Duan Jiaze didn't introduce Huang Qi to the others on the first night. He first made a serious announcement about the matter—an outsider had moved in.

Moreover, he had considered that as the zoo expanded in the future, this kind of thing might happen more frequently, with more ordinary people staying here at night.

So, first of all, everyone must pay attention. When it's time to get off work, those who should place a substitute in their exhibit must do so.

"So, everyone must be serious about discipline. You can't be so casual at night anymore..." Duan Jiaze said with a stern face. "Um, Sister Bai, tuck your tail away."

Bai Suzhen was lying on the sofa with a face mask on, a gift from Xiao Su. Perhaps she was too comfortable, as her lower body had turned into a snake tail, with one half on the sofa and the other half dangling to the floor.

Speaking of which, among these few people, the two snakes were the most casual.

The first time Duan Jiaze saw Bai Suzhen in her half-human, half-snake form, he nearly went mad with fright. That snake tail was incomparably larger than when she was posing as a blizzard python in the zoo, and the half-human, half-snake appearance was just too bizarre.

'Sister Bai might have had to steal another immortal herb.'

Luya's cultivation was the most profound, and he wouldn't reveal the slightest flaw. At this moment, he said disdainfully, "I have no interest in revealing my third leg at the drop of a hat."

Duan Jiaze whispered, "Nonsense, I don't either."

As for Yousu, although she was also a bit lazy and not strict about concealing her demonic aura, she kept her tail tucked away very well. Perhaps she learned her lesson back in the Shang Dynasty.

Only after seeing Bai Suzhen put her tail away did Duan Jiaze say, "To prevent causing a disturbance in the Human Realm, I hope you can all restrain yourselves a little and not frighten ordinary citizens."

Seeing that everyone, including Luya, had nodded obediently, Duan Jiaze was finally relieved.

"Also, I would now like to propose a principle," Duan Jiaze said, holding up a finger. "And that is, if it can be solved with dogs, we absolutely will not use birds, foxes, or snakes."

Everyone: "..."

'What the hell does that mean?' The bird, the fox, and the snakes were less than impressed.

"Woof." The four little mongrels were lying on the floor, crunch-crunching on their dog food.

Hu Dawei only gave them a portion of meat, so they ate a mix of meat and dog food. As if hearing they were being talked about, they lifted their heads, their watery big eyes sparkling and charming.

Everyone looked doubtfully at the four dogs. The largest among them was currently only about the size of two adult men's palms.

'Isn't this gap a bit too big? Sending out the little mongrels first, what could they possibly handle?'

"...They'll grow up," Duan Jiaze said, sweating a little as he explained. "I mean, in the future, if anyone tries to cause trouble for Lingyou Zoo, including petty thieves, if we can sic the dogs on them, we shouldn't use magic. This is also a rational use of resources."

What he said wasn't wrong. Why would they be needed for something the dogs could handle?

It was just that Luya thought about it for a while before nodding in agreement. It was unclear what he was pondering.

This merciful principle later saved many people. It added a line of defense before super-lethal weapons like Luya, Yousu, Bai Suzhen, and Xiao Qing were deployed.

Before you came to Lingyou Zoo to court death, you had one last chance.

It's just that the death-courting individuals would have a mental breakdown, as the beings they faced would jump directly from mongrel dogs to the Three-legged Golden Crow.

......

Duan Jiaze studied Huang Qi's resume. It indeed matched what he said and his real life, so there was nothing to object to. Thus, they signed the labor contract.

"The position here that might suit you best is probably this tourism marketing administrator, responsible for tourism management and event planning," Duan Jiaze said, looking at his phone.

Huang Qi glanced at Duan Jiaze's phone and saw it was on a recruitment website. He couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. A flash of insight struck him, and he asked, "Don't tell me you don't know what positions a zoo should have?"

Duan Jiaze: "..."

Duan Jiaze: "...O-of course not!"

