Working in a Zoo with Beast Taming System

Chapter 290: Chapter 181: Now It’s Fair

Although some people were after Ta Xue and Caiyun, Yang Qi wasn’t worried.

He and Ta Xue were connected by the Mother-Child Unity Bell.

If Ta Xue were to encounter danger, experience intense emotional fluctuations, or fall into physical distress, Yang Qi would sense it instantly.

Right now, all he could sense from Ta Xue was the relaxed feeling of roaming freely through the mountains and the focused excitement of an occasional hunt. There was no anger, fear, or pain from injury.

Reassured, Yang Qi calmed down.

He first sent a message to Jiang Kai, briefly explaining the situation.

Jiang Kai replied quickly, telling Yang Qi to be careful and not to worry about things at the Zoo.

Yang Qi thanked him and returned to the Mountain-Back Courtyard.

Xiaojiu was still sound asleep, digesting the effects of the Spirit Awakening Pill, its breathing steady and deep.

Yang Qi gave instructions to Bai Wan, who was staying behind to guard.

"Bai Wan, watch the house and take good care of Xiaojiu. We’re going out to take care of some business."

"WOOF!"

[Understood]

Bai Wan responded with a steady bark.

Yang Qi took Hu Zi and Leopard, got in his SUV, and drove out of the Zoo, speeding straight toward Entrance Number Three of the Cangshan White Tower District.

When he arrived at Entrance Number Three, the place was already a hive of activity.

Forest Police, rescue teams, Forest Patrol Officers, and medical personnel were all gathered together. At a rough glance, there were over a hundred people.

’As expected of "Young Master Wang."’

Yang Qi sneered inwardly. The turnout was certainly impressive.

He had just parked his car and gotten out with Hu Zi and Leopard when familiar faces started greeting him.

"Advisor Yang!"

"Brother Yang, you’re here."

"..."

The Forest Police officers he had worked with before—Qiao Fei, Li Rui, Wang Xiaochao, and others—all waved.

Yang Qi acknowledged them all and went to find Deng Lei.

"Captain Deng."

"Advisor Yang, you’re here." Deng Lei looked visibly relieved to see Yang Qi.

Tang Bin, who was standing beside Deng Lei, looked ashamed to see Yang Qi. He took a step forward and said in a low voice, "Advisor Yang, I’m so sorry. Someone on our team has a loose tongue. It was Ah Sheng, the one who ran his mouth at the KTV. I’ve already punished him severely. I can’t believe it still caused all this trouble..."

After rescuing Yu Chengbang’s students, as they were leaving the mountain, Yang Qi had asked them not to tell outsiders about the clouded leopards in the mountains.

But in the end, someone on the rescue team still let it slip.

"Captain Tang, now isn’t the time to be assigning blame."

"Saving people is the priority," Yang Qi replied calmly. "We’ll deal with everything else after they’re all out safely."

Tang Bin breathed a sigh of relief at his words, his admiration for Yang Qi’s composure and big-picture perspective growing even stronger.

"Advisor Yang is right."

Deng Lei cleared his throat and got to the point. "Time is tight. We’ve initially divided the search and rescue force into five teams. They’ll advance into the mountains from different directions simultaneously, focusing on their probable areas of activity and the approximate location of their last signal before contact was lost."

"Advisor Yang, you and Qiao Fei will be on one team, led by the experienced Guide Jiang, searching deep into the northwest corner. Based on the vague route they registered and some other scattered information we’ve gathered, that’s the most likely direction the missing persons went."

"Alright," Yang Qi nodded.

The teams were quickly assigned.

Yang Qi, Qiao Fei, along with a few rescue team members and medical personnel, entered the forest under the leadership of their guide, Lao Jiang. They started from a position just north of Entrance Number Three and headed deep to the northwest.

The mountain forest was dense, the paths rugged and uneven.

The team remained vigilant, advancing in a quick and orderly manner.

Hu Zi and Leopard flanked Yang Qi, one on his left and the other on his right, at times lowering their heads to sniff the ground, at others raising them to remain alert.

About half an hour later, the team reached a relatively open hillside with a better field of view.

Yang Qi stopped and said to Qiao Fei, who was beside him, "Officer Qiao, let’s have everyone wait here a moment. I’ll get Qi Zai to take a look from the air."

"Okay."

Qiao Fei immediately signaled for the team to halt and rest.

Everyone looked at Yang Qi with curiosity.

Yang Qi placed two fingers in his mouth, took a deep breath, and blew a clear, lingering whistle with a peculiar rhythm.

The sound of the whistle echoed through the valley, traveling far into the distance.

In less than a minute, a sharp, piercing cry came from the distant sky.

Immediately after, a massive dark shadow shot down like an arrow loosed from its string, tearing through the clouds and diving rapidly. The wind howled as it spread its wings.

Before the astonished eyes of the crowd, the majestic Beaked Eagle gracefully slowed and circled before landing precisely on Yang Qi’s forearm, which he had already covered with a thick bracer.

After using his arm for a bit of leverage, it leaped lightly onto Yang Qi’s padded shoulder and stood firm.

Its hook-like beak, its majestic eyes, and its feathers that gleamed with a metallic luster in the sunlight—all of it proclaimed its status as a king of the skies.

"...It really came!"

"Is that the Beaked Eagle that found the Provincial Agricultural University’s expedition team last time?"

"A Beaked Eagle, a foreign bird. Amazing..."

"Looking at it from the front, this big bird is actually kinda cute?"

"Cute? Dude, get a grip. That’s an apex predator, the heartthrob and top assassin of the Bird Realm!"

...

The team immediately broke out into a chorus of amazed chatter.

It was the first time many of them had seen a Beaked Eagle with their own eyes, and they were all filled with wonder and admiration at Yang Qi’s ability to summon it.

Qiao Fei was also clicking her tongue in amazement. She gave Yang Qi a thumbs-up.

"Advisor Yang, you’re incredible! This one move alone is worth a whole lot of our manpower."

Yang Qi smiled and gently stroked Qi Zai’s feathers. Then he pointed to the western sky and gave his command.

"Qi Zai, go west. Search the forest below carefully. Your target is a group of fewer than four Two-legged Beasts. If you find any trace of them, come back and tell me immediately."

Qi Zai let out a low rumble from its throat in response. Its sharp eyes scanned the surroundings, and then it gave a powerful beat of its enormous wings.

WHOOSH!

A powerful gust of wind blew as its massive form soared upward, quickly shrinking into a small black dot high in the sky as it sped off to the west.