The Reactionary Cat

My name was Black Fiend. I was the king of the forests from the northern wilderness!

Today, I would lead my brethren and underlings to seize this city! From here, we would begin liberating our enslaved brethren across the world.

"I am the king of the world!"

"The cat race shall never be slaves!"

Black Fiend stood atop the artificial mountain in White Di Park like a crouching tiger. When it cried out, it leaned forward and raised its head high, mustering every ounce of strength before letting out a cry.

"Meow!" The cry was stirring and resonant, echoing throughout the entire park.

Though it tried desperately to make its cry sound more majestic, it ran out of breath and petered out halfway through. It was not large, looking like nothing more than a kitten a few months old.

At its cry, waves of meowing rose throughout the park. White Di Park had been completely occupied by cats of every kind: white Chinese Garden Cats with black noses, adorable Siamese Cats, cute Scottish Fold Cats, hefty Orange Cats, and fierce-looking Persian Cats.

There appeared to be over ten thousand cats in the crowd. Nearly every cat in the entire district had gathered here.

"Meow meow meow!"

"Meow!"

"..."

"Meow meow meow!"

Once cats numbered in the tens of thousands, they seemed endless. Their shadows filled every corner of the park. There were pet cats dressed in clothes and bow ties, as well as filthy-looking strays.

"Quiet down, all of ya! I'm the boss here!" Whenever it spoke too quickly, its true colors showed, every word thick with a rustic dialect.

The noisy scene displeased Black Fiend greatly. Its body was not particularly strong, nor was there anything remarkable about its appearance, but the moment it spoke, all the stray cats in the park gathered around it.

This was an ability Black Fiend seemed to possess by nature. Before it, every member of the cat race could sense that powerful aura of dominance. It was the absolute king.

It could use its soul to communicate with the wills of every cat in the park and issue commands. It could also use its immense soul power to transmit a certain signal through the air and across the city, summoning every cat in the area here.

And then... well, it seemed to have no other abilities. In terms of combat power, the burly fat orange cat crouching below could easily crush it to death by sitting on it.

Looking at the densely packed feline army below, Black Fiend's face was filled with pride and arrogance.

"This is my army and my people!"

"Our target is the supermarket across the street. We will occupy it completely and use it as our granary. Then we will gradually gather our brethren, defeat those hateful humans, and unite this city, got it?"

Honestly, the way Black Fiend spoke carried something of Generalissimo Chiang's old bearing.

"Tomorrow, we begin the full assault."

Black Fiend stood atop the rocks of the artificial mountain, with a bright full moon behind it. Under the moonlight, its shadow stretched long and far, while an evil glint shone in its eyes.

"Meow meow meow!"

"Meow!"

"Ow ow ow!"

"Meow meow!"

The cats in the park seemed fired up, excitedly discussing something as they cheered and roared without pause.

All the cats huddled together, strange smiles on their faces. In the darkness, their eyes gleamed with cold light.

In the morning, not long after the supermarket opened, groups of cats poured out from the surrounding streets and the park. Their countless different coats converged into a dense sea.

"Cats! So many cats!" Passersby on the street saw the horrifying sight and immediately stopped in their tracks, not daring to move forward.

"What are they doing?" A female employee on a motorcycle, wearing a pink helmet, was so frightened that she abandoned her bike.

"What's going on? What are these cats doing?" Even an old lady who had planned to buy vegetables at the supermarket no longer dared to enter.

They gathered together, and at the command of a black cat, they filed into the supermarket like a flowing river. A black cat lay sprawled atop a huge fat Orange Cat, charging into the supermarket alongside its army.

"They're... besieging the supermarket?" The gathered onlookers immediately realized what the cats intended to do, but every face was filled with disbelief and astonishment.

"Ah!" Shrill screams instantly erupted from inside the supermarket. It was the cashier at the entrance.

"Oh my god! So many cats, so many cats!" The customers inside the supermarket rushed out in a panic.

"They're biting people!" Several supermarket employees also ran out, looking disheveled.

"Don't hit them, don't! There are too many cats—don't provoke them! Get out, hurry up and get out! Forget it, get outside first!" This was the cry of the supermarket manager, directing everyone to evacuate.

"Don't grab me!" Screams rose and fell inside the supermarket. Everyone in the building fled outside, while large numbers of pet cats and stray cats continued rushing in, completely occupying the supermarket building.

