This was a clouded leopard!
Not just a carnivorous beast, but a top-tier jungle predator!
Nicknamed the "Little Saber-Toothed Tiger."
It was also a Class I nationally protected animal.
The crucial thing was, this species had long since vanished from the Southern China Region. Where did this mother and cub come from?
'Smuggled over from Nanyun?'
[Untamed "Lightning Leopard" detected. Host can lead it back to the sect to obtain contribution points.]
'Lead it back to the sect?'
'I'd love to, but the problem now is *how*...'
'No, saving the officer is the priority!'
The situation was urgent. Yang Qi suppressed all his distracting thoughts, took a shallow breath, and kept his eyes locked on the clouded leopard's amber gaze, which was filled with wildness and vigilance.
He slowed his tone, speaking in an extremely soft voice, as if afraid to startle something.
"Easy now..."
"We mean you no harm."
"Look, your cub is fine. It's okay."
...
The clouded leopard's athletic body remained tense and unmoving, but its long, thick tail flicked deftly, gently brushing against the little cub hiding by its flank as if to confirm its safety.
Swept by its mother's tail, the little cub let out a faint "MEW MEW."
It lifted its head, its clear, innocent eyes looking curiously at Yang Qi.
An idea struck Yang Qi. He gave the little cub a friendly smile and beckoned gently with his hand.
The little cub whimpered, looking from its mother, whose fur was standing on end as she growled, to Yang Qi, whose presence felt very comforting. After a moment's hesitation, it actually took a few steps forward on its wobbly little legs, emerging from behind its mother and tentatively approaching him.
"GROWL!"
The mother leopard immediately let out a warning growl. This time, however, it didn't stop its cub. Instead, it moved its gaping maw away from the female officer's neck, swiftly and gently grabbing the little cub by the scruff, and retreated a step, putting some distance between itself and the crowd.
Throughout the entire process, it kept facing the people, its body slightly crouched in a defensive and intimidating posture, but the violent killing intent in its eyes had clearly faded.
Its gaze toward Yang Qi now held not just vigilance, but also a hint of indescribable curiosity.
"Hello, my name is Yang Qi."
Yang Qi maintained his gentle smile, trying to communicate with it. "Your cub is really cute. Where did you two come from?"
"Mew mew~"
Dangling from its mother's mouth with its four paws in the air, the little cub squirmed restlessly and responded to Yang Qi with a faint cry.
The clouded leopard snorted a puff of hot, rank air from its nostrils and gave Yang Qi a deep look, as if to memorize the face of this peculiar human.
The next moment, without any warning, it spun around, and with its cub still in its mouth, transformed into a flash of gold and black lightning. It shot toward the villa's main entrance at an astonishing speed, disappearing from view in a few bounds, leaving only the faint, wild scent in the air.
"PHEW—"
Only after the clouded leopard's figure had completely vanished did all the petrified police officers in the hall let out the long, pent-up breaths they had been holding.
Many of them collapsed, some sliding down against the walls, others sinking onto the expensive leather sofas and chairs. Every one of them was pale, their eyes filled with lingering fear and shock.
The two police dogs, Black Panther and Bai Feng, also seemed to have a massive weight lifted from their shoulders. They stopped their anxious growling, trotted over to Yang Qi's side, and affectionately rubbed against his legs, letting out dependent whimpers.
Wang Chao, on the other hand, went weak in the knees and, with a THUD, fell right on his rear, a dazed and vacant look on his face as if his soul had left his body.
He clearly hadn't recovered from the sheer terror of that near-death experience.
"Xiaogu!"
Sun Zhenghong shouted, the first to react. He rushed over to the unconscious oval-faced female officer, crouched down, and quickly checked her breathing and pulse.
"Phew... It's okay. She just fainted from shock. The skin on her neck is a little broken, but it's not serious."
After confirming her condition, Sun Zhenghong let out a long sigh, his taut nerves finally relaxing a little.
He then stood up, strode over to Yang Qi, and grabbed his hands tightly, shaking them vigorously. His voice was filled with sincere, lingering fear and gratitude.
"Keeper Yang, we really owe you this time! Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, the consequences would have been unthinkable!"
