Besides the wolf pack and bear monkeys, the other several extra small animals quickly became the focus of the tourists' attention.
The otters that could swim on their backs, and the little yellow weasels that incessantly bowed to beg for food from tourists, and would flip over and fart if they didn't get any.
And the pangolins that constantly attempted to escape but were always caught and returned by the keepers, all filled the tourists with a sense of wonder.
Although these little creatures weren't as famous as lions, tigers, and elephants, they each had their own unique charm.
Coupled with the four young cloud leopards, released for the first time by Yang Lin, the entire zoo was immersed in a joyful atmosphere.
And amidst this cheerful atmosphere, Yang Lin soon received another surprise.
"Director Yang, the plan for the aquarium has been preliminarily finalized. We've ultimately decided on two modes: above-water and underwater."
"The underwater section will be a giant underwater world established in the center of the artificial lake, just as you suggested. Construction will take about three months."
"The above-water section will use giant glass fish tanks, following the existing mature design."
"Once the underwater section is completed, we will connect the two to form a large water world."
"Within this, we've divided it into freshwater and saltwater sections."
In the office, a staff member from the Ningnan City official department explained in detail to Yang Lin while unfolding blueprints.
Yang Lin was clearly very satisfied with his plan.
Building an aquarium was much more expensive than constructing ground-level facilities.
The fact that the government was proactively helping him build the aquarium saved him a considerable amount of money.
Just as he thought that was all, the staff member added,
"Oh, and besides the construction of the aquarium, we're also donating several aquatic animals to your park. They should be arriving shortly."
Upon hearing this, Yang Lin excitedly grasped the staff member's hand.
"You're too kind, too kind indeed."
"Please stay for a meal later, and please convey my regards to the leaders for me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Lin couldn't help but ask curiously again:
"By the way, what animals is the city donating?"
When he heard this question, the staff member from the city first paused, then shook his head.
"I'm not really sure, but they should be here any moment."
As they were talking, Chen Kexin walked in.
"Cousin, there are two big trucks outside, saying they're here to deliver something to our zoo."
"Did you buy anything online?"
"Big trucks?"
"Wait, could it be the animals the city is donating to me have arrived?"
Thinking of this, Yang Lin could no longer sit still and immediately got up and ran towards the zoo entrance.
When he arrived at the zoo gate, a young man proactively approached him.
"Director Yang, I'm from the city and sent to transport animals to your park."
"Would you like to inspect them before accepting them?"
Hearing this, Yang Lin nodded repeatedly.
And the very next second after he nodded, several workers who came with the trucks opened all four sides of the first truck's carriage.
The next moment, several huge aquariums appeared before Yang Lin.
At first glance, these aquariums were all filled with koi of various colors, almost encompassing all the patterns available on the market.
The largest koi was probably several tens of catties.
As these brightly colored koi appeared, tourists' gazes were drawn over.
Although koi are not rare animals, the good fortune they symbolize makes them quite popular.
"There are a total of 678 koi here. Director Yang can release them into the artificial lake."
After speaking, the young man who had greeted Yang Lin gestured for the workers to open the carriage of the second large truck.
As the carriage of the second large truck was about to be opened, Yang Lin became curious about what species would require a separate carriage.
He soon had his answer.
As the carriage door was opened, several even larger aquariums than before appeared before everyone.
And in the foremost aquarium, two figures, one gold and one silver, immediately caught Yang Lin's eye.
"It's actually Arowanas, a Golden Arowana and a Silver Arowana. Who put them together? Aren't they afraid they'll fight?"
Sighing, Yang Lin shifted his gaze to the aquarium behind.
He quickly recognized the fish in the aquariums behind as a Black Arowana and a Spotted Arowana.
These four Arowanas alone would cost nearly ten thousand yuan.
However, overall, they didn't bring him enough of a surprise. After all, he could afford them, he just wasn't willing to spend the money.
It wasn't until his gaze fell upon the last two aquariums that his eyes widened.
In the second to last aquarium, a large fish with a strange shape was swimming leisurely.
The fish had five large, hard scales on its back, its body was spindle-shaped, and its head was triangular.
These few characteristics alone were enough for Yang Lin to identify its identity.
This was clearly a Chinese Sturgeon, on the same level as a Finless Porpoise, a true national treasure.
More importantly, beside this Chinese Sturgeon was another Chinese Sturgeon.
From their characteristics, it was clear they were a male and a female.
"No wonder they made such a big fuss. So they donated a pair of national treasures to me."
Just as Yang Lin was happy that the Xihong Zoo had acquired two Class I protected animals, the aquarium behind quickly caught his attention.
"What's the meaning of that aquarium at the back? Why is it empty? Is it a spare?"
As soon as Yang Lin's slightly confused words were spoken, the young man who had been explaining frowned.
"Empty? How can it be empty? I put a sea lion that big in there."
"Holy cow! Where's my sea lion!"
The moment he walked up to the aquarium, he was stunned.
Just as Yang Lin had said, the entire aquarium was empty. There wasn't even a snail, let alone a sea lion.
After a moment of bewilderment, his expression immediately changed.
And at this moment, Yang Lin's voice echoed in his ears.
"Could it have escaped halfway?"
This sentence immediately jolted him.
Unlike the fish in front, sea lions can crawl on land.
It's possible it really did slip away during loading or transportation.
If it ran away during loading, it would be easier to handle, as the target would be clearer.
But if it escaped during transit, it would be difficult to find.
The thought of losing the sea lion that the city had painstakingly obtained from elsewhere scared him pale.
Yang Lin, standing beside him, wasn't as terrified, but he was extremely frustrated.
A sea lion that was almost in his grasp had escaped; how could he not be frustrated?
As he was contemplating how to find the sea lion that had broken out mid-journey, a system prompt sounded in his ear.
Upon hearing the content of the prompt, the frustration on his face immediately vanished.
ps: I can't write anymore, this chapter took me an hour and a half to get through. I need to sort out the outline before I can continue writing, otherwise I always feel unsatisfied. I'll just do five chapters today. The two missing chapters will be made up in the next two days. I need to clarify the story's plot first.
Goodnight everyone.