The matters on the snowy mountain having temporarily concluded, Ye Tiancheng and his companions drove through the night towards Nie Chongyang's location.
It was truly improper to keep Long Zhaozhao concealed indefinitely. Even if Long Zhaozhao himself was willing, to keep him hidden away where no one could see him was inhumane. Moreover, this was not a sustainable long-term solution; Long Zhaozhao needed to be brought into the open.
However, as a precaution, after they left the snowy mountain and their communication devices could be used, they looked up the appearance of a sable. Long Miaomiao cast a transformation spell, changing Zhaozhao from his current form into that of a sable. This would make traveling outside more convenient, as they wouldn't always have to stuff Long Zhaozhao into a backpack.
As for the matter of the house owner on the snowy mountain, Ye Tiancheng and his group didn't need to personally handle it. They simply entrusted it to their trusted subordinates, who could complete these tasks. Once the necessary actions were taken, their subordinates would return to the snowy mountain to provide feedback to the owner, letting them know that they had fulfilled their promise and had not broken their word.
Ye Tiancheng had also not visited Nie Chongyang's location for quite some time. The special operations team there was developing rapidly, with the department changing daily. Upon arrival, Ye Tiancheng felt a sense of unfamiliarity. It had truly transformed into a state he no longer recognized. This was a feeling he experienced almost every time.
After arriving, Ye Tiancheng contacted Nie Chongyang, asking him to come down and pick them up. Otherwise, without a pass, they wouldn't be able to enter the special operations department's premises without authorization. He dialed Nie Chongyang's number. After several rings, the call was answered. Ye Tiancheng then said, "Captain Nie, are you busy? I have something to discuss with you. We've just arrived at the main entrance downstairs your department. Could you come down and pick us up?"
Nie Chongyang's situation was unclear. Upon hearing Ye Tiancheng's voice, Nie Chongyang's tone carried a hint of surprise. Nie Chongyang said to Ye Tiancheng, "You've come here? What excellent timing! We also have something we need your help with. We've been incredibly troubled by the case we're currently working on!"
"Oh?" Ye Tiancheng thought to himself that the special operations team must have received a tricky case. It seemed his arrival was indeed timely. "Let's discuss it when we meet."
Nie Chongyang replied, "Yes, alright. I'll be right down."
After hanging up, Ye Tiancheng gestured to Long Miaomiao and the little fox, urging them to get out of the car and wait for Nie Chongyang at the main entrance. The guards at the department entrance seemed to be newly hired and didn't recognize Ye Tiancheng. They approached and inquired about their purpose and identities. Fortunately, Nie Chongyang seemed genuinely eager and arrived very quickly, saving Ye Tiancheng and his companions the trouble of explaining.
After picking up Ye Tiancheng and the other two, Nie Chongyang walked them back, curiously asking, "I didn't ask on the phone earlier, but did you encounter any trouble that brought you here specifically?"
Ye Tiancheng told Nie Chongyang, "Our matter is neither big nor small. However, for you, it should be quite simple to resolve. I didn't expect such a coincidence that you're also facing trouble. What happened? If you need it, we can also lend a hand."
"That would be wonderful! We're in a terrible state. We've truly encountered a thorny issue this time," Nie Chongyang said sincerely. "We've just started in this line of work. When we encounter some strange and unusual matters with low risk, we can figure them out ourselves. But this time, we've genuinely encountered a major case with no leads."
"Actually, we've only just taken over. Before this, it was the ordinary criminal investigation team conducting the investigation. No one thought of this aspect until later, when some unexpected changes occurred, and the case was transferred to our special operations team."
Ye Tiancheng, filled with curiosity, asked, "Is it related to those strange events? What kind of major case is it?"
Nie Chongyang said, "This matter cannot be explained in a few words. Let's go to my office, and I'll tell you in detail. We'll also resolve your matter, which is neither big nor small, first."
Ye Tiancheng had no objections. The four of them proceeded to Nie Chongyang's office. As they walked, those who recognized Ye Tiancheng and those who didn't all cast glances at them, seemingly curious about their purpose for being there.
Upon reaching the office, Nie Chongyang said, "Your matter is simpler. Let's discuss your issue first, and I'll handle it for you before we talk about mine." After he finished speaking, Ye Tiancheng glanced at Long Miaomiao. Long Miaomiao took out a Long Zhaozhao, whose disguise had been removed, from her backpack and said, "This little trouble is what we need your help with to legitimize."
Nie Chongyang looked closely. At first, he didn't clearly recognize what kind of animal Long Zhaozhao was. After careful consideration, he was suddenly startled and exclaimed in surprise, "Isn't this a Class I national protected animal? Where did it come from? Legitimize it how?"
Ye Tiancheng explained to Nie Chongyang, "Our last stop was the snowy mountain. While handling our business, we discovered this little fellow. The item we were looking for was in this little fellow's possession, so we made a trade with him."
