Chapter 306: Save the Child? Save the Gorillas!

"Ah, I'm dying! I'm dying!"

"This is way too adorable. Who could resist this?"

"This is the kind of stream a real man should watch!"

"This big-eared fox is so cute!"

"So that little bad fox from Zootopia is real!"

The viewers were thrilled.

Unless you saw such an adorable pet with your own eyes, it was hard to understand the feeling bubbling up inside.

It was just like how some tough guys liked reading girls' manga—the moment they read it, their youth seemed to ripple, and their hearts melted from the sheer cuteness.

The fennec fox had once edged out the giant panda to take first place in a "World's Cutest Animal" poll held by an international magazine, which proved the point perfectly.

Of course, this was also because quite a few people abroad kept them as pets, while fewer people from Huaxia participated in the vote.

Otherwise, the title of the cutest animal would have undoubtedly gone to the giant panda.

Even so, it was clear that the fennec fox was just as popular in people's hearts as the giant panda.

At that moment, the staff member in charge of the fennec fox enclosure spotted Ning Fei and immediately hurried over, a look of excitement on his face.

"Can I pet this fennec fox?" Ning Fei asked him.

"The enclosure has a rule. You'll have to pay extra." Although the staff member really liked Ning Fei, he still had to follow protocol.

Ning Fei gladly agreed to the condition. He paid the fee, stepped into the enclosure, and picked up two fennec foxes to play with.

It was a beautiful scene.

A handsome Daoist priest playing with cute little foxes.

Some viewers began to tease him.

"Temple Master Ning, have you forgotten Little Fox?"

"Heh, men. Abandoning the old love the moment a cuter new one comes along."

All foxes loved to whine, and the fennec fox was no exception.

This particular breed was incredibly small but had exceptionally large ears, making them look extraordinarily adorable.

"Can you keep a fennec fox as a pet?" a viewer asked.

Ning Fei answered, "I don't recommend keeping relatively rare wild animals."

"Although the fennec fox is cute, it has many drawbacks."

"First, they are nocturnal and highly active. They are very noisy at night and love to scratch things."

"Second, their feces are unbelievably smelly. The stench is described as 'unbearable for a normal person,' so you can imagine it for yourselves."

"Third, Huaxia lists the fennec fox as a Second-Class Protected Animal. If you want to buy or sell one, you must go through a series of legal procedures, or else you'll be breaking the law."

"Also, they are expensive. Very expensive."

Hearing Ning Fei's words, the nearby staff member was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.

Finally, someone who actually understood the trade!

Fennec foxes were indeed cute, but taking care of them was nothing short of a nightmare.

Understanding the hassle of raising a fennec fox, the viewers could only shake their heads and abandon any thoughts of keeping one as a pet.

After lingering around the fennec foxes for a while, Ning Fei decided to head over to the lion enclosure to check them out.

Huaxia had no wild lions; every lion in the country lived in a zoo, so that was the only place to see them.

As part of his wandering plans, he also intended to travel to Africa's Great Grassland one day to see wild lion prides, antelopes, elephants, and zebras.

Riding on the back of a wild elephant with a herd of elephant guards following behind him would definitely be a relaxing experience.

The lion enclosure had the largest crowd of tourists.

When people visited the zoo, they loved seeing the fierce beasts.

Ning Fei was walking toward the lion enclosure when he suddenly heard several screams from nearby.

"Ahhh!"

"Someone fell in!"

"Help! Someone fell into the gorilla forest!"

Their voices were filled with panic and terror, instantly drawing the attention of everyone around.

The crowd immediately flocked toward the commotion.

Ning Fei also looked over.

Unlike the lion and tiger enclosures, the gorilla habitat had no overhead cover; tourists could stand on a raised platform and look down to see the entire area.

A protective railing circled the perimeter to keep visitors out.

When Ning Fei walked over to check, he discovered that a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy, having climbed the railing out of mischief, had fallen straight into the gorilla enclosure!

"What's going on?" The viewers watching the live stream were dumbfounded by the scene.

"Oh my god, there's a child in the gorilla enclosure!"

"This is terrifying! What kind of safety measures does this zoo have?"

"Look, the gorillas are surrounding him!"

As everyone murmured in panic, the child's mother was weeping frantically, begging the bystanders to save her son.

But the problem was, who would dare attempt a rescue in a situation like this?

These were black gorillas, not little monkeys. Gorillas ate meat, and wild gorillas could even rip monkeys apart to eat them. They were incredibly ferocious.

