Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 213: The Shared Reservoir

The marmot patriarch thumped his furry chest, brimming with motivation. "No problem! Leave it to us!"

"We're heading out to dig for intel right now!"

Seeing them turn to scurry off, Nancy quickly called out, "Wait! Just to be safe, you should all drink some of this antidote before you go."

Nancy began administering varying doses of the activated charcoal suspension to the line of marmots.

While they waited, the other marmots in the queue chattered away, their voices filled with innocent yet anxious worry:

"Human poison is terrifying!"

"Oh, by the way, I heard... the well at that agricultural research base and this village well are connected to the same 'water bag' underground! Does that mean the water over there is poisoned too?"

"Goodness! Does that mean all the tender, sweet grass around the base is going to wither away?"

"No—! The grass and flowers there are delicious. I always take my niece there to graze!"

Nancy sharply caught the keyword "agricultural research base," and her heart skipped a beat.

There was an agricultural research base nearby?

Nancy whipped out her phone to check the map. As she confirmed that a "National Agricultural Research and Demonstration Base" was indeed marked near Bricksfield Village, her fingertips trembled, and she nearly dropped her phone.

A national-level research facility!

Nancy crouched down, her voice urgent. "Listen to me! You just said... the research base has a well too? And it's connected to the same underground water vein as this one?"

The patriarch nodded his round little head vigorously. "That's right! I have a relative who lives right next to that base~"

He started gesturing wildly as he warmed up to the topic. "The humans over there are always dropping fragrant seeds and fodder. My relative often sneaks through a secret tunnel to call us over for a feast!"

He suddenly shrank his neck back and lowered his voice. "I heard the grass inside the base tastes even better. One of my greedy relatives tried to sneak in for a taste and almost got turned into a toasted puffball by an electric fence! Scared us half to death!"

Nancy suddenly remembered that marmots were essentially "underground engineers."

Their burrows might look small on the surface, but if maintained by a family for generations, they could span hundreds of meters. These networks weren't just tunnels; they included bedrooms, dining areas, and even dedicated "latrines" and "nurseries."

Marmots were clever enough to avoid digging directly into water systems while staying close enough for easy access, meaning they knew the flow of underground veins better than anyone.

Nancy realized the situation was far more dire than she had thought. It wasn't just the lives of the villagers at stake; a national research facility was involved.

Since the wells drew from the same underground source, it was like two straws in one glass. If a villain dropped poison into the Bricksfield Village "straw," the toxin would eventually dissolve into the entire "glass" of water.

Consequently, any water drawn up by the research base's "straw" would also be contaminated.

Just then, Simon returned from his sweep of the village. To avoid drawing attention, he had swapped his uniform for a low-profile navy windbreaker and a bucket hat, looking like a casual hiker or fisherman.

Despite the simple clothes, his tall frame and sharp, disciplined aura were hard to hide. Beneath the brim of his hat, his narrow, piercing eyes flickered with a cold intensity.

He strode over to Nancy, keeping his voice low and grim.

"I talked to a few villagers. This well is known as the 'Sweetwater Well' because the water is crisp and plentiful. Almost every household here uses it. There's no word of anyone being hospitalized yet, but several people mentioned feeling nauseous and lethargic lately."

Nancy grabbed Simon's sleeve, her tone urgent. "It's worse than that!"

She quickly explained how the two wells shared a single water vein. "We have to stop the agricultural base from pumping water for irrigation immediately. If the toxin spreads through their system, the consequences will be catastrophic!"

Simon's expression hardened. "Let's hope the toxin hasn't fully permeated the deep groundwater yet..."

Before he could finish, the marmot patriarch poked his furry head out from the side and raised a paw.

"Are you in a hurry? We know exactly where the research base well is!"

"We have a burrow right there, and that side doesn't have an electric fence!"

"I can send a fast runner to notify my relatives. We can help you surround the well!"