eat something first," Renee Jennings said softly. "Once they’re done, it’ll be your turn. Don’t be scared, it won’t hurt. It’ll just feel like you’re wearing an extra layer of clothes."
The birds weren’t afraid at all. In fact, they seemed a little excited and expectant.
"Whoa, Jack, you look so handsome with that gear on," Mary the Sparrow commented, looking at Jack the Mouse across the table.
Jack the Mouse was both shy and pleased. "Thanks for the compliment."
The other mice couldn’t help but ask, "What about me? Aren’t I handsome?"
Mary the Sparrow lifted her chin haughtily. "You’re not quite there, but not bad either."
The newly-equipped mice were extremely excited, commenting on each other’s new looks.
"Hey, you look surprisingly good in that!"
"You too! You kind of look like a mouse warrior!"
"Check me out, do I look cool?"
"..."
After getting their gear, the birds excitedly flapped their wings, zipping back and forth in mid-air to show off.
"Renee, we’re ready for battle!" Mary the Sparrow exclaimed, especially thrilled.
Renee Jennings looked at her, a smile in her eyes. "Alright, Warrior Mary."
She turned her head to Henry Stark. "So what’s the plan now?"
Henry Stark explained seriously, "First, they’ll follow Kai and Zachary to the restaurant. Then, they’ll follow the staff from there to find where they’re keeping the wild animals."
The traffickers are extremely cautious. They don’t butcher the animals at the restaurant; the meat is already processed before it’s delivered.
"Okay." Renee Jennings nodded. She turned, walked over to the mice and birds, and relayed their mission.
Zachary Conway watched the scene with curiosity and leaned over to whisper in Kyle Morgan’s ear, "Do you think these mice and birds can actually help?"
"I think so," Kyle Morgan said confidently. "So many of our past cases were solved with help from animals. I’m sure this one will be no different."
As the two were talking, they suddenly noticed that the mice and birds had gathered in front of them.
Renee Jennings said, "Let them get familiar with your scents so they don’t lose track of you."
"Right." Kyle Morgan nodded and scratched his head. "I would’ve put on some cologne if I’d known."
Zachary Conway teased, "What’s the matter? Didn’t shower last night? Afraid you’ll stink out our new friends?"
Hearing this, Renee Jennings added nonchalantly, "It’s fine. They’ve smelled every bad odor imaginable."
Kyle Morgan: "..."
’The most casual comments are always the most cutting.’
He sniffed himself and gave an embarrassed laugh. "It’s not actually that bad. I was just so tired after work last night that I fell asleep on the sofa as soon as I got home. I didn’t skip my shower on purpose."
Levi Hollis raised an eyebrow. "It’s fine. You don’t have a girlfriend anyway, so no one cares if you showered or not."
Kyle Morgan protested, "But there’s a lady present! I can’t have Renee getting the wrong idea!"