Spiritual power entered the water and instantly spread out like an invisible net, quickly expanding in all directions.
At the bottom of the water, the alligator turtle, bullied by several cats all day, was sulking in the mud.
It was a reptile, not an amphibian; though it wouldn't die from holding its breath in the water, being able to stick its head out for air, it was still uncomfortable to stay in water all the time. With those cats around, it couldn't even think of relocating to escape, let alone daring to come ashore to bask in the sun.
If it were an ordinary timid turtle, it could always retreat into its shell when danger approached, and those demonic claws, sharp as they were, wouldn't be able to do anything to its tough shell.
But it just had to be a 'brave' alligator turtle, with its head and limbs that couldn't retract, leaving it no choice but to passively endure the cats' attacks.
The alligator turtle felt extremely aggrieved; it had finally found a small crawfish creeping over, stretched its neck and bit it, crunching the crawfish in two with a snap, chewing furiously as if to vent all its pent-up frustrations on the unlucky crustacean.
As it was relishing its meal, a force loomed overhead and enveloped it, the familiar sense of terror instantly pervading the alligator turtle's body!
"Again?" The alligator turtle was somewhat contemptuous, thinking that damned human was really tiresome, attempting the same futile effort time after time. With this level of force, how could he possibly control me?
It hurriedly struggled and thrashed, trying to break free of the spiritual power like it had before. But when it came to crunch time, the alligator turtle discovered with horror that this force was much more formidable than a few days ago; there was no escaping it!
Once Suming had controlled the alligator turtle from the shore, he immediately felt the fierce backlash from the turtle, the link to his spiritual power swaying and shaking.
Suming was not only unfazed, but his eyes lit up with excitement.
Although the alligator turtle struggled violently, the amplitude of the spiritual power's vibrations was still within a controllable range!
This time he could definitely subdue the creature!
A few seconds later, the alligator turtle finally ceased resisting; a large splash surfaced, and a shell as large as a tabletop slowly emerged from the water.
"Come on up!"
Suming didn't bother being polite and controlled the alligator turtle with his spiritual power, making it obediently crawl ashore.
Seeing that it was about to fall into enemy hands and lose its freedom, becoming a slave, the alligator turtle, in utter despair, wanted to make one last desperate struggle!
An alligator turtle on land is no less terrifying than one in the water! If that guy dared to come close, I'd bite him to death!
But it had only thought this; before it could act, it found itself surrounded by precisely five furry little demons, terrorizing it!
"Teach it a lesson!" Suming snapped his fingers.
"Meow, meow, meow..."
After a series of cat calls, the five cats, already curious about this big fellow and with Suming's command, immediately swarmed it, scratching at the alligator turtle relentlessly and without direction.
The alligator turtle tried in vain to bite, snap, snap, snap... a succession of crisp sounds resonated as it kept chomping on air. It didn't hurt even a single cat hair; instead, the force of its bite left it dizzy and disoriented.
Ten minutes later, the alligator turtle, whether from exhaustion or despair, lay on the ground listlessly, letting the cats scratch and claw, lacking even the will to dodge, completely submissive.
Not counting the head and its crocodilian tail, the creature's back shell alone was sixty to seventy centimeters in diameter. With its long crocodile-like tail, fierce head, and spiky shell, it looked quite intimidating.
"Don't play dead!"
Suming boldly nudged the alligator turtle with his foot and, seeing that it didn't move, he cautiously used spiritual power to bind it with rope.
Animals like cats and dogs have a natural affinity for humans, and after a brief exchange through 'animal friendship,' they're usually obedient and well-behaved, even without the need for spiritual power. The alligator turtle, however, was stubborn and untamed, quite dangerous without the control of spiritual power.
Suming planned to imprison it first and break it in, until it was thoroughly tamed.
As for the alligator turtle's 'future,' Suming had plans.
