Chapter 693 - 575: Scumbag Bear

Chapter 693: Chapter 575: Scumbag Bear

Zhu Fengmao would stop at nothing to attract more visitors.

Renovating Meng Lan’s outdoor enclosure was meant to stop his jailbreaks.

But tearing down part of the wall and rebuilding it into a crenelated battlement, a style perfect for Meng Lan to peek over, was purely for show.

But Meng Lan quite enjoyed it. He would plop down there comfortably, watching the bustling traffic and throngs of tourists outside. As gasps of surprise rose and fell, a mysterious smile would occasionally appear on his face.

At this moment, however, he was being forcefully dragged down by Xu Haisheng.

He’d called for him, but Meng Lan wouldn’t listen.

’Not going!’

Meng Lan flailed his short little legs.

As Xu Haisheng dragged him toward the transport buggy, he turned his head to ask Ma Tao, "Are they really going at it?"

Ma Tao nodded repeatedly.

Xu Haisheng asked no more questions. Once he had Meng Lan onto the buggy, he urgently signaled for them to leave.

Pandas are notoriously quick finishers. If they were late, it would probably be all over.

As it turned out, by the time they rushed back to the Asian Games Hall, it really was all over.

Shen Xin was pulling Walnut’s ear, lecturing him.

As for Meng Meng, she was huddled in a corner, bleating indignantly.

She had been scared by the over-eager Walnut.

If Shen Xin could hear her thoughts right now, she’d probably be complaining, ’Can’t you at least try to build some rapport first?’

"Officer Shen, what’s the situation?" Ma Tao asked urgently.

Walnut’s eyes were filled with defiance.

Shen Xin gave his ear another casual tug and said irritably, "Don’t even ask. This guy suddenly got the urge and tried to force himself on her, but... he was all ambition and no action. He doesn’t know how."

As he spoke, he pointed to the camera overhead. "It’s all on tape."

’That’s going to be part of your embarrassing permanent record now.’

Ma Tao rubbed his forehead, not knowing how to react.

The four words "he doesn’t know how" were a perfect summary of the situation.

Meng Lan tugged on Xu Haisheng’s pant leg and looked up, bleating. ’What did you drag me back here to see?’

Xu Haisheng sighed softly. "It’s fine. The fact that he’s even interested is a good thing. Most captive pandas have absolutely no interest in that sort of thing."

Ma Tao chimed in, saying they weren’t worried about his lack of skill—that could be learned. The real fear was a lack of interest.

"You hear that? You need to learn," Shen Xin said, tapping Walnut on the head again.

Walnut bared his teeth at Shen Xin.

He didn’t fully understand what the three men were discussing, but he could tell their tone was off.

His fragile ego was a little bruised.

Glancing at Meng Meng in the corner, Walnut lifted a paw, shoved Shen Xin aside, and charged toward Meng Meng again.

His action startled the men.

Shen Xin immediately tried to block him, but he couldn’t be stopped.

Terrified, Meng Meng turned and fled.

Outside the enclosure, Meng Lan saw his mother being "attacked" and started bleating foolishly.

Honestly, under these circumstances, only Shen Xin would dare to remain inside the enclosure.

"Walnut, do you have any idea what ’gentle’ means?" Shen Xin called out, seeing Walnut recklessly trying to use force again.

Walnut was giving a textbook demonstration of what a virgin bear was like.

He knew to pin Meng Meng down, and his primal instincts were awakened, but he simply had no idea what to do after that.

Outside the enclosure, Ma Tao and Xu Haisheng looked on, their surprise mixed with excitement.

A giant panda proactively seeking to mate was a great sign.

Ma Tao reminded Shen Xin to be careful.

Xu Haisheng, however, offered a suggestion: let Meng Meng guide Walnut.

Meng Meng had naturally mated with Meilan to produce Meng Lan, and she had also previously mated with Yongyong, giving birth to twins. Compared to a novice like Walnut, she was a seasoned veteran.

The suggestion actually worked.

This was mainly because Meng Meng was somewhat won over by Walnut’s brute strength.

His genes were indeed good; he was plenty strong.

Therefore, seeing that she couldn’t struggle free, Meng Meng chose to submit.

Besides, the time was right. It was breeding season, after all, and the sparks of instinct had been ignited.

After Shen Xin reminded Walnut to calm down a bit, Meng Meng began to maneuver herself into the correct position.

Shen Xin’s eyes widened. ’Are they going to succeed?’

Outside the enclosure, Ma Tao and Xu Haisheng were also excited.

Xu Haisheng quickly gave more instructions: "Shen Xin, his paws! You need to get Walnut to hold onto Meng Meng."

