Free Web NovelChapter 208: Chapter 153: Brother Hu, Scared Witless Again
"A ghost! A ghost—!"
A bloodcurdling scream, one that sounded completely inhuman, erupted from Zhang Chenghu’s throat.
With his hands tied behind his back, he acted like a madman, scrambling to his feet and heedlessly charging toward the shadows in a corner of the plaza, his steps staggering and unsteady.
THUD!
He lost his balance and fell heavily, his chin smacking against the concrete ground and drawing blood. freewebnoveℓ.com
But Zhang Chenghu seemed to feel no pain. Like a fish out of water, he kicked his legs frantically against the ground, dragging his body inch by inch toward the corner. A large, dark wet patch rapidly spread across his crotch.
He had wet himself in public again!
After finally reaching the corner, Zhang Chenghu desperately curled into a ball, trembling violently. His eyes were wide with terror as he stared at the empty space before him, letting out incoherent, fear-filled howls.
"Don’t come any closer! Go away! Get away from me—!"
"There’s a ghost! How did I get here?"
"Stop haunting me!"
"..."
The sudden scene left everyone present stunned.
"Wh-What’s going on?"
"Is his mental illness acting up again?"
"Wait, why did I say ’again’?"
On the Zoo’s side, many of the managers and employees who had witnessed the conflict a few days prior immediately remembered how Zhang Chenghu had suddenly gone crazy like this after assaulting Chen Ze. That incident had even been filmed, uploaded online, and turned him into a laughingstock.
"Is this the same illness?" Huang Zhongmu frowned.
"It looks like it, and it seems even more severe this time," Jiang Kai said, his face a mask of disbelief.
"He’s not faking it, is he? Trying to evade responsibility?" Zhao Dalong voiced his suspicion.
The few cronies who had come with Zhang Chenghu were also dumbfounded, staring at each other in confusion.
"Brother... Brother Hu is actually mentally ill?"
"I’ve never heard that before!"
"No wonder his temper is so explosive sometimes, flipping out at the drop of a hat..."
"What do we do now? A mentally ill person isn’t even legally responsible for murder. Does that mean we..."
"..."
Yang Qi played along with the crowd, a perfect expression of shock and confusion on his face as if he too were bewildered by the sudden turn of events.
Inside, however, he was laughing. ’Once is a coincidence, but twice... Let’s see if you dare come to the Zoo and cause trouble again.’
He intended to use this inexplicable yet very real "bizarre" event to plant an indelible shadow of fear in Zhang Chenghu’s heart.
When dealing with a scoundrel like this—someone with money and time, who knew how to exploit legal gray areas, and was as persistent as a stubborn rash—simply overpowering him or punishing him through legal means wouldn’t be enough to teach him a true lesson.
Only a fear that transcended common sense and struck at the soul could make him feel reverence, or even terror, at the very mention of the word "Zoo."
And sure enough.
After howling for a while, Zhang Chenghu’s entire body shuddered violently as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over him. The madness and terror in his eyes receded like a tide, and clarity returned.
His screams stopped abruptly.
He blankly opened his eyes, looking at the bright, glaring lights around him. He felt the stinging pain on his chin and the cold, sticky sensation in his crotch...
He then looked up at the crowd a short distance away, their faces a mixture of expressions as they pointed and whispered about him.
In an instant, the memories came rushing back. freewebnσvel.cøm
’Did I have another "episode" just now?’
’At the Zoo again?’
’Wetting my pants, rolling on the ground, and screaming like a banshee in public again?’
Zhang Chenghu’s face became a chaotic palette of colors, shifting between shame, confusion, rage, and disbelief.
But this time, beneath that changing expression, a new and unprecedented fear was quietly born deep in his eyes, quickly spreading through his entire body.
The first time he had an "episode" at the Zoo, he could still console himself by thinking he had been overly agitated or had accidentally inhaled some kind of hallucinogen. It was a coincidence, an accident.
But this second time...
