Chapter 40.1

The giant eagle looked dejected, which made Mu Ling feel a pang of sympathy. She gently stroked Tayun’s feathers, trying to soothe it. “It’s okay,” she cooed. “I’ll introduce you to a pretty female eagle one day. With your excellent qualities, why worry about finding a partner?”

Mu Ling began listing Tayun’s strengths on her fingers. “Look at you – you have outstanding genes, you graduated from a top school, and you even have a government job. You have wings and a home… Eagles like you are highly sought-after in the dating market!”

She gestured towards the vast mountains behind them. “And you have a good sister here who has secured this whole empire for you. When others ask, you can say you wake up every morning in a 3-million-square-meter estate, surrounded by endless bird food and canned goods, with caretakers attending to your every need. With a status like that, you’re practically an overbearing CEO.”

Tayun, oblivious to human speech, merely drooped its head, looking as if it was about to shatter.

Seeing her attempts to comfort the eagle failing, Mu Ling looked over at Brother Xiang with a resigned expression.

Xiang Bie said calmly, “Failing to find a mate is a huge blow for any animal. Since there are no other male eagles around, it’s still choosing to stay. If there were others, it might have quietly withdrawn to the sidelines by now.”

Mu Ling was taken aback. “So eagles actually have more self-awareness than some people.”

Xiang Bie gave her a look. “That’s not the point. The point is that since you have no other male eagles around, it thinks it still has a chance. It might even attempt to court you in the future.”

Mu Ling was flustered. “Then what should I do?”

Xiang Bie glanced at her. “First, stop petting it. Don’t give it any more mixed signals.”

Mu Ling fell silent, feeling as if she’d unwittingly become a heartbreaker, even though that wasn’t her intent.

“And then?”

“After that, train it more rigorously. Guide your relationship towards that of a handler and a war beast, not as potential mates.”

Mu Ling nodded firmly. “I’ll go look up eagle training techniques as soon as I get back.”

“Finally, keep it in a cage until its wing fully heals.”

After considering, Mu Ling said, “Ward A1 and Ward B2 are both available. Let’s have it stay in one of those tonight. By tomorrow, the capsule house should be set up, and it’ll have enough room to fly around safely inside.”

Tomorrow was the 16th, and the zoo would officially open the day after. All final tasks needed wrapping up by tomorrow.

Xiang Bie nodded, and Mu Ling carried Tayun to choose a ward for it.

At that moment, Lin Xuan and Li Yan approached. “Director.”

They looked at the disheartened eagle in Mu Ling’s arms. “This is Tayun?”

Mu Ling stroked the eagle’s feathers, smiling. “Yes, this is Tayun, our zoo’s S-class retired war bird. Isn’t he handsome?”

Lin Xuan opened her mouth, clearly having a thousand things to say, yet unsure where to begin.

Xiang Bie noticed her expression and said to Mu Ling, “Director, you go on inside.”

Mu Ling, carrying Tayun, entered the veterinary station.

Lin Xuan wanted to follow, but Xiang Bie called her, “Sister Lin.”

Lin Xuan paused, and she looked at Xiang Bie. She was thirty years old, four years older than Xiang Bie.

Xiang Bie held the tranquilizer gun and said lightly, “My walkie-talkie’s broken. Could you ask Brother Zhao about the progress on the protective fence?”

Li Yan, understanding the situation, pulled out his own walkie-talkie and asked Zhao Fang, “Zhao Fang, what’s the update on your end?”

After a short pause, Zhao Fang replied, “Just a hundred kilometers left to finish. We’re working through the night, aiming to finish by tomorrow noon.”

Xiang Bie took the walkie-talkie, responding, “Thanks, Brother Zhao.”

Zhao Fang replied, “No problem.”

Handing the walkie-talkie back to Li Yan, Xiang Bie and then fell silent.

Li Yan was an understanding person. He glanced meaningfully at Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan pressed her lips together, eventually leaving with Li Yan.

On their way back to the cafeteria, Lin Xuan couldn’t hold back. “Do you think Xiang Bie doesn’t want us asking the director about the war beasts?”

Li Yan smiled kindly. “Xiang Bie and Wei Li are different from us. They’ve been with the director since the beginning. They unconditionally protect and support the director. Us probing too much probably makes them uncomfortable, suspicious of our intentions.”

Lin Xuan gave a bitter smile. “But you and Brother Zhao didn’t ask anything. It was just me who was curious.”

Li Yan stayed silent.

