The Elephant That Drowned in the Whale Zone

Inside the Aquarium, Su Chen's mind raced as he searched for a way out of this predicament.

At first glance, putting on a black work uniform could save him for the time being.

But that would make it easy for the other party to control him and turn him into a lackey.

There was also an even more serious side effect: Su Chen felt that once he put on a black work uniform, he would never be able to escape the Zoo.

He could only keep that method as a last resort.

He would use it only if he had no other choice.

Next, he felt that perception might still be the key to breaking out.

But simply holding firm to his perception would no longer be enough.

Fighting a battle of perception with the other party right in front of him would be asking for death.

He had to go a step further, find an opening, and only then anchor his perception.

But he was still struggling to work out exactly how to take that next step.

Just then, the cross-eyed staff member in black spoke.

"Since nobody's saying anything, I'll take that as agreement. Come with me to see the whales!"

With that, he turned and headed deeper into the Aquarium.

The others dared not disobey and followed him.

Knowing he could not escape, Su Chen simply walked after them.

However, as he passed the counter where the black work uniforms were kept, he picked one up and draped it over his arm.

Just in case. This was his means of staying alive.

The people behind Su Chen brightened at the sight and copied him, each taking a work uniform.

Before long, they arrived at the Whale Area.

The cross-eyed staff member stopped.

Pointing at the glass of the Whale Area, he giggled and said,

"Look! Isn't the whale huge?"

Nobody dared resist, and they looked where he was pointing.

The next instant, everyone froze as if struck by lightning.

A dead elephant floated inside the Whale Area.

Su Chen shuddered as well.

Although the notice had warned him in advance, actually seeing such a bizarre sight still sent a chill down his spine.

The elephant's four legs were bent, its long, slender trunk stretched desperately upward.

It looked unmistakably as though it had drowned.

In the end, that long trunk had never reached the surface, never found the air it had hoped for.

The sight was indescribably desolate.

For some reason, Su Chen felt tears prick his eyes, as though he shared some connection with this elephant.

With that feeling in mind, he examined the elephant again.

Soon, he noticed that its body was covered in wounds.

They looked very much like injuries inflicted in a fight with other elephants.

As his gaze moved downward, a conspicuous scar on the elephant's left foreleg caught Su Chen's eye.

Su Chen studied it for a long time. The scar looked familiar.

I must have seen it somewhere before.

Suddenly, a photograph surfaced in his mind.

It was a photograph he had seen in the security office, showing a security guard at work.

And that security guard had just such a scar on his left arm.

It was identical to the scar on this elephant.

A horrifying possibility occurred to Su Chen.

If visitors in this Zoo could turn into animals, what about the staff?

Could this elephant be the security guard?

The thought made Su Chen's hair stand on end.

Then he recalled what he had experienced in the Elephant Enclosure.

When he had been utterly cornered, a normal elephant had appeared before him.

Its massive body had filled his entire field of vision.

It had helped him hold firm to his perception.

That was precisely why he had been saved.

Su Chen vaguely remembered that the elephant had borne just such a scar on its left foreleg.

He also recalled the sorrow on the face of the Blue-Uniformed Staff member as he looked toward the Elephant Area after everyone had been saved.

Su Chen pieced together a rough picture of the truth.

The security guard had turned into an elephant and, working in tandem with the staff member's shouted instructions, helped the trapped visitors anchor their perception and escape alive.

His actions had clearly offended "it."

That was why the security guard had suffered "its" revenge.

First, the herd of elephants with rabbit ears had attacked him, and then he had been thrown into the Aquarium.

At that moment, Su Chen was deeply moved.

As he looked again at the elephant floating in the Whale Area, his eyes filled with respect.

This security guard had embodied the best of humanity.

He was a true hero.

"Well? Isn't the whale huge? Does everyone like whales?"

The cross-eyed staff member put the question to all the Chosen Ones.

The few Chosen Ones at the front, being closest to him, immediately paled and exchanged glances.

They had no idea how to answer.

As everyone remained silent and the cross-eyed man's expression grew increasingly displeased,

Su Chen spoke up.

"Of course we do," he said clearly. "Whales love humans, so naturally, we humans love whales."

Hearing someone respond, the cross-eyed staff member smiled.

He clapped happily, like a little child.

Then he continued.

"But I don't like whales. They're too stupid. They keep stranding themselves on land, and I have to go to so much trouble to put them back in the water."

Su Chen took a deep breath and looked straight into the man's crooked eyes.

"You could leave them alone," he said gravely. "Maybe they prefer living on land."

"Impossible. Whales live in the water."

"You're not a whale. How do you know they don't like living on land?"

"But you're not a whale either."

Su Chen laughed at that.

He answered loudly, "Maybe I'll be a whale someday too. Every one of us is a whale!"

The cross-eyed man pouted, looking like a child who felt wronged after being bullied.

"I don't like whales."

He muttered the words.

Then his expression changed, and a brilliant smile appeared once more.

"Now that we've seen the whales, let's go see the jellyfish. I like jellyfish."

After saying that, without waiting for anyone to agree,

He took the lead and walked onward.

Utterly helpless, the others could only follow him again toward the Jellyfish Area.

As the group moved forward, Su Chen stopped when he passed the floating elephant and bowed to it.

A hero deserved proper respect.

All the more so when that hero had saved his life.

But it was precisely because he lowered his head,

That he spotted a small ball of paper in the corner.

Su Chen glanced at the people around him and found them all watching him.

Clearly, his inexplicable bow to the elephant had seemed strange and drawn their attention.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were on him,

Su Chen simply picked up the ball of paper from the corner without making any attempt to hide it.

He unfolded it in front of everyone.