Interstellar Zoo No. 1 - Chapter 29.2

Chapter 29.2

After Mu Ling finished feeding the animals and giving them their medicine, Brother Wei had completed setting up the wiring. Mu Ling then brought out Qilin for testing, followed by Lightning.

An hour later, she received two fresh assessment reports. Qilin’s overall damage value had decreased slightly from 69.8 yesterday to 69.5, while Lightning’s damage value had shown remarkable improvement, dropping from 62.2 to 57.3.

“Wow, our Lightning has made such amazing progress!” Mu Ling exclaimed, cradling Lightning’s black head and planting a firm kiss on its face. The black panther clearly enjoyed the affection, stretching its neck to press its forehead against Mu Ling’s face, its massive body leaning tightly against hers. Mu Ling chuckled, hugging it while tapping its nose. “You’re just a clingy little thing, aren’t you?” The panther responded with a purr, nuzzling her face once more.

When Xiang Bie and Colonel Song entered, this was the scene that greeted them. Xiang Bie was already accustomed to such sights; given how much Mu Ling doted on her two “princesses,” he wouldn’t be surprised if she ended up sharing meals with them from the same bowl. Colonel Song, however, still hadn’t adjusted and watched with wide-eyed amazement.

Xiang Bie picked up the two reports and raised his eyebrows after reading them. With the same medicine dosage, Lightning’s damage had decreased by 47 points in one day, while Qilin’s had only improved by 0.3. Seeing him examining the reports, Mu Ling explained, “Qilin’s external injuries must be too severe, affecting its mental recovery. I just hope the wounds on its back heal quickly.”

Xiang Bie shot her a sidelong glance, wondering if perhaps Qilin’s slower recovery was due to barely seeing her for two days, while Lightning’s quick improvement was because it had been practically inseparable from her.

After filing away the reports, Colonel Song spoke up, “Director Mu, I heard you’re hiring staff. What positions are you looking to fill?”

Mu Ling thought for a moment before replying, “We need quite a few positions filled: six animal caretakers, two mountain patrol officers, one ticket seller, one supermarket cashier, two stock clerks, one restaurant chef, and two servers. That’s all for now. If business is good after opening, we’ll expand; if not, we’ll scale back.”

Though Mu Ling was confident about their prospects—after all, their zoo had Qilin and was trending online—she remained realistic. She remembered how the Bi Ke Zoo had launched with great fanfare two years ago, but poor visitor experiences led to its eventual decline. Ultimately, she knew a zoo’s success depended on its animals. Since she didn’t need to assist the military tomorrow, she decided to spend time bonding with the animals, teaching them not to fear visitors so they would appear more frequently for guests.

While Mu Ling was lost in these thoughts, Colonel Song hesitated before awkwardly saying, “Actually, I have a few friends, retired from the Beast Tamer Army. They’re interested in applying. Would that be possible?”

Mu Ling’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Of course! Beast Tamer veterans? They must be excellent with animals, understand war beasts, plus they can drive and shoot—how perfect!”

Colonel Song shifted uncomfortably. “They’re all retired due to injuries.”

“Injuries?” Mu Ling paused.

Colonel Song pressed his lips together. “There are three of them: one has a disabled left hand, another is blind in one eye, and the third has a limp.” His voice grew quieter, but he continued earnestly, “But they’re incredibly capable. They were all elite soldiers who commanded S-level war beasts. Their beasts retired before them, and after losing their partners, they served as regular soldiers. They stayed active on the front lines until being injured during a beast wave.”

He looked at Mu Ling hopefully. “Their disabilities don’t prevent them from working. They’re fully capable.”

Mu Ling studied him thoughtfully before nodding. “Colonel Song, I believe you completely. But I still need to meet them in person. When would they be available?”

Colonel Song’s eyes widened. “You’re willing to interview them?”

Mu Ling smiled broadly. “Of course! I mean, they’re Beast Tamer veterans—that’s incredibly cool!”

The true extent of the Beast Tamer soldiers’ impressiveness didn’t hit Mu Ling until three days later when she met the candidates. One detail that particularly surprised her was that one of them was a woman.

Mu Ling’s attention was drawn to the long-haired woman’s left hand, which wore a glove. Despite the summer heat, the glove didn’t look out of place on her. Perhaps it was her military bearing, but even that single glove seemed to add to her aura of determination and strength.

The interview took place in the zoo’s small restaurant. The woman noticed Mu Ling’s gaze and smiled, using her calloused right hand to remove the glove. Underneath were three mechanical fingers, gleaming silver where her natural fingers had been severed—likely from a beast attack. Mu Ling couldn’t help but stare at the prosthetics, thinking, “Damn, that’s even cooler.”

“Can I still interview with this?” the woman asked with a confident smile, showing no trace of insecurity about her hand.

