When Mu Zimo stood at the edge of the pit, his gaze shifted from the various tools to Qiao An, who was grinning foolishly with a fawning, credit-seeking look on her face.
"Um, I was really just out here live-streaming a treasure hunt, Officer. You have to believe me!"
The haughty owl, looking down on everyone, stood on Qiao An's head, spread its wings, and let out a strange AOW AOW cry.
"Foolish humans, surrender to the sound of my howl..."
Annoyed, Qiao An wanted to pull the owl off her head, but it stubbornly insisted on staying there, refusing to fly away.
"Stop it, you're so loud!"
The scolded owl finally quieted down. It stared with its big eyes, rotating its head to survey the crowd. It was, one had to admit, a little creepy.
Xie Shan was a little spooked. He ducked behind Mu Zimo and muttered, "Boss, we're in the middle of nowhere with this owl... this place isn't haunted, is it?"
The only response Xie Shan got was a sharp pain on the back of his head. He shut his mouth and continued his staring contest with the owl.
"Um, it's getting late. Should we head back to the station?"
Making her second trip to the station, Qiao An expertly hopped into the police car. She'd been standing in the cold wind, and it was just too cold.
The owl, which had desperately latched onto Qiao An with its talons, was now held in her arms, motionless, like a big, fluffy toy.
"Um... that owl is probably a Class II nationally protected animal. You can't take it."
Xie Shan had just reached out a hand when he was startled by the owl's suddenly swiveling head. It opened its beak to peck him but was stopped by Qiao An, who grabbed it with lightning speed.
"You be good and listen. If you cause any more trouble, you can go back to sleeping in a tree!" The displeased Qiao An shook the owl's head and lectured it bluntly, "How dare you attack a police officer! Believe it or not, I'll pluck every last feather off you!"
'Hurting someone means paying compensation, and the crime of assaulting an officer is even more serious. I might even go to jail. After all, the owl is more valuable than me right now; at least it's a protected animal, while I've been reduced to a pauper.'
The scolded owl seemed to understand. It glared at Xie Shan with a look of disgust. He silently retracted his hand and shuffled toward the car door, trying to put some distance between them.
When Qiao An appeared in the police station again, holding the owl, she quickly became the center of attention.
"Captain, owls are Class II nationally protected animals. Private ownership isn't allowed..." The old officer was about to lecture him when he noticed Qiao An's memorable little round face and exclaimed, "Huh? Why is it you again?"
Completely unembarrassed, Qiao An stroked the owl a few times and nodded with a wide smile.
"Ah, this owl is a witness. I'll release it after I'm done with my questioning. I can't afford to keep these things, they eat so much!"
The owl, offended at being called a big eater, once again let out a threatening AOW AOW sound in protest, only to have its beak clamped shut by Qiao An.
"Be serious. You're surrounded by police officers. If you make another sound, they'll arrest you."
The officers were dumbfounded.
'That's a Class II nationally protected animal! Who would dare arrest it?!'
The haughty owl was indignant, but faced with Qiao An's threatening gaze, it obediently cooperated by staying perfectly still, resuming its role as a fluffy toy.
Seeing this silly little girl deliberately putting on a stern face to intimidate the owl was just too adorable, and the old officer couldn't help but smile.
"Young lady, what did you get arrested for this time?"
Suddenly being shown concern, Qiao An felt a little embarrassed and scratched her head, explaining awkwardly, "Ahem, no, no, it was an accident. I accidentally dug something up again..."
The old officer, who was in the middle of sipping tea, did a spit-take all over the desk. Qiao An, with a hint of disgust, used the owl as a shield.
"Young lady, your luck is something else!"
It was no wonder the old officer was surprised. Most people might never set foot in a police station to give a statement in their entire lives, yet Qiao An was reporting back on schedule as if punching a clock.
Thinking about how she hadn't earned any money from her livestreams either time, Qiao An's spirits sank. Her eyes reddened slightly, and she looked as pitiful as could be.
"My stream got cut off right after I started. If this keeps up, I won't even be able to afford a bowl of plain noodles soon."
As she spoke, Qiao An's traitorous stomach started to growl. His heart going out to her, the old officer quickly brought out his entire private stash of boxed meals. He presented them to Qiao An like precious treasures and comforted her patiently, "Um, we have a few extra boxed meals from dinner tonight. Would you like some?"
"Thank you! The people's police truly are modern-day heroes. I haven't had a full meal in so long."
It was only then that everyone learned Qiao An was an orphan. She had been an excellent student but didn't continue her education. At first, all the money she earned went to supplement the orphanage director's funds. But there were many children and fewer and fewer kind donors. With expenses exceeding income, the orphanage had no choice but to close its doors for good.
After getting the old director settled, Qiao An left to work and earn money. She rented a place in the most chaotic Urban Village. In addition to live-streaming her treasure hunts every night, she also had to work odd jobs everywhere during the day. Despite working so hard, she still couldn't afford to buy an electric scooter to work as a delivery driver.
While being pitied and comforted by everyone, Qiao An shoveled food into her mouth and grinned foolishly, saying, "It's okay! Everything will be fine once I earn some money!"
With a bright smile on her face, Qiao An showed no trace of sadness or hesitation. She didn't really understand human material desires; as long as she had enough to eat and drink each day, that was enough. However, besides supporting herself, the rent here was exorbitant, and back home, there were two little mouths, Little Bai and Little Qing, crying out to be fed.
By the time Mu Zimo returned to the station after sending all the items for analysis, he found everyone with red-rimmed eyes, looking at Qiao An with immense pity as she buried her head in her food.
"Captain, you're finally back! This poor girl is so pitiful. Don't be too hard on her during the interrogation later."
'Hard on her?'
'When have I ever given her a hard time?'
'Last time, she ran up a 300-yuan bill for a single breakfast. Who's going to take pity on my wallet?'
"Little Qiao, here's some fruit. After you're done with your statement, take it home with you."
The old officer, his heart aching for Qiao An, pulled a bag of fruit out of his drawer. Qiao An's eyes glowed; she was deeply moved.
"Thank you, Uncle. You're such a good person."
Watching the two of them with their teary-eyed expressions, Mu Zimo kept a stern face and knocked on the desk.
"Give me your statement first. If you're still not full, I'll treat you to breakfast again."
It seemed Qiao An had a magical quality about her. One look at her clear eyes and her simple, overflowing smile, and you couldn't help but feel a surge of protective affection.
Hearing there was breakfast to be had, Qiao An tucked the owl under her arm, grabbed the fruit with her other hand, and quickly followed Mu Zimo. 'The men of Blue Star are so high-quality and kind,' she thought, practically drooling.
The Beast Taming Star People had basically no concept of gender discrimination. There was only the relationship of master and slave, regardless of sex. Only the strong were qualified to survive; kindness was the most useless thing of all.
That's why the current Qiao An was very fond of life on Blue Star, especially the kind humans and the well-protected animals.