This World Is Truly Monstrous

Within the Sea of Spirit, the orb of light representing the Fragmented Imprint of Spirit Control glimmered with a pale blue radiance.

Holding the Grey Spotted Finch in his right palm, Cheng Han experienced another wondrous journey.

He seemed to become a bird, soaring through the sky with the breeze as his companion, resting in the forest and traveling alongside the morning dew.

The fragmented imprint served as a "bond," helping him form a certain kind of contract with the bird.

Cheng Han also vaguely sensed that the Grey Spotted Finch's soul was rather dull. It seemed its intelligence was not particularly high.

In comparison, the Black Cat was brimming with cleverness.

This was hardly surprising.

If the Grey Spotted Finch had been smart enough, how could it have been caught? "Chirp! Chirp!"

The Grey Spotted Finch's calls sounded crisp and pleasant, no longer carrying its earlier panic.

Cheng Han laughed and reached out to brush its beak.

The Grey Spotted Finch neither dodged nor avoided him. Instead, it stretched out its head and gently pecked at his finger.

It was a sign of affection.

The Black Cat's eyes widened, clearly deeply shocked.

It had personally witnessed the Grey Spotted Finch's miraculous transformation. Just moments ago, the bird had looked terrified out of its wits, yet now it had become so docile. This truly overturned everything it knew.

Master is incredible!

Gazing at the Grey Spotted Finch, Cheng Han muttered, "Before I send you out to work, I'll let you have a full meal."

He took out a small bowl, grabbed a small handful of rice, then tore off some stewed rabbit meat and placed it before the little bird.

The Grey Spotted Finch chirped in response and lowered its head to peck at the food.

This type of bird was omnivorous. It could eat plant-based foods such as seeds, and it also liked catching insects and other meat.

Rabbit meat had relatively coarse fibers for its digestive system and was not especially easy to digest, but feeding it only a small amount would not cause any problems.

Before long.

The food in the bowl had been eaten clean.

Cheng Han extended his right hand and called, "Come here!"

The Grey Spotted Finch fluttered its wings and voluntarily hopped onto it.

Cheng Han activated the Fragmented Imprint of Spirit Control once more and gently stroked its little head.

The next instant, the Grey Spotted Finch's body turned completely rigid.

This bird's soul was far weaker than the Black Cat's. The information stream that the latter could easily endure was nearly too much for the former.

More than ten seconds later, the Grey Spotted Finch finally recovered, and its body returned to normal.

Cheng Han instructed, "Come back before dark, understand?"

The Grey Spotted Finch froze for a moment before responding, "Chirp!"

Its brain was too small and its comprehension ability was weak, which was why it reacted half a beat slower.

Cheng Han opened the window and extended his hand outside. "Go!"

The Grey Spotted Finch pecked his finger once more, spread its wings, and flew away.

Cheng Han watched it disappear into the distance, then turned to the Black Cat and remarked, "You're much smarter than that bird."

"Meow~"

The Black Cat raised its head and smugly flicked its tail.

Cheng Han gave another instruction. "After breakfast, go catch two more birds. Don't catch Grey Spotted Finches again—catch other types, understand?"

The Black Cat immediately responded, "Meow~"

It seemed determined to prove that it was smarter than the Grey Spotted Finch, replying almost instantly.

Cheng Han secretly laughed.

Competition really was everywhere.

... Breakfast was simple: egg fried rice.

The rice was leftover from yesterday, while the eggs had been brought back by the Black Cat the day before yesterday. He added some diced mushrooms, stir-fried everything quickly, and finally topped it with a spoonful of braised rabbit meat.

A low-key yet luxurious breakfast was ready.

The Black Cat had its head buried in its bowl, occasionally making contented purring sounds.

Cheng Han smiled and asked, "How about I give you a little more Dry-Fried Rabbit Meat?"

The Black Cat raised its head, hesitated for quite a while, then shook its head and meowed, "Meow~"

It was declining.

Cheng Han did not force it. "All right."

He understood the Sheriff's concerns. It was not that it did not want to eat; it was simply worried that being too full would affect its work efficiency.

Two hours later.

The Black Cat completed its task, catching a Blue Lark and a White Claw Crow, both small birds.

Cheng Han controlled the birds with the fragmented imprint, arranged a "work meal" for them as usual, then sent them off to work.

He believed that since Qin Zi Cheng could evade the Eye of Omniscience's Deduction, he must be hiding a powerful trump card. For safety's sake, Cheng Han did not intend to confront him directly.

After all, he only had one life. Once it was over, everything would be gone.

Cheng Han planned to find evidence first, then notify the authorities to act, just as he had done last time.

... That afternoon.

Cheng Han rode his Bicycle to the Eastern Suburb of Qinglin City.

Looking around, he saw nothing but wild countryside. The terrain here was uneven, with few farmlands. Nature held an absolute advantage.

