Chapter 321 - 226: Little White Elephant Knocks on the Nation’s Gate
Chapter 321: Chapter 226: Little White Elephant Knocks on the Nation’s Gate
The herd of elephants hesitated, afraid to approach.
"It’s okay. My home is over there. You’ll be completely safe once you cross, and it’ll be convenient for me to visit you," Li Xiang encouraged. He then pulled out a few Spirit Fruits and pushed them toward the mouths of the mother elephant and Xiaobai, the little white elephant.
After eating the Spirit Fruits, the mother and calf grew bolder.
"There might be dogs over there, but don’t be afraid. The humans there are as nice as I am. They won’t hurt you," Li Xiang added after a moment of thought.
’I’d originally hoped the herd would figure it out on their own and migrate into the country, but I guess these wild elephants either couldn’t find the place or didn’t have the courage to cross.’
Elephants, of course, weren’t afraid of dogs. They were afraid of the bipedal beasts behind them.
With Li Xiang’s encouragement, the mother elephant led the herd, slowly making its way toward the crossing.
When they were fifty meters from the crossing, the staff in the guard post spotted them from afar.
Two staff members quickly ran out, opened the main gate to the crossing, and waved to the herd. One of them even made a strange call.
Hearing the call, the elephants’ confidence surged, and they picked up their pace slightly.
Two dogs ran out barking but were quickly stopped by one of the staff members, who led them away, worried they might startle the herd.
Soon, under the staff’s skillful guidance, the massive herd of twenty-seven elephants ambled across the crossing and disappeared into the nearby forest.
Watching this scene unfold from their hiding spot in the darkness, Li Xiang and Jiang Cai’Er finally relaxed.
"Those staff members are so clever," Jiang Cai’Er whispered, leaning close to Li Xiang’s ear.
Li Xiang mulled it over for a moment before he couldn’t help but remark, "They look more practiced at luring elephants than I am."
Jiang Cai’Er stifled a laugh. ’He has a point. They’re so practiced, you’d think they could speak elephant. This clearly isn’t their first time doing this.’
Li Xiang carried Jiang Cai’Er in his arms, crossing into China from a different direction to go find the herd.
It wasn’t long before they found Xiaobai and its herd in a nearby wildlife reserve for elephants.
The environment here was better, there was more food, and most importantly, there were almost no poachers.
’If there were any poachers here, I’d probably be the biggest one. But now that I’m so much faster, it’s easy to go abroad, so I don’t do that kind of thing in China anymore.’
’In many Southeast Asian countries, rare wild animals are sold openly in the markets. Is it really a big deal for me to hunt over there?’
’Little Book is constantly whaling and even has festivals to celebrate it, so what’s the big deal if I catch a few? People talk about protecting sharks, but shark fin still ends up on the dinner tables of the ultra-rich.’
’People preach about saving water, but a single 18-hole standard golf course uses 2,000 to 2,500 cubic meters of water a day on average—the same amount 40,000 households use in a year.’
「The next day」
News broke that twenty-seven wild Asian Elephants had voluntarily crossed into China. Staff from the border inspection station released the surveillance footage.
The news sparked a heated discussion online.
"Twenty-seven wild elephants crossing over all at once? That’s so awesome!"
"Elephants are smart; they know to run toward a better place."
"I heard there’s a little white elephant in the herd. And White Elephants are considered sacred animals in Southeast Asia. It’s a sign of good fortune."
The news reached Laos, where a certain department issued a formal protest, demanding the Chinese Side return the elephants. And then... their request was, of course, rejected.
When netizens saw the news, they couldn’t help but pile on with the mockery.
"The elephants came here on their own accord. It’s not like we captured them. They’re free to come and go, so what business is it of yours?"
"What, should they have stayed over there to get killed by poachers?"
"The elephants must have sensed danger. That’s why they instinctively chose to migrate to China."
"In your country, elephants are forced into hard labor and abused. Here with us, they just get to eat, drink, and enjoy true freedom."
A netizen from the other side shot back: "If they’re so free to come and go, then why do we need a visa, layers of approval, and extensive security checks just to get across?"
"Even elephants can cross freely, but we can’t. I’m so jealous."