Huang Zhongmu finished speaking.
Yang Qi, Zhang Zhi, and security guards Chen Ze and Fang Dawei placed their backpacks into a waiting minivan and boarded it one after another.
Zhao Dalong took the wheel himself, while Huang Zhongmu rode in the passenger seat to accompany them to the mountain entrance.
With two leaders in the car, the atmosphere inside was quiet, leaving only the roar of the engine.
About forty minutes later, the vehicle arrived at an entrance to Cangshan Mountain.
Two cars were already waiting there, clearly Forest Police vehicles by their appearance.
Seeing the Zoo's van arrive, a tall, dark-skinned, middle-aged police officer with sharp eyes approached, flanked by three equally competent-looking colleagues.
Huang Zhongmu and Zhao Dalong immediately got out of the van.
"Captain Deng, thanks for coming." Huang Zhongmu stepped forward to shake the middle-aged officer's hand.
"Director Huang, Chief Zhao, it's our duty," Deng Lei's voice boomed. He then looked at Yang Qi's group of four, who were getting out of the van.
Huang Zhongmu hurriedly made the introductions. "Captain Deng, these are the four from our zoo who will be joining the search. Yang Qi, Zhang Zhi, Chen Ze, and Fang Dawei. Everyone, this is Captain Deng Lei of the Forest Police, and these three are..."
Deng Lei crisply introduced his own team members. "Qiao Fei, Li Rui, and Wang Xiaochao."
The female officer named Qiao Fei, who wore her hair in a neat, short style, had her eyes light up at the name "Yang Qi." She couldn't help but take a step forward, looking at him with curiosity.
"So you're Yang Qi? I heard that at the manor the other day, you faced down a frantic mother clouded leopard all by yourself and actually scared it away. Is that for real?"
"No, no."
Yang Qi quickly waved his hands in dismissal. "Officer Qiao, you're giving me too much credit," he explained. "I just yelled out in a panic. It was pure luck. The mother leopard was probably just focused on getting her cub, not on actually hurting anyone. That's why she left."
"Is that so?" Qiao Fei blinked, a skeptical look on her face.
"Alright, that's in the past."
Deng Lei cut in, his gaze falling on Xiaojiu, who was perched on Yang Qi's shoulder, casually licking a paw. He frowned. "Keeper Yang, why did you bring a house cat? We're heading into the mountains on a mission, not for a stroll."
"Captain Deng, Xiaojiu is very well-behaved and won't run off. Besides, his sense of smell and hearing are extremely sharp. He might be able to provide some unexpected help in the mountains." Yang Qi explained briefly, patting Xiaojiu's head.
'After all, he couldn't just come out and say this was a "Nine-Life Mysterious Cat" that brought good luck and had already awakened its intelligence.'
Deng Lei looked like he was about to say more, but just then, another vehicle sped over from the distance and pulled up beside them.
Four people emerged from the car.
The man in the lead was in his forties, wearing glasses and carrying the air of a government official.
"Mr. Huang, you're here," Zhao Dalong said, stepping forward to greet them.
The man addressed as Mr. Huang nodded, then greeted Deng Lei and Huang Zhongmu in turn.
He then stepped aside to introduce a man in his fifties beside him, who was dressed in an outdoor jacket, had slightly graying hair, and possessed a scholarly air.
"Captain Deng, Director Huang, allow me to introduce you. This is the Animal Expert the provincial Forestry Department specially invited, Professor Tang Ji."
He then pointed to the young man and woman behind Professor Tang. "And these two are the professor's assistants, Wang Gu and He Shengnan."
"Lao Tang! I never thought the department would manage to get a top expert like you out here!" Huang Zhongmu, who clearly knew Tang Ji, stepped forward with a broad smile and an enthusiastic handshake.
"It involves a clouded leopard, such a rare species. The department is taking it very seriously, so how could I not make the trip myself?"
Professor Tang Ji responded with a smile, but his eyes immediately scanned past the others and landed on Yang Qi. He asked with a hint of urgency, "Which one of you is Yang Qi?"
"Professor Tang, hello. I'm Yang Qi." Yang Qi stepped forward.
Tang Ji immediately grasped Yang Qi's hand with surprising strength. "Hello, hello! Yang Qi, I'd like to get a detailed account of the clouded leopards you encountered. How large was the mother, exactly? What were the characteristics of her coat and markings? What was her disposition like? And the cub, how did its health seem? Roughly how many months old was it?..."
"Professor Tang, Professor Tang!"
Seeing this, Deng Lei had no choice but to interrupt again. "Let's hurry and get into the mountains. We can talk on the way."
"Right, right, Captain Deng is right. Let's get into the mountains first and talk on the way," Huang Zhongmu added, nodding quickly.
At this, Mr. Huang from the Forestry Bureau gave his instructions. "Everyone, be mindful of your safety in the mountains! When it comes to the professional search and handling the animals, be sure to listen to Professor Tang's advice. The local guide arranged by the Bureau is already waiting for you up ahead at 'Lying Tiger Slope.' Captain Deng, I'm entrusting the group's overall safety and coordination to you."
"Understood!" Deng Lei answered, his voice firm and steady.
The group wasted no more time. They checked their equipment, shouldered their packs, grabbed the various pieces of search and rescue gear, and officially set off along the winding mountain path, heading deep into Cangshan.
As soon as they stepped onto the lushly forested mountain path, their surroundings grew quiet and serene.
Tang Ji eagerly moved to Yang Qi's side and began questioning him in detail about the clouded leopard.
Yang Qi truthfully recounted everything he had seen and sensed in as much detail as possible—the mother leopard's agile form, her intimidating gaze, the cub's approximate size, and its apparent frailty.
Tang Ji listened, silently taking notes and occasionally asking for clarification on a detail or two.
After hearing Yang Qi's description, he frowned slightly, clearly worried about the survival prospects of a cub that had been raised by humans in the wild.
Once Tang Ji had asked most of his questions, the others began to join the conversation.
Professor Tang's female assistant, the tall He Shengnan who had her hair cut in a refreshing, short style, smiled at Yang Qi. "Keeper Yang, you're incredible. To be so calm when facing an adult clouded leopard protecting its cub... that's amazing."
The two Forest Police officers beside her nodded in agreement.
"Definitely. My skin crawls just thinking about that situation."
"You bet!"
Chen Ze beamed with vicarious pride. "You guys don't know the half of it. Brother Qi is our zoo's resident 'Druid'! Forget the clouded leopard—the wolves, foxes, monkeys, giant pandas, regular leopards... there isn't an animal in our zoo he can't approach and soothe!"
"For real?"
Qiao Fei looked from Yang Qi to Chen Ze in astonishment, thinking he had to be exaggerating.
Wang Gu also pushed up his glasses, disbelief written all over his face. "That's an exaggeration, isn't it? The temperaments of different animals are worlds apart. How could they all take a liking to the same person?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
Seeing their disbelief, Chen Ze got a little worked up. "My phone still has a signal. Go ahead, search for 'Donghua Zoo Druid' or 'Yang Qi' online. You'll definitely find videos."
"If Brother Qi didn't have this kind of skill, do you think our director would value him so much and personally pick him for the search team?"
"Alright, Brother Chen."
Yang Qi quickly cut off Chen Ze's "praise," a helpless smile on his face. "The whole 'Druid' thing is just a nickname my colleagues came up with as a joke. You can't take it seriously. I just really like animals and happen to have good luck, that's all."
No sooner had the words left his mouth—
[Warning! Warning! A Great Demon is rapidly approaching! Host, prepare to engage the enemy!]
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