Whether the Marshal had gone crazy or not was uncertain, but the people in the control room were certainly about to lose their minds.
"He actually ate the meat Liang He fed him!"
Witnessing a successful feeding for the first time in history, the entire control room was plunged into a bizarre state of excitement. Watching this astonishing scene on the surveillance screens, they almost suspected he had been swapped out for an imposter!
As the zone director, Huo An was also surprised, but he remained much more composed. However, a second later, even his composure began to crack.
"Didn't you guys provide her with nutrient solution?"
On the screen, after feeding Cedriel until he was full, Liang He pulled a food storage container from the trunk, followed by two heating packs to warm up her meal.
"Blue Star people seem to have always maintained the habit of eating fresh food, so they don't like drinking nutrient solution," the person in charge of recruiting Liang He answered, clearing up Huo An's confusion.
Fully sated, Cedriel curiously approached Liang He. He gently sniffed the aroma wafting from her lunchbox, his paws scratching at the ground as he grew somewhat restless.
"This is my dinner. You can't eat this." Liang He gently pushed Cedriel's massive head away, casually stroking the fur on top of his head as she patiently explained to him, "Little cutie, my food has salt and various spices in it. If you eat this, you won't just shed fur—it'll be bad for your health, too."
"AWOO!" He wanted to eat it!
"No way. Be a good boy."
"WHIMPER..."
The Mojin King Tiger started acting cute, rolling all over the ground and making Liang He burst into laughter. She set down her lunchbox, directly hugged the giant tiger, and planted a firm kiss on his forehead.
"How are you so cute! I like you so much!"
Stunned by the kiss, Cedriel blinked his innocent golden eyes and awkwardly licked his paw, though his gaze inadvertently drifted toward Liang He, who had already begun chewing her dinner slowly and enjoying her meal.
"She actually kissed Cedriel! How could she?!"
"Isn't the real point that the Marshal didn't slap her to death with one paw?"
"My worldview has been completely shattered. And I have a feeling it's going to keep getting shattered."
Huo An, whose worldview was equally shattered, couldn't even be bothered to speak. He simply saved the entire sequence of events and forwarded it to Cedriel's family in silence. Yes, even an SSS-level Beastman and Federation Marshal had a family who cared about him!
[Cedriel's Family Group]
[Huo An: @All, Video attached.]
Every Beastman in the Evolutionary Stage had a dedicated family group chat. Under normal circumstances, however, the group remained completely silent unless there was an emergency. After all, once a beastified Beastman entered the Animal Protection Zone, it was nearly impossible to track their movements. Therefore, no news was the best news.
Thus, when Huo An sent a video to the group, the hearts of Cedriel's family members leaped into their throats, terrified they were about to see footage of Cedriel grievously injured.
[Cedriel's Father: ???]
[Cedriel's Mother: What am I looking at?!]
Was their precious son actually letting someone approach him? And he even ate food fed to him by a human! It was a known fact that beastified Beastmen were pure, savage beasts who recognized no one—not even their own parents!
[Cedriel's Father: Who is the girl in the video? I need all her information.]
[Huo An: The new Breeder, Liang He. She is from Blue Star.]
Huo An sent Liang He's file to them, then closed the chat window. He had more important things to do.
"Go to Blue Star and find a few more Blue Star people," Huo An ordered. He wanted to conduct an experiment.
"Director, do you want to confirm if Blue Star people are an exception?"
The Veterinarian, Xu Yi, instantly grasped Huo An's intentions. Unfortunately, he was bound to be disappointed. Xu Yi gently shook his head and sighed helplessly.
"We've hired Blue Star people before Liang He, and without exception, none of them could get close to a beastified Beastman."
That was exactly why they were so shocked and astounded by Liang He's actions—because she was the sole exception!
Hearing this, Huo An sat in front of the monitors, lightly tapping his fingertips against the desk as he stared thoughtfully at the footage of Liang He and Cedriel. "When Liang He leaves the Animal Protection Zone, have her come see me."
"Understood."
Oblivious to the fact that she was being targeted, Liang He finished her dinner, packed up her things, and prepared to head back to the service area.
