Super Zoo

As Sister Parrot finished her sentence, a melodious sound of Scottish bagpipes arose from outside the lawn, and the crowd below automatically dispersed to both sides, clearing a path.

Zhao Yun, dressed in a formal western suit, walked towards the stage with a smile, greeting and gesturing to the surrounding people as he advanced.

A row of bagpipers, dressed in traditional Scottish kilts and wearing little hats adorned with feathers, followed behind Zhao Yun, playing a traditional Scottish tune.

It was only a few days ago that Su Ming learned that a certification officer named 'Zhao Yun' was in charge of certifying the record.

At first, he thought it was a coincidence of namesakes, but after receiving confirmation from Zhao Yun himself, did he realize it was indeed the museum curator, a dapper middle-aged man. This Guinness Certification Officer was just one of Zhao Yun's many leisurely positions.

Su Ming couldn't help but feel a little sentimental; this dapper middle-aged man really had a finger in every pie!

Zhao Yun ascended the stage and shook hands with Su Ming, then in front of the entire audience, loudly recited the oath of the Guinness Certification Officer and clarified the certification rules.

After completing all this, Zhao Yun took off his suit and put on a set of rubber protective gear. Accompanied by Su Ming, he entered one end of the large aquarium to measure the Chinese Giant Salamander's length. Then, several security guards came up, lifted the creature, and placed it on a large electronic scale to weigh it.

Though most people already knew the outcome, the moment Zhao Yun, holding the certification results, stood back in front of the loudspeaker, the entire place quieted down, looking at Zhao Yun with great anticipation!

"Ladies and gentlemen, after full supervision and certification by this officer, this rare wild Chinese Giant Salamander measures 247 centimeters in length and weighs 73.16 kilograms, breaking the 12-year record and becoming the largest Chinese Giant Salamander in the world!"

Zhao Yun's voice, amplified by four large loudspeakers placed around, rang above the lawn. He handed the certification certificate to Su Ming, smiling, "Congratulations, Mr. Su, and congratulations to all friends present. Together we have witnessed the birth of Huaxia's one hundred and thirtieth Guinness World Record!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

Outside the lawn, a row of cannons fired eight times consecutively, countless ribbons and golden foil papers flew towards the sky, whirling around like a grand daytime fireworks festival!

At this moment, the flashbulbs below nearly outshone the sun, with the sounds of cameras clicking and cheers merging into one.

I don't know who was the first to raise both hands and start shouting aloud, "Bandit! Number one in the world!"

Immediately thereafter, many more people raised their hands, like a human wave, voices combining into four words.

"Number one in the world!"

"Number one in the world!"

...

A regular Guinness certification, when held elsewhere, would at most attract a few local media reports. Yet, the certification of the bandit Chinese Giant Salamander was turned into a nationwide celebration by Su Ming!

The certification ceremony was just a beginning. After the awarding, they brought in a dozen barbecue stands and a long line of trays filled with drinks and pastries, arranged in a circle around the lawn.

Several clowns, seemingly from nowhere, holding a long string of balloons, entered among the laughing children.

The vendors who usually sold their goods near the zoo were also given special permission to enter today, with their fluffy white cotton candy, bright red tanghulu with a sour tang, refreshing big bowls of tea, and colorful soap bubbles floating in the air… Not far away, an occasional loud pop of popcorn being made took everyone back to their childhood.

At the same time as the picnic, some of the more docile animals from the zoo, led by their caretakers, came to the center of the lawn for a close and intimate encounter with the adults and children present.

And the star of the day was the "bandit" big baby fish who had truly been outfitted like a bandit!

There had been a surplus of materials from the previous outfitting of a few large fish, which Suming repurposed to custom-make a set of "battle armor" for it.

It had short jeans on its four legs, wooden revolvers tucked at both sides of its waist, a bandana wrapped around its head leaving only two shiny black eyes exposed, swaggering through the crowd shaking its head and wagging its tail, looking every bit the outlaw from the American Wild West!

This grand event began at nine thirty in the morning and lasted until the zoo was about to close in the afternoon. Just before leaving, everyone was given a free newly printed promotional booklet for the zoo, and many people still wanted more.

It's okay if you're left wanting more because tonight, Yangchuan City TV Station will rebroadcast the celebration. With the TV station's reputation, a program that draws this much attention will surely be replayed over and over. If you haven't had enough, just watch it at home on TV.

Everyone was very satisfied with the results of the certification; the government even made a special call to praise them. The only person with mixed feelings was Mr. Song.

It was he who had told Suming to make a big show of it to increase the zoo's popularity and argue for better policies at the restructuring meeting.

Little did he know that Suming's planning would take the event from large to astonishingly grand. To the uninformed, it would appear as if Yangchuan City was hosting a major celebration. Huaxia had many Guinness records, adding a total of 130 this time, yet none had ever been made with such an extraordinary display of effort.

As a result, the goal was far surpassed, and the success of the event was undeniable. With the TV station broadcasting it several times, Yangchuan Zoo made a nationwide name for itself.

But a great deal of money had also been spent. The funds that had just been approved for the protection of the golden monkeys were almost half-gone before they even warmed the zoo's bank account.

"You kid, you make money fast, but you spend it even faster!" Mr. Song said somewhat helplessly.

Suming, however, appeared unconcerned, smiling and saying, "As long as the money spent is worth it, then it's not wasted!"

Suming's words were soon proven true.

In the following weeks, the zoo's visitor traffic skyrocketed, more than doubled the usual, even surpassing the crowds seen during major national holidays. The additional ticket revenue alone had not only recouped the costs of organizing the festival but also turned a profit.

Previously, Yangchuan Zoo didn't weigh much in the hearts of Yangchuan City residents, regarded merely as a common leisure destination, and being quite far from the city center, it was considered a place "you'd think of only if there was nowhere else to go," perhaps visited once a year.

However, after Suming's initiatives, the zoo rapidly became a "highly distinctive and interesting" location, not just for local citizens of Yangchuan City who would visit whenever they had time but also for visitors and business travelers to Yangchuan, who made the zoo a must-see attraction.

Substantial earnings also came from group tickets sold to schools and companies for social outings.

Not only did the zoo earn money, but so did Suming. With the simple logic of rising visitor numbers, all his business ventures flourished, leading him to consider adding more tour boats and raising the prices for fish rides.

Financial gain was one aspect, but there was also political success.

That morning, the district notified that Su Ming, due to his outstanding performance and significant contributions to the construction of the zoo and Yangchuan City, had been recognized as the year's District Model Worker!