Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation Chapter 1656 - 903: Running Into Walls Everywhere

At midday, sunlight blazed fiercely overhead.

Yet Mrs. Chen's spirits sank lower than the darkest storm clouds.

Xue Yuantong's words from the young girl had pierced her heart like a dagger.

Mrs. Chen held a modest leadership position herself, her father a former cadre now retired, her oldest daughter chasing art dreams overseas, her younger son in Nan City's premier high school. Her husband directed a prefecture-level city. In the area, their family commanded the utmost social standing, utterly free from any daily concerns.

To her, regular folks amounted to nothing—what could they accomplish? Salarymen pulling five thousand monthly or fifty thousand looked identical in her view.

Still, a rural stray dog left her utterly powerless.

Beneath her typical haughty mask lurked pure spite, just like those shrewish vendors at the market stalls.

Impatience flickered across her face as Mrs. Chen pressed: "Captain Zhou, are you able to nab it or not?"

Captain Zhou's brow creased at her sharp words.

But mindful of his ties to Director Han, he swallowed his irritation, eyeing the distant black dog while pondering his next move.

A younger officer proposed, "Captain, how about tempting it with fresh meat?"

Someone else chimed in, "Better yet, chase it till it drops from exhaustion, then grab it."

The veteran cop scanned the surroundings: "Won't work here—the space lies wide open without barriers. Back at job sites, even a dozen of us failed to snare two strays. Nets proved useless too."

The rookie blinked in shock; could dogs truly outfox humans that way?

Captain Zhou stayed quiet; this black beast ahead acted oddly, gaining vigor with every stride. He figured even exhausting himself wouldn't close the gap.

Plus, the mutt dodged like a pro, making the tranquilizer shot impossible to line up.

The young officer piped up again, "What if we deploy the dog trap cage?"

The elder officer shot it down, "Nah, those suit feral strays. No way bait fools this one."

On top of that, cages demand hours, and the ladies hovering wouldn't stick around that long.

Captain Zhou eyed the veteran; he wanted solutions, not roadblocks.

After a pause, the older cop offered, "Deploy the police dogs."

The young one lit up: "Brilliant!"

Captain Zhou agreed, "Fine, give it a go."

He radioed for support, then chatted with Director Han to kill time while awaiting the team.

Xiao Ben, oblivious to the looming threat, roamed far off. Spotting a chance, it lunged at a Porsche Cayenne, sending the Dogo within into a terrified yelp.

All the while, Xiao Ben flicked its tail with utter dominance.

Her rage boiled over; Mrs. Chen ignored Jiang Ning and the others, fixated on unleashing fury at the dog.

...

Zhang Ruyun hurried to Mr. Qian, voice laced with worry: "I overheard their call—they're fetching police dogs for Ba Wang. What happens if they snag it?"

Mr. Qian shared the concern, fully aware of law enforcement's prowess from the nation's swift progress.

Zhang Ruyun ventured, "Maybe tell Xiao Ben to bolt now?"

Mr. Qian peeked over and spotted Captain Zhou stowing Xiao Ben's bowl.

"If police dogs show up, fleeing's pointless by now!" Mr. Qian warned; those trained sniffers dominated any trail.

Gazing at Jiang Ning's steadfast form by the door, Mr. Qian saw Xue Yuantong mirrored that coolness, unruffled by the drama.

Mr. Qian steadied himself: "Ruyun, keep cool, look at Jiang Ning's example."

Zhang Ruyun couldn't settle, snapping anxiously, "Easy for him—it's not his pup!"

Ba Wang captured meant his dad exploding come evening!

Zhang Ruyun paced like Xiao Ben at the threshold, nerves frayed.

Flashing lights soon pierced the riverbank as two vehicles pulled up.

Captain Zhou summoned his top squad for the task. After briefing, they unleashed two police dogs that bolted ahead, officers in pursuit.

Captain Zhou signaled, "After them!"

The crew rushed from the bungalow, launching the pursuit.

Mrs. Chen held her ground, jabbing a finger at Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong, exhaling smugly, "Now we'll see you caught!"

Xue Yuantong, banking on Jiang Ning, shrugged off the fuss.

Fifteen minutes on, Xiao Ben ditched the police dogs and slunk back to the bungalow door, yapping "Woof woof" gleefully at Jiang Ning.

Mrs. Chen blinked in disbelief, "Where'd they vanish to?"

Xiao Ben snarled fangs her way, sending Mrs. Chen stumbling back scared.

Xue Chuchu eyed Xiao Ben's lolling tongue and huffed, "This can't last; it'll get nabbed sooner or later."

Jiang Ning nodded, "True enough. Hmm, time to stash Xiao Ben somewhere untouchable."

Zhang Ruyun yelped, "You're having Xiao Ben skip town?"

Xue Yuantong clarified, "Just laying low. Big dog's too conspicuous."

Xiao Ben lapped at its muzzle, ready for orders.

Jiang Ning instructed, "Tongtong, grab the plastic bag."

Jiang Ning stuffed beef jerky into the bag.

Tongtong halted him quick, "Too much for it!"

She pulled out two strips, returning the bag to Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning fastened the jerky-laden bag to Xiao Ben’s neck, saying, "Off you go, return shortly."

Xue Yuantong called, "Bye for now!"

Xiao Ben woofed twice, trotted a bit, then dashed away, glancing back often.

Mr. Qian murmured poetically, "Winds howl over the cold Yi River..."

Mrs. Chen and Director Han gaped in shock.

...

Captain Zhou trailed back with the police dogs, noses to the ground, only to glimpse Xiao Ben's form vanishing afar.

Mrs. Chen saw her final shot and hopped into the Cayenne to chase with Captain Zhou.

Across fields, riverbank, roads, lawns, up to a wire barrier—Xiao Ben, packed with supplies, vaulted powerfully right over it.