The Tiger Borrows the Fox's Might

It was the Lunar New Year. Unlike here, the city was filled with the sound of firecrackers. Longmen Square must have been bustling too. For a tiger to appear in the city center at a time like this, it must have been a shocking experience for both the people and the tiger.

Duan Jiaze found a quiet place and continued his call with Sun Aiping, "Uncle, what's the situation now?"

Sun Aiping said: "The tiger hasn't hurt anyone yet, but it got scared and is hiding in a mall. The special police have sealed it off and have it trapped. A lot of daredevils are still gathered around watching. I'm swamped over here, so I called you directly to verify. It's good that it didn't escape from your place. This whole thing is such a damn mess. On New Year's, of all times, sigh!"

The heads of relevant departments like Sun Aiping definitely had to go work overtime. A ferocious beast appearing in the city center, and during the New Year at that. Fortunately, the tiger hadn't hurt anyone yet.

Duan Jiaze was filled with sympathy upon hearing this. After hanging up, he immediately checked Weibo and WeChat on his phone and discovered that the incident had already blown up online, especially within the city.

At seven o'clock today, Duan Jiaze had logged into the official account to post a New Year's greeting. Logging in again now, he saw quite a few people had tagged Lingyou Zoo.

"A tiger has appeared in the center of Donghai City! It's said to have escaped from a zoo. @Donghai City Zoo @Lingyou Zoo @XX Mall @XX Zoo, can someone come and claim it?"

"Heard there's a tiger at Longmen Square, rushed over to watch. So many people, can't even squeeze in! Heard it escaped from @Lingyou Zoo."

"OMG, so many rumors on my feed. Just because @Lingyou Zoo is popular recently, you can't just say the tiger escaped from there. My great Lingyou's lion and tiger enclosure doesn't even have any tigers!"

Amidst a pile of Spring Festival Gala discussions, only the people of Donghai were talking about the tiger in the city center, and the topic was even showing signs of spreading.

There had been instances of large animals like bears appearing in cities before, but this time was a coincidence. The tiger was the king of beasts, very well-known among the populace, and it appeared in the city center during the New Year. The hype was impossible to suppress.

......

Besides the various rumors and refutations, most comments from citizens expressed concern over the matter. Some also believed that the accountability afterwards would be severe. It must have scared quite a few of the people present.

Which zoo was it that had such poor management? Fortunately, it didn't cause a riot or a stampede. It's truly frightening to think about in retrospect.

Many citizens were at the scene, even live-streaming with their mobile devices. But they could only watch from afar, knowing only that the capture was still in progress. The tiger hadn't hurt anyone and was hiding, so it hadn't been shot on sight. Instead, there was hope for a live capture.

However, the special police couldn't hit the tiger with their tranquilizer guns at all. The tiger was incredibly agile, and the mall had many large displays. It had even run upstairs. While the special police used cover to protect themselves, the tiger surprisingly knew how to use the terrain and displays as well.

A tranquilizer dart hitting a tiger doesn't take effect immediately; it might even require multiple shots to be effective. But getting too close would pose a safety risk. For a moment, a live capture seemed impossible.

A citizen also filmed a video from a nearby building, showing the tiger's extremely agile and swift movements. The video went viral as soon as it was shared.

"Awesome, truly the king of beasts. It can dodge even that and knows how to use the terrain."

"If they keep missing, what are they going to do? I feel bad for the mall..."

"Good thing it didn't bite anyone, or the zoo would be sued into bankruptcy."

"Which zoo did it escape from? Look at its intelligence, did it break out on its own?"

"Fierce! Suddenly, I feel that since it's so awesome and didn't even attack any humans, it must be a good, lost tiger that's friendly to humans."

"Come quick!"

"So the person who first spotted the tiger must be the most badass, right? How fast must they have run..."

"They're not going to kill it, are they? With so many people watching, the officials must want to resolve this as quickly as possible."

"If possible, I hope both the people and the tiger end up safe!"

......

Under increasing public attention, the officials felt immense pressure and indeed hoped for a perfect and swift resolution, which was why they chose the live capture plan in the first place.

At the same time, all the facilities in Donghai City qualified to keep tigers had completed their checks. Not a single one of their tigers had escaped; they were all safe and sound in their enclosures.

As long as these people weren't lying—and it was unlikely they'd dare to lie at a time like this—this tiger had to be wild.

After analysis by experts from the Forestry Bureau, they also agreed that this tiger definitely did not belong to any zoo in Donghai City. According to records, all tigers in Donghai City were Siberian tigers, whereas this one was a Bengal tiger. The two can be distinguished by their appearance.

Furthermore, they could conclude that this was likely a wild Bengal tiger; a captive-bred one wouldn't have this level of combat prowess.

