Super Zoo

Three days later, a news conference was held as scheduled in the auditorium of the Xiangjiang Police Headquarters building on Weaponry Street.

The auditorium, with a capacity of two hundred people, was full.

What Xiangjiang certainly wasn't short of was media. From the government-affiliated Phoenix News at the top tier, down to the gossip magazines on street corners, dozens of newspapers and periodicals of all sizes were in attendance; furthermore, since the news about the 'kidnapping case' didn't involve political opinions, but was about moral and legal boundaries that all humanity should abide by, even many radical newspapers that usually held opposing views to the government had specially sent reporters to cover the event.

As three public relations officers, adorned with shining police stars on their shoulders, took to the stage, a flurry of shutter sounds immediately filled the auditorium. It took a good ten seconds before the venue quieted down again.

"Good afternoon, friends from the media, distinguished guests. I'm Lin Dong, Chief Inspector of the Public Relations Department of the Xiangjiang Police. Now, on behalf of the police, I will disclose the details of the major 5.4 kidnapping case..."

Chief Inspector Lin Dong took a full ten minutes to read through the document in his hands, detailing the entire kidnapping case for the audience.

"Alright, now it's time for questions!"

As soon as he finished speaking, arms shot up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, and Lin Dong chuckled. "Let's have the lady in the third seat of the second row on the left ask her question." Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

A very charming young female reporter took the microphone, stood up, and said, "Hello, Chief Inspector Lin, I'm a reporter from The Daily. From the briefing just now, we all know that Mr. Suming from the mainland played an indispensable role in this kidnapping case. It can be said that without Mr. Suming, the outcome of this case would be hard to predict. So, my question is, is Mr. Suming really just an ordinary tourist, or is he a master from some mysterious department on the mainland sent to assist the Xiangjiang Police? Um... much like the protagonist in the movie 'Central Security Bureau Bodyguards' from years ago."

A wave of quiet laughter rippled through the gathering. Strictly speaking, this question seemed a bit comical for such a serious occasion.

However, the journalistic community was well aware of The Daily's style. It was a popular comprehensive newspaper with a strong entertainment focus, completely reader-oriented. Gossip was always popular, and this question actually represented the sentiments of many ordinary citizens in Xiangjiang.

Even Chief Inspector Lin Dong couldn't help but shake his head and smile wryly, "Not that I'm aware of, at least the police didn't receive any notice from the central government. As for whether Mr. Su is a master, well, he is present himself, you may ask him to answer you."

The microphone was passed to the first row; Suming, dressed in a suit, took the microphone, stood up, turned back to nod slightly at the female reporter from The Daily, and then said with a hint of mystery, "Speaking of mysterious masters, we have genuine masters present here!"

The female reporter from The Daily was taken aback, and the many reporters at the scene looked at each other, confused; even the three public relations officers on stage grew curious.

Suming gestured towards several reporters not too far away and said earnestly, "Mr. Zha, the former owner of Ming Pao, created the Sunflower Manual, the Nine Yang Divine Skill, and a series of other divine techniques decades ago. If I am considered a mysterious master, then wouldn't Ming Pao be a martial arts hall? The reporter friends from Ming Pao, naturally, are all masters."

A few Ming Pao reporters shrugged nonchalantly, as if to say they were not involved. The room chuckled again. Though Suming didn't deny it directly, he had given his answer with a humorous attitude.

"If there really are such divine skills, I would ask our friends from Ming Pao not to keep them secret; our police force would definitely offer a high salary to hire you as coaches," Lin Dong laughed. "Since Mr. Su has mentioned Ming Pao, let's have a reporter from Ming Pao ask the next question."

"Thank you!" A bespectacled middle-aged male reporter from Ming Pao took the microphone and stood up. "First, I want to clarify that I absolutely have not practiced the Sunflower Manual!"

The conference room erupted with laughter. The atmosphere of the news conference had not been particularly tense even after the successful resolution of the kidnapping, and these humorous exchanges had completely relaxed everyone's mood.

After the laughter subsided, the male reporter turned serious and said, "I'd like to ask Chief Inspector Lin, since the kidnappers are all nationals from the mainland and have been incarcerated here in Xiangjiang, does this indicate that cooperation between law enforcement agencies across the strait will be further strengthened? Can we achieve information sharing?"

Unlike The Daily, Ming Pao always stressed taste and seriousness, paying great attention to the mainland. Despite the previous humorous remarks, the question posed was very sharp.

The police were naturally adept at handling such enquiries, emphasizing the central government's leadership over the special administrative region, then going on to praise the efficiency of the mainland police force highly, and finally indicating that the two sides would strengthen cooperation on the basis of the constitution and various laws of the special administrative region in order to better serve the citizens and combat crime.

