Chen Qi nodded, holding an apple and stuffing it into the enclosure.
"Ning Wei, it's time to go. You and your friends can leave here tomorrow morning."
"What time tomorrow?"
"When you wake up. But I won't be able to treat you to breakfast."
"Then I won't disturb you and your mother's quality time."
Not long after Ning Wei left, Chen Qi used the hypnosis technique the zoo director had taught him on the giant panda.
Half an hour later, the back of Chen Qi's clothes was soaked in sweat. The giant panda's eyes were noticeably brighter.
"Mother, don't worry, I will avenge you."
After saying this, Chen Qi placed the apple in the giant panda's embrace and returned to the operating room.
There were two beds inside. The director lay on one, and the vice-director lay on the other.
"Chen Qi! Are you crazy?" the vice-director struggled to get up, but he was tightly bound to the bed.
Chen Qi slowly took off his jacket, put on a white coat, and approached with a syringe.
Ignoring the vice-director's curses, he injected a needle into his neck. A minute later, the vice-director slowly closed his eyes.
Next was the director.
He refilled the syringe, glanced at the fine needle, and asked the director, "Do you have anything you want to say?"
"That you could do this to me shows you've mastered everything, whether it's skin grafting or hypnosis. As your father, I am proud. I have one last request before I die, I hope you will grant it."
"What request?"
The director pointed to a panda skin on the wall. "Turn me into a giant panda and place me with your mother."
Hearing this, Chen Qi sneered, "You think you're worthy?"
The director laughed heartily, "If I die, how will you maintain such a large zoo?"
This was his priority; his heart had always been solely with this zoo.
Chen Qi's cold gaze fixed on him. "I will close this zoo and never reopen it! I will restore everyone's memories, and let them go mad in their cages until they die!"
Indeed, only a son truly understood his father.
After hearing Chen Qi's plan, the director finally lost his composure.
"You're insane! I worked so hard to develop this zoo to its current state, and you're going to close it?"
Chen Qi's face held a chilling smile as he uttered words designed to provoke the director.
"Whatever you care about most, I will destroy! I will make you suffer beyond measure!"
With that, Chen Qi injected the needle into the director's neck. The director tried to say more, but the drug took effect, and he slowly closed his eyes.
After a night passed, two wolves appeared in the enclosure.
The dormitory aunt was no longer present, likely transformed into an animal by Chen Qi as well.
After Ning Wei relayed Chen Qi's words to everyone, a meeting time at the entrance was set.
"Tomorrow morning at six o'clock, wait at the zoo's main gate."
Finally hearing this, everyone was too excited to sleep.
The next morning, everyone waited at the zoo's main gate.
Ning Wei, however, did not go. She knew Chen Qi still needed her help.
She went to the director's office. The director was gone, replaced by Chen Qi, who sat in a chair and reviewed surveillance footage. Holding a thermos, he knew who it was without looking up.
"You're here."
"I came to see the results of your work."
Chen Qi put down the thermos. "Before you leave, accompany me for one last look at this zoo."
"I'd be honored."
The two walked from the administrative building, first arriving at the large animal area, which housed elephants, giraffes, and so on. "These animals were all bought with money. Although the skin-grafting technique is miraculous, it cannot achieve the desired size."
Continuing onward, they reached the predator zone.
Ning Wei immediately noticed two new wolves in an enclosure.
Chen Qi was very pleased with his creations. "What do you think? You can't tell this time, can you?"
Ning Wei shook her head. "Although I can't tell, I'm not stupid. Aren't these the director and the vice-director?"
"Actually, they are my father and my uncle. The night my mother was turned into a giant panda, it was my uncle who personally brought the tea, so he couldn't escape."
Following Chen Qi further, they learned from his explanations that most of the animals were transformed humans.
As for the failed transformation corpses, they were naturally chopped into pieces and fed to the animals.
"So, you fed human flesh to transformed animals?"
"Not me. This was the director's idea. In the beginning, the zoo wasn't profitable, and there were too many animals, but no money to buy food. So, they used human flesh. This way, they could feed the animals and destroy evidence at the same time."
"You guys are something else, truly insane."
Their final stop was the panda enclosure. Chen Qi released his mother, and the giant panda followed the two of them.
They arrived at the zoo's main entrance, where the remaining passengers were gathered.
"You're leaving?" Chen Qi sounded reluctant.
Ning Wei nodded. "I'm not very interested in taking care of animals."
"Then what are you interested in?"
"Slaying demons and pacifying ghosts. The only thing in this zoo that interests me is the red-skinned ghost that wanders the grounds at night."
Chen Qi nodded. "It's natural for there to be ghosts when people are wronged and die unjustly."
Chen Qi took out a key. "This is the key to the main gate. Don't look back when you leave. You don't need to return the key to me; just throw it into any sewer."
Ning Wei took the key. "Do you have anything else to say?"
Chen Qi showed a bashful expression. The giant panda behind him moved closer to Ning Wei and opened its arms, wanting to embrace her.
Ning Wei smiled and reciprocated.
"And you?" Ning Wei looked at Chen Qi.
Chen Qi scratched his head. "My hands are stained with blood, so perhaps not."
"Then I'm leaving."
"Ning Wei," Chen Qi suddenly called out to her, "Will you remember me?"
Ning Wei turned back with a smile. "Of course, I'll remember you, and your giant panda mother too."
Chen Qi said no more, standing with the giant panda, watching the group of passengers leave.
Ning Wei tossed the key to Mei Nan, who unlocked the main gate. Everyone scrambled out like ducks set free.
As Chen Qi had requested, after everyone was out, Ning Wei took the key and closed the gate again.
After closing the gate, Chen Qi waved goodbye to Ning Wei with a smile.
Ning Wei passed a sewer and casually dropped the key inside.
The bus had been waiting for a long time, and the conductor stood at the entrance with her arms crossed, waiting for them.
Ning Wei was once again the last to board. The conductor chuckled softly. "You lost quite a few people this time, didn't you? Twenty-five people got off, and only twenty-two returned. It seems you'll all be dead soon."
"What did you say, twenty-two?" Ning Wei sounded surprised.
The first to disappear was Fu Chengwei, the second group taken were two passengers who tried to escape, and the third group taken were for not performing their duties diligently. So, there should only be twenty-one people left.