The Bengal tiger, also known as the Indian tiger, is mainly found in those two countries, as well as in the southwestern part of Huaxia. It certainly has no connection to Donghai City.

A wild Bengal tiger running all the way to Donghai, and into the city center at that? It couldn't have run here on its own, right? Or was there a group of poachers so unlucky that the Bengal tiger escaped during transport? And how did it get to the city center? It was truly baffling.

In any case, with the tranquilizer darts failing, they decided to try tear gas.

But the result of the tear gas was also very disappointing. The tiger was too tough; it could still dodge while enduring the effects of the tear gas. The stalemate continued. Was the only option left to call in a sniper to put it down?

......

Meanwhile, at Lingyou Zoo.

Duan Jiaze showed everyone the forwarded video on Weibo, clucking his tongue in amazement, "This tiger is amazing!"

Luya: "Heh heh."

Yousu: "Heh heh."

Bai Suzhen: "Heh heh."

......

Duan Jiaze: "..."

Duan Jiaze was annoyed. Hadn't he just been a little careless with his words? Was it necessary for them to mock him as a group?

Just then, Hu Dawei squeezed in and said meekly, "Wait, I, I think I know this tiger..."

Everyone looked at Hu Dawei.

Hu Dawei was stared at so intensely he almost didn't dare to speak. In a tiny voice, he said, "Back when I was in the mountains, I found a tiger that had gained spiritual awareness but couldn't shapeshift yet to be my mount. Its name is Hua Chong. Later, I came to the city... to work, and I didn't bring it with me, but I did tell it I was coming to Donghai City."

Hu Dawei scratched his head. "Do you guys think... it could be looking for me?"

Everyone: "..."

After all this, it turns out you were the one who caused this mess!

Back then, Hu Dawei had foolishly wandered into Linshui Temple's territory, which showed he didn't understand the outside world at all.

Duan Jiaze's mind was a mess too. There were so many things to ridicule in Hu Dawei's words that he didn't know where to start.

A fox demon found a tiger to be his mount, and this tiger ran to a human city to find him, but went to the wrong place and caused a commotion in the city center during the New Year.

—No wonder the special police couldn't handle this tiger. This matter should be Linshui Temple's responsibility!

I wonder if Linshui Temple knows the situation yet. With it being the New Year, they probably got careless and didn't immediately discover this reckless tiger, which could barely be considered a half-demon, entering the city.

Duan Jiaze thought for a moment, then quickly called Sun Aiping to ask about the situation at the scene.

If he didn't know, it would be one thing, but now that he knew the tiger had no owner and was looking for Hu Dawei, Duan Jiaze's mind definitely started racing.

Sun Aiping had already rushed to the scene. He didn't have much say in the matter, though, so he was actually idle. When he received Duan Jiaze's call, he couldn't help but fill him in on the situation.

He said the tiger was a wild Bengal tiger, and no one knew how it got to Donghai City. The heads of many animal facilities had been called away from their homes. On New Year's, of all times. What a pain for everyone. Each was more reluctant than the last, having been in the middle of family reunions.

Before Sun Aiping could finish lamenting, he heard Duan Jiaze say cheerfully, "I'm coming! I'm coming too! Uncle Sun, we're short on tigers!"

They were already lacking a tiger, and Duan Jiaze couldn't hold back his excitement.

A tiger costs several hundred thousand yuan, and now he could save all that!

Sun Aiping: "..."

Sun Aiping could understand Duan Jiaze's state of mind. Duan Jiaze was always dedicated to acquiring new animals, but this time, he didn't think it would necessarily work out.

This Bengal tiger was wild. Even if it was successfully captured, it would probably be released back into the wild in the end, unless its condition made it unsuitable for survival in the wild.

Duan Jiaze was already in a state of pumped-up excitement. He couldn't very well tell Sun Aiping his plan, but as soon as he hung up, he said to the others, "Let's go, let's go, come with me to bring the tiger back."

This tiger came looking for Hu Dawei in the first place. If anyone was going to take it in, who else but Lingyou Zoo?

......

Duan Jiaze took a group of people, borrowed a car from a local, and sped to the city center. On the way, he also gave Zhou Xintang a heads-up.

Linshui Temple had also sensed that something was amiss and was about to send people to make arrangements in secret; otherwise, it would be difficult for the officials to capture this tiger. The large crowd at the scene was giving them a headache. When he heard that Duan Jiaze was willing to take over, Zhou Xintang was actually very happy and agreed at once.

After arriving at the scene, Duan Jiaze saw several leaders from other zoos or animal facilities whom he had met at Forestry Bureau meetings. They had also brought some of their animal experts, and there were also some city officials.

