Animal Whisperer: Take Back My Life and Love Chapter 462: The Ambush

Just before the team set off, Tammy turned her head slightly. Her gaze brushed over Barry, who was standing at the front of the convoy.

Their eyes met for a fleeting second.

The corner of Tammy’s mouth twitched into a faint and meaningful curve, a look so subtle it was almost invisible. Then she calmly looked away and urged her horse toward the command vehicle.

Barry stood frozen for a moment.

The silhouette of that glance, especially the spirit behind her eyes... how could she look so much like Nancy and Simon?

He turned his head instinctively and asked Jorgan in a low voice, "When we contacted the Elpis project team, was this lady on the member list?"

Jorgan followed his gaze, seeing only the composed silhouette of a woman on horseback. He shook his head cautiously, his voice dropping even lower. "Mr. Goodman, I am afraid she is not on any list we were given."

Jorgan offered a silent and professional assessment. "Judging by her aura, she is likely the big boss who decides who gets on the list in the first place."

Barry remained where he was, his heart skipping an uneasy beat.

…

At Moonslide Peak, the wind and snow cut like knives.

Master Crow suddenly dove down, cawing frantically. "Nancy! A little white titmouse says it saw a red fox wearing shoes!"

"A fox in shoes?" Nancy’s pupils contracted. "That is the animal Langstrom is controlling!"

She immediately pressed her earpiece, speaking at a rapid clip. "Simon, we have an anomaly. A controlled red fox has appeared at the ten o'clock position."

Her tone was cautious. "Should we follow? It could be bait."

Simon’s voice was as cold as iron. "Follow it. But we do not send everyone."

He quickly issued orders. "Antonio, take teams two and three. Form a pincer movement in the opposite direction of the fox. Expand the perimeter and watch for a diversion. Oroqen brothers, please scatter and take the high ground on both sides to provide eyes and fire support. Team one, follow me. Nancy, we will keep our distance from the fox and see where it leads."

The orders were executed perfectly. The large force split apart silently, vanishing into the snow and jagged rocks like a shadow.

Nancy and Simon remained about ten meters apart, trailing the abnormally behaving fox from a distance. High above, Lucky the Gyrfalcon spread his wide wings like a silent gray cloud, providing the siblings with an irreplaceable bird's eye view.

The wind howled, and time crawled forward along their frayed nerves.

Suddenly, Lucky let out a sharp and short cry from above. "Below you! Southeast valley! Hoofbeats, many of them! It is a mess! A herd of wild boars is charging straight for you!"

The hair on the back of Nancy’s neck stood up. Almost simultaneously with Lucky’s warning, she shouted into her earpiece. "All units, stay alert! Southeast valley, a boar herd is approaching at high speed! Numbers unknown! I repeat, boars are approaching!"

The warning had barely left her lips when a dull and terrifying rumble vibrated through the ground. It was not the wind. It was the sound of countless heavy hooves crushing ice and snow, a lethal stampede drawing closer.

The storm at Moonslide Peak turned violent.

Before Simon could finish his next order, scouts from different directions screamed into their radios almost at once. "Boars spotted to the northeast!"

"They are coming from the east! Fast!"

"Southeast! They are on us!"

Three sides. The boar herd was encircling them from three directions.

The heavy thudding of hooves sounded like rolling thunder, making the snow beneath them shudder. The dark mass of animals crashed through the low brush, kicking up waves of snow. Their white tusks gleamed in the dim light as they lunged for the team's flank.

The mastermind's intent was clear. He wanted to scatter them, divide them, and destroy them.

Just as the herd was about to cut the team in half, the sound of rapid hooves tore through the chaos.

Tammy charged forward from the rear on her horse like a silver arrow. As she bypassed Nancy, she tossed a sealed silver metal box firmly into her daughter’s arms.

"Nancy, catch!"

Tammy’s voice was low and urgent. "High concentration biological sedative mist. Have the birds carry and spray it from low altitude. It will neutralize the boars' aggression temporarily!"

Nancy did not hesitate to flip the lid. Inside were dozens of aerosol canisters the size of a thumb. She grabbed several, and Master Crow dove down with instinctive timing. With a sharp whistle, he summoned several tits and jackdaws.

The birds gripped the canisters, forming a miniature air force. They dove toward the nearest wave of boars and triggered the valves with their talons or beaks.

Large patches of pale blue mist exploded in front of the herd, spreading rapidly. The boars in the lead inhaled the mist, and their charge faltered instantly. The rage in their eyes was replaced by confusion. They began to spin in place or bump into one another, effectively stalling the front line.

At the same moment, Simon fixed his eyes on the red fox, which was trying to slip into a rocky crevice amidst the chaos. He shouted to the sky, "Lucky! Stay on the fox! Ignore the ground!"