Ch. Midnight Zoo 7 Midnight Zoo 7

7 

I couldn’t see. A tall, slender figure was approaching, a flashlight beam cutting through the darkness. It was Elias, the warden. He was still in his 

white shirt from the daytime, his posture impeccable. 

gave a little whistle. “Warden… you’ve still got it, you know that?” 

He faltered for a second, then composed himself, his face an icy mask as he arrived at my window. “You are not to communicate privately with 

the animals.” 

“But how am I supposed to build a good relationship with them if I can’t talk to them? The manual says you have to treat them like your own child- 

ren to take good care of them!” 

Elias’s narrow, phoenix–like eyes squinted slightly. “Interesting. I hope you don’t die too soon. I’m looking forward to seeing what else you do.” 

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” 

Not long after he left, the other players returned to the dorm. They were covered in new wounds. Even the prim and proper Marcus was gasping for air, looking like they had all been through a brutal chase. 

The middle–aged man cursed loudly. “I searched the entire raptor enclosure and found nothing! Not a single item! And the damn things just kept 

attacking me!” 

“I checked the aviary. Same story. Nothing. Was the warden lying to us? Were there no items tonight?” the student, Mia, sighed. 

Leo, the programmer, spoke up. “The quest–giving NPC usually doesn’t lie. It’s possible for one person to find nothing, but for all of us to come up empty… could it be that the items are just extremely rare, and someone did find them but isn’t telling?” 

All eyes turned to Marcus 

He scowled at the accusation. “You think I’m hiding something? Fine. If I am, I hope I die a horrible death in this instance.” 

With that oath, the others backed down. But Marcus’s gaze shifted to me. “What about her?” he said softly. “The only item we’ve seen tonight was 

that axe from the monkey.” 

The room fell silent. 

I rolled over, turning my back to them, my heart pounding with guilt. The monkey stole every single item and gave them to me? And the other players found nothing? 

8 

I didn’t sleep a wink. 

Morning came on the second day. After last night’s losses, only five of us remained. With fewer keepers, our workloads increased. After breakfast, Elias announced that each of us would now be responsible for feeding three animals. 

I was