...He really hadn't known before. He only found out after dealing with other zoos, but he couldn't immediately memorize the duties and requirements of every position, so he had searched online for the recruitment requirements of other zoos.

Huang Qi looked at Duan Jiaze with suspicion.

In fact, he had learned about Lingyou Zoo from Duan Jiaze and discovered that although the equipment was advanced, the place was like a makeshift troupe—very unprofessional. From top to bottom, there wasn't a single professional.

Among the keepers, one had been a security guard, another had studied environmental engineering, even the Zoo Director had studied environmental engineering, and the accountant was a Chinese literature major.

As for the night shift employee, he hadn't even gone to school, and many positions were vacant.

It was probably because the Zoo Director was willing to spend money, had strong connections, and the location was good that they had managed to achieve this level of success, with quite a lot of visitors.

After Huang Qi resigned from his original job, many people had tried to get him to stay, and other companies had also made inquiries. When they heard that Huang Qi had run off to a zoo, they couldn't believe their ears.

Every industry has a different ceiling. Working at a zoo, what level could one even reach at the very top?

...And that was without them knowing Huang Qi had paid his own way in. Otherwise, they would have gone crazy.

......

Duan Jiaze casually took Huang Qi to meet the other employees. Of the official staff, only Hu Dawei was absent, but he told Huang Qi about this person's existence and that Hu Dawei would be in charge of procuring feed—of course, this was just a facade.

After washing up, changing his clothes, and shaving his beard, Huang Qi looked much fresher all of a sudden, almost to the point that Xu Chenggong and Liu Bin didn't recognize him.

The two of them had already gossiped about Huang Qi with the others, so now everyone was looking at this legendary figure.

'Is this the elite who, for the sake of an arctic fox, was willing to give up a million-yuan annual salary and pay his own way to come work at a zoo?'

Huang Qi said very modestly, "I'm also new to this industry. Everyone here is my senior. The capable come first. I hope you'll all guide me in the days to come."

He had the highest education level of anyone present, and his previous achievements were also the highest, so the others couldn't help but feel something akin to being overwhelmed by favor.

'How could such an outstanding person be so irrational? Or is it that after reaching his level, their pursuits are different from ours?'

Huang Qi's work involved a lot of interaction with Xiao Su, because Xiao Su was also in charge of publicity.

Through chatting with Duan Jiaze and Xiao Su, Huang Qi discovered that the management here was not just ordinarily chaotic. Due to the small number of staff, responsibilities were unclear, the books were messy, and funds came from two sources. However, this was a private zoo, after all. If the boss insisted on doing things this way, there was nothing you could do.

But none of this was important to Huang Qi. With his social experience, even though he had never been in the zoo industry, he was more than capable of handling the current situation.

Next, Huang Qi learned about the zoo's origins from the other employees. He also found out that the Zoo Director was ambitious, having contracted the adjacent land to expand its scale. Lingyou Zoo was sure to get bigger and bigger in the future.

This point could be confirmed as true, judging from how well Duan Jiaze had upgraded the equipment.

Huang Qi thought that since he was here and the Zoo Director was a young man with dreams, if he had the chance, he wouldn't mind using his old connections to bring some collaborations to his current workplace. In any case, from an objective standpoint, the Zoo Director, as the manager here, had saved his life.

......

Huang Qi's position had no urgent tasks for the time being. Moreover, he was still familiarizing himself with the situation. His first day could be described as very relaxed, helping his colleagues here and there and getting to know the zoo.

Everyone looked at Huang Qi as if he were one of those sweeping monks from the Shaolin Temple.

When it was time for dinner, Duan Jiaze introduced Huang Qi to Luya and the others, who were supposedly his friend's family.

Huang Qi had seen plenty of good-looking people, but this family still made his eyes light up.

At the dinner table, while chatting with them, Huang Qi also secretly made some inquiries. Just like his conversations with his colleagues during the day, besides learning about the workplace, his aim was to probe for the key to why he could be safe and sound here.

