Chapter 55: The Boss of the Pet Paradise (Requesting Monthly Tickets, Follows, and Collections)

The moment she saw Chen Zhi, especially the compound bow in the woman’s hand.

An Sheng’s face turned pale with alarm; he immediately leapt off the adult Yangtze crocodile and ran onto Yu Xueqing’s body.

The last time he’d seen a similar compound bow was during his past life, when he ventured deep into the mountains to find ancient tea trees.

That short compound bow had been heavily modified with pulley systems—its string didn’t need to be fully drawn to unleash tremendous force.

Paired with arrowheads made by powder metallurgy, it could blast open a black bear’s skull with a single shot—definitely an illegal item in Xia Country.

From Chen Zhi’s wish, An Sheng knew she had once seen a giant crocodile in the river.

Now, hearing that a group of crocodiles had suddenly appeared in the Pet Paradise causing trouble, he guessed Chen Zhi was in emergency mode—he had no intention of clashing head-on with her compound bow and arrows.

“Miss! Stay calm and don’t move—we’re coming to rescue you right away!”

Along with Chen Zhi came over a dozen security guards armed with steel forks; as they shouted to Yu Xueqing, they also unfurled a special fishing net, ready to net the crocodiles.

“Wait! Everyone, hold on!”

The security team were all strong, fit young men—their aggressive advance nearly made Yu Xueqing, whose courage was never great, shrink into a ball.

But seeing the glinting steel forks and riot shields in their hands, Yu Xueqing gasped and quickly shouted to stop the burly guards:

“They’re just Yangtze crocodiles—a species that can bite six times in shallow water and still miss every time. Calm down first—they’re still a Class One protected animal in our country.”

When Chen Zhi, bow in hand and brimming with murderous intent, leapt out from the stairwell, the Yangtze crocodiles all wet themselves.

They weren’t pure wild Yangtze crocodiles—they’d escaped from a closed-down breeding farm.

They knew all too well the pain of human retribution; thus, when captured by Yu Xueqing, they never struggled or resisted, even showing faint hope and anticipation—waiting for a meal.

But Chen Zhi was terrifying—she genuinely radiated a deadly aura.

The moment the Yangtze crocodiles saw her, each one flipped onto its back, feigning death.

Now, not even dreaming of scavenging scraps—they feared they’d be served as lunch right then and there.

Hmm. At its peak price, Yangtze crocodile meat sold for four hundred yuan per jin.

Low-fat, low-cholesterol, high-protein—it was ideal meat for fitness enthusiasts, and rich in trace elements that, over time, boosted immunity and blood oxygen capacity.

…………

Chen Zhi stormed into the first-floor lobby and immediately saw Yu Xueqing—and behind her, the group of Yangtze crocodiles lying on their backs, feigning death. Her expression froze; her eyelids visibly twitched.

She spotted a customer with a fox pet standing in front of the guard team, explaining to everyone just how useless the Yangtze crocodile’s hunting abilities were.

In deep water, against fish, shrimp, and crabs, the Yangtze crocodile was indeed an apex predator—its bite force reached hundreds of jin, capable of crushing snails.

But in shallow water and on land, its hunting ability, while not nonexistent, was truly deserving of its title as a Class One protected national waste.

Seeing that the crocodiles inside the Pet Paradise were merely farmed Yangtze crocodiles, Chen Zhi finally exhaled in relief.

Her earlier panic stemmed from a recent overtime shift, when she’d absentmindedly gazed across the Changle River and spotted a dragon-shaped shadow drifting downstream—estimated length six to seven meters.

Saltwater crocodile!

Based on her knowledge, Chen Zhi instantly recognized the shadow lurking in the river as a crocodile.

And one that had grown that large? It must be a saltwater crocodile capable of oceanic migration.

Shortly after seeing that saltwater crocodile, the next evening, security officers arrived to seal off the mountain, claiming three fishermen had drowned in the Changle River near Changping Mountain.

Then came a prolonged lockdown—but neither forest rangers nor security officers ever found the crocodile.

Chen Zhi’s heart sank. During the mountain lockdown and search, she ordered reinforced upgrades to the defenses of Changping Pet Paradise.

The Changping Mountain Pet Hospital was vital to the livelihood of the entire Changping Chen village—it could not fail.

“Stop!”

When Chen Zhi arrived on the scene and realized it was just a farce, her tense expression eased; she sighed in relief and stepped forward to halt the commotion.

“Boss!”

The Chen family hunter security team, seeing Chen Zhi emerge with her hunting bow, froze and called out.

Chen Zhi gave a slight nod, then stepped forward, her gaze locking onto the soft, belly-up crocodiles feigning death—immediately, the crocodiles stiffened as if truly dead, exhibiting perfect rigor mortis.

Chen Zhi’s hands were stained with beast blood; her aura of death was overwhelming—the Yangtze crocodiles were genuinely terrified.

“I’m Chen Zhi, manager of the Pet Paradise. I’m deeply sorry.”

Chen Zhi scanned the crocodiles, watching them all urinate in terror; once the shadow of the saltwater crocodile lifted from her mind, she turned to Yu Xueqing with a sincere apology: “Our staff training was inadequate—we didn’t know anyone kept crocodiles as pets, and we’ve unnecessarily frightened both our guest and the animals.”

“Please come to the second-floor restaurant—Changping Pet Paradise will host two tables to apologize to you.”

“Oh no, no, no need!” Yu Xueqing exclaimed, waving her hands frantically: “And those crocodiles aren’t my pets at all!”

“I found them in the grass—they were all saying they were hungry. I thought they were pets being boarded here, so I…”

Chen Zhi spoke with extreme courtesy, immediately apologizing to Yu Xueqing, then to the animals, and even offered a meal as compensation.

Such a well-executed apology combo left the student Yu Xueqing utterly flustered.

She didn’t feel frightened at all—the security guards may have shouted loudly, but they were just worried about being bitten.

Yu Xueqing had just heard the guards call Chen Zhi “boss.”

It was such a minor thing—now even the Pet Paradise’s owner had come out personally to grovel in apology, leaving Yu Xueqing herself embarrassed and flustered.

“You found them in the grass?”

Chen Zhi’s eyes widened in surprise; her sharp gaze swept over the security team and the front desk receptionist.

The security captain’s heart dropped; sweat immediately broke on his forehead as he muttered an explanation:

“The riverside area should’ve been fully sealed—no one could’ve passed through the electric fence…”

“If they somehow got in, it could only mean… they dug tunnels or walked through the main gate.”

“Boss, rest assured—I’ll check the surveillance right away. This won’t happen again.”

Chen Zhi frowned tightly, but since guests were present, she held back her rebuke—she simply ordered the captain to investigate how this happened.

Installing electric fences along the river was against regulations—Chen Zhi had spent a fortune on them.

If it was an accident, fine.

But if someone was stealing kickbacks from her? Then don’t blame her for not sparing clan ties—she’d summon a clan assembly at the ancestral hall and expel them.

Chen Zhi said nothing, pulling Yu Xueqing and An Sheng up to the second floor to sit.

(End of chapter)