Esper X Family – Chapter 688 – A Trip to the Zoo

Under Xing Lan and Ye Jia’s attentive care, Ye Yao finally got dressed in white stockings and a skirt, looking presentable enough to go out.

Simplicity is the truest form of beauty.

In just a blink of an eye, Ye Yao had already reunited with the others.

Luo Jianhua, Wu Mi, and all the other familiar girls were present, clearly not intending to miss this rare opportunity to go out.

Unsurprisingly, Xia Lian had tagged along, looking in a noticeably cheerful mood.

She was the only one who had nothing better to do all day than trail behind a group of little girls.

When people said “sit at the kids’ table”, it was usually a joke, but Xia Lian genuinely wanted to sit there.

Still, considering that Xia Lian had managed to transform from weakling into a dragon just a month ago, Ye Yao decided to hold back on criticizing her.

“Alright, looks like everyone’s here. Let’s go, kids!”

At Ye Yao’s command, the girls responded in unison with a spirited cheer.

“Whoo!”

Shifting the scene.

The group had arrived at the largest zoo in the vicinity.

Rumor had it that the zoo had undergone expansion and renovation, and was nearly transformed into an ecological park.

Rеаԁ οո ΚаtRеαԁіոɡСαfе

After all, the animals on Bluestar had all gone through a metamorphosis thanks to Ye Yao’s clever little ideas, so the old construction scale no longer quite fit the bill.

With technical support from the Countermeasures Bureau, all facilities related to these super-animals received massive upgrades, retaining their original functions while eliminating any risk of accidents.

At least for now, the animals’ status hadn’t changed much.

They were still subject to the heavy suppression of humanity.

Ye Yao gave the place a casual glance and nodded in satisfaction.

“Not bad. Not too crowded.”

Luo Jianhua smiled faintly. “Well, today’s a weekday. It’s probably only on weekends that the crowds get a bit heavier.”

Even though Bluestar had just gone through a series of major events, ordinary people still had to go about their work.

During this phase of rapid development, Bluestar was in dire need of talent reserves, and of converting large numbers of Espers into productive forces.

The unemployed were actually in the minority now. Those who could go out and play on a weekday were mostly from large families or on shift adjustments.

Wu Mi tilted her head and asked from the side.

“Is Ye Yao worried about being recognized? Given her popularity, if she were spotted, it would definitely cause quite a stir.”

“It’s not just me who draws attention, you know. Don’t forget that you’re all pretty popular too. My fame is only slightly higher than yours, by just a tiny bit.”

Ye Yao made a “universe between fingers” gesture, but she wasn’t happy about it at all.

In the end, she still held the top spot on the popularity charts, and it was practically stuck there.

Even if they shot a few more movies starring Lou Weiwei and Fu Qiqi, they probably wouldn’t be able to catch up.

Rеαd οո КatRеαⅾіոɡСаfе

Ye Yao had fully accepted her fate.

Who told her to show off in front of everyone?

With Sen Tong’s global broadcast, Ye Yao’s shining moments were etched into people’s DNA. It would probably be hard for newcomers to take that place even after generations had passed.

Even when Ye Yao streamed anonymously online, she would get a massive audience.

Who knew what chaos it would cause if she appeared openly on the streets?

If witnesses started spreading the news, it would surely turn into a chain reaction fan meet-and-greet.

To prevent that, Ye Yao had no choice but to borrow Luo Jianhua’s ability and apply a hallucination debuff to everyone within a fixed range.

Even the zoo staff would only see them as ordinary passersby.

A few exchanges of conversation later.

The group made their way smoothly into the vast zoo.

Ye Yao’s first stop was to see the tigers she had been missing.

The big tigers were no longer confined to relatively limited spaces.

Their activity areas had been greatly expanded, spanning what looked like several football fields at a glance, with transparent barriers forming the perimeters.

Ye Yao sensed them briefly and knew that the material could withstand at least an S-rank Esper’s attack.

Even super-animals with enhanced mental power probably couldn’t break through.

Ye Yao looked up again.

Rеаԁ оո ΚаtRеаdіոɡСаfe

“Sealed off with a pure mental-power energy dome at the top? That should keep the tigers from flying out.”

“Cat! Look, a big kitty is flying!”

Ye Yao followed the voice and spotted the familiar Brother Tiger soaring through the sky, majestic and awe-inspiring!

The animals in other areas looked up and were nearly scared witless.

“Brother Tiger is truly mighty. Give him a pair of wings and he could cosplay the ancient beast Qiongqi ¹ Chinese mythical beast that looks like a tiger but… yea it just looks like a tiger, and it’s evil? Anyway, I have no idea how Qiongqi is in the same tier as Taotie. ; dye his fur white and he could cosplay the divine beast White Tiger. Who would dare bully my Brother Tiger now? Even Wu Song ² A character from the classic Chinese novel《Water Margin》who got famous for 1v1-ing a tiger and winning. would sober up instantly on the spot.”

Mo Qiuli observed carefully, feeling no fear at all. Instead, she felt like making a sarcastic comment.

“Hmm… compared to other animals, isn’t the tiger’s transformation a bit too plain? Most animals got significant upgrades, but the tiger just grew a pair of wings to fly.”

Ye Yao blinked. “It’s called ’adding wings to a tiger’, get it? It was already a top predator. Taking a little nerf every now and then just shows how much skill and mechanism Brother Tiger really has.”

Just then, she noticed that someone had entered the flying tiger’s territory, with a few people trailing behind. They were completely unprotected, seemingly unafraid of being hunted.

“Hmm? Looks familiar. Let me take another look.”

Ye Yao quickly recalled the vaguely familiar face.

Wasn’t that Li Tang, the S-rank Esper who had been thrashed by the Mimic King during the Bluestar Defense Battle?

Rumor had it that he had been devastated after his animal friends were gobbled up by the alien race, but it looked like he had moved on.

Unexpectedly, he was now working at the zoo, and apparently as a senior administrator too.

Just then, the soaring tiger seemed to spot this group and swooped down rapidly. With a loud bang and a cloud of dust, the dangerously fierce beast appeared right in front of them.

Ye Yao observed from the shadows.

Rеαⅾ οո КαtRеаdіոɡCαfе

Although she appeared to be far away, it was almost as if she were right there on the scene.

Yet, no one noticed.

The massive tiger walked up to Li Tang and lay down, but even then, it stood at two meters tall.

After awakening mental power, many animals had experienced varying degrees of growth in size. A tiger of this enormous stature could easily overturn all previous biological theories in minutes.

But in the face of this entirely new frontier, biologists were eager to make history.

Not to mention having Darwin or other biological luminaries polish their shoes, just the mere prospect of standing on equal footing with them was motivation enough.

Now, observing up close, Ye Yao noticed that this giant tiger’s eyes held little wildness. Instead, they were full of intelligence. In certain classical Chinese tales, it would be considered at the level of a spirit beast, likely capable of understanding human speech.

Facing an S-rank Esper like Li Tang, the tiger naturally showed submission, with no trace of aggression.

“Hmm… I wonder what it feels like to ride this big tiger through the sky.”

Just as Ye Yao was lost in thought, a young man behind Li Tang couldn’t help but remark.

“Thanks to Lord Tong Yao, we get to enjoy such a grand sight. Before the Great Awakening Era, I was just unemployed, but now I can get up close and personal with animals I’m interested in.”

Ye Yao blinked, her expression turning subtle. “It’s my doing?”

Author Note

Gwah! Why are you already urging me to write a new book so soon after one just ended?

Text: Fleeing at the speed of light!