Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 223: The Walking Bounty

"I am asking you to behave yourself and stay out of my way."

Those words hit Jack like a bolt of lightning. He froze in his tracks, the color draining from his face. Back when they were in the Summers family, whenever a young Nancy would follow him around asking him to play or help with her studies, those were the words he said to her most often.

Behave yourself. Stay out of my way.

Just then, Captain Neil from the Criminal Investigation Team hurried over to Captain Simmons and Commissioner West with a grim expression, whispering a brief report.

Captain Simmons's face darkened instantly. He raised his voice. "This is an emergency. We need to convene an important meeting immediately!"

The men turned at once and strode toward the conference room. Captain Simmons did not forget to look back and call out, "Nancy, you come too."

Throughout it all, no one spared Jack a second glance, let alone invited him to participate. The man who had been surrounding Jack with gratitude just moments ago saw the crowd disperse; feeling awkward, he hurriedly stuffed the banner into Jack's arms and led his people away.

Jack stood there, clutching the garish red banner, caught between retreating and moving forward. He had no choice but to follow them with a stiff expression.

At the entrance of the meeting room, he came face-to-face with Simon, who had just arrived. Simon was in his blue uniform shirt, his sharp eyes cold and his stride long and powerful. Encountering his rival in the narrow hallway, Simon didn't stop. He simply let his gaze sweep over Jack and the overly bright banner in his arms without a ripple of emotion, as if looking at an insignificant piece of furniture.

Jack's jaw tightened, and he wanted to say something, but Simon had already brushed past him and pushed open the door.

One after the other, they entered the tense atmosphere of the conference room. As soon as Captain Simmons and Commissioner West saw Simon, genuine smiles broke out on their faces. They waved him over enthusiastically.

"Simon, perfect timing! Come here, sit over here!"

The officers of the task force filed in and took their seats. Only Jack, clutching the banner that was so out of place with his current predicament, looked like a complete outsider under everyone's gaze. He silently found a spot in the corner to sit down, all his previous glory and superiority vanishing in an instant.

As soon as Nancy sat down, she whispered, "What exactly happened?"

Captain Neil took a deep breath and scanned the room, his voice solemn yet carrying a hint of suppressed excitement. "Thanks to Sergeant Simon's highly efficient interrogation, we have confirmed that the man known as 'Bill'—the one who provided the toxin to Raine—is a foreign spy!"

He paused, adding weight to his words. "His true objective was to sabotage the National Agricultural Research Base by contaminating the Bricksfield Village well, allowing the toxin to seep through the shared underground water veins. It was an act of quiet destruction!"

Nancy's eyes widened, and she blurted out, "Good heavens... did we just catch a walking fifty-thousand?"

Captain Simmons and Commissioner West shared a smile at Nancy's mention of the "walking fifty-thousand"—the slang for the bounty on foreign spies.

Captain Simmons joked, "Looking at it this way, it might be worth more than just one fifty-thousand."

Commissioner West nodded with approval, his tone steady and commanding. "We've decided to play along and let 'Bill' report to his superiors that the mission was a success. We'll use that to track the identity and location of the forces behind him. The National Security Bureau has been notified and should already be taking action."

He looked at the siblings with praise. "You two have performed a massive service this time."

Captain Simmons then smiled at Nancy. "Since that's the case, you can start looking at cars."

Nancy's eyes lit up with joy. "Really? I get to choose?"

"Of course," Captain Simmons confirmed. "The budget is around three to four hundred thousand. The department will also install some special equipment based on your work needs. Since your role is unique, feel free to mention any specific requirements."

While other consultants might ask for bulletproof glass or weapon systems, Nancy's car was likely to have some rather unusual configurations. Perhaps dedicated pet seats, retractable scratching posts, or portable bird perches?

Nancy was ecstatic. She had already fantasized about the internal blueprint for an "Animal Detective Action Vehicle" countless times!

Simon watched his sister's joy, a soft tenderness appearing in his eyes. "Tell me whatever you want to install in the car," he said gently. "I'll help you make it happen."

Captain Simmons looked at the modest, quiet Simon. This young man had just achieved a major victory, yet remained as calm as if nothing had happened.

His tone was filled with unabashed admiration as he said to Nancy, "Your brother is truly impressive." We were working with National Security to tail a spy for a month before, and the target didn't budge or show a single flaw."