Chapter 1

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The midsummer heat was scorching. Even the leaves on the trees curled up under the blazing sun. A hot gust of wind blew by, accompanied only by the endless chirping of cicadas.

Suddenly, a furious roar erupted from inside an air-conditioned office, startling the birds resting in the trees into flight.

The pot-bellied zoo director slammed his hand on the desk. However, the moment his eyes landed on the person in front of him, he forcibly softened his tone. “Ling Yue, are you really sure you want to resign?”

He sighed and began “earnestly” persuading her: “The job market is tough right now. You know your own situation. Even though you graduated from Capital University, it’s hard to find such a good and fulfilling job elsewhere. Not to mention the future—just think about right now…”

A mix of threats, incentives, and empty promises. Under normal circumstances, someone with a weaker personality would have already started wavering. Ling Yue watched him coldly. In the director’s eyes, her silence was undoubtedly hesitation.

Zhao Fang’s heart leaped with joy. He wanted to press his advantage. His greedy gaze landed on the girl’s face—

What celebrity could compare to her? Ling Yue’s beauty was like something out of a painting. Especially those peach blossom eyes that always seemed to hold a pool of clear autumn water, with a red mole at the corner that gave her an innocent yet seductive charm.

She was the most stunning woman he had ever seen.

Zhao Fang barely tried to hide his lust and was about to say something more to keep her.

**Slap.**

Ling Yue placed her resignation letter on the desk. A hint of coldness flashed in her pure black eyes. Her voice rang out clear and melodious like jade striking against crystal: “Sorry, but my stomach isn’t good. I can’t swallow the big pie you’re offering.”

“Resignation is a notification, not a discussion.”

Ling Yue had no patience to waste time with him. In fact, if she hadn’t been waiting for today, she would have left the zoo long ago.

Zhao Fang’s face darkened. “Fine! A worthless college graduate. Let’s see which company in the entire capital dares to hire you after you resign!”

“Also, you haven’t finished your work for today. Forget about the aquarium—you’re transferred to the tiger enclosure!”

Ling Yue’s steps paused.

Zhao Fang laughed shamelessly. “What? Scared? Who do you think you are? We were being merciful letting you work at the aquarium. An orphan with no background who dared to offend—”

He paused before continuing, “If you won’t do it, then get lost! Don’t even think about getting your salary!”

Ling Yue sneered and walked straight toward the tiger enclosure without looking back. At the same time, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had gotten it. The recording from earlier and the chat logs she had saved beforehand—she had anticipated today’s difficulties and prepared everything. These people wouldn’t let her go so easily.

At least her salary was safe now.

Ling Yue pressed her lips together tightly. She had never underestimated the malice of others, especially in this snake pit of a zoo and the person backing them.

The story went back more than a month ago.

As a fresh graduate in animal medicine from Capital University, while her classmates had all found jobs, her resume had sunk without a trace. The few replies she received were all polite rejections.

It wasn’t that Ling Yue was overconfident. She had always been ranked first in her major and had received many offers, but every single one went silent after graduation. Only later did she learn that everything was because of one man.

What was even more ridiculous was that the man was merely one of her pursuers.

Because of her outstanding appearance, Ling Yue had had many admirers since childhood. Qin Junxin was one of them—and the most persistent. Once, he had made a grand public confession on the sports field, only to be rejected by Ling Yue on the spot.

Later, he supposedly started dating the daughter of a wealthy family and gradually faded from her life. She had almost forgotten about him.

Who would have thought that right after she graduated, he would strike.

The reason was even more absurd. Ling Yue learned it from her friend Qiao Qiao. Qin Junxin, that coward!

His girlfriend was spoiled and domineering. When she found out he had once pursued Ling Yue, she flew into a rage and questioned him. Afraid of being dumped by the “little princess,” Qin Junxin immediately pushed all the blame onto Ling Yue. He claimed she had seduced him, he couldn’t resist, and only later realized she was just playing with him because she had already hooked up with a rich second-generation heir.

The brainless little princess exploded in anger. First, she posted on the campus forum calling Ling Yue a green tea bitch who seduced other people’s boyfriends. Then she tried to interfere with her graduation. The first attempt was crushed by Ling Yue with evidence, and the second failed because of Ling Yue’s excellent grades and the school’s protection. Instead, she only brought trouble upon herself.

As expected of someone with no brain—she knew she had been lied to, yet instead of reflecting, she doubled down.

By a stroke of bad luck, the girl’s family was involved in the pet industry. They issued an order within the industry to blacklist Ling Yue. Between a thriving enterprise’s daughter and a newly graduated college student, anyone could guess which side people would choose.

In the end, only one zoo was willing to hire her. After joining, Ling Yue realized it wasn’t because they were brave enough to defy pressure—they had been instructed to torment her.

