Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl

The middle road leads to the village outside the ancient town, where there are also many guesthouses. Tourists who enjoy morning runs usually choose this road to run more than half a circle around the ancient town.

Another road goes up the mountain. Earlier this year, a stone path was built along the ridge, and near the peak, there is an imitation ancient wooden walkway. There is a platform at the top for watching the sunrise. In the summer, many hikers camp overnight there.

"There is surveillance at the top of the mountain; we checked it, and the children didn't go up there."

"Isn't there also surveillance leading to the village?"

"The surveillance over there just happened to be broken. The repairman said the previous parts were unsuitable and couldn't be replaced. The new parts won't arrive until the day after tomorrow."

The road is under the jurisdiction of the village, and the management of the surveillance belongs to the village committee. No one expected it to break down just when the children disappeared.

Old Gao finished getting ready and went out with the two of them.

"I brought the dogs from home. They're not as skilled as police dogs, but they should be able to help a bit."

Dao Meihua brought over two dogs and handed them to Chen Ying. One was a Golden Retriever, the other a Labrador.

Chen Ying squatted on one foot, petting the dog's head.

"Later, we'll need you two to help find the children. We'll first go to the children's parents, and you will sniff the children's belongings before heading out, okay?"

The two dogs barked eagerly, happy to help.

At the police station, Chen Ying and Old Gao exchanged a glance, realizing they were "acquainted."

The children's mother was on the verge of fainting, looking pale and wan.

The father had red eyes and was on the phone, seemingly in contact with a rescue team.

"Ah-Da, our company's rescue team is ready. Brother Yun is leading it. You should contact him. I'm here with two friends to see if we can help."

Chen Ying led the two dogs into the room, signaling them to sniff the children's backpack that the mother was clutching tightly.

The mother seemed quite afraid of dogs, shrinking back and trembling.

Dao Meihua hurriedly went over to hug her.

"Don't be scared. These dogs don't bite. They're just here to sniff the children's scent and then help search for them."

Hearing this, the mother gripped Dao Meihua's arm, "Please, please help me find my child."

"Don't worry, we'll definitely help you find them. You have to hold on until the children come back."

The female officer and a female employee of the guesthouse supported her from either side. She had no more tears to cry, wailing with a sense of despair.

"Let's go outside first." Chen Ying, holding the two dogs, exited and with Old Gao, each took a leash as they reached the east of Pavilion Bridge.

The street from the ancient town gate to the east square of Pavilion Bridge is the night food street where they had barbecue last night.

The two dogs sniffed along the way as they headed west.

When passing by last night's bushes, Chen Ying suddenly stopped.

"Meihua, come here."

Dao Meihua, confused, was handed a dog leash.

"You and Old Gao take the dogs to search first; I'll go get more help."

"Huh? What help..." Dao Meihua was bewildered, watching him cross the bushes and run upstream by the river.

"He must be going to find last night's stray cat," explained Old Gao, mentioning the events at last night's barbecue.

"So you're saying the two children might have run away because their mother scolded them?"

Old Gao shrugged without saying much.

Who knows, but last night's situation indeed had a bad impact on the two children.

However, seeing the mother's condition today, Old Gao leaned toward the possibility that the mother might have some emotional issues herself.

In modern times, few people are entirely mentally healthy.

Chen Ying walked a stretch along the riverbank, and sure enough, found last night's cat on an upstream rock.

The kitten was sitting on a stone licking its fur. Seeing Chen Ying approach, its ears perked up, eyes widening as it watched him come closer.

Chen Ying didn't get too close, stopping about a meter away.

"Kitty, could you help? Do you remember the little child from last night? She's missing, can you help me find her?"

The kitten tilted its head, meowing innocently.

Chen Ying repeated his request, and the kitten shook its ears and came to rub against his legs.

"Meow meow, I can help you."

With that, the kitten ran downstream, occasionally glancing back at him.

"Come on, I know a lot of cats. I can ask around."

The kitten led him to the grassy area at the west end, meowing loudly, and indeed, a few more cats came along.

One was a fluffy cow cat with a large belly, and another was a ginger cat, as plump as a ball.

The kitten meowed for a while. Among them, a rough-furred yellowish-white cat nonchalantly mentioned it saw the two Two-legged beast cubs today.

"On the mountain. The two were climbing from the woods, the bigger one crying, and the smaller one was pulling her along."

Chen Ying was stunned.

They all thought it was the older girl who had run away with her brother, but it turned out the brother was leading the sister?

Last night, the scolded one was the sister, yet the brother's cries were louder. Everyone assumed he cried out of fright; could there be a twist?

Lost in thought for a moment, Chen Ying let the kitten squish against his leg, its little paws resting on his foot, signaling him to proceed.

Following the kitten up the mountain path, at a turning point a few meters away, the kitten dived into the forest.

Chen Ying hesitated for two seconds and called to Dao Meihua and Old Gao, who were still searching.

"Here, they might have squeezed through into the woods here."

Dao Meihua led the Golden Retriever to the edge of the bushes. After sniffing around, it barked and burrowed in with its head.

The kitten didn't like the presence of the two dogs, climbing a tree and hissing at them.

"Don't be like that. They're here to help find the children too. Can we all work together?"

Chen Ying tried calming the bristling cat, eventually soothing it.

The kitten led the way, followed by Chen Ying, and then Dao Meihua and Old Gao each with a dog.

The path up the mountain from here was tough, but the dense woods and grass meant that if the kids really climbed from here, they wouldn't be seen from outside.

"Meow, right here. The cat said it saw the two cubs here."

The kitten leaped onto a tree, meowing a few times, before lying down to wait for Chen Ying to inspect the area.

"There are marks here, probably from being brushed against." Old Gao noticed scratch marks on a tree where the moss had been scraped off, likely by the children's backpacks.

The Golden Retriever sniffed around here and turned west, barking after a couple of steps.

It sniffed out the children's faint scent amidst the mixed odors in the woods.

"This can't be right; going this way leads downhill."

Familiar with the mountain, Dao Meihua suspected the dog had led them in the wrong direction after walking a bit.

The kitten continued with them until Chen Ying stopped, then sat down, its bright eyes observing.

"Down here is the way down the mountain. An ancient road passes through, but it's long abandoned, only used by seasoned hikers."

"Could the children have lost their way and ended up here?"

Dao Meihua said nothing, as the three of them previously discussed that the children's destination should be the top platform. Despite not knowing why they didn't take the ridge path uphill, the direction was clear enough.

But why suddenly change course downhill?

"Could they have found something, or did something unexpected happen midway?"

Old Gao, baffled by children's psychology, could only make random guesses.

Despite searching the surroundings diligently, Chen Ying found nothing, but felt the two might've discovered something that attracted them, altering their path.

So, the question remains: what exactly did they see?