Chapter 33.1

Mu Ling jolted awake to the vibrations of the shuttle car.

Her eyes fluttered open groggily, taking a moment to register that they had returned to the service area. Rubbing her aching neck, she turned to look behind her and saw three men carefully lifting the unconscious Silver Snow Bear from the rear of the car.

Mu Ling quickly rose to help.

Wei Li, who was closest to her, froze when he saw her approach. His entire body stiffened as he shot a quick glance at Xiang Ge outside the car.

Currently, both Brother Xiang and Zhao Fang were outside, leaving only Wei Li inside. He desperately wanted to explain that it wasn’t his fault the director had woken up.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Ling asked, confused by Wei Li’s sudden stillness. She glanced around. “Why did we stop?”

Wei Li couldn’t find the words.

Xiang Ge pressed his lips together before saying simply, “Keep moving.”

Wei Li let out a relieved breath and started moving again, but said to Mu Ling, “Director, I can handle this. You don’t need to help.”

With that, he bumped her aside with his hip.

Mu Ling was speechless.

The nerve! Did they think she wasn’t strong enough? Hadn’t she helped load the bear in the first place? Without her, could Brother Xiang have managed alone?

Pouting, Mu Ling simply picked up the medical kit and called out to her companion, “Lightning, let’s go.”

Mu Ling exited through the front door. As soon as she stepped out, she saw Sister Lin, Uncle Li, and Colonel Song coming from the office building. Spotting the white bear, they hurried over to help.

The group carried the bear to the veterinary station. Inside, Qingjiao had already been lovingly licking her cub for some time. She had rushed off the moment the car stopped – a mother always worries about her child.

Since Lightning and Qingjiao hadn’t eaten their fill at dinner, Mu Ling went to get them some late-night snacks. She even added extra chicken legs, giving three to Lightning. The Leopard Team had done a great job at finding Moonlight, so Lightning was certainly the MVP.

While they ate, Mu Ling went to check on Qilin, Pimi, and the brown deer. She changed the bandages for Qilin and brown deer, then fed Pimi his medicine and changed his diaper.

When Mu Ling finally finished and came back out, she saw Lin Xuan entering with a bowl of noodles. “Director, Brother Xiang said you haven’t eaten. Hurry and have some.”

Mu Ling was instantly touched, almost to the point of tears. “Sister Lin, you’re like a real sister to me.”

Lin Xuan laughed as she set down the noodles. “I didn’t make these, though. Brother Xiang did. My cooking skills aren’t good enough to bring out.”

Mu Ling paused and looked around. The others were all gathered around the bear, and Brother Xiang was nowhere to be seen.

She sat down and took a bite of the noodles. Sure enough, it was Brother Xiang’s cooking. His food was always delicious. Mu Ling thought that when they hired a chef for the restaurant, their skills would have to at least match Brother Xiang’s.

Mu Ling devoured the noodles hungrily. Seeing her eat so quickly, Lin Xuan poured her a glass of water and asked, “Were you that hungry?”

Mu Ling sighed. “I couldn’t help it. I’ve used up so much energy. We were supposed to have lunch, but it spoiled after sitting out in the heat all day.”

The biscuits and water in Mu Ling’s medical kit were her own provisions, but Brother Xiang had also prepared lunch for the team. Earlier, when they were coming down the mountain, Mu Ling had planned to eat it, but the moment she opened it, she was met with the smell of spoiled food.

Lin Xuan handed Mu Ling a tissue and told her to slow down. Then she glanced at the Silver Snow Bear and frowned. “Will Moonlight’s skin be able to heal?”

Mu Ling took a sip of the soup and nodded. “Yes, with the right treatment, it will. This isn’t even the worst case.”

Lin Xuan gave a wry smile. “But Moonlight has to cooperate for the treatment to work. If not, we might have to sedate her every time.”

Mu Ling quickly finished her noodles, changed into fresh clothes, and donned a medical mask and gloves before returning to work.

The crowd around the bear stepped aside but didn’t go far, watching Mu Ling’s every move with curiosity.

Feeling their stares, Mu Ling said, “You’re blocking the light.”

They shuffled back a bit more.

The Silver Snow Bear was too large for the operating table, so it had been placed on the ground. In the good lighting, one could see that although it appeared to have a thick coat of white fur, the roots of the fur were actually black.

Its once normal, white skin was now almost entirely covered by fungi, turning it black.

Mu Ling first drew a vial of blood from the bear, set it aside, and then began carefully cleaning its fur with disinfectant. In the worst areas, the fur had to be shaved, but she had to be cautious to avoid further damaging the sensitive skin.

The cleaning process was slow, and Mu Ling eventually sat down on the ground to continue. After more than twenty minutes, she had finished cleaning the bear’s front. As she stood up and turned around, she found herself face-to-face with five people who had silently gathered behind her.

Mu Ling sighed quietly, looking at Colonel Song, Sister Lin, and the others. “Why don’t you all go sit on the couch over there?”

They looked a bit sheepish. Li Yan smiled and said, “Director, let us know if you need any help.”

“Not right now,” Mu Ling replied as she walked to the medicine cabinet. “I’m going to make a spray now.”

