The convoy, initially consisting of only three vehicles, grew larger with the addition of the circus troupe.
Along the way, countless onlookers were astonished by the animal heads that occasionally poked out through the gaps in the wagon bars.
It was only after some inquiries, learning that it was Director Yang of Xihong Zoo bringing the animals home, that they finally understood.
Because they had departed early, by the afternoon, the convoy was already nearing the edge of Qianyang.
At this rate, they would arrive back at Xihong Zoo by tomorrow morning at the latest.
"Master Liu, where are we heading? Should we stop and rest? We've been driving all day."
In the passenger seat of the leading truck, Yang Lin, seeing the endless mountains and rivers by the roadside ahead, asked curiously.
Hearing his question, the driver, Master Liu, quickly glanced at his phone's navigation.
"It looks like Libo. After Libo, Guixi is not far."
"So it's Libo. The scenery here is quite nice."
"Yes, it's right next to the Maolan National Nature Reserve, and adjacent to the Muren National Nature Reserve in Guixi. How could the scenery not be good?"
As he spoke, Driver Liu glanced at the navigation again.
"There's a service area 800 meters ahead. Shall we stop there to rest for a while?"
"Okay, let's rest. I'll feed the animals too."
While they were talking, the truck turned towards the service area on the right.
The other vehicles behind naturally followed.
When the convoy entered the service area, it naturally attracted the curiosity of the people there.
However, someone soon recognized Yang Lin's identity.
"Director Yang, it's Director Yang of Xihong Zoo."
"It really is. I just saw his livestream last night, and I didn't expect to see him on the road today."
"Are those the animals being brought to Xihong Zoo? The Paw Patrol is here too."
"The Paw Patrol is so cool."
"Let's take a photo, hurry up and take a photo!"
......
For a moment, both staff and passing travelers at the service area flocked to Yang Lin.
If it weren't for the fewer travelers at that time, Yang Lin might not have been able to break free for a while.
After finally managing to see off all the enthusiastic fans and was about to get something to eat, a group of boisterous children caught his attention.
"Mom, this puppy looks so fat."
"Yes, it's so dark."
"Why isn't it eating my sausage? Isn't it hungry?"
"I want to take it home and raise it."
.....
At first, when Yang Lin saw a few children surrounding a dark little creature, he thought they were playing with a stray dog from somewhere.
But as he watched, he felt something was not quite right.
When he approached with a hint of suspicion, he finally realized what was wrong.
Because at that moment, the creature surrounded by these noisy children was not a puppy at all, but a little black bear that would grow up to steal alms.
Its round face, round ears, peculiar facial markings, and the white scarf on its chest all indicated its identity.
"Where did this black bear come from? Did it wander over from the nearby nature reserve?"
"Or is it sick, and its parents abandoned it?"
As he spoke, Yang Lin shooed away the children and then picked up the real "bear cub" on the ground.
The moment he picked it up, the little creature, which had been looking flustered, immediately calmed down.
Taking this opportunity, Yang Lin carefully checked its physical condition.
To his surprise, the little bear, which looked barely a month old, had no problems at all. On the contrary, it was very healthy.
It was clear that it had been meticulously cared for by its parents.
More importantly, this little one did not seem to have the ability to independently cross the wildlife protection net along the highway.
Suddenly, Yang Lin became puzzled.
Black bears are classified as a national second-class protected animal. It was too absurd to find one at a highway service area.
"Never mind, let's not dwell on this for now."
"Little one, you must be hungry too. Let me get you something to eat."
With that, Yang Lin held the little black bear in his arms as if he were holding a baby.
When he returned to the convoy, everyone in the group immediately noticed the little creature in his hands.
"Huh? Director Yang, where did you find this stray dog? It's so black."
"Yes, you can tell it's a mixed breed, so cute when it's young."
"Why does this dog look so bear-like?"
Obviously, everyone, like the noisy children before, mistook the little black bear in Yang Lin's arms for a puppy.
Only Ma Yiyi, a little girl who grew up with the circus, showed a confused expression when she saw the little bear in Yang Lin's hands.
"This doesn't look like a puppy. Qi Zai looked exactly like it when he was little."
Upon hearing her words, her father quickly examined the little bear in Yang Lin's arms, his face instantly showing astonishment.
"It really is a bear cub! Director Yang, where did you find it?"
As he spoke, he leaned closer to examine it carefully.
As he looked, his brow furrowed.
"No, this bear cub smells of anesthetic."
As soon as he spoke, Yang Lin also sniffed the bear cub and, sure enough, detected a peculiar odor.
Undoubtedly, under normal circumstances, the cub would not have come into contact with anesthetic.
The only possibility was that someone had injected it with anesthetic.
Instantly, the word "poacher" flashed into his mind. If a poacher had accidentally dropped it here, then everything would make sense.
Perhaps not long before they arrived, a poacher's vehicle had passed by and accidentally released the bear cub.
To confirm his guess, Yang Lin quickly found the service area manager and explained the situation.
Upon learning that a poacher's vehicle had stopped at their service area, the service area management immediately took the matter seriously.
Soon, they retrieved the surveillance footage from the service area.
After some searching, they finally located a refrigerated truck in a segment of the surveillance video.
During a break, the refrigerated truck opened its door, and at the moment of opening, a small dark shadow could be seen rolling out.
If nothing unexpected happened, that small dark shadow was the bear cub.
After confirming that this refrigerated truck was the vehicle used by the poachers to disguise their identity, Yang Lin checked the time they left.
It was ten minutes before they entered the service area.
If nothing unexpected happened, there would be more than just the bear cub in this refrigerated truck; perhaps its entire family was inside.
Just as Yang Lin was about to call the forest police to report the incident, a system notification suddenly sounded.
"Ding! Illegal bear hunters detected. Please find them as soon as possible and rescue the captured black bears."
"In three hours, they will be sent to a processing plant for live bear bile extraction."
"Mission completion rewards: one Talent Treasure Chest, 10 Talent Points, one Skill Level Upgrade Voucher."