Chapter 122.1

Mu Ling’s actions in the hospital room left a profound impact on the staff at Maple Leaf Zoo.

Watching a video or hearing about something is one thing, but witnessing it firsthand felt surreal.

Producer Luo’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he quickly asked the cameraman, “Did you capture everything?”

The cameraman nodded repeatedly, assuring that not a single frame was missed!

Satisfied, Producer Luo pondered for a moment, a new idea forming in his mind.

After a while, once it was confirmed that Nini had fallen asleep, Mu Ling left the hospital room. She intended to have the keepers take the three small animals outside for some fresh air; keeping them confined in the room for too long wouldn’t be comfortable for them.

However, as soon as she opened the door, she was met with a crowd of people outside. Upon seeing her, they began to applaud enthusiastically!

“Clap, clap, clap…”

The enthusiastic applause was quite loud, drawing the attention of many medical staff from the veterinary station. Even some of the small animals waiting for treatment turned to look.

Mu Ling: “…”

Mu Ling felt utterly embarrassed, her face turning red as she quickly said, “Please… please stop clapping, stop clapping…”

At that moment, Director He stepped forward, shaking Mu Ling’s hand vigorously, visibly excited. “Director Mu, you’ve truly been a great help to us! You’re incredible—solving the problem as soon as you arrived! So, as long as they cohabitate, Nini can recover, right? Then we’ll have Nini share an enclosure with the golden monkeys and red pandas. That should help her recuperate smoothly, correct?”

Mu Ling pondered for a moment before responding, “Nini’s current condition is still unstable. While small animals can temporarily help her lower her guard, prolonged cohabitation might not be beneficial. After all, the iron bear is a war beast and possesses aggressive tendencies. Once Nini regains her strength, there’s a possibility she might harm the smaller animals.”

Director He became even more excited. “You’re saying she can indeed recover, right?!”

Mu Ling smiled. “With proper care, of course she can recover. But whether cohabitation is feasible will need to be assessed later.”

Director He nodded eagerly. “Alright, alright, we’ll evaluate that in due time then!”

The staff at Maple Leaf Zoo were overjoyed, bombarding Mu Ling with a flurry of questions.

Once the questioning subsided, Producer Luo seized the opportunity to interject with a broad smile. “Director Mu, hello. I’m a producer from Ancient Blue Star TV Station. My surname is Luo. Our station is currently preparing a variety show focused on animal rescue. I was wondering if you might have some time to participate in an interview?”

Mu Ling had noticed this gentleman earlier, assuming he was part of the zoo staff. She was somewhat puzzled. “An interview?”

Concerned that the term “interview” might sound too formal and pressure the young director, Producer Luo quickly clarified, “Just a few simple questions; it won’t take much of your time.”

Mu Ling glanced hesitantly at Director Tang and Deputy Director Liu.

Director Tang nodded in affirmation. “Producer Luo is a legitimate producer, not a scammer.”

Producer Luo: “…”

With Director Tang’s assurance, Mu Ling felt more at ease. “Alright, I have time, I can accept the interview.”

Producer Luo was delighted. After Mu Ling finished giving some instructions, she accompanied him outside the veterinary station for the interview. The cameraman even brought over two chairs for them to sit and chat.

The interview lasted about an hour. Seizing the rare opportunity to speak with an expert, Producer Luo asked all the relevant questions—and even some irrelevant ones.

For instance, age, hobbies, and mate selection criteria.

Mu Ling was momentarily taken aback upon hearing the question about partner selection criteria.

Producer Luo chuckled. “Just answer casually.”

Mu Ling thought for a moment before honestly replying, “I’m twenty years old. My hobby is constructing zoo facilities. As for partner selection criteria—being human is sufficient.”

Producer Luo: “…”

He was a bit stunned. “As long as they’re human, the standard is that low?”

Mu Ling quickly added, “It’s not low. So far, those who have shown romantic interest in me haven’t been human.”

Producer Luo: “???”

Xiang Bie: “…”

Realizing there wasn’t much more to uncover, Producer Luo concluded the interview, expressing his gratitude to Mu Ling. They exchanged contact information, agreeing that they might consult her again in the future if needed.

Mu Ling naturally agreed.

Afterward, Producer Luo went to continue the previously unfinished interview with Director Tang.

Meanwhile, Mu Ling contacted Arrogant’s keeper to inquire about the current status of Arrogant and Butcher.

She couldn’t forget about her precious Butcher.

The keeper immediately initiated a video call, showing her the surveillance footage with a tone of satisfaction. “They’ve entered the den!”

When two Black Claw Ferocious Badgers intend to mate, the female allows the male into her den, and they close the entrance together—what happens inside goes without saying.

Watching the concealed den entrance on the monitor, Mu Ling beamed with an Grandaunt’s smile. “Barring any surprises, our Butcher will be a father in two months!”

The keeper added, “Arrogant will be a mother too, it’s just…”

Mu Ling was puzzled. “Just what?”

The keeper sighed. “Arrogant is a war beast. Although she’s retired, if her offspring have high potential, they’ll be sent to the War Beast Academy after a month. The mother and children will be separated then.”

Mu Ling was momentarily stunned, having almost forgotten that war beasts start training early to adapt to human interaction.

