Chapter 52.2

After finishing all three freeze-dried treats, the white bear nudged the empty cups with its nose. Finding nothing left beneath them, it leaned forward and gently pressed its broad forehead against Mu Ling’s neck.

As it nuzzled her, its pointed nose burrowed into the crook of her neck, sniffing her scent before tenderly bumping its forehead against her head.

Mu Ling hugged it, returning its affection as she spoke softly, “Our Moonlight is amazing. You’ve learned to come close to sister on your own—such wonderful progress! Here’s a special freeze-dried treat just for Moonlight. Sister hasn’t given this to anyone else, only you.”

She pulled out a strawberry-sized freeze-dried treat from her pocket and placed it in the giant bear’s mouth. Watching it crunch happily, she gave it another pat before turning to explain her training methods to Dr. Burey.

But as she turned, she found herself facing Dr. Burey’s wide, O-shaped eyes and gaping mouth.

Mu Ling: “…”

Really? Such an expensive, professional veterinarian making faces like that?

“Dr. Burey—” she began.

Dr. Burey: “…”

Dr. Burey: “…”

After remaining dazed for quite some time, Dr. Burey finally snapped back to reality. He glanced first at Director Mu’s eyes, then at his completely blank notepad. Utterly bewildered, he stammered, “I… you… it… affectionate…”

For a moment, Dr. Burey felt transported back to those days when he’d been consumed by those outlandish Bi Ke Zoo videos.

Each video had defied veterinary science, every human-animal interaction had seemed impossible, leaving him questioning his entire career and expertise.

And now it was happening again, right before his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, Dr. Burey finally spoke after a long pause, his voice barely above a whisper, “Director, forget my salary. I’ll pay you double instead if you’ll teach me this.”

Mu Ling: “…”

That evening, the zoo staff gathered for dinner to meet their new veterinarian.

Dr. Burey was tall, handsome, and carried himself with scholarly grace, immediately making a positive impression on everyone.

He proved himself thoughtful too, mentioning he had brought gifts for everyone, though they were still in transit and would arrive tomorrow.

The staff was delighted, insisting that gifts weren’t necessary—they were already won over by Dr. Burey himself.

Whether it was mere courtesy or genuine warmth, dinner proceeded in a cheerful, harmonious atmosphere.

Mu Ling finished her meal early and excused herself to feed the war beasts.

Xiang Bie noticed and quietly followed.

When dinner ended and Dr. Burey went looking for the director, he found her in the animal dormitory working alongside the zoo’s founding hero.

The dormitory was set to full transparency mode—those outside could see in, and those inside could see out.

Through the glass walls, Dr. Burey witnessed something extraordinary: a diverse group of war beasts coexisting in perfect harmony.

A golden tiger sat contentedly on a soft mat, grooming its paws after dinner.

A black panther was tenderly grooming a massive gray wolf.

A playful young pup darted around the feet of a towering elephant, which calmly used its trunk to gather and eat hay from the ground.

Perched atop the elephant stood a keen-eyed eagle, while Mu Ling sat on its back, carefully changing bandages.

As Dr. Burey continued watching, his expression grew increasingly profound.

He had never seen retired war beasts like this before.

They were free, relaxed, content, and at peace.

No illness. No pain. No distress. No loneliness.

This small glass enclosure was their paradise, and the person who created it protected them, healed them, accompanied them… Throughout the entire Federation, only these few retired war beasts enjoyed a life that others of their kind couldn’t even imagine…

“Why are you here?” A cold female voice cut through his reverie.

Dr. Burey turned to face the speaker. “Keeper Lin.”

Lin Xuan stood with her hands in her uniform pockets. She moved beside him, her gaze fixed on the glass enclosure. “I know who you are.”

Dr. Burey looked at her questioningly.

“You’re a military doctor,” she said coolly.

Dr. Burey stiffened, his brows furrowing.

Lin Xuan turned her piercing gaze to the young man who stood a head taller than her. “A military vet suddenly working as an ordinary zoo veterinarian? You must have an agenda.”

Dr. Burey: “…”

Had his cover been blown in just half a day?

“I can guess what this is about,” Lin Xuan continued indifferently. “The Veterinary Association sent you, didn’t they? You’re here for Qilin and the others.”

Dr. Burey hurried to explain, “Keeper Lin, you’ve misunderstood. While I am affiliated with the Veterinary Association, I’m not a core member. I have no ulterior motives for being here—”

“Save it,” Lin Xuan cut him off. She narrowed her eyes, giving him another frigid look. “Don’t try anything suspicious. I’ll be watching your every move.”

