Chapter 64.1

Encouraged by Brother Xiang, Mu Ling shared her plan with the other employees that evening.

Wei Li was the first to object: “But our medical resources are already limited. Can we really ensure we can properly care for them?”

Before Mu Ling could speak, Xiang Bie interjected: “The original zoo will provide its own medical resources, including supporting staff, rations, and all necessary supplies.”

Wei Li looked surprised and asked, “How will the fees be calculated? What’s the tuition for each war beast?”

“It’s based on damage value and weight,” Xiang Bie explained. “Below 80% damage, it’s 1,000 star coins per kilogram. Below 90%, two thousand star coins per kilogram. Above 90%, five thousand star coins per kilogram.”

Wei Li calculated: “Take Ji Xiang the leopard – with 98% damage value and an average weight of 75 kilograms, at five thousand star coins per kilogram, that’s 375,000 in tuition?”

He frowned again: “Isn’t that too cheap? We’ll have to manage their living conditions, food, and health stabilization. It requires a lot of effort, and if we can’t cure them…”

Xiang Bie responded: “We don’t guarantee a 100% recovery rate. We only promise a 30% recovery rate.”

Wei Li nodded. This made sense – they weren’t promising a full cure, just offering a chance. The risk for Bi Ke Zoo would be much lower, and other zoos would essentially be purchasing an opportunity at a reasonable price.

Wei Li asked, “Will they stay in capsule glass rooms? We can’t even accommodate all our own animals in the dormitory. How can we ensure these war beasts will coexist?”

Xiang Bie replied, “We’ll start with single capsule rooms, isolating each beast upon arrival. Once they adapt to shared environments, we’ll design group classrooms.”

“What about the zookeepers?” Wei Li pressed. “If too many support staff arrive, our dormitories might not have enough space.”

“We’ll rent houses at the mountain’s base,” Xiang Bie said. “It’s not far to commute up and down – they don’t all need to live here.”

Wei Li continued his questioning: “Is there a limit on numbers? If too many war beasts arrive simultaneously, the director will be overwhelmed.”

“We’ll establish different project teams,” Xiang Bie explained. “The director will personally train a group to manage the daycare and share her workload.”

“How long will the training take? When can they start?”

“The first phase will last a week. We’ll use Ji Xiang, Feifan, and Lieyan as practice cases, divided into S, A, and B classes.”

Xiang Bie spoke with such authority that Wei Li, unable to raise further objections, finally conceded: “If you have a plan, let’s try it…”

Wei Li compromised, and the conference table fell silent.

After a while, Dr. Burey quietly leaned towards Xiao Zhao and whispered, “Has our director been overshadowed by Teacher Xiang? He seems less like a founding hero and more like a regent.”

Xiao Zhao whispered back, “I also feel like the director is like a puppet emperor.”

Their hushed conversation was heard by everyone at the table.

Mu Ling thought to herself that Brother Xiang showed more initiative than she could. He was truly supportive of the war beast daycare – such a good person!

After the meeting, Mu Ling checked on Qilin and the other animals at the dormitory before returning to the veterinary station.

Entering the ward, she first inspected the patients’ food and water. Moonlight and Lingren had eaten well, Feifan and Lieyan had consumed about half their portions, but Ji Xiang’s bowl remained completely full.

Mu Ling frowned. She opened Ji Xiang’s cage and approached with some food: “Why aren’t you eating again?”

Ji Xiang had barely eaten that morning and noon, requiring Mu Ling to hand-feed it piece by piece. Now, when she tried to feed it, Ji Xiang refused. It hung its head, and when Mu Ling pushed food between its teeth, it would open its mouth and spit the morsel out.

Pausing, Mu Ling asked, “Are you uncomfortable in the cage? Shall we go for a walk?”

She opened the cage: “Come, Ji Xiang.”

The leopard looked at the open cage, slowly stood, and followed Mu Ling.

Mu Ling took Ji Xiang outside, first checking its damage value. While waiting for the results, Mu Ling took Ji Xiang for a walk.

Darkness had fallen, and most employees had returned to their dormitories. Those who saw the director walking a war beast kept their distance, afraid of startling the animal.

Mu Ling took Ji Xiang into the mountain’s entrance, hoping to let it experience a wild environment. However, the leopard seemed indifferent. It followed Mu Ling mechanically but showed no longing for the wilderness.