It happened again, without any warning, while he was plotting his revenge, his mind completely focused, with absolutely no possibility of having ingested or inhaled anything by mistake! He had once again fallen into that terrifying illusion!
Once is a coincidence. Twice...
And in the exact same place?
This was no coincidence!
A chill shot up Zhang Chenghu’s spine to the back of his head, making him shiver uncontrollably.
’This Zoo is cursed! Absolutely cursed!’
A terrifying thought rose uncontrollably in his mind. ’Is this place specifically cursed for me? Or is there something "unclean" here?’
Zhang Chenghu looked at the Zoo’s silent enclosures, dense trees, and dark paths under the night sky. For the first time, he felt that this place, so full of life and laughter during the day, was sinister and terrifying at night.
At this thought, all ideas of revenge, saving face, and scheming were thrown to the winds.
Only one thought remained in his mind—
Get out of here immediately!
The farther away from this cursed place, the better!
"Officer Wang! Officer Wang!"
Zhang Chenghu suddenly lifted his head and shouted at Wang Anjiu, who was nearby. His voice was urgent, almost pleading. "I confess! I’ll confess to everything! I apologize, and I’m willing to pay compensation! Quick, get me out of here! Take me back to the police station! Hurry!"
This abrupt change in attitude stunned Wang Anjiu, who had been about to walk over and see if he was "playing crazy" again. His brow furrowed even deeper.
"What are you up to now?"
Wang Anjiu walked over, eyeing him warily. "Don’t think you can play crazy, then suddenly ’come to your senses’ and confess to escape punishment or pull some other trick!"
"No! No! Officer Wang, I’m not trying to escape, and it’s not a trick."
Zhang Chenghu shook his head repeatedly. At a nod from Wang Anjiu, a security guard helped him to his feet.
Ignoring his disheveled state, he faced Huang Zhongmu and Chen Ze and bowed his head deeply, his tone so "sincere" it was almost frantic.
"Director Huang, I’m sorry! I was wrong!"
"I shouldn’t have come to damage the Zoo’s property and environment because of a personal grudge."
"And to the security guard over there, I sincerely apologize! I was in the wrong last time, and I was possessed this time. For all the damage caused—the lock, the cleanup, and any other potential impact—I will take full responsibility and pay double the compensation!"
"I just beg... I just beg you to give me a chance to turn over a new leaf, and please let Officer Wang take me away and deal with this now!"
He rattled off this speech, his admission of guilt ridiculously earnest and his willingness to compensate incredibly strong. He was like a completely different person from the arrogant, sneering Zhang Chenghu of a few minutes ago who was trying to exploit legal loopholes.
"What’s going on?"
"Did the sun rise in the west?"
Everyone at the scene, from Huang Zhongmu and Jiang Kai to the regular security guards, including Chen Ze himself, frowned in utter confusion.
The change was too fast, too abrupt, too illogical!
Just a moment ago he had a "what can you do to me" attitude. How could he suddenly be breaking down in tears and sincerely admitting his faults?
Was it just because his "episode" scared him into wetting his pants?
His mental fortitude was that weak?
Even the cronies Zhang Chenghu had brought with him were completely baffled, whispering among themselves.
"What kind of act is Brother Hu putting on?"
"Did he really back down? That’s not his style..."
"Wait!"
One of the sharper ones suddenly thought of a possibility and lowered his voice. "You guys think... if Brother Hu really is mentally ill, does that mean he wouldn’t be held criminally responsible for his actions just now? He might even avoid punishment altogether?"
The others were stunned for a moment, then it dawned on them, but they quickly realized something was wrong.
"Avoid punishment? You’re dreaming. Even if he’s diagnosed as mentally ill and avoids criminal charges, someone like Brother Hu, with his violent tendencies and history of causing trouble, would most likely be committed to a psychiatric hospital for mandatory treatment!"
A psychiatric hospital?!
The men all shivered at the same time.
Compared to a detention center or even prison, a place where you lose your freedom, get treated like a lunatic, and might have to undergo all sorts of treatments was obviously far more terrifying to them.
’What a genius!’
