On the hillside, the tall grass swayed gently.

Yang Qi stopped, his breathing even as he watched Xu Dajin surrounded by police dogs. A slight smile touched his lips.

’Entanglement Technique to hinder, Small Transport Technique to move.’

He cast the two Magic spells one after another, his timing perfect. He managed to assist with the capture without revealing anything out of the ordinary.

Yang Qi was very satisfied with this result.

Beside him, Officer Chen also let out a long sigh of relief. Gripping her service pistol, she quickly approached Xu Dajin.

"Don’t move!"

"Hands up!"

...

Tan Zheng and the other detectives caught up from behind and quickly took control of the scene.

"WOOF WOOF~"

The police dogs circled Xu Dajin, shifting from side to side.

Xu Dajin waved a tree branch, roaring furiously.

"Get away! All of you, get away!"

"Xu Dajin, surrender," Tan Zheng ordered coldly.

"Surrender my ass!"

Xu Dajin’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared, "If it weren’t for this mutt, you think you could’ve caught me?"

Just thinking about it enraged him. Howling, he waved the branch and charged at Bai Wan.

Taking advantage of his distraction, a detective tackled Xu Dajin from behind, slamming him to the ground.

"Let go of me! Let go of me!"

Xu Dajin tried to struggle, but two officers who had rushed over pinned his arms behind his back and pressed him to the ground. With a CLICK, they slapped handcuffs on him.

"Stay still!"

"..."

Xu Dajin’s face turned ashen. He finally stopped resisting.

...

Seeing the situation was under control, Bai Wan trotted back to Yang Qi’s side. He wagged his tail gently and looked up at him.

"Good boy."

Yang Qi knelt and rubbed Bai Wan’s head, then stroked down along his neck and thick fur.

Bai Wan’s eyes narrowed in comfort, and a low whimper rumbled in his throat.

Not far away, Officer Chen was reporting the situation to Tan Zheng.

"...It was Bai Wan who found the suspect first, hiding near the factory building. When the suspect failed to take a hostage and fell down the hill, it was also Bai Wan who kept him from escaping."

She paused, then added, "And... it seems like Bai Wan can coordinate with the other police dogs?"

Tan Zheng listened intently, his gaze drifting from time to time toward Bai Wan, who was by Yang Qi’s side.

The two police dog handlers standing nearby were astonished, unable to stop themselves from glancing over repeatedly.

The police dogs they handled were all well-trained, decorated service dogs. They could coordinate with each other, but not to a great extent.

But this was clearly Bai Wan’s first time on an operation!

And according to Officer Chen, this dog was incredibly smart and a great team player. He had kept the suspect occupied the entire time.

’When did mutts get so amazing?’

The two handlers wondered to themselves.

"I understand."

After hearing her account, Tan Zheng nodded.

Then, he strode over to Yang Qi and extended his right hand.

"Advisor Yang!"

Tan Zheng firmly shook Yang Qi’s hand. "Thank you so much for your help this time. And of course, Bai Wan—he’s incredible!"

"WOOF~"

Bai Wan barked at the perfect moment, but his gaze was on the police dogs in the distance.

The police dogs were also looking at him. Of course, Yang Qi had attracted their attention as well. Their eyes showed curiosity and a kind of acknowledgment; they wanted to get closer but were hesitant.

Animals’ senses are often sharper than humans’.

"It’s what we should do. It was Bai Wan’s honor to help the police solve a case," Yang Qi replied simply.

"Haha, Bai Wan is a good dog."

Tan Zheng laughed heartily, then said seriously, "We’re short on time today, but once this case is closed, we’ll be sure to thank Bai Wan properly. The commendations and rewards he’s due from the department won’t be overlooked."

"No, no, that’s not necessary," Yang Qi replied quickly.

"It is necessary," Tan Zheng insisted. "We’ll talk about the rest later. We need to escort the suspect back first."

Yang Qi nodded without saying more.

Immediately, the group escorted Xu Dajin out of the mountains.

