Chapter 1

Scorching weather, even the leaves on the trees were curled up by the blazing sun; a gust of hot wind blew, leaving only the incessant chirping of cicadas.

Suddenly, an angry roar echoed in the air‑conditioned room, and the birds resting in the trees were startled into flight.

The pot‑bellied zoo director slammed his hands on the table, but upon seeing her face he abruptly changed his tone: "Ling Yue, are you sure you want to resign?"

He sighed and, speaking "bitter‑mouth‑good‑heart," advised: "The job market is tough now; you know your situation—even as a Capital University graduate, it's hard to find such a superior and fulfilling position, not to mention the future, just right now…"

With threats, inducements, and empty promises, this routine likely made the faint‑hearted already retreat in their hearts; Ling Yue watched coldly, and her silence was unmistakably hesitation in his eyes.

Zhao Fang couldn't help feeling delighted, wanting to press his advantage; after all, his greedy gaze had landed on the girl's face—

What celebrity? In Ling Yue's eyes they're all vulgar fat and powder; this face is beautiful like a figure from a painting, especially those peach‑blossom eyes that seem to hold limpid autumn waters, and a red mole at the corner of each eye makes her look both pure and alluring.

He had never seen such peerless beauty in his life.

Zhao Fang barely concealed his salivating desire and still wanted to say something to keep her.

Ling Yue had already slapped her resignation letter on the table; a flicker of coldness rose in the depths of her pure black eyes, her voice like striking jade pendants—clear and melodious: "Sorry, my stomach isn't good; I can't stomach the big pie you're painting."

"Resignation is a notice, not a negotiation."

Ling Yue simply had no patience to wrangle with him; in fact, if she weren't waiting for today, she would have left the zoo long ago.

Zhao Fang's face darkened as he stared at her: "Fine! A worthless college graduate—I'll see which company in Jing Shi dares to hire you after you quit!"

"And you haven't finished today's work, so forget the ocean aquarium—you're being transferred to the Tiger Garden!"

Ling Yue's steps faltered.

Zhao Fang laughed shamelessly: "What? Scared? What do you think you are? Sending you to the ocean aquarium was pity—you're an orphan with no background—" He paused, then said: "If you don't work, get out! Forget about getting any wages!"

Ling Yue snorted coldly, strode toward the Tiger Garden without looking back, and felt a quiet relief—she had the recording and the earlier chat logs she'd intercepted; she had anticipated today's trouble and prepared accordingly, knowing these people wouldn't let her off easily.

At least her wages wouldn't be lost now.

Ling Yue pressed her lips together; she never shied away from assuming the worst about others, especially this den of snakes and rats that is the zoo, and the person behind them.

The story goes back over a month: as a recent veterinary graduate of Capital University, while her classmates all found jobs, only her résumé sank without a trace, and the few replies she got were perfunctory rejections.

It wasn't that Ling Yue was overconfident; she had always ranked first in her major and received many offers, but after graduation they all went silent, and later she learned it was all because of one man.

What's more ridiculous is that this man could only be considered her suitor.

Because of her outstanding looks, Ling Yue had many admirers from childhood; Qin Junxin was one of them, and the most troublesome—once he held a grandiose confession ceremony on the sports field, which Ling Yue rejected on the spot.

Later it was said he dated a wealthy heiress from some company, gradually fading from Ling Yue's sight, and she gradually forgot him.

Who would have thought that after she graduated, he would suddenly make a move.

The reason is even more laughable—she learned from her good friend Qiao Qiao that Qin Junxin is such a coward!

His girlfriend is petty and domineering; knowing he once pursued Ling Yue, she angrily confronted him. Fearing the little princess would kick him, Qin Junxin deflected blame, claiming Ling Yue had seduced him—he couldn't hold back, only later realizing Ling Yue had played him, for she had already latched onto a rich second‑generation's arms, just to toy with him.

The little princess, brainless and furious, first posted on the school wall labeling her a "green‑tea bitch" who steals boyfriends, then tried to block her graduation; Ling Yue directly produced evidence to slap the first accusation down, while for the second she relied on her ability and the school's protection—these tactics failed and only stirred up a stench.

How else could you say the little princess lacks brains? Knowing she'd been deceived, she didn't reflect but doubled down!

It's also a case of ill‑fated enemies: her family is in the pet industry and had ordered a blacklist against her within the trade—a thriving enterprise's heiress versus a fresh‑out‑of‑college student; even a fool knows which outweighs which.

In the end, only one zoo was willing to hire her. Only after joining did Ling Yue realize it wasn't some fearless defiance of power—it was the very side that had sent people to torment her.

Targeted by her supervisor and ostracized by coworkers, this month felt harder than a year; as to why she hadn't quit, Ling Yue lowered her eyes and gave a bitter laugh.

