Doomsday Cat City Lord - Chapter 29

The system let out a roar, and Mi Miaomiao snapped back to reality.

Why the heck was I nodding?!

It and Xuan Yu were good brothers, closer than actual blood brothers! It had almost been hoodwinked by Fatty into acknowledging a father figure!

With one claw, it snuffed out the small flame the orange cat had puffed out. Mi Miaomiao turned and walked away quickly; if it stayed any longer, it feared it might have to destroy its own kin for the sake of righteousness.

“Hey, hey, hey, hey, I wasn’t wrong, was I?” The flame that had taken so much effort to form was extinguished just like that. The big orange cat rolled on the snow, howling and yelling!

Mi Miaomiao shook its head, trying hard to banish the image of a loving, fatherly Xuan Yu that had formed in its mind. “012, what is it?”

012 noticed that the tone of the host’s voice this time was exceptionally gentle. 012 wobbled its body, suddenly thought of a topic it hadn’t dared to bring up before, and said nervously: [Host-sama, I would like to request authorization for separate communication with Rong City’s management, and for the system database to be opened to them.]

Mi Miaomiao: “I remember you mentioned this once before; didn’t I already allow it?”

012 took a deep breath and said calmly: [That was because there are more people with system panel permissions now, and the two previous Vice City Lords didn’t actively contact me very much.]

“Fine.” Mi Miaomiao had no reason to disagree; the system database was opened to civilization data equivalent to Earth’s technological level, and it occasionally looked for answers there as well.

This brief communication with the system caused the heat that had just rushed to its cheeks to subside rapidly. As Mi Miaomiao continued to build the gazebo while thinking, was the system’s answer just now too nervous? It was more long-winded than usual.

Having successfully obtained authorization from the host, 012 took advantage of the impulse that had just surged into its core to open Xuan Yu’s chat box, clattering away to answer all the doubts it had previously asked itself.

It waited for the previous host’s reply, feeling both expectant and secretly apprehensive.

【Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!】

Xuan Yu broke free from the thick, gloomy emotions. Its limbs still retained the pain of having been torn apart countless times during its advancement. Its heartbeat was very fast, and the intense desire to become stronger was clearly displayed in its mind.

For the first time, Xuan Yu experienced the same sense of urgency that Flower-Arm felt when looking at it. It… wanted to stand side-by-side with Miaomiao.

【Beep】

【What gift to send? Of course, send flowers. Send a bouquet of roses to the Miaomiao you love most. The language of white roses is purity, flawlessness, sincerity, and honesty. Isn’t this just your feelings for it? Send a bouquet of white roses to express your love cryptically, and you won’t have to worry about being rejected outright.  In short, for a confession, start with a flower.】

Xuan Yu frowned and closed the system panel.

Its green eyes stared fixedly at the ceiling, the light in them flickering. After a long while, it let out a cold, sneering laugh.

“Unrequited love? Are you kidding me? Miaomiao is a child I watched grow up since it was small.”

In the passage leading out of the refuge, the cold-faced black cat radiated its aura fully. The unconstrained Level 4 aura and the pressure unique to king-level aptitude were released together.

The crowd gathered around the stove for warmth felt a chill down their backs, their breathing becoming labored.

The animals huddled together for warmth reacted even more exaggeratedly. They curled their bodies into tight balls, their eyelids trembling as they didn’t dare to open them. Their fur stood on end, as if they had been locked onto by a natural predator anyone who moved would die.

Yungu was a natural big sister and was very stubborn. After feeling the pressure on her body ease, she quietly opened her eyes.

She saw a black cat standing in the center of the hall, with an agile figure and a majestic aura. Its pitch-black wings were folded on both sides of its body. Under the lights, a hazy red glow enveloped it, making those eyes more beautiful than green bamboo look even better. It was looking nonchalantly at the air, its pupils contracting slightly, becoming sharp in a certain instant.