He was not here for an outing.

He was here to hunt.

Although Cheng Han had accumulated quite a bit of private savings with the help of the Eye of Omniscience, the money was of "unknown origin." If he had an aboveboard way to earn money, he could spend it openly.

Especially with winter approaching, he needed to spend a large sum to stockpile fuel for heating.

"Ring-ring~"

Cheng Han rang his bicycle bell.

A pitch-black cat head poked out from a patch of grass.

It was the Sheriff.

Cheng Han called out, "Did you find anything?"

"Meow~"

The Black Cat meowed and darted away.

Cheng Han hid his Bicycle in a concealed spot and quickly followed.

After walking for a while, the Black Cat stopped beside an inconspicuous burrow and meowed, "Meow~"

It meant that Cave Rabbits were hiding here.

Cheng Han performed a Deduction and praised it, "Sheriff, your sense of smell is no worse than a Spirit Mastiff's."

The result showed that there was more than one Cave Rabbit underground.

The Black Cat wagged its tail.

Cheng Han pointed at a short shrub in the distance and ordered, "Sheriff, lie in ambush over there."

The Sheriff meowed and ran off in a flash.

Cheng Han drew a knife, quickly cut a large bundle of grass, stuffed it into the burrow, then waved his hand at the entrance.

A cloud of choking smoke instantly rose.

Under normal circumstances, it would take considerable skill to produce such thick smoke. Yet with the power of the Fragmented Imprint of True Flame, it took no effort at all.

Cheng Han picked up a stone and sealed the burrow tightly.

Very soon, as many as eight smoking points appeared within his field of vision, most of them hidden in places difficult to spot with the naked eye.

Cave Rabbits were exceptionally skilled at digging. They usually built quite complex networks of tunnels underground. Even for the Black Cat, catching them was extremely difficult.

The sheer number of smoking points was proof enough.

His strategy was to use the thick smoke to drive the Cave Rabbits out.

More than ten seconds later.

A gray shadow suddenly darted out near the burrow where the Sheriff was waiting.

A Cave Rabbit had emerged! In that instant, the Black Cat displayed astonishing explosive power. Its hind legs kicked hard against the ground, sending it leaping more than two meters as it accurately pounced on the Cave Rabbit.

Cheng Han could not help inwardly praising it.

A few more seconds passed.

Cave Rabbits emerged from several other burrows, each fleeing in a different direction.

But the Eye of Omniscience had already predicted this scene.

Cheng Han had positioned himself in advance by one of the burrows. Activating the Fragmented Imprint of True Flame with his mind, he decisively swung his right hand.

A tiny red point of light shot swiftly toward a Cave Rabbit.

The Cave Rabbit seemed to sense danger and actually sprang into the air, trying to evade the red light.

However, this too was within Cheng Han's expectations.

The point of light abruptly curved, striking the Cave Rabbit directly on the head. It released a burst of heat that raised the temperature of the rabbit's brain matter by over ten degrees.

For a Cave Rabbit, this was fatal damage.

Looking at the rabbit lying motionless on the ground, Cheng Han grinned. "My first real battle was actually against a rabbit."

Elsewhere.

The other rabbits escaped disaster and vanished into the depths of the grass.

Watching this scene, Cheng Han muttered, "This world is truly monstrous. Even rabbits are this crafty. No wonder you rarely see rabbits at the Vegetable Market."

This was a good thing too.

It meant he could make a tidy profit today.

After some effort, the Black Cat dragged its prey over and dropped it before its master.

Cheng Han rubbed its head and loudly praised, "You're the best cat I've ever seen!"

Though he possessed supernatural power, he absolutely could not have caught Cave Rabbits by himself. Yet with one man and one cat working together, they had done it with ease.

The Black Cat happily narrowed its eyes.

... Five in the afternoon.

Pushing his Bicycle, Cheng Han entered a Vegetable Market.

Four plump Cave Rabbits were tied to the rear seat.

A group of sharp-eyed people quickly gathered around him.

"Young man, you're impressive! You actually caught so many rabbits!"

"One hundred and twenty Copper Coins each. Are you selling? If you are, I'll take them all!"

"You wish! Those rabbits weigh at least five jin each, and you think you can buy them for that little?"

Before long, the crowd dispersed.

The person who had bought the rabbits was grinning from ear to ear.

Those who had failed to get one kept reminding Cheng Han to make sure to sell to them next time.

Cheng Han agreed to each request.

The four Cave Rabbits brought him six hundred and twenty-three Copper Coins, quite a bit more than he had expected.

Cheng Han happily put away his Money Bag and was just about to leave when his expression suddenly changed slightly.

He clearly sensed that one thread of connection maintained by the Fragmented Imprint of Spirit Control had abruptly been cut off.

This meant one thing—a bird had been killed!