Chapter 35
Chapter 35
Before long, the staff member picked up the food and handed it back to Su Chen.
Amid Su Chen’s repeated thanks, the man left clutching his chest.
Su Chen pressed an ear to the door and carefully listened to the departing footsteps.
Once they had completely faded,
he took out the Employee Handbook, leaned against the headboard, and began reading by the light of his phone.
1. The Aquarium does not require staff during the day. Your working hours are from 12:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. You may arrive slightly late or leave slightly early, but never arrive early or work overtime.
2. The rooms rented by the hour to the left of the Jellyfish Exhibit are provided for nearby homeless people and visitors in need. After beginning your shift, check whether they have turned off their jellyfish night-lights before 1:00 a.m. If they have not, continue reminding them until they do. You are authorized to turn off a jellyfish night-light by force. Whatever happens, do not allow one to remain lit after 1:15 a.m.
3. The drowned elephant carcass in the Whale Exhibit is an experimental 3D projection. No matter how real it appears, leave it alone and ignore it. Do not investigate the location of its switch. There is no need to turn it off.
4. The equipment in the surveillance room is damaged and inconvenient to repair, so conduct a patrol once every hour. Sudden power outages and unidentified noises are normal. Do not worry about the fish’s safety. If you feel uneasy, you may rest in the Jellyfish Exhibit. Its power supply equipment is in perfect condition, and the electricity will never fail.
5. It is normal for outside visitors to carry zoo maps. Do not answer questions about “where the Aquarium is located within the zoo.” If the other person insists on asking, you may leave immediately.
6. Remember to charge the jellyfish night-lights before the end of your shift on Sundays. Whatever happens, do not forget.
7. Replace the food on the shelves once every day. If you discover unfamiliar food labeled “goat meat,” place it separately inside the storage box in the Whale Exhibit. Someone will dispose of it for you.
8. You may walk anywhere inside the Aquarium during your shift, but do not leave the Aquarium. If a guest staying overnight attempts to leave before 6:00 a.m., do your best to dissuade them. If you cannot stop them, there is no need to engage in a physical confrontation or follow them outside. Simply continue with your own work.
9. If a guest staying overnight wears a work uniform similar to yours but black, refuse them accommodation and use forceful measures to drive them out. Electric batons and tranquilizer guns are stored at the workbench in the Jellyfish Exhibit.
10. If a guest staying overnight carries rabbit-themed items, steal them after the guest falls asleep and place them inside the storage box in the Whale Exhibit. The guest will not question you after waking.
11. If a guest staying overnight attempts to chat with you, you may converse as long as it does not delay turning off the lights on time. Do not mention “the zoo” in your conversation. If the other person brings it up, change the subject immediately.
12. The Aquarium operates independently. There is no zoo outside. Remember this.
After reading through the rules and ensuring he had memorized every one, Su Chen turned off his phone’s light.
The rules repeatedly emphasized turning off all lights before 1:00 a.m.
They even reminded staff that they could forcibly switch off the night-lights.
Clearly, having a light on during this period was extremely dangerous.
Although the rules did not mention light from phones, Su Chen had no desire to test it for no reason.
He lay down on the bed in the darkness.
In truth, Su Chen had already guessed the general meaning of most of the rules,
and quite a few of his guesses had been confirmed.
Only Rules One and Eight drew his particular attention.
[Staff working hours are from 12:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. You may arrive slightly late or leave slightly early, but never arrive early or work overtime.]
[If a guest staying overnight attempts to leave before 6:00 a.m., do your best to dissuade them.]
After reading the entire set of rules, Su Chen felt that the Aquarium staff had little direct contact with the supernatural events.
Reading between the lines, he could sense that the rules had been written for people unaware of the truth.
He also compared them with the rules for the staff in blue uniforms inside the zoo.
Those rules had stated at the outset that the wages and benefits were generous.
As everyone knew, money was generally proportional to risk.
Taken together, this information showed that the Aquarium employees were merely ordinary people who knew nothing of the truth.
That revealed the crucial point.
For these ordinary people, the rules had specifically identified when their shifts ended.
Did that mean they could return to the normal world if they left at that time?
This brought up another key point:
do not leave before 6:00 a.m.
Yet another rule said staff could leave slightly early.
Wasn’t that a contradiction?
Su Chen thought about it and realized that the word “slightly” was clearly the opening.
He did not know exactly how early still counted as slight.
But that posed no difficulty.
He might not know, but the staff certainly did.
If he closely followed them, couldn’t he also escape the zoo successfully?
A smile appeared on Su Chen’s face.
After enduring so many ordeals, he had finally found the end of this zoo.
At that moment, footsteps suddenly sounded in the corridor outside.
Su Chen knew the staff member had discovered the missing Employee Handbook and was returning to search for it.
He casually tossed the handbook toward the doorway.
Then he rolled over, turned his back to the door, and pretended to be asleep.
Soon.
A creak sounded.
The door opened.
Su Chen did not react and continued feigning sleep.
He heard paper rustle as the handbook was picked up, followed by the creak of the door closing.
The footsteps then receded.
Once they disappeared again,
Su Chen sighed in relief. He knew he had fooled the man.
The staff member probably assumed the handbook had been knocked loose in the confusion when Su Chen fell.
Longguo’s livestream was filled with celebration.
Some clever viewers had also analyzed the key information.
“My god, Su Chen is incredible! He really found a way to escape! After he clears the scenario, I’m going to kowtow to him three times and thank him for saving my life!”
“Brothers, this feels amazing. Every other country was wiped out, and only Longguo made it through. We can finally hold our heads high!”
“Based on past experience, the first country to clear the scenario receives fifteen points of national fortune. That means Longguo is about to take first place in the rankings.”
“Where are the Sakura dogs who were barking so loudly earlier? Come out and bark some more! Are you jealous now?”
“And those shameless bastards from Kimchi Nation, do you see this? Without Longguo helping you, you’re absolutely nothing!”
All of Longguo rejoiced.