Beast Taming: I'm Really Just a Forest Ranger

When Chen Yuan and Zhang Hao caught sight of the abandoned wooden house from afar, the stars in the sky were already reflected in their eyes.

Compared to Zhang Hao’s tense expression, Chen Yuan appeared very calm.

“Yuan, we’re about to engage in battle, aren’t you even a bit nervous?” Zhang Hao found Chen Yuan’s reaction strange.

Chen Yuan smiled without speaking.

He could hardly tell him that he had already confirmed the battle was over through the system prompt.

Sure enough, upon arriving in front of the wooden house, Cola dashed out, bringing with it a gust of wind as it leapt onto Chen Yuan, its tail wagging furiously, looking as if it was begging for praise.

Chen Yuan patted Cola’s head and laughed, “Well done.”

Cola was even more proud.

It had finally seized the limelight before the big sister arrived and had received its master’s praise.

But the next words from Chen Yuan made Cola’s face freeze: “But why did you bring Duck and the others here without my permission?”

Cola’s gaze shifted, and the two paws resting on Chen Yuan’s shoulders dropped to the ground, instinctively retreating backward.

Seeing Cola silent, Chen Yuan squinted his eyes and probed, “Hmm?”

Cola said nothing, only continued to retreat.

Suddenly, two figures emerged from the wooden house; Yang Yue waved at Chen Yuan, while Li Qing gently nodded, “Advisor Chen!”

The next moment, four members of the Investigation Department sprinted out and stood neatly in front of Chen Yuan, simultaneously shouting, “Advisor Chen!!!”

This formation was like a leader inspection.

Zhang Hao couldn’t help but mutter, “Yuan, what a grand setup.”

The Wild Boar looked around but didn’t see the captain’s figure, so he reached out to touch the female member beside him and asked in a whisper, “White Fern, why hasn’t the captain come out?”

White Fern furrowed her brows slightly, also puzzled.

But a flash in her eyes suddenly reminded her of something:

Before the Wild Boar joined the team, they once went to the captain’s house for dinner, and she noticed back then that the captain’s bedroom was filled with posters.

The posters were highlights from Advisor Chen’s exhibition match.

Doesn’t this mean…..

A guess emerged in White Fern’s mind, prompting her to cover her mouth and let out a soft laugh, “The idol is outside, the captain must be very nervous.”

The Wild Boar scratched his head, his face filled with confusion: “?”

Inside the house,

Nie Li repeatedly wiped the dust off her clothes and pants, and repeatedly confirmed whether her hairstyle was disheveled, before continuously taking deep breaths.

Until her heart, which was pounding, gradually calmed, she took a deep breath and summoned the courage to push open the door.

But at the instant she saw Chen Yuan, her heart suddenly raced, and with a “bang,” she forcefully shut the door.

Nie Li leaned against the door, her chest heaving violently.

Everyone looked at the closed door in confusion, except White Fern who secretly chuckled.

A moment later,

Regaining her composure, Nie Li pushed the door once more, walking with measured steps until she reached Chen Yuan and stopped.

White Fern narrowed her eyes, noticing the captain’s constantly trembling pinky finger.

“You… Hello, I am Nie Li.”

The stumbling voice came from Nie Li’s mouth as she stared at Chen Yuan who was right in front of her, her mind going suddenly blank, forgetting all the words she had prepared beforehand.

The Wild Boar and the other three watched Nie Li in this moment, their eyes wide open.

Who trained the captain to be like this?

Chen Yuan reached out his hand, smiling slightly, “Hello, I am Chen Yuan.”

“Hello, hello.” Nie Li shook his hand, inexplicably finding herself calm in this instant, “Advisor Chen, I’ve admired your name for a long time.”

As she gazed at her idol, countless emotions surged through her mind, eventually converging into a simple sentence: “I am your fan, honored to meet you.”

Then her expression turned serious, “Before you arrived, we had already managed the scene, the three poachers were handcuffed, and all the poached wild Pet Beasts were released.”

“However…..”

“The item this little fellow got snatched still hasn’t been found.”

Nie Li pointed towards Run Run Duck.

“Quack quack quack!”

Run Run Duck raised its head confidently in the face of the gazes directed at it.

My Spirit Fish hasn’t been found yet, said Duck!

Cola and the Electric Flying Cat exchanged glances, then retreated quietly, looking guilty as thieves.

Chen Yuan wanted to speak, “Duck you…”

When did those three poachers take Duck’s Spirit Fish?

Why did he not know about this?

Before he could finish his words, Nie Li spoke solemnly, “Don’t worry, Advisor Chen, I’ve included this matter in the report.”

“If the Spirit Fish remains missing, our Investigation Department will provide compensation.”

“This group of poachers has been roaming in Qinling, and it was an oversight on our Investigation Department’s part.”

Chen Yuan neither affirmed nor denied, “Where are those three poachers?”

“Inside.”

Nie Li led Chen Yuan into the wooden house, followed closely by Yang Yue and Li Qing, while the remaining four Investigation Department members stayed put.

White Fern explained softly, “The captain is a hardcore fan of Advisor Chen, her room is filled with related posters.”

Everyone’s eyes gleamed instantly.

The captain they knew was meticulous and disinterested in any entertainment activities, her daily life consisting only of training and learning.

Precisely because of this, Nie Li’s strength ranked among the best among all captains in the eighth division and she was qualified to be stationed at Qinling.

Moreover, she was one of only two female Beastmasters in the eighth division.

“No wonder I often see the captain studying Advisor Chen’s battle recordings,” the Wild Boar muttered quietly.

