To Go or Not to Go, That Was the Question

After Su Chen finished reading the letter, his emotions took a long time to settle.

He had never imagined that this eerie Zoo concealed so many stories.

The five investigators who had sacrificed their lives so heroically.

The countless employees who had stepped forward one after another, their resolve as firm as iron.

And all those innocent civilians who had been killed.

Images of those people kept surfacing in Su Chen's mind.

When Su Chen first started reading the letter, he had only wanted to uncover more of the truth so he could exchange it for more rewards from the system after clearing the scenario.

But halfway through, he had genuinely struggled to hold himself together.

The humanity those employees had shown in the face of relentless suffering had shone almost unbearably bright.

And Old Zhou had gone from a cowardly man to a worthy Zoo Director.

Especially at the end, he had been calm, decisive, optimistic, and full of hope.

Perhaps those qualities were precisely what had allowed the Zoo to hold on after his death rather than fall.

At that thought, Su Chen suddenly remembered something that did not quite add up.

According to the letter, there should have been quite a few employees in the Zoo.

Yet throughout the day, he had not seen very many.

Even after the anomaly in the Elephant Area, relatively few employees had shown up.

The numbers differed greatly from what the letter described.

"Could it be the timing?"

Su Chen jolted as he realized the crucial point.

This world recorded its years differently from the real world.

After reading the letter, he had not given it much thought and had subconsciously assumed Old Zhou had written it recently.

He hurriedly checked the date on his phone screen.

July 23, 20XZ.

Two whole years had already passed since the letter was written!

"It's already been that long? Has nobody else seen this letter in those two years?"

Su Chen frowned.

What he did not know was that, during the first year, Old Zhou's truly heroic actions had kept it firmly restrained.

As a result, visitors had been extremely safe that year.

But that also meant the visitors had not been contaminated, so they could not see the Aquarium.

Then, a year after Old Zhou's death, it had once again broken through the restrictions he had imposed.

And it had grown even stronger.

This time, it was not just the rules-even reality itself had begun to warp.

Everyone had been caught off guard.

On top of that, the Zoo Director Position remained vacant, leaving the employees without a leader.

As a result, the entire Zoo's safety measures had approached collapse, and visitors had died in droves.

As the situation dragged on, countless employees had all but used their own lives to plug the gaps.

Their numbers had dwindled further and further.

Yet the fewer employees there were, the more gaps appeared, and the more visitors died.

It had become a vicious cycle.

The Zoo's protective forces had deteriorated with each passing day.

Naturally, no visitor had discovered this final letter.

Su Chen was the only one in those two years.

After a little thought, Su Chen soon deduced the broad course of events in the Zoo over the past two years.

It looks like this Zoo is already on the verge of collapse. There aren't nearly enough employees left.

That was what Su Chen thought.

Just then, his attention returned to the final words of the letter.

[Please don't keep us waiting too long!]

They had already waited far too long. After these two years, nothing was as it had been.

Su Chen could tell that the current employees had no light left in their eyes. Each of them was like a rigid machine.

That meant their hearts had died, and they no longer held any hope.

They were merely clinging to what remained of their humanity, standing their final watch until their lives came to an end.

In that instant, an impulse stirred in Su Chen's heart.

An impulse to take up the burden and save these tragic heroes.

At the same time, however, reason told him to stay calm.

They're only NPCs in a scenario, not real people. There's no need to risk myself for them. Countless people in the real world are still waiting for me to clear this!

Su Chen squeezed his eyes shut, trying hard to convince himself not to take any more risks.

The key to clearing the scenario was already within reach. He only needed to lie low for a while to secure his success.

Why invite unnecessary trouble?

Yet a moment later, the image of the security guard with the scar on his left arm surfaced in Su Chen's mind.

If that man had not sacrificed his life to save him, Su Chen might have been done for right then.

And there were those employees who, despite their dim eyes, still selflessly gave their lives.

Su Chen could not deceive himself into believing they were merely cold, lifeless NPCs.

To him, they were people of flesh and blood, even more human than some Chosen Ones!

"If you were me, what would you choose?"

Su Chen raised his head and asked the sky.

At the same time, the scene of him asking that question appeared in Dragon Country's livestream.

The moment he asked it, every viewer in Dragon Country froze.

They, too, had finished reading that final letter.

Its contents had moved them as well.

For a moment, it had even kindled a fighting spirit in their hearts.

But when Su Chen actually asked them, everyone fell silent.

After a long while, comments finally began to appear.

"Reason tells me not to go. They're just NPCs in the Horror Story World. But as one of the Dragon Country People, my heart tells me that we Dragon Country People have the brightest humanity."

"This really is a dilemma. On one side are all the ordinary people of Dragon Country. On the other are so many despairing heroes and innocent visitors in the Horror Story World. Can you really convince yourselves they're all cold, lifeless NPCs? What if they're people from another world?"

"If it were me, I'd choose to clear the scenario directly, because I know my own limits. Even if I took over as Zoo Director, I wouldn't accomplish much. But if Su Chen chooses to take over, I'll support him unconditionally. I've seen everything he's done, and I trust him."

"Exactly. I believe in Su Chen's abilities too. Looking on the bright side, maybe he'll sort out the entire Zoo as soon as he steps in."

"Haha, you've got a point. And as long as God Su dares to put his life on the line, I'll follow him. He's fighting on the front lines and isn't afraid, so why the hell should we chicken out? I support Su Chen unconditionally."

"Hahahaha, you stupid Dragon Country People. I hope your Su Chen hurries up and gets himself killed, to console the victims from our Sakura Country!"

Nobody started cursing when they saw that comment.

The official moderators acted swiftly, deleting the comment and banning the account in one seamless operation.