CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 400 SOURNESS

On a Saturday morning, at Yin City Zoo.

Li Ang, his face the very picture of laziness, rode slowly along the road, one hand on the handlebars of his bicycle and the other tapping on his phone.

"Over here!"

Wang Congshan’s voice rang out. Li Ang looked up to see the Class President, dressed in a beige sweater and a floral skirt, standing not far ahead and waving at him.

Li Ang pedaled over and came to a slow stop. "Have you been waiting long?"

"I just got here. My cousin dropped me off."

Wang Congshan surveyed Li Ang from head to toe. He was dressed in a long black coat, a white turtleneck sweater, jeans, and white sneakers. She smiled and said, "How come you seem to have gotten so much better at dressing than before? In the past, you always wore that hideously ugly solid-color down jacket in winter, paired with those same old blue jeans you wore forever. What’s with the wardrobe change today? Spill it! Have you got an online girlfriend giving you fashion advice?!"

"Huh?"

Li Ang scratched his head. "I’m not some anime protagonist who wears the same outfit from start to finish. Guys change a lot as they grow up. It’s normal to suddenly get handsome, right?"

The Class President tilted her head, thinking it over. Convinced that Li Ang’s personality wouldn’t align with online dating, she patted his shoulder in relief. "Not bad, young man. Keep it up."

TSK, TSK, TSK.

The sour clicking of Miss Chai’s tongue echoed within Li Ang. He chose to ignore it.

The outfit he wore today had actually been arranged by Chai Cuiqiao after she heard he had a date. She had also insisted, almost to the point of harassment, that Li Ang take her out with him. "I’m a demoness, all alone at home and scared," she’d claimed. "I keep feeling like there’s something unclean around!"

Hmm... Even though he didn’t understand what this demoness, who had become quite the good-for-nothing, was afraid of, Li Ang still decided to take her out. He’d just treat it as taking her out for a stroll.

After the Class President praised Li Ang for his newfound fashion sense, she rubbed her hands together and pulled him along to scan their electronic tickets through the zoo’s entrance.

Yin City’s winter this year was colder than ever before, but given it was the weekend, the zoo was bustling with visitors—some with their lovers, some with family in tow, and some in tour groups. It was quite lively.

Li Ang strolled leisurely with Wang Congshan, idly asking, "Why did you think of going to the zoo? Weren’t the ’Filled with Youthful Pink! Prime Date Spots for Boys and Girls’ and ’One Hundred Essential Dating Tricks’ files I sent you yesterday scientific enough?"

"Those two files were obviously made up by you, weren’t they?" Wang Congshan rolled her eyes. "Who in their right mind would go on a date to a funeral home to experience Yin City’s new electronic funeral culture?"

"That place has started using recyclable electronic wreaths recently, with long LCD screens displaying scrolling captions in the middle of the wreaths, and they even provide automatic suona accompaniment! It couldn’t be more cyberpunk; totally suitable for online couples meeting up and dating."

Wang Congshan chose to ignore that, continuing her critique, "And what’s with winter swimming at Moon Bay in that dating tricks document? Who on earth would go winter swimming in Huangsu Lake during a date?"

Li Ang deadpanned, "Winter swimming can toughen the spirit and help maintain good health. Zu Erjin, the renowned modern chief of the Trolls of the Amani tribe, loves to winter swim and eat a vegetarian diet to toughen his mind and body."

"What on earth is that from?!"

Wang Congshan, taking it all in stride, continued her barrage of witty complaints all the way.

Yin City Zoo, formerly known as Western Suburb Park, held many memories for the people of Yin City and is the second-largest city zoo in the East. The zoo grounds covered an extensive area. It boasted lush, shady trees, a tranquil environment, and a great number of attractions.

Between their playful banter and laughter, Li Ang and Wang Congshan visited many ecological gardens. They also took a tour through the science education hall, the Goldfish Gallery, and the butterfly pavilion. They even took a ride on the Ferris wheel, enjoying the panoramic view of the entire zoo from above.

During this process, Li Ang had one of his usual fits of craziness, pressing himself against the glass of the reptile enclosure and hissing "Sss-haa, sss-haa" at a large yellow python inside for a while. Then, with deep affection, he said to the python, "Xiao Huang, do you still remember me? I’m an adult now. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely find a way to get you out."

This act frightened a group of couples nearby. Before Li Ang had a chance to explain that this was a special ability called "Snake Dude Accent" that allowed him to talk to snakes, he was dragged away by Wang Congshan.

The two roamed around from morning until two in the afternoon. Exhausted, they finally stopped at a restaurant and sat under a parasol to eat and drink.

The Class President sipped her milk tea delicately, protectively covering her cup. She eyed Li Ang warily with wide eyes. He had already finished his own milk tea and was now clutching his straw, eyeing hers with great interest.

SLLURP—

Under Li Ang’s regretful gaze, the Class President slurped up the last tapioca pearl. She then leaned back in her chair contentedly, letting out a satisfied "Ah~."

In life, good food and milk tea were two things that should never be forsaken; not even Li Ang could take them from her.

The Class President chuckled, "Hehe." She enjoyed Li Ang’s resentful stare as she pulled out her phone and started playing a game.

She’d had a lot of fun today. It was just that, sometimes, she felt enveloped by a strange sense of sourness coming from nowhere... It was truly baffling.

The tapping sounds of typing on a keyboard came from the Class President’s phone. Li Ang also stretched lazily and took out his phone to play.

Ever since the official acknowledgment of paranormal phenomena, everything had been laid out in the open. Agents from the Special Affairs Bureau were now able to act in an official capacity, heading to the scenes of paranormal incidents immediately to handle the cases. Beyond that, vehicles and agents patrolled the streets twenty-four/seven, and the official hotlines for reporting paranormal events were also open around the clock. Additionally, with more surveillance cameras and a highly centralized city-wide monitoring system, Yin City had, paradoxically, become much calmer recently. Or rather, it appeared to have become much calmer.

For low-level players, the official monopoly on handling paranormal events also meant an official monopoly on standard missions in the real world. As low-level Lone Wolf Players who were also ordinary people, it was difficult to get news of paranormal incidents before the authorities. Driving all over the city trying to trigger standard missions was not only inefficient but also made it easy for the surveillance system to detect anomalies. Eventually, the authorities would follow the clues and target them.

The survival conditions for low-level Lone Wolf Players have gotten much harsher than before, Li Ang thought, as he continued to listlessly swipe through his phone screen.

He hadn’t been too keen on going out for standard missions lately. The rewards from the heavily modified Fairy World were already substantial, and it would take him a considerable amount of time to fully process them. If it hadn’t been for the Class President’s strong invitation, Li Ang wouldn’t have stepped outside at all. Instead, he would have stayed in with his beloved worms, insects, and Spellcaster corpses to pass the weekend.

"Eh..."

Wang Congshan’s puzzled voice came from across the small round table. Li Ang lifted his head just as the Class President frowned and turned her phone screen around for him to see. "Take a look at this."