Qin Wuji had imagined a thousand possibilities, a hundred possibilities, but none of them involved him being sent flying.
He crashed against the wall, disoriented and defeated, his phone naturally slipping from his grasp.
Seeing his chance, Duan Chen immediately charged forward with his shield and picked up the phone from the ground.
His expression was calm, the phone clutched in his hand, a sneer playing on his lips.
"Still want to fight me?"
Qin Wuji's face turned from green to white, his body trembling with anger.
How could someone be so shameless!
He was furious and cursed, "Give it back to me?! You think you're worthy of holding my phone?!"
But Duan Chen had already calmly tucked it into his embrace.
His expression was serene, the smile on his lips cold and dismissive.
"Yours?"
"Call it once, do you think this phone will answer?"
Regardless of how much Qin Wuji trembled, Duan Chen remained unfazed, though inwardly he breathed a profound sigh of relief.
Thankfully, in a moment of inspiration, he had realized that if he could knock Qin Wuji flying, whatever Qin Wuji was holding would surely fall.
Qin Wuji's protective gear could shield him, but could it shield his falling belongings?
Impossible.
Thus, it unfolded exactly as Duan Chen had anticipated.
He held the phone, unsurprised to find it had no password.
Not only was there no password, but the contact list was exposed directly to Duan Chen. Seeing the series of names, the lists, and even the staff roster of the zoo, Duan Chen felt a surge of relief.
Thank goodness, Qin Wuji hadn't succeeded.
Ignoring Qin Wuji's expression, he walked towards his teammates, phone in hand. As he passed Qin Wuji's companions, he coldly gripped the phone and said.
"Don't come any closer. You should have other tasks to complete with the zoo, right?"
"Even if we leave, you can still find another lamb to slaughter. But if you provoke me, and I crush this phone, what do you think the consequences will be?"
His words instantly plunged everyone on Qin Wuji's side into silence, for they knew he was speaking the truth.
It was precisely this truth that instilled a sense of hesitation, a "fear of breaking the jade vase for fear of shattering the plate" mentality.
Duan Chen pressed his advantage. "If I can successfully leave here with my teammates, I will return this phone to you."
"This phone must hold significant meaning for you."
Of course, it held significant meaning.
From the moment Duan Chen acquired the phone, he understood its pivotal role within the zoo. Without it, many commands could not be issued, and it was highly likely that the phone represented status.
So, with an air of composure and a glint of mockery in his eyes, he watched this group, hesitant and afraid to move.
"Fine, we'll let you go."
Qin Wuji hadn't had a chance to speak, but one person in the group made the decision. His authority was not insignificant compared to Qin Wuji's.
He gritted his teeth as he looked at Duan Chen, his tone laced with a threat.
"We hope you keep your word, otherwise, no matter where you go, both our families will hunt you down at any cost."
Such words sounded like mere wind here, best to be ignored.
However, Duan Chen showed no outward reaction. He simply raised the phone, walked to the exit, followed by the others. He glanced back at the group, who were either standing or sitting, their eyes filled with hatred. He then smiled brightly.
"How could I possibly break my promise?"
"Once we are all out of here, the phone will be returned to you."
Qin Wuji's side had no choice but to gamble.
They would gamble.
They gambled on Duan Chen's willingness to eventually return the phone. After all, it was now completely in Duan Chen's possession, and their refusal would only lead to further stalemate.
It was daytime now, but if they were without the phone by nightfall, far more dangerous things could happen.
However, this was something they did not intend to tell Duan Chen, nor did they want Duan Chen to discover it.
Duan Chen, holding the phone, left the zoo area with ease. Because there was no one manipulating things behind him, he encountered no strange animals or obstacles along the way.
He walked, stopping and starting, until he reached the zoo's entrance.
At the zoo's ticket booth, the same staff member was present. He looked at the group arriving at the entrance with a greedy glint in his eyes.
However, upon seeing the phone in Duan Chen's hand, his body suddenly froze. With extreme reluctance, he sat down in the ticket booth, motionless.
"I've brought it here for you. Now, you should return the phone to me."
The nameless man, filled with hatred, glared at Duan Chen and the phone he held.
Duan Chen showed no emotion. He smiled slightly, raised his hand, and held the phone between two fingers, dangling it in the air. A mischievous grin played on his lips.
"Returning it to you is no problem. Catch."
With a forceful flick of his wrist, the phone flew through the air, and they used this moment to take their final steps out of the zoo.
"You!"
The man watched in horror as the phone soared through the air. His peripheral vision involuntarily flickered towards the red-uniformed staff member inside the ticket booth.
The red-uniformed staff member's eyes, as the phone left Duan Chen's hand, suddenly shifted from a dull gaze to a covetous one.
His neck stretched and elongated to an impossible degree, as if it were soft putty.
The staff member, resembling a rubber man, coiled his neck in the air like a writhing snake.
Under the stranger's terrified gaze, this twisting snake bared its fangs.
Snakes can swallow prey many times their own size, and its gaping maw widened to the size of the man's head.
He shrieked in terror and regret.
His words, stammering and incoherent, choked out.
"No, you can't do this to me! I have the phone!!"
But it was too late. His hand couldn't reach the phone.
His head was bitten off by the staff member in one gulp.
Blood erupted in the air.
It was like the most explosive, molten chocolate lava cake one could imagine.
With a sweet, cloying scent, it flowed throughout the grounds.