The handwriting was neat, the description objective—perfectly fitting the perspective of an "ordinary observer."
Once he finished writing, he put the notebook away.
He returned to where he had hidden the environmental data logger. The device had finished recording.
Yang Qi pressed the stop button and put the instrument back in his backpack.
Afterward, he led the Leopard, Bai Wan, and Xiaojiu out of the back mountains without incident, returning to the entrance where he had parked.
He got into his SUV, but instead of heading straight back to the Zoo, he drove to the nearest forestry station.
Just as he’d expected, Mr. Zhang and Xiaowang were still waiting at the forestry station.
Seeing Yang Qi return safely, both of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"Advisor Yang, it must have been tough. You didn’t run into any danger, did you?" Mr. Zhang asked with concern.
"It was fine. I just got a little lost, but luckily I had the dogs with me."
Yang Qi smiled and handed over the logger and notebook. "The data is all recorded, and I wrote down my impressions as well."
Mr. Zhang hurriedly took them. He first glanced at the notes in the notebook, then checked the logger’s data, nodding repeatedly.
"Excellent. This information is very valuable. Advisor Yang, thank you so much."
"Don’t mention it," Yang Qi said with a wave of his hand. "Just doing my part."
Xiaowang, on the other hand, asked curiously, "Advisor Yang, your two dogs didn’t get lost at all in there?"
"They often go into the mountains with me, so they’re probably familiar with the area. Besides, animals naturally have a better sense of direction than people."
Yang Qi casually brushed it off.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he said his goodbyes and drove back to the Zoo.
...
...
In the days that followed, Yang Qi’s life returned to its usual peaceful rhythm.
During the day, he cared for the animals, cleaned their enclosures, and recorded their conditions.
The Gray Wolf and the raccoon were both in stable condition.
Big Flower’s belly grew rounder by the day, her delivery date drawing ever closer.
At night, he would immerse himself in cultivation within the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array.
Mid-grade Spirit Stones were remarkably effective. Coupled with the comprehension boost from "Comprehension +1," Yang Qi’s understanding of the Great Derivation Spirit-Controlling Technique deepened daily. The Spiritual Liquid in his Dantian gradually grew stronger, and he made steady progress toward the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer.
In his spare time, Yang Qi also made sure to complete the coursework assigned by Teacher Song Chunfang.
Most of it consisted of research reports and reading notes on animal behavior, ecology, and even some basic theories of genetics and evolution.
Although Teacher Song was retired, her standards remained strict. Every time Yang Qi submitted his homework, she would grade it meticulously, asking sharp and insightful questions.
Yang Qi could feel that this seemingly "mundane" knowledge had a subtle, complementary effect on his path of Guardian Beast cultivation.
As for his lottery draws, his luck had returned to normal.
The few draws he did only yielded regular supplies like Spirit Rice, Strengthening Pills, and Low-grade Spirit Stones, which wasn’t bad.
It was worth mentioning that he had drawn two more Wind Spirit Stones and two more Thunder Spirit Stones, adding to his reserves for the future maintenance of the Cloud Plate Enchanting Array.
There was still no definite news from the interdisciplinary expert investigation team.
Professor Zhou’s report was supposedly still going through the proper channels; coordinating various departments, inviting experts, and allocating equipment all took time.
The forestry department and the Forest Police were happy with this development. It gave them the perfect excuse—"anomalous magnetic fields, difficult to penetrate"—to temporarily "protect" the area and prevent any unnecessary disturbances.
However, another matter had caused quite a stir at the Zoo.
The Horned Eagle, "Qi Zai," had become famous.
During the recent pursuit of the poachers, scenes of Qi Zai circling above the city to guide police cars had been filmed by numerous citizens on their phones and uploaded to the internet.
Although the footage was blurry, its massive size, imposing figure, and the legendary air of its "cooperative operation" with the police quickly attracted a lot of attention.
Local bird-watching and photography enthusiasts, in particular, caught wind of the news and flocked to the Zoo, hoping to catch a glimpse of the "police bird" and maybe even snap a photo of it on the grounds.
Unfortunately, as a Spirit Beast and a king of the skies, Qi Zai spent most of its time patrolling, hunting, and cultivating high above the Cangshan Range. It only returned to its enclosure to rest in the evening.
This meant that many people who came specifically to see it left disappointed, able only to sigh at the empty, large raptor enclosure.
One morning, at a little after ten.
Yang Qi was pushing a cleaning cart, tools in hand, as he arrived at the Horned Eagle Cage for his routine cleaning.
Qi Zai had flown out early that morning, so the enclosure was quiet.
First, he cleaned the pool and refilled it with fresh water, then began sweeping up feathers and food scraps from the ground and perches.
Just as Yang Qi was halfway through his work, head down, the sound of footsteps and a noisy conversation came from the entrance connecting the enclosure to the public viewing path.
"This should be the place, right? The Horned Eagle Cage."
"Yeah, that’s what the map says. Hope we get to see the ’police bird’."
"I hope it’s not gone again..."
Soon, several figures appeared at the entrance.
It was a group of three men and two women, all looking quite young. They were dressed in casual outdoor wear with cameras of various lengths hanging around their necks, looking like professional bird photographers.
They first craned their necks to peer into the enclosure. Seeing only Yang Qi cleaning and no sign of the Horned Eagle, disappointment showed on their faces.
One of them, a man in his thirties with black-rimmed glasses who seemed to be the leader, fixed his gaze on Yang Qi.
He sized up Yang Qi’s uniform and name tag, then glanced at his proficient cleaning movements. A flash of understanding crossed his eyes before he strode inside.
"Hello."
The man with glasses walked up to Yang Qi, his tone casually condescending. "You must be Qi Zai’s keeper, right? The one who can supposedly communicate with animals and even acts as an advisor to the police?"
Yang Qi stopped what he was doing and straightened up. He glanced at the man, then his eyes swept over the other four who had followed him in, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
This was a work area, clearly marked with a "Staff Only" sign.
"I’m the keeper."
Yang Qi replied in a flat tone, ignoring the latter part of the man’s question. Instead, he reminded them directly, "This is the Horned Eagle Cage work area. Outsiders are not allowed. Please leave and go to the public viewing path."
The man with glasses seemed surprised that Yang Qi would shoo them away so directly. He froze for a moment, a flicker of displeasure crossing his face.
Before he could speak, a young woman next to him with long hair and a longish but rather attractive face cut in.
Her tone dripped with an entitled superiority, even bordering on imperious.
"We’re from the Municipal Bird Protection and Research Association!"
"We’re here to conduct observational recordings of the Horned Eagle as preliminary prep for our future conservation plans."
She brandished a flimsy plastic folder and continued, "We’ve come several times, but the Horned Eagle is never here. I hear you can communicate with it? Then tell it not to go out tomorrow. Have it wait in the enclosure for us!"
"We need to shoot clear video footage and record its behavior."
She spoke with such self-righteousness, as if the Zoo were her own backyard, to be arranged as she pleased.
Yang Qi: "..."
He almost laughed out of sheer exasperation at the woman’s logic.
Asking a Horned Eagle with extremely strong wild instincts, an "Honorary Police Bird" that helped the police crack a case, a Spirit Beast that has gained sentience and is currently cultivating...
...to not go out tomorrow, and just wait in its enclosure for them to come take pictures and make recordings?
’The sheer nerve!’
’Who gave them that much confidence and courage?’
’Was it a gift with purchase?’
Yang Qi’s previously calm expression instantly turned cold.
He put down his cleaning tools, dusted off his hands, and looked directly at the long-faced woman, his tone calm and indifferent.
"And who are you supposed to be?"