The problem with surviving a public disaster was that people tended to ask questions afterward.
Unfortunately, Arjun Mehra was currently surrounded by people.
Too many people.
The tourists were excited.
The zoo staff were confused.
Karan Malhotra was traumatized.
And Aisha Kapoor was staring at him.
Not casually.
Not curiously.
Suspiciously.
The crowd slowly dispersed after the incident with Raja.
Videos had already begun appearing online.
Arjun could hear tourists talking excitedly as they walked away.
“Did you see that guy?”
“He predicted the tiger!”
“The tiger actually listened to him!”
“I uploaded everything!”
Excellent.
Exactly what he needed.
Internet fame.
Arjun turned toward the tiger enclosure.
Raja was lying on his favorite rock again.
As if he hadn’t just nearly caused a heart attack for everyone involved.
The tiger yawned.
“Do humans always panic this much?”
The second tiger snorted.
“Yes.”
“Strange species.” Arjun decided to ignore that conversation for the sake of his remaining sanity.
Unfortunately, Aisha had other plans.
“How did you know?” she asked again.
Arjun smiled.
It was not a good smile.
It was the smile of a man whose brain had officially stopped functioning.
“Luck.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“Luck?”
“Yes.”
“You predicted Karan would be attacked.”
“Correct.”
“You knew exactly when to stop him.”
“Correct.”
“You called the tiger by name.”
“…Correct.”
“And that’s luck?”
“Very good luck.”
Aisha stared at him.
Arjun stared back.
A battle of wills unfolded.
Arjun lost immediately.
“Okay,” he admitted.
“Maybe intuition.”
She crossed her arms.
“You have strange intuition.”
He wanted to tell her that the voice in his head had literally informed him that Karan was about to challenge a demon king.
Unfortunately, that explanation sounded even crazier.
Before either of them could continue, Karan finally stood up.
He looked terrible.
His expensive clothes were dirty.
His hair was a mess.
And his dignity had died somewhere near the tiger enclosure.
He glared at Arjun.
“This isn’t over.”
Arjun blinked.
“What?”
“You embarrassed me.”
“You climbed into a tiger enclosure.”
“You could have stopped me!”
“I tried!”
“You didn’t try hard enough!”
Arjun looked at Aisha.
Aisha looked at Arjun.
Then she looked at Karan.
“Karan.”
“What?”
“You climbed into a tiger enclosure.”
“…Yes.”
“Why?”
Karan opened his mouth.
Then he closed it.
Then he opened it again.
“…Professional reasons.”
Aisha rubbed her temples.
For the first time since meeting her, Arjun realized that she might actually be a very patient person.
Karan straightened his jacket.
“This conversation is over.”
Then he walked away.
Very quickly.
As if he feared Raja might change his mind.
The moment he disappeared around the corner, the system activated.
⚠️ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚠️
The Golden Feather Young Master has retreated.
Evaluation:
Cowardly but understandable.
Host Performance:
Excellent.
Additional Reward Issued:
+100 Reputation with the Blood Moon Demon King
Arjun stopped walking.
“What?”
Aisha frowned.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
⚠️ RELATIONSHIP STATUS UPDATED ⚠️
Blood Moon Demon King (Raja)
Current Relationship: Friendly
Notes:
The Demon King appreciates quality chicken.
Arjun nearly tripped.
“You keep relationship meters?”
Naturally.
“Why?”
Host survival depends on maintaining diplomatic relations with local powers.
“This is a zoo!”
Incorrect.
This is the Nine Heavens Primordial Demon Realm.
He hated this system.
He truly did.
Aisha suddenly stopped walking.
“What’s wrong?”
Arjun blinked.
“Nothing.”
“You keep talking to yourself.”
“No, I don’t.”
“You absolutely do.”
He opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Because she was right.
He had been arguing with an invisible voice for the better part of six hours.
That probably wasn’t healthy.
“Work stress,” he said.
She didn’t look convinced.
“Do you often argue with your work stress?”
“Daily.”
To his surprise, she laughed again.
Not because he was funny.
But because he sounded genuinely exhausted.
“You’re strange, Arjun.”
He sighed.
“You have no idea.”
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The afternoon sun illuminated the pathways of Green Paradise Zoo.
Children ran past them carrying ice cream.
Birds chirped in the trees.
For the first time all day, everything felt normal.
Then the system screamed.
🚨 EMERGENCY ALERT 🚨
ANCIENT DEMON AURA DETECTED!
Threat Level:
UNKNOWN
Location:
500 meters north
Arjun froze.
No.
Not again.
“Host must investigate immediately.”
That wasn’t a notification.
The system had actually spoken.
Out loud.
Or at least louder inside his head.
He turned.
The northern section of the zoo.
The old animal hospital.
A building scheduled for demolition.
Nobody had used it for years.
His heartbeat accelerated.
For some reason, he suddenly remembered a conversation he’d had with Director Wang months ago.
Something about strange sounds.
And missing security footage.
The system window expanded.
⚠️ MANDATORY QUEST GENERATED ⚠️
Investigate the Ancient Sealed Area
Objective:
Discover the source of the demonic disturbance.
Failure:
Unknown.
Success Rewards:
1000 Years of Cultivation
Heavenly Spirit Eyes
Ancient Divine Artifact
Hidden Truth Fragment
Warning:
Extreme danger detected.
Arjun stared.
Then stared harder.
A thousand years?
For the first time since obtaining the system, he felt something other than annoyance.
Curiosity.
Because the rewards were getting larger.
Much larger.
As if the system believed this mission mattered.
A lot.
Aisha noticed his expression change.
“What is it?”
He looked at her.
Then toward the abandoned hospital.
Then back at her.
“Have you ever had a feeling that something was wrong?”
She frowned.
“With what?”
“Everything.”
The answer came too quickly.
Too honestly.
For a brief moment, Aisha’s expression changed.
The teasing disappeared.
The suspicion disappeared.
She simply looked at him.
Then she quietly asked,
“What if I said yes?”
Arjun froze.
The world seemed to stop.
Because for the first time all day, someone had given him an answer he wasn’t expecting.
Before he could respond, the ground trembled.
Very slightly.
Barely noticeable.
Except he noticed.
And so did Aisha.
They both turned.
The abandoned animal hospital stood in the distance.
Silent.
Dark.
Forgotten.
Then, for the briefest moment, Arjun saw something impossible.
A red eye.
Watching them from inside the building.
The system detonated.
☠️ CRITICAL WARNING ☠️
SEALED DEMON HAS AWAKENED
Threat Level: DISASTER CLASS
Recommended Action:
RUN.
For the first time since receiving the system, Arjun did not argue.
Because for the first time—
He was afraid the system might actually be right.
To Be Continue….