Yang Lin finally emerged from beneath the sea surface, now that they were out of human sight.
"Phew... the air on land is still fresher."
He took a deep breath and then turned his gaze to Li You and the family of three humpback whales beside him.
"Alright, this is where we part ways. You return to your deep sea, and I'll go back to my zoo."
However, as soon as he finished speaking, the young humpback whale he had just treated showed a hint of reluctance.
Clearly, with an intelligence level comparable to a human child, it had come to regard Yang Lin as family.
"Aren't you coming back to the sea with us?"
Hearing the young whale's question, Yang Lin chuckled.
"I'm not a fish, I don't belong to the sea, I belong to the land."
"Land? Is it fun there? Can we go to land?" the young whale asked, its eyes lighting up.
"Absolutely not. If you go to land, you'll be stranded."
In a way, Yang Lin did wish he could bring the young humpback whale back to Xihong Zoo.
But considering its massive size and appetite, he eventually abandoned the tempting thought.
Seriously, a 15-meter-long humpback whale would require an enormous aquarium. Its daily intake would surpass that of Tuan Tuan. Only the vast ocean could sustain it.
"Keeping it in the sea, right."
As Yang Lin mused, a flash of inspiration struck him.
His gaze fell upon the undeveloped, uninhabited island not far away.
"If I recall correctly, these small islands in the country can be leased privately. And the cost of leasing an island is much cheaper than land."
"If I could lease this island and create a marine park extension, then I could keep whales!"
With this audacious idea born, Yang Lin looked again at the humpback whale family and Li You.
"How about this, you can reside in the waters near this island from now on, and I'll visit you occasionally."
"As for Li You, your and Li Yongxin's mission is to continue towards the waters of Nippon."
Upon hearing Yang Lin's arrangement, the humpback whale family let out excited calls. Li You, with his subordinates, immediately set course towards their original destination.
With all matters settled, Yang Lin turned towards the direction of Beibu Gulf and dove into the sea.
When he reappeared, he was on a deserted wild beach.
Confirming he was alone, he stealthily crawled onto the sand.
Then, from the waterproof bag he carried, he took out a t-shirt and shorts and put them on.
After changing and putting on his flip-flops, he took out his phone from the waterproof bag.
Apart from his minimal clothing, he looked no different from any other tourist.
However, as he turned on his phone, a string of missed calls caught him by surprise.
There were over ten calls from the Animal Protection Association alone.
"What's going on now? Why are they calling me so much?"
With a hint of confusion, he casually dialed back.
"Hello, this is Yang Lin. May I ask why you called me just now?"
"It's like this. So, those three humpback whales and the shark school have returned, is that correct?"
"Merfolk? That's truly regrettable. I hope to see them again next time."
......
After a brief conversation, Yang Lin quickly understood the situation.
However, just as he was about to hang up, a single sentence from the other party instantly piqued his interest.
"Director Yang, it's like this: this morning, our research vessel discovered several injured marine animals in the area where the humpback whales appeared."
"Given our limited medical resources, we would like to transfer these injured marine animals to Xihong Zoo for treatment."
Upon hearing this, Yang Lin could not refuse and immediately agreed.
At the same time, he couldn't help but wonder:
"Could it be that the marine creatures I summoned earlier were hit by a boat?"
The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
After all, to prevent those ships from getting too close, he had summoned all marine life within a 500-nautical-mile radius.
It wouldn't be unusual for one or two unfortunate souls to be struck by passing vessels.
"But what kind of animals are they? Can't the local marine department handle them? Do they really need to send them to Xihong Zoo?"
With these thoughts, Yang Lin hailed a car from a nearby fishing village and returned to the city center of Gangcheng. From there, he took a taxi directly to Ningnan.
By the time he returned to Ningnan, it was 11 AM, eight hours after his departure.
Xihong Zoo was as bustling with visitors as ever.
However, the tourists stirred slightly when Yang Lin appeared, dressed in beach shorts and flip-flops.
"What's with the outfit? White tee, beach shorts, and flip-flops. Is this the latest trend?"
"Director Yang really knows fashion."
"What do you know? This is the 'tycoon's set.' Director Yang has gotten too extravagant. I bet he's either gone to look at cars or houses."
"So this is how rich people in the South China region dress?"
"I heard Xihong Zoo's daily revenue is a hundred million yuan. Next year, they'll be in the Fortune Global 500."
"Is Director Yang really that rich? And still single? Does he have issues with his orientation?"
.....
Initially, Yang Lin was pleased by the compliments on his attire. But as he listened, he realized something was amiss.
"What do you mean Xihong Zoo's daily revenue is a hundred million? Stop spreading such ridiculous rumors!
"And what's this about being rich and single means issues with orientation? I'm so busy every day, I don't even have time to go on blind dates. I'll sign up for 'If You Are the One' tomorrow if you don't believe me."
Just as Yang Lin was silently lamenting, two large trucks with oxygen generators drove towards the zoo entrance.
Upon seeing these trucks, Yang Lin's eyes lit up.
"They've delivered them already?"
As he spoke, he walked towards the trucks.
After some communication, the two trucks carrying marine animals were led by him to the almost completed aquarium.
Soon, several aquariums appeared before him.
Through the glass of the aquariums, Yang Lin quickly saw more than ten marine creatures of various forms.
Most striking among them was a large sea turtle, as large as a millstone.
Judging by the patterns on its shell, it was a rare hawksbill.
Yet, this rare hawksbill turtle was in a peculiar state.
With just one glance, Yang Lin frowned.