The keeper expressed concern. “I’m worried that Arrogant’s condition might worsen when that time comes.”

Indeed, having children and then losing them can be a significant blow to a beast mother.

Mu Ling thought of their little wolf, who had undergone a physical assessment earlier.

It inherited Qingjiao’s genes and was rated with a C-class potential. According to federation regulations, animals with a B-class or higher potential must attend the War Beast Academy, while those below B-class are exempt.

Due to its father’s genes, the little wolf didn’t need to become a war beast. However, both Arrogant and Butcher are S-class war beasts, so their offspring’s potential is undoubtedly high.

Mu Ling contemplated and said, “Offspring don’t remain young forever; they grow up and become independent. In the animal kingdom, mothers don’t always need their children by their side. I once watched a documentary about a leopard daughter that mooched off her mother, doing nothing productive. The mother eventually left to force the daughter to learn to hunt and survive independently. The daughter adapted, learned survival skills, and eventually became a strong, independent mother herself.”

The keeper responded, “I understand your point. The pain of growth is inevitable, and every animal is an individual that needs to mature on its own. I’m just afraid Arrogant won’t be able to handle it, especially since she’s already ill.”

Mu Ling considered this and said, “We can start thinking now about how to comfort Arrogant after she loses her children. Perhaps by helping her make more friends and relatives, she can divert her attention. For example, in our zoo, there’s an S-class Dark Snow Wolf named Qingjiao. She used to be obsessed with her son, but now she’s found new joy in teaching other mother wolves how to raise their young. Although her methods are often misguided and need correction from another tiger named Snowflower, she’s no longer fixated on her son. Sometimes, when her son comes to sleep beside her, she initially licks his fur, but by midnight, when he wakes up he discovers that mommy is gone again.”

The keeper chuckled. “Indeed, in a social environment, the impact might be less severe.”

However, Arrogant currently has no friends. She’s recently retired and is quite unsociable, only just becoming acquainted with Butcher and starting to open up.

Wait, Butcher…

The keeper’s eyes suddenly focused intensely on the surveillance screen!

Mu Ling, thinking she had successfully comforted the keeper, was about to say more when a commotion erupted inside the veterinary station.

She quickly ended the call and rushed in to see a veterinarian hastily exiting Nini’s room, with the iron bear’s shrill, piercing roars echoing from within!

Mu Ling asked in confusion, “What’s happening?”

Director He, looking troubled, explained, “Our veterinarian went in for a routine check-up. Perhaps due to the unfamiliar scent, Nini suddenly woke up and began to struggle.”

Mu Ling entered the monitoring room to review the footage. Inside, Nini, having taken her medication and eaten, seemed to have regained some strength and was attempting to climb out of bed.

Her movements risked dislodging the tubes attached to her body, which were taut and on the verge of being pulled out.

“We need to administer a tranquilizer; otherwise, she might injure herself!” an older veterinarian said, preparing to leave but then turned back to ask Mu Ling, “Director Mu, what do you think?”

Mu Ling observed the monitor for a moment before responding, “Let me go in and try again. Where are the three small animals?”

Deputy Director Liu replied, “They were taken out for a walk. I’ll have them brought back immediately.”

Mu Ling nodded, donned protective gear, and entered the hospital room first.

Inside, the emaciated iron bear had managed to crawl to the edge of the bed using her regained strength. Several tubes were stretched taut, on the verge of snapping at any moment.

Mu Ling quickly intervened, “Nini, don’t!”

Upon seeing a human, the iron bear exhibited a strong adverse reaction, baring her teeth at Mu Ling with a face full of anger. Her sharp claws nearly pierced through the metal bed frame.

Her combat strength was indeed formidable; even with minimal recovery, she could scratch through the bed frame.

Mu Ling slowly approached. This time, she hadn’t used any deodorizing spray, so her natural scent was more pronounced.

The iron bear caught a whiff of the slightly familiar scent and hesitated…

Mu Ling gently said, “Nini, don’t be like this. Sister isn’t a bad person; sister won’t hurt you.”

“Ga ga!!” the iron bear continued to roar, but as she did, she stretched her nose forward, carefully sniffing.

Mu Ling continued to get closer. “Let’s not move, okay? Want to eat some bamboo shoots?”

She reached into her pocket and retrieved some bamboo shoot tips—not slices, just the pointed ends.

From a distance, Mu Ling tossed a piece onto the black and white bear’s belly.

The bear flinched, then looked down at the bamboo shoot tip on her stomach and reached for it.

Giant pandas have a pseudo-thumb that allows them to grasp objects.

She picked up the shoot tip, put it in her mouth, and began to chew.

Mu Ling praised, “Wow, our Nini’s hands are so dexterous! Even more dexterous than sister’s hands. Does this mean Nini is more capable than sister? Mm, it must be so!”

After finishing one shoot tip, the iron bear looked back at Mu Ling and roared again, “Ga!”

Mu Ling tossed another shoot tip over.

The iron bear grabbed it, ate it, then cried out again.

The iron bear seemed to have discovered that as long as she got angry, this human would offer her food, so she tirelessly threatened the human to give her more delicious things.

At this moment, she had completely forgotten that she originally went on a hunger strike and wouldn’t eat of her own volition…