Chapter 217: Chapter 156: The Self-Harming "Top Star" (Part 3)
"Yes, Director," Yang Qi replied.
They exchanged a few more words. Yang Qi watched as Master Sun and the tech department staff carefully lifted the containment unit onto a transport vehicle, bound for the Reptile Hall. Only then did he turn and leave.
...
Back at his small mountainside villa, Yang Qi parked his car. The moment he stepped inside, he initiated eight consecutive draws from the system.
The first three draws yielded nothing but regular supplies.
The fourth draw.
[Congratulations, Host. You have received a prize: Vitality Nutrient Cream]
’Not bad.’
He kept going.
[Congratulations, Host. You have received a prize: Beast Spirit Pill]
’Nice.’
Again.
[Congratulations, Host. You have received a prize: Low-Grade Gathering Spirit Pill]
"Good stuff!"
’Another Gathering Spirit Pill. With the two I already have, I’m much more confident about breaking through to the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation.’
He continued drawing.
[Congratulations, Host. You have received a prize: Corpse Transformation Talisman]
"Another Corpse Transformation Talisman?"
Yang Qi was a little speechless.
’The two Corpse Transformation Talismans I got last time are still sitting in my Hundred Pouches Belt. I haven’t had a single chance to use them.’
’This thing is an extremely useful "cleaning tool" for specific situations, but you’d really hope you never have to use it.’
The final draw.
[Congratulations, Host. You have received a prize: Low-grade Spirit Stone (Wood-attribute)]
Another Wood Spirit Stone.
"All in all, not bad."
Yang Qi nodded in satisfaction.
He exited the system, took out some Spirit Rice, and began to cook porridge.
While the porridge cooked, he went to the backyard, expertly set up the Demon Extermination Array, and began to harvest contribution points.
’Every little bit helps!’
Soon, the unique, clean fragrance of the Spirit Rice Porridge filled the air.
Yang Qi called for Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard to come and eat.
The little furballs ate with exceptional gusto.
After the meal, Yang Qi went upstairs, sat cross-legged on his Meditation Cushion, and activated the Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array to begin his unwavering daily cultivation.
The Great Derivation Spirit-Controlling Technique circulated slowly, absorbing the pure Spiritual Qi drawn in by the Spirit Gathering Array. Bit by bit, he solidified his foundation at the Third Level of Qi Cultivation, taking steady steps toward the fourth.
...
The next day, life went on as usual.
Yang Qi woke up early. He first went to feed the Gray Wolf and the raccoons, observing and recording their conditions.
Then, he headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. Afterward, he returned to his dorm and wrote a concise report on his assistance to the police with the Golden Spearhead Viper incident the previous night, which he then submitted to Jiang Kai.
While eating lunch in the cafeteria, his phone vibrated. It was a message from Qian Yu.
[We’ve done the initial questioning. Su Wenxuan admitted the snake was hers. She had arranged to meet a buyer in the park to make a sale. The buyer hadn’t arrived yet, so she opened her bag for a final check on the snake’s condition. It suddenly got spooked, bolted out, and escaped into the park, where it was spotted by an old man.]
[She claims it was an accident and she only wanted to sell it for some money. We’re still tracing the snake’s origin; it was likely smuggled. We really owe you one for this. It would have been incredibly dangerous if that thing had stayed on the loose.]
Yang Qi finished reading and replied, [So that’s what happened.]
He understood. It was more or less what he had suspected.
’Su Wenxuan was just a dangerous pet trafficker skirting the law, and this time, she’d finally been caught.’
’As for whether she was part of a larger network, that would depend on how deeply the police investigated.’
...
For the next two days, life returned to its usual peaceful rhythm.
Feeding, cleaning, recording.
He completed the homework on animal behavior and ecology assigned by Song Chunfang.
It was a fulfilling and disciplined routine.
Around ten o’clock one morning, Yang Qi had just finished cleaning the enclosure for Qi Zai the Beaked Eagle and was making notes when his phone rang.
The caller ID read ’Cheng Yao’.
Yang Qi answered the call.
