Chapter 111

Chapter 111

A world fraught with danger, unidentified and formidable enemies lurking in the shadows, plus repeated warnings against going solo... In such a situation bristling with red flags, being alone equals game over.

Thus, on their urgent drive back to the sanctuary, Wu Yin was already pondering where to bury Lu Ba, even considering commissioning the versatile Master Jie to sculpt a moving epitaph for his former comrade.

However, to his "disappointment," Lu Ba was alive and well.

They rushed into the sanctuary like mourners, only to find Lu Ba sitting proudly on a stool, a dogtail grass dangling from his mouth, locked in a stare with a fresh corpse on the ground.

Seeing a group of people tumbling out of their cars before even stopping, Lu Ba thought they were being chased by mutants and hurriedly grabbed his gun to rush out, scanning nervously, only to be met with looks as if they had seen a ghost.

"Brother Lu..." Ah Orange felt guilty all the way, thinking she had been reckless, her voice quivering, "You're alright..."

"What could possibly happen to me?" Lu Ba walked up, puzzled, and patted her shoulder.

Greg sniffed, "Glad you're okay, really glad."

Lu Ba was completely baffled: "???"

"You're actually not dead?" Wu Yin found it utterly illogical.

Lu Ba: "Want me to die for you now?"

To everyone's surprise, Lu Ba could actually joke, instantly lightening the tense atmosphere.

Wu Yin also stepped forward, looking past Lu Ba into the sanctuary, "Did any of the corpses come back to life?"

"No." Lu Ba's certainty was palpable, clearly having kept a vigilant watch over the bodies the entire time. His meticulous and thorough nature lent his words convincing power, so Wu Yin nodded without doubt.

After a moment's thought, he decided to leave the bodies at the sanctuary and visit the pawnshop where Jia Chen was located right after returning to the zoo.

It was Wu Yin's first visit to where Jia Chen worked; the pawnshop was a must-visit for everyone who came to the zoo, be it for trade or residence. Everyone needed currency, yet Wu Yin, the so-called brother sponge, had been there for days without even knowing what the zoo currency looked like.

In his imagination, the so-called pawnshop would be a quaint shop with ancient charm, tiled roofs, and white walls, where a clerk in a traditional long gown, face full of cunning, would smile behind the counter while deftly handling an abacus, ready to slash prices in half upon opening their mouth.

However, what greeted Wu Yin upon arrival was a building with a severely modern aesthetic... a bank.

Disappointed, Wu Yin entered. Inside, the bank was bustling, with long queues at every window. Most people were in a hurry, carrying luggage of all sizes, guarding their private possessions carefully, and some were even loudly complaining about the pawnshop's pricing.

Perhaps his fully masked and sunglassed appearance seemed too suspicious, as Wu Yin hadn't taken two steps inside before being stopped by a security guard loitering at the door, asking his purpose at the pawnshop.

"I'm here to see Mr. Long," Wu Yin said.

"And what do you want with Mr. Long?" the guard eyed him suspiciously. "Take off your mask."

"I won't."

"No entry without removing it," the guard threatened, gripping his baton tighter. A gun was also holstered on his other side, clearly indicating that even a pawnshop with high status within the zoo wasn't a safe haven, with theft and robbery being common occurrences.

Wu Yin said nonchalantly, "Then I won't go in. Have Mr. Long come out to see me."

The guard laughed mockingly, "And who are you to demand Mr. Long to come out?"

"Just go and call him."

"Kid," the guard concluded Wu Yin was just a fool with no sense of the world, lazily jerking his chin towards a distant line, "See that queue? The especially long one... Those are all people waiting to see Mr. Long."

Wu Yin frowned, "What do all these people need him for?"

"Appraising treasures, assessing the value of their mutant creatures," the guard explained offhandedly, "It's mostly people involved in breeding mutant flora and fauna, where the success rate is, frankly, pitiful. They're all waiting for Mr. Long to set a price with his golden word. Of course, there are also plenty who just want a glimpse of Mr. Long's fair face."

"Fair... face...?" Wu Yin's eyes narrowed dangerously, and his expression darkened instantly. Jie Lin Yuan, standing behind him, couldn't help but turn his head away, curling his lips before forcibly straightening them, sparing Wu Yin some dignity.

The guard was quite the gossip, "See that skinny one dressed up like a peacock at the very front of the line? That's Mr. Long's most devoted admirer. Comes here every day, always thinking of ways to present Mr. Long with gifts, all for a chance to exchange a few words with him."

“……”

With the gossip out of the way, the guard finally remembered his duties, straightening his face, "You still haven't said what you're actually here for!"

"Appraisal," Wu Yin improvised. Beneath the mask, he curved a smile that was anything but friendly. Jia Chen, you're doing great using your attractiveness to charm others.

Because the Duke was too conspicuous, Wu Yin had him stay with the other animals at the mutants' residence, but he had something on him... definitely considered a treasure.