Mu Ling opened an empty disinfectant spray bottle and mixed several prepared medications together in the proper ratios, shaking the bottle to ensure the powders had dissolved.

With the mixture ready, Mu Ling returned to the Silver Snow Bearand began thoroughly spraying its skin. The key was to make sure the medicated mist reached the skin directly, not just the fur.

After using up the first bottle, Mu Ling prepared a second. By the time she was two-thirds through the second bottle, she had finished treating the bear’s front.

Next, Mu Ling applied a thin layer of medicinal ointment all over the bear’s body. A thick application would only burden the sensitive skin, so a light touch was best during this initial treatment phase.

When she finished with the ointment, Mu Ling stretched her neck and said to the group, “Now you can help. Let’s flip Moonlight over. Make sure to wear gloves. I’ll get a sterile sheet.”

After the sterile sheet was laid out, the four of them carefully turned the bear onto its back. Mu Ling put on fresh gloves and started cleaning the injuries on its back.

The back was in much worse condition, so Mu Ling had to shave off nearly all the fur in that area. It was unavoidable – the damage was too extensive. Without shaving, the wounds wouldn’t heal properly. As for whether Moonlight would feel cold on its bare back when it woke up, there wasn’t much Mu Ling could do about that – she’d just have to knit it a sweater.

Colonel Song approached again, asking, “Was it just a skin irritation on its back? I noticed the chest wasn’t as bad.”

Mu Ling explained, “The infection started from the back.”

Colonel Song frowned in confusion. “Why the back?”

Mu Ling thought for a moment. “It had skin issues before, so this is a recurrent infection. The likely cause is that it spends a lot of time in the water. Brother Xiang said Moonlight is afraid of humans and only eats the fish it catches itself, never touching the food people give it. But the Silver Snow Bear is a land-based bear, not like the aquatic Whitewater Bears. Its thick fur gets waterlogged when it doesn’t dry properly after swimming. The chest fur is easier to groom, but the back is harder to reach, so it stays damp – like a breeding ground for disease. That’s why the back was the first to be affected.”

Colonel Song nodded. “So land bears should stay on land.”

Mu Ling added, “And a diet of just fish isn’t nutritious enough for a Silver Snow Bear. It needs meat to maintain its immune system.”

As they talked, Mu Ling finished shaving Moonlight’s back fur and began preparing the disinfectant spray and ointment for that area. The treatment for the back required a slightly different formula, especially around the open wounds.

After another half hour, Mu Ling had finished applying the medicine. She then gave moonlight two injections, as the external treatment needed to be paired with internal medication. Since the bear was still unconscious, injections were the only way to administer the drugs.

When she finished, Mu Ling asked everyone to help move Moonlight into the ward.

In the ward area, Wei Li and Brother Xiang had already cleaned the cage and laid out fresh bedding. Because of Moonlight’s injuries, they had added two extra layers of sterile cloth for extra cleanliness.

The Silver Snow Bear was still unconscious, its large body lying motionless on the bed, looking almost fragile despite its size, especially with so much of its fur shaved off.

Mu Ling gently stroked Moonlight’s head and ears, whispering, “You’ll get better, I promise.”

She checked the air conditioning vent to ensure it wouldn’t blow directly on the bear, then stood up to leave.

As Mu Ling stepped out into the hallway, she was surprised by how crowded it felt.

Ignoring the seven people standing there, she looked around the recovery area and realized it was practically full – with all eight wards occupied.

Mu Ling surveyed the bustling ward area, her hands on her hips. It seemed the once empty space was now filled with patients.

In the front, ward A1 housed Qilin, A2 was empty, A3 had Pimi, and A4 now contained Moonlight. Across the hall, the four B wards were also occupied – B1 was empty, B2 had Lightning, B3 had Qingjiao and her cub, and B4 held the brown deer.

Tired from the day’s events, Lightning and Qingjiao had already returned to their own enclosures to rest. However, the sudden influx of people in the recovery area had roused them, and they were now quietly observing the commotion.

Mu Ling shook her head, surveying the full recovery area. Of the seven animals present, six were carnivores – only the brown deer was an herbivore. Seeing it cowering in the corner, too afraid to come out, Mu Ling could understand its trepidation.

Mu Ling paused, then addressed the group, “Since everyone is here, let’s have a quick meeting outside.”

A meeting at this hour? It was nearly 1 AM.

But if the director called for it, they would hold the meeting. Everyone moved outside, and Mu Ling got straight to the point.

“Today is September 11th, and our zoo is set to open officially on the 17th. Before then, many of our basic facilities still haven’t been properly set up. I’d like to hear updates on the progress in various areas so we can see how things are going.”

Xiang Bie, seated on the couch, thought for a moment before speaking up. “I’ve thoroughly checked the mountain area and found no more signs of mutant beasts. As for the protective fencing, the workers said they can definitely finish by the 16th at the latest.”

Mu Ling looked at Xiang Bie. “Can we be 100% certain about the completion date for the fencing? There have been delays due to various incidents before.”

Colonel Song, who wasn’t actually a Bi Ke Zoo employee but was still part of the meeting, chimed in. “No need to worry. The workers are all very diligent. Usually, they’ve started work before I even arrive in the morning. They said they want to make up for the time lost earlier and will absolutely not delay the opening.”