Super Zoo

That afternoon, while Suming was feeding milk to the young wolves in the Wolf Pen, his phone rang.

The little wolves had grown robustly under Suming's care, darting around playfully in the Wolf Pen every day. Seeing Suming pull out a 'black box,' the little wolves mistook it for a new milk bottle, whimpering as they clambered onto him, their paws reaching for Suming's phone.

"Go play on your own."

With a tap on the little wolf's forehead, a game Suming often played with them, the little wolf would stiffen and topple over backward, feigning death just like playing possum.

From the other end of the phone came the voice of an unfamiliar middle-aged man, who introduced himself and mentioned the fish theft at Huating Reservoir.

"Mr. Zhou, I don't understand what you're getting at. Your fish fry have gone missing, but what's that got to do with me?"

"Whether it concerns you or not, you and I both know very well," Zhou Jin said.

Since Suming was the perpetrator, he had anticipated that Zhou Jin would eventually suspect him. The fact that he was farming fish in Shuijun Lake was no secret and couldn't be hidden. Receiving Zhou Jin's call, he wasn't surprised and responded indifferently, "If I remember correctly, you once said something, and now I'll return the favor in kind, 'You raise yours, I raise mine; we are unrelated to each other.'"

No evidence, just inner certainty—worthless. If a certainty could convict someone, what would be the need for laws?

So, without any evidence, Suming wasn't worried at all that Zhou Jin could do anything to him.

The underwater passages were very well hidden and located a considerable distance from the fish enclosure. Discovering those few entrances was virtually impossible. Furthermore, Suming had arranged for regular patrols around the passages, shrimps and crabs acting as his guards. Even if Zhou Jin stumbled upon them by sheer luck, Suming could seal off the passages at any time, leaving no evidence behind.

Suming adamantly denied any involvement, and Zhou Jin wasn't surprised either, having expected Suming to deny it. He chuckled coldly, "Young man, do you think you can just hide in the zoo every day without any evidence and I'll have no way to touch you? I advise you to be clear about one thing; don't think you are completely safe just because the animal farm has got your back."

"Mr. Zhou, are you threatening me?" Suming grinned.

"Threatening? No, no, I'm a law-abiding businessman; how could I threaten you?"

Both parties were not fools. In this day and age, recording devices were all too common. Both were wary of each other, careful not to leave any leverage over the phone. Zhou Jin chuckled and said, "I have a proposal for cooperation. If you agree, it would be beneficial for both of us. As for the fish fry, I can let bygones be bygones. A loss of around a million is bearable for me. Who knows, we might even become friends in the future."

Cooperation? Suming pondered briefly. What could there possibly be to cooperate on between him and Zhou Jin, and to mutual benefit at that?

After thinking it over, he caught Zhou Jin's drift and asked, "Are you suggesting that once the fish grow bigger, I should sell them directly to you?" Find your next read on m-vle-mpyr

"Smart man! No wonder those bald-headed guys lost to you," Zhou Jin admitted.

Hearing Zhou Jin put it that way, Suming's mind raced. In fact, this wasn't entirely unacceptable.

Firstly, there was no deep hatred between him and Zhou Jin—it was just business, and if he could make money from it, it wouldn't necessarily be a bad deal. Secondly, being new to the breeding industry, he didn't have established channels for selling his fish. If Zhou Jin would take them off his hands, even at a lower price it would do, especially since he hadn't spent a dime on the fish fry or feed.

"What's the price?" Suming asked.

"20% of the market price," Zhou Jin stated.

Suming's expression darkened slightly, "Mr. Zhou, is this how you make friends?"

Offering 20% of the market price was as if Suming had worked hard only to benefit Zhou Jin in the end, even at a loss to himself.

Zhou Jin, however, had calculated a great deal for himself. If he could buy at that price, it would be even more cost-effective than raising the fish himself.

Zhou Jin chuckled coldly on the other end of the line, "Don't forget, I've lost a lot more fish fry than you have in your lake. If you don't agree, I assure you, you won't make a single cent in the end."

"Then there's no need to talk further." Suming hung up the phone.

On the other end, Zhou Jin's phone emitted a series of beeps.

The bald man by his side had been carefully observing Zhou Jin's expressions and guessed much of the situation, saying, "Mr. Zhou, since that kid doesn't appreciate what's good for him, he can't blame us. I can take a few guys to climb the fence at midnight, slip some poison into his lake, and guarantee all his fish will be dead in less than three days."

This was an old tactic of Zhou Jin's crew. In the past when there were some scattered breeders near the reservoir, Zhou Jin would never beat or scold them, but he would secretly send the bald man to poison their ponds, killing all the fish. Most small-scale breeders couldn't withstand such a loss, which would immediately end their business.

Over the years, with this method, Zhou Jin had swallowed up all the breeders around Huating Reservoir, creating a monopoly with Huating Fisheries Company.

But Zhou Jin shook his head, "No, in the end, Shuijun Lake is part of the zoo's property, and poisoning is a serious crime; the police would certainly investigate thoroughly!"

"So we just let that kid off the hook?" the bald man protested, "Mr. Zhou, I can wait for him at the zoo's entrance. I don't believe he'll never leave the zoo!"

"Having been in the breeding business for so many years, of course, I have a way to make him suffer in silence! Come with me upstairs."

Zhou Jin led the bald man and a few underlings up to the second floor of the villa, entering his bedroom.

In the center of the spacious bedroom stood a huge aquarium, about four to five meters long, resembling a giant coffin.

Inside the glass tank, seven or eight long-bodied, eel-like creatures swam slowly.

Compared to eels, these creatures were much larger, with the longest nearly reaching a meter in length, as thick as an adult's arm, covered in diamond-shaped scales like armor, and equipped with long, bird-like beaks.

At first glance, they looked more like crocodiles without legs!

Next to the large tank, there was a smaller aquarium with a dozen or so koi swimming back and forth. Zhou Jin scooped a koi more than half a foot long with a small fishnet and tossed it into the large aquarium.

As soon as the koi hit the water, one of the creatures darted toward it like an arrow, its long mouth filled with backward-curving fangs, clamping down on the koi.

Before the koi could struggle, the other creatures also rushed over, tearing and shredding it.

In the blink of an eye, that koi, weighing at least two pounds, was torn to pieces and devoured by the creatures, leaving no trace behind as if it had never existed, except for the faint red blood threads floating in the water, creating a bloody, gruesome scene.