Chapter 201: A Crocodile Ran Into a Hot Spring Pool and Bit Someone

Chapter 201: Chapter 201: A Crocodile Ran Into a Hot Spring Pool and Bit Someone

The geese honked and scattered in all directions.

Finally free from the siege, the alligator, Teddy, caught his breath and began to cry with hiccuping sobs.

’So this is how dangerous the world outside the zoo is,’ he thought. ’If I had known, I never would have escaped with my brothers. Getting pestered by Phoenix was just an annoyance, but this? There’s no way I can survive out here!’

"I regret it! I wanna go back to the zoo so bad!" Teddy wailed to the sky.

Hearing the alligator’s cries, Renee Jennings’s lips curved into a slight smile. "Don’t cry," she said softly. "I’m here to take you home."

Teddy instantly stopped crying at her words and slowly turned his head toward the source of the voice.

He stared at the human before him, his voice filled with disbelief. "Are you really here to take me home?"

"Really." Renee Jennings nodded. "The director of your zoo came to get you herself."

Teddy was ecstatic. "Quick!" he said urgently. "Take me home! I want to go back to the zoo!"

"What’s your name?" Renee Jennings asked with a smile.

"My name’s Teddy."

"Come with me."

With that, Renee turned and started walking back.

Teddy scrambled after her on his four short legs. He wanted to move faster, but he was exhausted from the earlier fight, so even with all his strength, he was still a bit slow.

"Slow down! Wait for me!"

Renee had no choice but to slow her pace.

On the way back to the zoo with Teddy, Director Quincy received a phone call. Her face turned pale as she listened.

After hanging up, she said anxiously, "A Chinese alligator got into a hot spring pool and bit a tourist. The hotel staff is evacuating guests from the area."

"Where is the hot spring hotel?" Renee Jennings asked with a frown.

Director Quincy replied, "I’m pulling it up on the navigation now... Got it. It’s eleven kilometers away."

The van changed direction at a fork in the road, heading toward the Lion Mountain Hot Spring Hotel.

Director Quincy made another call, arranging for staff to send a small animal transport vehicle to the Lion Mountain Hot Spring Hotel.

The sky grew dark as night swallowed the last of the daylight like a rising tide. One by one, the streetlights along the road flickered to life.

The van soon pulled into the Lion Mountain Hot Spring Hotel. A police car and a fire truck were parked silently in the lot.

Renee and the others got out of the car quickly. The hotel lobby was swarming with people—almost all of them guests in swimsuits with bathrobes thrown on top. Their wet hair was plastered to their heads, their faces were frazzled, and puddles of water were forming at their slippered feet.

With furrowed brows and downturned mouths, they were clearly very unhappy about the sudden incident.

"What the hell is going on? We just got in the hot spring, and now we’re being kicked out!"

"I know, right? This is ridiculous!"

"I heard an alligator from the wildlife park nearby got into one of the pools and bit someone."

"You’re kidding! That’s incredibly dangerous!"

"..."

Renee and her group pushed through the crowd to the front desk. After they explained why they were there, a man who looked like a manager came out to meet them.

He was wearing a suit and had a stern expression. "I’m the manager of the Lion Mountain Hot Spring Hotel. My name is Goodman. Are you the staff from Lynfell Wildlife Park?"

Director Quincy nodded. "Hello, Manager Goodman. I’m the director of the zoo, Daisy Quincy. I’m so sorry for all the trouble we’ve caused. Could you please take us to the hot spring pools?"

Manager Goodman replied, "Of course. Please, follow me."

As Manager Goodman led the group to the hot spring area, he explained, "The guest who was bitten has already been sent to the hospital. We began evacuating everyone as soon as we realized the alligator had gotten in, but most of the guests were uncooperative. It led to a lot of arguments..."

"Yes, I understand what a difficult position this puts the hotel in," Director Quincy said with a sincere, apologetic expression. "This incident was our zoo’s oversight. We will take full responsibility for all losses the hotel has suffered as a result. You have my word."

Hearing this, Manager Goodman’s tense expression finally eased slightly.

’As long as the zoo was willing to take responsibility, that was all that mattered,’ he thought. ’It would save him the trouble of arguing over liability.’

They passed through the entrance gates into the hot spring area, where several uniformed police officers and firefighters were searching for the alligator with flashlights.

"The alligator went into hiding after it attacked the guest," Manager Goodman explained.

The hot spring area was expansive, dotted with pools of all sizes, interspersed with decorative rockeries, and filled with lush greenery. In such a dimly lit and complex environment, finding a hidden alligator was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Director Quincy watched the scene unfold, her brows knitted tightly, her heart filled with unease.

"Who knows how long this will take," Manager Goodman said, frowning. "All those guests in the lobby are waiting to use the springs. How could your zoo make such a serious mistake?"

Director Quincy murmured, "I’m sorry. I’m truly, truly sorry."

Renee Jennings stood beside her, scanning the area. A grave look settled onto her delicate features.

A moment later, an idea struck her. She called upon the system in her mind. ’Is there a way to find the alligator quickly?’

[System 009: Miss Jennings, you can use points in the shop to redeem the "Nowhere to Hide" item. It can quickly locate animals within a twenty-kilometer radius, or you can specify a particular species to search for.]

’Perfect.’

Renee was delighted. She entered the shop in her mind and searched for "Nowhere to Hide." It cost two hundred points.

She had 1,100 points remaining.

Renee redeemed it without hesitation.

[System 009: You have successfully redeemed the "Nowhere to Hide" item. Duration: 10 hours.]

After activating the item, Renee quickly found the alligator’s hiding spot. And to her surprise, there wasn’t just one alligator in the area.

"Excuse me," she said, walking over to a group of firefighters. "I know where the alligators are."

However, they were all busy with the search and didn’t pay her any mind.

’We’ve been searching with flashlights all this time and haven’t found a thing,’ they thought. ’How could this girl know where it is after standing here for just a moment?’

Seeing this, Renee simply started walking in the direction of the alligators herself.

Sawyer followed closely behind her.

Just then, a flashlight beam landed on them, and a uniformed police officer called out, "I thought we told you not to come over here! There’s an alligator; it’s dangerous!"

"We’re official," Sawyer said, showing his credentials. "We’re here to help the zoo find the alligators."

The officer frowned in disapproval. "You don’t even have any gear. Don’t get yourselves hurt. They might be Chinese alligators, but they’re still wild animals. Don’t be fooled by all those cute and silly videos online."

"We know," Sawyer said with a smile. "Don’t worry, we know our limits."

Since he’d said that, the officer didn’t press the issue. "All right, then. Be careful."

Renee and Sawyer walked over to a rockery. The locator showed an alligator was right there.

She switched on her phone’s flashlight and scanned the area carefully, finally spotting an alligator trying to pass for a rock by playing dead.