King of the Wilderness

"To Director Fisher, this little tiger is no longer a life. It’s a liability, a hot potato."

"Keeping it means burning money every day and bearing enormous risks and responsibilities."

There was a tinge of deep helplessness and sadness in Max’s voice, "So, he has already hinted several times in the board meetings that the humane disposal procedure should be initiated promptly."

"To get rid of this burden in the cleanest and most compliant way possible."

She closed her eyes in pain, "Just yesterday, I saw the veterinary team’s schedule. Its final health assessment is set for next Monday."

"Lin, you know what that means."

That’s not an assessment, that’s a sentence.

The result of that evaluation report would only have one word—euthanasia.

Lin Yu’an quietly watched the little fellow in the quarantine room, oblivious to its fate.

December, though once abandoned, was filled with the pride, stubbornness, and strong life energy inherent in a polar bear.

It would struggle, act coy, and try everything to announce its existence to the world.

But the little fellow in front of him seemed to have been deprived of everything by fate from the moment it was born.

It didn’t even know how to fight or roar like a real tiger.

It chewed on its toys for a while, seemed to get bored, slowly stood up, walked to the food bowl, and drank a few sips of water.

Then, it found what it thought was the most comfortable corner, curled up its small body, closed its eyes, and fell asleep.

Throughout, it was quiet, well-behaved, even with a hint of... silliness.

It didn’t know its life was already counting down.

Lin Yu’an’s heart felt as if it was being tightly gripped by a cold hand! A sting of mixed anger and helplessness spread from the depths of his heart.

He didn’t know why he felt this way.

Logically, he shouldn’t have such intense emotions. He was a hunter, a man who lived by tracking and slaughtering in the harshest environments of Alaska.

His hands were stained with the blood of countless animals. He could unemotionally end the life of an adult moose with a single bullet just for winter food.

But a hunter is not a butcher.

A true hunter follows the oldest law of the wilderness, taking only what’s needed, respecting life, and revering nature.

And in this set of laws, there’s an iron rule that all hunters silently follow: never raise a gun against cubs or pregnant beasts.

Because they represent the continuation of life, the future of the wild. To harm them is to desecrate the land they revere the most.

He could coldly kill an adult wolf but couldn’t harbor any killing intent towards a suckling wolf pup.

This was his bottom line as a hunter.

Yet the emotions surging in his heart at this moment were far more complex and profound than this simple hunter’s code.

This was a more personal, instinctive feeling from the depths of his soul...

A father’s instinct.

He looked at the little tiger curled up in the quarantine room, unaware of its fate. Those pure blue eyes seemed like a key, instantly unlocking the softest part of his heart.

His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to Wiseman’s cabin.

Back to that little kingdom of his, filled with the scent of milk and the sound of laughter.

He remembered his two treasures, his son who was always energetic like Aliya, crawling everywhere and getting food all over his face.

And his daughter, who always loved to sit quietly on the carpet, observing the world with curious big eyes.

They were just over a year old, small, soft, and defenseless, entrusting their entire life and trust to him.

Before becoming a father, Lin Yu’an never understood the weight of the word "life."

But after becoming a father, he truly realized that protecting a weak life takes far more courage than conquering any snowy mountain.

And now this equally weak and helpless little fellow in front of him was also deemed worthless and about to be erased from this cold world in the name of humanity.

How could he accept this? An uncontrollable wave of burning anger surged within him!

What if it were his child lying there? If someone judged the survival value of his child with cold data and regulations?

This was not simply an outpouring of compassion.

Deep in Lin Yu’an’s heart, a strange and unexplainable feeling arose.

It was a kind of... fate, an irresistible pull of destiny.

He remembered finding the dying December amidst the vast snow and wind along the Labrador Coastline a few months ago.

He always thought it was a coincidence, a stroke of luck.

But now, with a broader perspective and after experiencing so much, he began to believe that perhaps it was a deeper guidance.

It was destiny that led him to save the life that should have perished.

And now...

The same script seemed to be playing out again.

An illegal tiger breeding farm, a defective cub from inbreeding, a poor little creature deemed worthless by all professional institutions...