If it were any other giant panda, no one would dare approach during the mating process when their tempers are flaring.

But Walnut was different. Or perhaps, it was Shen Xin who was different.

At a time like this, Shen Xin could actually be right there beside them, providing a little assistance and guiding Walnut to the right spot.

Shen Xin quickly recalled scenes from the panda mating videos he’d seen, grabbed Walnut’s flailing front paws, and helped him wrap them around Meng Meng.

After a bit more fumbling, it seemed... they connected.

Ma Tao and Xu Haisheng lowered their voices, gesturing for Shen Xin to come out so as not to disturb them.

Xu Haisheng grabbed Meng Lan, who was trying to run away, and pushed him to the front to watch.

Meng Lan was already four years old. With his good looks, he’d need to put in a lot of effort in the future, so he needed to learn.

Meng Lan’s eyes widened, his young mind reeling from the shock.

Meng Meng let out a high-pitched bleat.

"Do they feel pleasure from it?" Shen Xin asked softly.

In the animal kingdom, it seemed only a very small number of species actually experience pleasure during mating.

The rest were purely following the laws of nature for the sake of genetic continuation.

Xu Haisheng nodded. "They do. A lot of research has been done in China, and it’s basically confirmed that there’s a sufficient reward mechanism in place."

In other words, they secrete dopamine, creating positive feedback.

"Oh, right, did you know we’ve also observed that after mating is complete, the female panda will proactively approach the male and briefly snuggle with him? In our interpretation, this is a sign that she was satisfied with the experience."

Xu Haisheng even gave examples.

Shen Xin was amazed. ’Wow, they even cuddle? It’s like having a post-coital cigarette.’

Just as they were talking, it was over.

Shen Xin mentally estimated the time. It hadn’t even been two minutes.

Walnut experienced an unprecedented sensation. He seemed shaken by it and sat down silently to process the feeling.

As for Meng Meng, she expertly began to clean up the aftermath.

"So... she can get pregnant from that?" Shen Xin asked.

The duration was a bit short, but they had at least completed the act.

Ma Tao shook his head. "No way."

Xu Haisheng also frowned. "I doubt it. The duration was too short."

Shen Xin quickly asked what he meant.

Only after Xu Haisheng explained did he understand. The giant panda’s name in Chinese contains the character for "cat," and just like cats, they are classic "induced ovulators."

And domestic research has found that the longer the duration and the stronger the stimulation, the higher the success rate of breeding.

The longest recorded duration is a full 18 minutes.

Shen Xin walked back into the enclosure, looked at the dazed Walnut, and suppressed a laugh as he comforted him, "It’s okay. It was your first time."

A look at Meng Meng’s reaction also seemed to corroborate Xu Haisheng’s speculation.

She hadn’t come over to snuggle, a clear sign of dissatisfaction.

With his connection to Walnut at "Phase Three," Shen Xin could understand his emotional changes. Conversely, Walnut could also understand the shifts in Shen Xin’s tone and emotional expression.

He had a gut feeling that Shen Xin was mocking him.

His pride was wounded again.

So, Walnut turned and pounced on Meng Meng again.

Xu Haisheng hurriedly told Shen Xin to stop him.

Like cats, pandas need to mate multiple times during one cycle to increase the chance of conception.

But they at least needed to catch their breath and rest in between.

Walnut, on the other hand, was full of vigor.

The main issue was that it wasn’t just up to him; Meng Meng had to be willing, too.

So, after a bit of a chase, Walnut still didn’t succeed.

Just as Walnut was getting disheartened, Meng Meng, having rested enough, proactively sidled up to him.

Annoyed, Walnut turned and pounced.

’Then why’d you run away?!’

his inner voice complained.

This time, Shen Xin could clearly feel that Walnut had gained some experience.

Ma Tao even exclaimed at how fast he was learning.

Xu Haisheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "It’s in his genes, after all."

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but start analyzing again.

He said that not only was Walnut a quick learner, but he also had significant advantages.

He wasn’t just heavy with good genes; he was also strong enough to physically overpower a female panda.

In the end, after some feigned reluctance, the female would agree.

"It’s just as we said before—Walnut really has a huge advantage when it comes to breeding. If he’s successful this time, should we take the opportunity to have him mate a few more times?"

The window is only two or three months a year. If we miss it, we have to wait until next year.

Pandas aren’t monogamous. During the breeding season, a male will mate with multiple females to maximize the chances of his genes being passed on.

It would be a real waste not to make use of such excellent genes.

Shen Xin understood. He glanced at Walnut, who was grimacing and busily at work, and thought, ’So you want to turn him into a panda player.’