Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 250: The "Victims" Strike Back

She tried to lift Nino, but after the frantic sprint and the crushing tension, her arms felt weak, and her body swayed slightly.

Barry knelt down without a second's hesitation. He took the little girl firmly into his arms with one hand and thrust the fire extinguisher into Nancy's. "This is lighter; you carry this."

Though the open flames were dying down, thick smoke was billowing everywhere. Barry used his tall frame to prop up the fire blanket, creating a safe triangular space for them to move.

Nancy pressed close to his side. She held Star's leash with one hand, relying on the dog to guide their path, while using the extinguisher in her other hand to clear obstacles. Master Crow's aerial navigation echoed in her ears:

"Fallen log on the right! Heads down!"

"Path clear straight ahead! Speed up!"

Through the perfect coordination between the humans and their animal partners, they finally escorted Nino out of the smoke-shrouded woods.

The moment Nancy and Barry burst out of the haze with Nino, firefighters were already on the scene and rushed forward to take over. The collective anxiety of the crowd broke into thunderous applause!

Barry handed Nino back to her nearly catatonic mother. The woman clutched her daughter as if she were a long-lost treasure, sobbing uncontrollably.

As the firefighters moved into the area for the final cleanup, Nancy finally let herself relax. She leaned her hands on her knees, gasping for air, her damp hair plastered to her forehead with sweat.

Seeing her weak state, Barry immediately supported her frail frame. His tone was rebuking, yet his touch was incredibly gentle. "With a tiny body like yours, you can barely carry a child, yet you dared to charge into a fire?"

As he spoke, he took an energy drink from Jorgan, snapped the cap open, and carefully brought it to her lips. Nancy took several long gulps, finally catching her breath.

When she looked up and saw Barry's face—streaked with black and white soot, the snow leopard ears on his head crooked beyond recognition—she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"You look like a snow leopard that just finished a shift in a coal mine!"

Barry raised an eyebrow. "And you think you look any better?" He lightly flicked a speck of ash off the tip of her nose. "You're the same breed as the Great Tabby King now."

Just then, Nino's father stumbled out from another direction of the woods, his face also stained with smoke. He pulled his daughter into a tight embrace, his voice hoarse. "Nino! Thank god you're okay! Daddy was looking for you on the other side of the forest for so long..."

Before he could finish, he began to cough violently, his body swaying as if he were about to collapse. The fire captain stepped forward to steady him. "Sir, are you alright?"

The father seized the captain's arm, sliding downward as if his strength had vanished. His voice was weak and strained. "I... I can't breathe... my head is so dizzy..."

As he spoke, he intentionally let his hands tremble uncontrollably. Even his lips began to quiver slightly. However, the rhythm of that trembling was subtly forced; it didn't look like a genuine physiological spasm.

Nino's mother immediately lunged over, her voice rising in an exaggerated wail. "Oh my god! Honey, what's wrong? You're usually so healthy!"

She spun around and glared at Nancy, shrieking, "This zoo must take responsibility! My husband was choked by your smoke and traumatized by this fire! He's the pillar of this family. If there are any lasting effects, I'm not finished with you!"

Leon leaned in close to Barry, whispering under his breath, "Something's wrong."

"Our staff patrolled those woods right before the fire got big. We confirmed no one was inside." When did this father and daughter crawl in there?"

At that moment, Nino's mother lunged toward Nancy again, screaming, "Pay up! You have to pay!"

Nino opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but her mother clamped a hand over her mouth, muffling her into a series of whimpers.

Nancy remained calm. "Please rest assured, if this is the zoo's responsibility, we will not dodge it. Right now, the most important thing is for 911 to check your husband's condition."

"Check? What good is a checkup!" the mother ranted. "If anything happens to my husband..."

Barry stepped forward, his tall figure subtly shielding Nancy.

"Madam." Jorgan spoke up, his tone polite yet heavy with scrutiny. "Are you certain your husband's symptoms are caused entirely by smoke inhalation and shock?"

Barry didn't say a word, but his cold, piercing gaze seemed to see right through them. The mother felt a chill run down her spine. Her bravado crumbled, and she began to stutter.

"What... what else could it be? Could there be any other reason?"

During this standoff, several ambulances marked with "Goodman Corp Medical" logos drove orderly through the back gate and onto the scene.