After that momentary chill, the bearded man came to his senses. He comforted himself: 'It's just a bird!'

He waved his other hand, trying to shoo it away.

The bystanders only saw the red bird perch on the thug's hand for two or three seconds before clenching its talons, its sharp claws viciously gouging out two chunks of flesh.

The bearded man screamed, his right hand went limp, and the knife fell to the ground.

With a flap of its wings, the bird was already diving repeatedly, pecking at the bearded man's head and face. Every peck tore away a piece of flesh or a clump of hair, blood attached. Its movements were vicious and precise; the bearded man couldn't even dodge!

The bearded man screamed continuously and tried to rush out, but the bird of prey seemed to see through his intentions, constantly adjusting its direction.

Under these circumstances, the bearded man could no longer hold the child. He used both hands to protect his head and face. Even so, the bird still found every opening, pecking him until he was a bloody mess.

He picked up the knife, his hand still dripping blood, and tried to stab the bird. Perhaps it was the blood blurring his vision or the pain affecting his aim, but he couldn't touch it at all. Instead, it viciously bit his hand tendon, leaving another bloody mess.

He looked up, and the gruesome state of his face and hands was so horrifying that even the adults closed their eyes, unable to look anymore.

After being released, the child sat on the floor, stunned with fear, not knowing to run.

The tourists and other students all watched this brutal scene in fear until Duan Jiaze forcefully slapped the door, snapping them back to their senses.

Seeing that Luya had the thug under control, Duan Jiaze no longer told them to hide inside. "Get out, quickly get out!"

Only then did these people react, running outside and bypassing the entangled man and bird.

The remaining teacher led the students out while crying. Duan Jiaze ran over, picked up the child from the floor with one arm, and helped Sun Ying up with the other.

He was the last one out. Looking back, he saw the bearded man running around frantically while Luya was still chasing and pecking him, preventing him from leaving. In some places, you could even see the stark white of bone.

'You were really asking for it. Of all places to commit a crime, you chose Lingyou Zoo. And of all places in Lingyou Zoo, you chose the aviary...'

Duan Jiaze's hair stood on end. 'What happened to the lighthearted, cute story?' He quickly turned back to close and lock the exhibition hall's main door.

Duan Jiaze turned his head and felt a bit helpless. Forget about the people from other exhibits; the tourists who had just run out hadn't actually fled but were standing outside, craning their necks to watch.

Seeing Duan Jiaze close the door, they all crowded around him.

"What's going on inside?"

"Is that bird eating him? Holy crap, that scared me to death!"

"What kind of bird is that? So vicious... My legs went weak watching it attack. Luckily, it only targeted that guy."

"Tore off flesh in one bite..."

Duan Jiaze was in no mood to answer them. He looked down and asked Sun Ying, "Sun Ying, are you alright?"

Sun Ying endured the pain and shook her head. "I'm fine. Has anyone called the police?"

Duan Jiaze looked up. An employee had already rushed over and nodded to indicate the police had been called.

"They've been called. I'll take you to the infirmary." Duan Jiaze adjusted his hold on the child. The little boy had been crying from fear of the bearded man, then was scared into silence by Luya, and was still in a daze. Duan Jiaze touched his face. "Little guy, are you hurt anywhere?"

The child stared at Duan Jiaze for a few seconds, then suddenly burst out crying with a "Waaah!" He hugged Duan Jiaze's neck, his body shaking with sobs.

Duan Jiaze felt a bit embarrassed. He suspected the child was more terrified by Luya...

......

The police arrived quickly. Only after they came did Duan Jiaze open the exhibition hall's main door. Except for the tourists who had been present, all other onlookers had been cleared out.

The police officers were cautious, mentally prepared for the possibility that the thug might still have some fight left in him or be hiding.

They had already heard a brief report from the zoo's person-in-charge: he had released a zoo bird to attack the thug, used the opportunity to lead the crowd out, and then locked the thug inside.

But as soon as the door opened, they saw a man matching the crowd's description lying on the ground, his condition unknown. His face was a bloody mess, his body was covered in blood, and some of it had pooled on the floor. And on his chest stood a large, unknown red bird.

The scene was so bizarre it was chilling. Even though they had handled many cases, they couldn't help but shiver.

"This... this bird..." a young police officer began hesitantly. "Could it be the one that injured the thug?"

He remembered that in the director's account, there was no mention of him fighting the man himself. Even if there was, how could someone be injured this badly? Scratched by fingernails?