Huang Qi knew that there were many atheists, just like his former self. He had already been treated like a lunatic and didn't dare to proclaim his situation, fearing he would be kicked out before he could find the reason. After being allowed to stay, he began to investigate.

Unfortunately, he found nothing. Huang Qi was ignorant in this area, but the more he observed, the more he felt that the animals here were exceptionally intelligent. His current guess was that this place might be a feng shui treasure land, or that some spiritual object was buried here.

Huang Qi had never once considered the people. After all, he had behaved so abnormally, yet he didn't feel there was anything terrifying here. In his heart, the most terrifying thing was that vengeful spirit. This place was its opposite, so logically, it must be on the side of justice.

He had completely ignored the fact that what makes evil afraid isn't just justice, but also something even more evil...

After dinner, Luya buried his head in his game, while Duan Jiaze played Fight the Landlord with Bai Suzhen and Xiao Qing.

Yousu sat on a small stool watching the sunset. Huang Qi squatted down next to her and handed her a lollipop.

Yousu took the lollipop and said sweetly, "Thank you, big brother."

Huang Qi sat down on the ground, enjoying the afterglow of the sunset. This had been his most relaxing day in months.

Yousu, with the lollipop in her mouth, mumbled, "Big brother, did you really come to Lingyou Zoo for the arctic fox?"

"Sweeping Monk" Huang Qi revealed a world-weary expression. Looking at this child who understood nothing, he gave a bitter laugh. "Of course not. I have my difficulties. But if I said that this is the only place I don't have nightmares, how many people would believe me?"

Yousu: 0.0

Huang Qi sighed, "I can only tell the truth to a child..."

Yousu: =.=

......

The next day, while helping out in the zoo, Huang Qi saw Shao Wuxing, who had come to deliver the account books. He was startled. 'There's a Daoist priest here?'

Huang Qi quickly asked Xiao Su why the man was here. Xiao Su casually handed him a combo ticket to look at. "He's our partner. Do you know Linshui Temple? He's the office director there. We sell combo tickets together." Xiao Su said in a low voice, "I heard it's because the Zoo Director helped him out."

When Huang Qi was seeking all sorts of cures for his ailment, he had also considered Linshui Temple. But as mentioned before, in the minds of laymen, Linshui Temple was more famous as a historical site, and some felt they were just charlatans. Huang Qi knew of the place but hadn't considered it. Now, he had unexpectedly encountered it again.

A thought flashed through Huang Qi's mind. 'Could this be the reason why Lingyou Zoo can ward off evil? The Zoo Director helped the Daoist priest, and the priest, to repay the favor, agreed to sell combo tickets. Maybe he even placed some talismans or magical artifacts here, and no one else knows about it? That makes sense!'

Huang Qi immediately rushed out and caught up to Shao Wuxing. "Daoist priest, Daoist priest!"

Shao Wuxing had just seen him and knew he was a new employee. He stopped with a good attitude. "What is it? Is there a problem?"

"No, Daoist priest," Huang Qi excitedly told Shao Wuxing about his situation. "Can you help me? As soon as I go outside, I get pestered."

When Shao Wuxing heard that he had given the Zoo Director 120,000 yuan to stay here, he broke into a sweat. 'You can stay here and receive Layman Lu's protection for 120,000, what are you asking me for?'

Duan Jiaze had already accepted the money, and Huang Qi was now an employee of Lingyou Zoo. How could Shao Wuxing dare to interfere?

'Even though this could be considered snatching business, Shao Wuxing wouldn't dare to object!'

Besides, this man claimed a vengeful spirit was waiting outside, but Shao Wuxing couldn't feel a thing. Either it had already dispersed, or it was far beyond his capabilities. After all, according to Huang Qi, that spirit could cause trouble even during the day.

Shao Wuxing also meant well and said sincerely, "Sir, I think you should just stay here. I can't necessarily guarantee your safety, but this place can!"

Huang Qi was stunned.

