Unlocking OasisCrest Zoo

An email notification flashed across Harper's phone, confirming her placement on the roster for *OasisCrest Live*. She closed the message and tossed the phone onto the nightstand, letting out a slow breath. Beside her, Gunner lay flat on his back, paws twitching as he snored like a pig. Harper smiled, reached over to stroke his soft belly, and opened her shopping app. With a few taps, she ordered every dog outfit and harness Gunner had pawed at earlier that afternoon.

Before switching off the screen, she checked her social feed. Over three years of grinding through minor drama roles, she had gathered five million followers. The production team had just dropped the official cast announcement, tagging both her and Chloe. Beneath the post, comments were already piling up in a toxic flood. Accusations of riding Chloe's coattails and vicious insults filled the thread. Harper did not blink. She hit repost, shut the screen, and closed her eyes. She felt the exhaustion drag her into sleep.

As deep rest took hold, a pale white fog seeped through the darkness, curling around the bed and wrapping Harper and Gunner in cold stillness.

When Harper opened her eyes, the bedroom was gone.

A dense mist drifted across a rugged valley floor, swallowing the horizon. Her boots tapped against damp stone as she walked through the fog until a pair of colossal rusted iron gates loomed ahead. Arched across the top in weathered bronze were three words: *OasisCrest Zoo*.

The heavy gates groaned open on ancient hinges. A translucent azure interface materialized in the air before her face.

[OasisCrest Zoo Introduction: Approximately 260 species of animals, over 3,000 rare and endangered animals.]

[Head of Security: Gunner. Combat capability: Exceptional. Intellect: Unknown.]

[OasisCrest Zoo has bound itself to the Host. The Host may enter at any time to monitor the sanctuary.]

[Rescue Counter: 2/100. Cleared: Gunner, Roxy.]

Harper read through the lines, her pulse pounding against her ribs. To an ordinary person, inheriting a massive private reserve might seem like an impossible burden. But to a passionate veterinary medicine student who had finished her university credits early, it felt like the ultimate cosmic boon. Her lifelong dream had always been the rescue and protection of wild animals.

She shifted her focus, and her awareness expanded over the reserve. The system granted her omnipresent oversight, giving her god-mode vision across every corner of the vast terrain. If an animal fell sick or suffered an injury, she would sense it instantly and step in to help.

Yet as her mind swept across the natural biomes, the reality of the place struck her.

The sanctuary was a ruin. Stone barriers were fractured, timber fences had rotted down to the mud, and the medical enclosures lacked basic utilities. Restoring a habitat of this scale would take tens of millions of dollars. Her current bank balance, combined with whatever fee she might earn from the variety show, was like throwing a penny into the ocean. It would not make a ripple. She could not rebuild this place on her own.

A sharp, urgent hammering shattered the stillness of the valley.

Harper gasped and sat bolt upright. The misty hills vanished. Morning sunlight poured through the white curtains of her apartment bedroom. Gunner sprang from the mattress, planted his paws on the floorboards, and let out two sharp barks at the front door.

A muffled voice came through the wood from the hallway outside. "Delivery for you. Left it by the door. Don't forget to sign."

Harper frowned. She rarely ordered physical parcels to this address, and she was not expecting anything today. Slipping on a robe, she padded to the entryway and opened the door. The corridor stood empty, but a single registered package sat on the welcome mat.

She brought it inside, closed the door, and sank onto the couch to tear it open. Gunner trotted over, tilting his head with his tongue out, eyes full of curiosity. Harper ripped through the seal and pulled out the contents.

It was a heavy, ribbon-tied deed printed on official paper, stamped with authentic red wax and state registry seals. Every legal right, title, and parcel boundary of OasisCrest Zoo was recorded under her name. The ink was dry, the signatures verified, and the ownership total.

Harper sat frozen on the couch for a long time, the immense weight of the documents pressing into her palms. A sudden clarity cut through the shock. She grabbed her keys, pulled out her phone, and dialed a number she had not called in years.

An hour later, Harper pulled her car up to the front gates of Westmont University.

She had not walked these paths in ages. In her previous life, she had finished her coursework early and rushed straight into the workforce. Beneath the shade of the grand oak trees stood a middle-aged man in a dark suit and crisp white shirt. Silver threads ran through his hair, and his eyes scanned the passing students with sharp intellect.

Seeing Warren Mitchell standing there alive and well brought a fierce burn behind Harper's eyes.

Warren was her former college professor and the only mentor who had understood why she drifted into the entertainment world. He had always wished she would stay in wildlife conservation, yet he never judged her. In her previous timeline, this noble academic had been murdered by poachers while conducting field research to safeguard endangered wildlife.

Harper swallowed the grief in her throat and walked forward. "Professor Mitchell."

Warren turned around, relief and excitement flashing across his face. He noticed the tears she was fighting back and frowned with concern. "You sounded serious on the phone, Harper. What is going on?"

Harper nodded toward the path leading past the faculty lawn. "Let's grab a coffee and sit down first."

They headed into the campus café. With morning lectures underway, the room was empty, leaving them alone in a secluded corner booth.

Warren watched her quietly, wondering if she had decided to quit show business after the recent online attacks. When Harper returned from the counter, she set two hot mugs on the table and looked directly across at him.

Harper leaned forward, her expression dead serious. "Professor Mitchell, what I am about to tell you is going to sound crazy. It defies every scientific law you taught me. Brace yourself."

Warren blinked, caught off guard. "Go ahead. I'm listening."

Harper reached into her bag, retrieved the thick land deed, and slid it across the polished table.

Warren picked up the document with mild curiosity. But as his gaze crossed the official state registry stamps, the municipal seal, and Harper's printed legal name, his academic skepticism shifted into stunned disbelief.

Harper kept her voice low and deliberate. "Yesterday, an unknown system bound itself to me. I hold the legal title to OasisCrest Zoo. And that is not all. I can comprehend animal vocalizations and understand their intent as clearly as I understand your words."

Warren stared at her in silence for several seconds. "Harper, what day is it today?"

Harper gave him a flat look. "It is not April Fools', Professor Mitchell."

Warren pressed his fingertips against the authentic raised seal. He knew Harper was not prone to delusions, and the legal deed in his hands was genuine. He pushed his glasses up his nose, his tone turning grave. "Even if this zoo exists, and even if this deed is authentic, why come to me? Why share something this dangerous?"

Harper set her teacup down and met his eyes with quiet resolve.

"Wild animals are disappearing faster than ever. Another species slips into oblivion every seven years. Humans keep destroying habitats and then scrambling to mend the ecosystems they broke. To these animals, we behave like moody, unpredictable gods. Researchers spend decades trying to understand their behavior, yet endangered species vanish anyway."

Warren remained silent. The hard truth of her words hit his chest. In her eyes, he recognized the sharp determination he had seen on the day they first met.

Harper spoke with steady, magnetic focus. "Right now, I am the only human being on earth capable of establishing a direct bridge of communication between wild beasts and human society. But I cannot finance, protect, or run a sanctuary of this scale on my own."

Warren realized the magnitude of what she was leading toward.

Harper laid out her final choice without hesitation. "Professor Mitchell, I want to hand over the zoo and my ability to the government."