Doomsday Cat City Lord - Chapter 7

Monsters were transformed from humans, and monsters devoured humans.

The apocalypse laid itself out with brutal, absolute clarity before those who were still alive.

The person who had speculated the previous night that the snow was nuclear fallout had died at the hands of a monster, leaving behind a corpse with only half a head. Meanwhile, the man who had been enthusiastically discussing the online rumors stared blankly at the dead body of his transformed friend, completely frozen in silent grief.

On the glowing screen strapped to his wrist, a barrage of bloody, terrifying, and chaotic scenes streamed through the network, declaring to the world that this was a disaster affecting the entire globe.

The youth who had been excitedly wishing to awaken an ability was now covered in grotesque fish scales from the head down. His arms were fused tightly to the sides of his chest, and his feet had morphed into a fish tail as he thrashed and roared frantically in the seawater.

Despite all of Gu Jing’s preparations, monsters still manifested everywhere amidst the dense crowds. Because large-scale electromagnetic weapons could not be deployed on the ships without short-circuiting their electronic instruments, the soldiers had to resort to Plan B, splitting into small squads to clear out their respective designated zones.

By dawn, a portion of the monsters on board had been executed on the spot, while the rest were driven off into the sea.

Greeting a radiant stretch of sunshine that hadn’t been seen for over half a month, the fleet officially set sail with the remaining one-third of the human population.

The crowd watched in muted silence as electromagnetic pulse bombs plunged into the sea. Before the massive, glowing blue rings of electricity could even fade, dark clouds rolled back in to claim the sky. The ensuing torrential downpour forced everyone back into their blood-spattered, chaotic cabins to face the grim reality that had officially arrived.

Across the dark, heavy surface of the water, thirty large ships rapidly distanced themselves from the coast. A countless number of small boats scrambled ahead of them, spearheading the crossing.

Mi Miaomiao watched the fleet recede into the distance, looking with a touch of regret at the monster corpses disintegrating into ash within the water. The sheer power of the ultra-high-energy electromagnetic pulse cannons was truly terrifying to a cat; not even a trace of those incredibly hard crystals was left behind.

Merely approaching the water’s edge caused electrical sparks to crackle from the tracker around its neck.

Slipping the tracker off, Mi Miaomiao used the system panel to ping Cheng Ningye and Xuanyu to let them know it was safe. It also relayed the news that the human fleet had set sail and that the waters around the pier had been thoroughly blasted.

A few monsters driven off the ships still lingered around the harbor. Mi Miaomiao lured them away into separate directions, picking them off one by one, ultimately harvesting 79 water droplets and 13 Tier 2 crystals.

Heading over to the warehouse afterward to confirm that their small boat was entirely intact, it finally retraced its steps back home.

September 1st, 8:00 AM. In front of the house a familiar scene, but with a brand-new dog.

A Husky with a conspicuous scar across its face and an incredibly frantic aura was slamming itself violently against the front gate. A deep dent had been battered into the thick brass doors, and structural cracks were already splintering across the lock!

A mad dog was trying to break into its house!

Sharp claws snapped out instantly from its paw pads! Mi Miaomiao was utterly furious!

“Woof, woof!” Miaomiao, that’s Taiyang! Don’t beat him to death!

The dog’s cries outside grew increasingly pathetic, leaving the Border Collie inside circling the doorway in a frantic panic while biting its own tail.

Mi Miaomiao loosened the paw it had pinned against the Husky’s neck slightly, intending to ask what kind of madness this dog was suffering from.

In the next instant, a dark shadow blurred before its eyes. The Husky bolted, positioning itself a row of empty houses away before shouting its parting threats from a distance.

“Woof!” Mi Miaomiao, and Xuanyu! I’ll remember this debt of kidnapping my sons! If you’ve got the guts, don’t run! Just wait until our next battle!

The sheer bravado in its tone stood in comical contrast to the extreme agility with which it turned and fled the moment it finished speaking.

The display left the cat entirely dumbfounded.

“Chu~?” How did a creature like that even become the leader of a pack?

Only after speaking did Mi Miaomiao realize that Taiyang’s dog pack could essentially be declared disbanded by now.

