Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 425: Responding With Strength

"Is he worried they will find a lead and only tell their inner circle?"

"Exactly. Besides, in all those previous cases, Nancy always reported to the entire task force. She brought the whole team along to take the credit and solve the case."

…

The scattered whispers drifted over, making Marcus’s expression sour. He kept his face stiff and defensive.

The Chief Commander responded to him calmly. "You can rest easy on that point. Nancy will enter the scene with the judging panel first to complete the collection of animal intelligence. All information obtained will be transmitted back to headquarters and fully disclosed to every group simultaneously. No one will have exclusive access to leads, and there will be no information gap. Everyone gets the same data to analyze and dig through. It is perfectly fair."

Nancy nodded, then turned toward Marcus. Her gaze was clear and her voice rang out across the hall with steady confidence. "Officer Marcus, to completely eliminate any doubt, the entire process of my communication with the animals will be recorded by my body cam and broadcast in real time. You won't have to worry about even the possibility of private communication between my brother and me."

Her response was open and flawless, making Marcus look petty by comparison.

Just then, Simon, who had been sitting quietly, stood up.

He did not look at Marcus. Instead, he faced the Chief Commander with a steady, powerful tone. "In that case, Commander, I request that my personal access to all non-emergency public intelligence be delayed by two hours compared to the others."

Only then did Simon slowly look toward the rigid Marcus, his eyes like a calm, unbothered sea. "The fairness Officer Marcus is worried about boils down to the fear of someone using an information gap to get a head start on points. Now, we are erasing that final possibility."

Nancy picked up where Simon left off, her eyes bright. "Officer Marcus is used to measuring strength by relationships, but we choose to answer suspicion with results. Is that clear enough?"

Seeing his opponents voluntarily move into a more disadvantageous position, Marcus felt a flicker of secret triumph.

He put on a look of forced helplessness and even sighed. "Officer Simon, that was not my intention... but since you have proactively suggested a two-hour delay, then…" Marcus added a touch of mock regret to his voice. "I have no choice but to respect your decision."

Before Marcus's staged regret could even dissipate, the team formation phase began.

The crowd moved with a clear sense of direction. Several well-known rising stars of the police world walked straight toward Simon. Among them were the two experts Marcus had intended to recruit but had not yet approached.

Simon had spent most of his career in a local station and knew very few officers from other units. Looking at the several familiar but not personally known faces before him, he remained composed. "Everyone, let's be clear. My team will receive intel two hours late. Think it over before you join."

The lead officer let out a laugh and slapped him on the shoulder. "Officer Simon, I am picking the man, not trying to beat the morning rush for intel."

A nearby expert pushed up his glasses. "The delay is fine. It saves us from being distracted by cluttered, raw information."

"Exactly!" another shouted with a booming voice. "I am teaming up with you because I want the case solved. What is two hours?"

With a few words, the pact was made.

On the other side, Marcus gathered a few old acquaintances. He had a team, but when he looked over at Simon’s star-studded lineup, he felt a bitter weight in his chest. It was not just about the gap in team quality.

Watching Simon's popularity, Nancy smiled. This was the most direct answer to where people’s trust truly lay.

…

The next morning.

Nancy arrived at the port by plane and boarded a coast guard patrol boat that had been waiting for her. For this mission at sea, she brought along the ultimate all-rounder, Master Crow.

The crow truly was a survival expert among birds. Whether it was a snowy mountain peak or the heart of a desert, he remained unfazed. Even facing the surging waves of the blue ocean, he stood proudly on Nancy’s shoulder, letting the salty sea breeze ruffle his shiny black feathers.

Greeting Nancy was a sharp female officer, Samantha Henderson. Her short hair was tucked neatly under her deep blue cap, and her shoulder boards featured the gold anchor and olive branch. Samantha carefully helped Nancy into her life jacket, tightening every buckle and meticulously explaining the safety protocols for a mission at sea.

As the patrol ship headed toward the vast open water, Master Crow’s sharp eyes caught a glint of something shiny.

Samantha sat in the corner, tracing a ring hanging from a chain around her neck. Nancy followed the crow’s gaze and, after a soft inquiry, learned that Samantha was the fiancée of Harold Holmes, the chief engineer who had perished on the Seabed-173.