Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl-Chapter 324 - : The New Year’s Eve Emergency Call

Chapter 324 -324: The New Year’s Eve Emergency Call

“Two little cubs chased after that Tibetan fox all night, and as for the result, it seems the fox managed to escape successfully.”

“Creatures that survive in the wastelands all have their own wisdom for living.”

Sitting down to comb the lynx’s fur, she also gossiped about the ins and outs of the Flower Leopard fight, and Er Niu stretched her paw onto Chen Ying’s leg.

“Awooo, are my kind over there really that fierce?”

“Exactly, you, don’t go running around everywhere in the future. Be careful, or you might get beaten up and not find any pals to help you.”

Er Niu lay down beside Chen Ying, squinting her big eyes into slits, clearly plotting something in her mind.

Little Jin didn’t pay any attention to her but was curious if Brother Leopard and Leopard Sister were here, whether they could beat those guys.

“Brother Leopard and Leopard Sister live too far from here, there’s no need to have a contest with them.”

After playing with the little ones for a while, Chen Ying took the snow leopard cub and the little lynx to visit Elder Snow Leopard and also to take the two teenagers home to prepare for the New Year.

The two teenagers were reluctant to leave. Chen Ying hurried them onto the vehicle, promising to pick them up again after the fifth day to continue.

After finishing junior high, they didn’t continue with their studies and helped out with herding at home, occasionally doing some odd jobs.

“When you get back, tell your Ah-Li that work here starts on February 1st. You must report by January 31st at the latest, and then you’ll participate in a week of training, going out with the team for a mountain patrol.”

Temporary guardians wouldn’t go too deep into the uninhabited areas. Mainly, they would be led around the fencing area outside the Protection Station and also make a trip to the nearest mountain for inspection.

They weren’t required to reach the summit. Checking in at the activity cabins at the wind-sheltered area midway up the mountain was enough.

The place mainly served as the summer habitat for golden eagles and black-necked cranes. It was necessary to repeatedly check whether the conditions around had changed and whether there were traps set by poachers.

For over a decade, no gunshots had been heard in Kekexili, not because poachers had given up, but because of the relentless 365-day protection by the mountain patrol team.

After dropping off the boys and greeting their elders, Chen Ying made arrangements to pick them up later and took the two cubs for a stroll in the buffer zone.

He let them run around to get used to the environment; the little snow leopard expressed that it still preferred the wilderness near River Source.

Alright then, first, we’ll go to River Source Rescue Center to check on Old Snow Leopard, then ask for permission from the leaders of the Protection Center, hoping to let the little snow leopard stay in the wilderness between River Source and Budong River.

Although the little snow leopard was rescued by animals, it had been fed by humans and registered at the rescue center.

As for its fate, even if the Rescue Center didn’t intervene, they still had to be clear about the rescue and rewilding process and ensure that everything was in compliance with regulations and laws.

The process might be a bit troublesome, but as long as it was for the good of the animals, Chen didn’t feel it was a hassle.

By the twenty-ninth of the last lunar month, all the work was done, and what remained was just the daily tasks, which needed to be done whether it was the New Year period or not.

Surely, one couldn’t expect the animals at the rescue station and protection center to fast just because humans were on holiday.

This time, Chen Ying also brought Old Snow Leopard along, planning to let it spend its twilight years in the semi-wild area behind River Source Protection Station.

There was no choice. The snow leopard had gotten old and after surgery, it was even less willing to move, gaining thirty pounds in just a few months, which was worrying to see.

Its heart was already weak. If it developed coronary heart disease… all the work would be in vain.

Living near the Protection Station, at least the cubs would bother it, and there was no fear of it lashing out at the cubs, as there were two protective parents around.

Old Snow Leopard seemed to really like the new environment. Changing from its lethargic state at the Protection Center, upon entering the animal shed area, it walked around most of the iron fence, and when it got tired, it even caught a rabbit to eat.

After eating, it took a nap, then slowly returned to the animal shed.

That Old Snow Leopard was truly wily with age; it didn’t go to take over Er Niu’s man-made cave but found a spot in the corner to lie down and sleep.

Clearly, Chen Ying couldn’t just let Old Snow Leopard sleep out in the open; it would freeze to death at night.

Before going to pick it up, he had asked the staff at the Protection Station for help, to build a small wooden hut of about five square meters, with a solid wooden floor inside, and a bedding of dry grass and used fur mats collected from the pastures.

The door to the little hut could be opened from both inside and outside, just like a common cat house.

It was insulated with a layer of thermal boards on the outside, coated with cow, sheep, and horse dung, leaving two ventilation holes, making a simple winter hut.

The raw materials used were all sponsored by netizens.

There was also a netizen from Ge City who, at the beginning of December, drove a truck full of wood to River Source.

Economic wood, although not expensive, did not come cheap for that truckload.

The netizen said that this wood was for building winter houses for the animals.

In addition, he donated some money for the patrol officers of the Protection Station to buy some practical items.

He said he didn’t understand exactly what was needed for the job and didn’t dare to buy recklessly, fearing a waste of money. So, he simply gave the money directly, asking the Protection Station to ensure every penny was well-spent and to increase safety for the patrol team.

The netizen was a supporter of Yun Dong Bao, who usually worked and could only watch photos and videos posted by animal protectionists.

