Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When capturing wild animals for scientific observation, it was difficult to avoid contaminating them with human odors. Under normal circumstances, this was not a big problem as long as the animal cubs were not affected.
Zhang Zian had caught this group of fennec foxes without any cubs. In addition, it was currently not their breeding season. Even if they were teenagers, they were no longer being fed by their mothers.
The hesitation of the small group of foxes seemed to irritate the lead fennec fox. It screamed and rushed over, fiercely screaming at each individual fox. It was as if it were saying: Who is not convinced of who I am? Come and challenge me if so!
The small group of fennec foxes was frightened by its aggression and shivered. No one dared to defy it and obediently followed the leader.
The head fox once again circled the group of fennec foxes. Wei Kang had expected this.
Once the group elected a leader, it would not be easy to change it unless the leader got old or seriously injured in a fight. In this situation, the leader obviously had none of those troubles.
The two groups integrated smoothly and started enjoying the water and food together. They polished off everything and licked the plates until they shone. They ate until their stomachs were very bloated.
As the sun rose, the land gradually heated up.
Fennec foxes, who were nocturnal, had to get back to their nest to avoid the sun and sleep. Otherwise, they would quickly become dehydrated in the sun and die of heat stroke.
The head led them away and into the distance. They ran with it and reluctantly looked back at the empty dishes, as if they expected water and food to reappear. After running over another sand dune, they disappeared from the telescope’s field of vision.
Wei Kang and the others finally heaved sighs of relief. Earlier, they hadn’t dared to speak and were also very cautious when they breathed.
Gao Ke stopped the recording and checked the playback. He nodded to Wei Kang, indicating that all the footage was captured.
“Teacher, let’s just leave the dishes here and put some water and food in them! These little foxes are so cute and pitiful. Just so cute!” He He said excitedly, thinking that Wei Kang would definitely agree to her suggestion.
“No.” Wei Kang shook his head and flatly refused. “You can’t let them have the idea that they will get food and water when they come here. They live very well in the desert and don’t need our extra help.”
He seemed nonchalant about their well-being, but this was, in fact, his way of showing care for the foxes. The group should’ve been able to determine how they chose to live instead of anticipating that food would always be served to them.
“Let’s go. A year from now, someone will come to pick up their collars,” Wei Kang said, waving.
Zhang Zian had doubts and asked, “Can the fennec fox build a nest underground? What happens if the collar falls underground? Will it block the radio signal?”
“If that happens, there is nothing we can do about it,” Wei Kang said. “In any case, they are social creatures and wander on the surface more often. Not every collar will fall underground. In fact, some more advanced radio collars can send data to satellites every day, and the data can be collected every day.
“The GPS coordinates are uploaded to Google Earth, and you don’t have to wait for it to fall off to get the information. However, those collars are for large and medium-sized animals and are equipped with large-capacity batteries and high-power radio transmitters. This makes the collar itself bigger and heavier and therefore not suitable for small mammals.”
Zhang Zian understood. It could only be so.
When they went back to the camp, Wei Kang had already explained the situation to Peter Lee via the walkie-talkie. He said that they would return to the camp immediately and were ready to go.
People who had stayed in the camps earlier began to demolish the tents. With the departure time postponed, everyone was inexplicably happy. They felt like they had earned hundreds of millions of dollars.
Zhang Zian was walking when suddenly he was pulled aside by the person next to him. He looked at him and saw that it was Xiao Tianyu.
Xiao Tianyu’s face had several Band-Aids, and it looked like he lost while playing cards and this was his punishment. He looked very funny. One of his eyes was swollen, and the corners of his mouth and eyes still had huge bruises that had yet to disappear. It would probably take a few more days for everything to heal. It also showed that Gao Ke had not gone easy on him.
Zhang Zian wanted to ask him what was wrong. However, Xiao Tianyu quietly made a gesture, telling him to slow down and not say anything, for he had something to tell him.
Xiao Tianyu was acting suspiciously, but with such a face, it was difficult to adequately describe the scene.
Zhang Zian thought that perhaps he wanted to appeal the punishment that he’d been subjected to. This was not possible, as it might anger the rest. Nevertheless, he stopped to listen to what he wanted to say.
The rest were happily discussing the fennec foxes and did not realize that Zhang Zian and Xiao Tianyu had been left behind.
“What’s up?” Zhang Zian asked after making sure no one else could hear him.
Xiao Tianyu sneaked a “you know” look to him, stretched out his palm that was badly bruised, and whispered, “Let’s…let’s step aside and chat!”
“What?” Zhang Zian sighed and gave him a look that said ‘everyone else is gone!’ What was there that needed to be kept in such secrecy?
Xiao Tianyu smiled and pretended to be friendly to Zhang Zian. He rubbed his ribs with his elbows and whispered, “Oh! I have also heard it! Why do you still pretend? Let’s step aside and have a chat!”
“I don’t understand what you mean.” Zhang Zian listened and felt that perhaps they were talking about different things.
Xiao Tianyu patted his thigh and pointed at him. “You refuse to speak the truth! I passed by your tent when I had to pee in the morning, and I clearly heard the voice of Zhiling’s sister in your tent! Those sounds that I heard… I almost peed my pants!”
Zhang Zian wanted to say that he was sick and needed to go see a doctor!
Xiao Tianyu squinted his eyes and said with a smirk, “How did you get Zhiling? Teach me!”
Oh, so that was what it was all about!
“It is not like that. Plus, you are already…however you are. You still want to try? Are you not afraid of blood in your urine?” Zhang Zian fiercely rebutted him.
Xiao Tianyu realized Zhang Zian was raising his voice. He was afraid that other people would hear and wanted to use his fat hand to cover his mouth. However, Zhang Zian managed to dodge it.
“Hey! These are long nights in the desert, and my body is always in need! I cannot fall asleep. Quick! Teach me! Tell me!” Xiao Tianyu squinted and moved closer to him.
“You’ve got it wrong. I really don’t have the skills to cast a spell over Zhiling! It’s time to go. Don’t think about this any further! You should focus on how to heal faster!” Zhang Zian wiped off his hand and ran forward to catch up with the others. He walked briskly towards the camp.
“Hey! You are horrible! There is little of the sharing spirit here!” Xiao Tianyu looked at Zhang Zian’s back, stomped his feet, and dismissively said to himself, “I won’t give up! I will hide next to your tent tomorrow morning. When I hear Zhiling’s voice, I will catch you on the spot!”
He momentarily forgot that this was the desert. As he stomped on the sand, tons of it filled his shoes. He could only scream at his bad luck, sit down to take off his shoes, and pour the sand out.
