King of the Wilderness

"Yet, this project will be detached from the research center’s official sequence and become an independent project managed by Dr. MacKeez’s team."

"This means that in the future, all the project’s funding, operational pressures, and ultimate legal and public opinion responsibilities will be independently borne by Dr. MacKeez’s team."

Isabella and Jenkins exchanged a glance, both detecting a barely perceptible relief in each other’s eyes.

This plan perfectly extricates the Canadian authorities and the Foundation from the future judgment seat in advance.

Fisher added, "Of course, the board has also provided an alternative option."

He looked at MacKeez, "A large marine park in Florida has shown a keen interest in December. They are willing to offer five million dollars for it and promise to provide the best living conditions."

"Dr. MacKeez, you know better than I that marine parks have ways to make it eat. Drugs, behavioral stimulation, with all sorts of means that we gentle scientists disdain to use."

"They can ensure it stays alive, then make it the big star jumping in the pool for visitors every day until its last moment of life."

Fisher paused, "And once we transfer the ownership of December, then no matter what happens in the future, the legal and public responsibility will belong to that marine park."

"After all, you know, zoos and aquariums often have animals that ’accidentally die,’ which is a normal phenomenon, and they already have a mature handling system."

"And this five million dollars could be used to establish a special fund named after December, jointly supervised by the three parties, to be used for broader Arctic ecological protection research."

"In this way, it not only extends its life’s value but also contributes to the conservation cause. Why not do it?"

Unveiling the dagger hidden within the map!

MacKeez felt a cold fury surge from her feet to her head instantly.

Fisher, this sly scoundrel, had this intention from the start! He didn’t want to offend Canada and the International Animal Protection Foundation, so he came up with this plan to transfer the risk to the aquarium!

She abruptly stood up, slamming her hands on the conference table, her body trembling slightly from extreme anger.

Those eyes, always brimming with vitality, now resembled the cold current beneath the polar ice, sweeping over everyone present.

Her voice wasn’t loud, yet it pierced painfully into the eardrums of all the pampered bureaucrats present, like an ice pick, "Impossible! Any of you who dare to sell December as a commodity, I guarantee will regret it for a lifetime!"

Director Fisher furrowed his brows, looking at her coldly: "Dr. MacKeez, watch your emotions and choice of words. Are you threatening us?"

"Threaten?" MacKeez let out a cold chuckle, slowly taking something out of the pocket of her white lab coat.

It was a professional-grade recording device, its weak red light flickering.

"I am not threatening you, Director." Her voice was frighteningly calm.

"I am merely stating a fact. This afternoon, my original plan was to record December’s breathing and heart rate samples in the isolation area. This device is part of my work, it has been running all along."

She gently placed the recording device in the center of the conference table, the faint red light resembling a demon’s eye, making everyone’s pupils suddenly contract.

MacKeez’s lips curled into a mad and determined arc, "Every word of our conversation just now, including Leclerc’s legally impenetrable disclaimers, Jenkins’ righteous moral accusations."

"Of course, also including you, Director Fisher, your perfect theory of tagging a life with a clear price of five million dollars to avoid risk and exchange for funding... all of it is here."

The air in the conference room seemed to be vacuumed out at that moment.

For the first time, Isabella and Jenkins’s faces turned somewhat grim.

MacKeez’s gaze cut across each person’s face like a sharp blade, "This recording, perhaps flawed legally for not informing in advance."

"However, in the eyes of the angry public online, who only need a simple story, do you think anyone will care if it’s legal?"

"I, MacKeez, do not care about my career, do not care about my reputation! But what about you?"

"The rising star of the Environment Canada?"

"The moral model of the International Foundation?"

She finally pointed at Fisher: "And you, our highly esteemed Director?"

"If you dare to sell December, I guarantee that the day after the transaction is completed, this unedited complete recording will appear in the inbox of every media outlet around the world!"

"At that time, let us explain to the whole world how we avoided risk by pushing a living being into hell with our own hands!"

These words exploded like a bomb in the confined conference room.

For the first time, a trace of uncontrollable anger appeared on Director Fisher’s eternally placid face.

He never expected his subordinate to dare to threaten him in such a reckless way!

Beside the conference table, there fell a deathly silence. It was a fragile, tense balance.

After what felt like an eternity, Director Fisher took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his inner rage. He knew that this madwoman was speaking the truth, she really dared to do this.