Chapter 16: The Herbivore Zone

The giant monkey monster did not pursue them any further. Ye Luo and Su Xiao successfully rejoined the main group. They removed their old number tags and replaced them with new ones. Everyone managed to leave the monkey enclosure safely. Once outside, the number tags vanished into thin air.

A staff member in a green uniform smirked slightly at the corners of his mouth. "We look forward to your next visit. The Monkey Enclosure will always welcome you."

"No, thank you, never again," Luo Yaonan blurted out. "This kind of hellish place, I don’t ever want to come back in my life."

To be honest, the difficulty of the monkey enclosure was far beyond expectation. If not for the fact that they had a leader who, in a short time, discovered the true rules for leaving, they might have all perished had they believed the staff’s lies.

The staff member did not argue, merely smiled with that same eerie curve of his lips. Ye Luo glanced at him, then suddenly took a step closer.

The staff member frowned. "You may leave now."

Ye Luo raised an eyebrow. "Can’t we take a little break? Besides, you look familiar. I’d like to have a chat with you."

She reached out, as if to rest her hand on the staff member’s shoulder.

Everyone was stunned.

What was happening? Was their leader actually flirting with an NPC?

Or perhaps, this was just what made her a true leader!

The staff member retreated another step, his voice growing colder. "You may leave now."

Ye Luo narrowed her eyes and said suddenly, "You seem to dislike me. I noticed you looked disappointed when you saw me come out."

The staff member’s expression shifted slightly before he replied in a low voice, "I treat all visitors equally."

"Oh really?"

Ye Luo smiled and stopped pestering him, turning away. "Let’s go."

"Boss, where are we heading?" The others quickly followed her.

Glancing at the little troop trailing behind, Ye Luo raised an eyebrow. "The next closest area is the Herbivore Zone. That’s where I’m going. If any of you want to do something else, we can part ways here."

"Part ways? No way. In life, I follow you; in death, I’ll be your ghost," Luo Yaonan said resolutely.

Su Xiao said nothing, but quietly moved a little closer to Ye Luo.

Huo Qianqian’s eyes sparkled as she laughed softly, "A girl should always stick with other girls."

Chen Ziqian, not very good with words, looked anxious and kept shooting glances at Luo Yaonan.

With practiced ease, Luo Yaonan translated, "He says he wants to follow you too, Boss."

"You people really have no shame. All you think about is clinging to someone strong!" Lin An gritted his teeth. "Not like me. I’m just here to help Sister Ye, so she has someone to boss around."

Once again, everyone turned to Lin An with looks of disdain.

Composed, Lin An said, "Sister Ye, let’s head to the Herbivore Zone. I’ll take the lead and scout ahead for you."

With that, Lin An positioned himself at the front, acting as if he was indispensable.

Ye Luo glanced at the group and sighed. "Fine, let’s stick together then."

The six of them set off toward the next area.

At this moment, however, Ye Luo’s heart was far from at ease. Ten people had entered, and they’d already lost four in the first enclosure. Two more areas lay ahead. How many of them would make it out alive?

And this was only the second challenge; she still had one more to complete. Who knew what dangers awaited them next?

Originally, she thought a 77% mortality rate for this game was too high. But now, Ye Luo suspected the real figure might be even worse.

Before long, they reached the Herbivore Zone.

Unlike the monkey mountain, which was centered around a single hill with several winding paths and was not particularly large, the Herbivore Zone was an endless grassland as far as the eye could see. From their vantage point, they could see giraffes, antelopes, zebras, and other herbivores roaming freely. At first glance, it seemed a peaceful and idyllic scene.

But in a place like this, could anything truly be peaceful or harmonious?

"Welcome to the Herbivore Zone." At the entrance, another staff member in green was waiting. His smile mirrored, with uncanny precision, that of the staff at the monkey mountain entrance.

"Hello," Ye Luo suddenly extended her hand.

The staff member glanced at her and began to recite the rules: "The animals here are all gentle and kind. They love being around humans. Each of you must spend at least five minutes with three different types of adorable animals and touch each one on the head. Please note: An animal may not be touched by the same person twice. Complete this task to leave the area."

Adorable animals? Ye Luo narrowed her eyes.

They looked cute enough for now. But in a place like this, could the animals possibly be normal?

To spend five minutes in close contact with each animal, and touch them on the head—this task was fraught with danger.

"You can still leave if you wish," the staff member said. "There are other areas waiting for you after this one."

Everyone looked to Ye Luo, waiting for her decision.

Ye Luo raised an eyebrow. "We’re already here."

She strode down the steps, the grassland where the herbivores lived spreading out below. The others followed.

"Sister Ye," Lin An whispered, "the last staff member lied and hid the real condition for getting the number tag. Could the rules this time be misleading, too?"

Ye Luo’s expression was uncertain. "The monkey mountain staff lied, but there was some truth mixed in. For example, we did have to get a monkey’s number tag to leave—the method was the only lie. This time, the rules may not be entirely true, but there’s bound to be some truth in them."

She believed this might be a kind of built-in balance for the game.

Take the giant frog, for instance. It read out two rules at the beginning—one false, one true. This was likely a rule enforced by the game itself. Otherwise, if left to the giant frog’s own devices, it probably wouldn’t have given a single honest rule.

So, close contact with animals. Touching the animal’s head. Which rule was true, and which was false? Or perhaps, this time the green-uniformed staff had done the opposite, giving them two true rules?

At this point, there was no way to know.

Just then, a dark shadow approached.

Everyone tensed.

As the shadow drew near, under the moonlight, they saw what it was—a young fawn.

This little deer was no different from those in a real zoo—if anything, its youth made it even more adorable.

The fawn studied them curiously, then trotted over and tilted its head at Ye Luo, the picture of innocence.

In Ye Luo’s mind, the staff’s earlier words echoed: "The animals in the Herbivore Zone are all gentle and kind. They love being around humans."

Perhaps gentleness was a lie, but their fondness for humans—could that be the truth?