Chapter 2432: Sonia (IX)

Though the wing building appeared modest from outside, its interior surpassed even the main building in both decoration and amenities. To maintain comfortable temperatures year-round, it featured the same reinforced exterior insulation as the main building, supplemented by an underground air-energy circulation system. Whether during the scorching summer or the mild "winter," the climate inside remained pleasant.

Every surface—floors and walls alike—was tiled for easy cleaning. The basement housed a small cold storage room with an ammonia refrigeration system for freezing and preserving certain specimens.

Sonia showed her pass to the entrance guard, then proceeded to the changing room. There she donned a white lab coat, cap, mask, and indoor slippers—standard precautions against bacteria or viruses that specimens might carry.

Unlike the bustling exhibition halls, the wing building contained only storage rooms and workrooms of various sizes connected by corridors. A chill greeted her the moment she stepped inside, and she encountered almost no one along the way.

She made her way to a first-floor specimen storage room where items transferred from various locations awaited review. Several "apprentices" were clustered around a table, surrounded by specimens wrapped in paper bags that filled both the floor and shelves.

"Teacher Suo!" One of her apprentices hurried over to greet her. "You're finally here—we have far too many specimens awaiting decisions. We can't make up our minds."

"Hello, Dawen."

This female apprentice was named Ju Wenjing. Given Sonia's struggles with Chinese, correctly pronouncing both "Ju" and "Jing" proved challenging, so she had simplified the name to just "Dawen."

She had another female apprentice named Ju Wenyi, whom she called "Xiaowen."

They, in turn, didn't call her Sonia or the more cumbersome "Sonia Lily Sharper," but simply "Teacher Suo."

Several other Senators' apprentices were also present. Among them was one who made Sonia's heart race every time she saw him—the most handsome man she had ever encountered. His name was Assavi Omshyan, a beautiful young man from the Caucasus Mountains. Cui Yunhong found the name difficult to pronounce and had simply renamed him Cuixi.

Cuixi had arrived in Lingao around the same time as Sonia, and his appearance had caused an immediate sensation among the Senators—an impact probably rivaling Sonia's own spectacular debut. Even the male Senators had to acknowledge this young man's extraordinary handsomeness. Reportedly, when Zhang Daochang later heard about him, he too had revealed an expression of discontent.

Though Cui Yunhong doted on him, his social position remained inevitably awkward. After careful consideration, Cui Yunhong had decided to send him to study natural history illustration. This way, he could at least establish connections within the Survey Department. And so Cuixi became Valentina's classmate.

Cuixi himself seemed untroubled by his status—pleased, even. People later learned that slave traders had originally selected him with plans to castrate him and sell him to Ottoman Turkish nobles as a eunuch. Now, at least, Assavi Omshyan could exist in male form. When he eventually grew a full beard and his figure lost its youthful beauty, his master would naturally release him—according to the customs of many Near and Middle Eastern countries, important men's "favorites" often rose to become generals, ministers, or other prominent figures.

At the moment, the Caucasian youth sat before several glass jars, carefully sketching something in his notebook. He possessed genuine artistic talent. Trini praised him highly, believing that with proper cultivation, he could become a professional artist.

Sonia followed Ju Wenjing to the table, where several specimens lay waiting. Despite her mask, a putrid, moldy smell assaulted her nostrils.

All taxidermy specimens transferred here had to spend seventy-two hours in the basement's ammonia-refrigerated cold storage at minus twenty degrees before entering the specimen room. This ultra-low-temperature treatment killed any insects and eggs that might be present on the specimens and suppressed bacterial growth. Only then were they sent here for inspection.

Nearest to her was a python specimen in a resting posture, coiled on a tree trunk. This was a smaller python, about two meters long, but the skin already showed obvious signs of decay. Insect damage had left holes of various sizes, and through these gaps she could see the rice straw stuffing, now turned black.

Sonia picked up a bamboo probe and gently poked the specimen. The python skin immediately tore open. She shook her head. "No use." She stamped "Destroy" in red on the specimen card.

The next item was a mustelid. Sonia recognized it at once as Hainan's unique yellow-throated marten. She had been present when it was collected in Wanning, and had been delighted to acquire this subspecies found only on Hainan Island.

However, this specimen was now covered in mold spots. In places the fur had fallen off in patches, and the skin showed signs of cracking—clearly a case of poor preservation. Sonia sighed. The Hainan yellow-throated marten was exceedingly rare, found only in large forests. Collecting one required penetrating deep into the mountainous heart of Hainan Island.

