Qi Xu was taken aback. Back at the Monster Shop, just before leaving, Little Black seemed to have subtly warned her that Xie Shaoning might be lying in wait outside.
Was this the reason Little Black got punished and sent to the zoo? Taotao had also mentioned that they weren’t allowed to interfere in conflicts between humans—unless it involved someone like A-Snake, whose job was related to such matters.
Little Black’s face flushed red with exertion, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t pry the gorilla’s grip open.
For a fox, a gorilla’s strength was simply overwhelming—brute force at its finest!
When he finally broke free, he hurriedly said to Qi Xu, "It’s not because of you. Don’t overthink it."
Qi Xu sighed. That was as good as an admission. She hadn’t been entirely sure before, but now it was confirmed.
Who would’ve thought such a cold-hearted little black fox could be such a softie?
Little Black’s face burned with embarrassment, and he refused to turn back to look at Qi Xu. This was beyond humiliating. For the sake of Taotao’s top customer—his competitor, no less—he’d ended up getting himself banished to the zoo. What a joke...
"Don’t worry, I’ll find a way to get you out," Qi Xu reassured him.
Little Black gave a bitter smile. Unless someone could clear this dungeon with an SSS rank, there was no chance of escape. But clearing it was no easy feat. To this day, the only one who’d ever managed it was... that human player Grandma had mentioned.
Too bad they’d been completely erased, becoming an unspeakable existence in the Survival Highway, a legend among...
Qi Xu pondered for a moment. The Human Forbidden Zone definitely held secrets—she had to go there. But to enter, she needed a pass.
Where could she get one? Qi Xu guessed there might be clues along the way. One thing was certain: staying put would leave the truth forever out of reach.
With only five days left and most of the first already gone, she had to hurry.
With that, she left a pile of food and drinks for the animals. "I’m going out for a bit. Stay here and don’t wander off."
The animals were stunned.
The tiger hesitantly spoke up, "Aren’t we rehearsing? Isn’t this... inappropriate? If our performance is too bad, you’ll face serious penalties—like losing all your survival coins and supplies!"
"Go ahead and penalize me. Money’s just a number," Qi Xu said breezily before strutting out of the rehearsal hall. She’d finally gotten to deliver that cool line, though with only a few animals as her audience, the satisfaction fell a bit flat.
"Wait!"
She hadn’t gone far before the animals called her back.
"What now?"
The tiger, looking oddly conflicted, handed her a stone. "Trash. Don’t need it. It’s yours."
Qi Xu’s lips curled into a smirk. "Such good babies. Go eat, but don’t overdo it. Remember to exercise—sleeping right after a meal makes you gain weight."
She tossed the tiger a healing card before sauntering off again.
"D’you think she’ll succeed?"
"In your dreams."
"If she can even fool those two kittens, I’ll be impressed."
"Ugh, true. We shouldn’t have given her the stone. If she gives up now, we’ll be demoted to low-tier animals after this!"
"Why didn’t you say that earlier? Now you’re whining."
"Humph. It’s not like I can beat you up."
The animals bickered and grumbled, but... their eyes kept drifting back to the retreating figure of "Black Whirlwind." The girl wasn’t even black—why that name?
On her way over, Qi Xu had memorized the zoo’s layout. From the entrance to here, it was a straight path east with no forks, so she just had to keep going in that direction.
Five hours later, night had fallen, and the zoo was eerily silent.
Aside from rehearsal halls, Qi Xu found nothing else along the way. She’d run into a few other players, but everyone was on edge, keeping conversations short.
Most players were already hard at work preparing their acts.
Qi Xu was starting to feel the fatigue, her legs growing heavier with each step. She did the math—every hour, it felt like invisible 3kg sandbags were strapped to her legs...
Exhausting, but it also gave her a surge of determination.
Just as she was about to sit and rest, a bloodcurdling scream pierced the air—not from a rehearsal hall, but the wooded area nearby!
Qi Xu’s eyes lit up. She’d been right!
She sprang up, ready to sprint toward the sound... only to nearly faceplant.
Her legs suddenly felt weighed down by 10kg sandbags.
After adjusting, she picked up speed, vaulting over the greenery into the dense woods beyond.
After what felt like forever, she finally hit paydirt: two kittens... practicing "chest-smashing boulders."
Bloodstains littered the ground—fresh vomit, by the looks of it.
"Hi, good evening! I’m Black Whirlwind. Let’s be friends. Here—five survival coins each. No refusing; it’s a mandatory friendship gift."
Qi Xu grinned, plopping down on a nearby boulder.
The kittens exchanged glances. In all their years, they’d never met a player like this.
They froze for two seconds—but their hands shot out for the coins fast enough. Then, clearing their throats, they launched into scripted lines.
"Waaah! If we don’t master chest-smashing boulders soon, we’re dead! Dear player, can you help us?"
Qi Xu nodded eagerly. The kittens perked up—until she said, "I’d love to help such adorable little things, but I’m weak as a kitten myself. Not sure what I can do."
"No strength needed! Just lie here and let us smash a boulder on you. It’ll restore our confidence!"
Qi Xu took the sledgehammer. "No need. You lie down, I’ll do the smashing. Same confidence boost."
The kittens shook their heads frantically. "N-no, no need to be polite!"
"I’m not being polite. Here we go."
Qi Xu stood, pinned the kittens down, and placed the boulder from under her on their chests.
She raised the hammer high and swung with all her might. For good measure, she tossed in a small bomb—after all, this dungeon had no item restrictions.
The boulder shattered into dust.
The kittens braced for death... only to find themselves unharmed, blinking in confusion. What just happened?
Qi Xu winced. Two protective items gone—she’d slipped one into each kitten’s costume while positioning the boulder. And they’d actually triggered. Tch.
Pay-to-win dungeons were brutal without cash.
While the kittens were still dazed, Qi Xu thrust out her hand. "Hurry up. I’m on a tight schedule."
..........