A look at the sky showed it was already dusk.

Yang Qi didn’t stay long either. He said his goodbyes and left with Bai Wan.

...

On the way back to the Zoo, Yang Qi made a stop at a chemical supply store.

He bought five boxes of dry ice and two bottles of a special induction agent.

These were all consumables for the Demon Extermination Array and needed to be restocked regularly. The trunk of his car was packed full.

’This is where the contribution points go.’

Yang Qi patted the boxes and said to Bai Wan in the passenger seat, "You’re getting an extra treat tonight."

"WOOF!"

Bai Wan’s ears twitched, and his eyes sparkled.

...

At 7 PM, in the mountainside dormitory at the Zoo.

Yang Qi had specially asked the head chef in the cafeteria to help him prepare a large basin of braised bones.

Using high-quality beef leg bones, they were stewed until tender and flavorful, the rich, meaty aroma filling the air.

Bai Wan crouched in front of the basin, eating with gusto, his tail wagging so fast it looked like a fan.

Overlord padded over curiously, sniffed the air, and then stared eagerly at Yang Qi.

"Meow~"

’That smells so good.’

’What is this delicious thing?’

’Two-legged Beast, I want some too!’

...

"MROW!"

Xiaojiu, who was lying on a nearby stool, shot him a sideways glance and flicked the tip of her tail.

’You want a taste of my claws?’

"..." Overlord immediately shrank back and obediently lay down where he was.

’Even though he didn’t want to admit it, he couldn’t afford to provoke Xiaojiu, the queen bee.’

’There was nothing he could do. He couldn’t win a fight against her!’

Ta Xue was staying in the mountains for the night.

...

Around 9 PM, Yang Qi was in the middle of his cultivation when his phone, which was set aside, began to ring.

He picked it up and saw the caller ID: Li Hongqi.

"Advisor Yang."

As soon as the call connected, Captain Li’s hearty laughter came through the phone. "Old Tan just called me. He was praising Bai Wan to the heavens! Said that if it weren’t for Bai Wan, things could have gotten really serious today. Bai Wan did great, he really made me look good!"

Yang Qi laughed. "I should be thanking you for the recommendation, Captain Li. Otherwise, Captain Tan would never have contacted me."

"That’s because Bai Wan has real talent!"

Li Hongqi’s tone turned serious. "I just mentioned it in passing. By the way..."

His tone shifted, becoming playful. "Your Xiaojiu has been an ’Honorary Police Cat’ for a while now. Isn’t it about time she came to our branch to ’supervise our work’? The cafeteria chef has been asking about her."

Yang Qi understood his meaning. "How about I bring her over for a visit tomorrow evening?"

"It’s a date!" Li Hongqi laughed. "Let the guys see for themselves what a police cat who can catch ’rats’ looks like!"

After hanging up, Yang Qi smiled.

Judging from Li Hongqi’s tone, Bai Wan’s title of "Honorary Police Dog" was most likely a sure thing.

Early the next morning.

As usual, Yang Qi first went to the backyard to check the Demon Extermination Array and tidy things up before heading inside.

Then, he tallied up his gains: over eight hundred contribution points in total.

Enough for eight lottery draws.

’Time to draw!’

The first four draws were unremarkable: a Strengthening Pill, Low-Grade Spirit Rice, Spirit Tea, a Qi Condensing Pill... all of them were standard replenishment items.

The fifth draw.

[Congratulations, Host, you have received: Tier One Middle-Grade Cleaning Talisman (x10)]

A Cleaning Talisman.

Just as the name implied, using the Talisman could clean one’s body and clothes, from the inside out.

’Not bad.’

’Keep drawing!’

[Congratulations, Host, you have received: Universal Array Plate]

Yang Qi’s eyes lit up.

An Array Plate!

Although it was just a "Universal Array Plate," it meant he could now set up an Array.

"I finally got one..."

Yang Qi took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement.

Now that he had an Array Plate, he could finally start setting up the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array he had been planning for so long!