Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl

"Then why did he restore the leg bones of the Horse Musk Deer?" asked Chen. "They were going to be eaten anyway; why not just leave them as is?"

"Maybe he was afraid someone passing by would notice something odd, especially since the abnormalities in the Horse Musk Deer's leg bones could be easily spotted by anyone."

Sometimes, the thought processes of criminals were beyond ordinary reasoning. Chen Ying, not being a criminal investigator, could only handle what he was capable of, leaving the rest to the professionals.

"By the way, the technique used to extract the musk was quite skilled; it must have been done by an expert. You could start your investigation from there," he suggested.

Chen had seen the musk gland himself, and even he might not have managed to remove it so cleanly without numerous attempts.

As Black Gold stood by, it grabbed his trousers and started dragging him to one side.

Chen nearly tripped as he was pulled along but thankfully, his tightly buckled belt saved him from exposing his underwear.

After following Black Gold for about fifty or sixty meters, it began barking furiously at a small mound and then started digging.

At first, Chen was puzzled, but then realizing something, he quickly called the police officers over for help.

"Do you have any tools for digging in your car? Black Gold seems to have found something."

There were no digging tools, but there were tools for fixing cars; the handles of several large wrenches could just about serve the purpose.

With one person recording the work, two others helped to dig and soon unearthed an item wrapped in plastic film from under the mound.

Black Gold barked twice at the package, then looked up at Chen with a face clearly seeking praise.

The police officer cautiously opened the package and, sure enough, it was the removed musk.

"It's strange, why extract the musk and not take it?"

"Could it be intentionally hidden, to be retrieved after things cool down?"

That was not impossible; carrying the musk now would just lead the police straight to him when he tried to sell it.

Better to come back for it later; he could simply claim he bought it somewhere else.

If Black Gold hadn't been there, they might have really been tricked by that person.

Chen couldn't assist with the next steps, so he simply returned to the car to wait.

The police officers still had to question the reporting local from Pasture, and they would probably need to visit two nearby pastures.

The dead Horse Musk Deer did not require human intervention; after they left, the "steppes' scavengers" would naturally come to clean up.

"Dr. Chen, we need to check the pastures as well. Why don't you go with Mao Cuo to his family's place to rest for a bit? I'll call you when we're leaving?"

Mao Cuo was the local who reported the crime. His wife, Dong Lin, who couldn't speak Mandarin, managed the household and looked after their children.

This part of the summer pasture was shared by four families, who would soon leave for winter pastures.

Until two years ago, they wouldn't move in winter, but since the protected area was established, regulations required them to leave the summer pasture by early October to allow the grassland to regenerate.

Moreover, the conditions at the winter pasture were better, with access to purchased or stored fodder to feed livestock, and the climate was a bit warmer, protecting livestock and even people from freezing to death in blizzards.

The tents Chen had seen in Pastoral Village differed from those at the pastures.

In Pastoral Village, it was more settled with tents and brick houses set up spaciously and kept neatly.

But the tents required for moving were not as good; they were smaller and packed with daily essentials, while still leaving some space for resting.

Dong Lin prepared milk tea and made zanba for them.

By now, Chen could somewhat manage to drink the milk tea but definitely couldn't swallow the zanba.

Knowing not everyone was accustomed to their local diet, when they saw Chen not eating the zanba, they served him a bowl of yogurt instead.

Though the taste of the yogurt, especially with added dried fruits, differed significantly from what they usually had in the city, it was still acceptable.

Seeing Chen eating heartily without any hesitation, Dong Lin smiled with relief.

Mao Cuo's family had four children. The eldest had graduated from elementary school and chose not to continue schooling, staying home to help with the herding.

The second child attended a school at the winter pasture, living there as a boarder and would only return home when the school term ended.

The third and fourth were twins, five years old, and hadn't started school yet.

The situation in other families was similar; older children who had completed school didn't seek work elsewhere and helped with herding at home, while the younger ones didn't attend school, with no notion of kindergartens locally. It was already exceptional to send eligible children to school as per regulations.

In the wealthier pasture areas, schools were slightly larger, accommodation conditions were better, and more children received education.

Unable to communicate due to the language barrier—Dong Lin didn't know Mandarin and Chen didn't know the local language—they simply focused on eating.

As the situation grew awkward, Dong Lin's twins burst into the room.

A mixed-breed Tibetan Mastiff followed them inside.

The Tibetan Mastiff, already mature and large, growled threateningly upon seeing Black Gold lying next to Chen's feet.

Although smaller, Black Gold's spirit was undaunted.

It sprang up and roared back at the giant Tibetan Mastiff.

One of the twins tried to embrace Black Gold, but when it snarled and snapped, Chen quickly scooped it up into his arms.

"Don't touch him; he can be quite fierce."

Embarrassed, Chen tried to calm the child while Dong Lin sternly scolded her son.