Blue Nature Preserve, Korea

        Jaejoong controlled his anger after seeing Polar's condition. He quickly bandaged the bleeding paws of the panda bear. Polar was still alive, but he had lost a lot of blood.

        "Those bastards!" ranted Jaesuk. It was clear that the leader of the forest rangers was angry at the poachers and at himself. It was his responsibility to protect the animals from poachers. And poachers were able to get inside the preserve! "I will find those bastards and cut off their hands!"

        "Calm down, Jaesuk," said Jaejoong as he gave the panda bear a sedative injection. "I will take care of Polar. And you better start looking for those poachers. Based on Polar's injuries, those poachers hadn't gone far. They must still be inside the preserve!"

        "I have already ordered my rangers to search every inch of the preserve. I have even asked help from the police in Joseon City. They are now blocking all roads around the preserve. Those poachers won't be able to leave the preserve undetected!"

        Jaejoong asked the other rangers with them to gently put Polar on the gurney. The bear was already sleeping and the sedative would also help him cope with the pain.

        The two rangers, using the gurney, brought Polar inside the ambulance. They also climbed inside the ambulance because Jaejoong would still need their assistance to get Polar inside the operating room of his clinic. Jessica, Jaejoong's nurse was waiting for them in the clinic. Jaejoong had only given Polar first aid to stop the bleeding. But the bear needed an operation as soon as possible to repair his paws.

        Jaejoong sat on the driver's seat of the ambulance. The vehicle was specially made so it could go through the rugged and uneven terrain of the nature preserve. It was also big enough so that even a mature elephant could fit inside it.

        His clinic was located inside the Arbre compound in the southwest part of the preserve. As soon as they got Polar on the operating table, he began stitching the bear's paws. If Polar survived, he would create prosthetic paws for him.

        After the operation, Jaejoong watched over the sleeping panda bear. He began to remember Maul. Maul was a wolf that his father had rescued from a zoo. Maul suffered a lot of abuse from the zookeepers. Because Maul grew up in a zoo, Jaejoong and his father had to teach the wolf how to live in the wild. When Maul was finally ready, they released him in the wild. A few weeks later, Maul was killed by poachers.

Such memory always brought anger and sadness in Jaejoong. He couldn't do anything then but cry because he was just a boy. After seeing Maul's dead body, he decided he wanted to be able to protect animals. He also swore that he would do everything he could to save animals like Maul from stupid and evil men.

        "Would he be alright, doctor?" asked Jessica.

        "He will live. But if he would be able to survive depends on his ability to adapt and use the prosthetic paws I will make for him."

        "Those poachers! Don't they know that all the animals here are protected? And the death penalty awaits them once they get caught!"

        "The laws are not important to them, Jessica. Their greed rules their mind. The large amount of money they would earn once they sell the panda paws to unscrupulous collectors was the only thing they are concerned about."

        "Collectors who would just use those paws as wall displays?"

        "Panda paws aren't just for display. Some believed that when powdered and mixed with their drinks, the paws have medical properties that could cure ailments. Whatever reason they have for wanting the paws, these people would always be willing to pay big money to poachers. And there will always be people willing to risk their life due to persistent demands of animal parts."

        "Jaesuk must capture those poachers! If they would be tried and given the death penalty, that would also act as a deterrent to poachers who would dare enter Blue Nature again!"

        Jaejoong remained quiet. He began thinking. All the rangers were well trained and trustworthy. Jaesuk himself was especially dedicated in protecting the animals.

        Jaesuk respected the animals. When he was still in college, he was an animal activist. He fought for the rights of the animals. He almost had a religious devotion to preserve the life of any animal. It was part of his religion which believed that every animal was a reincarnation of a dead person. That each person who had sinned would pay penance by being reborn as an animal. And that person wouldn't be able to properly pay for his sins if the animal he currently inhabited was killed. That reincarnated soul would be condemned to oblivion and would never have the chance to be reborn as a human again. Because of this, Jaesuk chose to be a ranger to protect the animals.

        Each staff of Blue Nature Preserve had reasons and beliefs why they worked here. They were all dedicated to their work and loved the animals they protect. Because of this, the suspicion that kept nagging Jaejoong since they discovered what happened to Polar was something he couldn't accept.

        The staffs of Blue Nature Preserve were dedicated people! Everyone here cared and protected the animals! But in order for the poachers to get inside the preserve, someone must have helped them! Every part of Blue Nature had CCTV cameras. Every animal in the preserve also had a special electronic tag on them that monitored their life signs and positions inside the preserve.

        But the poachers were able to evade the CCTVs! They were also able to reprogram the electronic tag connected to Polar. The only reason the rangers became aware of what happened to Polar was due to the strange reactions and behavior of the other animals in that sector of the preserve. Animals were running away from that sector. And this was what Hoonie, the ranger assigned to monitor the CCTVs, saw on the screens inside the surveillance room in the main office.

        Hoonie was also able to discover that one of the CCTV cameras had been tampered. A picture of the sector was plastered on the CCTV making it appear as if everything was all right.

        Hoonie quickly alerted the rangers who rushed to the sector and discovered Polar. Jaesuk called Jaejoong who arrived on the sector just in time to save Polar from bleeding to death.

        According to the latest report Jaejoong was getting from the main office of Blue Nature, where the surveillance monitors were located, the rangers were able to track down the location of the poachers. It seemed before the night was over, the poachers would be caught.

        If the poachers could be caught, the rangers or the police authorities would be able to learn if someone from Blue Nature had helped the poachers or not. Jaejoong still refused to consider that one of the seventy‑four regular and part‑time employees of Blue Nature had helped the poachers. He wan