Chapter 561: Chapter 254: Natural Miracle, Surging Undercurrents

Wei Zongting and Song Chunfang clenched their fists, their hearts leaping into their throats.

However, the expected outburst of fury and aggression never came.

Yang Qi whispered another soothing word as he swiftly completed the blood draw, withdrew the needle, and pressed a cotton swab to the spot to stop the bleeding.

The entire process, from insertion to completion, took less than ten seconds.

The tiger turned its head to look at the collection vial in Yang Qi’s hand and let out another low growl, as if in complaint. But its body had already relaxed again, and it merely slapped its tail against the ground in discontent.

Yang Qi nodded at Lian Po as if to say, ’Thank you for your cooperation.’ He then calmly rose to his feet, holding the vial of dark red blood—still warm from the tiger’s body—and turned to walk toward the gate of the enclosure.

Chen Ze, waiting behind the gate with palms just as sweaty from tension, saw Yang Qi approaching and immediately gave a low command into his walkie-talkie.

The heavy, electric-powered gate slowly slid open, creating a gap just wide enough for one person to squeeze through.

Yang Qi slipped out. Chen Ze immediately shut the gate and threw the lock, the entire sequence executed in one smooth motion. Only then did he let out a long sigh of relief, his back drenched in a cold sweat.

Outside the gate, the dead silence was broken.

"Xiaoqi, you... you were too reckless!"

Fang Rong was the first to break, exhaling a breath she felt she’d been holding forever. She stepped forward, her voice a mixture of scolding tinged with lingering fear, but even more so of indescribable astonishment and admiration.

Drawing blood from a wild tiger at close range?

It was the stuff of fantasy.

Yet her junior brother had done it, and made it look so effortless.

"It was fine. Lian Po is actually pretty easy to reason with."

Yang Qi smiled, his tone light, as if he had just accomplished some trivial, everyday task.

He then walked over to Song Chunfang and Wei Zongting. He first greeted them respectfully with, "Professor," and "Brother Wei," then handed over the precious vial of tiger blood.

The dark red blood swirled gently inside the transparent collection vial. Under the midday sun, it seemed to hold the countless secrets of life itself.

Song Chunfang stared at the vial of blood. She then looked up at the South China Tiger, which had lain back down inside the enclosure and was letting out a lazy yawn. Finally, her gaze fell upon the face of her young disciple who always seemed to work miracles, and her eyes grew misty.

She took a deep breath to calm her roiling emotions and gave a slight nod. Her eyes were filled with relief and pride, but also a hint of playful reproach that said, ’We’ll be having a talk about this later.’

"Oh, you..."

That was all she managed to say before signaling to Fang Rong at her side.

Fang Rong, who was already prepared, took out a professional cryogenic storage box. She carefully received the collection vial from Yang Qi, secured it inside the container, and sealed the lid.

"Quick! Get this back to the lab immediately for a full workup! DNA comparison, infectious disease screening, physiological markers... run every test we can!"

An elderly expert from the Provincial Forestry Science Institute standing nearby exclaimed, his voice trembling with excitement.

Song Chunfang gave Yang Qi one more profound look before she, Fang Rong, and the other eager experts and scholars rushed away with the blood sample. They left Tiger Mountain and headed straight for the laboratory in the newly commissioned research building within the Xianlai Zoo grounds.

Basic testing equipment had already been set up there in advance.

Wei Zongting didn’t go with them.

He stayed behind and walked over to Yang Qi, clapping him firmly on the shoulder. His eyes were filled with praise and admiration.

"Good man! That was beautifully done!"

He made no attempt to hide his praise, his voice booming for all the surrounding city and county officials to hear.

Then, his tone shifted. His gaze swept over Vice County Magistrate Liu, the vice mayor, and the other officials as he spoke in a measured voice.

"Regarding the matter of this Wild South China Tiger’s placement, the provincial bureau will give it the highest priority and will thoroughly consider the opinions of all parties."

"However, one point must be made perfectly clear: all decisions must be predicated on the tiger’s welfare and safety."

"Considering Xianlai’s current facilities, its management team, and especially the professional competence and unique affinity with animals demonstrated by Director Yang, I believe it is fully equipped to receive and properly care for this tiger."

"Moving forward, the provincial bureau will take the lead in organizing a comprehensive expert evaluation."

Though his words were official, his bias was perfectly clear.

The Provincial Forestry Bureau supported keeping the tiger at Xianlai, and a large part of that support was due to an exceptional talent like Yang Qi.

"Thank you, Director Wei! Thank you for the province’s support!"

"Rest assured, Director Wei, our city and county governments will cooperate fully to provide all necessary support."

"Director Yang is young and exceptionally capable. With him looking after the tiger, we have no worries."

Vice County Magistrate Liu, the vice mayor, and the others immediately caught his meaning and chimed in with their own assurances.

Their faces were beaming.

For the Wild South China Tiger to remain at Xianlai was a tremendous boon for both Laishan County and Donghua City. It meant massive publicity, a huge tourist draw, and even favorable policy shifts.

They might have previously worried whether Xianlai, a private zoo, could manage to keep the tiger. But the miraculous scene of Yang Qi "taming the tiger for a blood draw," coupled with Wei Zongting’s explicit support, had erased all their doubts, leaving only excitement and endorsement.

The way they looked at Yang Qi grew even more fervent.

’So, it turned out this young Director Yang was not only Professor Song Chunfang’s star disciple but also Vice Director Wei’s junior brother.’

’With a background and connections like that, no wonder he’s so capable.’

’With someone like him in charge, the tiger staying at Xianlai is pretty much a done deal.’

...

Leaving Chen Ze and a team of elite security guards to continue their strict watch over Tiger Mountain, Yang Qi accompanied Wei Zongting and the city and county officials out of the area and toward the administration building.

Along the way, Yang Qi updated the officials on more of Lian Po’s situation.

"Based on my initial observations and my brief communication with him."

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