Chapter 23: Looking for a Qilin? You must be joking!

Yanhai Meteorological Bureau.

Because of this sudden hailstorm, the office telephones had been ringing off the hook.

Without a doubt, it was a deluge of reports from citizens and stern reprimands from higher authorities.

The head of the Meteorological Bureau was also filled with question marks regarding this unannounced hailstorm.

Then, the scolding voice of a city official came through the receiver

"With such a large Meteorological Bureau, you failed to issue any warnings for this hailstorm!"

"I don't care what the reason is—if something like this happens again, you know the consequences!"

"Yes, yes..." The head of the Bureau wiped the sweat from his forehead, agreeing repeatedly. "Leader, we guarantee there won't be a next time! Hello?...Leader?"

Listening to the busy signal on the other end, the head of the Bureau let out a long sigh.

"It's truly strange..."

"How could it suddenly start hailing like that?" the official muttered, still puzzled.

Immediately, amidst the bustling office, the official spoke to his subordinates

"Hurry up, invite the meteorological experts from Yanhai City over and convene a symposium!"

"Investigate the situation thoroughly. We cannot allow a situation like this to happen again in the future!"

...

The hailstorm in Yanhai City came quickly and left just as fast.

After maintaining a period of coolness, the weather turned hot once again.

The military training at Yanhai University was still proceeding as normal, and fortunately, it was nearing its end.

On the eve of preparing for the freshman military training parade, the freshmen were enjoying a rare two-day break.

In the freshman dormitory, Lin Nan and his two companions had just finished a day of military training.

"Phew, finally able to catch a breath."

Jiang Tao sat in a chair, scrolling through his phone. "Guys, since we have these two days off, where are you planning to go to relax?"

"Stop right there, I'm not going anywhere..."

Wang Chengyu was already sprawled on his bed like a dead pig.

Hearing Jiang Tao's voice, he couldn't even be bothered to lift his head, muttering

"This continuous military training for nearly two weeks has made me so tired I've practically lost all my weight."

"Now that I finally get two days of rest, I just want to lie here in the dorm like a corpse."

"Geez, is that really necessary, Fatty?"

Jiang Tao swiped through his phone, trying to entice Wang Chengyu. "I see a lot of girls in our class group saying they want to get familiar with the environment and wander around the school area."

"This is a rare opportunity. Don't you plan to take the chance to make some contact?"

Hearing this, Wang Chengyu only lifted his head slightly before pressing it back into his pillow. "Forget it, forget it. The dorm bed is more comfortable."

"What about Old Lin? What's his plan?"

Seeing that he couldn't persuade the Fatty, Jiang Tao turned to ask Lin Nan.

At this moment, Lin Nan was naturally contemplating the matter of the Ink Qilin, thinking about how he could imitate it to meet the requirements.

On his laptop screen, Lin Nan was staring intently at an illustration of the Ink Qilin, not noticing Jiang Tao leaning in.

"Still obsessing over the Qilin? Only Old Lin has serious business to attend to."

Then, Jiang Tao continued, "By the way, Old Lin, I asked Baidu earlier, and they said the appearance of this Ink Qilin is somewhat similar to a tapir and a deer."

"Coincidentally, the Yanhai City Zoo just opened a new park, and there's an event this weekend."

"How about we go check it out during the break? To spark some inspiration and relax at the same time."

Hearing Jiang Tao's suggestion, Lin Nan's eyes lit up. The suggestion was not without merit.

The images of the Ink Qilin found online were all mythical images imagined by later generations.

If he wanted to imitate it, he naturally had to start from a realistic perspective.

Furthermore, these mythical beasts often had real-world prototypes.

For example, in the classic book *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, many of the strange treasures and beasts described have modern biological counterparts.

Such as the wild pig 'Dang Kang' in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*, which is extremely similar to the warthog found on the African continent.

And the animal recorded as 'Lu Shu' is similar to the bongo.

Even the 'Wen Yao,' a winged flying fish, exists in reality.

Residents of the South China Sea generally call it the 'Swallow Fish' and even use it as bait for fishing.

Thus, there are rumors that the strange creatures recorded in the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* are distributed across all continents of the world.

They were simply described by the ancients using a unique, anthropomorphic metaphorical style.

For instance, a common pet parrot today would be described in the style of the *Classic of Mountains and Seas* as

"There is a bird there, shaped like an owl, with seven-colored feathers, capable of mimicking human speech."

From this perspective, the zoo was indeed worth a visit. He could even start an outdoor live stream while he was at it.

If he could successfully gain Acting Points, that would be best; even if not, he would likely gain something.

Thinking of this, Lin Nan nodded and said

"Sure, let's go check it out tomorrow."

"We'll do an outdoor live stream at the same time and see what suggestions the netizens have."

As soon as Lin Nan finished speaking, Jiang Tao instantly became lively.

While browsing the zoo's ticket discount activities, he spoke to Wang Chengyu

"Fatty, Old Lin has spoken. We're a team; you can't stand us both up."

"Sigh... fine, fine." Wang Chengyu agreed from his bed.

"There's a duo discount this weekend. As long as couples or parents and children visit together, the second ticket is half price."

"Fatty, why don't you make a sacrifice and come in girl's clothing tomorrow?" Jiang Tao teased mischievously.

"Get lost! Who's your couple?"

"Alright, alright, then we'll go as a parent and child. My dear son."

Wang Chengyu looked speechless and didn't bother to struggle. He looked up at Lin Nan and asked, "If you buy a duo ticket with me, what about Old Lin?"

Jiang Tao raised an eyebrow, a smile in his eyes. "Didn't you hear Old Lin just now?"

"He plans to start an outdoor live stream tomorrow. Won't our makeup artist be on site?"

While his two mischievous friends teased him, Lin Nan ignored them.

He simply sent a message to 'Rabbit Mie' online.

He made an appointment for tomorrow and quickly received a positive reply.

Immediately after, Lin Nan posted a preview of the outdoor live stream on his Douyin account.

...

The Yanhai City Zoo is located on the outskirts of the city, with a natural scenic area nearby to the south.

The location is somewhat remote, but the environment is much better than in the city center.

When the three of them arrived at the zoo, they saw a girl wearing sunglasses, a denim skirt, and cowboy boots standing at the entrance.

She exuded youthful vitality, with a large bag slung over her shoulder.

Looking at the bulging makeup bag, it was clear that Rabbit Mie had already arrived.

Whether she was a sophomore senior or a professional makeup artist, with just a little styling, she was much more pleasing to the eye than the freshmen still in military training.

"Yo, Senior, you arrived quite early," Jiang Tao stepped forward to greet her.

As if she had heard some inside information, her gaze flickered toward Lin Nan as she said cheekily

"I heard Senior skipped a club activity just for us?"

"Of course~" Rabbit Mie adjusted her sunglasses and said with a smile, "After all, the sense of achievement from being with you guys is much higher than doing makeup for cosplayers!"

"Besides, I work for free when I do club activities. Following you guys lets me recoup some energy, so why not?"

"Also, don't call me Senior when we're out. Just call me Ye Qing."

After a brief introduction, Ye Qing turned to Lin Nan and the others and asked

"By the way, why did you guys suddenly decide to come to the zoo for an outdoor live stream?"

"Oh, the reason... it's simple." Wang Chengyu spoke with a deadpan expression. "We came to the zoo to find a Qilin."

"Qi... lin??"

Hearing this, Ye Qing looked utterly stunned.

...

(End of Chapter)