Forest Ranger, starting from Picking Up a Lynx Girl

Bai Bingyang overheard their conversation and interjected, "I heard that the mom of that Baby said something about the grandmother going through menopause, and her temper is quite strange. Is Jinya also hitting menopause?"

Little Jin opened his mouth but didn't know how to respond to the topic. Um, do cats have menopause too? And what's this menopause thing?

Jinya is certainly not experiencing any menopause. According to age, it's still transitioning from youth to middle age.

Lately, it has always had a hunch that something might happen, but it seems it wouldn't threaten itself.

Besides it, Leopard Sister also has this feeling, but Leopard Sister is more composed; at most, she goes out to patrol a little more frequently.

The station doesn't feel anything unusual. After all, late spring and early summer is quite special, with a lot more animal fights than usual, especially this year.

The Protection Station has added quite a few extra hands this year, with at least half being volunteer teams made up of young people from each village.

Xiaozhai Village's development has been quite good in recent years, driving neighboring villages, and even the town's traffic has increased significantly. Being able to find work at home, earn money to support the family, and take care of elders and children, who would want to stay away from home all year round?

After the big mountain patrol at the end of last month, an official Patrol Team member leads two volunteers for fire prevention and theft control. With more people, the area is divided into grids, with tasks and routes sent to each team, requiring patrols at least once every three days.

Fortunately, with high-tech patrols now, not only is the speed faster, but the risks are greatly reduced.

Furthermore, each village regards this mountain forest as a source of livelihood, treating it with care like their own golden goose.

Chen Ying finished his business and called his fiancée to discuss going to look for the Fishing Cat in July.

The project application has been approved, and he has communicated with the university where he previously pursued his doctorate. The remaining hours will be completed in the form of joint project research.

For the next three days, he needs to conduct video interviews to select three from his home institution's master's and doctoral applicants to join his project team.

Moreover, he also assisted the veterinary research institute there in connecting with the Panda Center, and two students will come in October for a two-year specialized study.

Every year, many foreign students apply to come to the base and the center, but few are admitted. If it weren't for Chen Ying's doctoral school being top-ranked globally, cooperation wouldn't be easy. What else can be done when we are the only providers! ┓(´∀`)┏

Dao Meihua also has a research task with her school to be completed by mid-June, after which she can accompany Chen Ying to find the Fishing Cat and conduct research on wetland vegetation.

They discussed and decided that Chen Ying should go over in May to discuss the team setup with Dao Meihua's two brothers.

To go to the Primitive Forest, they'll probably have to deal with indigenous people from neighboring countries, and he can't do it alone.

Dao Meihua's two cousins are responsible for daily transactions of commerce and conservation work with two neighboring countries near the Dao family. They know some local slang, eliminating the need for a translator for communication.

They had a brief collaboration last time, working well together, and Chen Ying immediately agreed to seek help from his two brothers-in-law.

As they were talking, he felt the bed move slightly, making Chen Ying's heart tighten as he rushed to the balcony to check.

"What's wrong?" Dao Meihua was speaking when she suddenly heard Chen Ying's rapid breathing and faint calls from the distance, becoming tense as well.

"It's nothing, I'll call you later."

Chen Ying hurriedly hung up and ran out while Little Sen and Dr. Ou also rushed to the center of the forest.

"Brother Ying, received notification that there was a Level 5 Earthquake near Dexi, fifty kilometers away, with the epicenter in the mountains. No reports of casualties have been received."

The earthquake fifty kilometers away caused noticeable tremors here. Thankfully it was in the deep mountains; if it occurred in populated areas, it could be disastrous.

This region lies on the fault zone, making earthquakes common, but fortunately, recent ones haven't been strong, with relatively low risk.

More than half an hour later, there was another mild tremor, followed by no further sensations.

The birds and beasts on Jiamu Gully Mountain remained relatively calm, unlike the overwhelming scenes seen in online videos where flocks fly skyward.

