Chen Qi neither denied nor admitted.
The park director suddenly burst into laughter, clapping Chen Qi on the shoulder, "Good son, worthy of being my child!"
Turning a beloved person into an animal, keeping them forever in a cage, and caring for them, isn't that also a form of love!
This park director was completely deranged. He thought his son was just like him, so he had completely let down his guard.
"There are two more experimental subjects. Tonight I'll take you to the operating room!"
Chen Qi nodded, "Then I'll head back to the panda enclosure first."
Thanks to Chen Qi's maneuvering, Ning Wei was temporarily safe.
The fact that all the passengers were acting in unison drew the attention of other zoo staff.
However, due to their sheer numbers, the other staff members dared not make any rash moves.
The park director had privately instructed the other staff that once Chen Qi mastered the skin-swapping technique, none of Ning Wei's group would escape!
With those words, everyone relaxed.
Since they had all participated in the skin-swapping technique, this secret could not be revealed to outsiders.
Everyone who knew the secret was either dead or had become one of the various animals that generated income for the zoo.
Even so, these employees kept a constant watch on the newcomers like Ning Wei.
Aside from acting together, everything else for Ning Wei and the others remained as usual.
A temporary, surface-level harmony formed between the two sides, needing only a trigger to shatter it all.
As night fell and all the staff members slept soundly in their dormitories, the park director and Chen Qi were in the operating room, cutting and stitching.
It began with the basic injection of drugs, then the stripping of an entire skin, and finally, the covering of the body with animal fur.
Chen Qi learned each step with extreme diligence, earning a few praises from the park director.
"Truly my son! You've surpassed your teacher. Even though you're just starting, you're learning so much faster than I did. In time, your skills will be on par with mine!"
Chen Qi finished stitching the last spot and carefully examined the details, "It's all thanks to Father's good teaching. I want to learn quickly so I can help you."
Both experimental subjects were completed in one night, though it wasn't entirely due to Chen Qi's skill.
The next day, everyone received the news that the zoo had acquired two new lions.
Chen Qi went to take a look and found Ning Wei standing nearby. Her expression was neither happy nor sad, unlike the others.
The two of them tacitly moved away from the crowd. Ning Wei spoke first, stating with certainty, "Those two lions, they're your handiwork, aren't they?"
"How could you tell?" Chen Qi didn't deny it.
"There are wrinkles under the lions' bellies. You didn't handle it well."
"Sharp eyes."
"What do you want to do by learning this?"
Chen Qi's eyes turned blue, a malevolent smile on his face, "Guess?"
The more Ning Wei looked at him, the more she felt he was a pervert. She didn't want to talk to him further and turned to leave.
Watching Ning Wei's retreating back, Chen Qi's eyes gleamed with madness.
Now, one rule was clear: one must work diligently.
So after viewing the two lions, everyone returned to their workstations, helping tourists with explanations during the day and going to the cafeteria together for meals after work.
As for Chen Qi, to quickly master the skin-swapping technique, he had used up all of the park director's experimental subjects.
The zoo had acquired quite a few animals in the past few days, but they all died within a day.
The passengers were terrified. Chen Qi now went in and out with the park director every day, and they worried they might be next.
"Ning Wei, can we really trust this Chen Qi?" Mei Nan was under immense pressure. Everyone asked him daily, and he had no answer, so he could only come to Ning Wei.
"We can't trust him, but don't worry, his target isn't us."
Mei Nan believed every word Ning Wei said.
"With your assurance, I feel relieved."
"Tell everyone to remain calm and wait, perhaps we'll witness a good show," Ning Wei said with a smile that was both malicious and arrogant.
Seeing that smile, Mei Nan knew she was about to do something significant.
The zoo expanded its operations daily, and Chen Qi was so busy he barely had time to care for the two pandas in the panda enclosure.
Ning Wei, not knowing who Chen Qi's mother was, simply took care of them both.
The panda cub in the panda enclosure had changed significantly and could now live with its mother.
Gradually, fewer and fewer staff members were seen eating in the cafeteria.
But they acted as if they hadn't noticed, while only the passengers understood.
The number of staff members disappearing daily perfectly matched the number of new animals added.
Chen Qi no longer bothered to hide his nature, his eyes looking at everyone with frenzied madness.
Everyone present was terrified, except for Ning Wei, who met his gaze calmly.
"Has everyone seen the new animals that arrived today?" Chen Qi's tone was increasingly resembling the park director's.
"We have. Your skills are still lacking, I could tell it was your work at a glance."
"Then I'll try harder next time and strive not to let you see it."
Ning Wei said casually, "Then you carry on."
The two of them discussed as if they were the only ones present, as if it were a trivial matter.
It was known that Chen Qi's efforts resulted in the constant sacrifice of staff members.
As Chen Qi's skills improved, the entire zoo would be left with only the park director, the deputy director, Chen Qi, and all the passengers.
That evening, Chen Qi called Ning Wei to the panda enclosure.
The two of them stood outside the panda cages, watching the mother panda cuddle her cub as it slept.
"See how strong their mother-child bond is," Chen Qi said, his voice filled with longing and loss.
"What is your plan?"
Chen Qi had killed so many staff members, and yet the park director hadn't objected. There must be some grand plan behind this.
"Thank you for taking care of my mother these past few days," Chen Qi replied, not answering the question directly.
"Is that your mother?" Ning Wei pointed to the giant panda holding the cub.
Chen Qi shook his head and looked at the cage next door. There was another giant panda there, but it wasn't sleeping. It was staring at Chen Qi and Ning Wei.
Chen Qi walked up to this cage and softly called out, "Mom."
The giant panda reacted, clumsily shifting its body to move towards him.
It extended its dark paws, seemingly wanting to touch Chen Qi.
"She recognizes you!" Ning Wei's voice came from behind Chen Qi.
"Do you know why the transformed animals truly adapt to their new identities?"
Without waiting for Ning Wei to answer, Chen Qi continued, "Stripping the skin and putting on a new one isn't the end, but a new beginning."
"The park director's skin-stripping technique is superb, but his hypnosis technique is unknown."
"So, they can accept their new identities because he hypnotized them? And all the disappeared staff members were also subjected to hypnosis?"