Chapter 199: Chapter 150: Qi Zai’s Gift, Meddling
Qi Zai let out a low rumble from its throat, its sharp, golden eyes gazing toward the back mountain, revealing a longing for the vast sky.
’Understood, Master.’
"Go on." Yang Qi swept his arm upward.
"SCREEE—!"
A clear, soaring cry tore through the heavy air above the Zoo. In response, a massive gray-and-white figure took to the sky. Its wings stirred up a powerful current, kicking up a gust of wind as it sped toward the lush, green back mountain, quickly shrinking into a soaring black dot.
The technician stared intently at the tablet in his hands. On the screen, the dot representing Qi Zai moved steadily, and various basic data points fluctuated.
"Signal stable, flight path normal, altitude climbing... It’s entered the back mountain region."
"Good. Keep monitoring, and notify me immediately of any abnormal fluctuations."
Yang Qi nodded. Through the subtle connection of the Mother-Child Unity Bell, he had an even clearer grasp of Qi Zai’s position, its general condition, and the mixture of excitement and caution from its first free flight.
This was more reassuring than any tracker.
All that was left was to wait.
During the wait, Huang Zhongmu and Jiang Kai sent a few messages to ask about the situation. Yang Qi replied to them all: "Everything’s normal. The signal is stable. Qi Zai is operating in the safe zone of the back mountain."
As noon approached, the sunlight grew fiercer.
At around 11:20, the dot on the tablet began to move rapidly back toward the Zoo.
Yang Qi seemed to sense something and looked up at the sky in the direction of the back mountain.
A black dot rapidly grew larger. Qi Zai’s powerful figure pierced through the sunlight, diving down with incredible speed.
As it neared the ground, both Yang Qi and the technician beside him noticed it was gripping something in its powerful talons: a plump, grey-brown wild rabbit, its legs still kicking.
Qi Zai executed a beautiful, decelerating glide and landed precisely on the concrete clearing a few steps in front of Yang Qi before opening its talons.
The rabbit landed with a THUD. Apparently stunned by the raptor’s sharp talons and the high-speed flight, it lay limp on the ground, too scared to move.
Then, with another flap of its wings, Qi Zai landed lightly on Yang Qi’s outstretched, bracer-clad right arm. It then deftly shifted to his shoulder, folded its massive wings, and affectionately nuzzled the side of Yang Qi’s ear with its beak, a satisfied rumble emanating from its throat.
’Master, eat something tasty.’
Qi Zai tilted its head up, a hint of pride in its successful hunt and a clear desire to share.
"Haha."
A warmth spread through Yang Qi’s chest. He smiled and replied, "Thanks, Qi Zai, but I’m good. This is your trophy. You should enjoy it."
He then crouched down, took out his phone to snap a few photos of the terrified rabbit from different angles, and wrote in his logbook.
"First free flight and return. Brought back prey (one adult wild rabbit). This proves Qi Zai possesses natural hunting abilities and homing instincts."
"Prey is physically intact with no significant external injuries (subdued by grappling, presumably), consistent with raptor hunting behavior."
The technician’s eyes went wide, his face a mixture of admiration and envy. "That’s incredible, Brother Qi! On its very first flight, Qi Zai not only came back on time but even brought you a ’present.’ Its level of training is off the charts!"
"Qi Zai really is something else." Yang Qi smiled, patting the big bird’s feathers on his shoulder as he finished his notes.
He then took Qi Zai back to its enclosure, opened the inner chamber door, and tossed the rabbit inside.
Qi Zai leaped from Yang Qi’s shoulder and strode steadily toward its "trophy," beginning to dispatch it skillfully with its beak and talons.
Standing outside the enclosure, Yang Qi seized the opportunity to snap a few more pictures of Qi Zai in its natural state, feeding on "rabbit strips."
This was all data for behavioral observation.
Once Qi Zai was engrossed in its feast, Yang Qi packed up his tools and locked the enclosure.
As he left, he glanced up at the dense safety netting covering the top of the enclosure and thought to himself.
’In a few days, I need to talk to Minister Jiang. I’ll apply to have a controllable skylight or access hatch installed on the roof.’
’Qi Zai is my Guardian Beast. The step-by-step flight plan is more of a formality, a way to comply with Zoo regulations and avoid drawing unwanted attention.’
’The ideal situation would be to turn this enclosure into a proper "nest," a home base that Qi Zai can enter and leave as it pleases.’
’Then it could leave on its own in the morning or evening to exercise and hunt. That would satisfy its instincts and also make it easier to manage.’
...
After packing his tool bag, Yang Qi checked the time and headed toward the staff cafeteria.
The cafeteria was on the western side of the Zoo, requiring a walk through a small grove of transplanted ornamental trees.
As he turned from a stone path near the animal enclosures and stepped onto the main tree-lined avenue to the cafeteria, he heard a commotion up ahead—a noisy quarrel mixed with gasps and shouts of protest.
"Stop it! How can you just hit someone?"
"Let’s just talk this out."
"Chen Ze! Chen Ze, are you okay?"
"Are you crazy?!"
"..."
Yang Qi’s brow furrowed. That voice sounded familiar, and the name "Chen Ze"...
He quickened his pace, and after passing a few dense camphor trees, the scene before him made him freeze.
By a public bench on the avenue, a dozen or so tourists and a few Zoo employees had formed a crowd.
In the center of the crowd, a figure was sprawled wretchedly on the ground, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He tried to get up but was kicked down again.
It was Chen Ze.
A long-haired woman beside him screamed for the attacker to stop, but she was shoved to the ground and couldn’t get back up.
The man pinning Chen Ze down, raining punches and kicks on him, was a burly stranger, at least six-foot-one.
The man looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties. He wore a tight black T-shirt that showed off his knotted biceps, had a buzz cut, and a savage look on his face. The faint outline of a tattoo was visible on his neck.
His face was contorted with rage. Pinning the struggling Chen Ze with his knee, he swung his massive fists while spewing a stream of vile curses.
"You meddling little bastard! So what if I hit a woman? What the fuck is it to you?"
"So what if you’re a vet? You still can’t take a single punch from me!"
THUMP.
