As dusk fell over the zoo, the fading sunlight withdrew its golden gaze, draping itself behind a veil of distant mountains.
Titan returned to his personal territory.
Hmm.
These past few days have been way too lively.
I need to take a good, long rest.
Maybe I’ll just lie on the shoreline from morning until night, or perhaps just float perfectly still in the lake from night until morning.
Jason and Old Larry had extensively discussed Lily’s living situation.
It seemed they ultimately decided it was best for the parents to take the newborn home and raise her properly.
That was a relief.
While Titan didn’t explicitly dislike human children, they were incredibly loud and annoying.
Vroom…
Old Frank’s sedan eventually drove off, carrying the new father and daughter back to the city.
Old Larry was left alone in the quiet, empty zoo once more.
It was actually quite funny.
Before leaving, Old Frank had genuinely suggested that little Lily could stay at the zoo and help “look after things” when Old Larry was busy.
Old Larry had just shot him a deadpan glare and replied with absolutely zero politeness.
“I already asked Number Three for help with the babysitting, and he flat-out refused.”
Hmm.
It seems Old Frank really isn’t the most reliable guy to leave a child with.
Titan pondered the bizarre suggestion for a moment.
He let his heavy body sink into the cool lake.
He pressed his four scaly paws tightly against his sides, using gentle sways of his powerful tail to casually patrol his aquatic domain.
Rustle…
The sound of the evening breeze rustling through the treetops and the sharp courtship calls of wild birds were completely shut out by the water.
Beneath the surface, there was only endless, muffled tranquility.
His nictitating membranes slid shut.
Titan opened his eyes underwater, watching the faint, distorted light playing on the surface of the lake.
He slowly angled his body upward, breaking the surface.
Sure enough, he still wasn’t used to underwater patrolling.
Although the submerged environment helped him concentrate his thoughts, it was just far too quiet.
It was an eerie, suffocating kind of silence.
“Caw!”
A piercing cry echoed from the top of the enclosure wall.
It was the alpha raven, the massive black bird that had boldly tried to mooch a meal off him a few days prior.
What is this guy trying to do now?
Titan watched the dark silhouette on the wall gradually blend into the deepening night.
Wait.
This guy doesn’t seem to be here to see me.
Titan quickly noticed the bird’s true objective.
The raven glanced around shiftily.
It tucked its legs tight against its body and swooped down onto the grass near the shoreline.
It aggressively grabbed a flat, shiny, round object in its beak and immediately took flight again.
It looked exactly like a…
coin?!
He is still a shameless money-grubber.
Titan was utterly speechless.
The raven hadn’t been greeting him at all; it was just excitedly cawing because it had found something shiny to hoard.
“Hoot!
Hoot!”
Wait, another visitor?
Titan slowly turned around.
Oh, it was his eagle-owl sister.
Why did this crazy bird catch another falcon?
“Hoot.”
The eagle-owl looked around the enclosure incredibly seriously.
She only visibly relaxed her posture after thoroughly confirming that no other predators had invaded her designated territory.
After locking onto Titan’s location in the water, she chose the closest patch of dry grass and landed almost entirely silently.
However, Titan knew she had no actual intention of hiding.
If she had wanted to be stealthy, she wouldn’t have hooted to announce her arrival.
He quickly crawled ashore, waddling over to sit directly opposite the massive bird.
He carefully examined her fresh prey.
Well, it was a bloody mess, completely unrecognizable.
Wait a minute.
He had been actively feeding her fresh, raw chicken every single day for the past week.
Why was she still going out of her way to hunt for herself?
Could it be that she was trying to feed him?
Titan looked at the eagle-owl sitting across from him.
She looked incredibly arrogant, clearly showing off her impressive hunting skills.
Crunch!
With a gentle, precise bite, Titan effortlessly detached the right wing from the unrecognizable falcon carcass.
The sudden crunching sound actually startled the eagle-owl.
She was initially angry that he had damaged her trophy.
But when Titan politely placed the entire, meaty wing directly in front of her talons, she was momentarily stunned.
Wow…
that is a big piece.
As for Titan, his logic was simple.
He wanted his exhausted avian partner to eat her fill first.
He would happily finish whatever was left.
But why isn’t she eating it?
“Hello, you must be Director Larry.”
“Hello, hello.
How should I address you?”
“My surname is Qiu.
You are clearly older than me, so you can just call me Little Qiu.”
“No, no, that simply won’t do.
You are a distinguished guest.
I should address you formally as Mr.
Qiu.”
Old Larry warmly greeted a man standing at the zoo entrance.
The specialist looked to be in his late thirties or early forties.
Standing right beside him was a taller, clearly foreign man.
Since both of these men had been personally invited by his old military Captain, Old Larry naturally wasn’t going to neglect them.
After officially greeting Mr.
Qiu, he turned to the foreigner.
“Good morning, sir.
I am Larry.”
Listening to Old Larry’s incredibly thick, awkward, and heavily accented English attempt, the foreign man was clearly taken aback.
