Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 169

Chapter 169

Chapter 169

Richard’s eyes grew a little darker as he thought it over.

20

65 vouche

He glanced at Sophie and Sierra, both frowning, and went on, “I didn’t plan my schedule well before, so I’ll be with you tomorrow. Wherever you want to go, I’ll follow.

“After all, you two came all this way and even turned down a meal. If I don’t show you around, our boss will probably chew us out when he gets back.”

Sierra knew Richard was referring to the director of Harborty Zoo.

When he saw that neither Sierra nor Sophie answered, Richard’s gaze swept between them before landing on Sophie. “What do you think?”

Sophie was speechless.

She thought, ‘What am I even supposed to say here?

‘I seriously know nothing about animals!’

She shot a look at Sierra, but Sierra was totally ignoring her, acting like Richard’s words didn’t even exist.

‘Well, if she’s not saying no, I guess that’s a yes,’ Sophie thought, resigned.

Even though Sophie was still in the dark, after working with Sierra for so long, they had that silent, unspoken understanding between them.

Sophie nodded. “Okay.”

Richard flashed a grin and walked away.

On the way back to their room, Sierra shot Sophie a quick text, telling her to check if anyone was in the room or if there were any surveillance devices hidden around.

So as soon as they got back, Sophie tore the room apart, checking every corner. When she found nothing, she finally asked, “What’s going on?”

Sierra set Mocha down on the bed and gave her the rundown on the cheetah incident from earlier.

Sure enough, Sophie’s expression turned grim. “Seriously? That’s messed up. I’ll call Mr. Monroe right now and have them rush over tonight.

“We need a foolproof plan. We have to find solid proof about the pig feed at Harborty Zoo and the channels for poaching foreign wildlife before they realize what we’re up to.”

Just then, Mocha tilted its head and chimed in, “Wait, is the pig feed the stuff the zookeepers give us? I know exactly where they hide it!”

As soon as Mocha spoke up, Sierra and Sophie both turned to look at it at the same time.

‘How did we forget about this important little one?’ they both thought, feeling a bit sheepish.

“Mocha, do you know where they keep the food you guys eat?” Sierra asked.

“Uh-huh! It’s in a big building nearby. Every day, the zookeeper hauls over a bag and mixes it with water. It smells kind of fresh and woody, but honestly, it tastes terrible,” Mocha replied.

12:31 Sat, Jan 10

Chapter 169

After that, Mocha let out a big sigh. “Honestly, I’d rather be a red panda than a pig. That pig feed is just nasty!”

Sierra was speechless.

7

CG vouer

Sometimes, Sierra just couldn’t wrap her head around how animals thought. Here they were, in the middle of a crisis, and Mocha was actually feeling sorry for the pigs instead of itself.

Feeling helpless, Sierra asked Mocha to think back and tell her exactly where the pig feed was hidden.

Sophie asked, “Should we go take pictures of the evidence now?”

Sierra shook her head. “Richard’s already suspicious.”

Just as Sophie was about to ask what to do next, Sierra said, “But don’t worry, I’ve already got Richard watching you instead.”

Sophie instantly recalled Sierra’s odd behavior yesterday.

Once she understood, Sophie asked directly, “So what should I do?”

Sierra said, “Mr. Monroe won’t get here for a while. When they show up tomorrow, have them link up with the cops right away.

“As for us, you keep Richard busy, and I’ll try to sneak some photos as evidence.”

She paused, and then added, “First things first, make sure you stay safe.”

Most folks in this business were pretty sentimental, always having a soft spot for animals.

That was all well and good, but if someone wanted to be a pro, feelings alone wouldn’t cut it.

There was money and business tangled up between people and animals, and what was happening at Harborty Zoo was just the tip of the iceberg. Underneath, there was a whole mess of trouble waiting to blow up.

If Sierra ever let her emotions take over, she’d probably have gotten herself killed a hundred times by now.

Thinking that, Sierra climbed into bed and shut her eyes. “Get some sleep. We might not get another chance for a while.”

