Weaving past scattered vehicles parked along the road, Lu Heng sped towards the zoo.
This zoo was also situated on the outskirts of the city, with no dense residential or commercial buildings for a considerable distance. Visitors typically needed to take a special bus route or drive themselves.
Finally, around 4 PM, Lu Heng arrived at the zoo's entrance.
After parking his car, Lu Heng retrieved a rapid-fire pistol equipped with a silencer.
He didn't want the sound of gunfire to attract any zombie animals to ambush him.
When the apocalypse broke out, the zoo hadn't opened yet, so he estimated there wouldn't be many human zombies inside.
However, he couldn't guarantee the presence of animal zombies.
After all, in his previous life, there were quite a few animal zombies. Animals, like humans, not only evolved into animals with special abilities but also became zombie animals.
Some small animals were too agile for melee weapons to hit, such as birds of prey.
Lu Heng recalled his car into his spatial storage and then checked the ticket booth. It seemed deserted, but the items inside were neatly arranged.
Holding his pistol, Lu Heng easily leaped over the half-height ticket checking machine at the zoo's main gate.
This was his first time sneaking into a scenic area, and Lu Heng wasn't sure how he felt about it.
He quietly approached the guardhouse next to the ticket checking area. Before he even got close, he sensed zombies inside.
As expected, the people in the guardhouse had been infected.
Lu Heng tiptoed and peered into the guardhouse. Unlike the ticket booth, the room was in disarray, with items scattered everywhere. Dry bloodstains marred the white walls, suggesting a fierce struggle had taken place. Three zombies stood dazed in the small room.
One zombie's face still bore some resemblance to its human form, but its grayish-white eyes and pale skin clearly marked it as a zombie.
The other two were less fortunate. Large patches of flesh on their faces and necks had been torn away, hanging loosely and disgustingly.
Just as Lu Heng was about to open the door and engage them, the zombies inside sensed his presence.
They let out excited howls and lunged towards the door. One zombie punched through the glass of the guardhouse door and then attempted to climb out to tear into Lu Heng.
Through the broken glass, Lu Heng unhesitatingly opened fire.
The skills he honed in his previous life were once again useful. One shot, one kill, Lu Heng quickly eliminated the three zombies.
He drew his cleaver and swiftly split open the zombies' heads, quickly collecting three crystals.
After dealing with the zombies in the guardhouse, Lu Heng retrieved a three-wheeled electric scooter from his spatial storage.
This vehicle was silent, so riding it wouldn't attract zombies from afar.
Driving the electric scooter, Lu Heng first went to the zoo's entrance to take a photo of the animal distribution map.
He could then search the areas according to the map.
The zoo was divided into three main zones. He had entered through the main gate and was currently in the East Zone.
The East Zone housed the Nocturnal Small Animal Hall, Pheasant Garden, Small Carnivore Area, Canine Area, Bear Mountain, Lion Tiger Mountain, Australian Animal Area, American Animal Area, and Waterfowl Lake, among others.
The North Zone contained the Marine Animal Hall, Elephant House, Rhino and Zebra House, and Eagle Mountain.
The West Zone included the Orangutan House, Golden Snub-nosed Monkey House, Giraffe House, and Amphibian and Reptile House.
Lu Heng examined the layout of the different zones and then looked at himself through the glass frame of the layout map.
The tattoo of his orange cat on his chest didn't take up much space. Perhaps it was because the cat was still small when he formed the contract?
However, he hadn't contracted any large animals. He worried that if he contracted a tiger or something similar, his tattoos might fill up before he contracted many large creatures.
He would have to consider this carefully and not contract everything blindly.
Quality over quantity!
The apocalypse had begun a few days ago. It was estimated that water and electricity would be cut off within a few more days. He should prioritize finding the animals kept indoors.
With his objective set, Lu Heng drove the electric scooter along the park's paths.
It was already late when he arrived today. With darkness approaching in a few hours, it was fortunate that he had his spatial storage to rest in, ensuring his safety.
Lu Heng first visited the East Zone's Nocturnal Small Animal Hall. Looking at the various rodents inside, Lu Heng's scalp tingled.
These animals had indeed evolved into zombie rats and mutated rats. However, Lu Heng found that none of the rodents here possessed any special attributes that made him want to contract them.
Moreover, in some glass enclosures, zombie rats and mutated rats were present, and they were fighting each other. The glass was splattered with disgusting red and white matter.
Quickly leaving the hall, Lu Heng drove the electric scooter directly to Lion Tiger Mountain.
Standing outside Lion Tiger Mountain, Lu Heng looked in. It was likely still too early, as the tigers and lions had not been released.
Lu Heng then circled around to the indoor enclosures below, where keepers could access. He could enter from there to check on the tigers and lions.
Easily circling to the indoor enclosures below, he found the main doors locked. Lu Heng shot the lock with his gun and then pushed the door open.
Since it wasn't operating hours, the hall was dark, except for the dim green lights of the safety signs at the entrances and exits.
Lu Heng pulled out a powerful flashlight and shone it inside. He then found the power distribution box in a small room.
As soon as the power was connected, the downstairs hall lit up. Lu Heng sensed the surroundings, and after hearing no unusual noises, he found the keepers' access points and began searching room by room.
During his search, he encountered animals that had mutated into zombies. He directly shot them through the fences outside their enclosures. These zombie animals were a significant hidden danger if they escaped.
After all, some animals were more agile and nimble than humans even before mutation. As zombie animals, they were much more mobile than human zombies. If they escaped this place, they would pose a greater threat to the surviving humans outside.
Just as Lu Heng was about to finish searching the hall, a white tiger kept alone in a room caught his attention.
The white tiger had mutated and gained a special ability, but he couldn't yet determine what kind of ability it was.
Lu Heng approached the fence outside the room and carefully observed the white tiger.
The white tiger also sensed someone approaching and slowly opened its eyes to look at Lu Heng.
After a few seconds of eye contact, a voice echoed in Lu Heng's mind.
"Changed keepers?"
"But looking at this size, it's not as good as the last one?"
"Why are you just standing there? Why didn't you bring the morning feeding?"
Lu Heng...
Lu Heng pondered awkwardly for a moment and tried to communicate with the tiger telepathically: "You can understand me, right?"
The tiger was startled by the voice that suddenly appeared in its mind. As soon as Lu Heng finished communicating telepathically, it immediately arched its body defensively and looked at Lu Heng.