He chuckled warmly, stepping forward to shake Old Larry’s hand, instantly dispelling any initial awkwardness.
“I am Nur Fattiha Binti Rahim, from Singapore.
My official Chinese name is Chris Liwei, and I speak the language fluently.
It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Ah.
I see.
Haha, the Captain completely forgot to mention that.”
In a highly harmonious and professional atmosphere, Old Larry led the two exotic reptile experts into the zoo.
“I personally own and operate a massive commercial ecological farm,” Mr.
Qiu explained as they walked.
“I have decades of hands-on experience in high-yield crocodile farming.
Coincidentally, I was actually planning to expand my operations to raise a full-time batch of Saltwater Crocodiles.”
Both experts had a very direct, to-the-point professional attitude.
Old Larry appreciated the lack of small talk and led them straight toward the main corridor.
“What a wonderful coincidence!” Mr.
Chris exclaimed.
“We actually manage a massive Saltwater Crocodile conservation farm in my district in Singapore.
Here is my business card.
You can contact me directly if you need any specialized breeding stock.
My direct prices are guaranteed to be significantly cheaper than going through commercial middlemen.”
There was absolutely no professional animosity between the two experts.
They even started casually networking and talking business as they walked.
“Titan?
That is a rather unusual name for an exhibit.”
Mr.
Qiu noticed the bold wooden sign hanging outside the enclosure.
He looked at Old Larry with genuine confusion.
“The name is actually inspired by an ancient mythological text.
It is just a personal hobby of mine,” Old Larry explained humbly.
“If it were up to you, Mr.
Qiu, what kind of name would you give your crocodile?”
“My version might be a bit simpler.”
“Keep it simple.”
As Titan heard the distinct commotion of three humans approaching his enclosure, he inexplicably felt a sense of impending dread.
Could they be coming for me?
“Number Three!”
Well, that answers that question.
Titan reluctantly climbed ashore.
He looked at the unfamiliar man standing next to Old Larry, who was holding a bright yellow measuring tape.
Understanding immediately dawned on the baby crocodile.
Measuring my body length?
Yeah, I am unfortunately very familiar with this routine.
He crawled a little further onto the flat lawn.
He laid his scaly belly flat against the grass and remained absolutely motionless, looking like a perfectly compliant, oversized cucumber ready to be picked.
“It seems the two of you have a remarkably strong bond.”
Mr.
Qiu could easily tell from Titan’s completely relaxed, unguarded posture that Old Larry was an exceptionally gifted animal handler.
However, since this wasn’t their own personal crocodile, the two experts adhered to strict professional safety protocols.
They pulled out a thick black cloth they had prepared beforehand and expertly blindfolded Titan’s eyes.
Zip.
The measuring tape was rapidly extended.
In less than thirty seconds, the cloth was pulled away.
Titan regained his sight just in time to watch the human holding the tape measure step back, his eyes glued to the tiny black numbers on the yellow strip.
“Four feet and ten inches.
It seems a bit thin for its length, though,” Mr.
Qiu muttered, his brow furrowing deeply.
“Director Larry, exactly how long have you had this specimen?”
“A little over two weeks.”
“Wait, didn’t you raise it from a hatchling?”
“No.
When it first arrived here, it was less than three feet long.
I think it was barely pushing thirty-five inches.”
Mr.
Qiu suddenly fell completely silent.
After a long, heavy pause, he finally spoke.
“Director Larry, if what you are saying is completely accurate, this Saltwater Crocodile is at least one full year old.”
Titan: ???
Wait, did I just lose a whole year of my life?
“One…
year old?” Old Larry stammered.
“That is correct,” Mr.
Qiu nodded grimly.
“A healthy Saltwater Crocodile can grow up to roughly three feet in its very first year.
Before reaching sexual maturity, it will maintain a rapid, consistent growth phase of roughly two feet per year.
But growing nearly twenty inches in just half a month?
To be completely honest, my entire understanding of crocodilian biology was just shattered.”
Mr.
Qiu dumped a massive amount of technical information in a single breath.
It was going to take Old Larry quite a while to fully digest the implications.
As for Titan…
well, Titan had already quietly slipped back into the water, desperately trying to hide.
Guys, I swear to God I am a totally normal Saltwater Crocodile.
Please don’t dissect me.
“It is a bit…
hard to believe,” Old Larry muttered, rubbing his temples.
“It grew in half a month what a normal crocodile takes almost a year to achieve.”
“Yes.”
Old Larry continued to rub his forehead, deeply pondering the terrifying pros and cons of Titan’s wildly abnormal growth rate.
He could easily solve the immediate food problem—even selling off his entire antique book collection wouldn’t be an issue.
But could he physically handle raising such a massive, rapidly growing apex predator on his own?
Mr.
Qiu was also deeply lost in thought.
This specimen completely deviated from his decades of professional understanding.
It was actively making him question the very foundation of his acquired zoological knowledge.
“Mr.
Chris,” Mr.
Qiu finally asked, turning to his foreign colleague.
“What is your professional opinion on this…”
“Mr.
Chris?”