"A ghost! A ghost—!"
A bloodcurdling scream, one that sounded completely inhuman, erupted from Zhang Chenghu’s throat.
With his hands tied behind his back, he acted like a madman, scrambling to his feet and heedlessly charging toward the shadows in a corner of the plaza, his steps staggering and unsteady.
THUD!
He lost his balance and fell heavily, his chin smacking against the concrete ground and drawing blood.
But Zhang Chenghu seed to feel no pain. Like a fish out of water, he kicked his legs frantically against the ground, dragging his body inch by inch toward the corner. A large, dark wet patch rapidly spread across his crotch.
He had wet himself in public again!
After finally reaching the corner, Zhang Chenghu desperately curled into a ball, trembling violently. His eyes were wide with terror as he stared at the empty space before him, letting out incoherent, fear-filled howls.
"Don’t co any closer! Go away! Get away from —!"
"There’s a ghost! How did I get here?"
"Stop haunting !"
"..."
The sudden scene left everyone present stunned.
"Wh-What’s going on?"
"Is his ntal illness acting up again?"
"Wait, why did I say ’again’?"
On the Zoo’s side, many of the managers and employees who had witnessed the conflict a few days prior imdiately rembered how Zhang Chenghu had suddenly gone crazy like this after assaulting Chen Ze. That incident had even been fild, uploaded online, and turned him into a laughingstock.
"Is this the sa illness?" Huang Zhongmu frowned.
"It looks like it, and it seems even more severe this ti," Jiang Kai said, his face a mask of disbelief.
"He’s not faking it, is he? Trying to evade responsibility?" Zhao Dalong voiced his suspicion.
The few cronies who had co with Zhang Chenghu were also dumbfounded, staring at each other in confusion.
"Brother... Brother Hu is actually ntally ill?"
"I’ve never heard that before!"
"No wonder his temper is so explosive sotis, flipping out at the drop of a hat..."
"What do we do now? A ntally ill person isn’t even legally responsible for murder. Does that an we..."
"..."
Yang Qi played along with the crowd, a perfect expression of shock and confusion on his face as if he too were bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
Inside, however, he was laughing. ’Once is a coincidence, but twice... Let’s see if you dare co to the Zoo and cause trouble again.’
He intended to use this inexplicable yet very real "bizarre" event to plant an indelible shadow of fear in Zhang Chenghu’s heart.
When dealing with a scoundrel like this—soone with money and ti, who knew how to exploit legal gray areas, and was as persistent as a stubborn rash—simply overpowering him or punishing him through legal ans wouldn’t be enough to teach him a true lesson.
Only a fear that transcended common sense and struck at the soul could make him feel reverence, or even terror, at the very ntion of the word "Zoo."
And sure enough.
After howling for a while, Zhang Chenghu’s entire body shuddered violently as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him. The madness and terror in his eyes receded like a tide, and clarity returned.
His screams stopped abruptly.
He blankly opened his eyes, looking at the bright, glaring lights around him. He felt the stinging pain on his chin and the cold, sticky sensation in his crotch...
He then looked up at the crowd a short distance away, their faces a mixture of expressions as they pointed and whispered about him.
In an instant, the mories ca rushing back.
’Did I have another "episode" just now?’
’At the Zoo again?’
’Wetting my pants, rolling on the ground, and screaming like a banshee in public again?’
Zhang Chenghu’s face beca a chaotic palette of colors, shifting between sha, confusion, rage, and disbelief.
But this ti, beneath that changing expression, a new and unprecedented fear was quietly born deep in his eyes, quickly spreading through his entire body.
The first ti he had an "episode" at the Zoo, he could still console himself by thinking he had been overly agitated or had accidentally inhaled so kind of hallucinogen. It was a coincidence, an accident.
But this second ti...
It happened again, without any warning, while he was plotting his revenge, his mind completely focused, with absolutely no possibility of having ingested or inhaled anything by mistake! He had once again fallen into that terrifying illusion!
