Super Zoo

Using small animals for eavesdropping was Suming's go-to method, as no one would suspect, while speaking in a private space, that a seeing and listening little animal could be in the air conditioning vent or the gap of a window, relaying everything it saw and heard back to Suming. Even special agents with a strong sense of secrecy would only be mindful of potential surveillance devices at most, normal people wouldn't even think of animals. Suming's spiritual power had reached a terrifying level; he manoeuvred a group of little bees into the hotel after having his hummingbird helicopter land outside of the county town. Tony was a bit baffled, wondering why the boss wanted him to fly the helicopter to this godforsaken place in the middle of the night. At first, he thought the boss wanted to bring the missus for a wild romp, but it turned out the boss only sneakily brought him along. Tony looked strangely at Suming, who was lying in the back of the plane with his eyes half-open, wondering if the boss was just out to stargaze. Suming, on the other hand, was full of frustration. He calculated everything but missed one detail! The bees, as planned, secretly infiltrated the hotel room and indeed found Su Lijun chatting with a blond, blue-eyed foreigner. The problem was, from beginning to end, the two were speaking a foreign language… A foreign language… As someone who blindly guessed his way through the English Level Four test, relied on subtitles to watch American dramas, and only knew how to curse with an F at the start, Suming's understanding of foreign languages was basically as good as trying to read a heavenly script. If it had been pure English, Suming might have been able to make do and understand a phrase or two; if it were a key phrase or two, he could even possibly guess the other party's true intentions. But these two were speaking freaking Italian!!! Italian… Italy... It… Suming was completely petrified, and he really felt like spitting blood! What kind of world was this, where even someone from the backwoods could fluently converse in Italian, yet he, a distinguished graduate from a national 985 university, could only stare blankly? Tony could understand Italian but couldn't hear the conversation between the two in the distant hotel. "Sigh…" Suming sighed deeply, sitting up from the back of the plane like he was rising from the dead. "Boss, what's wrong?" Tony asked while munching on a big juicy peach, looking like a golden-haired large monkey. "Nothing much, just feeling inferior. It's terrifying to be uneducated," Suming yawned, "Let's go home, I need to sleep." The eavesdropping plan was completely scrapped. On the way home, the light in Mrs. Su and Nangong Yan's room had long been extinguished. Suming arranged for Tony to sleep in another guest room downstairs before he returned to his room, turned off the lights, and went to bed. Just as he got into bed and turned off the lights, there was a creaking sound, and the room's door was gently pushed open. In the darkness, the door revealed a long-haired silhouette, floating noiselessly towards him. "Holy shit!" Suming almost wet himself. The familiar fragrance of Dior perfume wafted in with the breeze, the light dimmed, and the door closed, as the ghostly figure climbed onto the bed. "Sister, could you not make your entrance so horrifying next time? It's going to scare me to death!" Suming said. Nangong Yan snuggled up, slipping a hand under the thin blanket and gliding it down from Suming's lower abdomen, "Then let me check." Without a word, a stealthy battle began. "Hold it in, my mom is next door..." "Mmm... Ah..." ... Mrs. Su called Suming, Nangong Yan, and Tony for breakfast. Nangong Yan came downstairs from her room on the second floor, her steps unsteady. Tony lifted his face from a porridge bowl as large as a basin, glanced at the lady boss, then at the boss, snickered without a word, and continued to eat. Right after the meal, Mr. Wu arrived. "Mr. Wu, please take a seat. I was just about to find you," said Suming as he rose to bring Wu a chair. "Have you eaten?" "I came after eating." Wu nodded politely to Nangong Yan and Tony, then asked Suming, "When do you plan to proceed?" The locals speak quite frankly, and Mr. Wu was no exception. Suming laughed, "It's not decided yet, but I'll definitely send everyone an invitation in due time. Mr. Wu, last night Su Lijun came looking for me." "That's exactly why I'm here," said Wu directly. "I'm a bit worried about him." "Worried? In what way?" Suming put down his chopsticks. Wu might not be the most sophisticated, but having been town chief for so many years, he had a good sense of when to be serious in conversation, which meant he must have sensed something amiss. According to Wu, Su Lijun had been in Maoxi County with a foreigner for some time. Every time they came to Sun Town, the two would carry hunting rifles into the mountains behind, disappearing for half a day or even spending a night. Every time, their equipment was professional. "Do you suspect they're using investment as a cover, but actually poaching? Doesn't seem likely." Suming thought to himself—I am all too aware of the price of animals; is it really worth investing millions of dollars? Not to mention taking on the role of town chief. It was like wanting pork and starting your own farm, or wanting a mistress and setting up a "Heaven on Earth"; one would have to be out of their mind to do such things. Many foreigners enjoy hunting, and while hunting in the mountains is illegal, it does make a certain sense. "Also, take a look at this." Wu said as he unfolded a map of Maoxi County. At the position representing Sun Town, there was a large black circle with an arrow pointing to a red circle a few centimeters away. "Huh? What does this mean?" Suming was puzzled. "This is the planning map Su Lijun gave me," Wu explained, pointing to the black circle at Sun Town's current location, his face creased with concern. "Once invested, Sun Town will need to relocate. All the houses will be renovated to serve as a future tourist area. The townspeople will collectively move to the red circle area three kilometers away to live in newly-built houses…" "Oh, that's somewhat similar to Wuzhen's model, all the original residents move out... Wait, that's not right. So, what happens to the current breeding farms?" As Suming spoke, he suddenly realized something. The location of the red circle was distant from the mountains—not only would the wild boars become unfeasible to rear, but even annual mountain goods would be unavailable. "Exactly, that's the problem! Su Lijun said he'd compensate each household, and they'd also receive a dividend every year. But I think, better to have one rabbit in hand than a thousand sheep in sight. Throwing away our well-established industries for some vague, future gamble, isn't that too risky?" Wu slapped his thigh. "It's not that I can't let go of this town chief position; it's just I'm worried everyone might impulsively agree to Su Lijun's terms and end up ruining their own good days. Lucky you've come back, otherwise I was about to go to Yangchuan City to find you in a few days, to get some advice from you." Suming looked at the map. Nangong Yan leaned over to see as well and interjected, "Uncle, how much compensation are they offering?" Wu mentioned a figure that, besides a one-time compensation, would also include an annual dividend, which apparently did not shortchange the villagers. Nangong Yan pursed her lips and commented, "Wow, even national 5A tourist areas don't make that much money." "You're right," said Wu. "The contract is crystal clear that if they don't pay up, we can sue them. That's why I'm even more puzzled." As they spoke, the sound of a car engine came from outside the Su Family Small Building, followed by a commotion. "Big bro, are you home? Come out and see what good stuff I've brought you!" The voice of Sun Lijun rang from outside.