At that moment, the zoo staff reacted quickly and were already fetching the Tranquilizer Gun, but it clearly wouldn't arrive in time.

Amid the gasps of the crowd, the gorillas drew closer and closer to the boy.

As for the boy, the fall from the high platform seemed to have injured his legs. He lay sprawled on the ground, not daring to move an inch.

The child's mother was crying hysterically.

At that moment, Ning Fei didn't think twice. He vaulted over the nearby railing and landed lightly below.

The instant Ning Fei's feet touched the ground, all the gasps and screams abruptly vanished.

The child's mother also froze in place, her crying completely stopping.

"These gorillas bear no ill intent. They just came over to see if the child is hurt,"

Ning Fei said casually.

He could sense the emotions of animals.

He could tell that these approaching gorillas weren't trying to attack the boy, contrary to what the tourists believed.

On the contrary, out of concern, the gorillas were trying to treat and protect him.

Instead, it was the tourists screaming and throwing things just now that had scared the animals.

However, it was obvious that no one paid any attention to Ning Fei's words.

"It's Temple Master Ning!"

"Oh my god, Temple Master Ning jumped down to save him!"

"With Temple Master Ning here, everything will be fine."

"Haha, a savior descending straight from the heavens!"

"Amazing!"

"Temple Master Ning, hurry and bring the child up!"

The crowd erupted in cheers and frenzy. The live stream was much the same, with everyone showering praise on Ning Fei for jumping into the gorilla enclosure to save someone.

Ning Fei picked the boy up. The child was just injured and badly frightened, causing him to temporarily pass out, but he was otherwise fine.

Carrying the child in one arm, he leaped forcefully. His free hand grabbed the railing about three meters above the ground, and he placed the boy down next to his mother.

"Thank you, thank you!"

The mother hugged her child, bowing in frantic gratitude. She looked overwhelmingly emotional.

The tourists all looked at Ning Fei, showering him with praise.

At that moment, Ning Fei turned his head, only to see the staff emerging from the interior holding a Tranquilizer Gun.

He hastily jumped back down into the gorilla enclosure.

This action left everyone completely stunned.

"Don't shoot!"

"The child has already been rescued. Everything is fine."

Ning Fei reached the gorillas in a few strides and quickly waved his hand.

Seeing this, the staff members lowered their Tranquilizer Guns, their faces full of confusion.

"What's going on?"

"Where is the child?"

The gorilla keeper arrived at that moment as well. Ning Fei noticed tears welling up in the keeper's eyes, although few others would have paid attention to such a detail.

"He's already been safely rescued. There's no issue," Ning Fei told the staff holding the guns.

The man gave the enclosure a second look to confirm that everything was fine before turning to leave.

Ning Fei breathed a sigh of relief.

Zoos in Huaxia had a strict rule: whenever a wild animal injured a human, that animal would be euthanized.

For example, there was once a tourist who visited a tiger park and stepped out of their vehicle in violation of the rules. The person was mauled by a wild tiger, sustaining severe injuries that landed them in the hospital. Subsequently, the wild tiger that bit the person was put to death.

Such were the rules of human society.

Just now, Ning Fei had been worried about what the security staff might do to these gorillas.

The keeper must have known that such an outcome was a possibility, which was why he couldn't hold back his tears.

"Heizi and the rest are very close to humans. They would never hurt anyone," the gorilla keeper said to Ning Fei, running over to comfort the apes.

"I could tell. They were only trying to save the child," Ning Fei replied with a smile.

"Thank you for protecting the gorillas," the keeper said, expressing his sincere gratitude to Ning Fei.

This time, Ning Fei chuckled.

Earlier, when many people were cheering for him for risking his "life" to save the child, Ning Fei's expression hadn't rippled at all because he knew the boy was never in danger.

But the gorillas who had wanted to help the child—if the security staff had seen them touching the boy, they would have tranquilized them, and an entirely different fate might have awaited them.

People feared gorillas, but in truth, humans were far more terrifying.

"It's nothing. These big guys just have some bulk to them; they're actually quite adorable," Ning Fei praised.

The gorillas stood obediently to the side, accompanying the keeper in silent composure.

"Though, the enclosure railing needs to be reinforced in the future," Ning Fei added.

"Rest assured, we'll get it done," the gorilla keeper said respectfully.

Seeing that everything was resolved, Ning Fei didn't say anything more. He bounded into the air, pushed off the wall for leverage, and vaulted lightly back over the railing to the ground.

Witnessing this scene, the gorillas all dropped their jaws into identical "O" shapes.