Chapter 155 This is serious. "Is there a groundhog hole here?"

Xia Zhining's heart tightened: "I wonder if these little guys have been poisoned!"

But at the moment, there were no small animals around her that could get into the cave and take a look.

The crow boss stood on Xia Zhining's shoulder and peeked in: [You're not familiar with them, you'll scare them away~]

Xia Zhining's eyes lit up: "Boss Crow, can you help contact the sentinels of the village's groundhog family?"

Crows and groundhogs may seem like they have nothing in common, but they're actually allies.

In biology, there is a "warning-to-dwelling" relationship between the two. They have many common natural enemies. Groundhogs have poor eyesight and cannot see things far away and in the sky. When the crow alarm sounds, the groundhogs eating grass outside will quickly go back into the hole.

As omnivorous cleaners, crows also pick up the leftovers of groundhogs and clean the area around their burrows.

At this moment, the crow boss raised his tail and said, "Don't move around here. I'm going to talk to my groundhog brother."

Ji Shuyun went to the village to inquire with the villagers about the situation of the well. Xia Zhining looked around vigilantly, and Liu Se, who was helping to collect samples, kept an eye on it.

Not long after, Boss Crow flew back hurriedly, flapping his wings and shouting anxiously:

[A group of groundhogs were found nearby, but they all seem to be sick!]

Xia Zhining immediately stood up: "Take me to see it."

Boss Crow led her to fly not far before they found the group of groundhogs beside a grassy slope.

They were all listless, even chewing the grass became slow, their two iconic big front teeth grinding the grass leaves weakly, completely devoid of their usual liveliness.

The crow boss quickly announced loudly: [The doctor is here! The miracle doctor who can cure all diseases is here!]

Xia Zhining blushed. This was too much exaggeration.

When the groundhogs heard this, their eyes lit up and they rustled together and gathered around.

Xia Zhining quickly put on a mask and gloves, and gently but firmly said, "Everyone, please wait. Keep your distance and line up one by one!"

She is extra cautious because wild groundhog nests are prone to carrying fleas, ticks and other external parasites.

It may even spread serious diseases such as plague, and close contact poses a certain risk.

The groundhogs actually began to line up obediently, even making way for a small, alert-eyed companion, chattering in unison: "Hurry up! Let the sentry see first! The sentry has the hardest time!"

In the groundhog family, when they go out to find food, they always send out a "sentinel" to stand guard. When there is danger, they will issue a loud "squeak" alarm. They are the most responsible role in the group.

The sentry groundhog rushed over from a distance, passed by Xia Zhining, and spoke hoarsely to the scarecrow behind Xia Zhining:

[Sister, my voice!]

[Why did my voice become like this?]

The groundhog's voice is usually very loud and clear, but now the little guy can only make a hissing sound, just like the mute An Lingrong.

[Sister~My voice!]

Xia Zhining looked at the sentry groundhog that kept pulling at the scarecrow's trouser leg and couldn't help but hold her forehead.

Groundhogs are notoriously short-sighted. In their eyes, stationary objects that are slightly farther away are just blurry shadows, but they are extremely sensitive to moving objects.

[Little idiot! Doctor sister is here!]

The groundhog chief felt helpless and distressed, and quickly pushed the sentry who had come to "seek medical treatment" from the scarecrow in front of Xia Zhining.

Xia Zhining squatted down and gently examined its throat with a cotton swab: "There are obvious ulcers in the throat mucosa."

She frowned slightly and asked softly, "Did you drink the water from the well?"

Compared to humans, many small animals react more quickly and violently to toxic substances due to their small size and rapid metabolism, and their bodies are also more fragile.

The sentry groundhog nodded weakly, his large eyes filled with grievance and pain:

[Water... is bad...]

[After drinking it, my throat and stomach... felt like they were on fire...]

It gestured hard, its voice hoarse: [I… I can’t scream anymore, I can’t even send out the family alarm…]

It paused, then added in a low voice with some pride:

[But I only tasted a little bit and it felt wrong, so I immediately told everyone not to drink it~]

The groundhog leader nodded repeatedly, his tone filled with fear: "Thanks to the sentry's alertness, we didn't dare touch the well water again."

It pointed worriedly at the ground: "But our house is right next to a well... Maybe the soil is also polluted. Everyone is feeling increasingly uncomfortable living here..."

"It was poisoning that caused the ulceration of the throat mucosa."

Before arriving, Xia Zhining anticipated the possibility of animal poisoning and prepared an activated charcoal suspension for detoxification. This drug acts like a tiny sponge, absorbing unabsorbed toxins in the intestines and eventually excreting them in the feces.

As she carefully prepared the medicine, she explained to the groundhogs, "I can only give you this for now as temporary relief, because it absorbs many different toxins. The police are still investigating, so they don't know the specific toxin yet."

She sighed softly and asked, "You live right next to this well. Did you see who poisoned the water?"

The members of the groundhog family all shook their heads:

We were out looking for food during the day, so we didn't see anyone suspicious.

[At night we all slept soundly in the cave!]

Groundhogs and humans have similar daily routines. Xia Zhining thought for a moment and offered a suggestion: "Could you please do us a favor and ask the rat neighbors in the village? They're often active at night, so maybe they can find something."

The groundhog leader immediately patted his furry chest and said enthusiastically, "No problem! We'll take care of it!"

[We’ll go and find out now!]

Just as they were about to turn and run, Xia Zhining quickly called out, "Wait! For safety's sake, you should drink some antidote first."

Xia Zhining fed the marmots in line with varying doses of activated carbon suspension.

The other groundhogs lined up nearby were chattering away, their voices filled with innocent yet anxious worry:

[Human poison is terrible!]

[By the way, I heard…the water well at the agricultural research base and the well in the village are connected by a “water bag”! Is the water there also poisonous?]

[Oh my goodness! Are those tender, sweet grasses around the base going to wither too?]

[No! The grass and flowers there are so delicious! I often take my niece there to eat them!]

Xia Zhining keenly caught the key word "agricultural research base" and her heart suddenly tightened!

There is an agricultural research base nearby?