Beast Tamer's Rebirth National Treasure Edition novel Chapter 6

Chapter 6 For The Government

Sierra got an email from Maggie with all the information about the variety show. She closed it and flopped onto the bed next to Payton.

It was sprawled out on its back, already snoring like a little pig. She glanced at it, and then went ahead and ordered every single dog outfit Payton had checked out online earlier.

Right before bed, Sierra scrolled through Twitter. Over the past three years, she’d been in a bunch of dramas and racked up over five million followers.

The official WonderWild Live account had just dropped the guest list and tagged Sierra. As she thought, her mentions were already flooded with hate. She didn’t even blink. She hit retweet, felt the exhaustion hit her, and was out cold in seconds.

The moment Sierra fell asleep, a swirling white mist began creeping through the dark room, slowly wrapping around her and Payton.

*****

When Sierra woke up again, she found herself in a dark, misty space. Thick fog swirled everywhere. It was eerie, but also weirdly peaceful. Her footsteps echoed softly as she walked forward until she stopped in front of a modern-looking gate.

Sierra looked up and saw a wooden sign hanging above the elaborate iron gates. It read: “WonderWild Zoo.”

With a heavy thud, the long-silent bronze gate groaned open. A blue screen appeared in front of Sierra, displaying a few lines of text.

[WonderWild Zoo Introduction: Approximately 260 species of animals, over 3,000 rare animals. Head of Security: Payton (IQ: Unknown. Crazy strong in a fight.) WonderWild Zoo has been successfully bound to the Host. The Host may enter at any time to check on the animals.]

Once Sierra finished reading, the blue screen faded away. Her heart was racing. ‘Holy crap,’ she thought. ‘I just got the ultimate cheat code.’

For most people, a power-up like this might feel like a hassle. But for Sierra, it was a dream come true. Her biggest wish was to rescue wild animals.

She was studying veterinary science at Northbel University, and thanks to her top grades, she’d already finished her credits early. She’d be graduating in just a few months.

This zoo felt like it was made just for her. After exploring a bit, she realized she could watch over the whole place in god mode. If anything happened to the animals, she’d know right away and could jump in to help.

Sierra also noticed that her animal rescue counter was already at 2 out of 100. Besides Payton, the other was Coco, the puppy she’d helped at the vet clinic earlier.

WonderWild Zoo wasn’t exactly luxury class. The place looked rundown, and the facilities were seriously outdated.

Upgrading everything was gonna cost a fortune. Sierra did some quick math. ‘With what’s in my bank account plus whatever I earn from the show, it’s like throwing a penny in the ocean. Not gonna make a ripple.’

Just as she was lost in thought, a sudden knock at the door pulled her back to reality.

When Sierra opened her eyes again, the zoo was gone. She was back in her bedroom. Morning sun streamed through the white curtains. Payton hopped off the bed as soon as she woke up.

The knocking grew more urgent, and Payton let out two sharp barks toward the door.

Hearing the dog, the person outside called out, “Delivery for you. Left it by the door. Don’t forget to sign.”

Sierra found it kinda weird. She hardly ever ordered stuff online, and she wasn’t expecting anything. She opened the door. The hallway was empty, but a single package sat right outside.

She brought it inside, closed the door, and flopped onto the couch to tear it open. Payton perked up, tilting its big head, tongue out, eyes full of curiosity.

Inside the envelope was WonderWild Zoo’s land deed. Sierra’s breath caught. She actually owned a zoo now. A wave of disbelief washed over her.

Sierra sat frozen on the couch for a long time, until something finally clicked. She grabbed her phone and made a call.

Henry just stared, baffled. “Sierra, what day is it today?”

She gave him a flat look. “It’s not April Fools’, Mr. Carter.”

Henry still wasn’t buying it, especially since he’d never even heard of WonderWild Zoo. But the way Sierra laid everything out was all sounded too real to dismiss. His expression turned serious.

“So why tell me?” he asked. He knew Sierra wasn’t crazy. If she was bringing this to him, she had a reason.

Sierra set her cup down and lowered her voice. “Mr. Carter, wild animals are disappearing faster than ever. Another species goes extinct every seven years. Humans keep destroying things, then scrambling to fix them.

“To these animals, we’re like moody gods, totally unpredictable. It takes forever to figure them out, to build any kind of bond. But no matter what we do, endangered species keep vanishing.”

Henry stayed quiet. Her words hit hard. He looked at her, and her eyes held the same sharp resolve he’d seen three years ago, on the day they first met.

Sierra’s voice was steady and magnetic. “Right now, I’m the only human who can understand what animals are saying.”

Something clicked in Henry’s mind. He finally understood where she was going with this.

As he expected, Sierra said, “Mr. Carter, I want to hand over the zoo and my ability to the government.”