Working in a Zoo with Beast Taming System

Chapter 558: Chapter 253: Walking the Tiger

Yang Qi waited for him to finish before speaking calmly. "Evacuating the people is fine. But Director Song, what about the animals in the zoo?"

He raised his hand and pointed toward the enclosures in several other directions. "Right now, our zoo has the young leopards, the young lions, the newly arrived red pandas, and the little raccoons wandering around... It’s impossible to evacuate all these animals on such short notice."

"Right, right."

An Yumin quickly caught on and added, her voice still trembling slightly, "Director Song, I just remembered. The shipment of herbivores we’re scheduled to receive—including zebras, ponies, alpacas, and the like—is set to arrive this morning. They’re on the road right now."

"This..." Song Dacheng was stunned.

’He’d only thought about evacuating the people, but what were they supposed to do about the animals?’

’Especially the incoming herbivores—in the tiger’s eyes, they were practically a walking buffet!’

Ignoring the problem or trying to find a temporary place to house them would both be massive headaches, and could even trigger new chaos and danger.

Seeing the dilemma, Yang Qi spoke with a serious expression. "Director Song, the risk is too great with the tiger staying out here in the open wetlands. It’s unfamiliar with the Zoo. If it gets startled and runs wild, or if it’s drawn to the arriving herbivores, we’ll have a major problem on our hands."

"My idea is this: while it’s still relatively calm, I’ll lead it to Tiger Mountain. The main building and enclosures there are mostly complete. The facilities are quite comprehensive, with inner and outer cages and an isolation zone. It’s far safer."

"Let’s get the tiger to Tiger Mountain first for initial isolation and observation. We can deal with the follow-up quarantine, treatment, and assessment after the experts from the province and the city arrive."

"This is the safest option for the tiger, the Zoo, and everyone involved."

"Yes, that’s a great idea!"

Song Dacheng subconsciously nodded in agreement, but the moment the words were out, he realized the implication. His expression changed drastically, and he began shaking his head frantically and waving his hands. "No, no, absolutely not! Director Yang, that’s too dangerous!"

"This is a wild tiger, not one of the habituated ones raised in a zoo. You want to lead it? Are you kidding me?! What if it suddenly goes berserk and attacks you?"

An Yumin, Feng Jianye, and Zhang Dahua also realized what he meant and rushed to talk him out of it.

"Director, that’s too risky. We know you have a knack for communicating with animals, but this one is wild. That’s a completely different ball game from the ones raised in captivity."

"That’s right, Director. We can’t gamble with your safety. Let’s just wait for the experts from the province and city to get here with their tranquilizer guns and professional gear."

"Director, think it over!"

...

Everyone started talking at once, their faces etched with worry and opposition.

They had all witnessed Yang Qi’s miraculous way with animals, but faced with a wild beast that had just shown its raw, intimidating power, none of them dared let him take that risk.

Yang Qi waited for them to finish, a gentle but firm smile on his face. He reassured them, "Thank you all for your concern, but I know what I’m doing. I’m not going to fight it, just try to communicate and guide it. Besides, don’t we have Director Song and all these police officers here?"

He looked at Song Dacheng and said, half-joking and half-serious, "Director Song, you’re the one who’s armed. If I’m in danger and the tiger really attacks, you can fire a warning shot or, if necessary, take decisive action. With you as my backup, I’ll have more confidence."

"No! Absolutely not!"

Song Dacheng shook his head even more vehemently. He stepped forward and grabbed Yang Qi’s arm, his tone firm. "Director Yang, don’t you dare do anything reckless. This is no time to be a hero. Listen to me. Wait for the professional teams. We do nothing until the people from the county and city arrive."

He gripped the arm tightly, terrified that Yang Qi would charge forward on impulse.

The surrounding police officers and security guards also subconsciously moved to surround him, forming a human wall.

...

Yang Qi looked at Song Dacheng’s tense, anxious face and felt a mixture of helplessness and gratitude.

But he knew that time was of the essence. This ’taming of the wild tiger’ performance had to be staged by him personally to achieve the best effect.

’Sitting on the sidelines and not resolving this just won’t do.’

With a flicker of thought, Yang Qi used his contractual link to send a clear command to Lian Po in the distance. The tiger had just lain back down but was clearly still on alert from the earlier monkey commotion.

[Lian Po, come over to me. Act natural, but don’t be too docile.]

Upon receiving the command, Lian Po’s ears twitched slightly.

Without any hesitation, it immediately got to its feet, shook the damp bits of grass from its fur, and began to walk—unhurried, but with a clear target—straight toward the crowd where Yang Qi was standing.

"AHHH! The tiger’s coming over!"

"It’s moving! It’s walking toward us!"

"What... what is it going to do?"

"Run! Run!"

The crowd instantly erupted into chaos.

Gasps and screams broke out everywhere.

Nerves that had just begun to settle were instantly strained to the breaking point again.

The security guards instinctively raised their steel-pronged poles and shields, but their knees were knocking together.

The police officers also looked tense, their hands hovering over the gear on their belts.

Song Dacheng had no time to worry about grabbing Yang Qi. He instinctively reached for his waist and, suppressing his terror, shouted hoarsely, "Everyone, on your guard! Don’t run, back away slowly! All officers, listen up, prepare to—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Yang Qi suddenly yanked his arm free. Instead of retreating, he did the opposite, taking several steps forward to meet the massive beast as it ambled toward them.

"Director Yang! What are you doing? Get back here!!"

Song Dacheng’s eyes widened in horror as he screamed, his voice cracking.

Feng Jianye and An Yumin also screamed in terror.

"Director, it’s dangerous!"

"Come back!"

A few quick-thinking security guards started to rush forward to pull Yang Qi back, but Zhang Dahua abruptly stopped them.