Many of those who escaped bore scratches on their hands and faces. They could only stare at the supermarket in dismay.

Fang Xiu had stayed up very late the previous night, so he slept straight through until noon. When he opened the refrigerator, he found there was no food left at home, so he prepared to go to the supermarket to buy some things.

But the moment he reached the supermarket entrance, Fang Xiu discovered that the main doors had been tightly shut and cordon lines had been set up around the area. More than a dozen Police Cars and Firetrucks were parked outside, along with a huge crowd of onlookers that had packed the entire street solid.

"What happened? Did the supermarket get robbed?"

"Or did they find terrorists?"

Fang Xiu had no idea what was going on. The scene was far too alarming. He even spotted a television news van and several reporters.

Through the doors, Fang Xiu could see rings upon rings of cats standing at the entrance, glaring menacingly at the police outside. Further inside the supermarket, he saw thousands upon thousands of cats, their eyes glowing brightly.

"This is really bizarre! Where did all these cats come from? Have they all turned into spirits or something?" The uncle on the bicycle kept hopping up and down to peer inside.

"There were tens of thousands of them! Didn't you see them this morning? The whole street was full of cats, from one end to the other. Good heavens, it scared me half to death!" An auntie carrying Lan Zi excitedly described what she had seen in Early Morning.

"What on earth is going on with these cats? Why have they taken over the supermarket?"

"Maybe they want to eat the fish in the supermarket!"

"But how did they all seem to arrange this together? So many cats—I've really never seen anything this strange before."

At that moment, following an order from a fire brigade captain, several firefighters immediately rushed inside with water cannons in hand.

"Open the valves!"

The water cannons swept across the supermarket, instantly scattering the cats that had occupied it. Miserable cries rang out.

Large numbers of cats were drenched like drowned rats. Amid the chaos, they rushed out of the supermarket and fled without a trace.

Only then did everyone realize just how many cats were inside. An endless stream of cats kept pouring out, seeming to have no end in sight. Many of the onlookers who had been blocking the entrance scattered in fright.

As the fully equipped firefighters charged into the supermarket, the cries of cats rose and fell inside. Their shrill meows rang out continuously, and the deterrent power of water against cats was displayed to the fullest.

Water flooded the entire supermarket, dispersing the bizarre and enormous cat horde. Under the onslaught of the flood, none of the cats had the slightest ability to resist.

At that moment, Fang Xiu spotted a black cat rushing out with the crowd. Several enormous Orange Cats, Persian Cats, and Maine Coon Cats around it were desperately protecting it.

Even so, it was soaked through, scrambling out of the supermarket in a thoroughly bedraggled state.

Black Fiend still could not believe it. After planning for so long, after devising such a meticulous and flawless scheme, it had failed just like that. "My empire, my realm... is this the end?"

"Humans are too cunning. Next time, next time I definitely will—"

Black Fiend seethed with anger, once again formulating its rebellion plan in its mind. But before it could rush out of the street, a hand suddenly grabbed it by the scruff and lifted it up.

"Who is it? Who dares show disrespect to this king?!"

Black Fiend frantically flexed its claws and twisted its neck. But when it looked up, it immediately saw a short-haired, well-proportioned man holding it by the neck and staring at it. That face instantly reminded Black Fiend of the terror of once being dominated by him.

"Damn it, men!"

"Hurry and save me!"

Fear appeared in Black Fiend's eyes. It had only just escaped the devil's grasp, yet it had been caught again so quickly.

Black Fiend screamed wildly, but its army had long since been scattered. The few bodyguards who had protected it earlier were also frightened into lying flat on the ground by a single glare from Fang Xiu, not daring to move.

Fang Xiu carefully examined the black cat and confirmed that it was indeed the black cat he had just adopted. He had not even had time to give it a name yet.

But now, its soul had become incomparably enormous. Intense soul fluctuations and soul light continuously radiated outward. Its eyes in particular were lively and full of emotion, just like a human's.

Fang Xiu had also just heard it speaking, its voice sounding directly in his head, just like Chen Jin's.

"What is this? Could it be that I accidentally created one of those legendary demons?"

Fang Xiu held the black cat by the scruff and watched it struggle before resignedly giving up. A light gleamed in his eyes. He had never considered what use the souls he artificially created might have, but now, he seemed to have found a spark of inspiration.