"Yang Qi, are you free right now? If you’re not busy, could you come over to the Bird District? Something’s wrong with ’Liang Zai,’ and we’re having trouble figuring it out." Cheng Yao’s voice was tinged with obvious anxiety.
"Liang Zai" was a famous great green macaw at the zoo, one of its four "superstars."
Its previous owner was an opera aficionado, so ’Liang Zai’ had grown up listening to it and had learned to sing several classic opera arias. Whenever the mood struck, it would bob its head in its cage and burst into song with perfect enunciation and rich melody, making it one of the zoo’s star attractions.
"No problem. I’ll be right there."
Yang Qi agreed without hesitation.
After hanging up, he quickly put away his cleaning tools, locked the enclosure door, and hurried toward the Parrot Plaza in the Bird District.
Even before he reached Liang Zai’s exclusive, luxurious aviary, Yang Qi could see a crowd had already formed.
He saw Cheng Yao in her marketing department vest, Xiaozheng, the keeper in charge of Liang Zai, and two Veterinarians carrying medical kits, their brows deeply furrowed.
The visitor path outside the aviary was also crowded with curious and worried tourists, who were pointing and whispering among themselves.
Yang Qi squeezed through the crowd to Cheng Yao’s side. "What’s the situation?" he asked.
"Yang Qi, you’re here."
Cheng Yao looked at Yang Qi as if he were her savior. She hurriedly pointed into the aviary. "I don’t know what’s wrong with Liang Zai! He suddenly started plucking his own feathers this morning, and he won’t stop. Look at the ground!"
Yang Qi followed her finger.
Inside the spacious aviary, Liang Zai, the massive great green macaw whose plumage should have been a brilliant emerald, stood on a thick perch. With its head bowed, it used its powerful, hooked beak to pluck methodically at the feathers on its chest and belly.
With every pluck, several emerald-green feathers, large and small, drifted to the floor.
The clean floor of the aviary was littered with a shocking amount of feathers—far more than what normal molting would produce. The vibrant green patch was an alarming sight.
’Feather plucking!’
’In aviculture, this was a serious red flag, a form of self-mutilation.’
’It usually meant the parrot was suffering from a severe physiological or psychological issue—one of the worst things a keeper could witness.’
"’We’ve already done a preliminary physical examination,’" an older Veterinarian standing nearby said in a grave tone. "’His temperature, respiration, heart rate, oral cavity, cloaca... none of them show any obvious abnormalities.’"
"’The full blood panel isn’t back yet, but based on experience, this doesn’t look like an acute infection or organ damage.’"
Beads of sweat dotted Xiaozheng’s forehead. "I’ve checked his food and water," the anxious keeper chimed in. "There’s nothing wrong. It’s the same brand-name nuts, fruit, and specially formulated pellets he always eats."
"’I also checked his enrichment toys and the perch environment. Nothing is broken or out of place that might be causing him discomfort.’"
"’He was perfectly fine yesterday. But this morning when I came to feed him, I noticed something was off. He was ignoring me, and then he just started plucking his feathers...’"
"Yang Qi."
Cheng Yao looked at Yang Qi with hopeful eyes. "We all know you have a special way with animals. Could you try to... communicate with Liang Zai? Find out what’s really wrong with him? Is he in pain? Is something bothering him emotionally? He’s never, ever done this before."
All eyes turned to Yang Qi.
"I’ll give it a try." Yang Qi nodded.
He took a few steps forward, looking at Liang Zai through the sturdy protective mesh.
The large parrot seemed oblivious to the surrounding commotion, remaining focused, almost obsessive, as it plucked its feathers. There was an indefinable quality to its movements.
Yang Qi observed the bird intently, a flicker of doubt rising in his mind.
’Based on past experience, if an animal truly had a physical or psychological problem, a relevant mission would have popped up by now, especially at this range.’
’Since one hasn’t appeared, there’s only one explanation.’
’There’s nothing wrong with Liang Zai!’
’The last time this "superstar" caused a panic, it was because he’d suddenly stopped talking.’
’After I "asked" him, I found out he just wanted to rest and was playing hooky for the day.’
’So what’s the deal this time?’
