Chapter 645 636: Rushing Towards Freedom
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The grizzly bear boss was the one with the greatest killing power among these animals. It was a troublemaker even back in the American Zoo: hot-tempered, domineering, and a well-known 'big bully' among the animals. It not only bullied other animals but also attempted to attack the zookeepers unsuccessfully, several times.
That's why it got sold!
For safety, the grizzly bear boss's cage was entirely made of iron bars and was the sturdiest of all. The key was also kept separately by a technician from another Ocean Park.
At first, the grizzly bear boss felt quite smug—how about that, we're all animals, but I'm the one treated with the highest regard!
All you losers!
However, when the escape began and he saw every other animal breaking free, the grizzly bear boss was dumbfounded.
In the end, it was the only one still locked in the cage. The grizzly bear boss was on the verge of a breakdown, lying against the iron bars with a pitiful look, gazing at the two pandas.
Considering we're all bears, don't leave me behind in here all alone.
The two pandas were also feeling awkward. Although they had learned a few fancy moves at the martial arts conference, they were not true kung fu pandas. When faced with the iron bars, they were helpless.
A whole bunch of animals gathered around the grizzly bear boss's cage, and the once mighty big bully now sat in the cage with a gloomy face.
As time ticked away, Yingying and Lele steeled themselves and bared their sharp teeth.
Crack... Their teeth met the iron bars, producing a grating noise that could send chills down one's spine.
Pandas are nicknamed Iron-Eating Beasts, having the ability to bite through metal. But the cage before them was not made of thin iron sheets; it consisted of iron bars as thick as thumbs. When they bit down, Yingying and Lele felt like their teeth were going to break off, their mouths ached so badly that even their little tails shivered in pain.
But indeed, there were two distinct sets of tooth marks on the iron bars!
"Ooo..." The baboons' eyes widened as their mouths formed an O shape, letting out soft gasps of surprise.
The grizzly bear boss put his paws together and bowed repeatedly to the two pandas.
Having been with Suming for a while, Yingying and Lele, whose moral standards had improved, felt they should uphold the spirit of internationalism and not abandon the grizzly bear boss alone.
Keep biting!
"Ooo, ooo!" The baboon squeezed in to help, forcefully pulling the iron bar to one side. Seeing this, the grizzly bear hurriedly joined in from the inside, hugging the iron bar and pulling hard with the baboon!
The iron bars shook slightly, too thick to budge.
The elk, with antlers sturdy like tree branches, shook its large head and dipped its antlers into the cage, prying at the iron bars with all its might, its slim but strong legs flailing wildly on the ground... The antlers were connected to its head, and it really hurt...
Then, even more animals joined the rescue effort! A few pet animals, being of little help, jumped around at the side, wagging their tails to cheer everyone on. The bald eagle flapped its wings, flying to the entrance of the transport container, acting as a sentry and vigilantly watching for any movement outside...
Squeak... The iron bars finally gave in to the pressure, slowly twisting and distorting.
...
A few minutes later, a round head popped out from the still slightly open transport container, looking furtively left and right with black-rimmed eyes.
On the ferry vehicle beside the plane, a few ground crew members were sneakily smoking inside, waiting for instructions from the control tower to close the door before takeoff.
Lele wiggled its butt and was the first to squeeze out of the cabin. It started to run towards the closest edge of the airport.
Following it was a procession of various animals, large and small, lining up in an orderly fashion, sprinting silently and swiftly to keep up, slipping away right under the noses of the other side's ferry vehicle staff.
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With the photo taken from a distance that Mr. Sun shared during the meeting in hand, one would realize that the animals had indeed escaped from that very passenger plane.
The nose of the aircraft faced the camera, and the cargo hold door, located at the rear end of the plane, conveniently obscured the camera's view. The path taken by the fleeing animals was blocked by the plane, so the camera could only capture the fuselage and couldn't clearly see what was happening behind it.
Since these two planes still had to carry a large number of animals, to avoid causing a disturbance and drawing excessive attention, the planes were parked in a corner of the apron, surrounded by nothing but a shuttle bus—essentially unattended.
Under a series of coincidences, a rare massive animal breakout had occurred with no fuss and no risks involved.
But to say it was a success would be premature, as one last step remained.
Lele, who was running at the head of the pack, was about to escape the airport perimeter. It sped up, but suddenly, with a clang, it felt a sharp pain in its head and saw stars in front of its eyes, as if it had collided with a mountain...
Who installed this glass, and why is it so clean, damn it?
The animals were blocked by the transparent glass at the edge of the airport. Lele's bulky body slammed into it, but the glass didn't even show a crack, indicating its excellent quality.
A glass wall stood as the last barrier to freedom. Beyond it, one could see the lush Qinling Mountains, while this side was the domain of humans.
The grizzly bear leader had been of little help until now, but finally, it saw an opportunity to take action! Of all the attendees, it was the strongest, but it was uncertain whether it could shatter the glass and successfully pass the last hurdle of the escape.
The grizzly bear leader, warming up and eager to start, had not yet made a move when two pangolins clad in scaly armor, dragging their long tails, swayed their heads and clambered up.
Let us show you how it's done!
Quickly, a large hole appeared.
Eagles flew in the sky, beasts ran on the ground, and as animals emerged from the burrow, they scattered toward the Qinling Mountains like spilled mercury.
Until this point, a few ground staff members, smoking inside the shuttle bus, received instructions from the control tower. One of them stepped off the bus, stood at the cargo bay, entered the password, and the cargo hold door, taller than a person, slowly lifted and closed.
...
After a frantic sprint, they finally made it safely into the mountains.
"Huff, puff..."
The two pandas, exhausted, leaned against a large tree, gasping for air.
They suddenly felt hungry.
Dozens of animals, either for the first time without human supervision in the natural world or for the first time in a natural environment altogether, stared at the surrounding forest, feeling excited yet somewhat lost and bewildered.
Instinctively, they gathered around the two leading pandas.
Lele and Yingying propped their chins in their paws and pondered for a moment before deciding to continue deeper into the mountains to find a safe haven.
Freedom always comes at a price, and the greater the freedom, the steeper the price one must pay.
After the initial excitement of the escape waned, the runaway animal troop discovered they now faced a very practical issue: finding something to eat.
The territories within the mountains were all divided, and this group of animals, pampered by zookeepers and accustomed to being hand-fed, faced the challenge of seizing a patch of land from the wild creatures of the Qinling Mountains.
Not long after, this group of ravenous creatures encountered their first opponent: a small band of lynxes that ruled their domain.
What do you think?
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