Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 319 The White Lion, the Rabbit, the Elephant, and the Goat
On her way back to the beverage shop, Liu Yan caught a glimpse of a bush near the edge of the wire fence around the rabbit enclosure, which swayed unnaturally.

A rabbit... popped out!
"The runaway rabbit!"

According to the rules, it cannot be captured; it must be introduced into the lion enclosure!
Without the slightest hesitation, Liu Yan swiftly took out a small pinch of specially made grass seeds from her Gu Master pouch—this was her method of guiding tiny creatures as a Gu Master.

She couldn't get close, much less touch; she could only try to guide him from a distance.

Liu Yan scattered grass seeds on the ground in extremely small amounts and at intervals, forming a discontinuous line.

The rabbit stopped, its cloudy eyes turning towards Liu Yan, its nostrils twitching slightly.

It seemed to be attracted by that extremely faint aura, and began to move erratically, following the direction Liu Yan was guiding, towards the lion enclosure.

This process was slow and agonizing. Liu Yan had to be fully focused, ensuring the rabbit kept up while remaining vigilant for any unusual movements. A slight misstep could lead to terrible consequences.

It felt like Liu Yan had walked for hours on a journey of just a few hundred meters.

Finally, the entrance to the Lion Park came into view. A staff member in a blue uniform with a serious expression was already waiting there, having received Liu Yan's notification.

He saw Liu Yan and the strange rabbit following not far behind her, and immediately gestured for Liu Yan to stop.

"Leave it to us, you can go now." The staff member's voice was low and calm, with a kind of formulaic calm.

Liu Yan breathed a slight sigh of relief and immediately turned away from the lion enclosure without looking back, her palms already damp with cold sweat.

The distorted sense of rule corruption emanating from the rabbit made her feel intensely uncomfortable. It reminded her of herself when she first entered Rusty Town and Black Abyss City.

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the ape enclosure.

Kyle faced his first major test since starting his shift.

Several tourists ran towards him in a panic. The middle-aged man in the lead was pale and shouted incoherently, "A road! There's suddenly a road in the park! And...and rabbits by the roadside!"

Kyle's heart sank; one of his worst fears had come true. This was something his father, Douglas Duncan, had repeatedly warned him about before he left.

He immediately pressed the intercom and reported in as calm but rapid a tone as possible: "An anomaly has occurred in the ape enclosure. Report two streets and the rabbit exhibit. Request the execution of response procedures."

"Received, proceed according to the rules." It was Team Leader Wang's unchanging deep voice on the other end of the walkie-talkie.

Kyle took a deep breath and called out to the tourists and the restless crowd around him, "Please remain calm! I am a park staff member. Please follow me and take the left path. Please finish your visit as soon as possible, do not linger, and do not look around!"

He led the visibly frightened group of tourists into the ape enclosure.

Upon entering the park, an inexplicable sense of unease immediately struck me. The familiar single passageway now clearly revealed another path on the right side of my vision!
The path was shrouded in an unnatural shadow, and its end was nowhere in sight.

Kyle's father had repeatedly warned him not to use any means to explore the extra road on the right!

On that road that shouldn't exist, several white rabbits sat quietly, their red eyes... all staring at the crowd on the main road!
"Don't look to the right! Follow me, hurry up!" Kyle suppressed the chill rising in his heart, shouted the reminder, and quickened his pace.

He could sense a cold, viscous, invisible spiderweb-like intent spreading from the direction of that unusual path, trying to penetrate everyone's mind.

This was an unprecedented form of rule contamination. Even though he was the second young master of the Duncan Club and had so many protective gear against contamination, his SAN value still started to drop after just one glance!
This is... meme contamination originating from the interstitial layer!
At this moment, he must concentrate all his energy to resist the corruption of the rules that erodes his body and soul.

Fear, like a cold tide, slowly seeped into his limbs.

This was more bizarre and dangerous than any of the horror dungeons he had ever experienced before. Even the inner world of the [Silent Hill] dungeon was far less terrifying than this seemingly peaceful zoo in his eyes!
Here, the enemy is invisible, and the rules are both protection and trap; one wrong step and you're doomed.

Leading the tourists quickly along the left-hand road, Kyle could clearly feel the second road behind him and the rabbit's "watchful gaze".

Once all visitors had safely left the ape enclosure, he immediately joined forces with Victor, who had come to help, to close and seal off the enclosure entrance.

Standing outside the tightly closed entrance, Kyle felt the invisible pressure lessen slightly.

