A tiger!
Deep in Cangshan, there was a wild tiger!
Donghua was located in the south. It would be impossible for a Northeast Tiger or a Bengal Tiger to cross such a vast distance from the north or the Southwest to get here.
This tiger in Cangshan could only be one thing—
A South China Tiger!
The very same South China Tiger that the academic community believed to be functionally extinct in the wild, the one listed as "Critically Endangered" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, a subspecies unique to Huaguo and the most imperiled of all!
"No wonder..."
Yang Qi muttered to himself as numerous clues instantly fell into place.
No wonder Caiyun had been so wary when she caught its scent from a distance, urging Ta Xue to leave the mountain with him and not return.
Though clouded leopards are medium-sized predators, before the tiger—the king of the forest—they are still potential prey.
No wonder the patrol staff and Forest Police had entered the mountains to search multiple times, deploying thermal imaging and setting up infrared cameras, yet had never found any clear traces.
South China Tigers are inherently intelligent and cautious. As this one was an individual that had migrated from elsewhere, its vigilance was even higher and its survival skills were exceptional. Evading human detection methods was likely not a difficult task for it.
No wonder Yu Chengbang and his students had encountered a frightened wolf pack in the mountains before.
Besides a tiger, what else could send an entire wolf pack into such a frantic retreat?
No wonder Qi Zai the Beaked Eagle, despite constantly searching from the sky, had never spotted it.
This South China Tiger—one that had traveled alone to Cangshan from afar and successfully hidden and survived here—was undoubtedly an experienced, powerful, and highly intelligent individual!
"It’s truly incredible."
While Yang Qi marveled at the thought, a surge of excitement also welled up inside him.
A South China Tiger...
So many people believed it had vanished forever from the mountains and forests of Huaguo.
Yet now, a living one existed deep within Cangshan, not far from the city!
This was an ecological miracle, but also a heavy responsibility.
After the excitement faded, practical problems followed one after another.
’Should I tell Deng Lei?’
Yang Qi walked to a corner of the observation area, leaned against the wall, and was lost in thought.
From a conservation standpoint, confirming the existence of a South China Tiger in Cangshan was incredible news. It would drastically elevate the protection status of this mountain forest, attracting more resources and attention.
For Caiyun and Ta Xue, the threat was real but not insurmountable.
South China Tigers are ferocious, but they are not skilled climbers. Clouded leopards, however, are expert climbers—agile and nimble. As long as they remained vigilant and quickly scrambled up a tree during an encounter, their chances of staying safe were high.
The real hidden danger was the potential for human-tiger conflict.
Wild South China Tigers are extremely aggressive. While there are very few historical records of them unprovokedly attacking and eating people, if the worst were to happen...
If this tiger, for some reason, attacked a human, and even got a taste for human flesh...
The consequences would be unimaginable.
A tiger that has eaten a human will completely change its perception of people, viewing them as prey. Its threat level would increase exponentially.
At that point, to ensure public safety, this precious South China Tiger—possibly the last of its wild population—would very likely have to be put down.
It would be a tragedy to discover a wild South China Tiger after all this time, only for it to be killed because it harmed a human.
Thinking of this, Yang Qi pulled his phone from his pocket and found Deng Lei’s number.
But just an instant before his thumb could press the dial button, Yang Qi froze.
His fingertip hovered over the screen, a mere millimeter away from Deng Lei’s name.
He trusted Deng Lei.
He trusted that this straightforward and dedicated captain of the Forest Police would, upon learning of the tiger’s existence, make protecting the animal and mitigating risks his highest priority.
But what about everyone else?
As a member of the Forest Police, it was Deng Lei’s duty.
Once it was confirmed that a national treasure on the level of "extinct in the wild"—the South China Tiger—existed in Cangshan, he would be obligated to report it up the chain of command.
This was a matter of discipline and responsibility.
And once reported, the news would by no means be confined to the small circle of the Donghua City’s White Tower District Forest Police squadron.
The district bureau, the municipal bureau, the provincial forestry department, the National Forestry and Grassland Administration...
The news would spread up the administrative chain like ripples from a stone tossed into a calm pond.
Even if every level was ordered to maintain "strict confidentiality," when too many people know, a "secret" is no longer a secret.
Human nature is unpredictable, and interests are a tangled mess.
Academic glory, media reports, public attention, even the intervention of international animal protection organizations...
Any one of these could become a source for a leak.
Once the news leaked, "Wild South China Tiger Discovered in Cangshan" would become explosive, sensational news, shocking the entire nation and even the world.
At that point, those who swarmed in would not just be well-intentioned conservationists.
Curious media, obsessive animal lovers, poachers with ulterior motives, and even research institutions from various countries...
All would turn their eyes to this once-peaceful mountain forest.
A large-scale, high-intensity mountain search would be almost inevitable.
Drones, thermal imaging, satellite remote sensing, professional tracking teams...
And that intelligent, cautious South China Tiger, which had found a sanctuary here against all odds, would face unprecedented disturbance and stress.
It might retreat deeper into hiding, or it might flee in panic. It could even be driven to desperate measures by the disruption to its territory and food sources, forcing it closer to human settlements...
No matter the outcome, for this single individual that might carry the last hope for its entire subspecies, it could be catastrophic.
"No..."
Yang Qi slowly lowered his phone, and the screen went dark.
’Was I being a little naive?’
Yang Qi let out a small laugh.
Protecting wild animals, especially a nearly mythical species like the South China Tiger, was never as simple as reporting it, designating a protected area, and posting guards.
The political, social, and economic gamesmanship behind it all, the complexities of human nature—these were far beyond the control of a zookeeper, a young man who had only just stepped onto the path of cultivation.
Bringing his teacher, Song Chunfang, into this would be useless as well.
After all, the value of a South China Tiger on the black market was incalculable.
’Thank goodness for the "Cloud Plate Enchanting Array"!’
It had originally been intended only to protect the core area of Cangshan and the mountains behind the future Xianlai Zoo, preventing outsiders from wandering in and causing a disturbance.
He never imagined that, by a stroke of luck, it would become a natural protective barrier for the South China Tiger!