Chapter 4.2

After the long-tailed civet suddenly ran off, Mu Ling thought it wouldn’t return. Unexpectedly, within a minute, it came back, again asking her for more meat strips.

Mu Ling handed over the meat, and the civet carried it away. This back-and-forth happened three or four more times before Mu Ling realized the civet was delivering something. Since it showed no signs of aggression, Mu Ling cautiously rolled down the car window a bit more.

The opening was now wide enough for the civet to jump in, but it didn’t. Nor did it attack her.

Growing bolder, Mu Ling even dared to sneak a pat on the civet’s head while feeding it. The civet didn’t resist.

Seeing how diligently the animal was running back and forth, Mu Ling decided to get out of the car. She picked up the fallen meat strips and followed it.

Of course, Mu Ling wasn’t completely reckless. She had noticed that the civet’s round trips only took about a minute each, meaning its destination couldn’t be more than a few dozen meters away. That gave her the confidence to follow.

They stopped in front of a bush where four or five meat strips were already piled on the ground—clearly the civet’s previous deliveries.

Mu Ling saw the civet perched on a branch, watching her intently. Understanding the situation, she took out all the remaining meat strips, added them to the pile, and shook out the empty bag. “Look,” she told the civet, “it’s all gone. I gave you everything, not a single piece left.”

The civet jumped down from the branch, sniffed the bag to confirm it was empty, then used its paws to gather the scattered meat strips back into the pile.

Mu Ling found this quite amusing. She suspected there might be a mother cat and a litter of kittens in the bush.

The civet’s behavior really reminded her of a cat father bringing food to his wife and children.

With that thought, Mu Ling wanted to see the kittens. It wasn’t just curiosity; since they were born in the zoo, they were legally part of it. Mu Ling thought that since she had encountered them, she should confirm their number to report back to Brother Wei so they could order the right amount of vaccines.

Trying not to provoke the civet, Mu Ling cautiously tiptoed to peek into the bush.

But even such a small move didn’t escape the civet’s notice. It instantly reverted to its previous aggressive stance, extending its long claws, arching its back with raised fur, and growling at Mu Ling threateningly.

Startled, Mu Ling jumped, quickly waving her hands. “I wasn’t looking! I didn’t see anything!”

But the civet didn’t relax, forcing Mu Ling to back away further.

Just then, as if something inside the bushes sensed the commotion, there was movement.

Suddenly, a large, golden-bodied creature burst out from the bushes.

As the civet was standing closest to the bush, right in front of Mu Ling, the massive beast pounced on it with military-like precision.

Heavy tiger paws pinned the civet’s back to the soft grass, while its enormous mouth clamped down on the civet’s neck, sharp teeth instantly puncturing the skin.

Damn!

Mu Ling was paralyzed with fear at this sudden turn of events.

A tiger!

What had been hiding in the bush was actually a tiger!

Amidst the chaos, the civet’s pained shrieks filled the air.

Mu Ling saw that the civet was on the brink of death, pinned under the tiger, its neck fur turning red with blood

Wait, something wasn’t right. That wasn’t the civet’s blood…

As Mu Ling, preparing to run, took a closer look, she saw a large bloodstain on the tiger’s front paw.

Looking up, she saw the blood was flowing from the tiger’s back. It appeared to be severely injured, with blood stains all over its body. Even its hind leg had a black wound, suggesting poisoning.

Despite its seemingly agile and powerful attack, the tiger’s condition was far from ideal. Its jaws couldn’t fully close, preventing it from biting through the civet’s neck. While its front paws were massive, its hindquarters were almost dragging on the ground.

Both hind legs were injured: the right one bleeding black, appearing poisoned, while the left showed signs of an old injury, with deformed bones affecting its movement.

As Mu Ling observed the fierce tiger, it seemed to exhaust its last bit of strength.

The civet suddenly escaped from under its paws, indicating the tiger had lost its grip.

The civet hadn’t run far with its tail tucked when the tiger’s darkened eyes hazily focused on the grass below. Its massive body swayed and crashed to the ground, motionless.

As it fell, its eyes remained half-open, but its tongue lolled out slightly.

Mu Ling wasn’t a doctor—she had studied pharmaceutical research in college, focusing on drug development rather than clinical practice. However, her medical background allowed her to recognize the animal’s pre-death symptoms.

This tiger was dying. Without intervention, its heart would stop beating in less than a minute.

Almost instinctively, Mu Ling rushed forward.

While human and animal structures differ, and doctors treating humans may not be equipped to treat animals, Mu Ling had studied some veterinary knowledge in preparation for opening the zoo.

This tiger needed immediate emergency care!