Her mother, on whom she depended, died suddenly, and for the funeral she nearly drained all her savings.

After that came the opening scene.

These thoughts flashed by; Ling Yue was still pondering how to proceed—she didn't regret offending them, she merely felt unwilling, for lacking any family background or connections, could that erase all her efforts?

Or must she just accept defeat?

Or flee to a distant land?

In the dry, hot summer, the breeze brought no coolness, only greater mugginess; Ling Yue heard her own heartbeat, throbbing heavily.

As for the Tiger Garden, it was purely Zhao Fang's harassment—he assigned her, a new employee of just over a month, to feed the beasts; even a seasoned keeper could get hurt, after all, they're ferocious animals.

Tigers are the epitome of ferocity.

"Ah! Save me! Niu Niu fell down!"

Ling Yue hadn't even approached when a sudden scream rang out; the chaotic shouts were like cold water dropped into hot oil, exploding instantly.

Ling Yue rushed over in a couple of steps; through the tightened wire mesh she could see, beneath the spectators' safety rail, a three‑ or four‑year‑old child sitting on the grass, curiously watching the adults above, thinking it was a new game.

Opposite the child, a few dozen meters up Tiger Mountain, two or three tigers seemed to notice something, stretching lazily, licking their paws with long tongues, their heads as big as a washtub!

"Ahhh! My Niu Niu! Who will save my child! Save me! Who will save my daughter!"

The adults in the viewing area wailed heart‑rendingly—clearly the child's parents—and Ling Yue glanced at the weeping child.

At this rate, in just a few minutes the tigers will spot the little girl, and the consequences are easy to imagine.

Ling Yue immediately opened the Tiger Garden gate, stared at the tigers and drew a breath; the commotion also caught others' attention, and the little girl's mother's eyes lit up—until they saw clearly, then they were instantly disappointed.

"Which visitor is this? What's she doing in there? Going to die!"

"Where's the keeper? Why hasn't he come? This is a matter of life and death!"

Ling Yue also heard it, turned to look at the burly man in the corner; his legs went weak as he gripped his fists: "You… you want to go in? You don't want to live? Those are tigers!"

As for the shouting of those people above, "Damn, is he bored with life? Dare to snatch someone from the tiger's mouth? And never mind that these tigers were just borrowed from another zoo—even the veteran keepers dare not approach them!"

Only an idiot would go rescue someone!

Oh, there's such an idiot right before him.

The keeper tried to add something, but Ling Yue had already walked past him, head held high; her attitude left the keeper's face flushed, and after a moment he spat bitterly: "Pah! You don't know a good person's heart!"

Ling Yue's steps were light, making no sound—even the tigers didn't notice—as she went to a side hut, pulled open a locked drawer, and found several slender needles and vials inside; others noticed her move and immediately wondered.

"What… what is she doing?"

"Wu… wu… wu, my Niu Niu, don't move, absolutely don't move, Mom's coming right away!" If not for others holding her back, the little girl's mother would have jumped in, and the situation grew ever more perilous.

Outside, people had already called the police and contacted zoo security, but now it's uncertain whether the little one can hold out until help arrives.

Suddenly, a tiger roared, jaws wide open—its bloody maw looked capable of swallowing a child whole!

Some people were also watching Ling Yue, surprised by her actions, and some even took out their phones. Over at the Tiger Garden, it was already packed with tourists who had heard the news.

Ling Yue focused on preparing the anaesthetic dosage, calculating it according to the tigers' weight—too little or too much would not do, especially since the anaesthetic was scarce; she knew without thinking that the zoo's usual medicine supplies had been siphoned off.

But the Tiger Garden had three tigers—missing any one of them would not do!

On her first day at the zoo, Ling Yue, relying on her photographic memory, had already memorized all the animal information in the zoo.

These tigers had no idea what was happening outside.

Two tigers lounged, lying on the spot licking their paws, while one tiger on Tiger Mountain was eager to try, the king-pattern on its forehead thick and black, making people's hearts creep; the little girl's hiding spot was a blind spot, but once she jumped down, the tiger would surely notice!

Moreover, there was the scent on a person's body—animals have a keen sense of smell, it's not just talk.

The little girl's mother was almost crying to death, no one came for a long time, she was already somewhat desperate, kneeling on the ground in regret, the only hope left was actually Ling Yue.

Such a pretty girl—can she do it?

For a moment, everyone began to doubt.

"All right." Ling Yue, holding a syringe and about to leave, suddenly saw a prepared chunk of fresh meat off to the side; inspiration struck, she picked up the bucket and headed toward Tiger Mountain, one hand holding the injector.

Just then, the crowd suddenly exclaimed.

"Tiger! The tiger has come down!"