When the people from the other zoos saw Duan Jiaze, they muttered to themselves. At first, they had all suspected that the tiger had escaped from Lingyou Zoo.

At the time, they didn't know Lingyou Zoo had no tigers. They just felt that the tiger's overall condition was excellent and figured only Lingyou Zoo could raise such an animal.

If Duan Jiaze knew, he would probably thank them for their faith in his zoo.

A leader saw Duan Jiaze and came over to shake his hand. "Daoist Master Zhou called and said Director Duan has an experienced expert here?"

The experts from the Forestry Bureau and other facilities had just cooperated in an attempt at a live capture, but this tiger was simply too cunning.

The leader was in a difficult position. The pressure from public opinion was immense, but if it really came down to it, they could only resort to the next best option and kill the tiger—though they didn't know yet that they might not even be able to kill this half-demon.

At that moment, Temple Master Zhou from Linshui Temple called to pass along a friendly tip: Lingyou Zoo had a keeper with extensive experience in dealing with ferocious beasts, who had studied their behavior deeply and was confident he could hit the tiger with a tranquilizer gun.

When so many special police and experts had failed to hit it, he was told that a zookeeper could do it. The leader was a bit skeptical. This keeper looked like an ordinary, even slightly sleazy, middle-aged man.

But on one hand, it was to give Temple Master Zhou face, and on the other, Lingyou Zoo did seem to have some skills. They were good at raising animals, or else they wouldn't have become so famous. As long as there was no danger, there was no harm in trying.

Duan Jiaze pushed Hu Dawei forward. "This is Expert Hu. He specializes in dealing with ferocious beasts, especially tigers. Although our zoo doesn't have any tigers, he has decades of prior experience in raising them and also has experience herding escaped tigers back into their enclosures."

It wasn't like they could verify it right now anyway, so Duan Jiaze just bullshitted. Besides, Hu Dawei really did have experience. He didn't even need Luya and the others to step in; having Hu Dawei handle his former underling would be a piece of cake.

Hearing this, the leader's hopes rose slightly. At the same time, he thought, 'It's already been two hours. If this doesn't work, we have to kill it as soon as possible.'

Duan Jiaze had even brought his own tranquilizer gun. As a zoo, they were bound to have one. The dosage was already prepared, ready to be used.

Escorted by the special police, Hu Dawei cautiously approached the tiger's hiding spot again.

The special police officers found it amazing. This frail-looking keeper faced the tiger's hiding spot and let out two 'awoo' sounds, as if imitating some kind of animal call. The tiger, which would normally hide whenever someone approached, actually walked out from behind its cover on its own.

Seizing the opportunity, Hu Dawei fired three shots in succession, all of them hitting the Bengal tiger squarely. Although the tiger didn't collapse immediately, it slowly lay down without any of the struggling or aggressive movements everyone had expected.

The special police officers looked at Hu Dawei, feeling emotional. 'Sure enough, every trade has its master,' they thought. 'He tricked the tiger just like that? And the tranquilizer dosage seems to have been just right. This is the real expert. If he had been sent earlier, this would have been resolved long ago.'

Before long, the Bengal tiger was completely unconscious. Staff who were already on standby came forward and carried the tiger into a cage—one that Duan Jiaze had brought. He had come fully prepared.

"Sir, I'll take the tiger back to our zoo for now. It will definitely need a physical examination when it wakes up."

There was nothing wrong with Duan Jiaze's reasoning. Setting aside any qualification issues, the mere fact that they could lure out the Bengal tiger and take it down proved that their expert was skilled, better than those from the other facilities.

The leader didn't have any special relationship with the other zoos. After a night of fright, he breathed a sigh of relief and readily agreed to let Lingyou Zoo temporarily house the tiger before running off to handle other follow-up matters.

Duan Jiaze gleefully took the tiger back. He had already decided that once he took the tiger, he would absolutely not hand it over——

By the time Duan Jiaze returned to Lingyou Zoo, the news that the incident of the wild tiger in the city center had been perfectly resolved had completely spread. Many netizens were only just discovering that such an event had occurred in Donghai City during the New Year.

Escapes of lions and tigers from zoos happen occasionally and are usually dealt with quickly, but a wild lion or tiger appearing in a city center was unheard of.

The authorities released a statement, saying that although the tiger's origin was unknown, it did not belong to any facility in Donghai City. It was a wild Bengal tiger that had been swiftly brought under control by a joint effort of special police and animal experts, and had been temporarily entrusted to Lingyou Zoo for care. Next, Donghai City would investigate the reason for this wild Bengal tiger's appearance in the area.