Shao Wuxing nodded, turned, and left. Halfway, he turned back and said hesitantly, "I didn't say anything!"

This was clearly a hint that a great master was in hiding and didn't want to be revealed.

Facing his back, Huang Qi was in a daze, pondering his words. Combining them with what Xiao Su had said, he came up with a bold conjecture—this is why they say smart people tend to overthink.

Huang Qi pondered. 'Could it be that the real master is the young Director Duan? That's why Xiao Su said he had helped Shao Wuxing. Perhaps it wasn't with worldly matters, but in a professional capacity, which is also why Shao Wuxing said those words.'

'The Zoo Director is the real sweeping monk!'

......

"Huang Qi, what are you doing?" Duan Jiaze happened to pass by and, seeing Huang Qi's dazed look, asked casually.

Huang Qi shuddered and came to his senses. He looked at Duan Jiaze with some awe. Thinking about how he had repeatedly refused him yesterday and only reluctantly agreed in the end, the implications were terrifying! It was highly likely that protecting him was no small matter for the Zoo Director!

At this moment, Huang Qi was filled with solemn respect, as if he had suddenly found a clear purpose. "Zoo Director."

Duan Jiaze looked at Huang Qi calling him so respectfully, with a tone similar to Hu Dawei's, and got goosebumps. He was several years younger than Huang Qi. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Huang Qi said earnestly. "As Lingyou Zoo's tourism marketing administrator, and a part of Lingyou Zoo, I was just thinking about whether I could make a contribution to Lingyou's development."

Duan Jiaze was interested in this; it was linked to his own life. So he said, "How so?"

Huang Qi said, "I think that if we want to become bigger and stronger, to become a national-level zoo, we need to greatly increase our fame. A good way to do that is to invite some film crews here to shoot TV dramas and commercials. In the long run, it will increase our nationwide fame, and in the short term, it can also attract more local citizens..."

Duan Jiaze said hesitantly, "So, you're saying you have connections?"

Huang Qi: "When I was at my previous job, I did get to know some friends in the film, television, and advertising industries."

If he didn't have connections, would he have dared to bring this up with Duan Jiaze?

This idea wasn't hard to come up with. Anyone would know the benefits of appearing in films and commercials, but not everyone has the connections or the face for it. Just having money isn't enough.

Duan Jiaze was going crazy with joy.

'Which living deity sent Huang Qi here? Not only did he pay his own wages, but he's also finding connections for us. This must be a cheat plug-in from the System, right?'

Duan Jiaze patted Huang Qi. "Brother, I know you're not short on money, but if this really works out, I don't know how I'll ever thank you."

Huang Qi quickly said, "Zoo Director, please don't say that. I should be the one thanking you for being willing to let me stay!"

'Even the expert from that famous Daoist temple wasn't confident he could save his life, yet the Zoo Director, after some consideration, resolutely let him stay. What noble character!'

"Don't say that," Duan Jiaze said, waving his hand.

'He's right,' he thought. As soon as Huang Qi said it, he remembered that he also had Yousu to thank. This was Yousu's fan.

'He begged to stay for Yousu's sake and has been such a great help. His finding connections now isn't also mainly to make Yousu famous, is it... I'll have to talk to Yousu about this later.'

'Putting other things aside, first, I'll reward him with fifty arctic fox handshake coupons (no such thing exists!)...'

......

Duan Jiaze checked the accounts with Xiao Su. Because of the mission, he had to check the books almost every few days. He watched as the total drew closer and closer to the 300,000 mission goal.

At this rate, the deadline was in a little over a week, and it should be completed without a problem.

Duan Jiaze was delighted, calculating that once the reward was issued, he could build a big house. The conditions in the little white building were truly crude, with a heavy sense of age and roughly painted walls.

In a great mood, Duan Jiaze ran to talk to Yousu again. "That little fan of yours is going to be a huge help to us. When you're on duty, try to interact with him a bit more. We don't have much else to thank him with."