Once is a coincidence. Twice...
And in the exact sa place?
This was no coincidence!
A chill shot up Zhang Chenghu’s spine to the back of his head, making him shiver uncontrollably.
’This Zoo is cursed! Absolutely cursed!’
A terrifying thought rose uncontrollably in his mind. ’Is this place specifically cursed for ? Or is there sothing "unclean" here?’
Zhang Chenghu looked at the Zoo’s silent enclosures, dense trees, and dark paths under the night sky. For the first ti, he felt that this place, so full of life and laughter during the day, was sinister and terrifying at night.
At this thought, all ideas of revenge, saving face, and scheming were thrown to the winds.
Only one thought remained in his mind—
Get out of here imdiately!
The farther away from this cursed place, the better!
"Officer Wang! Officer Wang!"
Zhang Chenghu suddenly lifted his head and shouted at Wang Anjiu, who was nearby. His voice was urgent, almost pleading. "I confess! I’ll confess to everything! I apologize, and I’m willing to pay compensation! Quick, get out of here! Take back to the police station! Hurry!"
This abrupt change in attitude stunned Wang Anjiu, who had been about to walk over and see if he was "playing crazy" again. His brow furrowed even deeper.
"What are you up to now?"
Wang Anjiu walked over, eyeing him warily. "Don’t think you can play crazy, then suddenly ’co to your senses’ and confess to escape punishnt or pull so other trick!"
"No! No! Officer Wang, I’m not trying to escape, and it’s not a trick."
Zhang Chenghu shook his head repeatedly. At a nod from Wang Anjiu, a security guard helped him to his feet.
Ignoring his disheveled state, he faced Huang Zhongmu and Chen Ze and bowed his head deeply, his tone so "sincere" it was almost frantic.
"Director Huang, I’m sorry! I was wrong!"
"I shouldn’t have co to damage the Zoo’s property and environnt because of a personal grudge."
"And to the security guard over there, I sincerely apologize! I was in the wrong last ti, and I was possessed this ti. For all the damage caused—the lock, the cleanup, and any other potential impact—I will take full responsibility and pay double the compensation!"
"I just beg... I just beg you to give a chance to turn over a new leaf, and please let Officer Wang take away and deal with this now!"
He rattled off this speech, his admission of guilt ridiculously earnest and his willingness to compensate incredibly strong. He was like a completely different person from the arrogant, sneering Zhang Chenghu of a few minutes ago who was trying to exploit legal loopholes.
"What’s going on?"
"Did the sun rise in the west?"
Everyone at the scene, from Huang Zhongmu and Jiang Kai to the regular security guards, including Chen Ze himself, frowned in utter confusion.
The change was too fast, too abrupt, too illogical!
Just a mont ago he had a "what can you do to " attitude. How could he suddenly be breaking down in tears and sincerely admitting his faults?
Was it just because his "episode" scared him into wetting his pants?
His ntal fortitude was that weak?
Even the cronies Zhang Chenghu had brought with him were completely baffled, whispering among themselves.
"What kind of act is Brother Hu putting on?"
"Did he really back down? That’s not his style..."
"Wait!"
One of the sharper ones suddenly thought of a possibility and lowered his voice. "You guys think... if Brother Hu really is ntally ill, does that an he wouldn’t be held criminally responsible for his actions just now? He might even avoid punishnt altogether?"
The others were stunned for a mont, then it dawned on them, but they quickly realized sothing was wrong.
"Avoid punishnt? You’re dreaming. Even if he’s diagnosed as ntally ill and avoids criminal charges, soone like Brother Hu, with his violent tendencies and history of causing trouble, would most likely be committed to a psychiatric hospital for mandatory treatnt!"
A psychiatric hospital?!
The n all shivered at the sa ti.
Compared to a detention center or even prison, a place where you lose your freedom, get treated like a lunatic, and might have to undergo all sorts of treatnts was obviously far more terrifying to them.
’What a genius!’
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