Pet King - Chapter 873

Chapter 873




Huang and his son Xiao Zhi took the plastic storage boxes that Zhang Zian handed them; they didn't know his intentions .

Xiao Zhi couldn't help but say, "Unc… no, big brother, the weather's so cold . It's definitely cold from being soaked in the water, right? Shouldn't we cover it up with sand instead? Why are we splashing it with water?"

It was close to noon . The temperature was about ten degrees over . It was a very cooling temperature, but it was not the same when one was wet and the wind was blowing .

Earlier, Xiao Zhi and Huang had already tried to push the minke whale back into the sea . Their pants were already wet up to their knees . Stepping on the beach barefoot, their toes sunk deep into the sand . They could feel the loss of heat from their soles as the cold circulated back .

Huang suddenly thought of something . He nodded and said, "Yes! We should pour water! The reason why fish die on shore is because they don't get soaked with water, so they can't breathe . Xiao Zhi, don't stand there like a fool! Quickly, scoop some water . Don't you want to save this whale?"

Zhang Zian found a reef rock and sat down . He raised his head and squinted his eyes at the glaring sun . He started taking off his shoes and socks, then explained, "Whales are not like us . They spend most of their time living in the lower temperatures of the middle sea level . They only get temporary exposure to sunlight when they float up to the surface of the sea to breathe, which is why they have a thick layer of fat to keep them warm . When they're beached, the temperature that may be just right for us is like a hot summer day to them . In addition, it's sunny out today, so it's grayish-black back must've already absorbed a great deal of heat . It must be suffering from the heat now… If we don't do anything now, it's probably going to die from a heat stroke before the tow boat from the Administration of Fishery arrives . "

As for Huang, Zhang Zian decided to save him some face, and not point out his mistake of mistaking a whale for a fish . After all, a father's image in front of a child was very important .

Xiao Zhi now understood . He quickly ran into the water and scooped out a full box of seawater . He had overestimated his strength, however, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't lift the box up . With no other options, he poured out half the water and ran back to the minke whale, splashing it with water . Clearly, he believed his father's explanation that whales breathe through their gills .

Zhang Zian and Huang both made their way into the water, too, scooping out water with the storage boxes, then splashing it onto the other parts of the minke whale .

Although it sounded easy, it was actually really tiring—lugging that heavy weight around, and raising up box after box of seawater . After a few cycles, all three of them were panting hard, and their arms were both sore and aching .

It was okay for Zhang Zian, since he was still young and had been training . But Huang, on the other hand, was just an ordinary salaryman; he worked during the day and was responsible for teaching his child during the night . It had been some time since he last participated in any rigorous activity, and it only took a short while before he was drenched in his own sweat .

"I can't… I need a break . " Huang wiped off his sweat and sat down on a reef rock . Squinting his eyes at the horizon, he mumbled to himself, "Why isn't it here yet? It's really very slow…"

To Huang, it felt like a lot of time has passed, but in actual fact, it was just a short while . The Administration of Fishery was not the 110 patrol officer, so their response time was not as fast . The staff who picked up the call might not even have had the authority to mobilize the fishery boat . He would have to report the matter to his supervisor and wait for approval . It was definitely going to take some time for all that to process, and what if the supervisor was not around…



Xiao Zhi was also too exhausted . He just sat down on the beach . Whether or not he would be scolded by his mother when he returned home was not part of his consideration at the moment .

Zhang Zian did not rush them . It was already very commendable that they were able to take the initiative to help out the beached minke whale . Zhang Zian continued alone for awhile before he also stopped and took a break .

Zian did not sit down––he felt that he would get lazy if he sat down, so he stood beside the minke whale to try and catch his breath .

After it had cold water splashed on it, the minke whale seemed to be feeling better . Its tightly shut eyes were now slightly opened, and it locked eyes with Zhang Zian, who was just beside it .

The shape of the minke whale's eye was similar to that of the human's––under its eyelid was an astonishingly large eyeball . It was clearly still a calf, but it already had thick bags under its eyes, and a few thin wrinkles were stretched around its eyelids .

Its eyes were black and white––warm and bright––with the white fundus, and the black pupil . In the black pupil, there was an obvious white circle, and in that white circle was another black pupil .



It was said that the intelligence of whales and dolphins were second only to humans, even further exceeding monkeys and orangutans, who are close relatives of the human . Being watched by the whale's eye, Zhang Zian clearly realized that point… The whale was an intelligent creature; it knew that they were helping it, and it was showing gratitude through its eyes .

The feeling could only be felt and not shared with words . It was just like being watched by a crocodile––one would be able to feel it's cold-bloodedness . When one was watched by a dog, they can also feel its loyalty––or contempt, when watched by Fina .

Zhang Zian reached out his hand and patted it as an attempt to comfort the whale .

A cool and smooth sensation was felt on his palm . Zian could also feel the slight undulations on its skin; it was like a leather sofa with an excellent feel .

Its skin was both soft and tough . It was also very elastic when pressed slightly, and there was at least a layer of fat under the skin as thick as a finger .

The sun rose higher and higher in the sky .

Zhang Zian regained some stamina and again started using the plastic storage boxes to scoop some water . He was seriously considering if he should call his two strong laborers, Wang Qian and Li Kun, down to help out with the hard work .

Xiao Zhi and Huang took a longer break, continuing again after they had enough rest . Whenever Huang scooped out a box of water, he would look into the far distance, hoping for the fishery boat to arrive sooner . If Huang was to continue with that rigorous activity, he'd be turning up for work the next day with sores and aching .

"Unc… big brother! This whale, it's bleeding! Dad! Come over and take a look!" Xiao Zhi suddenly screamed out .

Zhang Zian and Huang made their way over after hearing him . They soon noticed the blood stains on the beach, and the blood was oozing out from one side of the minke whale . But because the wound was pressed against the beach, they could not see the exact condition of the wound .

The blood might have already seeped into the sand, and was only seeping out now after the sand had absorbed enough water from the continuous flushing .

"No wonder it's beached… The cause is the wound," Zhang Zian said softly .

Whales being beached and dying was a common occurrence––there were almost a few cases each year . It happened to different whales worldwide . The reason for them being beached was very complicated . Except for a small number that were suffering from an injury, most whales did not have obvious reasons . Some said that the whales lost their way; some said it was just an accident; some said that it was due to the sonar interference… There were even some that suggested that it might be a suicidal phenomenon .

But the reason that the minke whale in front of them was beached was due to its injury . It might have been influenced from the pain, then t lost its sense of direction and ended up rushing ashore . Of course, that was just a speculation––only the whale knew the true reason, but it couldn't speak .