Seeing Meng Xiaoyang's firm attitude, the group had no choice but to agree. Right after that, they turned to Xi Yangyang and asked about what had happened last night.
"Oh, as for last night, it went like this."
Last night, Huier Taitailang spent the entire night enlarging the hole before jumping right in, getting ready to seize Xi Yangyang.
"Oh, what's this? There's even a little one here?"
With a fierce look in his eyes, Huier Taitailang stepped forward, one step at a time, preparing to grab Xi Yangyang and Meng Xiaoyang.
"Careful."
As dawn broke, Xi Yangyang instantly sprang to his feet, drew his gun, and pulled the trigger. In a split second, a terrifying chill froze Huier Taitailang solid.
"What? No—!"
Huier Taitailang was frozen in place. The next moment, the ice shattered, the chip fell out, and he reverted to his original form.
"Let's go, quickly."
Crying out, Xi Yangyang grabbed Meng Xiaoyang's little hand, getting ready to lead her away. At that moment, Meng Xiaoyang signaled him to wait a second.
Without missing a beat, Meng Xiaoyang ran toward Huier Taitailang, crouched down, and picked up the fallen chip.
"Uncle Huier Taitailang became this powerful just by using this. I'm going to take it back for Big Brother to use."
With those words, Meng Xiaoyang clutched the chip and walked away hand in hand with Xi Yangyang.
Sheep Village Guardian: Hui Tailang's Scheme
"How are things going on your end?"
"General Wolf, um, it seems like—it seems I've run into a bit of an accident over here!"
Huier Taitailang scratched his butt while taking General Wolf's call, figuring that since he lost the chip and let a few sheep slip away, it couldn't be anything major!
"Is that so? No matter, I've already anticipated this outcome. I've long since planted an undercover agent right among the little sheep!"
"An undercover agent?!"
"That's right, it's...!"
While Huier Taitailang was still on the line, static suddenly crackled from the phone: "Insufficient balance, please top up."
"What?"
Without hearing clearly, Huier Taitailang pulled out Hui Tailang's bank card, topped up his phone credit, and immediately called back.
"Hey, General Wolf, who is the undercover agent?"
"Oh, the undercover agent turned into a dog. I've sent you a photo of Hui Tailang!"
Hearing General Wolf's words, Huier Taitailang opened his phone, tapped into the messages, and looked at the picture: a gray-and-white dog wearing a yellow scarf around its neck.
"Understood, General Wolf! I will definitely not let you down; I'll capture those little sheep for sure."
Meanwhile, after chatting with everyone for a while, Xi Yangyang finally realized that Lan Yangyang was missing.
"Where did Big Brother go?"
Meng Xiaoyang looked around in confusion. Everyone else was there, but there was no sign of Lan Yangyang anywhere.
"That's right, it's weird—how come Lan Yangyang is gone?"
Fei Yangyang realized it belatedly, only now noticing that Lan Yangyang hadn't been around for a while—or rather, Lan Yangyang hadn't been there since they first woke up.
"I'm right here."
Lan Yangyang poked his head out from the side. Sitting atop his head was a gray-and-white dog wearing a yellow scarf. In one hand, he held some apples, and in the other, a bunch of bananas.
"I was hungry, so I went to find some food!"
"You went to find food, but why on earth do you have a dog on your head?!"
"I picked it up."
Lan Yangyang answered calmly while eating a banana. Everyone was left speechless. Still, upon closer inspection, the little dog in front of them was, well, really cute.
Mei Yangyang stepped forward and carefully lifted the dog off Lan Yangyang's head, cradling it in her arms.
"Such a cute dog! Where did you find it, Lan Yangyang?"
"In the bushes over there!"
Mei Yangyang stroked the dog as she asked, while Lan Yangyang answered offhandedly. Suddenly, as if remembering something, Lan Yangyang pulled a Shovel out of his wool.
"Principal Slow Goat, could you take a look at what this thing is?"
Waving his hand, Lan Yangyang walked over, handed the food to Fei Yangyang, and then turned to consult Man Yangyang.