Duan Jiaze stood at the entrance and whistled.

Luya rolled his eyes internally but acted very "well-trained," flying to Duan Jiaze's shoulder and nearly startling the police officers.

"It did this, but the man is definitely fine. It's very obedient," Duan Jiaze said, feeling a little guilty himself. Looking at the man's condition, disfigurement and psychological trauma were unavoidable, to say the least.

The police officers went forward and checked. Indeed, he wasn't dead, just very weak, with many wounds on his body—he had also bumped into many things in his panic while trying to escape Luya.

Well, in this state, he had to be sent to the hospital first.

---

The zoo was temporarily closed. The students were sent back to school, and Sun Ying also went to the hospital for a check-up. She had been kicked in the abdomen, and Duan Jiaze was worried about internal injuries. But Duan Jiaze couldn't go to the hospital with them; he had to go to the police station to give a statement.

He also had to copy the surveillance footage for the police—surveillance cameras had been installed at the entrance after the zoo was vandalized by the villagers. The ones inside the exhibits and enclosures came with a later system upgrade, allowing the keepers to monitor the animals' conditions. Previously, Duan Jiaze didn't turn on the surveillance for dispatched animals at night, but after Huang Qi arrived, he just had them leave an avatar as a substitute after work.

All this commotion lasted until evening.

At the police station, Duan Jiaze met the student's parents. They thanked him profusely. They had come from the hospital after just seeing Sun Ying.

The police investigated the matter quickly. The bearded man had a criminal record, and after questioning the student's parents, they could roughly guess what had happened.

The student's father was in the construction business and had offended some people. The other party had hired some thugs to kidnap his son to teach him a lesson.

If Sun Ying hadn't held onto the student in time, and if Duan Jiaze hadn't released the bird to trap the man, who knows what suffering the child would have endured if he had been kidnapped. Therefore, the parents were extremely grateful to Sun Ying and Duan Jiaze, especially Sun Ying.

In the meantime, Duan Jiaze received several calls from Sun Aiping, a reporter from the City TV Station, Zhou Xintang, and others. Both Sun Aiping and Zhou Xintang offered to pick him up from the police station, but Duan Jiaze declined.

Duan Jiaze's mind was in a mess. An incident like this had happened today. Closing for a day was a small matter; he was afraid of the negative impact it would have on the zoo's reputation.

What if whenever people mentioned it, they would only remember that a kidnapping had occurred here? The police investigation would also take some time. Before the truth came out, many people would just think the place was dangerous.

Even people like Sun Aiping and Zhou Xintang couldn't help him change the public's perception. Although the reporter from the City TV Station wanted to do an interview, which might have some effect, Duan Jiaze worried its impact would be limited.

Duan Jiaze was in a very heavy mood. It was already past eleven when he left the police station. He hailed a cab to go back, his face grim the entire way.

......

Duan Jiaze dragged his weary body back to the office building, only to see that all the office lights were on. None of the employees had gone home; they were all in their offices. Luya, Yousu, Bai Suzhen, and Xiao Qing were there too, holding their phones and typing something.

Duan Jiaze asked in surprise, "Why are you all still here?"

The zoo closed temporarily during the day, so the employees should have gone home to rest.

Huang Qi smiled at Duan Jiaze. "Zoo Director, you're back. We're fighting a public opinion war."

Duan Jiaze asked, confused, "What?"

Xiao Su excitedly pulled Duan Jiaze over to explain. Only then did Duan Jiaze learn that as soon as he had left, Huang Qi had made a decisive call to action, mobilizing everyone to get busy.

This was the era of social media. As soon as the incident occurred, people immediately posted the news to their Moments. The content was just as sensational and one-sided as Duan Jiaze had feared, things like "A primary school student was attacked at Lingyou Zoo, the police are here," and so on.

But Huang Qi acted extremely fast. Before these rumors could spread widely, he immediately contacted an online water army, compressed the surveillance video, and spread it under a private name. Before the incident could be distorted and spread, he took the first step to push and guide public opinion.

As a result, if you went online now, news about "Thug Fails to Kidnap Primary School Student and Is Subdued by a Bird" was being pushed everywhere. And because Huang Qi had the video, many media outlets were citing his content.

And the focus of this news was almost entirely on the quick-thinking, heroic teacher who saved the student, and the zoo's well-trained bird of prey. It was through their seamless cooperation that everyone else remained unharmed and the thug was brought to justice.

