Chapter 13
Chapter 13
[(This passage had been crossed out.) If you are unfortunate enough to be attacked by a white lion in its normal state but do not die on the spot, Rules Six and Seven are void. Do not rush to the hospital. You will not die. After leaving the Lion Enclosure, proceed to the Aquarium. You will find it very quickly. You will put on a black uniform.]
First, this passage confirmed that an Aquarium really did exist here.
One way to see it was to be attacked by a white lion without dying.
At the same time, it showed that the Lion Enclosure was not completely safe.
At the very least, white lions were extremely dangerous to someone suffering severe cognitive contamination.
Su Chen considered that analysis alongside the man in black he had met today.
He had formed a rough hypothesis.
Perhaps the Aquarium really could provide an escape.
It might even be the only way out of this increasingly distorted zoo.
But one point mattered.
Once someone put on a black uniform, they could no longer escape.
The security office note had warned him about this as well.
He had to remember the color of his clothing and never change it.
Perhaps that was the true key to escaping.
Having worked this out, Su Chen’s mood brightened considerably.
He returned the Employee Handbook to the man in black.
Then he smiled and prepared to leave.
Just then, several rules flashed through his mind.
The first was Rule Five of the Visitor Rules.
[The zoo’s beverage shop does not sell “rabbit blood.” If you see it on a shelf, ignore it and buy something else. (The final sentence was printed in blue.)]
The blue rule told visitors to ignore the rabbit blood and buy other food.
Su Chen had not paid much attention at first.
He had assumed he could simply buy nothing.
Now he realized something was wrong.
The security note said:
[Food that inexplicably appears on a shelf anywhere is a test. Do not read the label above it, and pay no attention to what anyone else calls it. Ignore it. If necessary, treat it as ordinary food, buy it, and eat it.]
Didn’t that mean he had to buy the rabbit blood?
Otherwise, the test would draw “Its” attention.
Su Chen also recalled the moment after the rabbit doll assaulted his perception.
The man in black had deliberately promoted both the rabbit blood and the rabbit doll at the same time.
He had used one to suggest that the other was the same kind of anomalous object.
Perhaps buying the rabbit blood was the correct choice.
Su Chen stopped and turned toward the beverage case.
He fixed his eyes on the rabbit blood, not daring to look at anything else.
Then he took a bottle and handed it to the staff member in black.
“I’ll buy one to try.”
Su Chen spoke evenly.
The man was startled and looked Su Chen up and down again.
Then he hurriedly assumed an indifferent expression.
He took the rabbit blood, scanned the barcode, and indicated that Su Chen should pay.
The change in his expression had not escaped Su Chen’s eyes.
Su Chen relaxed. He knew he had guessed correctly.
He paid without hesitation, took the bottle, and walked out of the shop.
When he pushed open the door, sunlight streamed inside.
Something changed beneath that light.
Meanwhile, Su Chen’s actions were once again driving the viewers in Longguo’s livestream insane.
“Guys, I can’t take it anymore. Su Chen’s intelligence is like Schrödinger’s cat: it exists and doesn’t exist. I was just about to praise the way he conned the man in black, and now he dares buy rabbit blood? He’s going to give me high blood pressure.”
“I know exactly what you mean. Watching Su Chen is like riding a roller coaster. He even cured my low blood pressure.”
“Poster above, have you considered that Su Chen might have a deeper reason and we’ve all underestimated him?”
“What deeper reason? Isn’t he just offering himself up? If there’s a deeper reason, I’ll eat my phone!”
“Stop arguing! Look at the rabbit blood in Su Chen’s hand and the shelves!”
At that prompt, everyone looked toward Su Chen’s right hand.
In the sunlight, the bloody color of the rabbit blood was slowly fading.
It gradually became transparent.
The ominous lettering on the bottle also changed into three large Chinese characters meaning “Mineral Water.”
Everyone was stunned.
Like the viewers, Su Chen was also slightly surprised.
He had guessed that something was wrong with the rabbit blood.
But he had not expected this.
He hurriedly turned back toward the shelves inside the shop.
They had changed in the sunlight.
The entire row that had held rabbit blood was now filled with mineral water.
Everywhere else, however, was drenched in blood-red.
Those shelves were packed with “rabbit blood.”
Su Chen shuddered.
His perception had still been distorted while he was inside the shop.
No. Perhaps the entire shop had been distorted!
“Its” methods were impossible to guard against.
Fortunately, Su Chen had remembered the relevant rule and bought the rabbit blood.
Only then had he seen through the trap.
Otherwise, he would have fallen into it sooner or later.
After all, he could not simply stop eating and drinking.
He might become delirious from hunger and thirst before the anomalies ever contaminated his perception.
Having broken the trap, Su Chen was in an excellent mood.
He gave the man in black inside the shop a radiant smile.
Then he headed toward the Elephant Enclosure.