"This—this should be some kind of equipment as well!"
Man Yangyang pondered for a moment, then handed the Shovel back to Lan Yangyang.
"Equipment? Could this be my gear for this season?"
Looking at the Shovel in his hand, Lan Yangyang thought it over for a bit before stuffing it back into his wool pocket.
"Meng Xiaoyang, how come you followed us over here too?"
Turning around and spotting Meng Xiaoyang nearby, Lan Yangyang happily walked up and gave her a hug.
"Big Brother, Meng Xiaoyang came to find you. Oh right, Big Brother, this is for you."
Meng Xiaoyang said happily, holding out the purple chip with the wolf-shaped pattern and handing it to Lan Yangyang.
"What is this thing?"
"I remember now! This is Huier Taitailang's chip."
As Lan Yangyang asked in confusion, Xi Yangyang suddenly realized why Meng Xiaoyang had crouched down earlier—it was to grab the chip.
"A chip?"
Confused, everyone crowded around to look at the chip, feeling like it didn't look like much.
With that thought, Lan Yangyang tucked the chip into his wool pocket as well.
After all, even if they didn't use it, keeping the chip away from the enemy was a good idea anyway.
"Let's go. We need to keep moving and find Senior Uncle Master."
After going through quite a few twists and turns, the group decided to let Meng Xiaoyang tag along on their journey.
As for the dog, they originally hadn't wanted to bring it along for fear it might run into danger, but given Lan Yangyang's request and the fact that the dog was simply too adorable, they decided to bring it along after all.
After walking for a while, night fell once more. The group set up their tents and began to rest. At that moment, Hui Tailang sneaked out, holding a pen in his mouth, and started writing a letter.
"Hui Tailang! Hui Tailang!"
Just as Hui Tailang was writing a letter to Xiao Huihui and Red Wolf, Huier Taitailang—who had found out about Hui Tailang's identity as an undercover agent—carefully kept himself concealed as he repeatedly hissed Hui Tailang's name.
"This..."
Hui Tailang looked over in awkward embarrassment. He wasn't hidden at all, seriously! Huier Taitailang was holding two small tree branches in front of his chest as a shield; there was zero concealment there.
Hui Tailang glanced around to make sure Lan Yangyang and the others hadn't noticed him, then hurried over to follow Huier Taitailang into a nearby patch of bushes.
Arriving in a secluded thicket, Huier Taitailang raised a hand and handed an earpiece to Hui Tailang.
Hui Tailang took it, put it in his ear, and pressed the switch. Seeing this, Huier Taitailang clicked the switch on his own earpiece as well.
"Can you hear me, Hui Tailang? This is the translation earpiece General Wolf gave me!"
"Second Uncle, I can hear you. I've already successfully infiltrated the little sheep's group as an undercover agent!"
"Tomorrow, they're going to cross a suspension bridge..."
Hui Tailang rambled on endlessly about his plan, though judging by the look on his face, Huier Taitailang didn't catch a single word.
Fortunately, while he was talking, Hui Tailang also wrote down a detailed plan. Along with the letters he had written for Xiao Huihui and Red Wolf, he handed the whole packet over to Huier Taitailang.
Nodding, Huier Taitailang took the envelopes and the plan. While sending the letters off, he began setting traps in accordance with the strategy outlined in the proposal.
Early in the morning, just as dawn broke and the sun hung high, warm sunlight spilled down, bathing the sheep and Hui Tailang—now transformed into a dog—in its glow.
A gentle breeze rustled the grass as it swayed. After packing up their tents and stuffing them into their backpacks, the group continued on their way, soon arriving at a suspension bridge.
"It's time."
Standing next to the suspension bridge and watching Lan Yangyang and the others reach the middle, Hui Tailang hurriedly turned back and began to bark.
Right at that moment, however, Huier Taitailang was busy playing house with a little rabbit and three little pigs.
"What is going on here?! My throat is about to go hoarse! Where is Second Uncle? Execute the plan already, Lan Yangyang and the others are about to cross the bridge!"
Hui Tailang waved his little paws in a breakdown, though the sight looked rather adorable.
