Chapter 23
Chapter 23
“No! How dare the trash of a vassal state betray me!”
“Open this gate, or Ugly Nation will sanction you! Open–ah… help… ah…”
Lamb did not even finish his threat.
A white lion pounced.
His screams rang out.
Another death notice appeared.
[Lamb of Ugly Nation has died. Following a comprehensive assessment, Ugly Nation’s national fortune has been reduced by 10 points. 80 points remain.]
[A temperature of 50 degrees will descend upon the entirety of Ugly Nation for 10 days.]
Ugly Nation’s viewers exploded.
“Has that smug little Sakura Nation lost its mind? How dare it stab mighty Ugly Nation in the back! Sanction them!”
“Exactly! When has the great United States of Uglyrica ever suffered such humiliation? We have to drop a Little Skinny on Sakura Nation!”
“Agreed. Drop ten Little Skinnies! If the government actually does it, I’ll donate a year’s salary!”
“I’ll donate ten years’ salary!”
“How dare you Ugly Nation dogs insult mighty Sakura Nation? Donate your salaries? Don’t think I don’t know you loot stores for free. Do any of you loudmouths even have salaries?”
That comment struck a sore spot for many people in Ugly Nation.
They cursed back, and the feed descended into chaos.
Unlike its defiant citizens, Sakura Nation’s government panicked completely.
Yamashita Kenichiro had set up Lamb from their dear old daddy, Ugly Nation.
This was no joke.
If Ugly Nation truly lost its temper and dropped several Little Skinnies, how could Sakura Nation’s tiny territory withstand it?
It would be the death of them.
They committed themselves fully to their bowing craftsmanship and began apologizing.
At the same time, they arrested Yamashita Kenichiro’s entire family and forced them to cut open their bellies with small knives as an apology.
Along with a series of payments, that finally extinguished Ugly Nation’s anger.
Back in the Horror World.
Su Chen was surprised to see Yamashita set up Lamb.
But after a moment’s thought, he remembered that Sakura Nation had done such things many times before.
He laughed it off.
Then he surveyed the Lion Enclosure and found only a little over twenty normal people remaining.
Every one bore wounds that continued to bleed.
The largest and most powerful white lion approached Su Chen.
Watching it draw near, Su Chen sighed.
His contamination must also be severe.
According to the rules, merely hearing the white lions roar should have purified his perception.
There would be no need for one to approach otherwise.
Su Chen was not too disappointed. He still had another chance.
He raised his left arm toward the white lion without fear.
The lion opened its enormous jaws and gently bit down on his arm.
With the sudden agony, Su Chen felt as though his entire soul were being torn apart.
It was as if part of his soul had been stripped from his body.
The lion soon released him and walked away.
Su Chen watched the wound on his left arm stop bleeding and slowly heal, then sank into thought.
The Employee Handbook had said:
[(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.]
His next step was clearly to seek escape clues in the Aquarium.
Fortunately, he had already met staff in black uniforms.
Those people were unquestionably suspicious.
Su Chen certainly would not put on a black uniform.
That might be a necessary condition for escape.
Having understood, Su Chen wasted no time and headed directly toward the exit.
The staff in blue did not stop him. They only watched expressionlessly.
It was as though they were observing an outsider.
Su Chen smiled, paid them no attention, slowly forced the heavy iron gate open far enough to slip through, and left the Lion Enclosure.
The instant he emerged, he saw the Aquarium.
An enormous Aquarium had appeared out of nowhere where the zoo exit should have been.
“Just as I thought. Leaving through the zoo’s normal exit was nothing but a fantasy!”
“I wonder what tricks you’ll play in the Aquarium.”
Su Chen muttered quietly.
Then he started toward the Aquarium.
Then a familiar figure caught the corner of his eye.
He stopped and called toward the trees beside him.
“Stop hiding. Come out.”
His shout rang out.
Yamashita Kenichiro stepped out from behind a tree.
“Your powers of observation are truly keen, Su-kun. I admire you!”
Yamashita approached with a friendly expression.
“You already escaped, so why did you come back? Do you have another question?”
“Indeed, Su-kun. May I ask how you survived the Lion Enclosure?”
Su Chen smiled and asked pointedly.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll deceive you?”
A shadow crossed Yamashita’s face.
A cold light flashed through his eyes and vanished.
But he quickly forced out a fawning smile.
“I trust your character, Su-kun. You certainly would not lie to me.”
Yamashita tried to place Su Chen on the moral high ground.
He was desperate to know why Su Chen had survived.
He even sensed that it was closely connected to a successful escape.
Thus, he could only play the sycophant again and seek Su Chen’s help.