Ch. Midnight Zoo 8 Midnight Zoo 8

I was assigned the tiger, the monkey, and a gorilla. 

I used the special feed I’d been rewarded with to give them all an extra treat. Maybe the tiger had put in a good word for me, because the gorilla 

didn’t give me any trouble. It just sat by a small stream, looking glum as it scrubbed a tiny piece of clothing. 

“Those players last night got my clothes all dirty,” it grumbled. “So annoying. It won’t come clean. And someone stole my washboard.” 

Chapter 2 

16:47 

I guiltily added an extra scoop of feed to its bowl, my hand steady. “Uh… need any detergent?” I asked quietly. “I’ve got plenty.” 

The gorilla looked up, picked its nose, and held out a massive hand. 

I finished feeding the first two without incident and was on my way to the monkey enclosure when Marcus stopped me. 

“Let’s trade animals today,” he said with a strange smile. “I’ll feed the monkey for you, you feed the black bear for me. It won’t be for nothing. I’ll 

even get your lunch from the cafeteria for you.” 

I thought about it for a moment and nodded. He gave another cryptic smile and walked away. 

I followed his directions to the black bear’s enclosure. A bizarre, putrid smell hit me from yards away. The living conditions were atrocious. The 

bear had its back to me, its head down, munching on something that looked disturbingly like a white, mushy brain. 

Marcus opened the cage door and gestured for me to go inside. The moment I stepped in, ready to ask him for the feed bucket, he slammed the 

door shut and locked it. He dangled the key in front of the bars, a cold sneer on his face. 

“Idiots don’t deserve to survive in these instances,” he said. “Have fun getting your brain eaten.” 

Then he was gone. 

He was trying to kill me. That was the first time I had truly registered the malice. But if we traded animals, and I successfully fed the bear, wouldn’t he be the one punished? Was he not afraid of that? 

Before I could even turn around, I felt a massive shadow fall over me. Its body blocked out the sun. I heard the drip of saliva hitting the ground by my feet. 

“Hehehe, brains,” a deep voice rumbled. “My favorite. You didn’t bring my food… so you’ll be my food!” 

་ 

It let out a dopey laugh, but in the next second, I spun around and slapped my hand onto its thick, matted fur. 

“Eat, eat, eat, is that all you think about?” I scolded. “Look at the fat on you! You’re a black bear, a d 

dignified black bear, and you’ve gotten so round you look like a propane tank! You definitely have a fatty liver! That’s it! I’m officially putting you on a diet.” 

I could see a flicker of embarrassment on the bear’s dark face. It looked down at its own body. “No… I think my physique is… perfect.” 

“Perfect? It’s all fat! You’ve obviously been eating way too much greasy food!” 

The bear looked puzzled. “So… what do I do? Do I need to lose weight?” 

“Of course you do.” 

i spent the next twenty minutes giving the bear a crash course in healthy weight–loss strategies. It nodded along like a bobblehead, then respectf- ully tore the iron door off its hinges to let me out. 

“Okay, okay, ma’am! I’ll start your diet plan tomorrow!” 

I wiped a bead of sweat from my brow as I left the enclosure. The other players weren’t having such an easy time. They had more injuries than the day before and looked completely exhausted. The middle–aged man was gone. Marcus, however, was standing off to the side, casually wiping blood from his hands, looking completely unconcerned about any potential punishment. 

A system notification chimed. 

[Current number of survivors: 4.] 

Just then, Elias appeared again. “After a day of bonding, I’m sure you’ve all formed a certain connection with your animals. In six days, the zoo will officially open to the public. Each of you will be required to perform a talent show with the animals under your care.” 

Leo, the programmer, was panting, his face even paler than before. “I knew this was an SSS–rank instance. I thought we just had to survive the animals‘ attacks, but now they’re adding new challenges… and we didn’t find a single item last night.” 

Mia was also worried. “I was assigned the birds. They aren’t as aggressive, so I can manage. But a performance? With all the animals together? What are we supposed to do?” 

One of the others snapped. “No way! I’m not doing it! I’m in charge of the alligator! The alligator! It could bite my leg off in one chomp!” 

I never received a notification about Marcus being punished. He entered the dorms that night without a problem. 

For the next few days we all just tried to survive 

Chapter 2 

Tevereleived a nounication about ivarcus veiny punisticu. The city he quite that my wILICUL PIVDICITI. 

16:47 

For the next few days, we all just tried to survive our feeding duties. No one else disappeared. The others went out every night searching for ite- ms, but they always came back empty–handed and more battered than before.