85 The Zoo ?

Elizabeth's jaw dropped as Zhao Yao concluded his proposal.

"Seriously?"

Matcha's response was far more dramatic. He had gotten to his feet and climbed into their line of sight, ears folded flat against his head.

"Zhao Yao, you're the only one to see my potential," he marveled, pawing his transformed ears gently, "From now on, my name is George Matcha! I hail from an exotic line of Scottish Fold crossbreeds. I disguise myself as a domestic tabby to evade detection and attention."

"Idiot," Elizabeth muttered, glancing at Matcha one more time before returning to grooming herself.

Zhao Yao could not help but took a look at Matcha as well.

"This silly cat sure recovers quickly," he mused, "He should be able to entertain customers tomorrow."

Soon, he pulled over at a parking lot a distance away from the zoo. He would rather trek there then get caught trespassing again. Elizabeth and Matcha were in the cat carrier that sat on his shoulders.

The two of them were not happy with the arrangement. They had both grown in size significantly over the past months, so it was a bit of a squeeze. Elizabeth took up a particularly large amount of space because she was larger and was covered in layers of long, thick fur.

"You've gotten fatter again! The bag can't fit you anymore, you shaggy ragdoll!" Matcha complained.

"How many times must I repeat myself? I'm not fat, I just have a fluffy coat of fur," Elizabeth retorted.

She used her paw to pat Matcha's tummy, feeling the rolls of fat vibrate in return.

"And please, before you criticise me, take a look at that pot belly of yours," she continued smugly.

"Oh, are you unhappy with me?" Matcha mocked, using both his paws to squeeze Elizabeth's face, "I have a bit of a tummy because I'm storing fat for the winter. Jiangmen city Scottish Folds like myself tend to get on the chubby side at this time of the year."

"Stupid cat. That's not a real breed," Elizabeth argued, reaching for Matcha's artificially folded ears, "Stop folding them! You look ridiculous."

Zhao Yao could feel the cats squabble. The backpack was rocking from their fight, making it difficult for him to move forward. He impatiently rapped on the hard case of the backpack a few times, "Alright, alright. Stop moving, or I'm cutting internet access for both of you."

That shut them up. Now that they have stopped writhing around, Zhao Yao could pick up speed as he made his way to the zoo.

The cats weighed close to 30 pounds combined, but Zhao Yao had no difficulty with that load on his shoulders. Their powers had strengthened him considerably over time. The aura of the Celestial Beats had made him stronger as well. He marched steadily onwards, never once out of breath.

He started using time freeze as he got nearer to the zoo. He darted forward for six seconds, then hid behind trees and in the shadows during the cool down period. Carefully, he inched closer and closer to his destination.

*

While Zhao Yao continued to move with quiet stealth, the carnivore zone in the zoo was erupting with roars and hisses.

A dozen tigers had taken to circling a man. They took turns to snap their powerful jaws and snarl, taunting him.

The man was a bald, muscular black man. He had on a pair of boxing shoes, red exercise shorts and a black tank top.

With his ripped biceps and broad shoulders, he did not look at all like the kind of guy you would want to mess with.

He chuckled as the tigers started closing in on him.

"Still hiding, are we?" he said in fluent Mandarin, "You know that these kitties are no match for me. If you don't want them to get hurt, make them leave. Now."

Whoever he was speaking to did not respond. The tigers did not flee either. Instead, their eyes shone with ferocity. There was a sense of impatience in each step they made as if they were just dying to attack.

"I warned ya," the man said, rolling his shoulders.

His lips curled into a cruel smirk.

"I'll show you what real power looks like."

With that, he cocked one large arm back, then swung it forward in a powerful punch. Its force was so great that it rippled the air, sending a gush of energy forward.

It sent five tigers flying across the zone at once. They growled in pain when they were hit, blood spilling from their mouths.

The remaining tigers charged towards the man in a fit of rage.

He was unfazed. As before, he shot them a vicious grin. Then, he sent both his fists forward with a thunderous roar. Tornadoes spun towards the tigers, gaining speed and momentum as it approached them.

"I will show you who the real king of the beasts is."

The tornadoes tunneled through the throng of tigers mercilessly. Within a minute, they all plummeted to the ground, severely hurt.

A thin trail of blood had appeared on the man's chest as well. He pulled the tight tank top over his head, then flung it away.

Just then, he spotted a rustling in the woods ahead.

"You can't run," he smirked.

A loud crack split through the air as he shot forward, propelling towards the escaping shadow like a missile

*

At the edge of the carnivore zone, a small four-wheel drive was meandering through the entrance.

Jin Jia Jia was in the backseat, cellphone raised, ready to begin her live stream. Xiao Ming was seated next to her, peering out the window curiously. This was his first time visiting the zoo at night.

The staff in the front passenger seat spoke to him.

"Mr. Xiao, a lot of our animals are nocturnal, so you're in for quite an experience. I've asked the staff to delay feeding hours specially for you. Would you like to watch the feeding later on?"

"No, that's alright. I'm just here to take a quick look around. I don't wish to disrupt your work," Xiao Ming responded, brows furrowed.

"Disrupt? Why, you're causing none of that!" the middle-aged man added quickly, "Your presence is an honor to us."

Xiao Ming awkwardly exchanged a few more words with him. The staff eventually fell silent when Jia Jia began her live stream.

She flashed a bright smile at the camera before turning it to capture the gates of the carnivore zone.

"Hello everybody! Welcome," she greeted cheerily, "Tonight, we're on the hunt for nocturnal animals. I'm actually at the zoo right now. I've never been here at night. I could get in today thanks to Xiao Ming."

Jia Jia's popularity online had gone through the roof with his help. Their adventure live streams had accumulated a fan base.

The session had barely started, but these loyal viewers were already joining in one by one.