Doomsday Cat City Lord - Chapter 3

Bang—! Bang—!

Two gunshots rang out. The massive, echoing booms sent tremors straight through everyone’s hearts and minds.

As far as the eye could see, electronic screens flickered erratically, interspersed with jagged lines of black-and-white static.

Cheng Ningye’s house was less than two kilometers in a straight line from the temporary command post. Standing on his third-floor terrace, he could see a massive explosion ring about fifty meters in diameter and crackling with blue electrical arcs left behind by an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) bomb lighting up the distant sky.

Another explosion ring had detonated right inside the crowd. While these non-lethal weapons would only knock people unconscious if used in a small area, witnessing the instigators collapse to the ground, twitching and foaming at the mouth, finally forced the remaining rioters to regain their senses. They stopped surging forward blindly.

“Waaah… our home is already gone! Now they’re telling us the province we were planning to relocate to is also going to be hit by the disaster? Where else can we go?!”

“Give us a straight answer! How exactly are you going to resettle us? I didn’t want to make a scene either, but damn it, who wants to just sit around and wait for death?!”

“The doomsday is really here. Even the Alliance has admitted it’s a Great Flood! Hahaha, we’re all going to die!”

The moment the doomsday declaration echoed, a wave of despair began to wash over the crowd. Facing the barrels of the guns, no one dared to take action. Gradually, the cursing and arguing were drowned out by the increasingly distinct sounds of weeping and wailing.

Squatting beside Cheng Ningye, Mi Miaomiao watched the surveillance footage on the light screen, highly perplexed.

“Meow-meow!” Humans are so strange. They always lose their will to fight before the disaster even hits.

“Meow-oww.” For us animals, in times like this, you either obediently follow the orders of the strong or work hard to save yourself.

It thought that even though it had grown up around humans and learned human knowledge, it would probably never truly understand their complex emotions and feelings.

Of course, its shovel-handler a human who spoke his mind directly and could recover quickly from emotional swings just by getting some cat snuggles and rubs was an exception.

Cheng Ningye operated a drone to patrol the outer perimeter of the residential area. Their neighborhood was essentially an abandoned, unfinished project. Originally, the developer had wanted to build a holiday resort on Mount Shuizhang, with luxury villas constructed halfway up the mountain. Unfortunately, shortly after, more than half of Mount Shuizhang was designated as a wildlife sanctuary. The resort plans fell through, and the villas were converted into small, detached single-family homes. Very few people bought them, and subsequent construction had dragged on intermittently until now, leaving it unfinished. Two-thirds of the outer perimeter wall was just a temporary setup that two or three people could easily push down if they worked together.

Still, having a wall was better than nothing. They didn’t plan to leave with the fleet in this lifetime, so they needed a safe environment where the cat squad could recover from their injuries and get through the initial ability-awakening phase of the apocalypse.

That meant they still had to stay here for two to three days to survive the initial wave of the monster frenzy.

Monsters relied on scent and energy perception to find food. As long as tier-1 and tier-2 monsters didn’t come within a ten-meter radius, they generally wouldn’t attack. Having a wall would at least slow down the monsters’ advance.

In the midst of his busy work, Cheng Ningye overheard Miaomiao’s thoughts. He took a moment to glance at the monitor, indifferently pulled his gaze away, and said in a flat tone, “These people haven’t experienced the apocalypse yet, so they can still afford to be weak.”

“Besides…” Cheng Ningye gently scooped up the cat’s head, guiding it to look eastward as he pointed toward the horizon, where a brilliant white light pierced through the dark night sky.

“Look. The strong among humans have appeared. They will learn to listen.”

The light, which pierced through most of Lehai City like a fresh dawn, came from the combined illumination of thirty massive, ocean-going vessels.

Gu Jing didn’t care about the consumption of energy. The man stood tall and rigid at the bow of the ship. Even when the cheers of the crowd reached his ears through his communication device, he did not relax.

It wasn’t until he saw the new appointment letter and the clearance permit for the First Legion’s armory that his harsh features finally twisted into a semblance of a smile.

“Begin playing the new broadcast. Prepare to welcome the citizens aboard.”

[Attention, residents of the Lehai City Shelter Zone! Boarding begins now. Thirty large passenger ships are currently docked at Lehai City Piers 3, 13, 17, 21, 61, and 93. The military will assist you via land, water, and air. If you require rescue, please contact emergency hotline 02. The fleet will depart on September 1st at 12:00 PM, traveling via Golden Harbor and along the coastal Hailin River to Anqing Province. Our destination is the First Agricultural Cultivation Base.]

