Chapter 5

Li Xiangdong's first destination was the birdcage. If he remembered correctly, there used to be a golden eagle here two years ago.

However, when he arrived at the birdcage, he was taken aback by the large bird perched on a tree trunk inside. Then, a surge of excitement filled his heart. Two years ago, when he worked here part-time, the birdcage housed a native golden eagle. He never expected that this time it would be replaced by an American bald eagle!

He didn't think that Boss Huang would upgrade his zoo and manage to get such a rare bird. The bald eagle is not only the national bird of the United States but also one of the most powerful and dominant raptors in the world, truly the king of eagles.

But for Li Xiangdong, the more powerful the eagle, the better. Such an eagle would be more beneficial for his upcoming enhancement.

The bald eagle in the cage had already noticed the dark figure standing outside. However, due to long-term captivity, it had lost its original alertness. It only became wary when it saw the dark figure raise a black object in his hand. Before it could take flight, it was hit by the tranquilizer gun in Li Xiangdong's hand and fell to the ground.

Li Xiangdong then took out a pair of pliers from his backpack, opened the cage, and crawled inside. The bald eagle, hit by the tranquilizer, lay on the ground in a coma.

Li Xiangdong approached the eagle without hesitation, took out a dagger, and cut its neck. He then placed a bottle under the wound to collect the blood. After filling the bottle with eagle's blood, he tightened the cap and took out a yellow talisman, the soul-capturing talisman he had brought from the box.

Following the instructions left by the Sea-Stabilizing Needle, he muttered some words and pressed the talisman onto the bald eagle's head. The old yellow talisman flashed with a yellow light, and the bald eagle's head slumped, lifeless.

Without a soul, how could it possibly survive?

Li Xiangdong put away the bottle of eagle's blood and the soul-capturing talisman, then turned and headed to the next animal enclosure. His next destination was the wolf den. The last time he secretly explored the zoo, he had seen steppe wolves in the wolf den.

These wolves were also his targets today. If he remembered correctly, there were two steppe wolves in the den.

However, when he arrived at the wolf den, a dark figure suddenly pounced at him. Li Xiangdong was startled, but he relaxed when the dark figure hit the wire fence and fell to the ground. He then carefully examined the dark figure under the faint light from a distance. It was a large white wolf, about two meters long, with snow-white fur, baring its teeth and snarling at him.

Wolves have an excellent sense of smell and hearing, and they are also one of the most sensitive predatory animals. They can sense danger from hundreds of meters away, an instinct that cannot be described.

Although Li Xiangdong's movements at the eagle's cage were subtle, they still aroused the white wolf's alertness. It clearly sensed the killing intent from Li Xiangdong, which is why it was so agitated.

However, even if it was agitated, Li Xiangdong had no intention of letting it go. This was a rare Newfoundland white wolf, a critically endangered species worldwide. Due to its snow-white fur, it is a prime target for poachers.

However, this also honed the wolf's survival skills and sixth sense in the wild. Li Xiangdong had seen a documentary about this species on the Discovery Channel, where the narrator referred to it as the king of wolves, leaving a deep impression on him.

With a sense of smell that can detect prey from a kilometer away and extremely sensitive hearing that can distinguish subtle differences in sounds, this was indeed a rare and valuable bloodline. Li Xiangdong grinned and raised his tranquilizer gun.

After leaving the wolf den, Li Xiangdong headed straight to the next animal enclosure, where a pair of African cheetahs were housed. These cheetahs also did not escape his grasp.

When he left the cheetah den, he glanced at his watch; it was already past three in the morning. There was one more left, and he needed to speed up.

He rushed to his final destination in the zoo, the last animal enclosure at the back, where several black bears were kept. However, these bears were not for display; they were to be used by Boss Huang for bile extraction and bear paw chopping.

When he arrived at the bear den, he was surprised to find that the black bears he had seen here before were all gone. The bear den had undergone a complete transformation, and in the yard, a massive white polar bear was lying on the ground.

"Damn, this Boss Huang has really upgraded his zoo! He's replaced all the good stuff with high-end foreign animals. He must have spent a fortune."

The polar bear, like the bald eagle and the Newfoundland white wolf, is a critically endangered species. The fact that he could obtain such animals was a testament to his efforts.

However, Li Xiangdong, filled with excitement, didn't have time to think much. He immediately took out his tranquilizer gun.

Standing before the massive white creature, Li Xiangdong couldn't help but marvel. Truly the most powerful predatory animal; it took him three tranquilizer darts to subdue it.

Without wasting any time, he took out his tools and began to bleed the polar bear, filling a bottle with its blood. He then used the soul-capturing talisman to capture the polar bear's soul.

By the time he was done, it was already four in the morning. The sky was getting darker, with more clouds gathering and the rain getting heavier.

Li Xiangdong didn't linger and followed the same route out of the zoo. Using his familiarity with the mountain paths, he made his way back home.

When he arrived home, it was already six in the morning. He quickly ate a meal, locked the yard and house doors, and went straight to his room. Once inside, he immediately took out the bottles of eagle's blood, wolf's blood, cheetah's blood, and bear's blood.

He then took out a jade gourd from the sandalwood box. The gourd was entirely emerald green, and when he held it, he could feel a cool sensation emanating from it.

This jade gourd was not just a pendant. According to the Sea-Stabilizing Needle, it was a rare alchemical tool passed down through his family.