Someone suddenly asked, “Who do you think is stronger, the captain or Advisor Chen?”

As soon as this was said, the other three all looked at him with strange expressions.

“Is that even a question? Advisor Chen may not be here in person, but his Pet Beast has already dealt with these three poachers.”

“Although I wholeheartedly support the captain, we must respect the objective reality.”

The person continued to ask, “Then who is stronger, Advisor Chen or the head of our department?”

Everyone immediately fell silent, until a moment later, the Wild Boar spoke uncertainly, “The minister, right? The minister’s strength is among the top in the whole Qin Province.”

“Advisor Chen is certainly powerful, but he’s only regarded as the strongest in Baokun City. In Qin Province, he might not stand out.”

White Fern continued, “Isn’t the Qin Province Beastmaster Competition going to be held next month?”

“If Advisor Chen participates, we’ll know roughly what level he is at in the entire Qin Province.”

“I think he should be in the top twenty.”

Inside the cabin,

Chen Yuan saw the three handcuffed poachers.

“Viper Fang, the leader, his Pet Beasts are the Bone-breaking War Mastiff and the Hammer Beast…” Nie Li stood in front of Viper Fang and detailed his basic information.

“Hiss…”

Perhaps because he heard his name, Viper Fang, who had been unconscious, finally woke up. His brain was throbbing with such pain that he couldn’t help but groan.

Nie Li, with a stern face, coldly asked, “Where did you hide the stolen Spirit Fish?”

“Quack quack!”

The Run Run Duck stood to the side, akimbo, filled with righteous indignation.

Viper Fang, in a daze, furrowed his brow deeply upon hearing this and replied hoarsely, “What Spirit Fish?”

“Quack quack quack!”

Seeing that the man was still denying it, the Run Run Duck became furious, constantly flapping its wings.

“I’ll ask one more time, where is the Spirit Fish?” Nie Li’s gaze was intense as he asked sternly, “If you confess now, we can handle it more leniently.”

“If you wait until later to confess, the consequences will be several times worse than now.”

Seeing the Run Run Duck’s reaction and hearing Nie Li’s words, Viper Fang was plunged into deep thought.

Did he really steal the Spirit Fish?

But why didn’t he remember anything?

However, the Run Run Duck’s reaction wasn’t fake, and Nie Li’s words made a lot of sense.

After a moment of thought, he simply looked over at the miserable-looking masked man and strongman beside him, whose clothes and pants were torn into strips, and said, “They ate it.”

“Quack quack quack quack quack!”

Duck, my Spirit Fish was eaten!

When Nie Li used physical means to wake the unconscious masked man and strongman, asking them the same question, the two had uncannily identical reactions.

The masked man claimed that the strongman stole the Spirit Fish and had already swallowed it.

The strongman insisted that it was the masked man who orchestrated the whole thing and that the Spirit Fish ended up in the latter’s stomach.

“Quack quack…..”

The Run Run Duck squatted in the corner, head down, blankly staring at the ground, looking utterly hopeless.

Duck, my Spirit Fish is gone…..

Seeing the two accusing each other, Nie Li said, “Advisor Chen, it’s been confirmed that the Spirit Fish was eaten. We will provide compensation.”

By this point, even Chen Yuan was deep in thought—did they really steal Duck’s Spirit Fish?

At this moment, Viper Fang painstakingly lifted his head and looked at the pensive Chen Yuan, asking hoarsely, “Are you the Beastmaster of that Gale Hunting Dog?”

“Hm?”

Chen Yuan looked at Viper Fang with confusion.

Viper Fang gave a bitter smile, “I heard you’re an advisor, so I guess your strength ranks top in this small town.”

Yang Yue interjected, “Advisor Chen is the most formidable Beastmaster in Baokun City!”

“No wonder…” Viper Fang nodded in sudden realization, then smiled with resignation, “To lose to your Gale Hunting Dog and Run Run Duck, I’m completely convinced.”

Viper Fang understood, he could only blame his own bad luck for encountering this man’s main Pet Beast.

Chen Yuan suddenly spoke up, “Who told you that Run Run Duck is my Pet Beast?”

“Hm?” Viper Fang looked puzzled.

Nie Li spoke quietly, “The Flame Cloud Falcon is actually Advisor Chen’s trump card Pet Beast.”

“The Gale Hunting Dog is only Advisor Chen’s second Pet Beast.”

Yang Yue, with a cheerful smile, said, “Run Run Duck, he’s just at Advisor Chen’s house in charge of watering the plants.”

“Isn’t that right, Run Run Duck?”

“Quack quack…”

In the corner, the Run Run Duck nodded.

If you guys hadn’t stolen my Spirit Fish, I wouldn’t have come all this way to do battle!

At this moment, Viper Fang looked utterly despondent, as if he had been through enormous trauma, muttering repeatedly, “For watering, for watering…”

Ignoring Viper Fang, Nie Li turned to the three of them and said solemnly, “Thank you for your assistance, I will recommend your commendation to the leadership.”

Yang Yue, with a happy expression, waved it off, “Oh, talking about stuff like this is pointless, we were just fulfilling the duties of a Beastmaster.”

Then she shifted her focus, staring intently at Nie Li, her eyes gleaming, “Can you do the commendation at our school?”

“I’m Yang Yue from Yunhua Beast Taming Academy’s Combat Type Branch.”

“Will there be a banner?”

“Can I post it online?”

For a moment, Nie Li was speechless, “Uh…..that depends on the leadership.”