There were five of us when we first arrived. Now, only I remained.
That crushing burden suddenly fell on my shoulders, and for a while, I struggled to accept it.
In truth, I was a terrible coward. I had only made it onto the five-person operations team thanks to Old Chen's help.
Besides, my teammates were outstanding, so I mostly played a bit part in our day-to-day operations.
That was also why Old Chen and Old Li hadn't asked me to go with them that night.
All that talk of protecting the Zoo was merely an excuse Old Li used to comfort me.
We all knew the operation had failed completely. We had lost.
With my strength, there was no way I could protect the Zoo. It would soon break through the last restraints imposed by the rules and begin expanding the Zoo's territory.
But even knowing all that, they still let me stay behind.
And, coward that I was, I gladly accepted.
The next day, after the sun rose, the first thing I did was actually prepare to flee the Zoo.
I wanted to escape somewhere far away, somewhere the supernatural horrors hadn't yet invaded, and live out what remained of my life.
But I never made it out.
Nearly a hundred employees had gathered of their own accord at the main gate to petition us. They said they were willing to sacrifice everything and fight it to the death.
At that moment, I wavered. In those resolute faces, I saw echoes of Old Chen and the others.
At the same time, a majestic lion's roar rang out from the Lion Enclosure behind me.
It was as though I had suddenly awakened from a long dream.
Where else could I run? Supernatural horrors were appearing all over the world.
Even if I could escape, what about the civilians in the city? What about the poor? What about these employees who had spent so many years fighting for their noble ideals?
If everyone else in the organization were like me, thinking only of running away whenever they faced difficulties...
What would become of this world!
At that moment, shame washed over me. I despised myself for what I had done.
Filled with shame and remorse, I put on the Zoo Director's Badge and led those admirable employees back into the Zoo.
Over the next few days, I brought all the employees together so we could pool our ideas, study the situation, and devise countermeasures.
I knew courage alone wasn't enough. We also needed sharp minds.
Heaven knew just how right I had been to have everyone work out a solution together.
As the great man had said, the wisdom of the people was boundless.
Some worked out that it couldn't tell apes from humans. Others worked out that it didn't understand the difference between blue and black.
Someone even proposed a theory about dividing the map along the dotted lines.
Someone else volunteered to carry on Old Zhang's work.
And so, new rules were drawn up, and a new organizational structure was established.
We rekindled our hope! This time, we would win!
Because we humans were fearless!
July 23, 20XX.
The same date as the previous mutation.
On this cursed day, bad news always came in an endless stream.
Today, the Aquarium sank.
Part of it fell into the Otherworld.
Yes, every one of us had miscalculated. There was actually an Otherworld beneath the Zoo.
Because of this, the Penguin Area, Dolphin Area, and other areas within the Aquarium all fell.
Those places became its territory.
Fortunately, we evacuated the visitors in time, and there were no casualties.
Unfortunately, under the influence of the Otherworld, untainted visitors could no longer see the Aquarium from that day onward.
Although tainted visitors could still see the Aquarium, once they entered, its servants could easily lure them into those closed-off areas.
This rendered the Aquarium completely useless as a backup exit.
And that wasn't the end of it. On July 24, the Goat Enclosure beside the Elephant Enclosure fell into the Otherworld.
On July 25, a path appeared in the Ape Area leading to the fallen areas of the Aquarium.
On July 26, part of the Rabbit Zone sank into the Otherworld. The Rabbits we had securely confined could escape their cages through the Otherworld. Many visitors were lured away by the Rabbits today. None survived.
On July 27, all the animals the murdered visitors had become were consumed by it, while the remnants of their bodies became Rabbit Blood in the Surface World and Goat Meat in the Otherworld. Many visitors ate these foods by mistake, causing further casualties.
On July 28, a security guard was killed. He died just as Old Zhang had. But we didn't recover his body in time because so many visitors were watching. We lied and told them it was a 3D projection.
On July 29, an unexpected power outage struck the Zoo Director's Office tonight, leaving us unable to lure it to a fixed location. The entire Zoo was plunged into danger. Fortunately, we still had the Jellyfish, and they lured it back to the Zoo Director's Office. The spirits of our fallen heroes protected humanity once again. We humans would never give up!
On July 30, after all our efforts these past few days, we filled the gaps in the rules once more. This time, we won! I swore I could see the dawn.
On July 31, you would never believe what I saw. A black sun like a demon's eye, roiling mist, distorted surroundings, the fallen Aquarium, and those docile Goats.
I saw it. It was drawing energy from the Otherworld!
We were wrong. Catastrophically wrong. We had been wrong from the very beginning.
It hadn't created this world. It was merely a supernatural entity that had happened to fall into the Otherworld.
No wonder it hadn't weakened despite so many years of attrition.
It had an entire world behind it, a world even more uncanny than itself.
At that moment, having learned the whole truth about the Zoo, I should have fallen into despair, given the person I used to be.
After all, this was far beyond anything human effort could change.
But I didn't. The instant I learned the truth, the first thing that rose in my heart was the will to fight.
What people feared most was the unknown. But once the truth lay before my eyes, I was no longer afraid.
I wasn't afraid of it drawing its sword. What I feared was it continuing to hide, because once it drew its sword, its weaknesses would be revealed too!
From that moment on, I could face it without flinching!
I knew that even if I couldn't find its weakness or deal with it now, and even if my subordinates couldn't either...
Someone among those who came after us would find a way.
Human wisdom was boundless. As long as they knew these truths, they would find an opening.
Victory would belong to humanity!
On August 1, I made all the arrangements for what would come next, except appointing a new Zoo Director.
I didn't pass the position of Zoo Director on to them because we needed someone new. Someone who could step outside the flaws in our thinking, someone clever and objective, someone who could see things from an outsider's perspective.
Only fresh blood could bring the power to change everything.
Someone like you, reading this letter right now!
Would you be willing to take up this burden?
On August 2, today was the last day of my life. I would buy enough time for my successor!
When this moment truly arrived, I wasn't as panicked or nervous as I had imagined.
Instead, I felt an indescribable sense of relief.
Perhaps this was what the old saying meant: without office, the body was unburdened.
Having laid down the burden I had carried for so many years, I believed I would soon be just as mighty as Old Chen, Old Zhao, and Old Li!
No, I would definitely be even mightier and more imposing than them.
When the time came, I would become the lion king among us!
Now, the lion king was heading into battle. Successor, had you made up your mind?
If you were willing to take up this burden, please come to the Zoo Director's Office and pick up the Badge on my desk!
Please don't keep us waiting too long!
Finally, there was no need to mourn me. After I was gone, every one of you would be me!
The letter, densely covered in tiny handwriting, ended there.
Before you continue