The guard eyed him skeptically, silent yet his gaze seemed to say it all.

Wu Yin, too lazy to explain, lifted his hand, and immediately a green vine crawled out from his sleeve, sprouting a few green leaves.

The mutant ivy, having seen everyone armed, some even with multiple guns, and it having none, was infuriated. Spotting the guard's holstered gun, it impulsively grew vines around the guard's waist, attempting to snatch the gun.

If not for Jie Lin Yuan's swift action, cutting off the disobedient vine with a scissor gesture, Wu Yin's status would have instantly shifted from customer to robber.

"Sorry," Jie Lin Yuan stepped forward to apologize politely, "This mutant plant is a bit unruly, which is why we've come seeking Mr. Long's assistance, hoping he has a solution."

Convincing and rational, the guard, his face reddening as he wrestled with the vine constricting his waist, promptly let them in without further ado.

As a shamelessly impudent parasite, Wu Yin had no concept of queuing, bypassing the long line and about to open Jia Chen's office door.

"Hey! What are you doing?" The flamboyant peacock man immediately noticed him, his hands still in the delicate motion of styling his hair in front of a mirror, which he snapped shut to scold, "Cutting in line? Don't you see we're queuing here? Get to the back!"

Behind the peacock man stood a burly man with a stern face, carrying something covered in a black cloth.

Just then, the door to the office opened as the previous consultant left, and Jia Chen's voice, warm and smiling, called out "Next." The peacock man, switching from loud complaints to a coquettishly soft voice, said, "Mr. Long, here I come~"

Inside, Jia Chen's smile briefly stiffened but he quickly adjusted, sitting up straight with a polite smile again, "Mr. Sun Zhigang, you're here again?"

"I missed you!"

Wu Yin: "……"

Jie Lin Yuan watched the peacock man's wriggling movements with interest, every step accompanied by an exaggerated sway, but Jia Chen seemed used to it, showing no sign of being disturbed by the man's gait.

As the peacock man made his flamboyant way across the short distance to the office, Wu Yin swiftly moved ahead of him, entering first and slamming the door shut, "I have something important to tell you. Where's Xiao Wu? Isn't he assisting you here at the pawnshop?"

Jia Chen, recognizing Wu Yin despite his disguise, replied immediately, "Xiao Wu went to the restroom; he should be back any moment."

Unfortunately, Wu Yin wasn't quick enough; before the door could fully close, it was forcefully pushed open by the burly man next to the peacock, who blocked the door with his body to prevent Wu Yin from closing it again. The peacock man stormed in, both angry and trying to maintain his image in front of his beloved Mr. Long, resulting in a high-pitched, aggrieved tone, "What are you doing! Didn't I say we need to queue!"

Wu Yin watched the peacock flower impassively, glanced at Jie Linyuan, who was desperately trying to hold back his laughter behind the door, and finally turned to look at Jia Chen, hesitating to speak.

Jia Chen: "..."

"It's not easy for you either," Wu Yin whispered to him.

Jia Chen closed his eyes in agony, "Mr. Sun Zhigang,"

"I've told you to call me Xiaonan, why are you still so formal with me after all this time?"

Jia Chen was too tired to correct him, "This is my brother, Tiger, he came to see me for some business. Mr. Sun, if you don't mind, could we have some space, please?"

"Tiger, so it's Mr. Tiger, I, I..." The peacock blinked, quickly looked at the burly man beside him, and took the cage from his hand, "I have something important to discuss with you today!"

With that, he signaled the burly man to close the door, and Jie Linyuan quickly took this last chance to slip in, swiftly walking to stand beside Wu Yin.

The burly man waited a few seconds, seeing no objections, slowly closed the door.

On the other hand, the peacock didn't beat around the bush, quickly uncovering the black cloth on the cage, and introduced, "This is a mutated meerkat sold in the market this morning, priced very high. I found it adorable, so I bought it right away... Mr. Long, what do you think? If you like it, I'll give it to you, how about that?"

In the iron cage, a gray-brown three-headed meerkat was curling up in the corner. The sudden light made one of its heads let out an angry roar, but its other two heads were silent, hanging down as if they were still asleep.

Jia Chen looked at the meerkat in the cage, his brows furrowing tighter and tighter, Wu Yin also silently observed the meerkat, their almost synchronized posture made everyone else in the room too afraid to make a sound, even Jie Linyuan wisely kept quiet, not wanting to disturb the brothers' observation.

After a while, Jia Chen looked at Wu Yin, seeking his opinion, "Brother, what do you think?"

"This isn't a mutated meerkat," Wu Yin stated bluntly, "but a monstrosity artificially created."

Again with controlling mutants, and now artificially created mutant animals... He inexplicably felt a sense of ominous pressure, as if a conspiracy was silently brewing in unknown corners.