With a sigh, Lin Xuan added, “Fine, I get it. I won’t ask anymore. If the director wants to share, she’ll tell us. If she doesn’t, it means she doesn’t fully trust us yet.”

Li Yan patted her on the shoulder without saying more, and they entered the cafeteria.

Meanwhile, Mu Ling placed Tayun into the A1 cage.

Inside, Tayun flew up, circled briefly, then settled back on the ground.

Mu Ling provided food and water before moving on to feed the other animals.

From its cage, Tayun watched as Mu Ling alternated between hugging the tiger, cuddling the wolf, kissing the panther, changing the lion’s diaper, and even soothing the bear to sleep.

Tayun’s eagle eyes were practically trembling.

As Mu Ling finished her work, Xiang Bie brought her a meal, frowning. “Eat first.”

“Oh, okay,” Mu Ling replied, carrying her food outside.

As she left, Tayun’s gaze followed her every step.

Xiang Bie noticed this and, standing before the cage, kindly advised, “It’s hopeless. Give it up.”

The eagle tilted its head, ignoring Xiang Bie, its sharp eyes still fixed on Mu Ling’s retreating form.

Seeing this, Xiang Bie chose to say no more.

He let the eagle pursue its own destiny.

That evening, Xiang Bie stayed on duty at the veterinary station, while Mu Ling returned to her dormitory for the night.

Before going to bed, Mu Ling took another look at the progress of the capsule house, and found that only the last bit was left. She was very satisfied, as nothing could be more joyful than the project being completed on schedule.

The next morning, Mu Ling woke before seven and ran to the capsule house. It was fully constructed.

The house, covering 500 square meters, utilized double-sided liquid glass, maximizing the space behind the zoo’s supermarket.

Stepping inside, Mu Ling found the space empty without any interior setup—about the size of a basketball court.

At eight, the capsule staff arrived to hand over the completed house to Mu Ling.

After a thorough inspection, she quickly made the final payment, satisfied with the work.

By 8:30, the pre-ordered appliances and furniture arrived, and all the staff helped arrange the space, with Mu Ling directing them.

“Yes,” she said. “Cover this area with mats; it’ll be the animals’ rest area. Scatter the plush toys around, don’t pile them—it looks better that way.”

“This area will be for activities. Set up the inflatable pool here for them to play in, and start assembling the cat climbing frames here. Is this sturdy enough?”

The installer assured her, “It’s custom-made from solid wood, built for strength. For the tigers and leopards, we used the sturdiest materials, even adding ground stakes. It won’t collapse.”

Pleased, Mu Ling said “Great” three times.

She directed further, “Place the food bowls here for a communal dining area. The water dispenser should be close but not too close to avoid moisture.”

“The litter box area should go there, near the ventilation for good airflow.”

Overhead, she called, “Move the air conditioner to the left. We need space here for a tree to be planted later.”

As she spoke, Wei Li, Fas, and two other caretakers brought in a large tree from the mountain. “Where should we plant this, Director?”

Holding a shovel, Li Yan pointed to a large pit. “Over here.”

Mu Ling pointed there as well. “Yes, right by Brother Li. Make sure it’s stable. The eagle will perch on it.”

By noon, with everyone’s efforts, the capsule house was finally ready. A few female staff began cleaning, washing, mopping, and filling the pool.

Mu Ling was soon called over by the fencing crew, who informed her the protective fence was complete. Zhao Fang confirmed everything was finished, and Mu Ling paid the final installment, expressing her gratitude and gifting them each a lifetime zoo pass for their families.

By 3 p.m., the entire zoo was ready.

The capsule house, though minimally furnished, was ready for use, with all equipment tested.

The supermarket was fully stocked.

The kitchen had vegetables prepared for tomorrow’s grand opening.

With only minor cleaning tasks left in the service area, the mountain remained the final checkpoint. Vaccines for some animals were still needed.

After lunch, as the caretakers and rangers went to complete the vaccinations, Mu Ling had to stay behind, delegating tasks for the remaining B-grade war beasts in the Eastern area.

At 5 p.m., as she adjusted the temperature and humidity in the capsule house, she felt the conditions were finally optimal. She then went to the veterinary station and brought the animals over.

After releasing Qilin, Lightning, Qingjiao and its cub, Mu Ling led the way in front.

The ticket seller Xiao Zhao, the restaurant server Xiao Zhang, and Ailin, who had grown close in the past few days since they were from the same dormitory – were still cleaning up inside.

The three girls were collecting garbage in the capsule house when they suddenly looked up and saw the director leading a group of fierce beasts approaching in the distance. Startled, they quickly turned and ran, hiding far away.