And so, the direction of netizens' comments shifted. They started flaming potential animal traffickers and speculating wildly about the course of events. Some guessed that the tiger might have injured the traffickers and escaped. If so, they said it would serve them right.

Tonight's twists and turns made everyone feel it was a very magical-realist event. But based on the elements revealed so far, it was already perfectly suited to be made into a movie.

The tiger's escape, how it appeared in the bustling city, the fact that no one was harmed, its immense combat power, its overwhelming 'king of beasts' aura, and finally, its very orthodox capture with the cooperation of special police and animal experts...

Just imagining it was thrilling. Many people had stayed online all night waiting for the outcome and were eagerly awaiting the results of the investigation.

......

And right now, this awesome king of beasts who had become famous overnight during the Spring Festival, after the anesthetic wore off, was rolling on the ground at Lingyou Zoo, making low calls towards Hu Dawei.

Duan Jiaze mused that today was a good day. It was the New Year, and the lion and tiger enclosure finally had a tiger. He had acquired it without spending a single dime, saving hundreds of thousands of yuan for free, haha.

At that moment, Hu Dawei listened to the tiger Hua Chong's calls, nodding repeatedly. Then he translated for Duan Jiaze, "Sigh, Zoo Director, after I left, Hua Chong was bullied by other demons in the mountains, so it couldn't help but come seek refuge with me. It's a good thing you're willing to take it in..."

Duan Jiaze said with mixed feelings, "I've only ever heard of the fox borrowing the tiger's might. I never thought I'd witness the reverse with my own eyes. Dawei, you're quite creative."

Everyone: "..."

Hu Dawei lowered his head in embarrassment...

Actually, it was because of the idiom 'the fox borrows the tiger's might' that he went looking for a tiger to be his underling. However, it was only possible with this kind of tiger that had just gained spiritual awareness, plus there were no tiger demons in the area. Otherwise, it would have been highly unlikely.

Hua Chong watched Hu Dawei and Duan Jiaze curiously from the side. Since birth, it had never seen a real human. So when it ran over to find Hu Dawei and saw so many humans, it momentarily thought they were all cultivators who had taken human form. Forget attacking, it nearly scared itself to death. Fortunately, its boss came looking for it later.

In the mountains, Hua Chong was no king of beasts. There were many demons in that mountain, and Hu Dawei wasn't doing too well for himself either. It had never enjoyed this kind of treatment where it was faced with such a formidable defense. Usually, it had to rely on Hu Dawei.

It seemed that its boss had now acknowledged another boss...

After all this commotion, it was already past midnight.

Hua Chong was settled into the lion and tiger enclosure. It was incredibly excited. This place was so much better than where it used to live. Whether it was the environment or the temperature, everything was so suitable, as if a formation had been set up. It was much more comfortable than outside. Once it came in, it didn't want to leave.

Its boss's boss even gave it a piece of especially delicious meat that was rich in spiritual energy to eat. Hua Chong gnawed on it until its face was covered in meat scraps, which it then wiped clean with its paw and licked off. 'No wonder Boss came here to work,' it thought.

......

After settling the tiger, Duan Jiaze's excitement faded, and he lightly slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot."

He took out a stack of red envelopes. "Let me give you guys your red envelopes."

Traditionally, 'lucky money' was given by elders to the younger generation, but its modern practice wasn't limited to that anymore. Duan Jiaze had given his employees red envelopes in their WeChat group last night. These dispatched animals hadn't gotten any, so Duan Jiaze had prepared a few cash-filled red envelopes for them.

Everyone took the red envelopes, finding them quite novel.

Luya flipped his over and looked at it, then opened it to find a hundred-yuan bill inside. He said to the others, "See how much you guys got."

Everyone: "..."

Yousu muttered, "They're definitely all the same..."

They huddled together, almost bumping heads, and opened their envelopes to compare. Sure enough, they all contained one hundred yuan.

Xiao Qing: "And they're all brand new bills."

Yousu: "Hee hee, the Zoo Director is also afraid of trouble."

Duan Jiaze: "..."

He almost couldn't find a comeback. Duan Jiaze said drily, "...Wishing everyone a happy new year, good health, all your wishes to come true, and for your cultivation to reach a new level."

Everyone laughed and chattered, returning the good wishes.

Xiao Qing: "Oh, then we can't just say it, right? Should we also give the Zoo Director a red envelope? Can you only put money inside?" The Immortal Realm didn't have the Human Realm's paper currency. They couldn't just give the hundred yuan back as it was, or insincerely conjure up a few bills.

Duan Jiaze was almost moved to tears. Xiao Qing was still the most considerate. He blushed and said, "You really don't have to be so polite, but if you insist on giving one, please make it a big one..."