Chapter 120.2

Mu Ling paused and looked at him. “What?”

Xiang Bie said, “Let’s go for a walk. Go see the giant pandas—you wanted to, didn’t you?”

That morning, when the taxi driver had mentioned pandas, her eyes had visibly lit up.

Arrogant’s zookeeper chimed in, “You want to see the pandas? We have thirty-six pandas in our panda pavilion!”

“Wow, that many?” Mu Ling was tempted by the idea, but hesitated, thinking about Butcher.

The zookeeper assured her, “I’ll keep an eye on things here. If anything happens, I’ll contact you.”

Since he offered, Mu Ling felt it would be impolite to refuse and agreed, albeit reluctantly.

The zookeeper called a shuttle for them, which arrived quickly.

After they boarded, the driver asked if they had any particular places in mind. When Mu Ling mentioned the pandas, the driver chuckled, “Everyone who visits wants to see the pandas. I’ll take you by the shortest route—we’ll pass the peacock and golden monkey exhibits along the way.”

Mu Ling smiled and agreed.

As they drove, leaving the quiet area and entering the bustling food court section, they passed a dessert shop. Xiang Bie suddenly said, “Stop here.”

The driver pulled over. Xiang Bie got off and returned with a box of small cakes, which he handed to Mu Ling.

Mu Ling laughed helplessly as she took them. “Brother Xiang, I really am full. Why do you all keep trying to feed me?”

Xiang Bie sat down beside her and said quietly, “They’re sweet. Sweets make you feel better.”

Mu Ling paused.

The shuttle had started moving again.

She glanced at Brother Xiang. After a moment, she opened the box, scooped up a spoonful of cream, and ate it.

“Wow. That’s really sweet.”

Seeing her eat, Xiang Bie’s tense expression finally relaxed.

Mu Ling’s mood wasn’t great, though she thought she hadn’t shown it. But Brother Xiang was too perceptive.

What troubled her were Bai Su’s words.

Why had her grandfather cut ties with the Bai family?

The Bai family was so wealthy, yet her grandfather had chosen to live in poverty on Planet 877, scavenging for scraps, rather than ask them for anything.

What kind of falling out had occurred between her grandfather and Grandaunt that was so serious that when one passed away, the other wouldn’t even come to pay respects in person?

Mu Ling couldn’t understand it. But deep down, a suspicion had taken root…

Maybe it was because of her.

Because of her illness—something no ordinary family could accept.

Had her grandfather broken ties with the Bai family to keep her with him?

Yet… her Grandaunt had left her a whole zoo.

Had she regretted her earlier actions?

Mu Ling couldn’t make sense of it all. But just thinking that she might have been the source of her grandfather’s pain crushed her. The weight of this thought pressed so heavily that even as she ate the sweet cake, she felt the familiar itch returning to her arms.

Setting the cake on her lap, Mu Ling began scratching her arm through her sleeve.

It was a subtle gesture, but Xiang Bie immediately frowned.

His heart suddenly began racing. His eyes burned.

He felt the telltale signs of his irises starting to turn blue.

But he hadn’t willed this transformation—why was it happening?

He quickly covered his eyes and rubbed them hard. Then, pulling out a bottle of vitamins from his pocket, he shook out two pills and swallowed them.

As Xiang Bie fought against his body’s instincts, he failed to notice that beside him, Mu Ling was also rummaging through her bag, searching for something.

At that moment, their shuttle left the bustling food court and entered a quieter, narrower path.

Beyond it lay the golden monkey exhibit.

But before reaching it, they would pass a secluded facility that wasn’t open to visitors.

The building was heavily shrouded by the surrounding mountain, concealed from plain view. And inside—as their shuttle approached—deep within the bamboo grove, a skeletal, malnourished S-class Iron Bear slowly opened its eyes.

Its black-and-white fur looked almost identical to that of a giant panda.

The Iron Bear lifted its head, sniffing the air beyond the mountain wall. After a while, it began staggering toward the edge. But halfway there, its strength gave out. With a heavy thud, it collapsed onto the ground, unconscious once more.

Mu Ling finally found her calcium tablets. She quickly took one and regulated her breathing until the itch in her arms gradually faded.

Xiang Bie felt himself regaining control—his heart rate slowed, the heat in his eyes dissipated. He lowered his hands and exhaled deeply.

Mu Ling had calmed down too. She lifted her sleeve to check her arm—everything looked normal. Finally, she relaxed.

With her emotions settled, Mu Ling didn’t dare let her mind wander back to thoughts of her grandfather or the Bai family. She reminded herself not to let her emotions get the better of her again. Otherwise, the medication really might not be enough to suppress it…

She picked up the cake and took another large bite, trying to shift her focus. But just then, she heard the sharp wail of ambulance sirens from outside the shuttle.

Looking out the window, she saw two ambulances racing toward them at breakneck speed, barely missing the shuttle as they flew past.

“Huh? What’s going on?” Mu Ling watched the streaks of tire smoke left behind and asked the driver, confused.

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror and sighed. “Probably Nini… one of our zoo’s retired S-class Iron Bears. That facility we just passed? That was Nini’s enclosure.” He paused briefly. “Looks like… she might really be at the end of the line…”