Wang Kui turned around.
Mister Li's wife—the victim child's mother—was the one speaking.
With tears in her eyes, she looked at Wang Kui and the wolfdog behind him. "Young man, the Li family is indebted to you for capturing the wolfdog. If you don't mind, you could stay and have dinner with us as our gesture of repayment!"
"Thank you, Madam Li, Officer Zhao, but I won't trouble you tonight. I can look for a place to stay myself!"
Wang Kui promptly waved her off at her words.
He did not expect Officer Zhao to clap a hand on his shoulder, saying, "Wouldn't this be better? You're a stranger to these parts, Wang Kui, and it would be difficult for you to find lodgings. Just stay here, and I'll come to fetch you tomorrow!"
Then, he leaned in to whisper into Wang Kui's ear, "Just think of it as giving the couple some company. With the wolfdog caught, you are now their only concern. Go on…"
"Alright. Then, sorry for the trouble, madam…"
Wang Kui did not dislike the idea since he had already slept on the hard grounds of the mountain. He simply did not like troubling others.
His stream viewers could not help hating Lame Cui even more at the saddening scene.
"That's decided, then. I'll be taking the wolfdog…"
Officer Zhao said, and he moved to take the wolfdog still dangling behind Wang Kui…
"Grr… Grr!"
Though it was still bound by the paracord, it bared its teeth when it saw a stranger approaching with an extended hand, growling and struggling, almost causing Officer Zhao to jump from surprise.
"Watch yourself!"
Wang Kui rebuked it and carried the dog himself to put it in the trunk. "This is the only way I can protect you. Got it?"
There was no telling if the wolfdog understood, but it quieted down considerably.
Officer Zhao's eyes lit up at that, and he said, "You don't look that old, Wang Kui, but you are very talented. I've rarely encountered a young professional hunter like you with such a strong sense of justice… are you interested in becoming a forest ranger and keeping the peace? We are hiring at the Fangshan County, and a professional like you suits us just fine!"
[What's this? Trying to steal talent?]
[Hahaha, Officer Zhao is drooling over Old Kui's power!]
[He can't livestream if he's an officer… No way, I need his stream!]
[Still, there's more freedom in being a hunter!]
***
Wang Kui glanced at his watch and pointed at the camera clipped to his shoulder with a smile. "Thanks for your offer, Officer Zhao, but I already have a job. Let's talk more soon!"
"Sure, we know how to get in touch anyway. Fangshan County's police will welcome you anytime, haha!"
Officer Zhao was aware that it was a livestream. In fact, a livestream that spread awareness about animal safety did indeed show positive vibes.
"Safety first, Officer Zhao!"
He said before waving at the back of the car as it drove off.
Judging from the two professional hunting wolfdogs, Lame Cui had to be a professional hunter who was possibly stronger than Wang Kui.
And since he was a professional hunter, he might possess dangerous cutting tools, heavy hunting bows, and even rifles.
He had no idea why Lame Cui would keep hunting hounds in such a hands-off manner on purpose. Moreover, according to Officer Zhao, he had only moved to Mount Sigou two years ago, and this fit the current age of the wolfdog.
Did he come to a secluded region specifically to test a new hunting dog's ferocity? To test the actual combat strength between a hunting dog and a human?
Either way, that fellow was definitely not fleeing because of his reluctance to pay the compensation.
It was difficult to groom a hunting dog out of a premium-grade Laizhou Hong.
He must not be your run-of-the-mill hunter!
He could very well be a veteran with a past record who had traveled across the nation!
Naturally, that was merely a theory without any evidence. It would not do to say anything about it to Officer Zhao since he did not solve cases by relying on imagination.
"Young man, come along!"
Madam Li called out just then.
Wang Kui grunted a reply and quickly caught up.
Along the way, many villagers asked him for details about the wolfdog.
They absolutely hated the wolfdog, however, not only was Wang Kui handsome, but the Li Family was also indebted to him—they could not like him more.
They crossed a potato farm and entered the Li family's yard.
Whoa!
It was a large residence with a courtyard floored with concrete while a huge two-floored house with white walls and red tiles stood at the edge. The lower floor was very short and headed straight into the ground like a cellar. It was connected with a staircase in the middle that led upstairs, and that appeared to be where the Li family usually dwelled since it appeared very spacious!
[Wow! Houses in farm villages are that incredible these days?]
[My own house roof is straw-roofed. Since Fangshan is a big county, I just might be able to afford it!]
[Building a small mansion in a farm village, enjoying the scenery every day and hunting occasionally… that would surely feel much better than living in a tiny room in the city!]
As a matter of fact, the house appeared to have been recently built.
A house being refurnished was something worth celebrating, but who could have expected that a disaster like this would befall them.
Wang Kui then informed the Li couple that he was streaming and would turn it off if they found it intrusive.
However, they appeared fine with it.
After about half an hour, steaming-hot dumplings were served on the table. Some had pork and onion fillings while others had mustard flowing out freely at one bite, glimmering with oil sheen.
Matched with the mature vinegar of the Jixi Province, it was unbelievably sweet!
Hence, Wang Kui did not hold back and had two platefuls of dumplings. He was extremely hungry after running around in the forest for an entire day.
[Hahaha! Old Kui, which is better? The dumplings or the rat?]
[Wolfdog: D*mn it, not even leaving one dumpling for me!]
[Sigh. I quite like this family. Talk about bad luck…]
***
He would occasionally reply to the live comments.
At the same time, Old Li and his wife brought out their Jixi Baijiu, saying that they would toast Wang Kui thrice for capturing the wolfdog on the mountain.
Others might not be aware, but Old Li had gone up the mountain personally with Old Cai, and he knew about the dangers there as he had almost lost his life.
Wang Kui was a junior and did not dare to refuse, so, he accepted it.
With three large cups of baijiu down his stomach, a hot rush shot up his head, and he seized the opportunity to restate his stance on the wolfdog.
After all, he had personally promised the wolfdog and his viewers that he would seek justice for the wolfdog.
In contrast to his previous agitation, Old Li chose to believe in Wang Kui right then, and he even offered to adopt the wolfdog like a child when the police were finished with the case.
"Mister Li, I'm not interfering here, but I'm speaking for your and Madam Li's stead. That wolfdog is a professional dog, and accidents can easily happen if professionals aren't handling it…"
Wang Kui quickly explained the dangers, indicating that he would adopt the wolfdog and treat it well.
Then, he asked a few questions about Lame Cui.
Be it due to the couple's grudge against Lame Cui or whether no one really knew anything about the man, he did not manage to obtain any valuable information.
After dinner, Wang Kui was settled into one of the guest rooms.
Having grown up in a farming village, he was used to houses like this.
He turned off the livestream after a few brief words with the audience, indicating that he would continue the stream tomorrow and try to adopt the wolfdog.
With everything done and no one bothering him for now, he turned his thoughts toward the System rewards!