"Right, right."
"Good thing we had Yang Qi."
"..."
The other officers gradually came to their senses and gathered around, thanking Yang Qi with palpable relief.
One by one, they came up to him, some clapping him firmly on the shoulder, others shaking his hand solemnly, their eyes filled with the relief of having survived and sincere admiration.
They were here to execute a search warrant for an economic crime case. No one had expected to be attacked by such a dangerous wild animal, so none of them were carrying firearms.
If not for Yang Qi, a major incident would have absolutely occurred today.
Yang Qi's performance just now was beyond that of a mere keeper; he was better than a Beast Tamer.
It was simply miraculous. He was a miracle worker!
"It was nothing. I was just trying my luck. I didn't expect to actually scare it off."
Faced with the chorus of thanks, Yang Qi said this sincerely while trying to calm his own racing heart.
Thinking back on the clouded leopard's terrifying speed and explosive power sent a chill down Yang Qi's spine.
While an animal like a clouded leopard lacks stamina after an initial burst, in a close-quarters attack, it could have killed half the people in the living room before tiring.
Including the two police dogs!
"Regardless, we owe you for this. Everyone in the Economic Crime Investigation Division of the Hongshu Branch will remember that you saved our lives!"
Sun Zhenghong thanked him solemnly once again.
"Not at all, Captain Sun. You're exaggerating," Yang Qi said, waving his hand.
Sun Zhenghong didn't say more. After another word of thanks, his expression darkened. He turned and strode toward the villa's main entrance, bellowing at a young, equally pale-faced officer guarding the estate gate.
"Zhou Zhen! What kind of job are you doing? Didn't you say there was a 'Clouded Cat' inside?"
"This is a goddamn clouded leopard! A full-grown clouded leopard!"
"Do you realize your mistake nearly got everyone killed?"
"..."
The officer named Zhou Zhen opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but seeing his captain's murderous glare and his still-shaken colleagues inside, he swallowed his words and hung his head in shame.
"I'm sorry, Captain. I didn't get a clear look..."
The clouded leopard had suddenly rushed down from the mountain behind the villa, scaling the wall as if it were flat ground. By the time Zhou Zhen saw it, it was already right in front of him and charging into the hall.
"'Didn't get a clear look?' Do you have any idea that could have gotten everyone killed?"
Sun Zhenghong raged again, his chest heaving.
Zhou Zhen kept his head down, not daring to speak.
Listening from inside, Yang Qi and the other officers understood Sun Zhenghong's fury. No one dared to interrupt at a time like this.
Fortunately, Sun Zhenghong also knew he couldn't blame Zhou Zhen too much. The clouded leopard had simply been too fast.
After venting, he suppressed his anger and gritted his teeth. "Call Lao Liu! Tell him to immediately interrogate Dong Riqi and find out what the hell is going on with this clouded leopard! Damn it..."
He waved his hand in frustration.
"Forget it, I'll call him myself!"
With that, he pulled out his phone, walked to the side, and started dialing...
Inside, Yang Qi walked over to Wang Chao, who was still sitting paralyzed on the floor, and offered a hand to help him up.
"Officer Wang, it's over now."
"Th-thank you..." Wang Chao's voice was still trembling. He used Yang Qi's support to get to his feet, then staggered to a sofa and sat down, burying his face in his hands, his shoulders shaking slightly.
Seeing this, Yang Qi didn't know what else to say, so he began to wander slowly around the hall.
"AHH!"
Suddenly, the unconscious, oval-faced female officer on the floor let out a piercing shriek and her eyes flew open.
"Don't eat me! Don't eat me!"
...
"Xiaogu, it's okay! The leopard's gone!"
"Sister Gu, you're safe now."
The officers nearby quickly rushed over to calm her down. A female officer even hugged her tightly, comforting her in a soft voice.
Watching this scene, Yang Qi quietly turned, walked out of the hall, and went into the courtyard outside to get some fresh air.
Just then, Sun Zhenghong finished his call. He put away his phone, his face livid. Seeing Yang Qi come out, he took a deep breath, exhaled heavily, and said in a low voice,
"I've figured it out."