"You also know Long Miaomiao's identity. Miaomiao promised that if he was willing to exchange with us, she could take him by her side to cultivate. He naturally wouldn't miss such an opportunity and agreed to us. Miaomiao had already made arrangements with him, so we could only bring him along."
"But as you said, this little fellow is a Class I national protected animal. We can't just parade him around. Isn't that why we had to come to you for help to legitimize him?"
Seeing Nie Chongyang's shocked expression, Ye Tiancheng thought for a moment and added, "This isn't an ordinary sable. This little fellow, by chance, found a treasure and has awakened his intelligence, embarking on the path of cultivation. He is a genuine mountain spirit. His true age is probably not younger than yours, and he can already speak human language."
Nie Chongyang stared blankly at Ye Tiancheng, then at Long Zhaozhao in Long Miaomiao's arms, and stammered, "What should I call... this one?"
Long Zhaozhao had previously been cautioned by Ye Tiancheng and the others not to speak human language casually in front of humans. Long Zhaozhao himself was not thoughtless, so even when disguised, he never acted overly intelligent in front of people. Now that Ye Tiancheng had proactively revealed his identity to Nie Chongyang and informed him of his ability to speak human language and his status as a spirit, he took the initiative to introduce himself to Nie Chongyang.
"I am a sable that became a spirit on the snowy mountain, not an ordinary animal. By chance, I was able to follow the Divine Dragon Lord and was bestowed the surname Long and the given name Zhaozhao by the Lord. Officer, you can call me whatever you like, or just call me by my name. The Lords all call me 'Zhaozhao'."
Hearing Long Zhaozhao speak, Nie Chongyang's expression became even more stunned.
Long Miaomiao tugged at Long Zhaozhao's ear, reminding him, "People nowadays don't call them 'officers' like that anymore."
Long Zhaozhao's understanding of human society was still somewhat lacking, and he looked at Long Miaomiao with a hint of confusion. If not called an officer, what should he be called?
This little fellow made Nie Chongyang's eyes turn red. Because they discovered another side of the world, they had to establish the special operations team to handle these strange events. However, in terms of metaphysics, they were just beginners, or rather, even calling them beginners was an overstatement. Let alone having the opportunity to cultivate. But this little fellow, who was less than half a meter tall, had such good fortune, having awakened his intelligence and being able to cultivate, and even being able to follow a dragon to cultivate. This was truly a blessing they could only dream of.
It was only by thinking that Long Miaomiao's avatar, Little Miaomiao, remained with their special operations team that Nie Chongyang could feel somewhat balanced. However, thinking about what Ye Tiancheng and Long Miaomiao had said, Nie Chongyang also felt a headache coming on.
He said to Ye Tiancheng and the others, "This matter seems truly thorny. This, this Long Zhaozhao is a Class I national protected animal. No matter what excuse we use, it's impossible to have someone carry him around and bring him into the open. And we can't reveal the truth to the public..."
"Can't he cultivate now and is a spirit? Wouldn't it be more convenient to transform into human form? It would be much easier to just get him an ID card."
Ye Tiancheng smiled helplessly and said, "That's the logic, but if he could transform into human form, it would indeed be much simpler. It's just that Zhaozhao's cultivation level is still a bit insufficient, and he can't transform yet. So, we have to find other ways."
"It's not that we have to carry a Class I national protected animal and parade him around. We could change his appearance to that of another pet. But nowadays, don't all pet sables have to have that chip implanted and require an ID card to be more legal?"
"That's why we brought him here. We just need you to get him a pet certificate. Later, Miaomiao will change him into the appearance of a pet sable, and he can get by."
Nie Chongyang then breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, that's simple. It's a trivial matter. I'll have someone help you with it right away."
With Long Zhaozhao's issue clarified and no longer a cause for concern, Ye Tiancheng then said to Nie Chongyang, "By the way, about the incident you're dealing with, tell us about it now. Your matter should be quite urgent. Didn't you say it was a major case? And it was the criminal investigation team investigating before, so it should involve human lives, right?"
"Such an important matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible. Lives are at stake. The longer it drags on, the more people might get hurt."
Nie Chongyang was overjoyed that Ye Tiancheng was willing to help. He immediately nodded in agreement, "Indeed. When this case first occurred, we all thought it was an ordinary criminal case, and only the criminal investigation team was investigating. However, they couldn't find any suspects and had no leads, yet people were being harmed one after another."
"Later, by chance, we learned that there might be non-human power behind this case, and that's when it was transferred to our special operations team."
"If we don't catch the person behind this soon, the harm will be too great. One day later in apprehending that person, more people might be harmed. But that person is slippery and elusive. Little Miaomiao helped us, and we've managed to get some clues, but it's still tricky."
"This case, perhaps if you hadn't come looking for us, I would have had to contact you proactively soon."
Ye Tiancheng frowned, his voice deepening, "I didn't expect such a serious and malicious incident to occur. Then it truly needs to be resolved quickly. Fortunately, we happened to come over, so we can understand the situation as soon as possible. We will help and assist you in resolving this matter quickly."