Luoyun subconsciously hugged its limbs tightly. A moment later, it was gathered into its father’s arms. Beside its ear was its father’s lazy, magnetic, and whispered comfort: “Don’t be afraid; the Vice City Lord has already left.”

“Ying, is that a Level 4 evolver? So powerful.”

Luoyun and the cubs lay on the ground with their heads together, turning their faces, their fleshy round ears twisting left and right. Touching Yungu’s small ears, it smiled softly upon hearing this: “The Vice City Lord is angry.”

Yungu: “Is it angry like Mom? The kind of anger where it can smash a big bamboo with one palm and scare Dad so much he doesn’t dare come down from the tree?”

Luoyun couldn’t help but recall Yungu’s mother that violent female bear. Back then, it had only approached to sniff Yungu; who knew she could get so angry as to chase it for two mountain ranges… and in the end, didn’t she still entrust the cub to it?

A flash of sadness flickered in the adult giant panda’s bright, black eyes, but it quickly cheered up and comforted the cub: “The Vice City Lord is usually very calm. Even when fighting Level 5 monsters, I’ve never seen it express emotion. This time, it might have suddenly sensed something bad.”

The yearning in Yungu’s eyes became even more obvious. Its young, little voice said softly: “Dad, I want to become as strong as the Vice City Lord, grow wings, and go find Mom.”

Amidst the wind and snow, a brilliant gold and a transparent blue seemed to have settled the myriad stars. That pair of eyes, the joy revealed when looking at itself, left deep imprints reflected in Xuan Yu’s green eyes.

Miaomiao was just like when it was young forever possessing fluffy, warm, white long fur, its slow-walking posture full of laziness and elegance, revealing red-tinted thin ears, a slightly upturned pink-and-tender nose, its natural smiling lips, and the sharp little teeth it exposed.

Miaomiao was different from when it was young its once soft and thin body had become agile and powerful. Even if its posture was casual, it could instantly transform into a hunting state when accidents occurred. In its half-closed eyes, a sharpness forged through the vicissitudes of life would occasionally circulate.

The big white cat landed nimbly, snowflakes splashing and swirling behind it. Xuan Yu stood in place, its expression so calm it was even somewhat solemn, yet its heart was beating wildly out of control. At that moment, it thought of slaughter, prey, blood, victory, and death but ultimately, what it recalled was a sentence from the system that had enraged it earlier.

[Xuan Yu, if it isn’t love, why does your heart beat so violently? If it isn’t love, why do you reject other animals getting close to it? Do you really think that is pure protective instinct?]

Mi Miaomiao lowered its head, rubbing against Xuan Yu’s side face and neck just as it had in the past. Yet, suddenly, it felt a warm paw pad press against its neck. The long nails had retracted their edge, gently inserting into its fur, brushing over its thin skin, combing away the ice and snow that had stuck to it, bit by bit.

The forearm muscles hidden beneath the fur were tense. Xuan Yu had to use all its control to barely restrain the urge to touch Miaomiao more.

“Xuan Yu, you finally came out. Any later, and everyone would have come to persuade me not to be angry with you.”

Xuan Yu spoke, its voice strained and hoarse: “Sorry.”

Rubbing hard against Xuan Yu’s smooth short fur, Mi Miaomiao discovered that it really liked the scent of dried grass on its body. Satisfied, it sat in front of the black cat and said earnestly: “Xuan Yu, you have your way of becoming stronger; I won’t force you to change again in the future. I will strive to become your backing. I will always be by your side, helping you heal your wounds.”

Xuan Yu’s pupils contracted and dilated, unable to analyze the complex emotions filling its mind. It only felt that its heart was completely out of control the heartbeat driving its blood to flow rapidly. Its ears seemed to have shielded out all external sounds; amidst the sound of surging blood, only Miaomiao’s words were clearly reflected in its mind.

The joy generated when Miaomiao took the initiative to come close made the pain in its body seem to dissipate.

Thinking back on it now, the memory of Miaomiao watching it angrily yet anxiously earlier the secret excitement was inflating, making it even more dizzying than the first time it ate catnip.

