Chapter 18: Mischievous Children and Their Overbearing Parents

Lin An’s mouth fell open in shock.

What the—?

What just happened?

Was the little elephant so displeased by his rough hands that it had gone to call its parents on him?

Surely, it couldn’t be that bad!

This little elephant was definitely a troublemaker!

But before any parent arrived, the small elephant charged straight at Lin An.

Lin An was immediately flustered.

Not only was this a little troublemaker, but a highly destructive one at that.

He found himself caught up in a dilemma. If he dodged and the little elephant tripped or got hurt, would that count as breaking the rules? Even if it didn’t, would those overprotective elephant parents let him explain himself?

Just as Lin An was about to lose his composure, a gentle voice sounded.

“Be good now.” Ye Luo reached out and placed her hand on the little elephant’s head, gently stroking it.

At first, the little elephant looked a bit bewildered, but soon its expression melted into one of blissful enjoyment.

This human’s touch was so pleasant.

The little elephant’s agitation faded away, and the elephant parents gradually came to a halt as well.

A group of adult elephants formed a circle around them, encasing them at the center, all eyes fixed intently on the humans, making their scalps tingle with dread.

Only Ye Luo remained composed, patiently soothing the child. Her demeanor radiated gentleness and infinite patience—a stark contrast to the cunning she’d displayed with the monkeys earlier.

The baby elephant affectionately nuzzled Ye Luo’s face with its trunk, then happily rolled on the ground.

When five minutes had passed, the little elephant cast a reluctant glance at Ye Luo, then returned to its herd. It trumpeted cheerfully, and the entire herd, having arrived as swiftly as a storm, departed just as quickly, vanishing from sight.

Only when the elephants had gone did the group slump down, weak-kneed with relief.

Heaven only knew what kind of psychological pressure they’d just endured at the hands of those overprotective elephant parents.

Ye Luo, on the other hand, was in high spirits.

She said cheerfully, “It seems this exhibit is actually quite simple.”

The others were speechless.

Probably only a true expert could think that way! If any of them had come alone, they’d have been torn to pieces by the little troublemaker and its parents by now.

The key to this exhibit, it seemed, was to face the animals without a trace of fear.

That would be easy at a regular zoo.

But this place? This was a terrifying scenario.

They’d barely been here before four people had already died. And with that uncanny red moonlight overhead, it was as if fear itself was being conjured out of thin air. How could they possibly face these creatures with complete composure?

Yet, Ye Luo could.

Ye Luo turned to Lin An. “Lin An, did you get a prompt?”

Earlier, after she’d spent five minutes with the fawn, she’d received a prompt in her mind, indicating she had forged a bond with an animal.

But after touching the little elephant, she hadn’t received any such message.

Lin An froze, his expression changing subtly. After a moment, he said hastily, “Sister Ye, I just got a prompt—it says I’ve bonded with one animal.”

But it was clearly Ye Luo who had done the task; the scenario had marked him instead. Lin An looked uneasy. “Sister Ye, it should have counted for you.”

Ye Luo waved it off, unconcerned. “Haven’t you figured it out? We can really clear this exhibit with ease.”

Luo Yaonan and Lin An looked baffled.

But the other three seemed thoughtful.

“Lin An was the first to touch the little elephant, so it counted as his task. Even though I finished it for him, the system still credited him. That means, from now on, as long as you each touch the animal’s head first, I can handle the soothing afterward. We’ll breeze through,” Ye Luo explained.

Compared to that monkey enclosure, this place was a walk in the park.

Everyone’s eyes lit up.

It really was a surefire way for everyone to pass.

But it did put a heavy burden on Ye Luo.

“Sister Ye, this is too much for you,” Luo Yaonan protested. “Next time we look for animals, let me carry you on my back, so you can save your energy.”

Ye Luo was incredulous. “What?”

Surely, that was going too far.

Yet the others were already arguing over who’d get to carry her, even the two girls insisting on taking turns.

Ye Luo felt exhausted. “I’m not that weak! There won’t be any more babies for now. Let’s keep moving.”

Afraid they’d actually try to carry her, she led the way, the others quickly following.

At the entrance to the Herbivore Zone, a glimmer of disbelief flashed in the staff member’s eyes.

No casualties?

That was unheard of.

According to the stats, the monkey enclosure had an 80% mortality rate, while the herbivore zone’s was always above 90%, with full party wipes not uncommon.

The reason was simple.

The real trick to soothing the animals wasn’t just to suppress fear, but to maintain absolute emotional stability.

The animals here, especially the babies, were extremely sensitive to emotion. The slightest fluctuation could send them into a frenzy, and a rampaging baby would enrage the entire herd.

But what person could possibly have no emotional fluctuations?

And yet, Ye Luo…

She hadn’t provoked the babies at all.

Was she…

Emotionless?

The staff member’s lips curled into a grin.

These people would not be stopped by the Herbivore Zone.

No matter—there was always the next exhibit.

The next one would succeed.

For someone with naturally muted emotions, Ye Luo was in her element among the herbivores.

As the group moved through the exhibit, baby animals regularly approached them.

Ye Luo arranged an order for everyone. Each person would take turns stroking an animal’s head, after which she’d handle the soothing. Five minutes later, the animal would leave of its own accord.

The process was smooth as flowing water—a seamless assembly line.

Though it took some time, every person completed their task without trouble.

As they were about to leave, Ye Luo found herself feeling a little reluctant.

Suddenly, a violent rumble sounded.

Everyone looked back anxiously.

To their astonishment, the various herds were gathering together, their babies trumpeting affectionately toward Ye Luo.

“Ye… Ye Luo, are they here to see you off?” Lin An stammered.

Ye Luo nodded, deeply gratified. “I told you, they’re all adorable.”

No one replied.

And so, with a joyful sendoff from the herbivores, the group left the enclosure.

Before reaching the entrance, Ye Luo spoke quietly to Su Xiao.

Su Xiao’s heart skipped a beat; she nodded in understanding.

At the gate, the staff member grinned widely. “Congratulations—you’ve cleared another exhibit.”

Ye Luo smiled softly, then suddenly called out, “Su Xiao!”

Su Xiao lunged at the staff member.

Ye Luo struck at the same moment.