"Doggie, we're crossing now! Stop playing. If you keep acting up, Big Brother Lan Yangyang and the others are going to get upset!"
Seeing Hui Tailang standing by the suspension bridge, Meng Xiaoyang trotted over on her little feet, reached out to scoop him up in her arms, and then carried him along as she ran across the suspension bridge after Lan Yangyang and the others.
"Are you having fun?"
"Mm-hm, so much fun!"
Huier Taitailang played along with the little rabbit and the three little pigs, laughing happily. Suddenly, he had a nagging feeling he had forgotten something, but oh well, never mind.
Sheep Village Guardian: Traps
"Mm."
Deep in the night, Man Yangyang and Dao Yang were arguing nearby while Xi Yangyang and the others tried to mediate.
As for Lan Yangyang, he stayed off to the side, arms crossed, watching the dog.
"I really get this weird feeling..."
"Why can't you talk, Doggie? This is clearly a cartoon made up of animals—how come every other dog can talk?"
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Hui Tailang in ages. I wonder what he's up to."
"Doggie... do you think you could be Hui Tailang?"
Lan Yangyang stared listlessly at the dog in front of him as he spoke, completely failing to notice the heavy beads of sweat popping up all over the dog's face.
*Holy crap, Lan Yangyang! How does this guy have a brain?!*
Hui Tailang was inwardly thunderstruck.
"Sigh, whatever."
"How could you possibly be Hui Tailang, Doggie?"
Rubbing his eyes, Lan Yangyang set the dog down so it could play with Meng Xiaoyang, then went over to help break up the argument.
As Lan Yangyang walked, his foot suddenly stepped on something—a purple, wolf-shaped object. In an instant, Lan Yangyang tripped and went flying.
He tumbled all the way over to where the rest of the sheep were standing, crashing straight into them and knocking them down. Man Yangyang fell over right along with them, and the book he was holding slipped from his hands, causing two postcards to flutter out from inside.
"Hey, aren't these the postcards Senior Brother used to send me?"
As Man Yangyang and the others clambered back to their feet, Man Yangyang suddenly spotted three postcards lying on the ground.
"Wait a minute, why are these three postcards in different positions?"
Lan Yangyang asked, scratching his head in confusion. Hearing this, Dao Yang and Man Yangyang instantly turned to glare at each other.
"Let's stick together."
"Let's split up."
Both of them spoke at the exact same time, pointing in opposite directions. Man Yangyang insisted they stay together, while Dao Yang demanded they split up.
"There's safety in numbers! Searching together is safer!"
"Sheep Village is in a state of emergency! Splitting up saves time!"
"Why aren't you taking Xi Yangyang and the others' safety into consideration?!"
"The kids are all grown up now; this is the perfect opportunity for them to get some real-world experience!"
"What if something goes wrong?!"
"Hmph, then go together if you want!"
After arguing back and forth for a long time, Dao Yang finally snatched up one of the postcards and turned away without another word.
"Principal, I'll go try to talk some sense into Grandpa Dao Yang!"
"Alright, hurry back."
Man Yangyang nodded, and seeing this, Fei Yangyang broke into a trot to catch up with Dao Yang.
As Fei Yangyang walked alongside Dao Yang, trying to persuade him, the ground suddenly gave way beneath their feet, and both sheep plunged straight down into a pit.
Before long, dawn arrived. Everyone was filled with worry, as Fei Yangyang and the others were still nowhere to be found after the entire night.
Suddenly, out popped the dog from a nearby bush, holding Dao Yang's walking stick firmly in its jaws.
"Isn't this old Dao's walking stick? How did it end up with you?"
Seeing this, a worried Man Yangyang stepped forward and took the cane. Noting their anxious expressions, the dog motioned with its head toward the rear.
It then turned and led Xi Yangyang and the others winding through a path, bringing them straight to a pitch-black cave.
The cave was dim and filled with sharp, jagged rocks, making many of the details impossible to make out. Inside the cavern sat a cage embedded into the stone walls, and both Dao Yang and Fei Yangyang were locked up inside it.