In the afternoon, at Refuge Point No. 6, inside the newly opened circular conference room.

Xuan Yu, who had successfully advanced to Level 4, sat beside Mi Miaomiao. Its posture was the usual icy silence, but the green eyes that often fell on the big cat held a few traces of annoyance.

It hadn’t answered Miaomiao’s question in the morning in time. It wanted to say that it was very happy that Miaomiao cared about it.

Caught in this struggle, the meeting officially began. Xuan Yu collected its thoughts, listening attentively, and noting the faces of those present.

City Lord: Mi Miaomiao (Level 4 Wood-type)

Vice City Lords: Cheng Ningye (Level 4 Mental-type), Xuan Yu (Level 4 Wind-type), Queen Ant (Level 4 Mental-type)

① Mission/Human Resources Management Department: Hang Qiushi (Level 2), Lu He-tao (Level 3 Water-type), Great King Bird-of-Paradise (Level 2 Electric-type), Orange Fatty (Level 3 Fire-type).

② Warehouse/Finance Management Department: Lu Jia (Level 3 Dark-type), Dongfeng (Level 2 Water-type).

③ Technology Research and Development Management Department: Deng Huai (Level 2), Luoyun (Level 3 Earth-type), Flower-Arm (Level 3 Metal-type).

④ Construction/Environmental Management Department: Yue Ya-yun (Level 1), Yellow Donkey (Level 3 Earth-type).

⑤ Agricultural Production Management Department: Lu Jiming (Level 1), Mi Miaomiao.

⑥ Guard Team: Old Monkey King (Level 3 Wood-type), Sun (Level 3 Fire-type), Xuan Yu.

⑦ Security Team: Queen Ant, Xuan Yu, Mi Miaomiao.

The above was the first batch of Rong City’s managers and the functional departments divided so far.

The City Lord and Vice City Lords still needed to perform administrative functions, but they only needed to make important decisions and focus on Rong City’s development progress; they didn’t need to spend the better part of the day in the office.

Several wood-type potential evolvers could replace the healing-type plants cultivated by Mi Miaomiao with some training. The work of testing talent potential could also be completed by more managers who had mastered the relevant authorization.

Mi Miaomiao could finally begin its plan to go out.

The humans and animals sitting there looked at each other, taking a long time to calm the excitement that had inexplicably surged through their bodies.

They all understood that as managers of Rong City, management ability could be learned slowly, but their own strength had to be strong. Their life and death were a critical link in the survival of Rong City.

The meeting’s main contents were five items:

1. Reporting of the main work content of each department at the current stage.
2. Implementation of city resident identification and real-world points.
3. Settlement of contribution points from the battle defending Rong City.
4. Modification of collective missions and implementation of publicizing the Mission Hall.
5. Preparations before the great magnetic storm.

The meeting ended 3 hours later. Deng Huai obtained temporary system building usage authorization and single-handedly took on the task of the fifth agenda item.

[6 days until the magnetic storm arrives.]

Early the next morning, Feng Lu was woken up by bursts of exclamations.

Rubbing his eyes, he stood up, put on his warm clothing and down vest, and finally topped it off with a down jacket. He simply wiped himself clean with wet wipes, put on thin fingerless gloves, tied the laces of his knee-high snow boots, pushed aside the door curtain, and walked out of the tent.

First, he looked up at the wall near the passage entrance; the thermometer displayed: Indoor temperature -3°, outdoor temperature -37°.

The temperature had dropped two degrees in two days, but Feng Lu felt his body was rapidly adapting to the freezing weather.

Yesterday afternoon, he followed everyone out to clear away the snow. From returning every ten minutes at the beginning, he could finally hold out for 1 hour by the end. Perhaps today he could persist outside for 3 hours without getting frostbitten.

In the middle of the hall, animals and humans formed a long line to receive breakfast. Smelling the sweet bean paste in the air, Feng Lu stood at the end of the line, clutching his stomach.

