After breakfast in the morning, Tom Lin prepared his bamboo basket and set out to patrol the mountains as usual.
Unsurprisingly, as soon as Mama Panda saw Tom Lin preparing to leave, she immediately picked up her two cubs and followed him, waddling behind with excitement.
Tom Lin sighed helplessly and rubbed his forehead.
Mama Panda seemed to love accompanying him on mountain patrols.
Because she could enjoy various delicious wild fruits and bamboo on the way.
But it was also good that she came along.
This way, he could keep an eye on the two panda cubs on the rand feel more at ease.
However, what Tom Lin didn't expect was that the Chinese alligator, resting in the pond, saw him leaving and actually followed him out with its short, sturdy limbs, waddling behind.
"Hey, why did you follow me out too?"
Tom Lin tapped the Chinese alligator's head with his finger.
The Chinese alligator tilted its head, then opened its mouth and wagged its tail rapidly, thinking Tom Lin was praising it.
Tom Lin was speechless.
Alright then.
This Chinese alligator was not only behaviorally similar to a silly dog, but also lacked intelligence.
Forget it, if it wanted to follow, it could follow.
It would also save him the worry of it tearing up the house while he was away.
So it was.
One man, one panda, and one alligator walked on the mountain path, one after another.
The viewers found this strange traveling group amusing.
"Haha, congratulations, Tom's mountain patrol team has grown again!"
"Too bad we didn't see Little Goldie (the Golden Snub-nosed Monkey), otherwise this group could have been a Western Journey quartet."
"Haha, then Tom would be Tang Sanzang, and the team would be full of animals."
"Pfft, put it that way, it really does look like it!"
...
"Cough, who knows the hardships of being a forest ranger like me," Tom Lin glanced at the chat comments while walking and groaned.
Fortunately, Mama Panda and the Chinese alligator were both well-behaved and didn't cause any trouble for his patrol work.
Mama Panda continued to run around looking for wild fruits to eat on the way.
The alligator, on the other hand, rarely moved and just followed behind Tom Lin, occasionally wagging its tail.
They walked forward.
Today, Tom Lin's destination was a low-lying area deep in the mountains.
It was where deer herds lived and where numerous ancient trees were planted.
These trees, the smallest of which were fifty to sixty years old, were likely targets for poachers.
Although this area was equipped with surveillance cameras, they couldn't monitor the entire region, and the wireless cameras needed frequent battery replacements and charging.
Manual inspections were still required.
However, it didn't need to be done every day; usually, once every three days was sufficient.
This place was far from the residential area, requiring a two to three-hour walk.
So Tom Lin brought enough water and food for the trip.
Mama Panda and the Chinese alligator didn't need to worry; they could find food to eat on the way.
After a morning's trek, Tom Lin finally arrived at the Rosewood Area.
The trees here were tall, and the environment was eerie.
Tom Lin carefully inspected the area and found no signs of illegal logging.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
He then sat down to rest. Although he wasn't tired after walking for the whole morning, Mama Panda and the Chinese alligator, who had been following him, were quite exhausted.
Especially the Chinese alligator, which was accustomed to lurking and swimming in water, had walked such a long distance on land.
It was now lying in the sunshine, panting with its tongue out, utterly exhausted.
Tom Lin took out water and cakes from his basket to eat, while Mama Panda fed her two cubs.
Suddenly, a hare bolted out from in front of them!
Seeing the Chinese alligator and Mama Panda startled the cute little hare.
It kicked its legs and hopped away.
The Chinese alligator, noticing food in its sight, suddenly turned its head sharply to bite.
This bite wasn't a big deal, but with a crunch, it bit into the entrenching tool that Tom Lin had placed nearby.
"Crunch!"
An enamel-grinding sound echoed.
This entrenching tool was a high-strength alloy shovel that Tom Lin had specially bought, and its quality was surprisingly good.
With this bite, instead of catching the hare, the Chinese alligator's teeth were injured.
"Haha, why is Crocodile Bro so clumsy? The hare is so far away."
"Crocodile Bro's eyesight isn't very good."
"With that bite, I'm afraid he'll lose a few teeth."
...
Tom Lin noticed this scene and was speechless about the Chinese alligator's eyesight.
He felt bad for his entrenching tool and worried about whether the Chinese alligator had bitten its mouth.
Fortunately, after checking, the Chinese alligator's teeth weren't seriously injured, but its jaw was numb.
"Tsk, you guy, hungry for hare?"
Tom Lin patted the Chinese alligator's head and realized it was indeed hungry.
After walking for the whole morning, it hadn't eaten anything.
At least Mama Panda had eaten quite a few wild fruits and bamboo on the way.
The Chinese alligator hadn't caught any prey.
Crocodiles excel at sudden bursts of speed but can't chase prey over long distances.
They are more suited to patiently waiting and ambushing their prey.
Tom Lin glanced at the fleeing hare and licked his lips with a hint of longing.
He hadn't tasted roasted hare for a long time.
Noticing many hare burrows nearby, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were plentiful.
Thinking of this, Tom Lin decided to catch two hares for lunch to fill the Chinese alligator's stomach.
To catch hares, tools were needed.
However, he didn't have anything usable at hand.
Digging a simple trap wasn't much of a problem, but the chances of catching a hare were slim.
Tom Lin pondered for a moment and suddenly looked at the Chinese alligator.
An idea came to him immediately.
He called the Chinese alligator over...
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