Danger Approaches

"Compile all the information we have, including your guesses, and send it to Su Chen. Make it clear that these are our guesses and let him analyze them himself. We'll support any decision he makes unconditionally. Tell him not to feel pressured."

Elder Qin answered firmly.

Once Elder Qin had given the order,

the young man with glasses turned and left the conference room to prepare the message.

Soon, Su Chen received it.

The opening section analyzed the current rules.

He read through it. It largely matched his own analysis, although a few of their guesses differed from his.

Still, those differences didn't affect the bigger picture.

Next came the silent hill theory.

An Otherworld might exist within the Zoo, and the Aquarium might be located there.

It might even lie at the boundary between the Surface and Otherworld.

And cognitive pollution was the key to switching worlds.

Su Chen's pupils abruptly contracted as he read the theory.

He hadn't thought of that.

Earlier, Yamashita Kenichiro's words and behavior had led him to speculate about a few things.

The Aquarium might be connected to cognitive pollution.

Now, combining that with the guidance from his country, he arrived at a rough possibility.

For the moment, however, these things weren't all that important to him.

He could set them aside and consider them later.

He kept reading. Next came relevant information obtained by contestants from other countries.

Now Su Chen had a pretty good idea of what had happened to Kenichiro.

Who would have thought the guy would take a critical hit from his own country?

Su Chen chuckled and read on.

At the end was a message from Dragon Country.

[Su Chen, the above is only advice from your country. After analyzing it, you may act according to your own decisions. Rest assured that we will have no objections and will support your actions unconditionally. Please don't put too much pressure on yourself, either. Even if you fail, you will still be a hero of Dragon Country. A mere natural disaster does not frighten us. We, the people of Dragon Country, will triumph over nature!]

As he read that final message,

a smile spread across Su Chen's face.

Whatever disaster they faced, the people of Dragon Country always combined steely resolve with tenderness.

Against enemies and obstacles, they showed their unyielding side.

But toward their own people, they were always full of warmth.

Foreigners could never understand how Dragon Country had risen from a weak, devastated nation to stand among the world's leaders.

And this was the reason!

A sense of national pride gradually kindled in Su Chen's heart.

As long as I'm here, Dragon Country will never fail again! I'll take Dragon Country to the very top!

He made that vow firmly in his heart.

Then he closed the notification window, shifted his gaze, and surveyed his surroundings warily.

To his surprise, Yamashita Kenichiro had actually pulled through.

He was staring at Su Chen with venomous resentment.

When he noticed Su Chen looking at him, he hurriedly plastered a smile onto his face.

Su Chen couldn't help chuckling at the sight.

Kenichiro from Sakura Country certainly knew how to hide his feelings.

Even after learning the truth, he could hold himself back and keep up the pretense. That took some doing.

So Su Chen chose not to expose him and continued walking forward with him, exchanging idle remarks.

Before long, a commotion broke out at the back of the crowd.

Su Chen's heart lurched. Thinking that "it" had begun to act, he hurriedly looked behind him.

Then he saw a group of people with rabbit ears entering the Elephant Area, with the contestant from Ugly Country clearly among them.

Beside them was another group whose bodies and faces had sprouted thick fur.

They looked like gorillas.

At the sight of them, Su Chen immediately recalled the information Dragon Country had sent him.

They must have been the people who had taken the right-hand path in the Ape Area.

Apparently, the right-hand path was not only useless as an escape route, but also heavily contaminated.

Apart from those who had already grown rabbit ears from the pollution, the others were actually turning into apes.

Su Chen sighed, knowing these people were probably beyond saving as well.

Just then, his heart gave a violent thump.

Rabbit ears? Rabbit-ear accessories?

He realized he had overlooked some rules.

The Visitor Rules.

[If you see anyone wearing rabbit-ear accessories following the crowd into the Elephant Enclosure, keep your eyes wide open and watch the show. This will ensure your safety (the second half of the text is blue).]

The Employee Handbook.

[If you see anyone with rabbit-ear accessories entering the Elephant Enclosure, immediately disperse the nearby visitors and stand guard at the entrance to the Elephant Enclosure until you hear a child screaming inside.]

Both rules emphasized the same thing: once people with rabbit-ear accessories entered the Elephant Enclosure, something was bound to happen.

Su Chen hadn't paid it any mind before. Only when this group entered the Elephant Enclosure did realization dawn on him.

This had fuck-all to do with accessories!

What mattered was the group of people who had grown rabbit ears.

At the same time, a question arose in his mind.

Something this simple... I've memorized every rule, so why couldn't I think of it before?

Was it because I was contaminated in the shop?

Or had I already fallen victim to something before that without noticing?

Su Chen struggled to work it out.

Just then, his heart gave another violent thump!

Cold sweat drenched his back!

At a fucking time like this, I'm standing here overthinking instead of running!

There's definitely something wrong with me!

Fortunately, Su Chen finally snapped out of it.

He hurriedly pushed through the dazed crowd and raced desperately toward the exit of the Elephant Area.

All the while, he repeated silently to himself.

I am human.