Sighing, Mu Ling sat on a rock. The leopard approached, resting its head on her knee.

“You used to eat so well,” she murmured, remembering how she’d previously coaxed Ji Xiang to eat by mimicking Lingren’s behavior.

But these past days, Ji Xiang hadn’t followed Lingren’s eating cues.

Mu Ling pondered: “Are you sad because Lingren isn’t paying attention to you? You want to play, but Lingren doesn’t want to interact?”

After a moment’s reflection, she stood. “Let’s go back.”

Descending the mountain, Mu Ling spotted Xiang Bie waiting at the entrance. She smiled and waved.

Xiang Bie, who had heard she’d gone into the mountains, asked, “How did it go?”

Mu Ling shook her head. “Something’s not right. Since Ji Xiang likes to mimic, I’ll provide a perfect, friendly model to copy.”

Ten minutes later, they reached the animal dormitory. Mu Ling asked Xiang Bie to watch Ji Xiang while she went inside. Within two minutes, she emerged carrying a small wolf cub.

Xiang Bie glanced inside, noting that Qingjiao showed no reaction, still lying on its back being groomed by Lightning.

The wolf cub clearly adored Mu Ling, wagging its tail and sniffing her like an excited puppy. Mu Ling crouched down, carefully letting the cub smell Ji Xiang.

The unfamiliar scent made both animals nervous. However, given the wolf’s young age, Ji Xiang wasn’t overly frightened. It circled around Mu Ling and the cub, then peeked from behind her.

Worried about potential harm, Mu Ling kept them subtly separated. She pulled out a freeze-dried treat and fed the wolf cub, who quickly devoured it and jumped for more.

Zookeepers always carry treats, so Mu Ling gave the cub another piece. When she offered a treat to Ji Xiang, it backed away. Instead, she fed it to the wolf cub.

After several repetitions, when Mu Ling offered a treat to Ji Xiang again, the leopard mimicked the wolf cub and ate it.

Her eyes lit up. She continued feeding them at a ratio of half a treat for the wolf cub to five treats for Ji Xiang, coaxing the leopard to consume most of the bag.

After returning the wolf cub to the dormitory, Xiang Bie asked, “What’s the principle behind this?”

Mu Ling patted Ji Xiang’s head. “I suspect it has early-onset dementia.”

Xiang Bie looked startled.

“Learning behaviors from other animals indicates a lack of self-awareness,” she explained. “In nature, only young animals learn from adults. Adult animals don’t typically mimic in reverse.”

Xiang Bie frowned. “Ji Xiang is only nine years old.”

Leopards typically live around 15 years, so nine is still relatively young.

Mu Ling nodded. “Let’s examine its damage value. Higher damage could indicate greater brain trauma, potentially explaining premature dementia.”

They returned to the veterinary station. The mental assessment report showed 95% – decreased from nearly 100% on Four Bay Star.

“What’s our next step?” Xiang Bie asked.

“Ji Xiang will eat with the wolf cub,” Mu Ling decided. “We’ll ensure the cub’s safety during interactions. Ji Xiang lacks psychological attachment. It accepts me and Lingren, but I can’t spend much time with it, and Lingren isn’t interested. It needs an enthusiastic, non-threatening companion. Let’s try building a friendship between it and the wolf cub – let our little wolf be a therapy animal.”

That night, Mu Ling slept at the veterinary station.

The next morning, Director Chen called. He had previously suggested Mu Ling visit their Silin Zoo, and now she shared her daycare concept.

Intrigued, Director Chen said he’d discuss it with their other director. An hour later, he called back for details about the war beast daycare and when it would open.

“At least a week,” Mu Ling responded. They needed to prepare separate spaces and facilities.

She explained the pricing and positioning. Director Chen confirmed that as long as the war beasts could be properly cared for, the details were acceptable.

Mu Ling sent a form requesting details about potential war beasts: names, ages, service history, personality traits, and current damage values.

After hanging up, she received another call from another Director she’d met at a previous conference, who had heard about the daycare from Director Chen.

Answering the questions, Mu Ling realized they’d need to assign someone specifically to the admissions office, otherwise she’d spend all day just answering calls.

And just as she began sharing the war beast daycare idea in various groups…