Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Following that logic,
the first step was to place the staff in black inside the Rabbit Enclosure, reducing the chance that rabbits would attack visitors.
Given the nature of the staff in black, their grasp on reality was easily shaken.
That was bound to draw more of “Its” attention.
The visitors would therefore be safer.
Once the staff in black gradually reached their limits and their cognition collapsed,
they would follow the final rule: tear off the dotted section and feed it to a rabbit.
An act that contradicted “Its” perception of reality would certainly attract “Its” attention.
The staff member in black could then lure “It” onto the right-hand road in the Primate Enclosure.
That road might be one of the passages leading to the Otherworld.
Once lured inside, “It” might be trapped for a while before it could return to the surface world.
During that interval, the visitors would all be safe.
The staff member in black, meanwhile, would become the ultimate sacrifice and be transformed into a primate.
Su Chen drew a sharp breath as he reached this conclusion.
He had a vague feeling that he was right!
After working it all out, Su Chen sighed inwardly.
The method seemed exquisitely clever, yet its every line spoke of one thing: devouring people.
The staff in black were plainly being used as sacrifices.
Su Chen could not judge whether that choice was right or wrong.
One thing was clear, however: he had no intention of becoming a sacrifice.
He turned, forced his way through the crowd once more, and headed for the Aquarium doors.
Quite a few of the onlookers followed him.
As far as they were concerned, Su Chen had performed with remarkable steadiness throughout the day.
That, combined with the information their countries had mentioned in their hints,
convinced them that Su Chen was the Chosen One most likely to escape this terrifying zoo.
If they stayed close to him,
and copied everything he did,
wouldn’t they also have a very good chance of escaping?
They therefore followed Su Chen closely as he pushed open the Aquarium doors and walked inside.
The instant they entered, everything before them went dark.
Then light returned, revealing an exceptionally bright hall.
Everyone looked around.
They soon discovered a counter on the right.
Neatly folded black uniforms were piled on top of it.
Several people hurried over and scrambled to grab them.
They were quick thinkers.
The opening of the notice outside had said that changing into a uniform after entering was the way to send a rescue signal.
Although there seemed to be quite a few uniforms, there were still not enough for everyone.
If they did not act first and failed to get one in the end,
they would bitterly regret it.
The others were no fools either.
Anyone who had survived until now was generally cautious and observant.
They noticed that Su Chen had glanced at the uniforms but made no move to change.
That put them on alert.
The first few people to seize uniforms now returned.
When they noticed how everyone else was behaving, their hearts lurched.
Oh no! They had been careless!
There might be something fucking wrong with these clothes.
Why else hadn’t Su Chen put one on?
With that thought, they hurriedly undid their buttons and prepared to take the uniforms off.
Su Chen spoke just then.
“If you don’t want to die immediately, I suggest you keep those clothes on.”
He looked at them and spoke in a cold voice.
The words made them freeze.
Their hands slowed as well.
“W-why?”
A female Chosen One asked in a trembling voice.
Su Chen frowned and replied just as coldly, “No comment. Believe me or don’t. It’s up to you.”
At that, they stopped trying to remove their uniforms altogether.
They even hurried to fasten the buttons they had undone.
In truth, Su Chen had only been bluffing them.
He did not know whether removing the clothes would kill them.
He did know, however, that repeatedly changing clothes would attract “Its” attention.
That rule had been recorded in the security guard’s note.
Most of the survivors had been bitten by the white lions and lost some part of themselves.
The rest were in even greater danger. They had never been bitten, so the contamination inside them had not been purified at all.
Under these circumstances, if those people changed clothes and drew “It” here, chaos would erupt completely.
Su Chen had no desire to be killed for nothing because of them.
Fortunately, his mixture of threats and deception finally fooled them.
Seeing that they had stopped, Su Chen began searching for clues.
He soon found one.
There was another notice on the glass beside the doors.
It faced the notice outside the Aquarium directly.
Anyone who was not exceptionally attentive could easily mistake it for the outside notice’s reflection in the glass.
Sensing something was amiss, Su Chen hurried over.
The others immediately followed and gathered around him.
Then they saw what was written on the notice.
Their expressions grew solemn as they read.
[This notice applies to visitors who failed to seek help in time, did not see the notice outside the Aquarium while wandering, and subsequently entered the Aquarium.]
1. Do not enter the Aquarium when someone is inside. If a staff member receives you after you enter, make an excuse to leave immediately after reading this notice.
2. If no staff member has appeared by the time you see this notice, you may remain to visit and rest. All food here is provided free of charge and may be taken at will, but do not eat “goat meat.” If you see food bearing that label on a shelf, ignore it.
3. If you enter before 16:00, you must not remain inside the Aquarium for more than half an hour.
4. If you enter after 16:01, you must remain inside the Aquarium for no less than four hours.
5. This is an Aquarium and houses only marine life. If you see an elephant swimming in the water in the Whale Exhibit, do not shout or react conspicuously. It is a 3D projection effect installed for entertainment. Treat it normally and pretend it is a whale.
6. Visitors may stay overnight in the Aquarium. Temporary rooms rented by the hour are available to homeless people and travelers on the left side of the Jellyfish Exhibit. If you need to use one, turn off the room’s built-in jellyfish night-light before going to sleep.
7. Our staff all wear red and conduct their routine daily cleaning and inspection of the Aquarium only after 12:30 a.m. If someone in a black uniform claims to be an Aquarium staff member, you may speak to them and may allow them to serve as a temporary guide, but do not give them your map, especially the section torn off along the dotted line.
8. Anyone who violates the above rules bears full responsibility for the consequences to their safety.
9. The Aquarium exists and serves no organization.
Su Chen narrowed his eyes. The Aquarium was a trap at every turn.