Chapter 185 - 146: The Triggered Crimson Flame Frenzied Lion

"Advisor Yang, this plan is extremely risky."

Lu Gangsheng snapped out of his shock, his brows knitting together. "Let’s not even talk about how a ’meeting’ between two large predators of different species is inherently fraught with danger."

"From a purely behavioral standpoint, this kind of meeting is unlikely to produce any positive social feedback. Instead, it could lead to conflict due to misunderstanding, fear, or aggression, causing secondary psychological trauma to Bart."

"I know it’s a huge risk."

Yang Qi admitted, "But do we have any better options right now? Just keep him hanging on with ’false hope’? Or wait for him to suddenly ’get over it’ on his own?"

"Director Lu, you’re the expert. In your opinion, for a case like Bart’s, will conventional psychological counseling or environmental enrichment have any effect?"

"..."

Lu Gangsheng fell silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "It’s difficult. His ’obsession’ is too deep, its target too specific. Conventional methods will have a hard time diverting his attention. A case this... unique... This is a first for me."

’Letting a lovesick male lion go see the male tiger he has an unrequited crush on?’

’The very idea sounded fraught with unpredictable risks and steeped in a heavy sense of the absurd.’

"So..."

Yang Qi looked toward Zhao Mingfeng. "Minister Zhao, we need more information. What’s Duke’s situation at the Capital Zoo? What’s his personality like? Is he aggressive? Would their Zoo even consider accepting such a... uh, special request for animal interaction? Even if it’s just letting Bart see him from a distance, through a safety barrier?"

"You’ve really given me a tough one, Advisor Yang."

Zhao Mingfeng gave a wry smile. "I’ll have to communicate with the capital first and see where they stand. Besides, even if they agree, how would we transport Bart? What about the risks during transit?"

"And once he’s there, the housing, quarantine, arranging the meeting... Every single step is a huge issue. It would require coordination and approval from both Zoos, and possibly even higher-level authorities."

Yang Qi fell silent.

’Of course, he knew. Arranging a meeting between two large predators, especially one involving such a sensitive "relationship," would be riddled with complications, extremely high-risk, and have a minuscule chance of success.’

’But if they didn’t try to arrange a meeting, what other way was there to resolve Bart’s incredible fixation?’

’Unless...’

’Wait!’

Suddenly, a completely different idea burst forth in Yang Qi’s mind.

His tightly knitted brow relaxed slightly, his gaze refocusing. Yang Qi spoke slowly, his voice tinged with fresh deliberation.

"Perhaps... my initial line of thinking was wrong. We don’t necessarily have to make them actually meet."

"Hm?" Zhao Mingfeng and Lu Gangsheng looked over in unison.

Yang Qi gathered his thoughts before continuing, "In a natural state, when survival resources are no longer the most pressing need, what is an animal’s most core, most powerful instinct?"

"Reproduction! The powerful instinct to pass on one’s genes!"

"Bart is in his prime and perfectly healthy. This instinct should be deeply ingrained in his very being."

"I believe the reason he’s fallen into this abnormal ’unrequited love’ is this: he was in an extremely confined, unfamiliar environment. His first encounter was with ’Duke’—an animal with an unusual appearance and a powerful presence. It created a potent emotional shock, a mix of curiosity, attraction, and possibly even a critical misjudgment."

"Combined with a lack of other stimuli and proper guidance, he became ’infatuated,’ got fixated, and now he can’t snap out of it."

After a pause, Yang Qi laid out his new proposal. "What if we found a way to ’stimulate’ him in a stronger way, one more in line with his biological instincts? A way to ’awaken’ his dormant reproductive nature?"

Yang Qi’s gaze swept over the others.

"For example, what if we show him a video—a documentary showing the complete process of a lion and a tiger mating and giving birth to a liger? Of course, one involving a White Tiger would be best."

"A liger?" Zhao Mingfeng was taken aback.

"Show a lion a video of a liger?"

Lu Gangsheng was also stunned, but then his eyes suddenly lit up and he couldn’t help but clap. "Brilliant! Advisor Yang, that line of thinking is incredibly creative!"

He immediately switched into expert analysis mode, his speech quickening. "Ligers themselves are the offspring of lion-tiger crossbreeding under artificial intervention. They’re extremely rare in the wild."

"And they often come with various health problems and abnormally large bodies. They can be considered a ’deformed’ or ’unnatural’ product."

"If Bart’s deep-seated reproductive instinct hasn’t been completely overwritten or distorted by that abnormal emotion, then seeing one of his own kind mate with another powerful feline and produce an ’abnormal,’ ’deformed’ offspring..."

"That visual and psychological shock could very well trigger his instinctive repulsion and confusion, and even awaken his latent need for a normal, healthy reproductive partner of his own species!"

The more Lu Gangsheng spoke, the more excited he became.

"It’s a form of powerful, reverse psychological suggestion and instinctual awakening!"

"It’s equivalent to telling him in the most direct way possible: ’Look, cross-species unions don’t end well. Your instincts and your genes should be seeking an outlet in the proper direction!’"

"Brilliant! Advisor Yang, that is a truly brilliant idea!"

Listening from the side, the worried look on Zhao Mingfeng’s face gradually smoothed out, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Compared to the massive effort and unpredictable risk of transporting Bart thousands of miles to the capital, just playing a video for him in his enclosure...

This plan was just so simple, so safe, and so feasible!

"Okay, that’s a great plan!"

Zhao Mingfeng immediately declared, "I’ll arrange for someone right now to find the clearest, most complete documentary on liger reproduction, especially one involving a White Tiger. If we don’t have one, I’ll get the data from relevant research institutions or our foreign counterparts!"