With that, she strode toward the dormitory building without a backward glance.

Dr. Burey: “…”

Great. Now there was no way to clear up this misunderstanding…

Meanwhile, in the animal dormitory, Mu Ling had just finished applying medicine to Magic’s wound. As she prepared to take Tayun to the veterinary station for a mental evaluation, her light brain buzzed.

Seeing Director Wang’s name, she answered cheerfully, “Good evening, Director.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Director Wang got to the point. “There’s going to be an inter-zoo exchange conference in the Eastern Star Region, hosted on Four Bay Star. From our Shenwang Star, both Silin Zoo and Fu’ai Zoo will be attending. I wondered if Bi Ke Zoo would like to participate?”

Mu Ling’s interest was immediately piqued. “What kind of conference is it?”

“It’s a platform for zoos to communicate and learn from each other,” Director Wang explained. “The conference was actually arranged last month, but Bi Ke Zoo wasn’t even established then. Now that it’s about to begin, and Silin and Fu’ai are preparing to leave, I thought of you. Would you like to attend? I can add your name to the list.”

Mu Ling nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, absolutely! Please add us. As a new zoo, we really need to learn advanced management techniques from others. You’re like timely rain, bringing us such a wonderful opportunity!”

Director Wang felt slightly embarrassed by her praise. This young woman had plenty of clever ideas, but she was also generous with compliments. Among all the zoos in Shenwang Star, he couldn’t help but have a soft spot for Bi Ke Zoo.

“If you’re going, who will attend?” he asked. “Can you spare anyone with your recent opening?”

Mu Ling considered this – they were indeed short-staffed. She asked, “How many days is the conference?”

Director Wang replied, “One day to get there, one day back, three days in between – you’ll need at least five days.”

Being away for five days at once would make it difficult for anyone from the park to leave.

Mu Ling first thought of Brother Xiang or Brother Wei.

But she quickly ruled them out for a simple reason: Brother Wei and Brother Xiang were currently training all the keepers and patrol staff. If either of them left, everything would fall into chaos.

It can’t be helped- while Mu Ling could coordinate and make decisions on other matters, she wasn’t necessarily familiar with everything happening on the mountain. It really required Brother Xiang and Brother Wei’s direct oversight.

Who else then?

Other staff members had just arrived at the park – sending them to exchange ideas wouldn’t yield much insight.

The representative should be someone from management, someone with management experience who would know what to focus on learning.

After considering everyone, no one else was suitable – only she herself was the best choice.

Mu Ling scratched her head and told Director Wang over the call, “Five days is quite long, but it should be manageable. Director Wang, please add us to the list. I’ll go, but if I wanted to bring a family member, would that be possible?”

Director Wang hadn’t known Mu Ling already had a family – wasn’t this young lady only twenty? Getting married so young…

He said, “That’s no problem. Each zoo has three spots, and within those three spots, the organizers cover food and lodging – anyone can go.”

Mu Ling scratched her cheek, about to ask what if her family member was an animal…

Just then, Director Wang added, “Oh right, you can bring animals too. I remember your zoo doesn’t have many animals. If you have any that need mating, you can bring them to see if they find suitable matches. I heard Fu’ai Zoo is bringing two female lions.”

Mu Ling was stunned for a moment before breaking into a smile – so animals were allowed!

She quickly said, “That’s perfect then, that works.”

Seeing she had decided, Director Wang then said, “If you’re definitely going, you’ll need to leave by 5 PM tomorrow. We’re all departing together – meet at the Starship Center. Will that work for you?”

Mu Ling replied promptly, “No problem, no problem. See you tomorrow at 5 PM then.”

After ending the call, Xiang Bie, who had been bringing hay for Magic, suddenly looked over and asked quietly, “Family member?”

“Yes!” Mu Ling explained cheerfully. “Director Wang just called about this inter-zoo exchange conference. We have three spots, and we can bring family members. I’m thinking of bringing Fas since he’s familiar with Four Bay Star, and Lingren too. They said we can bring animals, and even though Lingren is a retired war beast, private adoption is protected under Federation law. We just need to use a sedation collar as a precaution. I’ll watch him the whole time. As for Moonlight, the timing is perfect—its training is showing results, and it’s not as wary of you all now. You can take care of it while I’m away.”

Xiang Bie:“…”

He gave her another look before saying calmly, “Next time, try not to say everything in one breath.”

He had thought… Never mind, it wasn’t important.