Upon receiving orders from their superiors, the soldiers stationed at the temporary command posts in various shelter zones sprang into action. Transport vehicles appeared on the streets, and drones hovered in the heavy rain, casting a piercing yet comforting warmth of bright light.

Bathed in the illumination, the people could feel a glimmer of hope. They had not been abandoned. The veneer of civilized politeness, nurtured by decades of social and moral systems, was quickly donned once more.

The residential area, usually tranquil, was filled with loud shouting and hurried, rushing footsteps tonight.

Because the weight limit for luggage allowed on the ships had been reduced in the new notice, people quickly picked through their belongings to pack only their essentials as fast as possible. Those without cars lined up in front of the command post, while those with vehicles packed up their families and left immediately, terrified that a delay of even a single step would bring earthquakes and tsunamis crashing down upon them.

In contrast, Cheng Ningye’s house with its tightly shut doors and windows, revealing not a single sliver of light or sound became an anomaly.

“The route the fleet is taking is completely opposite to the one from my past life. Heading east through Golden Harbor will take them past Shanghe Island, where the First Legion’s headquarters is located. That place holds the largest military supply depot in the vicinity…”

Cheng Ningye lay prone on the living room carpet, using the built-in light source of his folding laptop to illuminate the paper map spread before him.

“He’s going there to retrieve the old-style conventional weapons and ammunition that were phased out twenty years ago.”

The torrential downpour would last for two months, after which the entire planet’s magnetic poles would flip, crippling the functionality of electronic devices. On top of that, humanity’s prior large-scale use of nuclear weapons against the monsters had generated nuclear electromagnetic pulses (NEMP) that covered almost the entire globe. Human technology had suffered a devastating blow because of this, and nearly all the modern weapons currently in use would become completely useless.

The abilities gained through the massive biological evolution were divided into two distinct phases:

In the First Phase, a creature’s basic innate capabilities would multiply exponentially such as strength, speed, vision, and smell. More unique variations included skin hardening or gaining one or two controllable physical traits, like Mi Miaomiao’s giantification, which was also a specialized basic capability.

In the Second Phase, when an evolved being reached tier 3, there was a high probability of awakening a natural elemental ability such as water, fire, wind, or electricity which possessed far greater destructive power.

Many basic physical capabilities were not well-suited for combat. Therefore, during the early stages of facing the monsters, old-fashioned gunpowder weapons were the most efficient and practical tools.

The large white cat lay flat on the carpet like a board, its head pressed close to Cheng Ningye’s. Its tail swayed leisurely from side to side as its furry paw traced upwards along the Hailin River the second largest river in the Central Continent pressing down on the location of Anqing Province, before sliding horizontally westward to the neighboring Boyun Province.

Boyun Province sat at the intersection of the Central Continent’s two major mountain ranges: the Boyun Mountain Range and the Shuishou Mountain Range. Looking at the map, four-fifths of the entire province consisted of mountains.

In their previous life, this area had been overrun by mutated plants and inhabited by numerous evolved animals, causing humans to view it as a forbidden zone. However, this was precisely the place Mi Miaomiao and Cheng Ningye had intended to head toward after escaping from the base.

In this life, they planned to go there directly to live.

“Meow!” We will still follow the migration route of the fleet from our past life. That route offers the shortest distance to the Boyun Mountain Range.

Mi Miaomiao’s furry paw traced southward along the Shuishou Mountain Range, then followed the direction of the Songyuan River straight to Xu Province. One of its tributaries ran horizontally across Mount Shuizhang to reach Lehai City’s eastern estuary. The small boat Cheng Ningye had purchased was currently docked in a warehouse near the bridge.

“I’ll follow your arrangements.” Cheng Ningye managed with great effort to pull his gaze away from the pink, tender paw pads that were slightly larger than his fist. His eyes locked onto a small village located at the border of the Shuishou Mountain Range and Anqing Province. Lost in thought, he opened his folding laptop.

“I seem to have some memory of this place. Let me look it up.” Cheng Ningye felt as though he must have been there before… back when he was very young.

【Respected Host, I might be able to assist you. Do you have a moment to listen to me speak right now?】

Mi Miaomiao scratched both of its ears vigorously. That faint, electronic voice still hadn’t disappeared… so it hadn’t been an illusion earlier.

Unable to find anything unusual on its own body, Mi Miaomiao growled in a low, guarded tone:

“Meow-meow?” What on earth are you, and why have you appeared inside my head?

Hooked, sharp claws slid out from its paw pads, and a sharp glint flashed across the cat’s heterochromatic gold and blue eyes. It looked as though if it could catch the thing speaking inside its brain, it would immediately impale it on its claws.