“Woof, woof.” Haha, a Husky’s brain is naturally an anomaly among the canine race. Taiyang ran fast, but that’s only because he knows the pups are perfectly fine. He won’t truly leave them behind; he’ll definitely find a way to make trouble for you guys until he can take them back.

The black-and-white Border Collie let out an awkward chuckle, peering out past the courtyard with an anxious glint in its eyes.

Having witnessed the twisted, grotesque corpses of those mutant birds with spiked tail feathers, and knowing that creatures like that were now everywhere outside, Dongfeng couldn’t help but worry about its own owner, who was currently out executing a mission somewhere unknown.

“Meow!” Come back again? If I catch him next time, I won’t let him off so easily.

Mi Miaomiao stared at the damaged front gate, its expression deeply annoyed.

“It’s fine, we’ll be leaving very soon anyway.” Cheng Ningye stood by, gently scratching the large cat’s head.

Having watched the entire spectacle of the Husky throwing a tantrum, Cheng Ningye found it both irritating and amusing. Meeting Mi Miaomiao’s questioning glance, he shook his head helplessly and looked at the two Haskorgis standing right behind the door.

Mi Miaomiao understood; the Husky hadn’t actually crossed any fundamental lines. At the very least, neither the shovel-handler nor the cats of the squad were genuinely angry; instead, everyone wore expressions of watching a comedy unfold. Turning around, it gestured for the two Haskorgis to come over.

“Meow?” What do you two think? Do you want to leave with Taiyang? Let’s make things clear first—the cat squad is definitely taking the two puppies along.

Ever since witnessing the transformation of the world the previous night, and subsequently undergoing a smooth awakening with Cheng Ningye’s assistance, the two Haskorgis had become incredibly quiet and well-behaved. Hearing the question, they shook their heads in perfect unison.

“Woof!” We don’t want to leave!

“Woof, woof!” White cat boss, it’s way too dangerous outside right now. We want to get Taiyang to join us too!

Dongfeng chimed in from the side to assist: “Woof!” Taiyang is actually very responsible. Once you earn his approval, he’s incredibly easy to talk to. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have become friends with him!

Mi Miaomiao finally understood why Taiyang had gone so wild~.

His subordinates had all fled, and his sons had not only defected to the cat squad but even wanted to drag him into the mix along with them…

However, Mi Miaomiao began to weigh the feasibility. It truly did need to recruit more animal companions right now. It had heard of Taiyang’s reputation before; though this Husky was mouthy, stubborn, and possessed an absurd surplus of energy, he was also genuinely loyal and knew how to fight…

Looking at the damaged gate, and considering the Husky’s explosive temper… the white cat frowned. A moment later, as if making up its mind, it lifted its head. Facing the warm, glowing light within the house, a soft smile bloomed across its face.

Since it was preparing to build a city of its own, it would inevitably encounter citizens of all sorts of temperaments in the future. It had to learn to manage and resolve these dynamics.

According to the rules of the animal kingdom, the strongest was the boss. It had to become the absolute powerhouse, and remain the powerhouse continuously.

An animal refused to submit? Then they simply hadn’t experienced its true might yet!

Seeing the white cat nod, Ha-Da and Ha-Er hopped around happily on the spot, though for some reason, the Border Collie gave a violent shudder.

“It stinks so bad, Miaomiao. How about you swap this out for a Fusion monster that doesn’t smell so bad for us to practice on?”

Having completed its first-stage evolution, the orange cat’s physique had expanded to twice its original size. It used both paws to cover its newly hypersensitive nose, huddling tightly in a corner of the wall. From behind, it looked like a massive orange ball.

A memory flashed through Mi Miaomiao’s mind of the shovel-handler’s explanation regarding orange cats: Nine out of ten orange cats are fat, and the tenth one can collapse the bed. Along with labels like “orange pig,” “orange pig,” “orange pig”…

Shaking its head to clear out the terrifying imagery of an orange cat morphing into a swine, Mi Miaomiao squatted atop the metal rafters of the factory roof, looking down like a commander as Ju Dabang, Xiaotian, Huabi, and the two Haskorgis cooperated to battle the monsters: “We fight whatever comes. Fusion monsters are Tier 2; it’s better to practice on something simple first.”

Gu Jing had barely left with the large ships when Cheng Ningye suddenly received a new email from him. It specified that he had left a boat and a cache of supplies at the Lehai City shipyard as a gift for the “Prophet.”

