Chapter 46.1

Commander Duan claimed he needed to think, but he remained so motionless that he appeared to have crashed like a malfunctioning computer.

Mu Ling looked around curiously. As she turned her head, she suddenly noticed the wound on the giant elephant’s ear.

Wait a minute—hadn’t she climbed all this way specifically to treat Magic?

Now that she was up here…

Mu Ling’s eyes darted about mischievously before she began to stroke the giant elephant’s head. With a sweet smile, she coaxed, “Magic, darling, can you do me a favor?”

She pointed at the medical kit on the ground. “That thing there—could you bring it to me?”

Magic didn’t understand her meaning. Seeing her extended hand, it used its trunk to playfully sniff her fingers before wrapping it gently around her wrist.

Grabbing its trunk, Mu Ling directed it toward the medical kit. “That one! Bring it over! Fetch it for me.”

The command “fetch” clicked with Magic.

Tentatively, Magic extended its trunk, wrapping it around the medical kit and lifting it from the ground.

At that moment, Commander Duan finally snapped out of his daze. Seeing Magic holding the medical kit in its trunk, his brows furrowed deeply.

Magic, still wearing its inverted triangle smile, passed the kit to Mu Ling. She accepted it with joy, exclaiming, “Thank you, Magic! You’re the sweetest, most thoughtful elephant in the whole wide world!”

As she spoke, she leaned in and gave Magic’s rough, bristly head a quick peck.

The kiss was too light for Magic to feel, but animals sense human emotions through tone. Hearing Mu Ling’s gentle voice, Magic recognized her kindness. It raised its trunk high and let out a deep, resonant trumpet.

Commander Duan, watching this harmonious interaction between human and elephant, was utterly dumbfounded. His face darkened to the color of a pot’s bottom.

‘She’s going to cut into your flesh, and you’re handing her the tools? Worse, you’re trumpeting with joy? Don’t you know you’re being played for a fool?’ he thought to himself.

With the medical kit in hand, Mu Ling took out disinfectant and gauze. Magic’s ear wound had necrotic tissue that needed attention. She soaked the gauze in disinfectant and carefully began wiping away the old ointment from the wound.

Magic remained still during this initial cleaning, but when Mu Ling took out the scalpel to remove the decayed tissue, the slight sting made it uncomfortable. It began flapping its ear, trying to shake off the pain.

This movement made it impossible for Mu Ling to continue. She had no choice but to command, “Magic, attention!”

Magic was visibly conflicted. It didn’t want to stand at attention—it wanted to shake off whatever was on its head, maybe even ram against a tree trunk to vent its frustration.

But someone had given it an order…

After an internal struggle, Magic finally relented. With a grunt, it stomped its foot and lifted its trunk in a salute-like pose, forcing itself to stand still.

Mu Ling sighed softly, stroking Magic’s head. “Good girl, just a little longer. Once we remove the dead tissue, it won’t hurt anymore.”

The necrotic flesh was crawling with maggots and swarmed by flies. As she worked, Mu Ling gently blew on the wound, hoping to soothe the elephant’s discomfort.

The novel sensation seemed to intrigue Magic, and gradually, it calmed down.

Commander Duan: “…”

Commander Duan felt unbalanced again.

Logically, he knew that Mu Ling successfully treating Magic was a good thing.

But emotionally… ahei ahei…

Why aren’t you resisting? Why are you placated by mere gentle blowing? You’re an S-class war beast! A mighty warrior! How can you be so easily sweet-talked?

Unable to contain himself, Commander Duan approached Magic, patting its tough hide while muttering, “Not an ounce of backbone…”

“PWAAAH!” Magic suddenly trumpeted, swinging its trunk to deliver a solid smack to Duan’s arm—clearly showing its annoyance.

“You hit me?” Commander Duan stared at Magic in disbelief. “I pat you, and you hit me? She’s cutting into you, and you’re fine with that?”

Magic wasn’t targeting anyone specifically; it was simply too uncomfortable to want any contact. If its trunk had been long enough, it would have been swatting at its own head.

Stepping away from Commander Duan, it didn’t even bother to turn around, simply presenting its massive rear end to him in clear dismissal.

Commander Duan’s breathing grew uneven as an absurd feeling welled up inside him—like watching a cherished daughter being led astray by some smooth-talking delinquent.

Unaware of her newfound image as a scoundrel in the commander’s mind, Mu Ling remained focused on treating Magic’s wounds.

Because Magic kept moving and flapping its ears, Mu Ling had to hold on tight while working. The elephant’s occasional head shakes made precise work nearly impossible. By the time she finished treating one wound, she was drenched in sweat.

Wiping her forehead, she proceeded to climb toward Magic’s back. There was still work to be done: one wound on the head, two on the back, one on the hind leg, two on the sides, and one on the rump. All required dead tissue removal.

