Chapter 564 - 254: Natural Miracle, Surging Undercurrents

Chapter 564: Chapter 254: Natural Miracle, Surging Undercurrents

She reached out and gently patted the back of Yang Qi’s hand, her tone unprecedentedly solemn.

"No one can ever speak of this. Only the four of us know. To the outside world, the story is, and always will be, that the tiger found its own way here. Understand?"

Her gaze swept over Fang Rong and Wei Zongting.

Fang Rong and Wei Zongting’s expressions immediately turned serious, and they nodded emphatically.

"Don’t worry, Teacher. We understand the gravity of the situation."

They knew all too well the consequences if this were to get out.

Yang Qi nodded as well.

The cover story of a tiger being persuaded to travel over mountains and wade through rivers was already sensational enough.

"Alright. That’s the end of this discussion."

Song Chunfang stood up, ending the top-secret conversation.

"Our next task is to cooperate with the various departments to ensure the matter of keeping the tiger at Xianlai is handled flawlessly, able to withstand any inspection."

"Xiaoqi, you especially. In front of the experts and officials, you need to display sufficient professionalism and caution. But don’t be overly modest—show them what you’re capable of."

"With Zongting and I here, we will do our best to secure the most favorable conditions for you."

"Yes, Teacher."

Yang Qi stood up as well, his heart finally at ease.

...

For the next two days, the buzz surrounding the Xianlai Zoo continued.

Several officials and specially invited experts from the Wildlife Protection Department of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration arrived in Handong Province. Accompanied by leaders from the provincial forestry bureau, they made their way to Xianlai.

Their arrival signified that the matter had officially come under the purview of the highest relevant national authority.

Meanwhile, having caught wind of the news, representatives from research institutes, universities, and wildlife conservation organizations from outside the province also rushed to Xianlai, pulling whatever strings they could.

There were teams of professors from the zoology department of a renowned university in a neighboring province, researchers from the nation’s top wildlife research institutes, and even two influential nature documentary film crews, all trying to establish contact by any means necessary, hoping to acquire firsthand video footage.

The entire administrative area of Xianlai grew even busier.

The parking lot was packed with vehicles from all over the country, bearing a wide variety of license plates.

In the hallways and meeting rooms, figures could be seen everywhere—murmuring in conversation, exchanging business cards, and discussing professional matters.

As the zoo director and the tiger’s primary contact, Yang Qi was naturally the center of everyone’s attention.

He was constantly hosting delegations, giving briefings, answering all sorts of repetitive or tricky questions, escorting personnel to the perimeter of Tiger Mountain to observe Lian Po, presenting surveillance footage and photos of the tracks, and explaining Xianlai’s facilities and animal husbandry plans.

Though it was tedious, Yang Qi consistently maintained a high level of professionalism and a convincing composure.

The official story and the "chain of evidence" withstood the initial scrutiny.

After carefully reviewing the surveillance clips and the track survey report, the experts from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration still expressed astonishment and skepticism at the sheer improbability of "a tiger voluntarily seeking refuge at a zoo." Nevertheless, they were unable to find any obvious logical fallacies or evidentiary flaws.

"One can only say that this is a natural miracle—an event with an extremely low probability, but one that is not, in theory, entirely impossible."

So commented a white-haired senior expert during an ad-hoc internal discussion among the expert panel.

"’Xianlai’s ecological environment may indeed possess a certain appeal that we don’t yet fully understand. Coupled with the fact that this tiger is of advanced age and faces immense pressure to survive in the wild, this could have led to such an extremely rare instance of individual behavior.’"

This characterization as a "natural miracle," while academically cautious, undoubtedly provided the most crucial theoretical justification for the tiger remaining at Xianlai.

It was the tiger’s own choice, an "act of providence," not the result of human intervention!

However, beneath this superficial consensus, an undercurrent was still swirling.

The rights to such a precious Wild South China Tiger individual—its ownership, and the lead on subsequent research and conservation efforts—implicated enormous academic prestige, research funding, and even regional interests.

Plenty of people had their own ulterior motives.

Around noon, Yang Qi had just finished a simple working lunch in the staff cafeteria with the officials from the National Forestry and Grassland Administration. He was about to return to his office to handle some urgent documents.

As he reached a relatively secluded corner of the corridor at the rear of the administrative building, which connected to a small inner garden, he stopped in his tracks.

He stopped because the moment he entered the area, his Divine Sense picked up on a deliberately hushed conversation coming from a Chinese-style gazebo in the small garden just ahead.

Three people were talking. Their voices were unfamiliar; they clearly weren’t from Xianlai, nor were they the provincial or municipal officials Yang Qi recognized.

Yang Qi had intended to walk on by, but the keywords "South China Tiger" and "take away" drew his attention like a magnet.

With a flicker of thought, he silently activated his Earth Listening Technique. His Divine Sense extended like invisible tendrils, capturing the conversation from the gazebo and delivering it clearly to his ears.

A man’s voice, tinged with a distinct southern accent and speaking rather quickly, said,

"...Old Li, Professor Wang, I don’t mean to be a wet blanket, but you’ve seen it for yourselves. This director of Xianlai may be young, but he’s got some serious pull."

"Director Wei from the province is his senior, and Song Chunfang is his teacher. It’s obvious they’re determined to strong-arm this, to keep the tiger here in their Handong Province, in their private zoo."

"They’ll never agree to our proposal for joint research and off-site conservation!"