NOVEL WEB Chapter 477: This Ending Is Not Unexpected
"Is there something you need?" Chen Ying opened the window, allowing Little Jin to jump in.
"I, I want to leave for a while." Little Jin sat on the table, remaining silent for a long time before finally speaking.
"Can I ask why you want to leave? Did you have a fight with Jinya, or did I do something wrong?"
"No, it's, it's that I think Jinya can have her own babies."
"Her own babies?"
Perhaps because the first words were already spoken, or perhaps because these words had been bottled up inside Little Jin for quite a while, they poured out uncontrollably at this moment.
"Jinya really likes Baby, she probably wants one of her own. I thought about letting her have one with other fellows, they definitely wouldn't stick around to help raise them, but I could help. But, but Jinya didn't agree and even called me silly."
Little Jin anxiously paced around, unable to stop, scratching the table fiercely with its paws.
Seeing the marks on the table, the veins on Chen Ying's temple throbbed a few times.
"Are you stupid? If Jinya really wanted a baby, do you think you could stop her?"
Animals aren't like humans; they only consider if they want, not whether they can.
Little Jin scratched in frustration, a dark haze seemed to shroud its furry head.
Chen Ying couldn't resist and tapped its head with his finger.
"Have you really been spending too much time with humans? You didn't learn the good stuff, just picked up all the nonsense. Jinya is a straightforward child, she never hides what she wants or doesn't want. You, ah, your mind is too burdened."
Chen Ying thought Little Jin had listened to too many sensational stories, its head filled with junk.
The rejected Little Jin left dejectedly, barely reaching the door before jumping onto a tree, nearly slipping off a branch in surprise when it found Jinya squatting there.
Fortunately, its sharp claws saved it, combined with a last-moment bite onto a slender twig.
Swinging on the tree like a swing, Little Jin looked at Jinya, who stood up. Wanting to speak, it only loosened its bite slightly before feeling itself falling, hurriedly clamping its teeth again.
Jinya jumped down from the tree and quickly disappeared into the forest.
Little Jin released its clenched bite, rolled on the ground once, chased after two steps then stopped, crouching under the tree like a dispirited dog.
Watching them from the room for a while, Chen Ying closed the window and went to sleep.
The next day, he went down the mountain to the Forestry and Grassland Bureau to get some materials, and also inquired about their last expedition.
"That big Snow Leopard has been on the mountaintop for at least three to four years. Every year, we check its biological samples to determine that it is healthy, not very old, with no signs of illness or dying of old age."
"We didn't see it when we went up in April and May, but we noticed a Snow Leopard that helps shepherds on the alpine meadows. Their territories overlap a lot, so we thought perhaps it went elsewhere to patrol its range."
"In July, we went up again, but this time we didn't even see the smaller Snow Leopard. No traces of Snow Leopard were recorded on the infrared cameras either."
This phenomenon was very unusual. Later, we attempted another ascent but had to turn back midway due to stormy weather.
Chen Ying looked through photos from April to July. Rock Sheep, mouse rabbits, and other highland animals appeared in the frames, and even a Leopard showed up three times around the May Day period, but besides that Leopard, no more appearances of the Snow Leopard were recorded.
The last time the Little Snow Leopard, previously rescued, appeared was at the end of April, just a day apart from the occasional Leopard.
Chen Ying repeatedly went over the photos of the Little Snow Leopard. For some reason, he felt there was something off about its expression.
"Alright, I'll head up the day after tomorrow to directly check the situation at the peak."
Yin Li came over after chatting in another office and also viewed the photographs taken during that time frame.
"Is it just my imagination? Why do I feel this Little Snow Leopard looks a bit sad?"
Chen Ying remained silent, a frown deeply etched on his face.
After copying the video and photos, the two of them took the necessary equipment and headed back up the mountain.
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you? Didn't Miss Dao tell you to wait for two days? She wants to go up and check the situation too."
The disappearance of the Snow Leopard can be a big or small issue. As a member of the M Alliance, Dao Meihua said she would contact the M Alliance for necessary assistance if needed.
"She doesn't have experience on Snow Mountain, and with the weather, a blizzard is likely, so let's not."
Aside from Chen Ying, the Forestry and Grassland Bureau arranged for three staff members to go with them, and they also arranged for a forest police officer.
Yin Li looked at those photos over and over, finally deciding, despite Chen Ying's opposition, to go up the mountain with them.
"If I decide to return after the new year, this action will work in my favor. Don't persuade me, I've made up my mind."
After speaking, he went outside to call his sister, asking her and her husband to pick up their mom at the River Source.
As soon as Yin Li's sister heard this, she knew her brother was likely planning to return to develop locally, eagerly agreeing as her husband booked the train tickets without even hanging up the call.
Since Yin Li had made up his mind, Chen Ying didn't press further.
With Little Sen and Mengmeng at the rescue station, there was nothing to worry about.
After two days of preparation, their group of six set off.
And brought along an unofficial member.
"Jinya, are you really mad at Little Jin?"
In such cold weather, heading to the top of Snow Mountain, Little Jin certainly couldn't make it, having to helplessly watch Jinya leave with Chen Ying and the others without looking back.
Leopard Sister and Brother Leopard cuddled together eating seeds, not allowing the lynx cub to follow either.