Chapter 287 - It's Time To Die

Feng Xuan could no longer help it, her hand reached for the gun Qing Chen was holding. She c.o.c.ked it again and pointed it to The Zookeeper's throat. She was really going to blow his brains but the next thing that left his mouth made her stop.

"Your mother… she was not the person you think she is."

"SHE'S DEAD!" Feng Xuan said, feeling herself on the verge of tears. There was no way that she was the one who had killed her mother. This was all just a part of The Zookeeper's games. He was just toying with her mind. He wanted a few more minutes to live. He was just stalling.

Then it was the question that would forever hunt her. "Did you bury her?"

Her fingers froze.

"Were you there when they burned her body?"

She was in the hospital when her mother's funeral and cremation happened. The last that she saw her mother's body was when they were kidnapped. "My father—"

"Your father wasn't there either. He was with you in the hospital. Now, I am going to say this again. Your mother is alive."

Feng Xuan sat back, feeling a little moment of peace within her. "You're done talking," she said and squeezed the trigger.

But the gun clicked. And clicked. And there was nothing.

The Zookeeper's face relaxed when he saw that the gun was already out of bullets. "Must be a sign," he said and turned to Qing Chen. "I have something you would want to know."

"Let me guess," he answered. "It's also about my mother."

"Ding ding ding ding!! You're a great guesser, Chen. You're the smartest among your brothers. But what I want to know is how you haven't figured out how your mother's still alive?"

It was Wuming who laughed first, then it was Lok. "Nah, you can't trick us. We all saw her dead. The three of us."

"Yang Baozai was already dead too until she wasn't. People saw her bleeding out."

Feng Xuan took the hilt of the gun and hit it on The Zookeeper's head. "You don't get to say her name," she hissed.

"Aw," The Zookeeper said. "You know, I would really rather be dead than be in between the four of you. Come on, just blow my head off."

"Yeah, you're right, we should just go home," Qing Chen found another gun, a smaller one this time but it was surely loaded. He already had the gun pointed when Wuming waved his hand.

"Wait, let's see what he has to say. I want to know what story he would make up about mom."

"We really don't have the time."

"We're coming back with our own plane. We're not in a rush." Wuming shushed Qing Lok who was about to side with Qing Chen. "Listen. So tell us about our mother."

"This was more of a plot twist," said The Zookeeper, groaning as he tried to shift in his position. "This was something that you would only see in the movies. Why do people come back from the dead? Or at least, fake their deaths? It's only because they have things to hide."

"Whose secret is better, our mom's or Feng Xuan's?"

"It's no competition, children. Both secrets had something to do with the way you are raised. Why don't you ask your father where your mother is. I'm sure he knows."

Wuming's blood boiled. He felt it on his ears and for once, Qing Lok started to pay attention. Qing Chen fingers flexed and his breathing stopped.

"What? You think daddy let your mom die? Pft," said The Zookeeper with a shrug. "How gullible are the four of you?"

Qing Lok got off the floor. "Where is our mother?"

"Ask your dad," said The Zookeeper. "On that note, do you know where your father is?"

"Not exact location."

"Do you know why he went away?"

"Vacation."

"Is that really the reason? Why don't you ask your brothers?"

Qing Lok eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Wuming started. "He's a crazy m—"

"Shut it, Wuming. I want to hear what he has to say."

Wuming's jaw tightened and he looked at Qing Chen. Qing Chen nodded.

Qing Lok crouched down. "Why did my father leave?"

The Zookeeper was laughing. "You think that your brothers are hiding something from you? No," he shook his head. "Well, maybe something, but the reason why your father went away… they do not know that either."

"So where is he?"

"He went to meet your mother."

The boys laughed. Feng Xuan could also feel herself smiling. "He's a nutcase, just like the rest of the people here," she said. "Maybe they got too much sun."

The Zookeeper looked around him and nodded understandably. "Yeah, don't believe me. But when you find out the truth. Don't you ever think 'The Zookeeper was right. My mom is alive'." He turned to Qing Lok again, "What your brothers did… not tell… you… is…" then his eyes rolled back and his head hung from his neck. 

"Hey!" Qing Lok slapped The Zookeeper's cheek. He didn't respond. "Is he dead?!"

Wuming felt for a pulse by the neck. "His pulse is there, but it's weak. He probably lost consciousness because of the blood loss."

Feng Xuan relaxed and handed the empty gun back to Qing Chen. "Let's go."

**

It was no question with the way The Zookeeper was supposed to die. They all agreed with Qing Chen's idea of bringing him to the middle of the safari, somewhere close to a lair with no one around him. It was not safe to travel in the night but they took the risk anyway. With all the blood that The Zookeeper lost, some wild animal would surely smell him from miles away.

Wuming shook The Zookeeper awake and cut his bonds. "Hey, old man, it's time to die."

They did not even wait until he was fully awake when they dropped him off and they sped off.