The festive atmosphere of the New Year had not yet completely faded, but the staff at the Nanyun Nature Reserve were already working conscientiously at their posts.
Zhang Tao was one of them.
His job was to monitor the movement tracks of the elephant herds within the nature reserve, recording and faithfully uploading the data.
Observe and record, never disturb.
Having spent a long time alongside the elephants, whenever he watched the matriarch lead the herd from afar to forage and drink water, he would feel a sense of warmth and familiarity.
The elephants were remarkably intelligent and in tune with human nature. Occasionally, upon spotting Zhang Tao in his uniform alongside the official observation vehicle, they would lift their trunks and let out a long, mischievous trumpet.
This particular herd had sixteen adult elephants and three calves in total. The leader was an adult female elephant codenamed “Xiangyao.”
Because of her gentle temperament and fondness for being around humans, she was exceptionally popular among elephant lovers.
To protect the herd from poachers, each elephant had a tracking chip implanted inside its body, which also allowed Zhang Tao to better observe their movements.
Moreover, to address the reserve’s staffing shortage, starting two years ago, the reserve rolled out a program called “Cloud-Raising Elephant.”
Elephant lovers could observe the herd’s movements via a 24-hour live stream.
If any unexpected incident occurred within the herd, the reserve could rush to the scene as quickly as possible.
“Hiss... this isn’t right.”
Zhang Tao stepped down from the observation vehicle and looked into the distance, holding the device displaying Xiangyao’s current location:
“Compared to last year, there hasn’t been any major change in the climate, yet the herd suddenly started migrating north. And looking at their trajectory, their final destination doesn’t look like another wild elephant habitat either.”
Elephant migration was not like humans marching purposefully ahead; rather, it was a gradual relocation of their habitat over an extended period.
This process could take half a year, or even a full year.
Yet recently, under Xiangyao’s leadership, the herd had been moving in a straight line toward the northeast.
It looked as if...
They were in a hurry.
But how could that be possible?
Zhang Tao could not help chuckling at his own speculation, though he also felt somewhat worried. Could a disturbance in Blue Star’s magnetic field be causing the herd to lose their way?
The reserve took this matter very seriously.
The herd led by Xiangyao belonged to the endangered Asian elephant species. The birth of every single calf was the culmination of countless efforts by the reserve staff.
Upon learning of the anomaly, the reserve immediately dispatched a large team to conduct focused observations on Xiangyao and her herd, attempting to guide them and help these “lost” elephants find the proper route back north.
Yet something strange occurred.
As if sensing the human interference, the herd accelerated their pace and even boldly entered towns.
Led by Xiangyao, the elephants marched with heavy footsteps, walking straight through human settlements and heading steadfastly in one direction.
Whether through human guidance, indirect intervention, or the temptation of food, the herd never halted their bizarre journey.
When a greedy calf was distracted by bananas in a villager’s vegetable garden, the matriarch, Xiangyao, would lightly tug its tail with her trunk in reprimand.
In the comment section of the animal protection organization’s platform, netizens who witnessed this heartwarming scene could not help chiming in:
“So well-behaved! When eating bananas, it even knows to pick them with its trunk and not trample people's vegetable gardens.”
“Hahaha, this gives such a strong vibe of a mom lecturing a naughty kid.”
“No, this elephant herd is way too abnormal. It feels like they have a destination and are hurrying there.”
“Now that you say that, it really does seem strange. In past years there were records of herds migrating north, but there were always reasons.”
“The reserve has plenty of food and normal weather suitable for Asian elephants to survive. Why would the matriarch lead her herd thousands of li away from home?!”
“The little elephant's belly looks starved flat! Poor baby, let's crowdfund a banana, hahaha.”
“An expert predicted the herd wants to pass through Xiguang. If they keep going like this, they’ll probably reach Xixiang.”
“Wait, Xixiang’s climate isn't suitable for Asian elephants either.”
“Holy crap, crossing two autonomous regions? That's way too strange! Can't there be artificial intervention?”
“What on earth is in Xixiang?”
“Xixiang? Wasn't there an internet-famous orange tree over there last year that kept blooming and fruiting continuously?”
“It can’t be that the elephants want to eat oranges, right? Wait here and do not wander off; I will go buy some oranges.”
In an instant, “Bizarre Northern Migration of Asian Elephants” surged to the top of the trending topics.
As netizens paid close attention to the herd, Xixiang’s Qingmeng Mountain once again entered the public eye.
...
It was not just the Asian elephants heading toward Xixiang that were acting up.
Across Huaxia, animals seemed to have received some kind of collective stimulation.
Whether wild beasts or domestic pets, all of them began to grow agitated and restless.
At the Jingbei Zoo, inside the giant panda base’s 24-hour livestream room—
Black-and-white glutinous rice balls tumbled across the ground, acting cute and drawing cheerful exclamations from visiting tourists.
Among them was a particularly plump, roly-poly figure. With agility completely belying its bulk, it grabbed a rope dangling from the glass wall, scaled over the iron railing, and successfully executed a jailbreak.
The live chat was filled with laughter:
“Hahaha, Menglan escaped again! Congrats to the Xizhimen Prince! Escaped three times in three days!”
“No Menglan, no The Shawshank Redemption! So inspiring!”
“The day before yesterday, he slipped out behind the door while the keeper was feeding milk bowls. Yesterday, he tried climbing a tree to scale the wall... Today is even wilder! Look at that young man’s arm strength!”
“As expected of the Xizhimen Prince, hahahaha! Just watch, he’s getting caught again!”
“Baby, you’re a giant panda! What on earth outside is so tempting to you?”
“Menglan, what has gotten into you these days? Why are you always trying to run out? Look how well-behaved your little brothers and sisters are.”
The keeper pulled back the panda, who was covering its ears like a thief pretending no one could hear the bell, and stroked its large head with a chuckle:
“You’re going to scare our tourist friends acting like this. If you want something, just tell us!”
It was meant as a joke.
Yet surprisingly, upon hearing those words, the troublemaking panda's face scrunched up in deep inner conflict. After a long moment, it suddenly blurted out a sentence in a thick regional accent:
“You silly blockhead, what do you know? There’s a great opportunity at Qingmeng Mountain! If I don’t go right now, I won’t even get to pick up the scraps left behind by others!”
A tender, childlike voice, paired with seasoned, fluent Sichuan-Chongqing dialect.
The smile on the keeper’s face froze solid: “...”
The live chat fell deathly silent in an instant.
...
In just half an hour, “Panda Speaks” rocketed to the top of Weibo’s trending searches.
As if flipping a master switch, countless netizens flooded online asking for help:
#Urgent, urgent, urgent! My cat suddenly started talking! Video evidence attached! If I'm lying, may my son be born without a butt hole!#
#My dad’s golden retriever used my phone to book a ticket to Xixiang, and even freaking booked pet baggage service! I tried explaining to the airline, but nobody believes me!#
#Help! The old turtle my family has kept for over thirty years suddenly refuses to eat and is determined to crawl outside at all costs!#
#Live footage! A python as thick as a bowl is crossing the Heilonghe River!!#
#The zoo's macaw is missing, suspected to have run away from home to head for Qingmeng Mountain.#
#What on earth is in Qingmeng Mountain aaaaaah I'm dying of curiosity!#
Naturally, it was not just netizens having a headache, but the authorities as well.
Rate on N.U.
