Chapter 201: Chapter 151: A Display of God-Startling Might, Brother Hu Wants Revenge
Zhao Dalong listened. Although he felt something was off, seeing the injuries on Chen Ze’s face and hearing what the bystanders were saying, it was clear that tending to the injured was the top priority.
He quickly said, "Forget everything else for now. Xiaochen, those injuries look serious. You need to get to the infirmary and have them treated right away."
"If you ask me, we should just call the police!"
Hu Haodong, who had arrived with Zhao Dalong, couldn’t help but say angrily as he looked at Chen Ze’s swollen eye and split lip, "Beating someone up at the Zoo in broad daylight, and so viciously at that! We can’t just let this slide!"
At these words, Zhao Dalong’s expression shifted slightly.
While calling the police would hold the assailant accountable, the subsequent reports, investigation, and potential media attention would be a headache for the Zoo’s reputation and management.
He opened his mouth, just about to speak...
"No need for the police. It’s just a minor injury."
Chen Ze raised a hand and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve, his voice muffled as he replied.
If he didn’t call the police, he was the victim, and he would get credit for it; a reward from the zoo was guaranteed.
But the deeper reason was the humiliation simmering in his chest, threatening to erupt—
’To think I was taken down in just a few hits without being able to fight back!’
’This is an utter disgrace.’
He hated himself for slacking on his training after leaving the military, for letting his skills degrade so much.
He couldn’t swallow this insult, but he had no desire to resolve it through "official" channels like calling the police. That would only make him look more incompetent.
He would remember this humiliation.
Yang Qi glanced at Chen Ze, reading something in his clenched fists and the suppressed fury in his eyes.
"First, get your injuries treated," Yang Qi said.
Seeing this, Hu Haodong didn’t press the issue and kept his mouth shut.
Just as the group was about to leave, the female tourist—the one who had been shoved to the ground by Zhang Chenghu, the red mark of a slap still visible on her cheek—was helped to her feet by the people around her.
Her eyes were rimmed with red and her hair was a mess. She walked over to Chen Ze, her voice choked with sobs as she thanked and apologized at the same time. "Th-thank you for helping me... I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry. This is all my fault..."
"I thought because he was so tall and broad, I’d be safe with him... Who knew he would..."
She couldn’t finish before fresh tears started to fall, clearly filled with regret and lingering fear.
"It’s fine. This has nothing to do with you."
Chen Ze waved a dismissive hand, his tone flat and distant. "Just be a better judge of character next time."
With that, he strode off in the direction of the infirmary.
The female tourist watched his retreating back, covering her face and starting to sob quietly.
...
「On the other side.」
In a secluded corner of the Zoo where a few gardening tools were piled, Zhang Chenghu, who was curled up on the ground, suddenly jolted.
As if surfacing from deep, suffocating water, a BUZZ went through his head, and the hallucinations receded like the tide.
His shrill screams came to a sudden halt.
Zhang Chenghu’s movements froze. The terror and confusion in his eyes slowly gave way to clarity.
He stared blankly at his filthy hands, then at his scraped and bleeding elbows and knees. Looking down, he saw a dark, wet patch on his crotch, a stain of dirt and... something else. The sharp stench of piss flooded his nostrils.
The memories flooded back in, like a tape rewinding at high speed.
Attacking the guard... and then...
Ghosts! Ghosts were everywhere! Green-faced, long-fanged monsters!
Fleeing for his life... falling... wetting himself... more monsters... screaming...
In the span of a few short minutes, every single one of his pathetic, disgraceful actions replayed in his mind, frame by frame, like a high-definition slideshow.
BOOM!
A rush of hot blood surged to his head. Zhang Chenghu’s face instantly flushed crimson, then turned ashen with a mixture of extreme shame, indignation, and disbelief.
Confusion, humiliation, rage... A cauldron of emotions boiled over, twisting his features.
Just then, he heard voices.
"Huh? Why’d he stop screaming?"
"Haha, show’s over? It’s not every day you get to see a crazy person have a meltdown at the zoo. Pretty thrilling."
"Scream some more! I haven’t gotten enough footage for my video. I even have the title ready: ’Psycho Goes Wild at the Zoo, Pisses Pants on the Run’!"
"Tsk, tsk. Look at his pants... Man, that’s ripe."
"..."
Zhang Chenghu stiffly turned his neck. About ten meters away, a crowd of tourists had gathered. Many were holding up their phones, pointing, filming, and taking pictures. Their faces were a mixture of mockery, derision, and undisguised disgust—the classic look of gawking spectators.
Two Zoo security guards stood a bit closer, holding back the tourists while watching him warily, rubber batons in hand.
One of the younger guards noticed that the clarity seemed to have returned to Zhang Chenghu’s eyes. He hesitated for a moment, then took half a step forward and asked gently, trying to keep his tone calm.
"Sir, are... are you okay? Do you need any help?"
This question was the last straw, completely shattering the crumbling dam of Zhang Chenghu’s sanity.
"RAAAGH!!!"
Zhang Chenghu let out a guttural, beast-like roar—not of fear, but of the explosive rage that comes from absolute humiliation.
He shot up from the ground, ignoring the pain and the filth covering him. Like a bull, thoroughly enraged and utterly mortified, he lowered his head and charged headlong in the direction where the crowd was thinnest.
"Whoa!"
"Get out of the way! Quick!"
"He’s crazy!"
Zhang Chenghu nearly bowled over two tourists who couldn’t dodge in time. Amid a cacophony of gasps and curses, he fled in a desperate, humiliating scramble, never looking back.
He tore across the path, sprinted over the lawn, and charged like a madman toward the Zoo’s main entrance.
...
...
After leaving the scene of the conflict, Yang Qi went with Chen Ze to the Zoo’s infirmary.
The doctor on duty examined the injuries on Chen Ze’s face. Fortunately, they were all superficial; no bones were broken.