His back was soaked with cold sweat. Just dealing with an anomaly mentioned in the rules had given him such a strong mental shock. Even with so many layers of protective gear, his SAN value barely managed to remain stable and not drop significantly.

This zoo... truly lives up to its reputation as a source of meme contamination that even the United Nations and the Old Nuclear Organization are on high alert for, a source capable of causing the extinction of humanity.

……

Duncan Club headquarters, Potomac River, Washington, D.C., USA.

In a modern, high-tech analysis room, a huge electronic screen displays a floor plan of the zoo, with rows of rule texts densely arranged beside it.

A dozen or so men and women, dressed in different clothes but with equally serious expressions, were staring intently at the screen and the data stream.

"An anomaly has been triggered in the ape enclosure, codenamed 'Twin Path.' It has been handled according to the rules, and the enclosure is temporarily closed."

"The 'escapee' incident in the rabbit enclosure has been guided to the lion enclosure for containment in accordance with the rules."

The information transmitted back from the scout team in real time is displayed here, and everyone's expression is extremely solemn.

They knew that these seemingly absurd rules were the only guidelines for survival within the zoo. Any deviation could lead to irreversible consequences—not only the loss of team members, but also the beginning of a meme containment breach, a cognitive catastrophe that would engulf the entire globe. Every staff member meticulously studied each zoo-related rule translated into English, almost memorizing them perfectly.
【City Zoo Visitor Guidelines】

Dear visitors, welcome to the largest zoo in the city. We house most of the world's animals and guarantee a suitable environment for each one. We hope you and your children have a pleasant visit! Please be sure to follow the rules below to ensure your safety; otherwise, you will be responsible for any consequences.

1. The safety measures at our park are absolutely in place, and there is no possibility of the animals escaping. In particular, most small herbivores are kept in enclosed, untouchable environments. Therefore, if you see a rabbit trying to escape by the roadside, please immediately take your children away and report it to staff. Do not approach or touch it, especially if the rabbit notices you and starts to approach you at high speed.

2. The ape enclosure has only one street and only apes are on display. If you find two streets and the animals on display include rabbits, please choose the left one and finish your visit to that enclosure as quickly as possible.

3. Elephants are large creatures with fan-shaped ears, long trunks, and legs as thick as pillars, and they are not white. Please make sure that you see only elephants in the elephant enclosure.

4. The zoo's beverage shop does not offer "rabbit blood." If you see it on the shelf, please do not buy it.

5. Do not linger alone in the shade of the trees in the rabbit enclosure.

6. This park does not have an aquarium. If any staff member tries to sell you aquarium tickets, refuse them.

7. If you have already seen the aquarium, leave immediately and call the number marked on the map to let them know.

8. Do not feed the rabbits. You can feed the other animals.

9. Rabbits do not laugh. If you hear laughter that is clearly not coming from the direction of other visitors while visiting the rabbit enclosure, tear off the dotted line on the map before leaving the enclosure and hold it in your hand until you are completely out of the zoo.

10. If you have violated any of the above rules and find yourself lost, separated from other acquaintances, please find the nearest beverage shop within 15 minutes and tell the salesperson in the blue uniform (note: if you see a salesperson in a black uniform, pretend you didn't hear anything they say). They will immediately lead you to the staff passage in the lion enclosure. Don't be afraid; the lions here will not attack you. Hide behind the artificial rockery and wait until all the white lions start roaring. Then, a staff member will lead you out of the enclosure (please make sure they are wearing blue). Your family and friends will be waiting for you at the entrance of the lion enclosure. After all this, leave the zoo immediately.

11. There are only four white lions in this park. If you see more than four white lions roaring in the situation described in point 10, do not leave the park. Inform the staff and wait until the number of white lions returns to four before leaving.

12.可以给12岁及以下的孩子购买任何动物周边玩具，包括兔子；13-17岁的孩子购买兔子玩偶后，请在一个月内丢弃；18岁及以上的人群不可以购买兔子玩具。

13. If you see someone wearing rabbit ears following the crowd into the elephant enclosure, you must cancel your visit to that area. If you violate this rule, the park will not be responsible for your safety and will not be able to provide a solution.

14. The Lion Park is safe. If you encounter any dangerous situation that you cannot handle or seek help from, please go to the Lion Park immediately, by any means necessary.

15. Be wary of friends you've lost contact with more than once, especially if they repeatedly urge you to go to an aquarium or elephant park.