【Please don’t worry, Host! I am a good person… no, that’s not right, I am a good system! A legitimate system hailing from the Higher-Dimensional World Rules Management Association, possessing an entry permit for the planet you are currently on. You can verify it yourself. I… I am fundamentally a conscious software entity. Although I reside within your consciousness space, I will absolutely never violate your privacy without your permission. Furthermore, you hold absolute control over me! I have absolutely, absolutely, absolutely no malicious intent whatsoever!】

The mechanical voice spoke rapidly without stopping the moment it opened its mouth, acting as though it had to hurry up and deliver its final testaments.

Mi Miaomiao frowned, checking the “permit” provided by the system within its consciousness. It truly felt no malice from the system; in fact, if the system hadn’t spoken up on its own initiative, the cat wouldn’t have noticed that an extra life form had entered its consciousness space at all.

Cheng Ningye gripped the pen in his hand tightly, staring anxiously at the motionless large cat. From those few sentences just now, he could infer that an unknown entity had invaded Miaomiao’s brain, yet he, a psychic ability user, had felt absolutely nothing. This realization made him incredibly uneasy.

Every living entity possessed mental strength, and the higher the evolutionary tier, the more powerful that mental strength became. Although ordinary evolved creatures couldn’t project their mental energy outward like psychic evolutionaries could, Mi Miaomiao’s mental strength was still perfectly capable of examining its own body.

The moment its mental energy brushed against the “permit” glowing with a faint blue aura, a strange breeze seemed to caress its soul, carrying with it the scent of flowers, vegetation, and the crisp taste of water… It felt as though everything in existence was leaning down to embrace it.

There were no spoken words, but any life form born upon this planet would naturally understand that this was the incarnation of the planet’s own consciousness. The system, possessing this imprint, was indeed an existence recognized by the world’s consciousness.

Having confirmed that the system was harmless, Mi Miaomiao’s mood remained rather displeased.

The white cat maintained a cold expression, its cry stern: “Meow?” Absolute control means being forcefully bound to you? Can we unbind?

Sob! The system was about to cry from sorrow. It felt that it was hated by its host, but it still wanted to try one last time to salvage the situation.

【I am so sorry, but there is a reason why I bound myself to you. It’s just that your current tier is too low, so I am restricted from informing you. Moreover, I can only bind to one host per world, and once bound, it cannot be undone.】

【If possible, please take a look at my features. I am truly very useful.】

Quickly scanning the introductory text displayed on the system screen before it, Mi Miaomiao nodded expressionlessly.

The full name of the city-building system was the “Endangered Small World City Construction Speedrun Live Stream System No. 012.” Its purpose was to preserve the sparks of civilization in endangered small worlds while simultaneously opening a live stream tipping function geared toward higher-dimensional world consciousnesses. It utilized speedrun ranking rewards and donations from higher-dimensional worlds to help endangered small worlds escape their crises of destruction, and even elevate them to higher dimensions.

Just as the system was sweating anxiously, assuming its host still wanted to unbind and debating whether it should mention the events of the past life right now, it suddenly heard a cat cry that was crystal clear, incomparably beautiful, and so elegant that it wanted to use the finest language imaginable to praise it.

When the system internal awards for the most beautiful language came around in the future, it was definitely going to cast its most sincere vote for the feline language!

“Meow?” Can you make it so other people can hear you speak and see this panel as well?

【Yes, I can! This actually depends on your own will. As long as you confirm your intent to use the system and participate in the city construction speedrun rankings, you can immediately become a Tier-0 City Lord with your current strength.

A Tier-0 City Lord is eligible to designate one Vice-City Lord. The Vice-City Lord will hold secondary authority and can open the system panel. I cannot converse with the Vice-City Lord directly, but we can communicate via text through the system panel.】

“Meow.” Fine. I confirm that I will use the system and participate in the speedrun rankings.

【Upon detection, you are currently a Tier-2 evolved being and possess a reward of 10 points. Would you like to expend 1 point to upgrade to a Tier-0 City Lord?】

“Meow-meow.” Confirm.

【Upgrade successful. Your data has been updated. Congratulations on becoming a Tier-0 City Lord! The Small World City Construction Speedrun Leaderboard has been activated. You are currently ranked 2,199th (Total participating cities: 2,199).】

“……!”

This ranking!

Taking a deep breath, Mi Miaomiao turned its head to look at its shovel-handler, speaking seriously: “Meow.” Cheng Ningye, are you willing to become the Vice-City Lord of the city I establish?

