HLM – Chapter 1012 Little Fierce One

“I want to see a lawyer!”

That was the last thing Archkins said. His face was dark, his expression terrible.

Sheriff Smith patted him warmly on the shoulder. “Good man, lawyers will see you, don’t worry. But I think you’d better talk to whoever’s in charge of that falcon breeding facility. A lawyer can’t explain where all these birds came from.”

Wang Bo chuckled. “Sheriff, falcons are prohibited from being bred or traded in New Zealand. They’re protected by law.”

Sheriff Smith looked surprised. “Ah? Is that so? Then where did our Treasure-Pocket friend get these creatures? And what was he planning to do with them? Anyone know the answer?”

Wang Bo shrugged. “Maybe he pulled them out of his pocket. Doesn’t he have that magical Doraemon pouch?”

He said this for a reason—when Archkins had been investigated in the past, the police asked where he’d gotten certain rare items. He had joked that he had Doraemon’s magic pocket. That was the origin of his nickname, and also one of the most hated answers among New Zealand police.

Sheriff Smith had been itching to disgust Archkins for a long time—this smuggling kingpin made him sick.

Catching Archkins red-handed once again thrust Sunset Town’s police into the public spotlight. Sheriff Smith basked in the reflected glory—his men had identified Archkins, and he had brought in the expert to confirm the birds’ identities.

Archkins was eventually taken to Dunedin, since many of his cases were handled by the Dunedin police, and he had repeatedly used Dunedin’s port for smuggling. The falcons, as evidence, were also transported away.

Back at the office, Atulu rushed in. “Boss, they took the birds?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Atulu brought his massive palm forward, revealing a bird’s nest. In it, a tiny bird blinked innocently up at them.

“Xier thought this little one was cute earlier and took it out to play. Then we got busy and I forgot about it. He just brought it back.” He gave a sheepish laugh.

Wang Bo took the small bird and inspected it. Its feathers weren’t dyed—this was a hybrid between a peregrine falcon and a saker falcon, a future superstar among raptors. He thought for a moment. “Besides you, who else knows about this?”

“The guys in the office all know.”

Wang Bo nearly exploded. “Damn it, can’t you be more careful? Good thing the only ones who saw it were our own people—if word got out, imagine the trouble! What would outsiders think? What would they speculate? Fine, we’re ending it here. You didn’t take any bird. This bird flew into Sunset Town on its own.”

“What?” Atulu was stunned.

“This bird can’t be returned. Otherwise they’ll think we ‘kept’ who knows how many pieces of evidence. Sigh, I’m cleaning up after you again.” Wang Bo said in anguish.

Atulu: “Huh?”

“Huh? From now on, this bird belongs to Sunset Town.”

Atulu looked uneasy. “Boss, this isn’t good. Dunedin police will interrogate Archkins again. They’ll definitely notice a missing bird.”

“That has nothing to do with us. We handed everything over. Right, Little Fierce One?”

“Huh? Little Fierce One?”

“This bird. It’s a raptor baby. Nickname—Little Fierce. Doesn’t it sound cute?” Wang Bo grinned.

Morally questionable? Maybe. But he and his team had risked their lives to catch an international smuggler the Dunedin police had failed to contain for over a decade. Wasn’t that enough merit?

Especially since Dunedin police were ungrateful—they took Archkins away for interrogation, and based on experience, they definitely wouldn’t highlight Sunset Town’s contribution at the press conference. Wang Bo needed some reward. Keeping one falcon wasn’t too immoral—besides, Atulu had taken it.

More importantly, he had other plans. He still had two first-level Soul Hearts in the Box of Containment. He could bring Little Fierce under his command to protect the ranch and farm from the air.

Once he formally took ownership of Little Fierce, he used a Soul Heart on it, then brought it back to the castle. At the Nest Heart’s location, he made a small bird nest and placed Little Fierce inside.

There was a Bird-Nest Heart now, but Little Fierce was too young to be sent there—otherwise, the domineering kea parrots would probably tear it apart overnight. The Commander and Commissar couldn’t lead the keas—but Little Fierce maybe could. Wang Bo believed it would one day become an outstanding aerial commander.

Eva came over when she saw him building a nest. She hesitated when she saw the chick. “Why do I feel like this little thing… is a falcon?”

Wang Bo looked up in shock. “My god, how did you tell? You’re amazing.”

Eva giggled. “So I was right? It’s not that hard. My kids like small animals and birds, so I read a lot of books and watch shows.”

Wang Bo sighed in admiration. “You’re incredible.”

Eva rolled her eyes. “You actually believed me? A case this big today—I’m not deaf. I obviously heard a smuggler was caught with a bunch of falcons. And now you’re making a nest for a bird? Of course it’s one you kept.”

Wang Bo admired her even more—his woman really understood him.

Dale asked, “Falcons are really strong, right? They can catch rabbits in the air?”

Wang Bo said, “Little Fierce will be even stronger. When it grows up, it can hunt antelope and young deer.”

The Commander flew over, landed on the nest, groomed its feathers, then stared curiously at Little Fierce.

Little Fierce, empowered by the Soul Heart, was much more alert. It looked at its yellow-white fluff, then at the Commander, chirped a few times, and waddled over.

The Commander slapped it to the ground with one wing. “Ah! Rookie! Ah! Bite you!”

Little Fierce climbed up, aggrieved, staring blankly, not understanding why this bird that looked like its mother had hit it.

The Commissar, more righteous, flew over and pecked at the Commander. “Bad guy go away! Commander is bad! Commander is bad!”

Little Fierce snuggled close. The Commissar spread its wings, hugging it protectively, glaring fiercely at the Commander.

The Commander huffed, glared back, then flew onto Wang Bo’s shoulder.

Wang Bo watched Commissar and Little Fierce bonding instantly and sighed. “Commander, you’re doomed.”