Chapter 2594: Magical Creatures in the Zoo 01

In the mountains beside the highway.

The grass rustled.

Jin Chen staggered, almost falling into the mud.

His face pressed against the damp grass, he blinked blankly, and his view became extremely low.

Being especially close to the ground, according to his rich experience, usually meant he was far from people.

Ah.

Jin Chen, the veteran of quick transmigration, thought, Another world where I'm not human.

He lifted his fluffy paw and saw the pink pads were soft.

Cat?

【It's a lion, Host～】

Ling Gun Gun popped out, looking like a glowing little dough ball, and bounced twice on his head.

【I've transmitted the world's plot to you!】

The villain of this world is named Bai Rendong.

Bai Rendong was originally a researcher at the Animal Habits Research Institute; after resigning, he was entrusted by a high-ranking elder in his family to take over the zoo located on Mount Zhenyang, which was somewhat deserted and even a bit dilapidated.

Bai Rendong, who had previously done animal research before quitting, felt that the animals in this zoo were strangely odd and overly clever.

But the staff lacking proper animal‑care experience had grown accustomed to it, even getting along unusually well with the animals.

In fact, the animals here had more or less awakened a hint of spiritual awareness, placing them between ordinary bewildered beasts and true monsters.

Only the original story's protagonist, Hu Cai Cai, is a properly cultivated fox spirit who has practiced for three hundred years, with considerable cultivation.

Hu Cai Cai originally lived deep in the mountains; he accidentally sensed that the zoo was filled with unusually pure yet faintly restless spiritual energy, grew curious and wanted to sneak in to investigate, but on the way down the mountain he was accidentally injured and fell unconscious, reverting to his true form.

Before losing consciousness, he only vaguely made out a human's side profile.

When he woke up, he found himself inexplicably turned into an ordinary fox in the Zhenyang Zoo, his cultivation sealed so he could not shift back to human form.

What further angered and annoyed Hu Cai Cai was that the human he had glimpsed before losing consciousness turned out to be the gentle‑looking, easy‑to‑bully young zoo director, Bai Rendong.

Hu Cai Cai grew angry.

Unable to restore his power and feeling extremely stifled, Hu Cai Cai began to stir up the simple‑minded animals in the zoo in various ways.

He literally drove the zoo into total chaos, forcing it to close.

As Bai Rendong's management grew increasingly difficult, he gradually realized that the fox he had personally rescued and carefully tended was secretly causing trouble.

Just then, officials from the Monster Management Bureau arrived, pointed out that Hu Cai Cai was a monster, and the exhausted, utterly disappointed Bai Rendong let them take the fox spirit away.

He didn't know that Hu Cai Cai had already become lovers with the intelligent, near‑half‑monster Northeast Tiger Hu Gu inside the zoo.

In the original plot, the protagonist's ally Hu Gu flew into a rage, led the zoo's other extraordinary animals in a mass breakout, and forcibly rescued Hu Cai Cai midway.

And Bai Rendong, who tried to stop the chaos and was labeled a "bad guy," naturally suffered Hu Cai Cai's retaliation.

Later Hu Gu realized the truth, discovering that Bai Rendong was not the one who harmed Hu Cai Cai but was actually his lifesaver.

But after being rescued, Hu Cai Cai's temperament changed drastically—he became irritable and obstinate, refusing to listen to any explanation and unwilling to let Bai Rendong go.

And Bai Rendong, who could inherit this magical zoo and bore a secret, was clearly no ordinary person lacking self‑defense ability.

In the end, the conclusion was tragic—both sides suffered heavy losses.

After receiving the plot, Jin Chen also learned his identity this time.

A damn powerful ancient great monster!

Like Hu Cai Cai, for some unknown reason that day he also revealed his true form on Mount Zhenyang, and his Monster Power was temporarily sealed.

But unlike Hu Cai Cai, his true body was then lying asleep in a remote cave, and he wasn't as fortunate to be picked up by a passing Bai Rendong.

In the current timeline, Hu Cai Cai has been brought back to the zoo for several days, and he's holding a grudge, pondering how to cause trouble.

And Bai Rendong, who has held the zoo for half a year now, is stressed out by various strange troubles, temporarily closing the zoo for rectification.

Xiao Bai Lion emerged from the grass, shook his heavy head, clumsily climbed onto a large stone, and raised his neck to look at the roadside sign.

Zhenyang Wildlife Zoo - 10km

Jin Chen blinked his golden round eyes a few times, then with a soft plop flopped back onto the stone, his fluffy tail tip weakly sweeping the stone's surface.

Ten kilometers… for this short‑armed, short‑legged lion cub's body, it really is a somewhat hopeless distance.

Ling Gun Gun: 【……】

The glowing dough ball flashed twice and cooed: 【We'll get to see our wife as soon as we reach the zoo!】

【Hey! Host! Look!】 Ling Gun Gun exclaimed, perking up, 【The zoo's supply truck! We can hitch a ride!】

Jin Chen lifted his head and saw a small truck that looked quite old, its paint mottled and even rusted in places, swaying along slowly in this direction, its cargo bed empty, merely surrounded by railings.

A flash of cunning passed through Xiao Bai Lion's golden beast eyes.

He slipped out from behind the stone, shook off the grass‑stained soft fur, waited for the moment the truck was about to approach, then threw himself onto the middle of the road.

He even deliberately adjusted his posture.

"Squeak—!"

A piercing screech of brakes rang out, and the front of the truck came to a sudden halt.

Driver Xiao Li jumped, poked his head out, and exchanged bewildered looks with the logistics worker Da Niu in the passenger seat.

"Holy crap," Xiao Li rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things, "Where did this white lion come from? It's so tiny!"

Da Niu also widened his eyes, "It just… was lying in front of our truck, right? You see it like that… is it trying to scam us?"

As if responding to their doubts, the little white lion lifted his head, gave them a lazy glance, saw the two frozen in the truck unmoving, then slowly lowered his head back down, resting his forepaws on his forehead in a feeble pose.

Driver Xiao Li: "……"

"It's definitely trying to scam us!"

After all these years of driving, this is the first time I've been scammed by a lion!

Da Niu smacked his lips, and became interested.

"This breed is quite rare… Look at its fur, pure white, not a speck of mixed color! Its eyes are also golden; the zoo director, being well-informed, will surely like it."

"Why don't we take it back to the zoo director? After all, it's a little life; leaving it here wouldn't be right."

"Great idea! The zoo director will surely have a way!" Xiao Li also thought the idea was good.

After they finished discussing, they carefully got out of the truck and took from the rear compartment the small cage normally used for transporting newly arrived small animals.

Just as they opened the cage door, intending to coax the little creature inside, they saw the Xiao Bai Lion disdainfully glance at the iron cage, then extend its paw and tap the ground.

Then, on its own, it staggered toward the truck's passenger side, pushed off with its hind legs, nimbly jumped onto the footboard, gripped the door gap, and turned its head to look at the two humans.

"Roar!"

"Open the door, what are you staring at?"

Da Niu and Xiao Li exchanged glances again, and Xiao Li instinctively opened the car door.

The Xiao Bai Lion nimbly jumped into the truck, found the most comfortable spot in a corner piled with soft cushions, adjusted the cushions, and closed its eyes.

Da Niu and Xiao Li: "……"

What an overly familiar and impolite lion!

"Never mind, let's go, let's go—hurry back to show the zoo director." Da Niu scratched his head and, together with Xiao Li, returned to the truck.

The truck started up again and headed toward Zhenyang Zoo.