Her superiors targeted her, and her colleagues ostracized her. This one month had been harder than a year. As for why she hadn’t resigned earlier, Ling Yue lowered her eyes and smiled bitterly.

Her mother, who had raised her alone, had suddenly passed away. The funeral had drained nearly all her savings.

Then came the scene at the beginning.

These thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant. Ling Yue was still thinking about what path she should take next. She didn’t regret offending them. She just refused to accept it. She had no family background or connections, but did that mean everything she had worked for could be erased?

Was she really supposed to just give up?

Leave the city?

In the sweltering summer, the wind brought no relief, only more stifling heat. Ling Yue could hear her own heartbeat, heavy and dull.

As for the tiger enclosure, it was purely Zhao Fang’s way of making things difficult for her. Sending a newcomer who had only worked for a month to feed the tigers was dangerous—even veteran keepers could get injured. Tigers were the kings of ferocious beasts, after all.

“Ah! Help! Niuniu fell down!”

Before Ling Yue could get close, a sharp scream rang out. All kinds of chaotic and panicked shouts exploded like cold water hitting hot oil.

Ling Yue rushed over in a few quick steps. Through the tightly woven wire mesh, she could see that beneath the visitors’ viewing railing, a three- or four-year-old child was sitting on the grass, looking up curiously at the adults above, thinking it was some new game.

Dozens of meters away on the tiger mountain opposite her, two or three tigers seemed to have noticed something. They stretched lazily, licking their paws with long tongues. Their heads were as big as bathtubs.

“Aaaah! My Niuniu! Someone save my child! Help! Please save my daughter!”

The child’s mother in the viewing area was crying her heart out. Ling Yue glanced at the crying little girl.

At this rate, the tigers would spot her in just a few minutes. The consequences would be disastrous.

Ling Yue immediately opened the gate to the tiger enclosure. She took a deep breath as she looked at the tigers. The commotion had also drawn everyone else’s attention. The little girl’s mother’s eyes lit up for a moment, but when she saw who it was, she immediately looked disappointed.

“Who is that visitor? What is she doing going in there? Is she trying to get herself killed?!”

“Where are the keepers? This is a matter of life and death!”

Ling Yue heard them too. She glanced at the tall, burly man in the corner, whose legs were shaking. He clenched his fists. “You… you’re going in? Are you tired of living? Those are tigers!”

As for the shouts from above—damn it, was he crazy? Who would dare snatch someone from a tiger’s mouth? These tigers had just been borrowed from another zoo. Even veteran keepers didn’t dare get close!

Only a fool would go in to save her.

Oh, and there was exactly one fool standing right in front of him.

The keeper wanted to say more, but Ling Yue had already walked past him without looking back. Her attitude made the keeper’s face flush red with embarrassment and anger. After a long pause, he spat out dryly, “Ptui! Not knowing good from bad!”

Ling Yue walked lightly, making almost no sound. Even the tigers hadn’t noticed her yet. She went into a small side room, opened a locked drawer containing several long, thin needles and vials of medicine. Others noticed her actions and grew puzzled.

“What… what is she doing?”

“Wuwuwu, my Niuniu, don’t move! Mommy is coming!” If not for others holding her back, the little girl’s mother would have jumped down herself. The situation was becoming increasingly critical.

People outside had already called the police and contacted zoo security, but the question was whether the little girl could hold on until rescuers arrived.

Suddenly, a tiger roared, its mouth opening wide. Its bloody maw looked big enough to swallow a child whole.

Some people were paying attention to Ling Yue and were shocked by her actions. Someone even took out their phone. The tiger enclosure was now surrounded by tourists who had heard the news.

Ling Yue focused solely on preparing the correct dosage of anesthetic according to the tigers’ weight. Too little or too much would be useless. These anesthetics were scarce—she didn’t even need to guess that the zoo’s regular supply had been skimmed. There were three tigers here; she couldn’t afford to miss any of them.

On her first day, Ling Yue had already memorized all the animal information in the zoo thanks to her photographic memory.

The tigers had no idea what was happening outside.

Two tigers were lazily lying down licking their paws. One on the tiger mountain looked eager to move, its bold black “king” character marking on its forehead making people’s hearts tremble. The spot where the little girl had fallen was in a blind spot, but once the tiger jumped down, it would definitely spot her!

Not to mention the smell of humans—animals had incredibly sharp senses.

The little girl’s mother was on the verge of breaking down. No one was coming, and she was starting to despair. In the end, her only hope rested on Ling Yue.

Such a beautiful girl… could she really do it?

For a moment, everyone doubted her.

“Done.” Ling Yue picked up the syringe and was about to head out when she noticed the fresh chunks of meat prepared on the side. An idea struck her. She grabbed the bucket and walked toward the tiger mountain, one hand holding the syringe.