Mu Ling quickly gathered herself, nodding vigorously. “Of course!” She hurriedly passed over an application form, trying to hide her flustered admiration.

The woman raised an eyebrow at Mu Ling’s reaction and began filling out the form. Meanwhile, Mu Ling turned her attention to the other two candidates. One was a man in his thirties wearing a black eye patch over his right eye, his expression serious and unyielding. The other, in his forties, had a warm, approachable smile that lit up his slightly chubby face.

After having them complete their forms, Mu Ling asked about their relevant skills: experience with amphibious vehicles, proficiency with tranquilizer guns, protocols for handling mutant beasts, and salary expectations. All three answered thoroughly and professionally.

Once she felt satisfied with the assessment, Mu Ling stood up and shook hands with each of them. “Welcome to the Bi Ke Zoo family. When can you start?”

The three exchanged surprised glances before the smiling man spoke up. “Director Mu, are you hiring us because of Colonel Song’s recommendation?”

“Why would you think that?” Mu Ling asked, puzzled.

The stern-faced man added, “You’re being unusually quick to decide.”

The long-haired woman chimed in, “Please don’t feel obligated to hire us, Director Mu. We wouldn’t be comfortable with that.”

Mu Ling scratched her head, bewildered. “Do you three really not understand your own worth?”

They frowned slightly at her response.

Being characteristically direct, Mu Ling declared, “Finding you three is like striking gold! Even setting aside your minor physical limitations, where else could I find three former Beast Tamer’s Army soldiers with your skills, resilience, and modest salary requirements? Wake up! Do you have any idea how valuable you are?”

The three shared awkward chuckles.

Extending her hand again, Mu Ling lifted her chin. “I’m offering you these positions because I genuinely want you here. The only question is whether you want to accept.”

The long-haired woman was first to respond, taking Mu Ling’s hand. “The honor would be mine.”

The stern man followed, his firm handshake conveying what his silence didn’t.

Finally, the smiling man completed the circle, saying, “Director Mu, we appreciate your respect. Looking forward to working together.”

Mu Ling nodded enthusiastically. “Likewise!”

And just like that, Bi Ke Zoo’s first recruitment drive ended in complete success—all three candidates hired. With the initial staff in place, professional training began under Brother Wei and Xiang Bie’s supervision. Mu Ling had other matters to attend to, like restocking the service area store, and then…

Qingjiao suddenly descended from the mountain again.

Lin Xuan, one of the new hires, spotted it first. While washing some equipment, she glanced up to see a pair of red beast eyes gleaming from the forest’s edge. Her hand instinctively moved to her tranquilizer gun, but she quickly recognized those eyes—they belonged to Qingjiao, the S-class Dark Snow Wolf that had once confronted Mu Ling during the livestream.

She immediately radioed the others. Wei Li was demonstrating the shuttle operation to the other new employees when he received the alert and prepared to respond. However, Zhao Fang, the serious-faced veteran, asked, “Do we have protective gear? Brother Li and I can flank it from behind.”

Wei Li paused. “Flank it?”

Zhao Fang, who had clearly seen the livestream, frowned. “Tranquilizers won’t work on a Dark Snow Wolf—they’re immune. It’s probably here seeking revenge for the cub incident. Contact the director and tell her to stay inside. Brother Li and I will circle around and drive it back up the mountain.”

Wei Li reacted quickly, radioing Mu Ling to warn her not to come out, while Zhao Fang and the limping Li Yan rushed outside to try to surround the Dark Snow Wolf from behind.

However, just as they were moving into position, Mu Ling happened to emerge from the office building. Seeing Qingjiao, she let out a surprised exclamation.

Lin Xuan frowned and told Mu Ling, “Director, please go back inside.”

“Huh?” Mu Ling was momentarily confused, then noticed the new employees’ battle-ready expressions and realized the situation. “Oh, don’t worry, Qingjiao doesn’t bite!”

Without even putting on any protective gear, Mu Ling walked right up to Qingjiao, reaching out a hand. “Jiao, why are you here?”

Qingjiao was still eyeing Lin Xuan warily, but as it approached Mu Ling, it calmed down. Standing before Mu Ling, it looked up at her coldly.

Mu Ling squatted down and affectionately rubbed Qingjiao’s coarse fur. “What’s wrong?”

Qingjiao then surprised everyone by suddenly sticking out its tongue and licking Mu Ling’s hair and ear, then staring at her.

Mu Ling blinked, recognizing that familiar gesture. Seeing that Mu Ling didn’t resist, Qingjiao gently gripped her clothes and started tugging her backwards.

Mu Ling understood. “Okay, I got it.” She turned to the shocked new employees and the composed Wei, saying, “It’s fine, my sister Qingjiao is giving me a task. I need to go into the mountains for a bit. I’ll be back soon, so don’t wait for me for dinner.”