HLM – Chapter 1059 Let’s Do a Billion-Dollar Deal

Wang Bo was startled. Both Zhuang Ding and the Queen had gone into heat before—he hadn’t worried much, as they had handled it themselves.

Of course, when it came to Zhuang Ding, he hadn’t bothered at all. He suspected that brat was like humans—capable of being in heat year-round. But since Zhuang Ding always solved his own “issues,” Wang Bo never interfered.

Eva nodded. “Yes, dear. Pallas cats are not joking around during this time. Now you know why I’ve been so busy arranging partners for them lately?”

Pallas cats live in remote, rarely visited ice plains. There, they are excellent hunters with few natural enemies. Even humans—called the “ultimate predators”—have very little interaction with them.

However, their population has always remained small and hasn’t expanded, and this has a lot to do with their unusual mating behavior.

After entering heat, if they can’t resolve their physiological needs quickly, the hormone stimulation will cause mental instability. The problem is—their heat cycle is extremely short.

A vet examining Da Pang told Wang Bo that female Pallas cats stay in heat for only 26–42 hours, shorter than most felines. If a male cannot find the female during this window, and she exits her heat cycle, mating afterward becomes extremely difficult.

“Normally,” the vet said, “Pallas cats mate between February and March. Pregnancy lasts 66–75 days. Each litter can have two to six kittens. When the kittens reach four months, they start hunting with their mother. At six months, they’re already the size of an adult, and by 10–11 months they reach sexual maturity, able to reproduce.”

Wang Bo wasn’t concerned about Pallas cat reproduction in general. What concerned him was:  “But it’s already August, and the females’ heat period is so short. Do my two little guys still have a chance?”

The vet smiled. “You don’t need to worry. It’s perfectly fine. We’ve controlled the heat cycle with medication. We only allowed the youngsters to enter heat when we received confirmation that your plane had landed successfully.”

Hearing that, Eva frowned. “Isn’t that harmful to the Pallas cats themselves?”

The vet sighed helplessly. “Yes, ma’am, but we have no choice. Once these animals leave their natural habitat, their habits and physiological states change. Without intervention, they wouldn’t survive.”

Pallas cats are notoriously picky about their environment. They live in Central Asia—from western Iran to northwestern China—preferring cold, dry, rocky grasslands such as the Siberian ice plains. Their habitats can reach elevations of up to 4,600 meters.

To survive such harsh climates, they evolved the thickest fur of all felines—the fur on their belly and tail is twice as long as the fur on their back and sides, helping them stay warm while hunting in snow.

Not only did zoo Pallas cats experience physiological changes—Da Pang and Er Pang had changed even more.

Their fur length and density normally varies by season: thicker in winter, thinner in summer. But since the southern and northern hemispheres have opposite seasons, Sunset Town was entering winter now. So Da Pang and Er Pang had fur even thicker and longer than the zoo’s Pallas cats.

Their coat color also changes with the season: pale and faintly patterned in winter, ruddier and striped in summer. Thus, compared to the more decorative zoo females, Da Pang and Er Pang looked much paler and plainer.

However, in terms of physical and mental condition, no other Pallas cats could compare.

Their tails bore thick black rings denoting strength, their foreheads round black spots, and two bold black stripes stretched from the corner of their eyes down to their cheeks—deep and intense, year-round.

And the white-tipped fur that coated their body made them shimmer like frost under the sun—far more dazzling than the others.

Now all they could do was wait for test results. Eva carried Da Pang and Er Pang back. The moment they realized they still couldn’t interact with the tempting females across the room, they became crestfallen. The brothers huddled together, pressing their round heads against each other, grooming each other’s fur for comfort.

Seeing this, several vets were surprised. “Aren’t these two adults by now? How are they so close?”

Wang Bo shrugged. “Maybe it’s because they grew up overseas together. They’ve relied on each other since they were young.”

That was pure nonsense. The Fat Cat brothers fought nonstop from kittenhood until now.

At first, Wang Bo thought they were naturally aggressive and brutal—but after checking sources, he learned that Pallas cats are solitary monarchs by nature.

They prefer to live alone and have strong territorial instincts. Both males and females scent-mark their land. In Siberia, a female’s territory covers about 23 square kilometers, while a male’s covers 98 square kilometers.

In the wild, any trespassing Pallas cat triggers a fight.

The Fat Cat brothers had also been battling to claim turf in Sunset Town. It was just that once they grew up and bonded, their fights looked more like roughhousing than territorial disputes.

Two hours later, all test results came in. The brothers had no infectious diseases and were in excellent health. The vets were overjoyed—introducing such healthy genes would be hugely beneficial to the zoo’s Pallas cat population.

Eva followed the vets and placed the Fat Cat brothers into a presidential suite prepared specially for Pallas cat mating.

Without the barrier of glass walls, the hormones released by the females in heat rushed into the brothers’ noses. Their eyes widened like lightbulbs, but this time they didn’t go wild—they grew strangely calm.

Once inside, they split up. Da Pang and Er Pang lay low, creeping quietly across the floor, using fake rocks, grass, and shrubs for cover as they approached two female Pallas cats.

Then—two furry cannonballs flashed across the room.

Whoosh! They pounced on the females.

Come here, baby—your big brothers are about to do a massive deal with you. A billion-dollar deal!

The female Pallas cats were alert—they bolted immediately. But with their stubby legs and round bodies, they couldn’t run fast.

After only a few steps, they dove into the rocks, burying their heads inside crevices like ostriches, refusing to look.

The brothers leaped after them.

A fierce and exhilarating battle for genetic legacy had begun!