This guy was caught not because he was weak, but because he encountered his own nemesis. Without the ability of the animal's friend, such a big alligator turtle would be almost invincible in the water and could easily take on three to five grown men.
Even on land, the alligator turtle's lethality is extremely terrifying. Without being prepared, an average person would definitely not be a match for it.
If it could be tamed, it could serve as a security guard, residing in the lake and protecting the safety around Whisperwind Pavilion. If any unaware thief were to visit, the alligator turtle could surely give them a 'surprise'.
The area around Fengshui Pavilion is surrounded by water, so if a thief foolishly decided to take the watery path... it's only fair to deem that person as not having accumulated virtue in their past life.
As fate would have it, the bighead catfish returned to the lake to become the dominator there, while the former dominator—the alligator turtle—was tied up like a rice dumpling and thrown into a large jar to serve time.
Two cats were squatting at the edge of the large jar, acting as jailers; whenever the alligator turtle misbehaved, they slapped its head.
Su communicated with the alligator turtle using spiritual power for a while. The ability of the animal's friend could reach straight to the heart and nature of an animal, and with the connection of spiritual power, it was impossible for the animal to deceive Su. This guy didn't seem to resist, probably resigning to fate since it had always been raised by humans.
But it didn't show much affection to Su either, seemingly bearing some resentment.
Having a nice time eating fish, swimming around, being boss—then suddenly getting kidnapped, its life went from heaven to hell in an instant. Any creature would feel resentful in that situation.
Su threw a strip of beef into the jar as the alligator turtle's dinner for the day, then went online to order a bag of cat food; the cats had worked hard earning their keep, not only catching mice but also helping him with the alligator turtle. They deserved a good reward.
He took a photo of the alligator turtle with his phone and sent it to Wang Hao.
"Woah, how did you catch it? I was planning to buy a fishing net and have a go at it," Wang Hao exclaimed in astonishment.
"I used meat to lure it up. Let's talk business, we can start preparing to open the boating business," Su texted back.
"Oh, I discussed it with my old man. He's quite supportive. Send me your card number, and I'll transfer you eight thousand yuan tomorrow as the start-up capital," Wang Hao said.
"6222..."
Su sent his Industrial and Commercial Bank card number to Wang Hao, then returned to his bedroom, turned on the computer, and opened a Word document to start working on a file.
...
That morning, Mr. Song was processing work when someone knocked on the door.
"Come in," Mr. Song said without lifting his head.
Su walked in, holding a stack of documents, and said with a smile, "Good morning, Director."
"Ah, Su," Mr. Song put down his pen and nodded to Su, "Take a seat. Has work been going smoothly these past few days?"
"Mrs. Tong, Mr. Peng, and my colleagues have all been very supportive, everything is great, and I really like it here," Su said.
"That's good to hear. Our zoo has relatively simple interpersonal relationships. Keep up the good work. What brings you here?"
"Oh, Mrs. Tong mentioned last time about leasing the boats, so I did some preparatory work and thought about contracting the few boats by the little lake," Su explained.
To lease the boats, there had to be a process, and Mr. Song's approval and signature were needed. Su was here today to discuss this matter.
"That's true, leasing is possible. Previously, the boats were contracted by the employees who used to live there, but after they left their jobs, the boats fell into disuse," Mr. Song nodded.
"Here is a proposal I've made, including the financial viability of the lease and management plans, for your review," Su said while handing over the documents he'd brought with him to Mr. Song.
Mrs. Tong hadn't mentioned needing a proposal, but Su felt that, as a new temp worker and a young person, just asking to contract the boats without anything to show—simply relying on words—might not be convincing enough for Mr. Song.
Since he was dealing with this matter seriously, he had to show the right attitude first. To convince others to give him an opportunity, he needed to present something or at least an attitude that could be trusted.
"You made a proposal? Hm, not bad, not bad, let me take a look," Mr. Song said, somewhat surprised as he glanced at Su. He took the proposal, pulled out a pair of reading glasses from a drawer, and began to read intently.