Chapter 9: The Paradise of Adorable Creatures
“Is the project in the Light Zone really simple?” The fashionable woman took the initiative to speak, and Ye Luo followed her lead.
The woman wore a puzzled look. “I don’t know.”
She didn’t know?
Ye Luo was a little confused.
The fashionable woman seemed dazed. “It’s just... I inexplicably completed the task. Now, when I try to recall it, I can’t even remember what happened back then.”
Ye Luo frowned.
To her, this situation was far more terrifying than any obvious danger.
“In short, when I was in the Light Zone, I felt my mental state wasn’t right. After dancing with the frog, it got even worse,” the fashionable woman said with a bitter smile. “But once I entered the Dark Zone, I became temporarily clear-headed. I suspect that if I go back into the light, I’ll lose my mind again. So, if I can avoid the Light Zone, I won’t go there. I suspect there’s something wrong with the light.”
She was warning Ye Luo.
Such kindness stunned Ye Luo for a moment.
After a brief silence, Ye Luo said, “Thank you for your warning. I’ll be careful.”
The fashionable woman nodded, speaking in a low voice, “I probably... won’t make it out. If you manage to leave this instance alive, could you, for the sake of my warning, pay a visit to my daughter?”
“That’s enough. You meet a person and immediately talk about your daughter,” someone nearby said impatiently. “I’ve heard you say this countless times. It’s getting on my nerves.”
The fashionable woman gave a bitter smile. She didn’t argue, merely watched Ye Luo anxiously.
Ye Luo pursed her lips and asked, “Where is she?”
The woman’s expression brightened. She spoke softly, “I asked a few people before. Most in this thousand-person instance are from River City. Are you from River City too?”
Ye Luo nodded.
The woman hurried to say, “If possible, please go to my home first…”
She whispered her address, the code for the door, and the combination for the safe.
Then she smiled with a hint of bitterness. “When I divorced, I’d been a housewife for several years and had no income, so my ex-husband snatched custody of my daughter. I’ve never remarried, just worked hard to earn more money. Now, I finally have some, but the world has changed so much, money may no longer matter. Forget the money—inside the safe, there’s a jade pendant carved into a rabbit. My daughter was born in the year of the rabbit. If you can, please give her the pendant and tell her… that I… I love her.”
Saying she loved her daughter made the woman blush a little, but she said it firmly.
“My daughter lives in the neighboring city. The address is… If it’s convenient, please go for me. If not, it’s okay,” she said softly.
Ye Luo thought for a moment. “If it’s within my power, I’ll help you.”
“Thank you.” The woman looked at her with gratitude and then stepped aside.
Later, three more people arrived.
Every time someone came, the woman repeated the words she’d said to Ye Luo.
Clearly…
She had lost all hope of leaving alive, entrusting everything to strangers.
“Enough, ten people are here. Why don’t you keep quiet for now?” The fashionable woman was still speaking to the last arrival when someone impatiently scolded her.
She gave a bitter smile and fell silent.
“Ten people have arrived. Welcome to Adorable Pet Paradise.”
A mechanical voice sounded.
Then,
The gates opened.
Ye Luo glanced inside.
Under the blood-red moonlight, shapes moved in the hazy distance—creatures, perhaps, though from this far, it was impossible to see what they were.
“What’s the holdup? I’m going in,” a spirited young man declared, striding inside.
The others hesitated, then gradually followed.
Ye Luo blended into the crowd.
Just past the gates,
She saw a sign.
Ye Luo walked over to look.
“Rules for Visitors:
1. All adorable pets in the park are normal animals. If you see an adorable pet with a human face, stare at it until it leaves on its own.
2. Feeding the adorable pets is forbidden.
3. Harming adorable pets is forbidden.
4. Sometimes adorable pets will become restless. If you see a pet’s eyes turn red, feed it immediately.
5. There are staff members. Staff wear green uniforms. If you see a staff member in a red uniform, do not interact.
6. There are absolutely no small frogs in Adorable Pet Paradise.
7. If you see a small frog, immediately take it to a staff member in a green uniform.
8. You must visit at least three animal exhibits before leaving.”
“So many rules,” the spirited young man complained. “This damn instance, how does anyone survive!”
“It’s not just the number of rules,” said a bespectacled man, adjusting his glasses. “Many of these contradict each other. For example, rule two forbids feeding, but rule four says to feed an animal if its eyes turn red. Rule six claims there are no small frogs, but rule seven says if you see one, take it to the staff.”
“So what now? If we really encounter one of these situations, do we follow the rules or not?”
The group grew anxious.
The bespectacled man squinted and said, “We have ten people. Let’s stick together. If anything happens, we can discuss it. What do you all think?”
He seemed clever, and no one wanted to be alone, so everyone agreed.
Ye Luo and Lin An blended in, nodding with the group.
With everyone’s approval, the bespectacled man perked up. “Let’s decide which animal exhibit to visit first. Here’s the map; let’s confirm.”
Ye Luo calmly eyed the map. The park had eight exhibits, and they had to visit at least three.
She had her own ideas, but now wasn’t the moment to stand out. For now, she’d just blend in.
“Let’s start with the closest,” someone said.
“Right, closest first. The sooner we finish, the better.”
The bespectacled man nodded, pointing at the map. “Then our first stop is Monkey Mountain.”
No one objected.
Everyone cautiously set out for Monkey Mountain.
The journey was uneventful.
All ten arrived at Monkey Mountain together.
At the entrance stood a staff member in a green uniform.
According to the park rules, staff in green uniforms were safe.
The staff member smiled at them. “Would you like to enter Monkey Mountain? Once inside, you can’t leave for at least half an hour.”