At that moment, the crowd suddenly cried out in alarm.

“The tiger! The tiger is coming down!”

Amid heart-wrenching screams and shouts, a ferocious tiger leaped down. Its powerful body landed steadily, digging deep claw marks into the soft soil. It tilted its head—clearly, it had spotted the little girl at the base of the wall.

“Niuniu!” The girl’s mother turned deathly pale, her whole body going limp. “My Niuniu!”

**Thud! Thud! Thud!**

The loud knocking sound instantly drew the tigers’ attention. Ling Yue flung chunks of meat from the bucket toward the base of the tiger mountain. The other two tigers were also lured over and jumped down.

All three tigers were now on the ground!

Terrified tourists watched them. Even from behind the railing, they could feel the tigers’ terrifying presence. Two tigers immediately lowered their heads and began tearing at the meat. For their appetites, the amount was barely enough to pick their teeth.

The two tigers were happily munching away. The first tiger that had jumped down licked its lips and walked toward Ling Yue. The tourists instantly understood her plan: “She’s… she’s using meat to lure the tigers!”

“Oh my God! How does she dare? Those are tigers!”

“Wuwuwu, I’m kowtowing to you! Please save my child!”

The first tiger was clearly smarter. It saw the meat bucket at Ling Yue’s feet. Every day, humans pulled lots of fresh meat out of it. Feeding time had arrived!

As for the strange human, it was nothing compared to the delicious fresh meat it was used to.

Ling Yue threw out a few more chunks of meat, successfully drawing all the tigers away. Seeing the little girl left behind, the adults above breathed a sigh of relief. Ling Yue, however, remained tense. Unless you had experienced it yourself, you couldn’t understand the feeling of being locked onto by three apex predators.

Danger!

Her scalp tingled, and every nerve in her body screamed in alarm. With one hand holding the tranquilizer gun, she waited for the two tigers to lower their heads to eat again, then fired!

She was betting her life!

Thankfully, she hadn’t forgotten the skills she learned during military training. The moment the darts hit the tigers’ backs and necks, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The two tigers let out low, angry roars, clearly provoked.

But they were no longer a threat. In a few seconds, the anesthetic would take effect. However, right at that moment, disaster struck!

The last tiger that had been walking slowly suddenly roared. It had noticed something was wrong and charged straight at Ling Yue. The tourists above tensed up: “Watch out!”

Everything happened in a split second!

The tiger was over three meters long, yet its leap was incredibly agile and powerful.

Tigers, being part of the cat family, had astonishing jumping ability—over ten meters easily. At its current distance from Ling Yue, it would only need a few leaps to pounce on her!

The heart-stopping scene made everyone gasp. Before anyone could react, Ling Yue violently threw out a piece of meat. The delicious scent made the tiger mid-leap hesitate for a split second. It twisted its head and caught the meat cleanly, like a circus performance.

This was also because it had been raised in captivity for a long time and no longer possessed the full ferocity of the wild. Ling Yue seized the moment and shot it. The dart hit the tiger squarely in the waist.

The tiger bit down on the meat, looking somewhat dazed as it shook its head. The other two tigers had already collapsed under the anesthetic. It chomped on the meat while staring fixedly at Ling Yue with its tiger eyes.

The tiger shook its head on the spot. Its four limbs gave out.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds—

**Thump!**

The tiger crashed to the ground. The new anesthetic worked extremely fast. Once its prey was down, all it could do was watch helplessly as it lost consciousness.

At that moment, the crowd erupted into deafening cheers and screams.

“Aaaah! The child is saved!”

“A hero! A hero who snatched a person from the tiger’s mouth!”

“She really did it! She actually succeeded! The child is fine!”

The child’s mother cried tears of joy. She wanted to kneel before Ling Yue. In the end, she collapsed into her husband’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Ling Yue quickly picked up the little girl and found that she only had a few scrapes. She had been incredibly lucky—the fall had been cushioned by a tree and she had landed on soft grass.

“Security is here!”

“The police are here!”

The rescue team had finally arrived late. Ling Yue carried the child and walked past the collapsed tigers. Zoo Director Zhao Fang finally rushed over, sweating profusely and panting like he had just been fished out of water.

He put on a flattering expression, clearly having seen Ling Yue’s actions and knowing many people were watching. He immediately changed his attitude and asked with concern: “Ling Yue, how are you feeling? Are you hurt? You’re a great hero of our zoo, you…”

The director’s mouth was running dry, but when he looked up, the girl didn’t even spare him a glance.

Ling Yue looked at the anesthetized tiger on the ground in surprise. It was staring at her with wide tiger eyes. In her mind, a silly, husky voice suddenly rang out:

“Mommy, this meat… the meat has poison in it!”

Who was speaking?

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