Chapter 200: Several Geese Ganging Up on a Chinese Alligator
Chapter 200: Chapter 200: Several Geese Ganging Up on a Chinese Alligator
Renee looked at the Chinese alligator grinding its teeth in the convenience store and spoke gently. "Hello. I just spoke with Phoenix, and I learned how much grief he’s given you. If you don’t like him, we can have the zoo separate your living areas."
Hearing this, the alligator, which had been losing its temper, instantly calmed down.
It stared wide-eyed at Renee. "Are you serious? I don’t have to live with that long-winded, narcissistic Phoenix anymore?"
"I am," Renee said, nodding seriously. "What’s your name?"
"My name’s Patty."
"Patty, are you willing to come back to the zoo with us now?"
"Yes, yes!" Patty agreed without hesitation. "Let’s go back now! Right away!"
In truth, he’d regretted escaping the Alligator Pavilion the moment he got out.
These strange places made him feel insecure. When he got hungry, there was no one to feed him on schedule. The cushy zoo life was so much better.
Renee turned to Director Quincy and said calmly, "Patty has agreed to come back, but he doesn’t want to live with Phoenix."
"Alright," Director Quincy nodded. "I’ll have someone arrange it."
She looked at Assistant Lowe and ordered, "Contact our team to bring a transport vehicle over for Patty."
"That’s too much trouble," Renee said, suggesting Patty could just ride in the trunk.
"That’s not safe," Director Quincy disagreed. "Lowe and I will wait here for the zoo’s vehicle. You guys go on ahead."
’This was my mistake,’ she thought. ’I should have arranged for a vehicle on our way over.’
"Quincy, it’ll be perfectly safe with Renee here." Faye Wyatt had complete faith in Renee; after all, she had seen her riding a tiger with her own eyes.
Director Quincy hesitated but finally agreed. Still, her heart was in her throat.
Renee removed the metal bar blocking the glass door and opened it. "Patty, I’m taking you back to the zoo."
"Great, great!" Patty said, full of anticipation.
’Home, home!’
’I can finally go home!’
Renee led Patty over to the trunk of the car.
The onlookers crowded closer, their voices a clamor of excited chatter.
"Are Chinese alligators really as dopey and cute as they say?"
"I heard they’re as silly as huskies! HAHA!"
"Can I pet him?"
"Are you that animal streamer from TikTok?"
"Can you really understand what animals are saying, or is it just an act?"
Renee ignored the other questions, her voice turning serious. "It’s true a Chinese alligator can’t eat a person, but it can bite off their limbs."
With that, she squatted down, hoisted Patty’s front half into the trunk, and said, "Patty, scooch in a bit."
Patty slowly shifted his body but found the trunk wasn’t big enough to hold him. He looked back at Renee pleadingly. "I don’t fit. What do I do?"
Renee chuckled. "Just tuck your tail in a bit."
"Oh, so that’s it." Patty did as he was told.
The crowd was stunned by the sight.
"Oh my God, that alligator actually understands her!"
"Hey alligator, smile for us!"
"..."
Patty lay listlessly in the trunk, turning a deaf ear to the shouts from the crowd.
"I’m closing the trunk now, so don’t be startled," Renee warned before shutting the lid.
Even with the warning, Patty still jumped with a start. "You scared me to death!"
On the way back to the zoo, Director Quincy made a call to have Phoenix moved to a secondary enclosure.
When Renee led Patty back into the Alligator Pavilion, he cautiously scanned his surroundings. Only after confirming that the long-winded, narcissistic Phoenix was nowhere in sight did he heave a sigh of relief and slowly crawl into the pool.
’If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I’d never believe it. Fourteen alligators actually escaped because they couldn’t stand being harassed by Phoenix.’
"Eleven more to go," Sawyer muttered. "How long is this going to take?"
Assistant Lowe said, "The entire city’s police and fire departments are on it. It should be quick."
But Faye Wyatt just shook her head. "It won’t be that easy."
Director Quincy sighed, gazing worriedly at the setting sun. "It’s almost dark. The search is about to get a lot harder."
Just then, two small birds shot over like arrows from a bow. They circled in front of Renee, chirping urgently at the top of their lungs, "Renee, we found one! We found a target!"
Renee’s eyes lit up. She held out her hand for one of the birds to land on, her voice laced with a smile. "Good work. Where did you find him?"
"On a farm!" the bird chirped, pointing a wing in a certain direction. "The alligator is fighting with the big geese!"
Renee: "..."
She didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. After feeding them some grain, she said, "Thanks for your hard work. Please lead the way."
This time, in addition to the van, they had also brought a small animal transport truck.
The farm was also near the zoo, only about a ten-minute drive away.
Renee spoke with the farm’s gatekeeper, who made a phone call. Only after getting approval did he let the group pass.
The farm owner was a portly, middle-aged man in a burlap apron and rubber boots. He came out of a small wooden cabin, his face a mask of surprise. "How did you know an alligator was fighting my geese? I’ve been right here and I didn’t even notice!"
Faye Wyatt answered casually, "We spotted it with a drone."
The farm owner nodded, his expression turning worried. "Well, let’s hurry over. Who knows how many of my poor geese have been killed by your alligator!"
But when he led the group to the goose pen, the scene that greeted them was of several large geese ganging up on a Chinese alligator.
"Huh?" The farm owner was completely baffled. "Isn’t that an alligator?"
Faye Wyatt said calmly, "It’s an alligator. They’re just much stronger attackers in the water."
You could tell she was trying hard to save the alligator’s dignity.
"Oh, so that’s it." The farm owner nodded in understanding, breathing a sigh of relief at the same time. "Well, as long as my geese are alright. Please, hurry and take your alligator back."
"We will, we will," Director Quincy said apologetically. "We’re so sorry for the trouble."
"No trouble, no trouble at all." The farm owner waved his hand dismissively. He walked closer and, from a short distance, yelled at the geese, "Stop fighting! Break it up!"
The geese, absorbed in their brawl, paid him no mind.
The farm owner tossed a handful of feed toward them, but the geese remained unfazed.
"Huh? Why isn’t that working?" The farm owner scratched his head, suddenly embarrassed. He had assumed the zoo’s alligator was bullying his geese, only for the visitors to witness his geese ganging up on the poor thing.
He said quickly, "I’ll go get something to break them up."
Renee strode toward the chaotic battlefield and said softly, "If you don’t stop right now, it’s goose stew for dinner tonight."
The moment she spoke, the brawling geese instantly stopped. In unison, they swiveled their heads to look at Renee.
A second later, a series of panicked, high-pitched honks filled the air.
"No, no! Goose doesn’t want to die!"
"Goose will stop fighting, okay?"
"Don’t eat Goose! Don’t eat Goose! Goose tastes awful!"