Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 592 - 386 Deep Love for the Main Pet_2

Chapter 592: Chapter 386 Deep Love for the Main Pet_2

The man in front of him emanated an air of resigned acceptance, just as he portrayed, exceedingly cooperative. It was clear he had mentally prepared himself.

Feng Yi had never before encountered someone who owned a pet illegally and was as cooperative and calm as this.

With the man in tow, Feng Yi walked towards the Collection Gallery, thinking about the information on the other’s ID card that he had just seen.

"Mr. Zhang..."

"Just call me A’bin."

"A’bin, your lizard..."

"Tyrannosaurus. Its name is Tyrannosaurus."

"How did you come by your ’Tyrannosaurus’?" Feng Yi asked.

"That’s a long story."

A’bin, hands in his pockets and a distant look in his eyes, said:

"You should know, before the period of abnormal climate, there wasn’t strict control over such exotic species; you could keep them as you liked. My grandpa had one. It was really well-behaved, could even understand some words, and would come when called by its name. You could pet its head. It looked even cooler than a dog. After that lizard passed away naturally, it became prohibited to own one domestically. My grandpa would often show us photos of it. So, since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to keep a lizard like that."

But then the Union Enforcement Bureau burst onto the scene with great momentum, particularly strict about these matters, so he didn’t dare to keep one.

"Later, I discovered there were actually quite a few people keeping them secretly. Five years ago, I received a tip that a man illegally dealing in reptile pets fled, and his creatures were abandoned in the mountains, including snakes, turtles, lizards, mostly lizards."

"In the dead of night, I masked up and ran to that place to catch lizards. A few others were doing the same thing, all masked, trying to snatch a few to take home before the authorities could clean up the place.

"Tyrannosaurus was caught that night. As soon as I caught it, I rushed home. If you check the local news from five years ago, you can read about that incident. The Union Enforcement Bureau, in conjunction with several local departments, conducted a cleanup operation in the forests for some of the ’illegally released’ animals."

A’bin recounted the origin of the lizard.

Most of what he said was true, but he didn’t tell the complete truth about that night’s experience. He dared not, for it could cause unnecessary trouble.

When he went to catch a lizard that night five years ago, he thought he’d be satisfied just catching one, just to indulge the craving.

But he had exceptional luck that day; he caught two!

At the time, he didn’t look too closely; they were both green-skinned and about the same size. He grabbed them quickly and rushed back home, fearing he’d be blocked by the authorities if he stayed longer.

However, upon closer inspection at home, he realized the two lizards were different!

He had assumed the other one was just another species released by the pet dealer, but after searching online, he broke into a cold sweat!

After triple-checking, it turned out to be a spiny lizard!

Known to the people as the "water dragon."

A bona fide local "dragon"!

And more importantly, it was a nationally protected species of the second degree!

Bringing back a wild protected species was a completely different matter!

So, without getting any sleep and barely resting, he released the spiny lizard back into the mountains that very night.

After that, as things settled down outside, he began raising the lizard secretly in this house.

From a tiny little thing to its current size of one and a half meters.

"I didn’t abandon it on purpose! It really was an oversight, it escaped on its own! I just... didn’t go looking for it this time."

A’bin’s expression was a mix of weariness and conflict, as he wiped his face with his hand:

"Do you think I’m being too cooperative? I have no choice! If I cooperate with the investigation, I’ll get a lighter punishment! And it’ll have a better outcome too!"

Invasive species and protected species are treated completely differently—it’s like night and day! Being put down immediately is a possibility!

Feng Yi listened to A’bin’s words without indicating whether he believed them or not. Investigating the case was the Union Enforcement Bureau investigator’s job. Nevertheless, judging from the emotional cues coming from A’bin, even if there was something hidden, it likely wasn’t a severe negative incident.

As they talked, the two had arrived at the Collection Gallery, and Feng Yi led A’bin towards the small garden.

A’bin’s thoughts were completely on the lizard, and he hadn’t noticed what this place was for.

Jia opened the door on Feng Yi’s cue, and inside, the lizard was eating fruit from a box.

