King of the Wilderness

"Dr. MacKeez! Good news! I’ve just had an urgent conversation with the board and some friends at the Fish and Wildlife Administration Bureau!"

"Regarding your humanitarian application to adopt that Northeast tiger cub, the board has agreed in principle!"

"They were all deeply moved by your benevolence and responsibility!"

MacKeez held the phone, listening to Fisher’s grandiloquent words, and an extremely complex expression appeared on her face.

An hour ago, this person regarded that little tiger as a defective product and burden that could be discarded at will.

But now, after the gift from that digital ghost, her action instantly became an act of benevolence and responsibility.

She glanced at the man beside her who was leisurely sipping coffee, as if everything had nothing to do with him, and for the first time, she intuitively perceived the absurdity.

"...Thank you, Director." MacKeez responded in an equally official tone, "I will prepare all the transfer documents as soon as possible."

"No, no, no, no hurry." Fisher’s tone became even more enthusiastic, "I’ll have my assistant team prepare all the documents for you at the fastest speed."

"You just need to sign them. Additionally, regarding the little tiger’s food and basic medical expenses for the next year, the center’s board, after careful consideration, has decided to sponsor it as a gesture of goodwill!"

"This counts as us making a small contribution to your great cause!"

Inside MacKeez, there was only a cold sneer.

She knew this so-called gesture of goodwill was just another layer of packaging by Fisher to make his own actions appear more reasonable on the books.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you again for your and the board’s support."

After hanging up this phone call filled with hypocrisy and scheming, MacKeez let out a long sigh of relief, feeling like she had just finished an extremely draining performance.

She looked at Lin Yu’an, whose blue eyes were full of admiration, "How did you know he would definitely agree?"

Lin Yu’an put down the coffee cup, didn’t answer directly, but instead asked, "MacKeez, what do you think is most important to someone like Fisher?"

"Power? Status?"

"Both correct, but not specific enough." Lin Yu’an shook her head, eyes gleaming with an understanding of everything.

"For him, the most important thing is stability. Ensuring the absolute stability of his current position and power. Any unexpected event that might break this stability is his enemy."

MacKeez frowned. She was emotional but not naïve: "But, Lin... I still don’t understand. The life of that little tiger is just a procedure to him."

"The board has already passed the resolution, the veterinarian is arranged, and he just needs to follow the regulations and sign. Everything is compliant and legal, so what trouble could it be for him?"

"MacKeez, you’re right. Legally, he has no trouble. But for someone of Fisher’s level, legality is just the basic bottom line."

"What he truly fears are the silent costs that can’t be quantified but genuinely exist."

"What do you mean?"

Lin Yu’an guided her thinking, "Think about what it takes to humanely handle a Northeast tiger cub?"

"It requires a veterinary team to execute, drug records, a death report, and finally submitting disposal documents to the Fish and Wildlife Administration Bureau... Every step leaves a paper trail."

"These traces might normally pose no problem, but they are like dormant bombs, ready to be detonated at any moment."

"For instance, if a competitor wants to grab research funding, or an aggressive animal protection organization wants to use the research center as a fundraising exemplar, they just need to hand over this file of legally humane treatment of an adorable tiger cub to the media."

"Ultimately, exposing the research center’s euthanasia of an animal with a mental defect, do you think the public will care about its legality?"

Lin Yu’an snorted coldly, "No, they will only see the world’s top Arctic Biological Research Center personally killing an innocent Northeast tiger cub."

"This would become a stain that can never be washed away, liable to be dredged up by political opponents to ruin him at any time."

"So, to Fisher, this little tiger is a silent trouble."

"Keeping it means spending money and using up valuable positions and resources, and the board won’t agree."

"Killing it is compliant, but equals burying a political time bomb in his own file, knowing not when it will explode."

"I guess that’s why he’s been reluctant to sign the euthanasia report."

"This is his genuine dilemma, and I merely offered him a perfect solution to permanently eliminate this unforeseen incident."

"Not only did I solve this enormous problem for him, but I also offered him an irresistible surprise. Do you think he has any reason to refuse?"

MacKeez nodded, somewhat understanding. She knew she might never be able to see through human nature like Lin Yu’an.

But she also knew that from today, the little one waiting quietly for death in the quarantine room has been saved.

"So... what now?"

"Of course, we’re going to welcome our new family member."

Lin Yu’an stood up, a warm smile on his face: "And it’s about time to give it a real name."