Although the police investigation results weren't out yet, there was video evidence, and the truth was there for all to see. The general course of events was self-evident.

Consequently, countless people were praising the teacher and the zoo director for their quick reactions. Many others commented on their astonishment at the bird's ferocity, saying it was practically a lethal weapon!

The news didn't just spread locally. Because of the two major highlights, Sun Ying and Luya, many higher-level media outlets also reposted it. It was said that Huang Qi had contacted some of them to do so.

One could only say that the Daoist Lord either stayed out of the news or made a huge splash when he did.

---In this battle of public opinion, Huang Qi's swift response directly averted the risks and turned a crisis into a marketing opportunity.

Huang Qi smiled at Duan Jiaze. "Zoo Director, can the marketing expenses be reimbursed?"

"Yes, yes, of course!" Duan Jiaze felt like crying. He hugged Huang Qi. "I'm so glad I kept you back then."

"It's nothing. By the way, Zoo Director, I have an idea for the second phase of our marketing direction. Do you have the energy to listen right now?" Huang Qi said.

'How else could he be an elite?' Duan Jiaze thought. 'Not only did he masterfully control the narrative, but he's already thinking about phase two.' He wiped his face and said, "It's fine, go ahead."

Huang Qi said, "I saw a lot of comments asking about and debating the species of your bird. I remembered you seemed to have mentioned that even the experts from the Forestry Bureau couldn't identify it. So, I think we should focus on this bird again. Is it possible that it's an extremely rare species?"

After all, they were a zoo. If they had a bird that was not only rare but had also saved someone, wouldn't that be wonderful?

Duan Jiaze was a bit stunned. He glanced at Luya. "Yes, I guess so..."

"Okay." Huang Qi nodded. Anyway, as long as they had these two points, they could create some hype.

At this point, everyone could pretty much wash up and go to bed. Duan Jiaze thanked them all again, saw them off, and then went to sleep.

......

The next day, Duan Jiaze woke up and lay in bed in a daze for ten minutes.

With this incident at the zoo, they would be closed for a day, but they couldn't rest. The reporter from the City TV Station was coming for an interview today. Duan Jiaze also had to stay in contact with the police station and issue an official announcement today.

The reporter from the City TV Station came at noon and asked for a copy of the surveillance video, even though it was already circulating online.

Because of the direction of public opinion online, even the reporter's story leaned that way, since that's what everyone was interested in. Duan Jiaze had no choice but to demonstrate how obedient Luya was, and also describe the incident from his perspective, sharing his thoughts and feelings during the event.

The reporter then added, "Are you aware that many citizens, and even netizens, think this unidentified bird of prey is too ferocious, and that it has left a psychological scar on those who watched the surveillance video?"

There was something the reporter didn't say. He knew that although the injuries on the criminal still in the hospital were gruesome, they weren't fatal. However, his spirit seemed to have been broken.

Duan Jiaze gave a dry laugh. "...If there's too much feedback like this, I'll consider moving it to another exhibit and prohibiting minors from visiting."

The reporter was amused. "Thank you for your cooperation. You and Teacher Sun—and your bird—all acted very bravely. I admire you."

Duan Jiaze said embarrassedly, "Thank you. It was mainly Teacher Sun."

......

After seeing the reporter off, Duan Jiaze went online and discovered that the topic #DonghaiThugKidnapsStudentAndIsSubduedByBird was trending...

Duan Jiaze broke out in a cold sweat. "Huang Qi, you even bought a trending topic! How much did that cost!"

It was ranked so high, and who knew how long it had been there. Duan Jiaze's heart ached at the thought of how much money it must have cost.

Huang Qi came over to look. "Huh? I didn't buy it."

The two stared at each other in bewilderment.

Duan Jiaze had to admit a fact: after public opinion fermented, the Daoist Lord had gone viral.

A bird saving a person was much rarer than a teacher saving a person. The surveillance video was also so clear this time; that bird was freaking awesome.

Clicking on the trending topic, the comments were mostly as follows:

"My legs went weak just watching. That bird is seriously too ferocious..."

"The thug must be psychologically scarred!!"

"What on earth is this species? It's terrifying. I couldn't help but touch my own face."

"This bird isn't from Asia. Identification complete."

"Found an old news video of the zoo. It seems the director rescued this bird. It might be a rare animal that was being smuggled."

"Does anyone else think the zoo director is handsome? And he raises a bird of prey that saves people, that's an even cooler setup! Too bad I'm not from Donghai, I really want to go see it."