Yousu was eating snacks, munching as she spoke. "Crunch crunch... a fake fan. He was being pestered by a vengeful spirit, that's why he ran here... crunch crunch."

Yousu had been confused too, but who asked that human to come and pour his heart out to her?

Hearing the truth so suddenly, Duan Jiaze was scared to death. "A ghost? How did I not know there was a ghost?? Did the ghost get in?"

"Zoo Director, with the Daoist Lord here, how could any yin creature dare to enter? You can have the Daoist Lord just burn it later," Yousu said nonchalantly. "He thinks this place is a Daoist temple. You can spend that 120,000 without any burden, consider it money to buy his life."

Duan Jiaze's expression was a bit complicated after hearing this. He suddenly thought, 'When it comes to taking money to solve problems, monsters and Daoist priests are the same.'

Duan Jiaze hadn't been out in society for very long, after all. Although the monsters had always taught him to be a bit more black-bellied, he couldn't change so quickly and still felt a bit embarrassed.

But Yousu already knew and definitely wouldn't be willing to suffer a loss, just like when she threatened Linshui Temple.

So Duan Jiaze mulled over his words for a long time, then went to find Huang Qi. Acting superstitious, he subtly mentioned that there was a particularly efficacious Daoist temple in the area.

Moreover, he had invited a Daoist priest to take a look, and the priest felt the zoo's feng shui was very good, with nothing unclean around. If anyone was interested, he would introduce them to have a ritual performed.

Then he changed the subject and asked Huang Qi if he really wouldn't regret working here. Didn't he want to go back? But if he really left, the 120,000 wouldn't be refunded.

To Huang Qi's ears, this was the Zoo Director implying that the vengeful spirit had been dispelled, and he was free to go.

At first, Huang Qi was ecstatic and eagerly ran back to pack his bags. But as he packed, he began to think more and more. After a thousand thoughts raced through his mind, he calmed down and went back to find Duan Jiaze.

"Zoo Director, since I've already signed the contract, I should at least stay for the full year."

Duan Jiaze looked at Huang Qi in surprise. "Really no regrets? If you go back now, you should still be able to get your old position back."

"This place is pretty good," Huang Qi said with a smile. "I should also settle down and reflect for a bit."

The impact of this incident on Huang Qi was too great. His worldview had been overturned, and he had walked on the edge of life and death.

Thinking about it carefully, Huang Qi felt that it wasn't easy to be alive. Why rush back immediately to continue working himself to death? With endless overtime every day, his hair was about to fall out. It was time to take a break; life was truly too precious.

Donghai City had beautiful mountains and clear waters, the air on Cape Mountain was fresh, and he was in the company of spiritual animals. There was nothing wrong with staying here for a while. These past two days had been so relaxed and leisurely, making him feel a comfort he hadn't experienced in a long time.

In the past, Huang Qi had worked desperately, trading his life for money, and had even seen examples of colleagues dying from overwork, but none of it had made him slow down. This experience, however, truly had a huge impact on Huang Qi.

Moreover, Huang Qi also felt that if he was going to repay a favor, he should do it thoroughly. At the very least, he would implement the film and advertising projects here and leave after seeing some results.

Duan Jiaze was baffled. 'Is the thinking of rich people really different from ours?'

He had been feeling embarrassed about it, but the guy still wanted to stay and work. 'Is he really staying because of the vengeful spirit? Or has he just fallen in love with the arctic fox?'

How could Huang Qi know what Duan Jiaze was thinking? He felt that after making this decision, his mindset had been elevated, giving him a sense of transcendence.

After dinner, Huang Qi once again handed a lollipop to Yousu and sat next to her, treating the little girl like a secret-keeper. He said with an air of serene detachment, "I begged so many people, and now that I'm truly free, I've chosen to stay. Perhaps facing life and death really does change a person..."

Yousu: 0.0

Huang Qi smiled slightly and patted Yousu's head. "You'll understand when you grow up."

Yousu: =.=