"Thank you very much, Comrade Xiao Ning."
Xu Ying gave Ning Zexi a grateful smile, with a faint dimple on her face.
Ning Zexi scratched his head awkwardly, "Supporting the work of our Station Chief, it's what I should do!"
Xu Ying opened the note app and registered an account, quickly picking a username: "Station Chief Xu in the Desert." After registering, she busied herself looking for anti-inflammatories and painkillers at the 028 Rescue Station, leaving the rest of the work to Comrade Xiao Ning, the publicity officer.
Xu Ying applied anti-inflammatory medicine to the injured Brother Bear, then bandaged it nicely with a cute little bow.
After applying the painkiller powder, the wound was evidently less painful than before. The Boss Gobi Bear was very grateful to Xu Ying: [Girl, thank you. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to sleep tonight because of the pain.]
"You're welcome. This is what we animal rescuers should do!"
"If you or your animal friends around you get injured or encounter any dangerous situations, you can also come to our rescue station for help."
Xu Ying wore a sincere apology on her face: "Those two just now were an exception; they are the scum of the rescue station. I'm sorry for what happened. I'll report this to the higher-ups."
The Gobi Bear waved his paw: [You don't need to apologize. Why say sorry for bad people? You can't control them doing bad things.]
Ning Zexi was puzzled: "Rescuing animals is a very professional matter. How did these two bastards manage to slip in?"
Xu Ying's expression showed helplessness: "The work environment at the Desert Rescue Station is poor, and the danger level is high, so hardly anyone wants to work here."
Though the salary is high with extra allowances, choosing to work in such a high-risk environment just for some allowances, apart from someone like Xu Ying who has no other way out, hardly anyone would do it.
"We're short of hands, with just one or two staff at each site. It's fortunate to have someone willing to work, and in such urgency, it's easy for some imposters to slip through."
After Ning Zexi heard this, he understood. It's already good to have someone working, there's no room for being choosy.
People are realistic. To attract more people to work at the Desert Rescue Station, the only way is to further improve the job benefits and safety level.
However, the Desert Rescue Station lacks funding.
The vast desert also holds treasures like oil and metal mines. If afforestation efforts succeed, it could turn the desert into a valuable asset, increasing the area of arable and forest land.
However, the difficulty and danger of development and utilization are too high, and the funds needed are like a bottomless pit.
The authorities have tried every means to attract investment without seeing any results. Businessmen are profit-driven, and with slim chances of profit, naturally, no one is interested.
So, as a national resource, the desert has become a burden, tasteless to eat, yet a pity to discard, thus leading to this stalemate.
After chatting with Xu Ying, Ning Zexi also gained a clearer understanding of the hardships faced by workers in remote areas.
The nights in the desert are very cold. During the conversation between Xu Ying and Ning Zexi, Tan Yu Yan, whose injury was lighter than Tan Ming, woke up from the cold.
She opened her eyes, and upon seeing herself surrounded by three Gobi Bears, she almost fainted again from fright.
"You're awake~"
Xu Ying's gentle greeting reached Tan Yu Yan's ears.
"Ghost!!!"
Tan Yu Yan screamed in panic, but her mouth was quickly covered by a bear paw.
Xu Ying put a finger to her lips, signaling for silence: "Keep quiet, don't disturb my little fox cub asleep!"
Tan Yu Yan immediately shut her mouth, truly afraid that the sharp bear claws in front of her, with just a slight move, could slit her throat.
She didn't understand why Xu Ying could return unharmed, and these terrifying Gobi Bears not only refrained from harming her but also seemed to listen to her.
Tan Yu Yan regretted deeply. If she had known Xu Ying could tame this group of Gobi Bears, why did they panic and flee for their lives?
With a pleading look, she gazed at Xu Ying, lowering her voice, "Xu Ying, let me explain. We had prepared tools and supplies, just about to go into the desert to rescue you, didn't expect you'd return on your own."
"When the sky falls, you'll be there to hold it up."
Xu Ying had no patience to argue, "I've already reported to the police station. Tomorrow morning, when the police arrive, you and your brother better turn yourselves in, clearly recounting how you accidentally injured the Gobi Bear, stole the car, and left me behind."
Hearing that Xu Ying had reported to the police, Tan Yu Yan felt a chill run through her heart, and her knees gave way, kneeling in front of Xu Ying, tears streaming down her face, "We've been colleagues, why do you have to be so ruthless?"
The pitiful look on Tan Yu Yan's face was completely different from the arrogant and domineering one when she bullied the original owner.
Seeing the crocodile tears falling from Tan Yu Yan's face, Xu Ying sneered, "Indeed, that's exactly what I wanted to ask you when you left me in the desert."
A person like that, while pleading for mercy, is already thinking about how to retaliate once they get through this crisis.
Tan Yu Yan choked, then heard Xu Ying say, "If you don't honestly confess the truth, don't expect to walk out of this desert."
Xu Ying's tone was eerie, "There will be worse things waiting for you than prison."
Brother Gobi Bear was very understanding, giving Tan Yu Yan a scalp massage with his cold, sharp claws, scratching deep into her skin with just a bit of force.
Tan Yu Yan felt a chill down her spine, shaking like a leaf, and kept begging Xu Ying for mercy.
She couldn't understand why, after only three days, Xu Ying had become so hard to bully, didn't understand why these fierce bears would listen to Xu Ying, and saw the bandage on the Gobi Bear's arm—was it because Xu Ying treated the Gobi Bear?
Despite her bitter pleas and Xu Ying's indifference, Tan Yu Yan came to truly believe that the latter wouldn't let her off.
Filled with hatred inside but too afraid to show it, as the thought of the police arriving in the morning consumed her with fear and anxiety.
Tan Ming woke up later, his eyes burning as he opened them, forcing him to close them again, feeling the cold desert wind on his skin while his hands and feet remained tied. Tan Ming, filled with unease, asked in a hoarse baritone: "Sis, where are we now? What just happened?"
By this time, Tan Yu Yan was already numb, moving her chapped lips: "Xu Ying returned alive, and she's reported us to the police. By morning, the police will come for us."
Tan Ming, like a startled bird, said, "Reported us? But she's still alive, there's no death involved!"
"We ran out of survival instinct, who can she blame for being slow?"
"Right, didn't you say she has no evidence? Tomorrow morning, we just completely deny hurting her, the police won't know what happened in the wilderness anyway, they can't sentence us."