Chapter 74: Chapter 74: Congratulations on Slaying a Bloodthirsty Demon Crow

A demon swarm attack?!

Yang Qi froze, subconsciously glancing around and straining his ears.

Everything in the Zoo was normal.

The distant chatter and laughter of tourists, the nearby chirping of birds, and the occasional low calls of other animals—it was no different from any other day.

His work group chat was silent, and his private group chat was also quiet. There were no discussions or alerts about any abnormal situations at the Zoo.

’What’s going on?’

’Did the system glitch?’

Yang Qi was puzzled.

Lost in thought, he finished cleaning the wolf enclosure.

"AWOOO~"

Seeing that Yang Qi was done, Happy trotted over, his tongue lolling out and his tail wagging like a propeller, his eyes full of anticipation.

[Go out to play]

[Eat yummy food]

[Roast chicken, roast chicken]

[Want to eat]

...

"Alright, I get it."

Yang Qi replied, "After the Zoo closes this evening, I’ll take you out for a walk and buy you a roast chicken."

[Roast chicken, roast chicken!]

Happy instantly grew more excited, spinning in a circle on the spot.

The Wolf King, Ao Tian, silently shuffled a few steps forward, staring at Yang Qi without blinking. Although he wasn’t wagging his tail and begging like Happy, the meaning in his eyes was self-evident.

"What, you want to go for a walk too?" Yang Qi looked at him, feigning ignorance.

Ao Tian stiffened for a moment, then tried to imitate Happy. He awkwardly and stiffly pulled back his lips, baring a few teeth, while his tail gave two small, extremely unnatural wags.

Yang Qi fought back a laugh.

’This guy is usually so proud he won’t even give me the time of day.’

’Only when he wants to go out does he reluctantly lower his head.’

"Alright, alright, you can come along too."

The moment he said that, the other Gray Wolves in the enclosure, who had been resting or watching from a distance, all brightened up and crowded around.

Some of them did a decent imitation of Happy, seamlessly sticking out their tongues and wagging their tails.

Others were as stiff and awkward as Ao Tian.

And a few simply stood there, staring at Yang Qi with longing eyes.

"You all want to go?"

This time, Yang Qi really did laugh. "Okay, okay, after the Zoo closes today, I’ll take you all out for a walk in turns, two at a time. I promise everyone gets a turn."

With that, he looked at the main culprit, Happy. "This is all your fault. You’ve been a ’bad influence’ on your packmates."

"AWOO~"

Happy tilted his head back and wagged his tail.

[They’re so bad]

[They’re all copying me]

[Don’t take them out]

[Don’t give them yummy food]

Though his "words" were disdainful, his expression was smug as he shot glances at his companions.

He was acting more like a goofy husky than an actual husky.

Yang Qi couldn’t help but chuckle, temporarily pushing the "demon swarm attack" warning to the back of his mind.

After leaving the wolf enclosure,

He thought for a moment, then found one of the Zoo’s electric patrol carts. He began to roam aimlessly through the park, scanning every corner, trying to find any possible "abnormality" or "demonic aura."

At Monkey Mountain, a troop of monkeys was playing and roughhousing.

In the Bird District, various birds were chirping and flying about.

In Bear Valley, the brown bears were lazily sunbathing.

In the Tiger District, "Great King" was lying on the ground, fast asleep.

...

Everything was perfectly normal.

Yang Qi even made a special trip to the back mountain area, driving slowly along the perimeter wall. Aside from the denser vegetation and the occasional small bird or animal he startled, he found nothing.

Back in the main part of the park,

He ran into Chen Ze and Hu Haodong on patrol and casually asked them a question.

"Anything special happen in the Zoo today? Are the animals all behaving?"

"Nope, everything’s normal," Chen Ze replied.

"It’s been pretty quiet," Hu Haodong added with a nod.

"That’s good." Yang Qi nodded, his confusion deepening.

’The system wouldn’t just send out a baseless alert, would it?’

He continued his aimless wandering until he came face-to-face with Jiang Kai, who was riding an electric scooter. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"Director." Yang Qi stopped his cart to greet him.

"Xiao Yang."

Jiang Kai stopped and said, "Perfect timing, I have something to tell you. Master Bao Shun has been discharged from the hospital, but his doctor advised him against doing heavy or prolonged strenuous labor from now on."

"Considering his physical condition, the Zoo has already adjusted his position. He’s been transferred to the logistics warehouse to do management work, which is relatively easier."

"As for the clouded leopard and the lynx you temporarily took over caring for, the Zoo has arranged for a more experienced old hand to take over the clouded leopard."

"However, we’re hoping you can continue looking after the lynx. Adding a lynx to your assigned area won’t be a problem, will it?"

"No problem, Director. I can handle it," Yang Qi agreed.

’Taking care of one more lynx just means spending a little more time.’

’But what I get in return are contribution points.’

"Good. I’ll leave it in your capable hands then."

Jiang Kai offered a few more words of encouragement before riding off.

After bidding farewell to Jiang Kai, Yang Qi’s doubts remained unresolved.

He continued riding the electric cart, covering nearly every non-tourist area of the Zoo. By the time the closing announcement broadcasted over the speakers at dusk, he had still found nothing.

"How strange..."

Unable to find the "demon swarm," he could only set the matter aside for now.

In the evening, as the sun set, the last of the tourists dispersed.

Holding two leashes he had prepared, Yang Qi went to the wolf enclosure as promised.

He first took out two of the more docile and cooperative Gray Wolves. He walked them for fifteen minutes in a designated safe area inside the Zoo, which was empty at dusk, letting them sniff, mark territory, and trot to their hearts’ content before bringing them back.

Then came the second group, the third...

He continued this rotation until it was Happy and Ao Tian’s turn, by which point the sky had already darkened.

Yang Qi took these two, the most boisterous and also the most "meritorious," out for a full half-hour walk.

Finally, he fulfilled his promise and bought them two fragrant roast chickens.

Happy couldn’t wait, gobbling his down in just a few bites, even chewing the bones with a loud CRUNCH.

Ao Tian ate a bit more gracefully, but he was no slower, a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

Fed and content, the two satisfied wolves were returned to their enclosure by Yang Qi.

By the time Yang Qi returned to his dorm room near the mountain, the sky was completely dark.

As usual, Yang Qi washed some Spirit Rice to cook Spirit Rice Porridge.

While waiting, a mosquito flew over, buzzing and circling by his ear. The sound was exceptionally clear and piercing.

With Yang Qi’s current sense of hearing, it was as if the mosquito was holding a concert right next to his ear.

He frowned. Without even needing to channel his Magical Power, he timed it right, reached out, and slapped!

"SMACK!"

The crisp sound echoed clearly in the quiet kitchen.

The mosquito was precisely swatted in the palm of his hand, leaving behind a tiny speck of blood.

Turning on the faucet, Yang Qi was about to wash his hands...

[Congratulations, Host, for killing a "Bloodthirsty Demon Crow." Contribution Points +1]

???

Yang Qi’s movements froze instantly. His eyes were glued to his open palm, and then he snapped his head up to look at the ceiling, as if he could see through the roof to the dark night sky outside.

Then he looked all around, listening for any sound.

’Bloodthirsty Demon Crow?’

’A mosquito?!’

’So the so-called "demon swarm" attacking the sect...’

’...was a damn swarm of mosquitoes!?’