Chapter 454: Chapter 232: Welcome Director Yang to Inspect the Work

Over the next two days, Yang Qi’s life settled back into its usual routine.

Cultivation, work, and occasionally checking in on the growth and condition of "Stone."

Over at Red Star Zoo, Tong Xiaoyue sent daily messages and photos, reporting on the progress of the two leopards getting along through the bars of their enclosures.

The situation was even better than expected. They were already able to lie peacefully side-by-side to sunbathe and even exchanged low growls through the bars. Their relationship was clearly heating up.

This made Yang Qi completely confident in the success of the upcoming "leopard matchmaking."

News also came quickly from Pang Yunrui.

He had personally taken a team to Mingguang Zoo to see the pair of lions at the center of the controversy.

The lioness, named Lisa, was about eight years old and in her prime. She had a well-proportioned physique, but her spirits were low, and her eyes held a look of wariness and anxiety.

She had clearly been affected by the recent incident and possible rough treatment from the zoo staff.

A veterinarian’s preliminary examination revealed no serious illnesses, but she was somewhat malnourished, and her teeth and claws required care.

Behaviorally, she was very wary of strangers but showed no signs of unprovoked aggression.

The young lion that had caused the trouble was an adolescent male, about a year old—an age for being lively, active, and learning hunting techniques.

He, on the other hand, was quite carefree and seemed completely unaffected. He curiously looked all around his quarantine enclosure, very interested in the food Pang Yunrui’s group had brought.

The examination results also showed he was very healthy.

Mingguang Zoo was eager to get the lions off their hands, so they were cooperative and even made some further concessions on the price.

As per Yang Qi’s instructions, Pang Yunrui insisted on detailed health records and stipulated that before the official handover, an authoritative third-party veterinary hospital designated by Xianlai must conduct another comprehensive physical examination on both lions, with the costs to be borne by Mingguang Zoo.

Furthermore, all transfer procedures had to be fully compliant with the law to ensure Xianlai would face no ownership or legal disputes after the acquisition.

Although the people at Mingguang Zoo felt Pang Yunrui’s demands were excessive, they ultimately agreed to most of the conditions for the sake of the money and due to the immense pressure they were under.

"That’s the basic situation. The physical is scheduled for tomorrow. If there are no problems, we can arrange for vehicle transport the day after, at the earliest," Pang Yunrui explained over the phone.

"Proceed as planned. The physical must be meticulous, especially the screenings for blood-borne illnesses, infectious diseases, and parasites. The transport vehicle and personnel must be professional. Ensure their safety on the road."

Yang Qi replied, "Once the lions arrive, place them in the reserved quarantine area. Make the environment as simple and quiet as possible to minimize stimuli."

"Understood!"

After hanging up, Yang Qi couldn’t help but feel a little emotional.

He never expected that Xianlai’s first animal "residents" would be a pair of lions that came with so much trouble and such a backstory.

’Still, this was a good thing.’ It would be an important test and a practical trial for both him and the future Xianlai team.

Having handled the matter of the lions, Yang Qi turned his attention back to the upcoming annual conference in Liangcheng.

He carefully revised and polished his prepared speech several more times, ensuring its logic was clear, its case studies were detailed, and its points were supported by both theory and practical value.

Huang Zhongmu was full of praise after reading it and told him to prepare well, encouraging him to make a big splash at the conference.

...

Time flew by in a flurry of activity.

One afternoon, Yang Qi had just finished a round of training with "Stone."

His phone suddenly rang. Picking it up, he saw the call was from Deng Lei.

"Advisor Yang, are you busy? Is it a good time to talk?" Deng Lei’s voice sounded serious, yet it held a trace of excitement.

"Go ahead, Captain Deng." Yang Qi moved to a more secluded spot.

"One of the Jiulian Mountain members we caught last time, the one codenamed Daozai—he’s started talking!" Deng Lei said, his voice filled with excitement.

"Really?"

Yang Qi’s spirits lifted.

"That’s great."

The interrogation of the group caught trying to steal "Stone" from the zoo had yielded little progress. They were all tough nuts to crack, and the case had stalled.

"Yeah, he finally broke. And while this Daozai isn’t a core member, he coughed up a very important middleman!"

Deng Lei lowered his voice, his words quickening. "This middleman, codenamed Pangolin, is responsible for connecting poaching organizations with certain clients who have... special requests. He also handles the transport of some of the ’goods’ and launders the money."

"Daozai only knows that Pangolin is frequently active in the Liangcheng area and very likely has a respectable public identity for cover!"

"Liangcheng?"

Yang Qi’s interest was piqued; the annual conference next week was being held in Liangcheng.

"That’s right, Liangcheng. We’ve checked some of the communication and financial records for both Daozai and that other guy, Xiaoxu. We found some leads pointing to Liangcheng, but we were never able to lock down a specific target."

Deng Lei continued, "This time, even though Daozai doesn’t know Pangolin’s real identity, he gave us a crucial piece of information."

"Pangolin has an extraordinary interest in and knowledge of wild animals, especially large felines and rare birds. He might even secretly keep a few... special pets himself."

"This person often operates under the guise of an animal enthusiast, a collector, or a professional in a related field."

Yang Qi’s eyes narrowed slightly.

’An unusual interest in and knowledge of wild animals... a possibly respectable identity... active in Liangcheng...’

’Could that profile possibly fit someone attending the zoo conference?’

"Captain Deng, are you suggesting...?"

"Our preliminary analysis suggests that Pangolin very likely moves in the circles of Liangcheng’s zoos, circuses, and pet industry, or in related circles for art and fur collectors."

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