“??” Seeing Miaomiao deliberately and slowly blink its right eye at him, a look of realization dawned on Cheng Ningye’s face. He nodded firmly and said, “I am willing.”

This was a secret signal between the human and the cat. A slow blink of the right eye meant there was no danger and something good was happening. A blink of the left eye indicated danger, signaling to act like they didn’t know each other.

In truth, a lot of information could be gathered simply from listening to Miaomiao’s negotiation with the unknown entity. For instance: Miaomiao had been forcefully bound to a system, the system posed no danger, the system was very obedient, and so on. Overall, it could be judged that the system would not harm Miaomiao at this stage.

【Congratulations on your promotion to Vice-City Lord! You now possess the authority to utilize the City Management section. More features await your exploration.】

Mi Miaomiao spotted a “Link” option on its system panel. After pressing it, both it and Cheng Ningye could view each other’s panels.

Cheng Ningye’s panel was very simple, consisting of a Chat area and a City Management area.

The Chat area could only be used to contact System 012 and the City Lord, Mi Miaomiao.

The City Management area was still completely blank.

Setting aside the other features waiting to be unlocked, simply gaining a communicator that required no network connection, couldn’t be affected by magnetic fields, and allowed him to contact Miaomiao at any time was already incredibly practical.

In comparison, Mi Miaomiao’s panel was significantly more complex. The human and the cat leaned together to study it. Generally speaking, System 012 possessed three major functions:

The first was an independent live stream page. It had automatically opened upon Mi Miaomiao binding with the system and could not be shut down. However, the stream room came equipped with streamer privacy blocking and streamer voice control features. As long as Mi Miaomiao wished, it could instantly turn the stream’s visuals and audio into pixelated static at any moment.

At this stage, the number of viewers in the stream room was: 0.

【The number of higher-dimensional world consciousnesses willing to learn about other worlds through the Rules Management Association is only twenty. Furthermore, as worlds themselves, their thoughts carry non-human and chaotic characteristics. Very few things can pique their interest. However, if any one of them happens to click into the stream room even if they only generate a faint, fleeting thought it would serve as excellent “medicine” for your current doomsday world’s consciousness. It is highly recommended that you do not enable the blocking feature; just treat the stream room as non-existent during your daily life.】

“Meow.” Fine.

This cat cry was noticeably deeper, as if suppressing a wave of anger.

As a cat, it had long since grown accustomed to being touched and held by humans, and given that its shovel-handler could stare at it from the moment he opened his eyes until he fell asleep, a live stream wasn’t much different.

What made Mi Miaomiao angry was that the system had deliberately hidden this fact and tricked it into accepting the bond despite knowing the live stream had already been activated.

A slight tugging sensation brushed against the fur on its neck, followed by warm fingers combing through it bit by bit. The large cat let out a rumbling purr from its throat.

Having quietly pacified the large cat, Cheng Ningye asked about a piece of information he desperately wanted to know: “Excuse me, System 012, why did our planet become a doomsday world? Is this a question we are allowed to ask?”

Large blocks of text immediately appeared on the system panels of the human and the cat:

【You are permitted to ask. The doomsday of your world was triggered by a meteorite brought back from outer space by humans. It contained two peculiar energies destruction and rebirth which caused abnormal evolution across the living organisms of this planet, completely disrupting even the upgrade process of the planet itself. Positive evolution was twisted and accelerated, ultimately dictating that the entire planet, along with the life forms born upon it, would face total destruction. No matter what corner of the universe those life forms flee to, they will ultimately perish along with their mother planet.】

“Sigh…” Mi Miaomiao tilted its head back and sighed.

Humans truly are a destructive species.

“…” Cheng Ningye was left speechless.

【Host, please do not worry. Non-natural planetary destruction falls entirely within the scope of assistance provided by the Rules Management Association. Many city-building systems like myself were created precisely to save doomsday worlds.

However, cosmic energy must remain balanced. It is impossible for the Management Association to provide limitless assistance to every single world. Therefore, it requires native life forms born upon these doomsday planets like yourself to work hard and display the unique sparks of your own civilization for the sake of yourselves and your planet’s future.】

【As long as you enter the Top 100 on the leaderboard, your mother planet will receive an opportunity to heal! Entering the Top 50 grants your mother planet a planetary energy infusion! Entering the Top 10 will completely cure your mother planet!

Should you become Number 1, not only will your mother planet be fully cured, but the surplus energy will directly trigger a planetary upgrade!!!】

“Meow?” If we don’t receive assistance, how much longer can this planet endure?