"What's going on!"
Mr. Song hastily stood up with his thick eyebrows tightly knitted, and asked in a deep voice, "There are railings around Monkey Mountain, how could a child fall in?"
A middle-aged woman with a sorrowful face said, "There's a section of the railing that somehow, although it looked intact, collapsed when the child leaned on it."
"To the scene!"
Mr. Song strode briskly out of the office, walking and asking, "Has a rescue been arranged yet?"
The middle-aged woman followed behind him, sweating profusely as she said, "Three or four comrades have gone down, but those monkeys, for some reason, are acting like they're insane. As soon as anyone gets close, they rush over and attack fiercely. Two comrades were almost badly scratched..."
"How is the child?"
"The child looks to be about five or six years old, got caught in a tree when they fell, but then was taken away by the Monkey King, though they seem to be unharmed..."
Mr. Song immediately took out his phone and dialed a number, "Hello, Mr. Dong, you're at the scene, right? Get ready to use tranquilizer guns, keep the relatives calm, and ensure the child's safety at all costs. I'm on my way!... What, not enough tranquilizer guns?..."
Mr. Song hesitated for a moment and then said through gritted teeth, "Call the police, request their assistance, and if necessary, the Monkey King may be shot!"
"But Director, that's a national second-class protected animal, and you almost lost your life saving that old Monkey King from the back mountain years ago!" the middle-aged woman said.
"Human life is more important than anything else!"
Mr. Song's face also looked somber, but he did not hesitate to wave his hand to signal to the middle-aged woman to stop talking.
Rushing down the stairs, there was a tour vehicle parked below. As Mr. Song was about to board the vehicle, he noticed that Suming had also followed.
"What are you doing here?" Mr. Song asked with a frown.
"My father, when he was alive, also worked on animal conservation research and had an understanding of some special animal behaviors. I might be able to help," Suming said.
Indeed, his father had worked in animal research. Field workers like them accumulated a lot of experience with animals over the years, which couldn't be learned from textbooks and theoretical knowledge.
Suming had a sudden inspiration; with this reason, he could cover up many questions brought about by 'Animal Friends'.
"Fine, come along, but don't cause any trouble," Mr. Song said, giving him a long look without saying much else and gestured for him to get on the vehicle.
"Beep beep beep beep beep... let their comrades through, let their comrades through..."
The tour vehicle sped up, racing along the zoo's forest path, and in a few minutes, they arrived at the perimeter of Monkey Mountain.
By this time, Monkey Mountain was already surrounded by people. From a distance, one could see a section of the high railing that had collapsed, with many people pointing toward the interior of Monkey Mountain and some taking photos with their phones.
"Make way, make way, the Director is here!" the middle-aged woman cleared the path, as Mr. Song and his entourage quickly passed through the crowd to the edge of Monkey Mountain.
In no time, the men were driven back by the monkeys, with one losing his footing and tumbling down from the artificial hill.
Meanwhile, the Monkey King on the mountain top, seeming to be agitated by the scene, stood upright and lifted the little girl he was cradling above his head, as if ready to throw her down at any moment.
The height of Monkey Mountain was at least ten meters, all solid rock. Even without the added force of the Monkey King, a fall would be catastrophic.
"Wah... Mommy..." The little girl, held high in midair, burst into loud crying, her tender voice echoing through the air.
Suming was taken aback and quickly tried to communicate with the Monkey King using his spiritual power.
But with at least thirty to forty meters between them, Suming could only vaguely connect with the Monkey King and was unable to communicate effectively; it was clear that this Monkey King was more formidable than the other monkeys, and Suming was completely unable to control its behavior.
On the mountain peak, the old Monkey King, holding the little girl, lifted his head and glanced in Suming's direction.
"Nan Nan, don't be afraid, Mommy is coming to save you..."
Seeing this, the little girl's mother became frantic, scrambling to her feet, intent on jumping into the midst of Monkey Mountain.
A middle-aged lady from the zoo, along with a few female colleagues, was quick to restrain her.
"You mustn't go! I'll save my daughter!" The girl's father, with a darkened face, pushed past the zoo workers and strode toward the damaged railing to intervene.
"No family members are to go! I'll go myself!"
Mr. Song, the zoo director, immediately blocked the girl's parents, donned a cotton jacket for himself, and waved his hand, "Men under fifty, step forward; follow me down!"
Seven or eight male staff members stood out, and it seemed Mr. Song was prepared to push through by sheer numbers. No matter how fierce the monkeys were, they couldn't possibly stand against a large group of organized humans.
"Wait a moment!" Suming suddenly stood up, his expression serious, "We cannot send more people down now!"
"Who are you? Stop causing trouble!"
"What do you mean?"
Mr. Song and several zoo staff members almost simultaneously shouted at Suming, with the girl's father frowning deeply and shoving Suming, "Move aside!"
Suming stepped back to avoid the girl's father, not dealing with the enraged parent, but seriously telling Mr. Song, "Right now, the Monkey King clearly sees the girl as its own offspring and won't harm her. But if we send more people, and we provoke the Monkey King, then it's hard to say what will happen!"
Without waiting for Mr. Song or the others to speak, Suming continued, "Even with real animal offspring, there are instances where, in a crisis, parents will kill their own young rather than let them fall into enemy hands. Mr. Song, please calm down. You are an expert; I'm not wrong, am I!"
Suming's words seemed quite rational. Though he couldn't answer those technical written questions, he did graduate with a degree in biology, and because of his father's family knowledge, he had a basic understanding of animal behavior.
Immediately, the surroundings fell silent, and dozens of eyes turned to Suming, then to Mr. Song.
Mr. Song pondered for a brief moment, "Then what do you suggest?"