The old man got lucky

"4150 Survival Points. We're one step closer to the goal."

Zeng Mo glanced at the status panel, then looked around at the surrounding buildings. He headed toward the small apartment complex where he'd found his current home.

There was a quiet alley on the way back.

Normally, Zeng Mo would avoid crowded places and take these alleys.

But today...

He planned to go somewhere crowded.

First, to explore how to earn Survival Points.

Second, to learn more about the world revealed by the system, and about some of the things he hadn't yet understood.

It was evening.

The setting sun shone over the ruins of the park, where a group of women danced around a bonfire, moving to the beat of the loud music.

[Warning! You are approaching a group of people whose bodies have been infected by a god's power. They were once women, but have become the servants of an evil god. Your presence may attract the hostility of the three evil gods of the fire system. You may even fall under their influence, become one of their servants, and turn into an ordinary person.]

Zeng Mo silently walked past the dancing crowd surrounding the bonfire.

[The host faced down the hostility of the fire god in the ruins. Survival Points +1000.]

After exiting the park, he passed through an alley full of people and arrived at a bustling commercial street.

In an instant, the warning chime rang urgently in his mind. The status panel, with its bright red warning text, kept flashing.

[Warning! Warning! You have entered a bustling yet dangerous commercial district. A group of terrifying, mutated beasts is roaming here, along with some dangerous gods. They are hunting for their servants. This place is very dangerous. Leave immediately!]

The panel before Zeng Mo's eyes flashed.

Zeng Mo leisurely wandered through the bustling commercial district, buying some dog food, dog bowls, and dog kennels, as well as some fruit and household supplies. Then he left the area.

[The host remained calm and collected on a dangerous commercial street, ignoring the threat of other gods and purchasing goods. The host's spirit is commendable. Survival Points +1000.]

"..."

The old man got lucky.

[Warning! There are many mutated beasts on this pedestrian street. Other gods are hunting here. Host, leave immediately.]

The pedestrian street was at a crossroads.

Zeng Mo came upon a row of shops and silently strode past them.

[The host calmly walked through a pedestrian street filled with mutated beasts, without disturbing any of the powerful gods who had stopped here. Survival Points +1000.]

What a nice apartment.

[Warning! Warning! A god of the Three-Eyed Crow System and its followers are threatening your apartment. They are far more powerful than the previous host and his followers. Host, quickly gather your people and belongings, and leave this place immediately. You must not become a sacrifice to the evil god.]

The apartment complex had nine buildings, with 902 apartments.

Zeng Mo looked at the panel flashing in front of him. Expressionless, he raised a hand and knocked on the door of his apartment.

One apartment per unit, with one living room and one bedroom.

It was well-equipped.

As soon as he got back, Zeng Mo tossed the black cat and white dog into the bathroom, gave them a quick rinse, and then started cleaning.

He took a basin of water from the bathroom and scrubbed the dirty floor.

But Zeng Mo didn't have a mop. After washing the floor, he blew on it with a hair dryer.

It wasn't even an hour later.

The apartment was completely clean.

The little black cat had stone-like eyes, glimmering with a crystalline sheen. Its sleek black fur shone with a blue-black luster, and felt soft and smooth to the touch.

As for the little white dog, it lived up to its title as the king of dogs. Its neck was ringed with a ruff of fluffy white fur, which made it look especially imposing. Its dark eyes were large and bright, and seemed to gleam with intelligence.

"I wonder what breed you are. How did you end up a stray when you were so little?"

Zeng Mo let out a chuckle, then took a fresh basin of water from the bathroom and set it down on the sand. He crouched beside the two little animals and said:

"Little Black, Little White, from now on you're my pets. We're going to be a family."

Little Black was the name Zeng Mo had given the kitten, while Little White was the name he'd given the puppy.

As if they understood Zeng Mo's words, the black cat and white dog both circled around him.

"Meow~"

"Woof~"

"Haha, you can play in the sand. I'll set up your little nest."

Zeng Mo stood up, went to the storage cabinet, and took out a cat bed and a dog bed. His friends needed a wooden kennel.

Then he began putting them together. At last, he set the assembled cat bed and dog bed beside the sand.

"All right. From now on, you can sleep here."

Zeng Mo pointed at the two little beds and showed his friends where they were supposed to sleep.

"Meow~" "Woof~"

"Purr."

After a busy day, Zeng Mo was hungry too. He casually made himself a bowl of instant noodles, then sat on the bed and opened the system journal. He read the text above, gradually piecing together some ideas about the world.

1. When the disaster began, humans and other creatures changed in different ways. Humans became divine creatures, originally known as believers, who then became gods. Other creatures became mutated beasts, whose intelligence developed until they became intelligent species.

2. Humans could enslave intelligent species and mutated beasts, including those with divine powers far beyond their own. They could also command them to do anything, such as give birth to divine creatures or even bear children. Conversely, intelligent species and mutated beasts could also enslave humans, absorb their divine powers, and even command them.

3. To become a powerful god, one needed plenty of believers, offerings, and resources.

4. To establish a divine domain, one needed at least a hundred believers...

Zeng Mo thought for a while, then wrote down his speculations about the situation.

Besides that,

he also made some guesses about how to earn Survival Points.

As Zeng Mo had found out, the most effective way to earn Survival Points was to hunt mutated beasts and seize offerings, resources, and believers. But naturally, those were one-time rewards.

But gaining the loyalty of powerful mutated beasts, or even the favor of gods and having them become his followers, could be more lasting.

It seemed these things might be refreshed, allowing him to keep earning Survival Points...

As for whether things really worked the way he'd guessed...

Zeng Mo planned to test it tomorrow.

After all, as long as he had a thousand Survival Points, even if he didn't have enough to spend, he could still make use of them.

Then he'd be able to use Survival Points to draw the resources he needed for cultivating believers. When the age of gods arrived for all of humanity, he'd be one step ahead of everyone else.

Once he had decided on his plan for tomorrow, Zeng Mo renamed the file "Small Language Teaching Collection," then stretched his arms, yawned, and flopped onto the bed to rest.

The next morning, just as the sun was rising.

[April 2, 2122. Your believers earned you 20 faith points.]

Zeng Mo opened the system journal and took a quick look. Then, holding Little Black in one arm and Little White in the other, he headed out of the apartment.

The next second.

A notification sounded in his mind.

[The host had a great appetite and rested peacefully in an apartment with powerful crows, their followers, and mutated beasts. Survival Points +1000.]

"..."