Following this, reporters from Sing Tao Daily, Wen Wei Po, Ta Kung Pao, and five other media outlets took turns asking questions, which were answered by the Xiangjiang Police, Suming, and the case's principal victim, Luo Jiaju. The real person involved, Miss Luo Jun, was not present due to her physical and mental condition; her father, Luo Jiaju, answered on her behalf.

After the question and answer session concluded, and not following the usual protocol for ending the press conference, Lin Dong continued. "Friends in the media, I would also like to announce two related pieces of news here. The first piece of news is that Yangchuan City Zoo and Xiangjiang Ocean Park have become friendly partners, and Xiangjiang Ocean Park's two pandas, Yingying and Lele, will arrive at Yangchuan City Zoo next month for a two-month collaborative exchange exhibition."

The so-called 'friendly partner' relationship doesn't involve any binding powers or obligations on either side, it's just about adding each other's zoo names and website links at the very bottom of their respective 'partnership' webpages. It's no big deal. If Suming wanted, he could easily establish this kind of relationship with every zoo in the country, provided they were legitimate organizations without any vendettas to settle....

The cooperative exchange trip for the pandas Yingying and Lele did require some effort from Suming. Actually, the board of directors at Xiangjiang Ocean Park couldn't make the decision on their own and had to consult the upper echelons of the Special Administrative Region's government through the police.

The government, for its part, was very accommodating and approved the request the same day, seeing it as another opportunity to strengthen the friendship between the mainland and Xiangjiang.

Suming hadn't expected that the Xiangjiang board would stir up trouble in the end. Those damn capitalists were too greedy, showing Suming the daily visitor stats for the panda exhibit with a strictly-business attitude, listing out a whole array of data and charts to demonstrate how much revenue the pandas brought in daily for Ocean Park.

Suming almost wanted to curse them out, 'As if Ocean Park is in such dire need of this petty cash. You have the nerve to ask me for money for a two-month loan? If I hadn't stepped in, those pandas might have ended up disabled, and then you'd be the one crying, still hoping to make money off of them. Dream on.'

The so-called 'elites' at Ocean Park with their Western concepts had taken the Huaxia tradition of clear-cut deals between even the closest of brothers to the extreme, calculating each expense down to the penny, even including the 'depreciation' of the panda's future lifespan.

At first, Suming thought this was standard practice, so he shared Xiangjiang Ocean Park's 'method of calculation' with his domestic zoo Q-group. But the leaders of zoos from all over were stunned; it was their first time hearing about calculating depreciation on an animal's life span.

When you think about it, it's not entirely without reason. A panda can live twenty to thirty years, a 'lending period' of two months would reduce its 'value' by one percent.

But since when do we treat pandas like machines that depreciate over time?

In reality, the rental fee wasn't much for either party. Ocean Park wouldn't get rich or go broke over it, and Yangchuan City Zoo wouldn't go poor without it, but including Suming, the mainland zoo administrators were fairly speechless. In the West, this is a normal business practice, but to Eastern eyes, it seemed a bit petty and quite lacking in compassion.

The media present had mostly learned through various channels about the panda exchange, but the news did not cause much of a stir, just a sparse scattering of applause.

"Next, I am pleased to announce a special resolution by the Xiangjiang Special Administrative Region government, please stand..."

The three police officers on stage were the first to stand, while the reporters below looked at each other in confusion. What special resolution? They hadn't heard any rumors about it.

Only Suming had received a notice and left his seat, standing on the first tier of the stage awaiting the announcement.

Police Superintendent Lin Dong read the resolution in a steady voice, "...after consideration, it has been decided to award Mr. Suming with the title of Honorary Citizen of Xiangjiang, in recognition of his special contributions to Xiangjiang."

After he finished, applause didn't immediately break out in the auditorium as one might expect. Most of the reporters doubted they had heard correctly.

'Honorary Citizen' is a common local title adopted by various governments to encourage and commend foreigners who have made outstanding contributions. Just as it says on the tin, besides the 'honor,' it grants the rights of a normal citizen.

Xiangjiang also has this tradition, and becoming an honorary citizen isn't something unusual. But to the reporters' surprise, the status was typically announced along with the knighthood ceremony on July 1st every year. The fact that it was proclaimed in May was unprecedented.

Moreover, those labeled 'Honorary Citizens' are often not really ordinary 'citizens'; they're either wealthy or noble, with real ordinary people seldom getting the chance at such recognition.

Put differently, the significance of this honorary citizenship far outweighed the routine ones announced each July 1st. It could even be said that this was Xiangjiang's first common person 'Honorary Citizen'.

It took a long while until the moment Suming ascended the stage, and that's when thunderous applause burst through the hall.

Clearly, awarding such an honor to a 'righteous hero' who risked his life to save others had a more inspiring effect than bestowing it on the so-called tycoons who have made 'significant contributions' to Xiangjiang's economy!

"Tragic, after all these years, I am still just a commoner," Suming thought to himself.