*****

Early the next morning, Sierra and Sophie were up bright and early.

Ever since Richard promised Mocha to Sierra, the little red panda had been staying at the hotel. It pawed at the icy window, watching Sierra’s and Sophie’s figures fade away outside.

Richard was already waiting downstairs at the hotel bright and early.

When he spotted Sierra and Sophie, his sharp eyes glinted with a smile as he walked over and greeted them with a few pleasantries.

The three of them traded fake smiles. It was all just for show, and everyone knew the score.

This time, Sophie was running the show.

Just as planned, Richard’s focus shifted away from Sierra.

Halfway through, Sierra took the chance to claim her stomach hurt and asked to go to the bathroom.

Richard’s eyes glinted. “I’ll have someone show you the way, Ms. Sterling.”

12:31 Sat, Jan 10

Chapter 169

He immediately sent a female staff member to tag along.

F55/yout

Sierra had expected Richard wouldn’t let her go alone, so she kept her cool and said, “That’s perfect. I’m not really familiar with the zoo, so having someone show me around is a big help.”

Richard looked a little surprised.

Ever since yesterday, he was sure these two had noticed something fishy going on at the zoo, so he’d been trying to test them. But they were way too sharp. He only knew for sure that Sophie was the real animal expert.

He couldn’t just do anything to them out in the open, so all he could do was keep someone watching them, making sure they didn’t get up to anything.

But everything was going way too smoothly.

54

Something about this just didn’t sit right with Richard. Watching Sierra hurry off, he found himself lost in thought, trying to figure out what she was really up to.

*****

Meanwhile, Sierra blended in with the swelling crowd of tourists, using the throng as cover to slip back and forth.

The woman assigned to follow her was having a harder and harder time keeping track, nearly losing sight of Sierra in the chaos.

“Ms. Sterling, wait up…” the woman called, trying to catch up.

But before she could finish, Sierra ducked into the restroom, and the woman relaxed.

What she didn’t realize was that Sierra headed straight for a stall with a window, climbed out, and made her escape.

Sierra raced over, her heart pounding. The spot they were visiting today was pretty close to where Mocha said the feed was hidden. If she hurried, it would only take about five minutes.

With her mask on, she dashed through the crowd and finally reached the place Mocha had described.

Right in front of her was a brick building, about ten thousand square feet in size, topped with a blue metal roof.

Sierra was in the staff area, so there weren’t many tourists around.

When she got there, the warehouse door was wide open, and outside, a truck was being loaded with goods to be shipped out.

Seeing this, Sierra crept closer and hid herself in an inconspicuous spot.

Less than a minute later, a few zookeepers in work uniforms came stomping out of the building, griping loudly.

“Man, how do these animals eat so much? Hauling feed every day is killing me!” one of them complained.

“Hey, keep your voice down. You don’t want anyone overhearing,” another warned.

“Relax, there’s never any tourists back here. As long as we don’t blab, who’s gonna find out these exotic animals are getting pig feed?” the first one shot back.

The other one went silent.

Hearing that, Sierra made sure no one was watching, and then discreetly hit record on her phone, capturing every word they said.

While the staff were busy hauling goods, Sierra made her way to the side entrance with a rolling shutter and quietly slipped

12:31 Sat, Jan 10 RG

Chapter 169

inside.

X54

EL 55 vouch

The warehouse was massive, filled with stacks of woven plastic bags. Keeping herself hidden in a corner, Sierra took out the small knife Sophie had handed her earlier and slit open one of the bags.

A cloud of yellow powder-some coarse, some fine-wafted up to her, carrying a faint grassy aroma.

But Sierra’s expression darkened instantly.

Because scattered among the yellow powder were small black wood chips.

“This isn’t even pig feed. It’s just nasty wood shavings and plant debris, even filthier than pig feed!’ Sierra thought, feeling sick to her stomach.

AD

Comment

Send gift

No Ads

12:31 Sat, Jan 10