Tiger, I rejected the iron rice bowl.

"If you don't believe me, see for yourselves!" He raised his hand and pointed towards the small courtyard on the outskirts of the village.

Tang Li and Wang Weiguo looked in the direction he pointed and instantly understood.

The courtyards of several households were packed with people, some of whom were cooking on stoves, the steam carrying the aroma upwards.

Several groups of young people sat together, snacks in their hands, their eyes fixed on the direction of Eagle Beak Rock.

Some people even held up phone stands to livestream, enthusiastically explaining "the daily life of internet celebrity tiger" to the camera, and the livestream chat was probably flooded with comments.

Tang Li couldn't help but chuckle, but when she saw Fan Zhengcheng's worried expression, she immediately stopped laughing.

She knew in her heart that it was one thing for the villagers to feel that it was exciting, but it was another matter that Fan Zhengcheng had to bear the responsibility.

With so many people watching the live stream, the news spreads incredibly fast. If anything goes wrong, the consequences could be disastrous.

He must be under a lot of pressure.

Wang Weiguo withdrew his gaze and turned to Fan Zhengcheng to explain, "Captain Fan, it's not that we don't want to help you, it's just that given the current situation, it's really not easy to get it to leave on its own."

"It's deep winter now, and food is extremely scarce in the mountains and forests. For tigers, once they have caught enough prey, they will never leave their food storage area easily; they will just stay nearby and enjoy it slowly."

"The principal is right!"

Tang Li continued, "Tigers are pragmatic by nature. If they have stored food, they will guard it and eat it slowly. If they don't have stored food, they will patrol and hunt for food."

"The Iron Rice Bowl just snatched a whole pig yesterday. That's a huge prey; it'll eat it for two or three days. It definitely won't leave until it's finished eating it."

She paused, then added, "Besides, it's winter now, and hunting is extremely difficult. The fact that it risked entering the village to find the New Year's pig means that it doesn't have enough prey in its territory to eat."

"Under these circumstances, it is even less likely to give up its current food reserves and leave this area."

Fan Zhengcheng followed her gaze to Eagle Beak Rock, his brows furrowing even more deeply, his tone tinged with helplessness: "But I can't just leave it here for two or three days! What if something unexpected happens during that time?"

"If all else fails, I'll have to order it to be subdued with a tranquilizer gun and then sent back into the mountains!"

"Anesthesia definitely won't work!" Tang Li immediately shook her head, her tone resolute. "The last few times we anesthetized it at the zoo, it took a lot of effort. That was only because there were fences and buildings restricting its movement, which allowed us to find an opportunity."

She pointed to the dense forest surrounding Eagle's Beak Rock and continued, "We're in the wild now, the environment is open and the view is wide. Before you even got close to the effective range of the tranquilizer gun, it had already sensed the danger and turned to run into the forest."

"Moreover, the iron rice bowl is much smarter than an ordinary tiger. It recognizes the look of a gun and knows what you want to do to it. Trying to anesthetize it is as difficult as climbing to heaven."

"This won't work, that won't work, what should we do?" Fan Zhengcheng's face turned ashen instantly.

Seeing his expression, Tang Li laughed instead, her eyes crinkling as she said, "However, I do have a way we can try."

Fan Zhengcheng looked intently at her, pressing her urgently, "Xiao Tang, what's your plan? Tell me quickly!"

"I'll go talk to it," Tang Li said casually, as if she were going to meet an old friend rather than a ferocious tiger.

"I know the iron rice bowl very well. As long as I find out the root cause of its entry into the village this time, find out its concerns and needs, and help it solve them, I might be able to persuade it to leave on its own."

"No! Absolutely not!" Fan Zhengcheng shook his head without hesitation, his tone extremely serious. "This is too dangerous! No matter how familiar it is with you, it's still a wild Siberian tiger at heart. When it goes berserk, no one can control it. I can't risk your safety!"

Tang Li helplessly shrugged: "Then there's nothing I can do. You can only try your luck and see if you can anesthetize it."

"But I have to warn you, even if you manage to get rid of it this time, it will definitely come back next month when it gets hungry."

She paused, then emphasized, "This area is its territory, and it patrols here every month."

"It's only crossing the border into the village to hunt because it's running out of prey in its territory. You can't possibly come here every month with a large force to chase it away, can you? That's just treating the symptoms, not the root cause!"

Fan Zhengcheng was stunned. He turned to look at Wang Weiguo with a questioning look in his eyes, wanting to confirm whether what Tang Li said was true.

Wang Weiguo nodded and said in a steady tone, "What Xiao Tang said is the truth."

"Ever since the iron rice bowl first entered our zoo, we have been observing and studying its habits and activity range."

He pointed to the mountains behind Eagle's Beak Rock: "Strictly speaking, its territory is on the other side of the mountain."

"Under normal circumstances, tigers will not easily cross the boundaries of their territory to hunt in unfamiliar areas."

"The fact that it took the initiative to cross the mountain this time shows that the prey in its territory can no longer meet its survival needs, so it has to expand its range to find food."

"If we don't completely solve its food problem, even if we drive it away this time, it will come back to the village to look for food when it's extremely hungry next time, and it might even do something more dangerous."

Fan Zhengcheng fell into deep thought, his gaze shifting back and forth between Tang Li and Yingzui Rock, his face full of struggle.

On one hand, there is Tang Li's safety, and on the other hand, there is the long-term peace and tranquility of the villagers. It is a difficult choice.

Wang Weiguo noticed his concerns and advised, "Captain Fan, let Xiao Tang give it a try."

"Xiao Tang's relationship with Tie Fan Wan is different. Tie Fan Wan has no hostility towards her; on the contrary, he is very close to her."

"With her persuasion, the success rate is much higher and it's much safer than if we forcibly expel them."

Looking into Wang Weiguo's determined eyes and then at Tang Li's confident smile, Fan Zhengcheng gritted his teeth and finally nodded: "Okay! We'll do it your way! Let Xiao Tang give it a try!"

"That's great! Thank you, Captain Fan!" Tang Li immediately beamed with joy, her voice full of excitement.

"Be careful!" Fan Zhengcheng was still worried and earnestly instructed, "If you sense any danger, don't hesitate, run back immediately! We'll be waiting for you down below!"

"Don't worry! I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Tang Li smiled and gave a not-so-standard salute.

…………

Two hours later, Tang Li led Fan Zhengcheng and more than a dozen forest police officers, trudging through the mud to the foot of Eagle Beak Rock halfway up the mountain.

The snow in the depths of winter reached up to her calves, making each step a great effort. The snow seeped into her trouser legs, cold and heavy. Fine beads of sweat had already formed on Tang Li's forehead, sliding down her cheeks, and the tip of her nose was red from the cold.

She raised her hand to wipe away the sweat and looked up at the top of the rock.

Wang Yuyu was leisurely curled up on the highest rock, the warm sunlight shining on his yellow and black fur, even his beard exuding a lazy comfort.