Working in a Zoo with Beast Taming System

"M-Mom... Mommy..."

The little chubby boy, Xu Xiangyu, was pale with fright, stammering as he tried to beg for mercy.

"I told you not to run off! I told you to listen! Don’t you know Mommy was worried sick?!"

"Huh?!"

Ms. Zhou’s fear and anger, which had been building for over an hour, completely erupted at this moment.

She held the little boy down and gave his chubby little bottom a few good WHACKS, scolding him as she did, her voice laced with tears.

"I told you to wait at the entrance, but you followed a stranger! Are you trying to scare Mommy to death?!"

"Are you?!"

The spanking was real, but she was clearly holding back her strength.

The scolding was also real, but every word was filled with the lingering fear of having lost him, as well as love and worry.

As Ms. Zhou continued to scold him, her tears finally burst forth uncontrollably. She hugged her son and began to wail.

At first, the little chubby boy, Xu Xiangyu, had been pouting from the spanking and the fear. But when he saw his mother crying so heartbrokenly, he also let out a "WAH!" and began to cry, hugging her neck tightly.

"Mommy... I’m sorry... *sob*... I saw cotton candy... and wanted to buy some... so I followed... Then I smelled something good from in here... and came in without thinking... Those two big sisters gave me food... *sob*... Mommy, please don’t cry..."

The two young college students nearby, who had given the little boy the food, were also left at a loss by the sudden turn of events.

However, they quickly realized that the child had been lost and was now found. They hurried over to gently comfort Ms. Zhou and briefly explain the situation.

They had been eating when the little boy approached them. Without thinking much of it, they gave him some of their food. Just as they were asking him about his situation, Yang Qi arrived with Bai Wan.

...

At the entrance of the shop, Wang Anjiu watched the scene of the mother and son crying in each other’s arms inside the fast-food restaurant. He let out a sigh of relief and took out his phone to call his master.

"Master, we found him. Yes, in the fast-food restaurant on XX Street... Okay, okay, I’ll report back as soon as I’m done here."

After hanging up, Wang Anjiu turned to Yang Qi and gave him a thumbs-up. "Advisor Yang, you’re amazing. Of course, Bai Wan is even more amazing! This tracking efficiency is off the charts!"

Yang Qi smiled. "It’s mainly because the boy didn’t go too far, and the scent trail was still relatively clear."

With that, he called out to Bai Wan.

"Let’s go, Bai Wan. Mission complete. Time to go home."

"Advisor Yang, I’ll head back with you. I need to report to Minister He as well."

Wang Anjiu quickly followed, his mouth not stopping for a moment on the way as he excitedly expressed his admiration. "Advisor Yang, you have no idea how many colleagues at our department admire you. You’re so good at training cats and dogs, and you can even ’communicate’ with tigers and brown bears. You’re basically a real-life ’Druid’!"

"A bunch of colleagues even want your autograph, but they’ve been too shy or haven’t had the chance..."

Yang Qi naturally didn’t believe all of it, knowing it was partly flattery and the excitement of a young man meeting his "idol." Still, he didn’t want to be a wet blanket, so he played along and responded politely.

Finally, after Wang Anjiu’s repeated and "shameless" requests, the two added each other as friends.

Wang Anjiu justified it by saying it was "to make it convenient to contact an expert like you, Advisor Yang, at a moment’s notice for future missing person cases or situations requiring K-9 assistance."

Back at the Zoo, Yang Qi briefly explained the situation of the found child to He Ling, who was waiting at the service center. She also breathed a huge sigh of relief and thanked him repeatedly.

After a brief chat, Yang Qi took Bai Wan and returned to his dorm.

「Afternoon.」

Yang Qi once again took Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, Hu Zi, Leopard, and Ta Xue deep into Cangshan.

His goal was still to refine the Divine Abilities seed for "Grass and Trees Are Soldiers."

This time, he didn’t discover any rubies, nor did he run into any desperate drug traffickers.

Yang Qi found a valley where the aura of grass and trees was particularly dense. He settled down to meditate, continuing to refine the Divine Abilities seed.

The little guys spread out around him to keep watch.

The refining process progressed steadily. Although there was still a long way to go before he could fully master this Divine Ability, he had made another solid step forward.

At dusk, as the setting sun dyed the mountain forest gold, Yang Qi finished his cultivation and called for his Guardian Beasts to gather.

Ta Xue rubbed against Yang Qi, then followed Caiyun, who had come to pick it up. The two colorful figures, one large and one small, disappeared deep into the dense forest.

Yang Qi led the other furry companions back to the Zoo.

...

「The next morning, just after nine o’clock.」

Yang Qi drove, with Hu Zi and Leopard in the car, to the police dog training base located in a secluded valley on the northeast outskirts of the city.

As previously arranged, he was taking the two retired police dogs for their regular health check-up today.

He pulled the car into the visitor parking area outside the base’s main gate.

Yang Qi got out, opened the back door, and Hu Zi and Leopard leaped out neatly. They stood on either side of him, their postures upright and their gazes sharp.

He led the two police dogs toward the guard post at the entrance.

The middle-aged gate guard poked his head out. Seeing Yang Qi and the two German Shepherds, he smiled and teased, "Well now, Advisor Yang, are you bringing Hu Zi and Leopard back to visit their ’maiden home’?"

"That’s right, Uncle. I’m bringing them for a check-up, to see how they’re doing in their ’new home.’"

Yang Qi replied with a smile, handing over his credentials.

While skillfully logging the entry, the guard looked Hu Zi and Leopard over, clicking his tongue in amazement. "Tsk, tsk... are my old eyes deceiving me? Why do I feel like Hu Zi and Leopard have more spirit than when they were at the base? Their coats are so glossy and smooth, their eyes are bright, and they look even more solidly built."

"You think so? It’s probably because they run around outside every day. They get more exercise and are freer than they were in the kennels at the base," Yang Qi responded casually.