Red-Clothed Staff

This time, it was different from during the day.

Only a few lights were on in the Aquarium, leaving it rather dim.

Just then, a staff member in a red uniform noticed someone entering the Aquarium and hurried over.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

The man addressed Su Chen in a friendly tone.

Su Chen let out a relieved breath.

The appearance of a staff member with a normal face in the Aquarium meant his guess had been right.

During this time period, the Aquarium was safe.

"I got lost in the Zoo. Could I stay here for the night?"

Su Chen asked tentatively.

The red-clothed staff member frowned, looking puzzled.

"You must be mistaken, but we do offer accommodations. I'll take you there."

He hurriedly changed the subject.

Then, without waiting for Su Chen to ask anything else, he headed toward the Jellyfish Area.

Su Chen could tell that the man didn't want to talk about the Zoo.

That meant he definitely knew some rules Su Chen didn't.

It looked like he would have to find a chance to get hold of them.

Su Chen quickened his pace and caught up with the red-clothed staff member.

"Is there anything I should keep in mind here?"

He asked.

"You must turn off the Jellyfish Night Light before 1:00 a.m., and you must not leave the Aquarium before 6:00 a.m. Other than that, there are no requirements."

"Oh? Have you ever run into uncooperative visitors? Ones who refuse to turn off the light, for example?"

"Of course."

"What do you usually do, then?"

The red-clothed staff member smiled.

"We try to persuade them, of course. But if they... um, are you hungry? Let me get you something to eat."

Halfway through, he seemed to realize something and hurriedly changed the subject again.

Then he walked toward a cabinet beside the Jellyfish Area.

Su Chen smiled helplessly, realizing he wouldn't be able to coax any information out of the man.

He would have to think of another way.

Just then, the red-clothed staff member's expression changed.

He picked up a large package of something strange from the shelf.

Then he turned to Su Chen and said, "Please wait here for a moment. I'll be right back. Don't wander off while I'm gone!"

Without waiting for Su Chen to respond, he clutched the large package and ran toward the Whale Area.

As the man brushed past him, Su Chen caught a glimpse of a few words.

Goat Meat!

"It looks like the Aquarium isn't completely safe during this time period either!"

Su Chen muttered under his breath.

He waited a long time, but the staff member still hadn't returned.

Su Chen grew bored.

So he wandered a little farther ahead.

Soon, the Jellyfish Area came into view.

Countless glowing jellyfish drifted through the water, looking especially mesmerizing.

Bathed in their glow, Su Chen once again felt himself being purified.

The holy radiance was even filling in the missing parts of his body.

Where did all those mutilated corpses go? Did the staff dispose of them, or did they really turn into jellyfish?

Su Chen was somewhat puzzled.

After all, according to his earlier deductions, there was no way people could turn into jellyfish through that method.

But if the staff had disposed of them, wouldn't the sight of all those densely packed drowned corpses have terrified them?

Besides, judging by the time, they had only just started their shift. They couldn't possibly have had time to deal with so many bodies.

In that case, could there be another way of disposing of them?

Su Chen couldn't make sense of it.

Suddenly, he remembered a sentence from the note he had picked up.

[Fuck! Goat Meat really is raw meat! (This sentence was more sloppily written than the others; beneath it was an annotation in slightly neater handwriting: You can actually fucking eat it.)]

Raw meat? Corpses? Could the Goat Meat that staff member carried away have been made from those Chosen Ones who died?

Su Chen shuddered.

He quickly shook his head, as if trying to drive that terrifying thought out of his mind.

Just then, the red-clothed staff member finally returned.

He was holding a loaf of bread and a bottle of water, clearly intended for Su Chen.

"Why did you come over here? Here's your food."

As he spoke, he handed the food to Su Chen.

"Thank you."

Su Chen took it and politely thanked him.

He hadn't eaten anything all day, and he really was hungry.

"We're almost at the Hourly Room. Please follow me. However, since it's already past one in the morning, we can't turn on the lights, so the room will be rather dark. Please be careful not to trip."

"Okay, that's fine."

Su Chen agreed.

As he spoke, he glanced at the booklet tucked into the man's pocket.

If I'm not mistaken, that should be their Employee Handbook. I have to find a way to get it. Maybe I can use the darkness in the room as an opening.

Su Chen thought.

By then, they had passed through the Jellyfish Area. They turned left and reached the Rest Area.

There were no lights here. They could only search for the room doors by the faint glow coming from the Jellyfish Area.

The red-clothed staff member seemed to be an experienced employee. He walked through the darkness with remarkably steady steps.

Soon, he stopped and opened an Hourly Room.

"Here's your room. Enjoy your rest."

The man in red stood in the doorway as he spoke.

Su Chen frowned.

If the man didn't go inside, it would be hard to make a move under these circumstances.

He couldn't just snatch it outright!

"Um, I have night blindness. Could you help me inside?"

Pretending he couldn't see clearly, Su Chen held out his hand, signaling for the man to support him.

"Of course, no problem."

The staff member readily agreed.

Then Su Chen took the lead, with the man behind him.

Holding Su Chen's arm, he carefully guided him forward.

The instant they passed through the doorway,

Su Chen knew his chance had come.

He deliberately caught his toe on the side of the doorframe.

Then he toppled straight into the man's arms.

The staff member hadn't expected Su Chen to trip even like this. Caught off guard, he took a headbutt that knocked the wind out of him.

Fortunately, he didn't fall too, and instead managed to hold Su Chen up.

Thud!

At the same time, the bread and mineral water fell to the floor.

Using the sound as cover, Su Chen deftly pulled the Employee Handbook from the man's pocket and hid it behind his back.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. My night blindness is pretty bad. Could you help me pick up the bread?"

Su Chen quickly steadied himself and took two steps back.

"Okay... please... wait."

The man spoke haltingly.

From the sound of his voice, the staff member still hadn't caught his breath.

Even so, he didn't delay. He turned around at once and got down on the floor to search for the food that had fallen into the darkness.

Seizing the opportunity,

Su Chen tucked the booklet into the back of his waistband.