Chapter 16 In the night, he sprinted desperately

Chen Ying's phone popped up with a video call request. He hesitated for a moment before tapping accept—and was immediately hit with a visual bombshell.

After carefully identifying the caller, he confirmed it was Jinya's brother, that stunning male lynx.

Jinya squeezed in from under Chen Ying's arm, her big face almost pressed against the phone screen.

"Awooo, where's my brother? Where's my brother?"

Chen Ying quickly held the phone farther away to ensure Jinya's whole face showed on the tiny screen.

Yin Li was also adjusting the distance, but Mr. Lepus wasn't as cooperative as Jinya. Every time Yin Li tried to move away, it would let out a roar and move a step closer.

"Jinya, tell your brother to stop moving, stay down, and let Ali help adjust the distance so you two can talk properly."

Jinya couldn't actually see what was on the screen, but she trusted whatever Chen Ying said.

"Awooo, brother, don't move. That two-legged beast can help adjust something. My two-legged beast says if you do that, we'll be able to chat."

The large lynx was a clever one. Upon hearing his sister's words, he glanced at the nervous and trembling Yin Li beside him and obediently lay down.

But don't think lying down diminished his intimidation. The lynx's agility far exceeded that of humans. If Yin Li made any wrong move, the sharp claws of the large lynx would definitely meet him.

While Jinya was busy "awoo-ing" away in conversation with her brother, Chen Ying took the chance to observe the siblings' features.

In terms of head shape, the large lynx was rounder and its outline was noticeably larger.

The fur on their ears was black for both siblings, but Jinya had a few strands of golden fur mixed in.

Comparing their coat patterns, Jinya's were more intricate and gorgeous, and her fur was brighter overall. But the large lynx's fur color, described in novel-like terms, was understated luxury—fur that shifted color under sunlight was something Chen Ying had never seen before.

Most importantly, the large lynx was stronger and more robust than Jinya, and the aura of authority emanating from his round pupils was on an entirely different level.

The siblings kept calling out to each other back and forth, while Chen Ying continued observing Jinya's brother lying atop a wooden post and Yin Li crouching miserably behind him.

Yin Li was wearing a raincoat designed for easy movement, complete with a hood, so he wasn't currently at risk of getting completely drenched by the downpour.

Yin Li held up two phones. He gestured to Chen Ying, and the two used a spare phone to communicate separately.

"Brother Ying, what should I do now? Do I have to wait until they finish their call before I can leave?"

Chen Ying thought deeper. The large lynx didn't seem to show much aggression toward humans at the moment. If he could take advantage of the situation to collect some biological samples, it would be even better.

Yin Li exhaled and looked at the still menacing large lynx lying down. Gritting his teeth, he quickly plucked a handful of fur from its behind.

The large lynx turned its head and bared its teeth at him, its pupils narrowing into slits.

"Mr. Lepus, I'm helping you swat mosquitoes. Look, a mosquito."

Seeing the handful of fur and a squashed mosquito in Yin Li's palm, the large lynx restrained its anger but still used its tail to give Yin Li a push, urging him to leave.

It even tried to grab the phone with its mouth and climb a tree, but its mouth wasn't quite dexterous enough. When its lips brushed against the phone, the video connection accidentally cut off.

"Awoo! Aw-awooo!" Unable to hear his sister's voice, the large lynx stood up, furious, and roared loudly at Yin Li.

Yin Li's eyes darted around as he grabbed the phone and randomly tapped several times.

"No battery left. See? It won't work anymore."

He put on a pitiful act and performed theatrics in front of the large lynx. Having never encountered the treachery of human deceit, the lynx could only roar a few more times in frustration.

Feeling cranky, it leaped up into a tree, sprawled itself across a high branch, and started licking its paws. After licking, it would give Yin Li a glance, scaring him so much he wasn't sure whether he should seize the chance to leave.

As for Yin Li and Mr. Lepus's story, Chen Ying didn't have time to care right now.

The sky was gradually darkening, and Jinya showed no signs of leaving. Was she treating the rescue station as her own den?

If it were his home, Jinya could stay as long as she liked and no one would have anything to say.

But this was the rescue station. If Jinya didn't leave, wouldn't people accuse him of deliberately keeping her captive?

With hands on his hips, he faced off against Jinya for a good while. The lynx sister turned her head away, refusing to look at him, sprawled leisurely on the soapberry tree in the yard, lazily flicking her tail—showing zero intention of leaving.

Right in front of Jinya and the colleagues on the other end of the surveillance camera, Chen Ying dialed Director Bai's number.

If unsure what to do, call the boss!

Director Bai, with many years of experience, had encountered plenty of situations, but none quite like Jinya. The only similar case he'd handled was that of the national treasure Grandpa Gao, who had earned his place through his own efforts.

Jinya's case was different from Grandpa Gao's. After consulting with the other leadership at the center, Director Bai instructed Chen Ying to let Jinya do as she pleased—come and go as she liked—but the principle was clear: no feeding her. She couldn't develop a habit of expecting food to be served.

After all, she was a wild animal. Their role was to protect these little elves' natural habitats, not to erode their wild instincts or hunting abilities.

Now that the matter was reported, Chen Ying stopped worrying.

Tonight, he still had to perform the routine blood test for Meng Yan.

Over the past couple of days, he carefully observed Meng Yan's condition and noted that her bone healing seemed to be exceeding expectations. If it could be confirmed that her bones had healed well, the cast could be removed early, allowing her to start regaining her mobility sooner.

Typically, a red panda's bone healing period was six to eight weeks.

From the time of injury to now, it had been at most three weeks. Based on his observations, Meng Yan's condition was almost similar to that of a healthy red panda.

Once the cast was removed, the injury could continue to heal naturally without the need for additional braces or fixation, apart from basic daily medicine.

This was partly because red pandas were slower and less active compared to other wild animals.

After two hours of work, Meng Yan's recheck results were finally out. Her biochemical indicators were all normal, and next on the agenda was to remove her cast.

As required, he submitted a report with Meng Yan's test results to the supervising instructor for approval to remove the cast. Not long after, the teacher responsible for small wildlife rescue approved the removal and instructed Chen Ying to keep detailed text and video records.

Before removing the cast, Meng Yan was given an injection.

She wasn't particularly fond of Chen Ying, mainly because he carried the scent of the big cats. To Meng Yan, Chen Ying's presence was a nightmare.

The removal process went quickly. He brought her for an X-ray afterward, and the results were nothing short of perfect.

Next, he could begin follow-up treatment using a special ointment from Chinese Veterinary Medicine.

He applied the ointment and wrapped the area to prevent Meng Yan from licking it.

By the time everything was done, it was already 8 p.m.

Rushing off to feed Leopard Sister and the two cubs, Chen Ying hadn't even noticed when Jinya had left.

After locking the small door and securing the large iron gate, Chen Ying finished feeding the animals and finally had time to cook himself a packet of instant noodles for dinner.

The mountain forest at night was peaceful, with the chirping of insects and birds serving as the best lullabies.

After eating, he cleaned the animal sheds, changed the water for Meng Yan and Leopard Sister, and, yawning, prepared to go to sleep.

He'd need to wake up in the middle of the night to check the animals' excretion conditions and prepare supper for the two leopard cubs—formula milk mixed with meat puree.

The system's rewarded cub formula was almost gone, and he hadn't found a chance to swindle more supplies from the system, which was making him quite anxious.