Yet, for the next few days, everyone's hearts were hanging heavy, unable to sleep peacefully.

On the fifth night, Chen Ying's phone suddenly rang. It was a plea for help from two local veterinarians who exchanged contact information with Chen Ying during his field research at Zangbu River Canyon.

They encountered an earthquake there as well. Fortunately, the earthquake was also in a wilderness area, with damage only to dangerous housing in a few nearby villages. However, rangers involved in mountain protection tasks and nearby wildlife were injured.

"Dr. Chen, during the earthquake, our rangers were resting at the outdoor campsite. Two Golden Cats and a Clouded Leopard rescued them. But while evacuating, one Golden Cat was hit in the spine by a falling rock, and another Clouded Leopard pushed away a ranger but was pinned by a falling tree, injuring its hind limb. Our techniques are inadequate, and even sending them to the rescue center is impossible. The center suffered quite heavily from the earthquake and is focused on protecting the existing animals. We have no choice but to ask for your advice."

Chen Ying wiped his face and decisively called his brother-in-law.

The Dao family's headquarters is in the northwest corner of Dian Province, about seven or eight hundred kilometers from the earthquake location, on a different seismic belt, and relatively less affected. Besides, the Dao family has rich rescue experience, whether human or animal rescue, with professional teams.

The brother-in-law was awakened by Chen Ying's call and, upon hearing the plea from his prospective brother-in-law, agreed without hesitation. He instructed Chen Ying to send the contacts of those two veterinarians, allowing direct liaison.

The government would definitely take responsibility for injured personnel, but it might not provide immediate rescue for injured wildlife. Based on the veterinarian's description, if surgery cannot be performed promptly, the Golden Cat's life might be in jeopardy.

Though the matter was quickly resolved, Chen Ying certainly couldn't sleep. He got up and went downstairs to check on Monkey baby and Little Taobao.

These two were snuggled comfortably into Bai Bingyang's belly, sleeping soundly.

Hearing footsteps, Bai Bingyang lazily opened an eye, saw it was a Two-legged beast, and quickly fell back asleep.

Heading outside, he saw Jinya sitting crouched on the top platform, eyes fixed on Hot Spring Valley, ears perked as if on alert.

Chen Ying climbed the wooden frame and sat beside Jinya, placing his hand on its back, giving it a comforting massage.

"What's wrong, Jinya? Do you feel uncomfortable lately?"

"Huh, no, I'm just very annoyed, very annoyed, and don't know why."

Perhaps having the Two-legged beast beside her, Jinya's tense body relaxed slightly, lying down and rubbing her head against Chen Ying's thigh.

"It's okay, Jinya. If you don't know what's bothering you, then don't dwell on it. Just be happy. Jinya should be carefree."

It had been a long time since such intimate closeness with Jinya. Chen Ying lay down, hugging Jinya, returning to the familiarity of years ago when they first met, sleeping together, warming each other.

But back then, Jinya's body was much slimmer, a layer of fur covering the bony frame. The current feel was far better, able to grab soft yet resilient flesh.

During these years of studying, he spent little time domestically, and these little ones gradually grew. Leopard Sister's cheeks even showed sparse white hairs.

The Lynx in the wild typically lives ten to fifteen years, with the longest captivity record being 24 years. The Golden Cat has similar longevity.

Jinya and Little Jin are already seven years old now.

The lifespan of the Flower Leopard is similar to the Golden Cat, but male Flower Leopards tend to live shorter due to frequent fights.

When rescued, Leopard Sister was at least five years old, considered middle-aged by now. Brother Leopard is somewhat younger, but not by much.

Fortunately, though wild, they're nearly comparable to captivity, likely outliving their wild counterparts.

Having their Two-legged beast nearby, talking in many incomprehensible words, Jinya fell asleep in Chen Ying's comforting words.

Once it was sound asleep, Leopard Sister quietly jumped down beside them, lying down to shield Chen Ying from the chilly dawn wind.