As he watched them, he noticed something odd.
Why were these little ducklings so obsessed with their water basin, yet only dipped their beaks into it?
Even when they flapped their wings and jumped in by accident, they quickly leapt out.
He hadn’t seen a single duckling floating or paddling on the water’s surface.
At first, Go Okrim thought maybe the water temperature or depth wasn’t suitable.
But no matter how many times he changed the water, none of the ducklings floated on the surface.
His suspicion grew.
Finally, he grabbed a few ducklings and placed them directly in the water.
What he saw utterly shattered his understanding of ducks.
These little ducklings either bolted away from the water at lightning speed or flipped headfirst into the water like capsized boats, their little webbed feet flailing uselessly above the surface.
The ducklings couldn’t swim!
This stumped Go Okrim.
He remembered that Kim Haru had been planning to release the ducks onto the pond as soon as the ice melted.
But if these ducklings couldn’t even swim, wouldn’t that completely derail Kim Haru’s plans?
Go Okrim refused to let Kim Haru’s vision fail!
He began to suspect that these ducklings might have come from chicken eggs or were mutated duck eggs, different from normal ones.
Regardless, they couldn’t swim, and it was up to him to teach them.
Initially, Go Okrim had been struggling to figure out how to teach ducks to swim—after all, he wasn’t a duck himself.
But now, with the arrival of a new recruit, this task was no longer his problem.
Go Okrim patted Kang Hose’s shoulder. "I believe in you. Good luck!"
Kang Hose: "..."
On his very first day under Kim Haru, the task was already monumental.
Meanwhile, Kim Haru had no idea what kind of challenge his new employee was facing.
At that moment, he was seated in his sled, being pulled by Snowball No. 1, heading toward the Pyeongseong Safe Zone.
As Go Okrim was showing Kang Hose around the employee dormitory, Kim Haru received a call through the voice-transmitting snail from Hwa Jian.
"Mr. Kim, I heard you’ve returned. Director Do Seungjin from the Animal Research Institute asked me to inform you that the batch of ducklings we hatched earlier and the wild black pigs we captured recently have encountered some issues. He might need you to take a look."
Kim Haru didn’t hesitate. "Alright, I’ll head there now. Tell him to prepare the records of the food the ducks and black pigs have been eating over the past few days."
After ending the call, Kim Haru left a message for Go Okrim before heading out.
Of course, before departing, he made sure to leave behind Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree No. 1, Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree No. 2, and Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree No. 3 at the small farm, along with Ginseng Spirit.
He instructed Ginseng Spirit to relay his message to Go Okrim.
In the message, Kim Haru not only explained where he was going but also reminded Go Okrim to ensure the Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree received their nutritional supplements during the days he’d be away.
Although the Unmelted Frost Bamboo Tree weren’t needed on this trip, Kim Haru was determined not to neglect these helpful and adorable plants that had supported him so much.
Initially, Kim Haru had planned to leave behind Snowball No. 2 through Snowball No. 11 as well.
Over the past few days, the Cryo Wolf had been accompanying him on various errands and hadn’t eaten particularly well.
However, since the Cryo Wolf clearly enjoyed the activity and appeared genuinely happy to tag along, Kim Haru let them join him.
One man and eleven Cryo Wolf made their way to the Pyeongseong Safe Zone.
Seeing them approach from a distance, the gate guards promptly opened the gates.
Kim Haru moved smoothly through the Safe Zone, heading straight for the Animal Research Institute in the central district.
He had no intention of seeking out Moon Baein or Jang Dojang.
It wasn’t hard to guess that they were busy dealing with issues regarding the Caeruleus Draco Squad from the Bangnang Safe Zone.
Director Do Seungjin was already waiting at the institute’s entrance.
Upon seeing Kim Haru arrive, he immediately came forward.
"Mr. Kim, you’re finally back. Please, take a look at this situation right away!"
Without wasting any time, Kim Haru gestured for Do Seungjin to lead the way.
The pigpen was closer than the duck enclosure, so they arrived there first.
Several researchers from the Animal Research Institute were anxiously gathered near the pigpen.
Over the past few days, they had helplessly watched as the carefully raised black pigs fell ill one by one, with some even dying.
Their hearts ached at the sight.
These pigs had been painstakingly nurtured and were the first animals to survive for such a long time under human care.
The researchers had poured meticulous effort into feeding, cleaning, and caring for them, harboring great hope for the future.
But now, just when everything seemed to be going well, the pigs developed problems.
Could it be that humans are ultimately unable to raise animals successfully?
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Many of the researchers couldn’t help but feel a creeping sense of dread at the thought.
Fortunately, they still remembered Mr. Kim and hadn’t completely lost hope.
"Mr. Kim, at first, the black pig just showed a loss of appetite. Everyone thought they were either bored with their food or hadn’t fully digested their previous meal. At that point, we tried switching their feed, massaging their stomachs, or adding digestive aids to their food," Do Seungjin explained to Kim Haru.
"But no one expected the situation to worsen. Some black pig started showing red or even purple discolorations on their skin. Because their skin is so dark, it took us a while to notice. On top of that, the black pig’s joints began swelling, making it impossible for them to stand. They also started sneezing, had runny noses, and their feces became loose and watery."