By the third wound, Magic’s patience had worn thin. Its steps in the glass enclosure grew heavier, its short tail whipping back and forth in agitation.

When it reached the inflatable pool, Magic suddenly sucked up a trunkful of water and sprayed it skyward, drenching its own back—and Mu Ling in the process.

Mu Ling stood there, dripping wet.

Mu Ling: “…”

Commander Duan: “…”

Commander Duan, who had been jealous of Mu Ling until now, was momentarily speechless at this sight and instinctively apologized for Magic: “Director Mu, it wasn’t intentional…”

Moving forward, he grabbed Magic’s trunk to prevent another water assault.

Mu Ling wiped her face and methodically dried the elephant’s wounds with gauze, saying numbly, “You might not believe this, but I’m used to it.”

Commander Duan believed her—he’d seen last night’s surveillance footage of a similar soaking.

Magic, irritated by having its trunk restrained, began struggling. It tried to kick Commander Duan, who barely managed to dodge.

“Magic!” Commander Duan commanded sternly.

The elephant, physically uncomfortable and past caring about authority, charged forward with its tusks aimed at Duan’s chest.

Recognizing real danger, Commander Duan dodged with a grim expression.

Now free, Magic’s trunk became a whip as it chased after Commander Duan, determined to swat him.

With the elephant in pursuit, Commander Duan couldn’t escape even if he grew wings. His attempts to command Magic fell on deaf ears—the elephant was too emotional to listen.

Seeing her work becoming impossible with all the movement, Mu Ling called out, “Commander Duan, what does Magic usually like?”

Between dodges, Commander Duan shouted back, “Me!”

Mu Ling couldn’t help but roll her eyes at this clearly outdated information.

After a moment’s thought, she suggested, “Lead it toward the wolf pup, but don’t get too close—Qingjiao might get angry.”

As a member of the Beast Tamer Army, Commander Duan understood exactly how to handle the situation. Though unsure of Mu Ling’s plan, he led Magic toward the cushioned area. At the perfect moment, he executed a slide, emerging from under the elephant to behind it.

Standing up and dusting himself off, Commander Duan watched as Magic stopped, confused by his disappearance. At that moment, the little wolf who had been dozing in its mother’s embrace after a meal opened its eyes at the commotion.

Seeing the elephant, little wolf assumed it had come to play. Stumbling to its feet, it happily bounded over and latched onto Magic’s massive leg.

Magic froze, afraid of stepping on the tiny creature. Instead, it gently used its trunk to nudge the pup.

Delighted, little wolf hugged Magic’s trunk. Left with no choice, Magic began to play, sometimes wrapping its trunk around the pup’s body, sometimes poking its belly, or playfully tugging its tail.

Excited by the game, little wolf retrieved its favorite toy—a rubber duck—and proudly presented it to Magic.

Magic examined the duck curiously before using its trunk to toss it in the air and catch it again.

Little wolf let out an appreciative “Awoo,” clearly impressed by the trick.

Encouraged, Magic repeated the performance, its trunk proving more dexterous than any human hand.

After a few tosses, Magic carefully set the duck down and pushed it back to the pup. The little wolf immediately pounced on it, picked it up, and trotted back to place it before Magic again, backing up expectantly.

This time when Magic picked up the duck, it sprayed it away with a puff of air.

The duck landed on the cushion, and the little wolf joyfully bounded after it, starting their game anew.

Commander Duan observed this scene with deep contemplation before his gaze shifted to the girl on the elephant’s back. There sat Mu Ling, soaking wet but steadily working, taking advantage of Magic’s distraction to remove dead tissue without a sound.

Commander Duan had to admit—Director Mu possessed a unique wisdom. She’d managed to use the wolf pup to control Magic, showing she understood not just Magic’s weaknesses but also the pup’s preferences.

His eyes moved to the medicine in her hands. That ointment… it was the reason for Magic’s dramatic change in temperament overnight.

With the elephant now distracted by play, Mu Ling’s work progressed quickly. Soon she finished with the back wounds and frantically waved at Commander Duan, pointing to the ladder. He silently brought it over, and after she descended, she moved on to treat Magic’s waist wounds.

The wolf pup proved to be the perfect distraction. Though Magic could feel Mu Ling working on its wounds, it didn’t dare move for fear of hurting the pup running around its feet. It had no choice but to endure the treatment.

By the time Mu Ling finished treating all the serious wounds, the outside area was bustling with activity. Though the glass house was soundproof, they could see visitors arriving since the zoo’s 8:30 opening. Within an hour, most had followed the shuttle bus up the mountain.

While working, Mu Ling occasionally glanced outside, gauging whether today’s turnout matched the previous days’ enthusiasm. To her relief, the zoo hadn’t lost its appeal. Today’s visitors seemed even more enthusiastic than before, showing their creativity by wearing tiger and black panther costumes, complete with support signs for Qilin and Lightning.