"I'm from Donghai, and I want to see it too, but I'm a little scared. The bird won't peck unrelated people, will it?"

"Didn't you watch carefully? It's usually kept inside and was let out temporarily by the director. And it probably only attacks on command. Look, it zeroed in on the thug, and the student who was so close was completely unharmed."

"I think I suddenly understand why it lives in its own room..."

......

"The parents really have to thank the teacher and the zoo director. If either had been missing, the student wouldn't have been safe."

"To be honest, I'm a little worried for the zoo. The director did a good thing, but will citizens think a kidnapping happened there and be afraid to visit?"

"It was an attempted kidnapping, okay... If I were a local, I would only go to this zoo from now on. It's so damn safe, alright!"

"Seconding the comment above. What criminal would dare go to this zoo in the future? They'll just release the bird and mess you up!"

......

After reading the comments, Duan Jiaze breathed a sigh of relief. Although Huang Qi had guided public opinion at the beginning, as he browsed through, he saw almost no comments saying "I can't go to this zoo anymore."

As for Luya's species, since the zoo hadn't provided more information, many ornithology experts also commented online, stating that they couldn't identify the species from the video alone. They could only confirm one thing: it was definitely a bird of prey! A super fierce one!

---

On the third day, Duan Jiaze nervously reopened for business. He had posted an announcement on the official blog and Weibo account the day before, briefly stating the matter, attaching the video to show an official source, and explaining that they would reopen the next day.

To Duan Jiaze's pleasant surprise, the marketing was effective. Not only did the number of visitors not decrease, but it actually reached a new peak.

It was a Sunday, and many people came, heading straight for the aviary upon arrival.

The aviary had been cleaned. Luya stayed inside quietly as usual. What was different from before was that this time, hardly anyone was looking at the peacocks; everyone was looking at Luya.

Although Luya didn't move, the impression of his mighty actions in the video was firmly fixed in everyone's minds. The more they looked, the more terrifying he seemed, and the more they felt an aura of ferocity exuding from him.

Duan Jiaze even saw an irresponsible parent using Luya to scare their child, "If you don't behave, I'll let the big bird peck your butt."

The child was scared to tears.

Duan Jiaze was speechless. 'Damn it, our Daoist Lord has so much class, would he peck your child's butt??'

When this child cried, people nearby thought he was scared by the sight of the bird. The rumor spread like wildfire, and soon it became "Luya's gaze made the child cry."

When Duan Jiaze found out, he was speechless. Was this a bird of prey or Hannibal Lecter, to be able to make a child cry just by looking at him?

After the City TV Station's news report aired, which also included an interview with the Public Security Bureau, it spread through local friend circles, so even more people came to Lingyou Zoo.

Everyone knew that Lingyou Zoo had no direct connection to the incident, and that at the critical moment, Lingyou Zoo had not faltered in the slightest, preventing a kidnapping.

Luya became famous overnight, at least well-known throughout the city.

As the number of people increased, so did the number of people coming to give Duan Jiaze suggestions.

---After several days of visits, everyone discovered that because Luya's deeds were widely known, his ferocity was no longer a secret.

Even his level of rarity grew in the rumors. Some said Luya was a rare bird smuggled from the Amazon rainforest or Africa. Some said there were fewer than ten in the world, while others claimed the species had not yet been discovered and recorded at all.

In short, the atmosphere of the aviary, which had always been filled with laughter and joy, gradually began to change.

More than half of Donghai City's population had seen the video of Luya attacking the thug. This was major local news, and it had definitely left a deep impression on those who saw it.

So, when you were interacting with the chubby Zebra Finches, and people next to you were discussing the bird that pecked a man's face to a pulp, how would you feel?

When you were watching the peacocks display their feathers, and you always caught sight of the bird of prey next to them, feeling a little traumatized by its gaze and unable to immerse yourself in the viewing, how would you feel?

It was simply half heaven, half hell; half adorable, half hardcore.

Plus, the "Luya pecks face" incident was so widespread that children could now use their phones to go online. Even if they hadn't seen the video, just seeing those words was enough for their imaginations to run wild. Once they saw Luya in person at the zoo, the psychological trauma immediately surfaced.

From tourists to employees, everyone strongly suggested that they could no longer be kept in the same space! They were just too mismatched!

Duan Jiaze innocently wondered: Could it be that he really had to make a separate exhibit just for the Daoist Lord and prohibit minors from entering?