Chen Ying was the one he always followed; when Chen released some videos from the uninhabited area last time, especially the difficulties faced by mountain patrol team members when spending the night in uninhabited areas, this netizen became restless.

He contacted a few close friends, raised some money, and came to offer support before the end of the year.

The support from netizens improved the equipment of the mountain patrol team and let them know that their work did not go unnoticed.

While Chen Ying built a winter shelter, other protection stations had also constructed similar huts.

Even if not for large carnivores, providing a shelter for desert cats to spend the winter was also very commendable.

Some Tibetan foxes with cubs had also brought their little ones to shelter from the blizzard in the huts.

On the thirtieth, the eve of the New Year’s holiday, the remaining staff gathered for hot pot.

Yak bones were pressure cooked for half an hour, then stewed over charcoal fire for two more hours, making the soup as white as milk.

Lamb and beef, alongside vegetables that were rarely available, filled the pot to the brim and could be freely enjoyed.

At noon, everyone ate hot pot together, and in the evening, there were noodles, dumplings, and sweet rice balls—an array of choices, eat whatever you want.

The on-duty companions even had meals delivered to their posts, making sure everyone had company.

While the hot pot meal was in full swing, Yin Li’s phone rang.

“Hello, who is it? Laruo Station? What’s up…”

Yin Li suddenly stood up, his face grave; the young men beside him who had been frolicking fell silent as well.

“Okay, I’ll ask him right now.”

Without hanging up, Yin Li called out to Chen Ying, who was eating at another table.

“Brother Ying, the Grassland Protection Bureau needs your help with something.”

Seeing Yin Li’s expression, Chen Ying didn’t even ask before nodding his assent.

“Sure, what’s up, just tell me.”

He knew Yin Li well enough to know that he wouldn’t directly seek him out at this time unless it was something both important and urgent.

“The patrol officers at Laruo Station accompanied a Tibetan yak research team from our province to investigate the winter behaviors of wild yaks deep into the grasslands. They were supposed to return by the twenty-fourth at the latest, but they haven’t been found till today.”

“Laruo has already sent three search parties. Two vehicle teams proceeded from opposite ends of the patrol route towards the center, but there have been no discoveries.”

“The other team investigated previous scientific research sites, and so far, they’ve found no trace of the missing personnel.”

Upon hearing this, the young men from River Source promptly put down their utensils, “Director, let’s go help with the search.”

“Forget it, you guys stop messing around. Stay and do your jobs well. You’re not familiar with the situation there at all, what are you going to find? They’re asking Brother Ying for help because they want to borrow Jinya and the animals to see if they can be of help.”

“No problem, I’ll go get Jinya and Er Niu right away.”

Without another word, Chen Ying headed to the animal pen in the back.

Today was New Year’s Eve, and while they feasted up front, the animals didn’t miss out either—each one ate until their bellies were round.

“Jinya, Er Niu, come with me quickly, we need your help. Little Jin, you and the Old Leopard stay behind to take care of the two-legged beasts. If any bears show up, you tell the duty two-legged beast right away.”

Xiao Song was set to leave in the afternoon, and Duanmu would come to take her to the River Source Protection Center for the New Year.

When they received the call here, Xiao Song immediately phoned Duanmu, who was already on the road, asking him to hurry to the Protection Station as fast as he could.

Before they set off, Duanmu had arrived.

There was no time for chit-chat; he just crammed new winter coats for the two of them into the car, along with some food and drink, plus the latest animal GPS collars and other high-tech, small devices suitable for wildlife conservation, which were placed in the backseat.

Additionally, the Protection Station had filled a large plastic box with sheep, rabbit, and chicken meat to feed Er Niu and Jinya, just in case the other side hadn’t thought to prepare these things, because finding people was the most pressing matter.

Er Niu and Jinya boarded the car as soon as the door was opened.

Both had new tracking and camera devices provided by Duanmu. Whether they would be used was uncertain, but having more equipment was always better than doing nothing.

They sped through the journey and reached the nearest town to the grassland after dark.

The temporary command office was brightly lit inside and out, with the family members of Mountain Patrol Team members waiting quietly.

“Director Yin, Dr. Chen, sorry to trouble you with a trip during the holiday.”

“Don’t mention it, just tell us what needs to be done.”

“We’ve heard from the rescue team that the two big cats Dr. Chen helped rescue could assist in finding people, and we were thinking…”

“Sure, no problem. Can I take a look at where they entered from?”

During this conversation, they had already entered the conference room, which was thick with smoke. Five or six big guys sat inside, smoking cigarettes over the map.

Their eyes were red, and their eye bags were too dark to look at.

“Dr. Chen, the patrol team’s route started here, and they were supposed to walk east and come out here. Since it was the last patrol of the year, and they were also observing the lifestyle of the wild yaks along the way, the patrol was estimated to take fifteen to seventeen days. They were supplied with enough provisions for about thirty days, and if nothing went wrong, they could hold out until about the fifth of the next month.”

They were scheduled to return by the twenty-fourth at the latest, but they hadn’t shown up by the twenty-fifth, and no contact could be made over the phones, so everyone knew something had gone wrong.

“On the evening of the twenty-fifth, the station arranged for people to enter the grassland. At five in the morning, two vehicle teams set off simultaneously, proceeding along the established patrol route from opposite directions.”

However, after the two vehicle teams met up and still didn’t find the Mountain Patrol Team, everyone knew the situation was turning grim.