Only then did he hear clearly the content of the words that had woken him up.

“I didn’t even expect it myself I actually killed over forty monsters in those few days, and 1,520 points were credited all at once! How should I spend them?”

“Go look at the exchange page; the City Lord has put up Level 3 crystals limited time half-price, 1,000 points, limit two per person. I just exchanged for 1 water-type one; I’m planning to exchange the remaining points to have a mental-type ability user assist me in advancement. I’m afraid if I advance alone, there’s a high probability of failure.”

“We really are lucky. Actually, most of the monsters I killed were already wounded or crippled by the City Lord; otherwise, as someone who just advanced to Level 2, how could I have killed so many?”

Feng Lu opened his communicator and entered the Rong City intranet. A point notification email popped up on the page. He had killed a total of 78 monsters and obtained 1,300 points.

Feng Lu was very happy because the monsters he could kill with a bow and arrow were basically Level 1 monsters. However, he had been trying to modify arrowheads with monster parts these past few days; perhaps he could try to shoot and kill a Level 2 monster alone next time.

The exchange page had added some merchandise, including many teeth, feathers, bones, scales, and shells from Level 2 and Level 3 monsters, as well as various weapons made by Rong City itself.

Feng Lu focused on looking at the bows and arrows. The automatic crossbows modified with monster materials felt heavy and had substance. The data on the detail page regarding lethality, accuracy, and shooting range made him tongue-tied; they were five or six times stronger than his self-made crossbow.

Reluctantly exiting the exchange interface, he clicked into the Mission Hall, feeling his eyes blur as all missions refreshed.

[Collective Mission 1: Mount Muyuan construction. The main work at the current stage is the expedited construction of planting greenhouses.

Reward: Free three meals, 50 points per day, priority application authorization for the Building Management Department.]

Does Rong City have clear functional divisions now?

Feng Lu poked the text for the Building Management Department and was redirected to a new official page. This Building Management Department was officially named the “Construction and Environmental Management Department.” Aunt Yue Ya-yun was the Minister, and it also included a professional construction team composed of earth-type evolvers and strength-type evolvers.

But after looking around, the department Feng Lu wanted to join most was the “Technology Research and Development Management Department” the newly listed weapons were manufactured by them.

He looked around and saw no button to sign up.

Feng Lu disappointedly received his breakfast: two bean paste buns, a large bowl of white porridge with corn kernels, a small dish of pickled radishes, and a piece of grilled pork chop.

Just as Feng Lu finished his meal, Cheng Feifei ran over, urging him to put away his tableware before pulling him into a spacious room, showing off: “Look, look, the sled team! Sun is the lead dog, he’s the boss!”

Three-meter-long, over-one-meter-wide, smooth and slender wooden boards; there were retractable and adjustable wheels on both sides, with supplies piled up at the front and back. There were seats in the middle and at the very front, and the outer layer was covered with thick windproof cloth.

There were three sled vehicles of the same type. All the dogs Feng Lu had ever seen in Rong City appeared here. They were testing the ropes on their bodies, looking like they were about to go on a long journey.

“Great King, where are you guys going?” When in the fleet, Feng Lu had spoken to the pilot bird, so striking up a conversation now wasn’t strange at all.

“Go to Lushan Town to check the situation, and by the way, patrol the surrounding mountains and forests.” Great King poked the teenager’s arm with its beak it was all hard muscle.

“Kid, your body is well-trained.”

Feng Lu looked full of anticipation: “Then can I go out with you guys?”

Great King turned its head away haughtily: “Dream on! Talk to me after advancing to Level 3!”

Feng Lu wasn’t discouraged. Just Level 3, he would eventually advance to it one day.

Walking out of the room, his grandfather came toward him, pulling his hand to the end of the new queue. “Looked for you for half a day; don’t move around, we’re going to get our Rong City identification issued it’s very important!”

Feng Lu covered his hair, which he hadn’t washed for almost five days, and struggled: “Do I need to take a picture? How about I go wash my hair first?”