Everything Was Ready

Everyone watching the livestream was stunned.

Holy crap, we were just running our mouths.

Did we actually draw out the Supreme Rule?

And not only did it show up, it outright erased someone.

This was way too insane!

The people from other countries lurking in Dragon Country's livestream were scared shitless.

What kind of backing did Dragon Country have? We reported them for cheating, and nothing happened to them.

But when Dragon Country reported someone, they got physically erased.

Was the Horror Story World Dragon Country's own father?

The foreigners were furious but dared not speak up. For a while, the entire chat in Dragon Country's livestream became astonishingly well-behaved.

Meanwhile, inside the Zoo.

Four white lions were facing off against the eerie black shadow.

Neither side had made a move.

It looked as though both sides were waiting for Su Chen to make his final decision.

Su Chen, however, was in no hurry at all. With the white lions backing him up, the black shadow wouldn't dare touch him for the moment.

He could use this window to refine the rest of his plan.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as a possibility occurred to him.

System, if I clear the scenario now, spend the points I earn on rewards, and then reload my save, will those rewards disappear?

Su Chen asked inwardly.

[Rest assured, host. Your rewards will not disappear!]

After hearing the system's reply in his head, Su Chen's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Didn't this mean he now had the key to breaking the deadlock?

Can you tell me how many points I can earn with the number of rules I've deciphered so far?

[The host has currently deciphered 98% of the rules. Based on your current completion rate and the scenario's difficulty assessment, your rating is S, worth 1,000 points.]

A smile appeared on Su Chen's face.

Open the System Mall.

He continued speaking to the system in his mind.

The next moment, a screen only Su Chen could see appeared before his eyes.

He quickly scanned the system's merchandise.

Then, resignedly, he dragged the scrollbar farther down.

He hadn't expected the goods in the System Mall to be so expensive.

A thousand points sounded like a lot, but there wasn't actually all that much he could buy.

Item after item passed before Su Chen's eyes. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed.

He stopped scrolling.

The item before him could be quite useful if he put it to good use.

After a little thought, Su Chen combined it with his earlier idea and managed to put together a workable blueprint.

Now, only the final step remained.

Su Chen closed the system interface and grinned at the shadow.

He took the badge out of his pocket and neatly pinned it to his chest.

The moment he finished, the black shadow could no longer contain itself.

It let out a piercing shriek.

The black shadow lunged straight at Su Chen.

At the same time, the four white lions threw back their heads and roared, then pounced on the black shadow together.

They intercepted it, and the combatants tangled in a fierce battle.

Shrieks split the air and lion roars shook the sky. Amid the fierce fighting, swaths of trees came crashing down.

Watching the battlefield fill with flying dust, Su Chen couldn't help being awestruck.

With all this commotion, were they filming a fantasy action movie?

At the same time, he felt a little relieved that his ears had been injured earlier.

Otherwise, those roars might well have stunned him senseless.

Seeing that neither side would win anytime soon, Su Chen moved on.

He walked into the back room of the Zoo Director's Office.

Soon, he found a dust-covered telephone directory in a cabinet.

He shook off the dust and opened it to the first page. The contact details of the people he needed appeared before his eyes.

Operations Department, Director, Zhang Heng, phone: 131...

Finance Department, Director, Jiang Tian, phone: 182...

Planning Department, Director, Lin Fei, phone: 156...

Su Chen took out his phone and composed a text.

[I am Su Chen, and I have now assumed the position of director of the Zoo. I am writing to notify the organization. I would also like to ask what funds are available to me. Please reply as soon as possible.]

Then he took a selfie with the badge in view.

Next, he sent the message and photo to all of them.

The reason he hadn't called to explain was that he was still deaf.

Ten minutes soon passed, and he hadn't received a single reply.

Su Chen frowned, growing a little anxious.

Don't tell me this organization has already gone under?

His mind was full of questions.

Meanwhile, he glanced through the window at the battle outside.

The fighting remained intense, and large stretches of woodland had been flattened.

Even the bluestone slabs lining the woodland path had been sent flying onto the roof of the Zoo Director's Office.

The black shadow had grown somewhat fainter now. It seemed to have been injured.

But the four white lions weren't doing well either. Each bore numerous wounds.

One had even had a foreleg broken.

As the situation slid toward the brink of spiraling out of control, Su Chen grew increasingly anxious.

Suddenly, his phone screen lit up.

It was a call from Jiang Tian in the Finance Department.

Su Chen quickly answered. Before she could speak, he spoke first.

"My ears are injured, so I can't hear you. Reply by text. I need to know how much funding I can apply for."

With that, he pulled the phone away and looked at the screen.

Soon, she hung up. It seemed she had heard him.

Half a minute later, his phone flashed again. Jiang Tian's text had arrived.

[I have reported your appointment as director of the Zoo to the organization. Someone will contact you shortly to verify your identity. As for your question, provided the expenses are related to resolving the supernatural problems at the Zoo, the organization will do its utmost to reimburse them in full, regardless of the amount.]

Su Chen broke into a broad grin when he read the reply.

The organization was certainly generous. The words "regardless of the amount" had him beaming.

Still, he knew she meant they would do their best to help him with funding, not that they would actually supply unlimited money.

But that was enough.

With this money, plus the system's items...

He was completely confident that he could successfully transform the Zoo.

After all, as the saying went, money could make even ghosts work for you!

Smiling, Su Chen walked out of the Zoo Director's Office and headed toward the battlefield.

"Stop fighting! Stop and hear me out!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Sure enough, his words were surprisingly effective.

The four white lions were the first to retreat a few steps, withdrawing from the melee.

The black shadow clearly didn't want to keep fighting either, and it didn't pursue them.

All four beasts and the shadow turned to look at Su Chen.