By following these rules, you're guaranteed a wonderful zoo trip! You and your children will gain countless joys and knowledge! Please follow the rules, be careful, and have a great time with your family and friends!
Zoo Staff Handbook

Our company offers excellent employee benefits, including ten times the normal overtime pay and generous annual leave, and we provide insurance for all employees. We hope you will work diligently while keeping the employee handbook in mind and ensuring your own safety. Life is precious and only happens once; for the sake of your family, please protect yourself and abide by the following rules.

1. If you find a rabbit that has escaped, do not try to catch it or get close to it. Lead it to the lion enclosure and leave the rest to the white lions.

2. The ape enclosure has only one street. If any visitors report that there are two streets and the exhibits include rabbits, please lead all visitors already in the enclosure to the left street and close the enclosure entrance. After all visitors have left the enclosure, keep the ape enclosure closed for at least ten minutes.

3. If, while inspecting the elephant enclosure, you notice that the elephants you are observing do not match the images on the signs, stop observing and repeatedly tell yourself that the real elephants are the creatures on the signs, not the ones you are seeing.

4. If you work in a beverage shop, please check the shelves every hour. If you find any "rabbit blood" that has appeared out of nowhere, put it away immediately and store it properly.

5. Trim the bushes in the rabbit enclosure every month to minimize shade.

6. This park does not have an aquarium. If your colleague mentions an aquarium and confirms its existence, immediately stop the conversation. This colleague is no longer someone you know.

7. If you see an aquarium, do not go in. Tell yourself it doesn't exist and leave immediately.

8. Feed the rabbits once every seven days. Do not feed them any treats other than the prescribed food.

9. If you hear laughter in the rabbit enclosure that is clearly not coming from the direction of the visitors, tear off the last page of the staff handbook along the dotted line and hold it in your hand. Then go to the elephant enclosure and throw that page onto the grass. Other staff will know what happened and won't scold you for littering.

10. If a visitor asks for your help, claiming they have become separated from their family or friends while violating visitor guidelines, immediately take the visitor to the lion enclosure and hand them over to the staff. They will know what to do. During this time, you may encounter colleagues in black uniforms trying to participate in your work; refuse and ignore them. They are not your colleagues.

11. There are only four white lions in the lion enclosure. When the number of white lions suddenly increases to more than four, show them the "rabbit blood" and splash it on the first white lion that immediately runs towards you. After doing this, leave immediately. Do not stalk the extra white lions during this time.

12. Do not hoard/organize/purchase/use rabbit-themed merchandise. Please avoid touching any rabbit-themed merchandise found in the park. If a visitor requests to purchase rabbit-themed merchandise, please confirm that the person intending to own it is a minor before selling it.

13. If you see someone wearing rabbit ears entering the elephant enclosure, immediately disperse nearby tourists and stand guard at the entrance of the elephant enclosure until you hear children screaming inside.

14. It is normal to experience tinnitus/chest tightness/migraine/red and swollen eyes within five minutes, so don't worry. However, if this happens for more than five minutes, stop working immediately and get to the lion enclosure as quickly as possible by any means necessary.

15. Treat the white lions kindly. With only four white lions remaining, there's no need to be wary of them; they are trained to be friendly towards humans from a young age. If you are unfortunately attacked by a white lion in its normal state but do not die instantly, rules 6 and 7 are invalid. Don't rush to the hospital; you won't die. After leaving the lion enclosure, head to the aquarium; you'll find it soon. You will be wearing black work clothes.

It's worth noting that Article 15 of the employee handbook, starting with "If you are unfortunately attacked by a white lion in its normal state" and ending with "You will be wearing black work clothes," was circled in gray marker in the original handbook obtained from the zoo, making it difficult to read. It seems... to be a hidden rule.

Inside the analysis room, Allen pointed to several rules highlighted on the screen and said in a deep voice, "Remember, every word the scouts are executing inside has come at an unimaginable cost. Our mission is to support them, analyze the data, and absolutely not let any 'contamination' inside step out of the zoo."

Allen knew very well that the Old Core Organization had repeatedly sent reincarnators into the zoo. Although most of them had been "goat-ified," a few Old Core reincarnators had put on black uniforms and infiltrated the aquarium!

Chang Wuyong, that madman, doesn't care at all... whether or not "it" is released!
The time flow inside this instance is completely opposite to that of a typical horror instance. A week in the real world is only about a day in the instance!
Inside the zoo, the "daily" work continues during the day, but every reincarnator clearly senses the turbulent undercurrents beneath the calm surface.

They... have only just begun to scratch the surface of this terrifying instance...

(End of this chapter)