Instantly recognizing it as his own, A’bin’s expression turned to excitement: "Tyrannosaurus! Tyranno!"

The lizard, busy eating fruit, initially paid no attention, probably finishing up. Only after a while did it turn to look in A’bin’s direction, its stride commanding as it tried to discern something in A’bin’s calls.

A’bin: "Tyrannosaurus! Darling! Over here, over here!"

Whoosh—

The lizard, having identified its target, charged over like a gust of wind.

The warm sunlight fell on the meticulously arranged small garden.

A gentle breeze stirred the leaves, bringing with it a soothing rhythm.

Despite the atmosphere, there wasn’t a warm scene of owner and pet embracing each other.

When the lizard charged over, A’bin took to his heels and ran.

With no convenient place nearby to take cover, A’bin quickly tucked himself behind Feng Yi.

In this critical moment, an expert was more reliable!

Sure enough, the lizard ground to a halt right in front of Feng Yi.

Feng Yi grabbed it and threw it back to the enclosed area where it had been before.

The crisis averted, A’bin let out a long sigh of relief, his face showing a mix of emotions as he stared silently at the scene.

Director Cui, who had been trimming branches, came over at this point.

Having learned that the intruding lizard in the small garden was kept by this young man, he glanced at the lizard inside. The lizard was propping up its front body, nodding its head up and down in their direction.

Director Cui: "Is it greeting you?"

A’bin: "No, it’s threatening me. Telling me to piss off."

Director Cui: "..."

Moving away without a word, he continued trimming the branches.

Feng Yi called A’bin over to sit down at a faux-wood table and chairs by the side.

Feng Yi asked: "You and it..."

A’bin, with tears welling up in his eyes: "Loved each other!"

Feng Yi: "...That’s not what I meant, I meant to ask... You said you’ve had this lizard for five years, but it seemed like it was about to attack you."

A’bin, with a face like he’d been stabbed, tears streaming down, cried out:

"It’s a twisted fate!"

"When I first started raising it, my goal was to grow it into a two-meter-long big fella!

But I couldn’t take it when it grew past one meter!"

"I’d heard people say that once trained well, this type of monitor lizard can be very docile and interactive.

"At first, I encountered many difficulties that others hadn’t, but I didn’t give up. I was convinced that despite individual differences, as long as I continued raising it, I could eventually tame it.

"After all, it’s a lizard, not a snake that’s so low in intelligence it relies purely on instinct!"

Having said that, A’bin remembered that the expert in front of him caught snakes and might have a deeper affection for snakes than for lizards and explained:

"No offense intended, what I mean is, there are many more high-intelligence species among lizards compared to snakes..."

But then he felt this was also not the right thing to say.

"...Let’s skip this topic for now, there’s no high or low, no nobility or baseness among pet reptiles!"

Wiping his face and gathering himself, A’bin continued:

"Anyway, things didn’t go as I had expected, and they didn’t develop in the direction I had planned."

A’bin spread his hands to show Feng Yi the scars: "It did this..."

He rolled up his trouser leg to reveal scars on his calf: "And this..."

And then he pointed to his head: "And also this!"

Feng Yi looked but saw no scars on A’bin’s head.

A’bin: "Oh, the one on the head is from a whip of its tail, not a bite.

"Overall, raising it made me question life!"

A’bin’s gaze turned sorrowful:

"My grandpa had one that was so well-behaved, so touching in its interactions, and so warm—I was incredibly envious! But when I got my own, wuu..."

At that moment, what emanated from A’bin was a sense of dispirited dejection, as if his confidence and beliefs had been shattered, every strand of hair was tinged with a sense of collapse.

"Why are others’ so well-behaved, while mine... is simply neurotic! Like a mad cow! A stray dog! Always in a manic phase no matter the season, ever since it was small!"

"I don’t know if I’m domesticating it, or if it’s domesticating me!"

"I’m truly tired! Aow—"

A’bin howled loudly and collapsed onto the table, sobbing.

Feng Yi: "..."