Two days had been more than enough time for Gu Jing to track the location from which the email had been sent. Even if he couldn’t verify its authenticity completely, he hoped this benevolent “Prophet” could survive the apocalypse.

Cheng Ningye had originally been worried that the small boat he purchased wouldn’t be able to accommodate the entire cat squad and their supplies. After some thought, he decided to check out the shipyard.

First using his psychic power to confirm that no one was left inside the shipyard, and turning on a signal jammer, they finally approached. Gu Jing indeed had not deceived him.

While Cheng Ningye checked the boat and supplies in the adjacent bay, Mi Miaomiao, having nothing better to do, found an empty warehouse to supervise the cat squad’s combat training against the monsters.

“Get out of the way!” A Ragdoll cat wearing a black eyepatch surged forward, scooping the orange cat up by the scruff of its neck to dodge a scarlet, razor-sharp claw thrusting from the monster. The skin on that arm had entirely peeled away, radiating waves of a foul stench.

The Ragdoll’s pointed ears—which were slightly larger than an ordinary cat’s—twitched slightly as its gaze darted toward the upper-right window. A second monster had actually appeared there!

This newcomer still retained a recognizable human face, with clothes heavily stained in blood hanging in tatters from its body, unable to conceal its eerie greyish-brown skin. Its limbs were elongated in an unnatural fashion as it gripped the top of the wall using both hands and feet. Its pupils, shrunk to the size of pinpricks, inspected the food below, its lips peeling back to reveal interlocking sharp teeth that twitched with anticipation.

“Brother Hua!!” The moment Xiaotian opened her mouth, the grey tabby immediately vaulted forward. Pushing off the wall with immense force through its hind legs, the cat launched itself into mid-air, its four claws flashing with a metallic chill as they slashed toward the monster’s chest, neck, and eyes respectively.

Screeech! A piercing sound echoed as claws collided with hide, sounding exactly like two pieces of metal scraping against one another.

“I didn’t just jinx us, did I? A real Fusion monster actually showed up, and it even has a special attribute?!” Ju Dabang bounced off the ground in utter shock!

“The two of us can stall the Tier 1 monster!”

Using his enhanced physique, Ha-Er rammed into the bloody, near-unrecognizable Tier 1 monster from the flank, knocking it sideways. At the designated landing spot, Ha-Da was already prepared; he leaped, twisted in mid-air, and aimed his reinforced, peach-shaped rear directly at the airborne monster.

The massive impact sent both parties flying backward. The Tier 1 monster slammed heavily against a glass door opposite them, momentarily pinned and unable to move.

“Its speed isn’t fast; its weakness is its eyes!” The grey tabby circled the Tier 2 Devourer, leaping and testing with its claws. It could clearly discern that the Tier 2 monster was vastly stronger than ordinary variants; merely being grazed by the slipstream of its movements left a stinging pain against its skin.

Moreover, this monster’s defense was incredibly difficult to breach. Huabi slashed again and again, yet the wounds opening across the brownish-grey hide healed at a visible, rapid pace!

The monster didn’t harbor a powerful desire to fuse with this food, but as the grey tabby’s combat triggered its supernatural abilities, a slow grin peeled across its greyish-white lips, saliva laced with a streak of scarlet dripping down its chin!

“Food! Heh, heh… delicious food!”

“Hold on a bit longer! Xiaotian and I will pin down its arms take the opportunity to strike its eyes!”

Ju Dabang couldn’t care less about covering his nose at this point. Exchanging a glance with Xiaotian, the two closed in on the Tier 2 Devourer from opposite directions.

Huabi seized the opportunity to slip right between the monster’s legs, forcing it to open its massive maw and bend down.

“Now’s the time, charge!”

An orange and a grey cat leaped simultaneously, utilizing all four paws to lock down the monster’s two arms securely.

The grey tabby used the wall as a springboard to vault onto the monster’s shoulders, driving its sharp claws viciously toward those completely white eyes!

Clang—!

At the critical moment, the eyelids snapped shut. The monster’s hands swept toward its shoulders while its jaw swung open wide to bite down into the food hanging from its arms!