"Old Dao!"
Though they had argued fiercely earlier, deep down they all had sharp tongues but soft hearts. Seeing Dao Yang in peril, Man Yangyang rushed forward without a second thought.
At that exact moment, a set of iron bars slammed down from above, trapping Man Yangyang and the others inside as well.
"Wahahaha! You've been caught!"
With a hearty laugh, Huier Taitailang popped out from hiding. Seeing this, Xi Yangyang didn't give him a chance to react; he instantly drew his gun and pulled the trigger.
"Hmph! I already knew you were going to use that gun—Hui Tailang told me all about it!"
Huier Taitailang smiled with a crooked grin. Prior to this, Hui Tailang had already warned him that Xi Yangyang might resort to that weapon.
Therefore, he wasn't panicked in the least. He picked up a small stone from the ground by his feet and hurled it forward.
The pebble was tossed right into the path of Xi Yangyang's ice pellet, which struck the stone directly and froze it solid mid-air.
The frozen pebble dropped to the ground and shattered into pieces, while Huier Taitailang remained completely unharmed.
"Now you have nowhere left to run."
Step by step, Huier Taitailang walked forward, sneering as he gazed at Xi Yangyang and the rest of the trapped group.
"Who says we have nowhere to run? You didn't catch us at all!"
At that moment, Lan Yangyang spoke up while picking his nose. Right then, both Lan Yangyang and Meng Xiaoyang were standing safely outside the cage, not a single trace of worry on their faces.
"What's going on?! How come the two of you aren't inside the cage?!"
"What do you mean, 'how come we aren't inside the cage'? Clearly, your aim just stinks."
In truth, the main reason Lan Yangyang hadn't ended up in the cage was simply because the two of them ran too slowly.
Xi Yangyang and the others had sprinted all the way there in a panic, and Lan Yangyang was notoriously the slowest runner in the entire Sheep Village—not to mention Meng Xiaoyang was just a child.
So, naturally, the two of them lagged behind at the very tail end of the group, and by the time the cage dropped, they had only just jogged over.
"Hmph."
"No matter. Since that's how it is, I'll just drag you in here myself!"
Seeing this, Huier Taitailang wasn't worried in the least. He stretched out his claws and lunged forward, intending to grab Lan Yangyang by force.
Although Lan Yangyang hadn't been locked in the cage, there was no way he could take on Huier Taitailang bare-handed.
"Big Brother, take this!"
Watching Huier Taitailang charge straight at them, a terrified Lan Yangyang cried out. At that moment, however, Meng Xiaoyang calmly handed over the chip she was holding.
"You can't possibly expect me to use this chip, can you...?"
With tears of terror and sweat in his eyes, Lan Yangyang stared at the chip on the ground. Having no other choice, he could only treat a dead horse like a live one.
"Watch me!"
"Wait—isn't that my chip?!"
Lunging forward, Huier Taitailang caught sight of the chip in Lan Yangyang's hand and suddenly realized that looked awfully familiar.
Before he could rush over to snatch it back, Lan Yangyang slammed the chip straight against his own chest.
"Ahhh, this peerless power! I can feel myself getting stronger!"
Crying out, Lan Yangyang pulled a constipated expression as his body instantly expanded to twice its size. However, the effect wasn't quite as potent as when Huier Taitailang used it, likely due to his inherently poor physical conditioning.
Even so, it didn't matter—it was more than enough.
Lan Yangyang charged forward, shoving Huier Taitailang aside with a single push. With one punch, he shattered the lock on Xi Yangyang and the others' cage, and immediately after, he grabbed a boulder with one hand and hurled it through the air.
The rock struck the lock on Fei Yangyang and the others' cage with pinpoint precision, successfully freeing everyone.
"That's awesome, Lan Yangyang! You're amazing!"
Xi Yangyang exclaimed. This entire series of fluid, lightning-fast movements had taken all of three seconds.
However, the very next second, Xi Yangyang understood why it had only lasted three seconds: Lan Yangyang's limbs went limp, and he collapsed instantly to the ground as the chip fell away.
