Chapter 89: Xiao Tao

The next day, Inukai got up early, took a shower, and straightened the fallen trash can.

Wearing yesterday's clothes, he first went to the apartment and checked the door, but there was no sign that the door had been opened.

Then he went to the office of the Animal Rescue Association, which was his other apartment, which was usually used to store materials and for meetings of like-minded people. It was a pity that there was no bed, otherwise he could sleep here.

After sorting out some materials inside, association members arrived one after another.

"Today's mission is to distribute flyers at the entrance of Ueno Zoo."

“Come on! Let’s try to get wild animals back to their own world as soon as possible!”

Inukai cheered up three like-minded people.

They belong to a private animal protection association, which is supported purely by love and the money they can afford. They do not accept donations from the outside world, so they will not be coerced by anything.

Wearing various styles of promotional T-shirts and carrying flyers and signs, they came to the Ueno Zoo and started handing out flyers some distance away from the ticket office.

“Please get to know us!”

“Help wild animals return to their homeland!”

“No to animal performances!”

"Don't keep poor animals in jail!"

Several people were there shouting passionately.

Soon, he attracted the attention of the head of the zoo's security department.

"Here it comes again. Tsk, it's really a dog-skin plaster that can't be driven away no matter what." The section chief sighed, feeling that life was really difficult.

"Chief, should we call the police?" asked the new security officer.

"What's there to report? They are just a bunch of habitual criminals! They run away faster than anyone else when the police arrive. Those tax thieves are too lazy to even chase them. They just pretend to wait for five minutes and then leave. Then half an hour later, these guys are back again." The section chief lit a cigarette in frustration, and he looked so vicissitudes of life as he puffed out smoke.

"How about we pretend to be gangsters and fight them?" someone suggested a bad idea.

“No, no, no!” The section chief shuddered. “The previous section chief pushed one of them, and he used the force to hit his head against the pillar, causing a concussion and minor injuries. Although the company later borne most of the compensation, he was disheartened and retired from the Tokyo security community and returned to the countryside.”

"Is it so cruel?" Someone was frightened by this way of beating and murmured.

Everyone looked at each other.

"So we're just going to watch?"

"No, there is still a way. Go, get the loudspeaker. What I wrote last time will come in handy."

The section chief took out a piece of paper from his drawer, spread it out, took the speaker, coughed twice to clear his throat, and then turned on the recording function.

"Please note that this group of people wanted to extort 10 million yen from the zoo. We didn't agree, so they came to cause trouble. Please don't believe their lies."

"They also tried to break into the zoo and release dangerous animals, which almost caused casualties. They are dangerous people with a criminal record."

"Zoos are a great place to provide a safe environment for animals and for people to learn about nature. Please feel free to visit."

The new guy blinked, a little stunned: "Section Chief, is what you said true?"

The section chief handed the loudspeaker to a security guard and asked him to stand next to those people and play it.

"It's half true and half false. The blackmail was made up, but one of them did go into the zoo a few years ago and tried to release the gorilla. However, it was impossible for him to succeed. After a long time, we caught him. At that time, he was still a minor."

The section chief looked at the figure outside the window, his tone desolate. "I have a family to support, please don't make me lose my job."

Outside, the security guard, with two other people, stood a few meters away from Inukai and his men. The loudspeaker in their hands kept playing the voice that the section chief had just recorded, which made Inukai and his men furious.

"Don't use force. If you do, we won't listen to you." Inukai grabbed Ogata and tried to calm them down.

"How shameless! We didn't extort any money, nor did we break in to release the animals. President, can we sue them for spreading rumors?" one person said indignantly.

Inukai shook his head and thought for a while: "Let's eat first and discuss countermeasures."

Everyone had been calling out for a long time and they were indeed hungry, so they did not refuse Inugami's suggestion.

Inukai was packing up the supplies when he inadvertently looked up and saw an impressive figure at the entrance of the zoo.

Animal sweatshirt, pants with hanging accessories, yes, isn't this the weirdo who showed up at my house yesterday? !

He quickly put down what he was doing, said "wait a moment" to his companions, and ran to the zoo entrance.

But the security guard didn't dare to let him in, so the section chief took the lead and stopped him.

"What do you want to do?"

Inukai watched the figure disappear around the corner and pointed at the zoo: "Can I go in?"

"What do you think?" The section chief said with a sullen look, "You may have forgotten me, but I will never forget you. It's been six or seven years, right? Have you forgotten that you are on the lifetime blacklist of our Ueno Zoo?"

Inukai has not forgotten that it was an impulse he had when he was young.

"Just now, was there a particularly tall man who went in?" At least, Inukai wanted to confirm whether that man was his hallucination.

"I don't know, I didn't notice, I can't tell you." The section chief's attention was all on him just now, so he didn't pay attention to other people.

Looking back at his companions who were trying to come to his aid, Inukai nodded to the section chief for fear of a conflict, and said, "I'm sorry about what happened back then."

"You don't need to apologize to me." The section chief replied with a cold face, and then his expression softened a little. "I know you often come here since you were a child and you like animals very much, but the animals are living well here. Your actions to let them return to nature are harming them."

Inukai didn't reply, just shook his head and turned away.

"Inukai-kun, they didn't do anything to you, did they?" Ogata looked at Inukai's body nervously.

"It's okay, don't think of them as violent people. They are just doing their job," said Inukai.

"Humph, helping the tyrant." Ogata glanced at the security guards, "How about we come here secretly at night and dress up as ghosts to scare them?"

"Bad idea. It's not that easy to scare people."

They chatted as they walked towards a nearby restaurant.

It’s just that Inukai was a little absent-minded.

That person appeared here. If it wasn't an illusion, then there should be no one at home. The question is, how did he disappear out of thin air like that? If it was an illusion, and I locked the door, how did he get out?
Thinking of the ghost that Ogata had just mentioned, he actually felt a chill down his spine.

He looked down at his side and saw Xiaotao comforting him.

Yes, how could there be ghosts in the world?

I must be overthinking it.

(End of this chapter)