Dots of various colors still twinkled on the map. The green dot for a "purchased pet" and the red dot representing him were right next to each other in the very center. The yellow dots for "sold pets" and the orange dots for "Mutant Animals" weren’t visible, likely because they were outside the range of the current view.
Having learned from his previous experience of having to zoom all the way out to find Shi Gaofei, this time Shen Yibin just zoomed the map out to cover all of East Asia right from the start. Immediately, more dots of light appeared.
An orange dot appeared over the Japanese archipelago. This was Egg, who was with Sakai Kaori, living comfortably like a deity at the Honjin Raccoon Shrine. Another dot was to Shen Yibin’s east, which had to be Cheeky, with Sun Qian at the Strawberry Music Festival. The final orange dot was located not far to Shen Yibin’s north. This was definitely Shi Gaofei, who had gone to the military base with Hong Mian.
’Should I check Shi Gaofei’s exact location?’ An idea struck Shen Yibin, and he was about to move the map to Shi Gaofei’s position. But after tapping his fingers just twice, he quickly stopped. ’Logically, the location of Shi Gaofei’s base has to be a military secret. If I just go probing around like this, I’ll be having a little chat with the authorities if I’m discovered. Even though it’s unlikely anyone could find out about the pet radar’s secret, there’s always a one-in-a-million chance, right? I’d better be more careful.’
’Sigh, everyone’s scattered to the four winds now. It’s just Hah’Er and me, depending on each other. I’d better find a new companion for Hah’Er soon.’ With that thought, Shen Yibin shifted his focus back to the orange dots on the screen.
’Huh, is the Future Pet Shop actually being this considerate this time? Judging by the orange dot’s position, it’s very, very close. When the map was zoomed out to cover all of East Asia, the orange dot for the "Mutant Animal" and my red dot were practically touching. The distance between us must be incredibly short.’
Without a second thought, Shen Yibin quickly swiped his fingers across the screen, rapidly zooming in on the map. As he did, the on-screen distance between the orange and red dots grew larger. Finally, the new pet’s location appeared on his phone screen, much to Shen Yibin’s delight.
This time, the Mutant Animal was actually within the limits of Yunzhong City! Shen Yibin could drive there in just an hour or two. He wouldn’t have to worry about the hassle of going abroad again.
Moreover, the address looked very familiar. Shen Yibin quickly centered the map on the orange dot and kept zooming in. A moment later, the Mutant Animal’s precise location appeared before him. It was a place he couldn’t possibly be more familiar with—the very pet breeding center where he always sourced his animals.
’It landed in Bao’s hands this time? Could this be the Future Pet Shop’s way of rewarding me for having to travel so far last time? I had to go all the way to the African savanna to find Shi Gaofei, and that wasn’t cheap. So, are they compensating me with a closer target this time? I never realized the Future Pet Shop could be so considerate.’
He let out a couple of silly chuckles, then suddenly remembered something important. Bao supplied pet shops all over Yunzhong City, and people went there to stock up almost every day. If he were unlucky, the unknown animal might be bought by another shop owner before he could even get to the breeding center. That would be a huge problem.
Not daring to delay, he quickly picked up his phone and called Bao. The phone rang a few times before Bao answered. "Haha, Boss Shen, what makes you think of calling me so late at night?"
"I was just worried you’d be too busy during the day," Shen Yibin replied with a laugh, then got down to business. "By the way, are you at the breeding center right now, or are you out somewhere?"
"A new batch of pets just arrived today. I’m having my people get them settled," Bao said. Some of the pets at Bao’s facility were bred in-house, while others were sourced from even larger pet centers. Likewise, he would also transfer some of the animals he bred to other centers. After all, each center had its own strengths, and cooperation was the key to maximizing profits.
’Oh, in that case, the Mutant Animal probably just arrived too,’ Shen Yibin realized. He quickly said, "Oh, that’s perfect. I was just thinking about coming over tomorrow morning to get new stock, but now it seems like heading over right now might be even better. Would that be convenient for you?"
It was unlikely anyone would go to restock at night, but Shen Yibin considered the possibility that the unknown animal might be particularly appealing. It would be a huge hassle if one of Bao’s own employees decided to take it. So, despite it being dark out, he directly requested to go and have a look.
"Er, these pets just got off the truck. They’re all pretty lethargic," Bao said, sounding hesitant. "Plus, it’s dark out. It wouldn’t be great if you came over now and misjudged them, right?" Normally, all new pets had to acclimate at his facility for a few days. Only after they recovered would they be graded for sale. They hadn’t even graded this new batch yet, so he couldn’t even quote a price.
Of course, Shen Yibin understood the reasoning. The pets were all lethargic right now. The average person would have a hard time telling if they were truly sick or just exhausted from travel. If he were to buy a sick pet, it would cause disputes down the line.
"I’m running really low on stock myself," Shen Yibin said, making up an excuse. "How about this? I’ll come over and pick out a few just to tide me over for the next couple of days. Then, once they’ve recovered their energy in a few days, I’ll come back for a bulk purchase. I’ll just take a peek at the new arrivals to get a general idea, but I’ll mostly be choosing from the pets you already have."
Since Shen Yibin wasn’t sure if the Mutant Animal was even in the new batch, he didn’t want to make his intentions too obvious.
"Business must be booming for Boss Shen. Alright then, I’ll wait for you here." Shen Yibin was a major client, after all. Since he’d put it that way, it would have been ungracious for Bao to refuse. So, after a moment of hesitation, he agreed. "Drive carefully."
"Alright, see you in a bit!" With that settled, Shen Yibin shot up from his seat, called Hah’Er, and headed for the door. At the entrance, he thought for a moment and decided to call Gao Shu and Li Shiqing along as well. This was a good opportunity to teach them how to select pets, after all.
Although the two women were a little surprised that their boss was going out to restock so late at night, they obediently followed Shen Yibin into the car. Shen Yibin hit the gas and sped off toward Bao’s place.