Chapter 2622: Fantastic Beasts in the Zoo 29

Inside the zoo's medical room.

Su Xiao performed a full basic check on the unconscious Xiao Bai Lion lying on the examination table, listening to its heartbeat, measuring its temperature, and palpating its abdomen.

But the vital signs showed everything was completely normal, even to the point of being as healthy as possible.

Yet Xiao Bai Lion kept its eyes shut, showing no response to any external touch.

Su Xiao furrowed her brow, took off the stethoscope, and said, "Strange… this doesn't look like illness or injury—why did it suddenly faint?"

Bai Rongdong stood at the side, lips tightly pressed, his eyes revealing undisguised worry and anxiety.

At that moment, a gap appeared as the medical room's half‑closed door was pushed open.

A reddish‑orange fox's head poked in—it was Hu Cai Cai.

Behind it, other furry creatures crowded in, the animals anxiously guarding the doorway, refusing to leave.

Hu Cai Cai glanced at the frowning Su Xiao, the worried Bai Rongdong, and then at the Xiao Bai Lion dozing on the table, hesitated for a moment, then lightly squeezed in.

It ignored Su Xiao's slightly surprised gaze, jumped onto the empty examination bed, walked to the Xiao Bai Lion's side, placed its forepaw on the lion's chest, and closed its eyes.

Its fluffy big tail swayed gently back and forth behind it, looking… actually just like that.

Su Xiao: "…?"

She instinctively pushed her glasses up.

All right, after the Xiao Bai Lion, the fox will also see a doctor.

Hu Cai Cai had a guess, lifted her head, turned her handsome fox's head toward Hu Gu outside the door, and let out a few fox calls.

Hu Gu heard that the pretty fox had a solution, his spirits lifted, he turned around, and let out a tiger roar at the crowd of anxious animals huddled in the hallway.

The animals slowly dispersed, glancing back every few steps.

Next, Hu Gu gave a low, impatient growl to the few staff members nearby, slapped the ground with his paw, signaling them to move farther away as well.

Everyone: "…"

Being chased away by a tiger—this experience is second to none.

But seeing the tiger's anxious look, they could only step back a few paces for now.

Bai Rongdong vaguely guessed what was going on.

He suppressed his turbulent thoughts and told Su Xiao and the other staff, "Doctor Su, you've worked hard. Let's stop the examination here for now. Everyone, go rest a bit—I'll watch over this place. If anything's needed, I'll call you."

Su Xiao packed up the instruments, left the medical room with the others, and closed the door.

Outside the hallway, Qiao Mai watched the animals obediently head back to their own enclosures, even without keepers leading them, and couldn't help nudging Amu beside him, whispering, "Old Mu, don't you feel… our zoo's animals are all…"

"The animals are all smart, right?" Amu replied, "And they're cute too."

Such a thing would be considered a marvel no matter where it happened.

But it happened precisely at Zhenyang Zoo, where they live side‑by‑side with these animals day and night, astonished after astonished, until they actually… got a little used to it.

"Yeah…"

Qiao Mai also realized it.

The night breeze felt pleasant on his skin; watching the animals' returning silhouettes, he suddenly thought that, aside from the occasional heart‑pounding moment like tonight, working alongside so many smart and cute animals—wasn't this the dream job of a deity?

She couldn't help smiling and told Amu, "Old Mu, I'm heading back to rest now. Good night."

"Good… huh?"

Amu was about to reply when he caught sight of Qiao Mai behind him, at the hallway corner, where a brightly colored parrot was furtively tucking its head into its wings, trying to pretend it wasn't there.

Amu's face instantly darkened with exasperation lines, "Tao Ge, you're eavesdropping again!"

Caught red‑handed, Tao Ge shuddered, nearly falling from the railing, hurriedly buried his head deeper, covered his face with his wings, and shouted in a cracked voice, "This place has no silver worth three hundred taels!"

"Ga! Tao Ge, I didn't hear anything! Amu, awesome!"

Just as Qiao Mai was about to turn and leave, he let out a puzzled "Ah?"

Amu blushed deeply, "Hurry back to your aviary! If you keep babbling nonsense, you'll lose your extra meal at dawn!"

