vrcanaries Chapter 1: Let's take him down!
Chapter 1: Let's take him down!
"We're going to file a complaint! We're going to file a complaint against you! This isn't over!"
As soon as they got off the sightseeing bus, several middle-aged women pointed and whispered angrily at Lin Que.
"Aunties, aunties, listen to me. There are animals in the zoo, right? That's right. Why are you complaining about me? Let's be reasonable, okay?" Lin Que quickly explained.
Upon hearing Lin Que's words, the older women became even more displeased: "If you hadn't mentioned the zoo, we wouldn't be so angry! How dare you bring it up?"
"Which zoo has a wolf that's actually a husky? The lion enclosure has Chow Chows, and the panda enclosure also has Chow Chows. Is this a zoo? It's more like a dog park!"
"Just tell me, aren't dogs animals?"
"How do you explain that human dressed as a black bear?"
"Um... Black Bear is on holiday today."
"..."
Lin Que and the older women exchanged glances, scratched their heads, and smiled, creating an awkward moment.
"As you all know, there have been a lot of reports on the internet and TV news lately about the exploitation of animals in zoos."
"This is not just to give the animals more rest time, but to show our zoo's care for the animals."
"We don't care! Just wait for complaints and your money back!"
The women left angrily.
"Well, another day's work wasted."
Lin Que looked at the group of middle-aged women walking away with a look of despair. He opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
After being severely scolded by his supervisor.
Clocking out, time to clock out.
Lin Que finally dragged his tired body to the end of the day's work.
On the way back, looking at the towering skyscrapers all around, my already bad mood became even more depressed.
As soon as he got back to his rented room, he immediately lay down on the sofa and didn't want to move for a second. He felt a headache coming on just thinking about the complaints he had received today.
A moment later, I picked up my phone and ordered takeout, which gave me a bit of energy.
After finishing his takeout, Lin looked at the three-digit balance in his phone wallet and fell into deep thought.
If this continues, we won't even be able to afford the rent.
When Lin Que was young, his parents passed away in an accident, leaving behind a 5-year-old boy and his 2-year-old sister. Life has always been difficult for them.
Fortunately, their maternal grandparents took them in, which allowed the two of them to grow up slowly.
Ding dong~!
Not long after, the doorbell rang, and the takeout arrived.
Lin Que got up, went to the door to retrieve his takeout, and ate it at the dining table.
Just as I was enjoying my meal, my phone suddenly rang!
I picked up my phone and glanced at the caller ID, which read "scammer," and knew it was my second uncle calling. I figured it couldn't be anything good.
Otherwise, the note would be labeled "scammer"?
"Hey, what do you want? Just say it."
Lin Que was eating takeout while answering a phone call.
My second uncle's voice immediately came from the other end of the phone: "I have a job I've got, want to come and do it together? If we do it, we won't have to worry about anything for the rest of our lives."
Lin Que was momentarily stunned by his second uncle's words.
what?
Let's pull off a heist?
After a moment of stunned silence, Lin Que, realizing what was happening, exclaimed in shock, "A job?! What are you talking about! I won't do it!"
Trust me this time! Would I ever cheat you?
"How many times have you tricked me since I was a child?"
"Ahem, that's a different story. Anyway, you're almost out of money, aren't you? Don't worry! This time it'll definitely be reliable."
How did you know I was going to run out of money?
"Hehe! I know you too well, you're a spendthrift."
"Then tell me, what kind of job is it?"
"Grave robbing!"
"puff!"
Lin Que, who was eating takeout, spat out a mouthful of food.
……
Lin Que recalled that when he was a child, he was always curious as to why his second uncle was about the same age as him. Only after he grew up did he learn by chance that his second uncle was an orphan that his maternal grandparents had found when they went to the market in town.
From childhood to adulthood, this cheap second uncle always took me to do petty theft and other shady things.
After they were caught, they were always the ones who suffered the consequences. That guy would run faster than a rabbit, forcing their grandparents to apologize to others every time.
Good heavens! They're still robbing tombs these days!
Lin Que's expression was strange at this moment, and he replied in a tone that clearly showed disbelief, "Second Uncle, you must be joking! Putting aside the fact that tomb raiding is illegal, do you even know how to raid tombs?"
After a moment of silence.
Then I heard my second uncle's mysterious voice coming from the other end of the phone: "You don't need to worry about that. You just need to come along and help. With an expert here, I guarantee with my integrity that there will be absolutely no problem!"
"Tell me, from childhood to adulthood, when has there ever been a good thing that didn't include you? Can you just give me a straight answer?"
That's true. Although he often tricks Lin Que, he also gets involved in good things when they happen.
Although Lin Que had some doubts about the job his second uncle was talking about, he was really short of money right now and couldn't even afford to pay the rent.
Upon hearing this, Lin Que hesitated for a long time before slowly replying, "Let me think about it for one night, and I'll give you an answer tomorrow, okay?"
"Then it's settled. I'll tell my brother not to look for anyone else, it'll be you."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Que stood up and walked out onto the balcony. Looking at the city night view outside, he looked somewhat lost and forlorn.
My mood grew heavy, and my murmured words were filled with a touch of melancholy.
