Chapter 331: Chapter 213: The Bureaucratic So-Called "Natural Selection" (10,000-Word Combined Chapter)

After hanging up the first call, Mark asked Lin Yu’an to wait for his update.

As time ticked by, each time he passed by the observation window, he couldn’t help but stop and take a look at the increasingly weakened little one outside.

This hour was the longest and most torturous since he had participated in the challenge.

Finally, the satellite phone rang again, the shrill ringtone piercing through the dead silence of the shelter; it was Mark calling actively this time.

"Mark," Lin Yu’an’s voice was somewhat hoarse.

A heavy sigh intermingled with static came from the other end of the line, and Mark’s tone was wearier than before.

"An, I have bad news, utterly bad news."

"I contacted a supervisor from Environment and Climate Change Canada, even leveraged some of my high-level media connections."

"Found a polar bear research expert from the University of Saskatchewan, attempting to pressure them from an academic angle." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"But the conclusion... is messed up."

Mark’s voice was filled with deep helplessness, "Lin, this issue is way more complicated than we thought."

"Their official response is almost copied straight from the standard operating manual. The cub’s chance of independent survival, according to statistical data, is below 5%."

"Its location is too remote; any helicopter rescue mission faces extremely high weather risks and costs."

"According to the spirit of Canada’s Species at Risk Act, we should avoid unnecessary intervention in the natural selection process of wildlife."

"Natural selection?" Lin Yu’an was fuming.

"It’s not being eliminated in competition with its kind, nor is it because of congenital deficiencies. It was simply abandoned by its mother! How is this natural selection?"

"That’s exactly what I told them!" Mark’s volume increased as well, filled with frustration.

"And guess what? I took a step back and said, ’Alright, since your manpower is at risk and has difficulties, how about authorizing us?’"

"We have emergency backup helicopters; we can bear all the costs and risks ourselves. All we need is for them to issue a temporary permit—a damned piece of paper!"

"And the result? They flatly refused." Mark’s tone was full of sarcasm.

"They said authorizing unofficial, especially foreign commercial media organizations to handle protected species is procedurally impossible and would set a dangerous precedent."

"I asked them, if this bear appeared on the streets of Churchill Town, would you save it? Of course, they would save it!"

"So, this is not about any principled issue at all; the real reasons are politics and public relations!"

"They fear the negative impact of failure. Once they decide to rescue, helicopters fly there, and Canada’s media will pounce like sharks smelling blood."

"If the cub dies in their hands, what will the news headline be?"

"’Canadian official rescue fails, polar bear cub dies tragically under global live broadcast,’ this would be a huge PR disaster for their national image and tourism."

"Therefore, letting it die naturally in an unknown corner is a zero-risk, zero-cost choice for them, not even needing mention in the report."

Mark continued: "And there’s something even more disgusting; they’re full of suspicion towards our production team, that official practically implied if this was a script we orchestrated for ratings."

"In his eyes, we are a profit-driven, uncontrollable U.S. media. He’s worried that this is a trap we’ve dug, waiting for them to fall into it, ultimately dragging them into a passive opinion whirlpool."

"Thus, they chose the most conservative, bureaucratic way to handle it—by doing nothing."

Lin Yu’an was thoroughly silent after listening, initially thinking it was a simple decision, not expecting a cold web woven from politics, media, international relations, and bureaucracy behind it.

And the little bear was the most innocent and fragile sacrifice in this web.

"So," Lin Yu’an’s voice carried no warmth, "does it have to die just because of their dirty political calculations and cowardly timidity?"

A long, heavy sigh came from Mark on the other end, this time it was purely a sigh belonging to an ordinary person.

He was silent for over ten seconds, apparently engaged in a fierce internal struggle. When he spoke again, his tone had completely changed.

Mark was no longer the scheming executive producer but more like an ordinary person having a heartfelt conversation in a bar with friends.

"Lin, let’s change the topic. Let’s talk about the equipment." Mark’s tone suddenly became very calm.

"You know, at the edge of the Arctic Circle, in an environment of minus thirty to forty degrees, the chemical activity of lithium batteries decreases significantly."

"The camera batteries lose power, see reduced endurance time, and even crash directly; these are routine problems our technical team deals with every day, aren’t they?"

"During this period, if your equipment loses some footage due to extreme cold... from the production team’s perspective, this is a completely understandable technical issue."

Mark’s voice lowered, and Lin Yu’an immediately grasped Mark’s implication.

Mark continued in that calm yet suggestive tone: "Also, I’ll do everything I can on my end to think of other ways."

"For example, contacting some non-governmental organizations, like the ’International Polar Bear Organization,’ but this won’t be resolved in a day or two; it will take time. However, I’ll be as quick as I can."