The orange cat and the Ragdoll released their grips simultaneously, tumbling a long distance across the concrete floor in a ragged mess.

The monster didn’t check its force, tearing out a chunk of its own flesh and chewing it down raw.

The longer the battle dragged on, the more agile the monster’s speed became. Huabi sustained numerous minor lacerations across its hide, its physical strength draining rapidly as its lungs felt on the verge of bursting. It stuck out its tongue, panting heavily.

“What do we do? Our body weight is still too light!” Xiaotian felt helpless; they were cats after all. Even if their physical attributes were doubled through reinforcement, their mass wouldn’t increase by much.

Mi Miaomiao turned its head to look at the two Haskorgis who were tearing into their monster with their teeth. They had fully unleashed their primal, savage natures by now, deploying their muscle-reinforcement capabilities with precise accuracy.

Ha-Da and Ha-Er emulated the cat squad’s combat style one took charge of drawing fire, using his hardened, reinforced muscles to tank the monster’s incoming strikes, while the other focused his reinforcement heavily into his masseter muscles. With facial muscles bulging, a single bite allowed him to rip a massive chunk of slimy, bloody flesh straight off the monster.

The arms and legs of the Tier 1 monster had already been whittled down to bare white bone, clearly no longer posing a threat to the two dogs.

The cat squad’s side, however, had hit a complete stalemate. Facing a Fusion monster with Tier 2 skin-reinforcement capabilities, even biting into it with teeth proved entirely useless.

Glancing at Ju Dabang’s evolved nose and Xiaotian’s evolved ears, Mi Miaomiao thought to itself: Unless Huabi advances to Tier 2 right now and raises the hardness of its metallic claws once more, breaching its defense is going to be incredibly difficult.

“Catch!”

Mi Miaomiao tossed down one long and one short laser knife, explaining under Ju Dabang and Xiaotian’s bewildered stares: “Since you didn’t awaken combat-oriented basic abilities, then learn to wield human weapons to raise your combat prowess.”

For animals surviving in the wild, the very first lesson to learn was survival of the fittest.

Ju Dabang and Xiaotian didn’t hesitate for a single second, each lowering their heads to choose a laser knife. Pressing the activation switch down with their paw pads, they secured the hilts firmly inside their mouths using their teeth.

Xiaotian failed to properly gauge the distance between herself and the plasma blade’s containment shield, instantly singeing the whiskers on her right side against the blade’s intense heat. A flash of pain crossed the Ragdoll’s solitary blue eye, but she gritted her teeth and charged toward the brownish-grey monster regardless.

When a laser knife moved too quickly, the energy across the cutting edge automatically scaled up. Because the monster’s skin tissue possessed an exceptionally high density, the molten residue within the plasma jet generated a massive amount of drag. Ju Dabang used too much force during his first swing, nearly chipping his teeth in the process.

The two cats fumbled and stumbled as they dialed into their respective handling habits with the laser knives, while Huabi grasped how to concentrate its metallic reinforcement entirely into a single claw.

The laser knife finally severed one of the monster’s legs. Its balance broken, it staggered and began to collapse!

The grey tabby’s amber eyes didn’t blink once, locking onto the monster’s right eye with absolute focus. As the distance closed, facing that maw packed with razor-sharp, blood-soaked teeth, it abandoned all defensive postures entirely and drove its left claw straight out!

The heavy carcass of the monster crashed down with a thud. Huabi panted heavily, lacking even the strength to extricate its claw.

Seeing that its signature striped left leg was about to be crushed beneath the monster’s falling weight, at the critical moment, a white, short-furred, brown-trimmed, incredibly meaty, and springy. Corgi rear manifested right before its face.

The grey tabby’s cat eyes widened in absolute horror!

The monster’s body collapsed right beside its face, yet Huabi ignored it entirely, staring dead-fixed at the rear before its eyes as its entire body puffed out into a spiky ball.

The air fell into a dead, absolute silence!

Clatter, clatter! Four or five bottles of air purifier rolled across the floor.

Cheng Ningye was leaning out of a window from the adjacent warehouse, shouting across in a frantic rush: “Is it over yet?”

“I just received an emergency earthquake warning. In another two hours, a Magnitude 5 earthquake is going to strike Lehai City, and the tsunami might end up hitting this shipyard!”