Chapter 1.1

August’s heat was relentless, with waves of scorching air rolling across the landscape.

At the foot of the mountain near the Bi Ke forest on Shenwang Star, the owner of a small convenience store in the tourist area was dozing off, his eyes slowly closing.

The holographic television beside him broadcast the day’s news. On the southwestern border of the galaxy, Planet 917 had experienced another Mutant beast uprising, the second such incident this year. The news anchor’s voice was grave as live footage showed the fierce battle unfolding.

As the drowsy store owner’s eyes finally closed, lulled by the hypnotic news broadcast, he was on the verge of falling asleep.

“Thud.” A soft but sudden sound broke the silence.

The owner’s eyes snapped open to see a bottle of mineral water on the counter. His gaze followed the bottle to a young girl standing outside the checkout area.

The girl was strikingly beautiful, but her cheeks were flushed, and a sheen of sweat covered her forehead—clearly affected by the sweltering heat outside.

The owner stood up and scanned the bottle: “Five star coins.”

A bottle of water that cost one star coin wholesale was priced at five in this tourist spot.

The girl raised her arm to scan the payment code with her light brain. After paying, she hurriedly twisted open the cap and took several large gulps.

Amused, the owner asked, “Here with a tour group? I’m surprised anyone’s out in this heat.”

The girl, whose name was Mu Ling, had downed half the bottle in one go. She stood in the doorway for a moment, enjoying the air conditioning to relieve some of the stifling heat. Smiling, she replied, “I’m not here for tourism. I’ve come on business. Say, owner, can I ask you something? Is there a zoo up on this mountain?”

The owner sat back down. It was midday, and not a soul was around the area. He was happy to chat. “There was a zoo, but it closed over six months ago.”

Mu Ling pressed further, “Before it closed, was it popular?”

The owner chuckled, “If it had been popular, would it have shut down?”

Mu Ling edged closer, “Could you tell me more about this zoo? To be honest, I came here specifically for it. I run a zoo myself.”

The owner looked Mu Ling up and down. Such a young girl running a zoo? It must be her family’s business. She was probably here to research and learn from a failed example.

The owner didn’t mince words, speaking slowly, “That zoo opened two years ago. They started with quite a fanfare. But you see, it was a wildlife park. Wildlife parks are dangerous, aren’t they? So apart from some initial interest, visitors became fewer and fewer. Within a year, hardly anyone was going.”

Mu Ling was surprised, “But wouldn’t a wildlife park be more unique than a regular zoo? Why did it attract fewer visitors?”

The owner laughed, “What use is being unique if it’s not practical? Did they have animal shows? Did the area have food stalls, a Ferris wheel, an amusement park? Without these things, how do you attract families? The mountain is all a primitive forest. They said they wanted to preserve the animals’ natural habitat, but those paths were far too steep. The environment was harsh, and the animals weren’t even kept in enclosures – they roamed freely. Visitors often came and couldn’t even see any animals. When they did, they were too scared to get close. From far away, what can you really see? In short, people might come once for the novelty, but who would come a second time?”

Mu Ling pondered this, “But I heard that the botanical garden at the foot of the mountain was only established because of the zoo. I thought the zoo must have been really popular to drive development in the surrounding area.”

The owner quickly waved his hand, “No way. The government was fooled. The zoo was started by a woman from the Capital Star. She bought the entire primitive forest on the mountain in one go – over three million square kilometers. She promised to build the largest wildlife park in the entire galaxy. The grand promises she made had our government completely dazzled. They poured all their resources into the zoo, hoping it would boost local tourism on Shenwang Star. They even allocated funds to build a botanical garden at the foot of the mountain to complement the zoo. Now look at the result – the zoo has gone bankrupt, the government is saddled with debt, and the botanical garden is barely surviving. It only draws visitors during the flower exhibitions in April and October.”

Mu Ling: “…”

As she listened, Mu Ling grew increasingly uneasy. Not for any other reason, but because the woman who had bought the primitive forest on the mountain and made grand promises to the Shenwang Star government was none other than her great-aunt, whom she had never met.

Mu Ling had grown up on the rural Planet 877. A month ago, she received a call from a lawyer informing her that her great-aunt on Capital Star had passed away, leaving her a wildlife park as inheritance. They asked her to come sign the paperwork for the property transfer.

At first, Mu Ling thought it was a scam. She was an orphan, raised by her grandfather who had found her as a child. How could she possibly have a great-aunt?

But after verification, it turned out not to be a scam. She really did have a relative. This kind of windfall had actually happened to her.

And so, Mu Ling unexpectedly inherited a zoo.

Of course, the inheritance didn’t come without conditions. She had to pay a price.

The lawyer explained that according to her great-aunt’s will, she must manage the zoo for nine years before she could truly gain ownership of it.