Chapter 702: Chapter 561: Waiting for the Cat by Guarding the Fish (Part 2)

But Bai Bingyang’s temperament might make it hard for him even if he goes back to the Wildlife Park.

Mengmeng rolled his eyes speechlessly, noticing Chen Ying’s dilemma, “Why not send him to the Protection Station for temporary enclosure? He’s lazy and doesn’t like moving around. With regular feeding and a place to bask in the sun, he’ll be content. You’re worrying too much. Does he need all that?”

(艹皿艹), instinctively treating him like Leopard Sister and the others.

Chen Ying immediately called the Protection Station, and while they agreed to temporarily house Bai Bingyang, they needed to file a report to the higher authorities.

The process was quick: the report was drafted by Little Sen, submitted by Chen Ying, and followed up on by Yin Li. A week later, the approval was granted, and before Chen Ying left, Bai Bingyang would temporarily reside in the largest interactive area at the Protection Station. Accompanying him would be Little Taobao and Monkey baby.

Monkey baby has the nickname “Little Sheng”; the nurse and Mengmeng even made him a cosplay outfit, not of the Great Saint, but of the Demon Child Nezha.

The name was embroidered on the outfit: Little Sheng Na-grab!

Seeing the finished product, Chen Ying and the others almost burst into laughter.

“You two, what kind of thing is this? Why not just cosplay the Great Saint directly? Instead, you make Little Sheng cosplay Nezha, looking so odd. But admittedly, it’s quite eccentric, fitting for a Demon Child.”

Everyone laughed uncontrollably. That day, several chat groups were filled with Little Sheng’s cosplay photos, with phones covered in spilled food and drinks.

(Can’t let me be the only one harmed)

The time passed quickly, and Chen Ying sent Bai Bingyang over a bit early to let him adapt to the enclosed life.

And to be honest, Bai Bingyang adapted quickly; he particularly enjoyed the wooden high platform made in the outdoor area, perfect for sunbathing, spacious enough that he wasn’t afraid of rolling off.

At the rescue station, he wasn’t allowed on the high platforms—those were Leopard Sister and Jinya’s territory. He could only roll around on the grass below or stretch his body on the rocks while out strolling with Chen Ying.

“Roar, I like it here very much!”

It was clear that Bai Bingyang was excited, even marking in the yard…

Little Taobao and Little Sheng had little interest in Bai Bingyang’s new home; they preferred wandering around the Protection Station, teasing cats, provoking dogs, and watching birds.

The two, being small in stature and wearing locative collars, with their clothes showing they belonged to someone, didn’t worry about being stolen.

Upon learning the tree and platform at the entrance were formerly used by Aunt Leopard and Aunt Jin Ya, Little Taobao decided to inherit the aunties’ territory—this would become his “Tmall Taobao” territory!

Little Taobao occupied the platform at the entrance, while Little Sheng fancied the big tree in the yard.

It was lush and leafy, perfect for monkeys to play around.

Little Sheng’s mom often came to see him, but Little Sheng didn’t want to follow her back to the wild; he preferred life with the Two-legged beasts, far more fun than jumping from tree to tree every day.

Previously, there was an artificial cat nest in the big tree made for Jinya and Little Jin, but it hadn’t been used for years; occasionally, birds would temporarily rest there.

After Little Sheng arrived, several Forest Patrol Officers took time off to renovate the cat nest, adding a handmade small cushion and pillow inside, securing it firmly, transforming it into Little Sheng’s exclusive tree house.

For safety, a camera was installed outside the tree house to prevent other animals or birds from attacking Little Sheng while he slept.

To protect Little Sheng, a safety enclosure was built under the tree to keep passing tourists from disturbing him.

Due to the viewing platform’s completion along with Little Taobao, Little Sheng, and Bai Bingyang’s move-in, the Protection Station and nearby research base gained popularity once again.

However, none of this momentarily concerned Chen Ying, who was ready to lead a team of early-arriving research members by vehicle to the Dian Province Wetland.

Dao Meihua stayed at the rescue station for four or five days before returning; her team, led by her and her cousin, arrived three days earlier than Chen Ying’s team at the destination.

Their initial task was to explore wetlands around Diannan Lancang River to find possible existence of Fishing Cats.

If none were found, they would have to search wetlands in neighboring Laos and Lao Mian, where there are confirmed populations.

The wetlands in Dian Province are concentrated in highland lakes, alpine marshes, and tropical river valleys, but years of human development led to the rubber forest’s large-scale planting, dramatically shrinking original wetland areas, resulting in fragmented distribution unsuitable for Fishing Cats.

Fishing Cats need wetlands with ample water and fish as food sources, and because the neighboring countries have confirmed Fishing Cat populations, their target is set in the Southern Yunnan River Valley.

After arriving in Banna, they rested at accommodations provided by the Dao family, then drove to the wetland protection area.

Chen Ying had visited this protection area before during the Asian Elephant study.

After driving for over two hours, they settled in a small border town.

The Dao family rented two adjacent courtyard dwellings here, convenient for lodging and parking. They also set up basic equipment to aid in rescuing other animals during explorations.

“This protection area’s Administration Bureau collaborates with Laos, mainly overseeing and safeguarding Asian Elephants, establishing an Asian Elephant warning system. We’ll communicate with them during our stay, as they are familiar with the wetlands, having patroled the borders for years.”

Additionally, a monitoring station was set up by the Tropical Botanical Garden here, focusing on tropical community succession studies and observing animal behavior impacts on the ecosystem.

Before arriving, Chen Ying contacted the monitoring station here; they confirmed no Fishing Cats had been captured on footage, not even cross-border sightings. However, Clouded Leopards were recorded several times over the past two years—they suspect locals or passing tourists misidentified Leopard Cats as Fishing Cats.

Leopard Cats are widely distributed in wetlands and forests across Dian Province, often seen around rice paddies and streams, preying on fish and small animals. Since Leopard Cats and the legendary Fishing Cats are similarly sized and belong to the Leopard Cat genus, non-experts might easily confuse them.

Actually, Fishing Cats’ heads are slightly larger, with a stocky build, while Leopard Cats are agile.

(Fishing Cat)

(Leopard Cat)

Their first destination was the largest wetland within the protection area, featuring mangroves and abundant fish resources.

In earlier years, villagers heavily planted rubber trees, but later efforts to restore the ecological environment led to rubber tree removal, attempting to restore the previous ecosystem.

Over a decade, some results showed, and the local government hasn’t ignored locals’ livelihoods by developing tourism and aquaculture, enabling them to prosper economically without damaging the environment.

The village where the Dao family rented residences established farm stays and homestays; the village committee specifically allocated land to build five or six four-story buildings managed collectively by the village, specially renting them to seasonal visitors, while hosting overnight tourist groups for border trips, bringing significant revenue.

After successfully obtaining permits, Chen Ying’s team rested for two days before splitting into two groups to venture into the protected area, heading directly toward both ends of the wetland.

The team heading west toward the wetland experienced mixed fortune when encountering wild Asian Elephants near the wetland.

This family team of twelve elephants moved very slowly, even stopping on the path as if intent on lingering until satisfied.

After communicating with the Asian Elephant Observation Team, the team abandoned waiting, returning to the village to await their notification.

Chen Ying and Dao Meihua’s team meanwhile successfully arrived at the wetland’s east end, set up camp, planning to observe nocturnal animal activity near the wetland after dark.

As the team leader, Chen Ying naturally led the night operations.

Thus, that night, enduring mosquito harassment, Chen Ying, accompanied by two students and an assistant, set up two minimalist camo tents near the wetland, each with two cameras, silently awaiting.