Amid heart-rending screams and exclamations, a ferocious tiger leapt, its sturdy body landing firmly on the ground, the soft earth gouged with deep claw prints; then it tilted its head, obviously it had seen the little girl at the base of the wall.

"Niuniu!" the girl's mother turned ashen, stared wide-eyed, her whole body going limp: "My Niuniu!"

"Thud thud thud!"

The loud knocking sound instantly drew the tigers' attention; Ling Yue flung the meat from the bucket, throwing it to the foot of Tiger Mountain, and the remaining two tigers were also attracted, jumping down as well.

All three tigers had come down!

The frightened tourists watched them; even through the fence they could feel the tigers' terror, as two tigers lowered their heads and began tearing at the meat—compared to their usual appetite, this meat wouldn't even fill the gaps between their teeth.

The two tigers gobbled the meat, gurgling, while the tiger that had jumped down first licked its mouth and approached; the tourists instantly understood Ling Yue's intention: "She, she's using meat to lure the tigers!"

"Good heavens! How dare she—those are tigers!"

"Wuu wuu wuu, I'm kowtowing to you—please, please save my child!"

The tiger that had jumped out first was obviously smarter; it saw Ling Yue's meat bucket at her feet—people often conjure lots of fresh meat from it every day, and today was feeding time!

As for that strange human, it had nothing in common with the fresh meat it was used to eating.

Ling Yue then threw a few more chunks of meat, successfully luring all the tigers; watching the little girl being set down, the adults above breathed a sigh of relief, but Ling Yue remained tense—only someone who had experienced it could know what it feels like to be targeted by three kings of beasts.

Danger!

Her scalp went numb, her body and nerves sounding the alarm; one hand gripping a gun, she took advantage of the two tigers lowering their heads to eat meat and fired directly!

She was betting her life!

Fortunately, the skills learned in military training hadn't been lost; when the anaesthetic was injected into the tigers' backs and necks, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the two tigers letting out low, muffled roars—obviously they had been enraged.

But they were no longer much of a threat; the anaesthetic would take effect in just a few seconds—yet at that moment, a sudden change occurred!

The tiger that had been slowly walking—the sole remaining one—suddenly roared, sensed something wrong, and lunged straight at Ling Yue; the spectators above instantly tensed: "Watch out!"

The change happened in an instant!

This tiger was over three meters long, yet its leaping motion was extremely agile and nimble!

Tigers and cats belong to the same feline family; its jumping ability is extraordinarily powerful, over ten meters—given its current distance from Ling Yue, it would take only a few leaps to pounce directly!

The thrilling, dangerous scene made everyone gasp; before anyone could react, Ling Yue fiercely flung a piece of meat—its fresh, deliciousness caused the tiger, mid-leap in the air, to hesitate for a moment, then tilt its head and firmly seize the meat, just like a circus act.

This was also because it had been long captive, its wildness long gone; Ling Yue seized the moment to shoot it, the anaesthetic hitting squarely in the tiger's waist.

The tiger clung to the meat, shaking its head as if dazed; the two earlier tigers had already collapsed under the anaesthetic's effect, it bit large chunks of meat, its tiger eyes fixed firmly on Ling Yue.

The tiger shook its head in place, its limbs going limp.

One second, two seconds, three seconds—

"Bang!"

The tiger crashed to the ground; the new anaesthetic took effect extremely quickly—once a creature falls, it can only watch helplessly as it loses consciousness.

At that moment, the crowd burst into deafening cheers and screams.

"Ahhh, the child is saved!"

"Hero! Great hero who snatched a person from the tiger's jaws!"

"It really succeeded, she really succeeded, the child is fine!"

The child's mother was overjoyed to tears, wishing she could kneel to her; in the end she slumped into the arms of her husband who had rushed over upon hearing the news, crying herself into a tearful wreck.

Ling Yue hurried to hug the little girl, finding she had only a minor scrape; it should be said that when she fell, a tree blocked her, then she landed in soft grass—she was practically a child kissed by the goddess of fortune.

"Security is here!"

"Police are here!"

The rescue personnel finally arrived belatedly; Ling Yue held the child, passing the collapsed tiger, when zoo director Zhao Fang finally arrived, drenched in sweat and panting, as if just fished out of water.

He wore a fawning expression, obviously having seen Ling Yue's earlier actions, knowing many were watching the situation; he immediately switched to a concerned tone: "Ling Yue, how do you feel now? Are you hurt? You're a great hero of our zoo, you……"

The director's mouth was practically running dry, yet he lifted his eyes and she didn't even give him a glance.

Ling Yue stared in surprise at the anaesthetized tiger on the ground, its tiger eyes wide open; in her mind a simple-minded voice rang out: "My mother, this meat, there's poison in the meat!"

Who was speaking?