Due to his poor physical stamina, Lan Yangyang could only maintain the form for three seconds.
Mid-Autumn Limited: Reunion
A few months ago...
"I'm so excited."
It was early morning, and the sun hung high in the sky. Warm sunlight blanketed the earth, and the emerald-green meadow rippled in the gentle breeze.
Lan Yangyang leaned lazily against a sturdy, thick-trunked tree. Its branches stretched out wide and its leaves grew lush and dense, casting shade over him like a giant umbrella.
He leaned back in utter relaxation against the sturdy trunk, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, looking as happy and carefree as could be.
With one eye half-closed, he gazed off at the distant sun, murmuring to himself. Of course, he wasn't the only one here.
Right beside Lan Yangyang were Meng Xiaoyang, Xi Yangyang, Fei Yangyang, Mei Yangyang, and Nuan Yangyang.
Unlike lazy Lan Yangyang, Xi Yangyang and the others were joyfully and energetically picking fruits or gathering ingredients to make food.
"Really, Lan Yangyang, you've had enough."
"Oh, let it be. Just let Lan Yangyang sleep a little longer."
"You always spoil him so much, Xi Yangyang!"
"Xi Yangyang, what is the Mid-Autumn Festival?"
Fei Yangyang, carrying two oversized baskets strapped to his back, looked over at the lazing Lan Yangyang and let out a helpless complaint.
Xi Yangyang offered an awkward, sheepish smile before waving a hand to indicate they should just let Lan Yangyang sleep.
Seeing this, Fei Yangyang let out a resigned sigh. If Xi Yangyang kept spoiling Lan Yangyang like this, what on earth would happen to him if they weren't around anymore?
Right at that moment, Meng Xiaoyang came trotting over carrying a small basket. It was a special custom-made basket that big sisters Mei Yangyang and Nuan Yangyang had crafted just for her.
It was pink, exquisitely delicate, and extremely cute, complete with a ribbon bow and other decorations.
With her head slightly lowered, Meng Xiaoyang trotted over on her little feet, made her way straight to Xi Yangyang, and tugged on his hand.
She asked with great curiosity about the three words: "Mid-Autumn Festival." The Mid-Autumn Festival—that was the very reason Xi Yangyang and the others had come out here.
The purpose was simple: with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, Sheep Village was holding a grand celebration. Xi Yangyang and the gang had ventured out to gather fresh grass, fruits, and other supplies to prepare for the evening's festivities.
As for Principal Slow Goat, he had stayed behind in his laboratory to work on researching fireworks. But the principal had a somewhat stubborn obsession with fireworks and insisted on handling them himself.
Therefore, Xi Yangyang and the others hadn't worried too much and simply headed out beyond the boundaries of Sheep Village to pick raw ingredients so they could handcraft some delicious treats.
"The Mid-Autumn Festival? It's a holiday dedicated to longing—it represents family reunion!"
Xi Yangyang smiled, kneeling down halfway to gently pat Meng Xiaoyang's little head with utmost tenderness.
"During the Mid-Autumn Festival, we all gather together to eat mooncakes and admire the bright moon!"
"Of course, the most important part isn't the mooncakes, nor even the moon—it's family and friends."
Listening to Xi Yangyang's patient explanation, Meng Xiaoyang grew intensely excited. Her eyes widened, sparkling with an inexplicable, glowing luster as she looked up with boundless anticipation.
"Meng Xiaoyang likes it! Meng Xiaoyang wants to be together forever with Big Brother Xi Yangyang, Big Brother Fei Yangyang, Big Sister Mei Yangyang, Big Sister Nuan Yangyang, Grandpa Principal Slow Goat, and Big Brother!"
"Of course we will."
Xi Yangyang said with doting affection. Growing up in Detective City—where every corner was crowded with towering skyscrapers, not to mention all the smoke and fumes spewed out by factories and cars—
Meng Xiaoyang had practically never laid eyes on a moon that was so round, so huge, and so breathtakingly beautiful. Back then, moreover, she only had her grandfather.