Upon hearing his rations might be cut, Tao Ge flapped his wings and flew off in a huff, muttering, "Stingy! Tao Ge made a contribution—add eight meals!"

Inside the medical room, Bai Rongdong shut the door tightly.

The room now held only one person, one lion, and one fox.

Bai Rongdong turned to face Hu Cai Cai, fell silent for a few seconds, then asked softly, "Can you also take human form like Jin Chen?"

Hu Cai Cai flicked her fluffy big tail and nodded.

A soft red light flashed by.

Bai Rongdong suddenly thought of something, grabbed a clean disinfectant blanket from the nearby rack—after all, Jin Chen always ends up… well, you know.

But the red fox on the examination bed vanished, replaced by a handsome youth dressed in bright red clothing.

Bai Rongdong: "?"

His hand holding the blanket froze in mid‑air, his expression going blank.

Hu Cai Cai also stared at the blanket in his hand, stunned for a moment, "I… am not cold." Besides, he's wearing clothes.

Bai Rongdong: "…"

He silently took back the blanket, glanced at the little lion on the bed, then at the neatly dressed Hu Cai Cai, and couldn't help asking, "You demons, when you take human form, do you… come clothed?"

Hu Cai Cai twirled a strand of her black hair with her finger, wearing an expression that said, "Isn't that obvious?"

"Of course—when we animals cultivate human form, we're also modest, you know… Oh!"

As he spoke, he suddenly realized, looking at the Xiao Bai Lion on the bed, "Oh, I get it now—Lion Boss has always been completely open and honest in front of you."

Hu Cai Cai poked it with a grin.

Bai Rongdong: "…" He felt his cheeks grow hotter.

He hastily changed the subject, "Never mind that—do you know what's wrong with him? Why did he suddenly faint? How serious is it?"

Getting down to business, Hu Cai Cai also toned down her playful expression.

To make sure there was no mistake, he went to the bedside again and placed his finger on Xiao Bai Lion's chest.

A moment later, he withdrew his hand, his tone turning more serious: "His Monster Power is far stronger than mine, much much stronger. Tonight we'll go up the mountain to find why his Monster Power and spirituality are suppressed—he found the reason, so…"

Hu Caicai thought for a moment, then said uncertainly: "The suppression has faded; his Monster Power is recovering quickly, possibly consuming a lot of energy… perhaps… he needs to sleep."

Bai Rengdong's heart eased a little: "So… there's no other injury, right? He just needs to sleep?"

Hu Caicai nodded firmly: "Mm! I feel that's the case."

Bai Rengdong picked up the drowsy Xiao Bai Lion on the bed and held him in his arms, his fingers gently stroking the soft, warm fur as he lowered his gaze.

After a while, he lifted his head again and looked at Hu Caicai: "You… were originally all monsters from Zhenyang Mountain, right?"

Hu Caicai nodded: "Yes."

As he spoke, an embarrassed expression appeared on his face, and he tugged at his own hair: "Um… sorry."

"When I was first brought to the zoo, my attitude was terrible and I even snapped at you… because I thought you'd used some method to make my Monster Power disappear."

Bai Rengdong was slightly surprised, then immediately understood.

No wonder that when they brought this injured red fox back to the zoo, although its wounds weren't serious, it was full of vigilance and hostility.

He gave a gentle smile: "It's fine, as long as the misunderstanding is cleared up."

Bai Rengdong paused, looking at Hu Caicai's beautiful yet slightly defiant eyes, and asked sincerely: "Do you still want to stay at the zoo now?"

"Yes!" Hu Caicai said without hesitation, her pretty fox eyes curving upward: "This place is great—there's food, lodging, and people to look after us, far better than camping on the mountain and living in fear."

All that can be said is: it's truly delicious.

Hu Caicai tilted her head: "Just think of me as working for you."

Bai Rengdong was amused by her: "All right, welcome to the job at Zhenyang Zoo."

Hu Caicai reservedly extended her hand, shook Bai Rengdong's, then bade farewell.

A red light flashed, and Hu Caicai shifted back into her red fox form, swishing her tail as she headed to the fox enclosure to sleep.

Bai Rengdong lowered his head, pressing his cheek against the little lion's crown, let out a soft sigh, embraced his little lion, and rose to leave the medical room.