"I always feel like I don't belong in this city."
"Outside is a world of dazzling lights and bustling activity, but inside this rented room is another world altogether."
Standing on the balcony, Lin Que remained silent for a long time, as if he had made up his mind.
Sure enough! Still no money! A world where money is king.
that's nice!
Starve the timid to death and starve the bold to death.
How about we go for it?
……
The next day, after getting up, Lin Que quickly washed up, got dressed, and went out. Since he had made up his mind, he would go to the zoo first to resign from his job as a tour guide.
The morning sunlight was quite pleasant. Lin Que rode his electric scooter, humming a tune, and slowly arrived at the zoo. There weren't many people there so early in the morning.
When the security guard at the gate saw Lin Que arrive, he greeted him warmly: "Hey! Little Lin, aren't you on the afternoon shift? Why are you here so early today?"
Lin Que replied with a smile, "Good morning, Lao Zhang! To be honest, I'm here to resign. We'll be parting ways after today. I don't want to do this lousy job for another day."
"Not only is the pay low, but he's also exploited by Wang the Skinflint every day. He keeps deducting wages under some ridiculous excuse of customer complaints. Doesn't he know what's going on at the zoo?"
"I'm not doing it anymore, whoever wants to do it can do it!"
Hearing Lin Que's words, Lao Zhang looked reluctant. After all, they had worked together for so long, and it was always a little hard to leave. But everyone has their own ambitions, so Lao Zhang didn't say anything to persuade him to stay.
He said with a somewhat sad expression, "Sigh! Since you're leaving, go and say goodbye to Xiaoyuan. She's in the park now."
"To be honest, I feel quite sad. I guess it's understandable, since this place is too small and not suitable for you. I can only wish you a bright future, Xiao Linzi, and hope you'll remember to come back and visit us often."
"Absolutely!" Lin Que nodded firmly.
However, Lin Que could never have imagined that a few days later, Old Zhang's words would come true.
"Kids, come this way with Sister Xiaoyuan! I'll take you to see a giant turtle, a really big one! Do you want to see it?"
After parking his electric scooter, Lin Que entered the zoo and heard that cute yet playful voice coming from there. Looking up, he saw Zhou Yuan holding a small flag and leading a group of children toward the turtle enclosure.
Lin Que followed, intending to go over and say hello, since they had been working together for a year and were considered old colleagues.
Actually, this zoo only has two tour guides, Lin Que and Zhou Yuan. The security guard, Lao Zhang, is getting old and will probably work at the zoo until he retires, so he doesn't want to bother with anything else.
It's just unknown whether the zoo can survive until Old Zhang retires. Business is getting worse and worse, and every day it can be said that the income is not enough to cover the expenses. Otherwise, some animals would not be the ones that are not as advertised.
Lin Que slowly walked forward and greeted her: "Good morning, Xiao Yuan! You've brought the group into the park."
Hearing someone call her name, Zhou Yuan immediately turned around.
Under the bright sunshine, Zhou Yuan's fair skin was as smooth as a freshly peeled egg, and her long, glossy black hair was tied in a ponytail.
He wore a T-shirt with the zoo logo on his upper body, paired with denim shorts and white sneakers.
She looks youthful and full of energy.
In addition, she is petite and cute, and very approachable to children. No wonder Wang Bapi always lets Zhou Yuan take care of the children, while Lin Que has to take care of the aunties and uncles.
"Oh! It's Brother Lin! Good morning! You're not supposed to be at work yet, why are you here so early today?"
"Xiaoyuan, you won't see me after today. I'm here to resign. We've worked together for so long, so I came here to say goodbye."
"Ah! Is Brother Lin leaving? Will we ever see each other again?"
A hint of disappointment was clearly visible on Zhou Yuan's pretty face.
Lin Que jokingly teased, "What, are you reluctant to see me leave?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yuan's cheeks flushed slightly, and her tone became somewhat shy.
"No...no, it's just that we've been working together for so long and I'm a little unaccustomed to it!"
Her shy look is so cute!
"Don't worry! Your brother Lin is just resigning, not passing away. We'll definitely be able to see each other often."
"That's great! I hope everything goes well for Brother Lin from now on!"
"Xiaoyuan too! You can come to me if you have any problems. I may not be able to solve them, but I'm definitely a good person to confide in."
Hearing what Lin Que said, Zhou Yuan felt a little happier.
After greeting Zhou Yuan and waving goodbye, Lin Que headed straight for the zoo's personnel department. Although it was called the personnel department, due to the zoo's financial difficulties, there was actually only one middle-aged woman there who was in charge of both personnel and finance.
Fortunately, the resignation process went very smoothly. I didn't see that manager, Wang the Skinflint. I guess the zoo itself wasn't very profitable, so it was better to have one less person than one more.
After leaving the zoo, Lin Que took out his phone and called his second uncle. The call went through in no time.
"I've decided. Where are you?"
"I'll book you a train ticket. We'll leave today and meet at our destination."
After making the contact, Lin Que immediately went back to his rented apartment to pack his luggage and prepare to leave.
I have no idea what will happen on this trip.
I have this inexplicable feeling of unease in my heart...