Entering those mountains still carried significant risks. In the past, each survey team expedition required an escort from the Li-Miao mountain troops—a major operation by any measure.

The yellow-throated marten was cautious and secretive by nature, skilled at climbing trees. Among southern mustelids, it was the species most fond of arboreal life. The population was small, and sightings during surveys were rare. Collecting one depended entirely on luck.

She switched to a fresh bamboo probe and tested the specimen. The skin still had some elasticity, and she found no decay. If the mold spots could be removed, repair remained possible. She would attempt to salvage it—after all, collection had been no easy feat.

"Keep this one. With repairs, it should still be usable."

The next specimen was enormous: a marlin caught several years ago by the Navy's fishing team from Sanya. The specimen measured about 4.5 meters in total length. At the time, Wang Luobin in Sanya had recognized its potential as a specimen and ordered the fish skin and fins completely stripped, preserved with ice blocks, and sent to Lingao for preparation.

The specimen was generally intact, without mold spots, though covered in dust. The fish skin showed visible cracking, breaking, and peeling, with bones poking through in places. But when she touched it, she found the skin mostly sound, with no signs of decay or insect damage. After simple repairs, this fish could continue to be exhibited.

"This one has the mildest problems," Sonia explained to her apprentices as she probed. "Specimens stored too long typically develop similar issues. The cause is straightforward: the skin repeatedly shrinks and expands with changes in humidity, eventually cracking and suffering damage. Taxidermied skin becomes thinner and more brittle over time. After drying, the skin's tension increases, lacking the suppleness of living tissue. Multiple wet-dry cycles cause cracking, breaking, and peeling, leading to deformation, color loss, and stuffing material showing through. See here—" she pointed with the probe at a rupture in the fish skin, "—there's obvious deformation. First deformation, then rupture. If not repaired quickly, these gaps will rapidly expand, inviting further insect damage or mold."

Dawen and Xiaowen nodded in unison.

"So our repair approach is also straightforward—as long as there's no skin weathering or decay, it can still be repaired. In a moment, we'll work on this marlin together."

The overall condition of the taxidermy specimens fell short of ideal, though this was within Sonia's expectations. She had visited both Fangcaodi's specimen room and the Survey Team's storage—conditions in both were poor, and problems were inevitable.

The fluid-preserved specimens fared somewhat better. Though formalin hadn't been available in the early days, small animals, plants, and insects soaked in high-concentration alcohol had remained roughly intact—most hadn't decayed or fallen apart. The only issue was that the alcohol in the older specimens had begun turning yellow and cloudy, requiring replacement.

The dry and wax specimens presented a wildly varied picture. Some were well-preserved, with flowers and leaves retaining their complete coloration. Others had dried and shriveled, crumbling to fragments at a touch. Still others had already molded and spoiled. Some entire boxes of insect specimens, despite intact packaging with undamaged sealing wax, had shattered and disintegrated inside.

The best-preserved specimens came from Bairen General Hospital—both skeletal and fluid preparations. On one hand, the doctors had been more rigorous when making specimens, preferring not to attempt them when conditions weren't met. On the other hand, their storage conditions far exceeded Fangcaodi's.

For the apprentices, this was their first close encounter with various human body parts and skeletons. The visual and conceptual impact proved powerful. Some of the more timid ones initially couldn't even bring themselves to look, approaching only after the Senators' encouragement.

By comparison, Sonia felt quite at ease with such things—these collections were common in Europe. "Deformed fetuses" and other unusual human specimens often commanded high prices and were treasured by collectors as prized curiosities.

The Australians, however, showed little interest in collecting "deformed" specimens. Most transferred items consisted of human organ preparations or diseased tissue samples preserved in fluid.

These specimens were well-made, all soaked in high-purity alcohol or formalin. The vast majority remained in good condition. Only a small number showed tissue dispersion or liquid discoloration—these could be set aside for now.

Sonia examined each specimen while stamping cards, dictating conditions and comments for Dawen to record. She estimated about half the damaged specimens could be repaired. However, the Natural History Museum was severely understaffed. Without Senators coming to help, only she and her two apprentices were available for the work—and there was no telling how long repairs would take. In the basement, a pile of animal specimens still awaited preparation.

(End of Chapter)