The entire Animal Protection Zone was incredibly vast, housing ten service areas alone. Liang He chose Service Area Seven, which was closest to them, and boarded her hovercraft.
"Oh? Little cutie, are you planning to go back with me?"
Feeling the back of the vehicle dip, Liang He turned around, only to find herself face-to-face with a massive feline visage. Golden slit pupils stared at the hovercraft's control panel with a mix of vigilance and curiosity.
"AWOO!"
Seeing the Mojin King Tiger seated firmly in the back, motionless as a mountain, Liang He closed the hovercraft's doors, switched to hover mode, and flew toward Service Area Seven.
By the time they arrived, Xu Yi, who had rushed over at the first opportunity, had already been waiting for a while. Cedriel was injured. Although Liang He had treated his wounds, they didn't know enough about her medical capabilities. Just in case, it was best to have a professional Veterinarian examine him.
"ROAR!"
The moment the hovercraft opened, Cedriel became irritable, clearly having caught Xu Yi's scent. Sensing the giant tiger's restless agitation, Liang He didn't even bother greeting Xu Yi. She immediately hopped off the hovercraft, walked to the back, and hugged Cedriel.
"There, there, he's not a bad guy. Be good, don't be mad."
When it came to animals, Liang He's patience was always exceptionally good, and her voice was especially gentle. Cedriel, who had been roaring ferociously at Xu Yi in an attempt to drive him away, actually began to slowly calm down. This scene left Xu Yi clicking his tongue in marvel.
"Liang He, Cedriel is injured and I need to examine him. Could you help bring him to the treatment room?"
Xu Yi was quite self-aware. Even though he saw Cedriel treating Liang He differently, he didn't delude himself into thinking he would receive the same special treatment, so he had no choice but to brazenly ask for her help.
"Of course." As a Breeder, this was inherently one of her duties anyway. She turned to the tiger. "So your name is Cedriel? What a pleasant and domineering name."
Although the fierce beast couldn't understand what Liang He was saying, he could acutely sense her emotions. Cedriel affectionately nuzzled against her palm and obediently followed her out of the hovercraft, while Xu Yi sensibly led the way in front.
To ensure Xu Yi's safety, Liang He walked in the middle. Because of this, she failed to notice Cedriel crouching into a poised hunting posture.
"ROAR!"
From the corner of her eye, Liang He caught a glimpse of a golden silhouette speeding past her. With quick reflexes, she sprinted forward and threw her arms around the Mojin King Tiger, pulling him into a full embrace.
The people in the control room took in this entire scene, utterly shell-shocked.
"Liang He's reflexes are way too fast! Not only did she directly catch the Mojin King Tiger, but she didn't even get crushed!"
"The Mojin King Tiger weighs as much as several adult men put together! As a Blue Star person, how on earth did Liang He manage that?!"
"Even if we assume Liang He just happens to be incredibly strong, for her to make the Mojin King Tiger stop so quickly while he was mid-attack completely defies logic!"
With no mind to spare for anyone else's thoughts, Liang He was knocked back several steps by Cedriel's momentum before finally managing to find her footing. As for Cedriel, the instant he caught her scent, he immediately halted his attack. He even firmly planted his hind legs on the ground to share the burden of his weight pressing against Liang He's upper half.
"What's wrong with him?"
Having steadied herself, Liang He didn't feel the Mojin King Tiger was heavy in the slightest. Instead, she tirelessly stroked his fur, coaxing him to relax, though she was somewhat baffled as to why he had just tried to ambush Xu Yi.
"Cedriel was gravely injured previously, so we brought him back using tranquilizer darts. After waking up, he went berserk," Xu Yi explained. He had eventually been forced to tranquilize him again, bind him up, and forcefully treat him. The big guy was probably still holding a grudge.
"Little cutie, you sure hold a grudge, huh." Liang He gently pinched the Mojin King Tiger's cheeks. Even though she squeezed until he bared his teeth in a grimace, he couldn't bear to open his mouth and bite her, which only made Liang He burst into laughter. "But since you're so cute, it's only right that you hold a grudge, isn't it?"