He paused, then added, "If this really doesn’t work, we’ll have to separate them. No more cohabitation. But the higher-ups are really pushing us on the breeding targets..."
Yang Qi looked toward the enclosure.
The female bear had already finished the apple and was now holding a carrot, munching on it with a loud CRUNCH, CRUNCH. Yet, her eyes would occasionally dart toward the male bear behind the rockery, her gaze unfriendly.
The male bear, on the other hand, had his entire head buried in his forepaws, his back screaming utter dejection.
"Alright."
Yang Qi nodded readily. "I’ll go in and have a chat with them."
"See? I told you Brother Qi wouldn’t have a problem!" Chen Ze said, happily slapping Old Lin on the shoulder.
Old Lin smiled but didn’t reply. ’With Yang Qi’s connections now,’ he thought, ’the Provincial Bureau’s deputy director is his senior brother. Who would dare to just casually call him for a job like they used to?’
It was only because Chen Ze was on such good terms with Yang Qi that he could get him to come over with a single phone call.
Brother Lin walked quickly to the entrance of the staff passageway, took out his keys, and opened the heavy iron gate.
"Brother Qi, be careful. The female’s been especially ill-tempered these past couple of days. She doesn’t usually attack people, but you should still watch out for your safety," Old Lin warned.
"Don’t worry."
Yang Qi replied, then walked in empty-handed, without any tools.
The smell of the enclosure hit him full in the face.
A mixture of hay, dung, and the unique, slightly rank odor of bears.
Hearing the noise, the male and female bears both lifted their heads at the same time.
The female bear merely glanced at Yang Qi before lowering her head to continue gnawing on her carrot, a muffled, warning growl rumbling in her throat.
The male bear, however, shrank back, his eyes timid.
Yang Qi approached the female bear first.
He stopped about three meters away from her.
He activated the Basic Spirit Communication Technique.
"Hello..."
The female bear paused her chewing, lifted her head, and stared at Yang Qi with her glistening black eyes.
And then...
"ROAR~!"
She let out a low roar and slammed a paw on the ground, kicking up a little dust.
’Don’t bother me!’
Her tone was full of impatience, accompanied by clear irritation.
After roaring, she twisted her head, turned around with the carrot in her paws, and presented her rump to Yang Qi, continuing to munch away on her own.
Yang Qi was speechless.
’Fine.’
The female bear was furious right now; communication was impossible.
He didn’t press the issue and turned to walk toward the male bear behind the rockery.
When the male bear saw Yang Qi approaching, he instinctively tried to shrink back again, but the rockery wall was behind him. With nowhere to retreat, he could only curl up and bury his head even lower.
Yang Qi crouched down two meters in front of him, trying his best to appear non-threatening.
"Hello..."
He used the Spirit Communication Technique again to greet the bear.
The male bear’s body trembled. He cautiously lifted his head and glanced at Yang Qi.
His eyes were wet, filled with grievance, dejection, and self-doubt.
"Aww..."
He let out a low, listless whimper.
’I’m not okay.’
’I’m useless.’
’It’s all my fault...’
’Just as I thought.’
’The female bear isn’t sick.’
’But the male has been genuinely traumatized. He’s even starting to gaslight himself.’
Just then—
[Mission Triggered: A depressed "Earth Spike Bear" has been discovered. Host, please resolve the situation and help it recover as soon as possible.]
The mission had arrived.
Just as Yang Qi had judged, the male bear was "depressed" and needed counseling.
"This isn’t your fault."
Yang Qi said in a gentle voice, "Having cubs takes time and luck. It’s not something that happens right away just because you want it to."
The male bear stared blankly for a moment, then lifted his head and blinked his black eyes.
’Really?’
"Of course," Yang Qi explained patiently. "It’s the same for us Two-legged Beasts when we have babies. It doesn’t just happen on command. It’s like that for other animals, too—lions, tigers, elephants. Sometimes it’s fast, sometimes you have to wait a long time. It’s completely normal."
The male bear listened quietly, the dejection in his eyes fading just a little.
’Is that so...’
he hummed softly.
’Then how can we have cubs?’
Yang Qi breathed a sigh of relief.
’His willingness to ask means there’s still hope.’
"First, you have to be healthy."
He began to sweet-talk the bear. "When your body is healthy, the chances of having cubs are higher. But right now, you’re not eating well and you’re in a bad mood, so your body will get weaker. And if your body gets weaker, the chances of having cubs will be even lower."
’Well...’
The male bear lowered his head in embarrassment, pawing at the hay on the ground.
’I don’t want to be like this either.’
’But she... since we haven’t had cubs, she keeps hitting me...’
’She hits me so much I’ve lost my appetite...’
His voice grew softer and softer, full of grievance.
"That’s not going to work."
Yang Qi comforted him, "I’ll go talk to your mate in a bit. Having cubs is something you both need to work on together. Hitting you isn’t going to solve anything."
’She... she won’t listen...’ the male bear whimpered softly.
"I’ll give it a try." Yang Qi clapped the dust off his hands and stood up.
The male bear looked up at him, a hint of expectation now in his eyes, along with a faint, almost imperceptible trace of reliance.
Yang Qi turned and looked at the female bear, who was still gnawing on her carrot.
The female bear seemed to sense his gaze. She whipped her head around, bared her teeth at him, and let out a warning growl from her throat.
’Communicating with her is a lost cause for now.’
Yang Qi began to weigh his options.
Infertility was something that even human medicine couldn’t completely solve, let alone a black bear’s.
The conventional methods were nothing more than adjusting their diet, improving their environment, reducing stress, and then leaving the rest to fate.
But Yang Qi had unconventional methods.
He still had two Creation (Fertility) Pills left from the system’s lottery.
If he took one out, split it in half, and mixed it into the two black bears’ food, they would be 100% certain to conceive.
The problem was—
he wasn’t the one responsible for the black bears.
If he wanted to feed the pair, he would have to go through Jiang Kai, and he’d also need a suitable "excuse."
Mulling it over, Yang Qi walked out of the staff passageway.