Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 450: The Silent Labyrinth

"I will find Snowball!" Before the words even left Barry's mouth, he had already turned and vanished into the swirling white.

Snowball should have been close by to the northeast. Barry had excellent vision and had spotted the little thing jumping through the snow only fifteen minutes prior.

Simon immediately took the sluggish Master Crow from Nancy’s arms, tucking the bird inside the front of his heavy coat. "I will get him back. Keep in touch and stay safe!"

Without another word, he turned and sprinted toward the police station, his silhouette quickly swallowed by the rising snow.

Only Nancy and Antonio remained.

The wind howled, making every second feel excruciatingly long. Finally, static crackled over the radio, followed by Barry’s tense voice.

"I have searched every possible hiding spot nearby." He paused, his tone deepening. "There is no sign of Snowball."

That single sentence made Nancy’s heart drop. For safety, Snowball usually stayed within a short distance of her, and those tiny legs could not have carried the weasel far. More importantly, if even Master Crow, who was sensitive to soundwaves had been affected, how could a local native like Snowball simply vanish?

Nancy pulled out her phone and opened the tracking software synced with the police equipment. Fortunately, for the sake of mission safety, Snowball was wearing a micro-GPS tag. The dot on the screen showed that Snowball had not gone far; the weasel was running in repeated circles in a single location.

"He is trapped!"

Nancy’s chest tightened as she bolted toward the signal source. The tracker led them to a rocky slope partially buried under the snow. The signal was right there, but all they could see were jagged rocks and white drifts.

"Is he underground?"

Antonio knelt and brushed away a layer of snow, revealing an inconspicuous tunnel entrance hidden by dead grass. It was deep, narrow, and led into the dark. The signal was coming from directly below.

"Snowball!" Nancy cried out, leaning over the opening.

Barry and Antonio moved to other possible exits among the rock fissures, calling out into the dark. "Snowball, come out! This way, come on!"

Their voices echoed across the empty tundra and into the dark earth. After a few agonizing minutes, the snow at the narrow entrance shifted. A furry white head, covered in dirt and bits of grass, peeked out timidly.

It was Snowball.

His black eyes were wide with panic. The moment he saw Nancy, he let out a sharp squeak and bolted toward her like a streak of white lightning. He scrambled up her arm and buried himself in the crook of her neck, his entire body trembling.

"It is so dark and quiet down there, and there are no other animals!"

His tiny paws gripped Nancy’s collar as he spoke, his voice thick with lingering fear. "I kept turning and turning, but I could not find the way back..."

Nancy gently stroked Snowball’s shaking back with her palm, her voice soft and low. "You scared me. It is okay, you are safe now. Tell me, what did you find down there?"

Snowball kept his head buried for a long time before muttering.

"Nancy... something is wrong here. My nose caught a weird smell, and it made my heart race. I just wanted to run..." He sniffed, trying to sound brave. "But I remembered I am an animal detective. I could not run. I tried to find other animals, but there were none. I thought maybe they were hiding underground, so I went down. But the smell was even stronger there. It was dark, and there were so many paths. I just... I lost my way."

Nancy felt her heart ache. She leaned down and pressed her cheek against his cold fur.

"Snowball, you were incredibly brave." Her voice was full of pride. "You found a massive lead. There is a strange scent here, right? You did an amazing job."

She pulled him closer against her chest. "Now, it is time for our hero to rest. Leave the rest to us."

In her warm, steady embrace, Snowball finally stopped shaking. He let out a small, dependent squeak and pressed closer to her.

After hearing Nancy’s translation, Barry immediately locked onto the key detail.

"Scent interference combined with infrasound. The goal is clear: they want every animal out of this area."

Barry knelt, pulled a pair of gloves from his kit, and quickly gathered soil samples from around the tunnel entrance. "The soil has likely been tampered with. I am taking these to the bio-lab at the research station for an emergency analysis."