Blue Planet, Jinhai City.
"Meow~"
"What an adorable little stray. A stray mother cat nearby must have just had him."
A wave of affection rose in Zeng Shen as he looked at the little black kitten in front of him.
He crouched down, reached out to stroke the kitten's head, and gently petted him.
The kitten wasn't shy around strangers. Perhaps enjoying the petting, he narrowed his eyes slightly and let out another "meow."
In an instant.
A tiny milky-white speck of light emerged from the kitten and flew into him.
[Ding.] [Congratulations, host. You have acquired a casual believer of the sapient Bastet Cat race. The Apocalypse's Strongest God System has been activated.] [This system aims to help the host survive the hardships of the apocalyptic cataclysm and become the strongest god amid the devastation.] [Attribute panel activated.] [Inventory space activated.] [Main quests activated.] [System journal activated.]
"What was that sound?"
"A system? A cataclysm? An apocalypse? Believers? A worldwide awakening of gods? Becoming the strongest god?"
Listening to the voice in his head, Zeng Shen was stunned-and panicked.
He had been reincarnated at birth into this Earth-like world twenty years ago.
And now you suddenly tell me the apocalypse is here?
He hurriedly turned to look around.
In the park plaza, a group of curly-haired elderly men and women were dancing, while children played around them.
On the road nearby, vendors pushed their carts and hawked their wares. The traffic lights changed, and the vehicles that had been waiting began moving in orderly streams.
Everything around him was peaceful. Where was this supposed apocalypse? Had the stress of trying to find a company to give him an internship certificate these past two days made him start hearing things?
"Sigh. If I really can't make it out here, once I get my diploma, I'll just listen to my parents, go home, farm, and study for the civil service exam."
Zeng Shen brooded, but what he had just experienced had felt far too real.
Despite himself, he hesitated for a moment, then murmured, "Attribute panel."
In an instant.
A faint, transparent attribute panel that only he could see slowly appeared before his eyes.
[True name: Zeng Shen] [Divine name: Unnamed] [Divine tier: Tier 0 (0/100)] [Pantheon: Not established] [Divine core: Not formed] [Divine domain: Not created] [Divine skills: None] [Divine talent: Eye of Observation: Consume 1 faith point to examine information about any unknown living being or inanimate object.] [Divine flame: 0] [Faith: 1] [Believers: 1 casual believer.] [Survival points: 0]
"This..."
Looking at the panel he had summoned, Zeng Shen turned toward the peaceful park, then looked down at the little black kitten rubbing against his shoes.
This little stray had activated a system for him, and the information the system displayed...
Was telling him he was living in an apocalyptic world?
"But there's no damn apocalypse right now!"
"Still, getting a system without an apocalypse is a good thing."
"It just feels a little weird."
Zeng Shen picked up the little stray and walked over to a stone bench, calling up the panels one by one as he went.
"Inventory space."
A grid panel resembling a game inventory appeared before his eyes.
He counted twenty slots.
A helpful note beside it read-Prevents spoilage; preserves freshness, quality, and heat. Identical items can be stacked up to 999 units. Multiple items bundled together count as one item unit.
Closing the inventory space, Zeng Shen called up the main quest panel.
[Main quest one: Become a supreme god.] [Quest overview: The divine energy nurtured by Blue Planet for billions of years has awakened. Under the impact of this divine energy, species across the globe have transformed into all manner of savage beasts. Some species, however, have awakened their intelligence and evolved into humanoid sapient races. Following the gods they believe in, they will wage war across the heavens in the future. You must survive this cataclysm and cultivate your own believers, amassing over a million faith points to awaken your own divine domain space, ignite your divine flame, and become a true supreme god, thereby resisting the prying eyes and invasions of gods from beyond this world.] [Quest objective: Obtain 10,000 survival points.] [Reward: Prize wheel activation.] [Notice: Survival points allow the host to use the prize wheel to draw supplies needed to cultivate believers, as well as treasures, skills, and even divine domain spaces that will make the host stronger.]
Reading the introduction on the main quest panel, Zeng Shen furrowed his brow and reached out to open the system journal.
"System journal: April 1, 2120. Divine energy erupted, plunging Blue Planet into a cataclysm. Savage beasts ran rampant, and humanity's current civilization was destroyed overnight. Darkness, slaughter, plunder, enslavement, faith, the rule of the strong... will define the apocalypse until a new dawn arrives."
"System journal: April 1, 2122. Zeng Shen acquired a casual believer from the Bastet Cat race, descendants bearing the bloodline of the mythical creature Bastet, and activated the Strongest God System."
Taking out his phone, Zeng Shen glanced at the date on it, then at the dates in the system journal.
"The system journal says Blue Planet's cataclysm started on April 1, 2120."
"But right now it's damn well April 1, 2119."
"Does that mean..."
"In one year, Blue Planet will undergo a cataclysm, and humanity's current civilization will be wiped out overnight?"
"And I wasn't supposed to activate the system until this day three years from now?"
"In other words, my system arrived three years ahead of the apocalypse?"
After reaching this conclusion, Zeng Shen's feelings grew particularly complicated.
First.
The bad news was that the apocalypse would arrive in one year.
The good news was that the system had arrived three years early. With its help, he should have a year to prepare, strengthen himself in advance, and get his family settled somewhere safe.
Sitting on the stone bench, Zeng Shen stroked the little black kitten in his lap with both hands, quietly considering how to use this year to grow stronger.
"If the future cataclysm turns every living creature on Blue Planet into a divine being, allowing them to eventually rise to godhood..."
"Then I'll need lots of believers and followers to collect plenty of faith, so I can quickly unlock my own divine domain and become even stronger."
"But how do I get more believers?"
After thinking for a moment, Zeng Shen turned his gaze to the little black kitten sprawled quietly in his lap.
Eye of Observation.
Zeng Shen silently invoked the skill.
A virtual panel only he could see slowly appeared above the kitten's head.
[Sapient race: Bastet Cats] [Aptitude: King (Common, Elite, Lord, King, Epic, Legendary, Mythical)] [Tier 0: 0/100] [Name: Unnamed.] [Skills: Not awakened.] [Believer: Casual believer (Provides 1 faith point per day)] [Status: Hungry] [Analysis: A descendant race possessing a trace of Bastet's bloodline. Even among a million members of the cat race, there might not be a single kitten with King aptitude.]
"King aptitude?"
Although Zeng Shen rarely played games.
He knew.
In games, the better a character's or subordinate's aptitude, the greater their future achievements.
And with this kitten's King aptitude...
He believed.
The little fellow would surely bring him extraordinary surprises in the future.
After all, according to the information provided by the Eye of Observation, even a million cats might not produce a single one with King aptitude.
"I never expected a little fellow like you to have such great aptitude. You can even give me one faith point every day."
"In that case, I'm adopting you."
Looking at the information on the kitten's attribute panel, Zeng Shen spoke happily.
However.
The kitten's only response was a sound from his stomach.
"Grrr~"
"Hungry?"
"Come on. Your owner will take you to buy something to eat."
As he spoke, Zeng Shen picked up the clueless kitten and walked to the entrance of a nearby shop.
Suddenly.
An urgent warning rang out in his mind.
[Warning: You are about to encounter a Tier 3 god of the Undead System. Given the host's current strength, your followers will be seized and captured, and you will most likely be killed and refined into an undead warrior.]
As though to emphasize the severity of the situation.
A virtual panel visible only to Zeng Shen appeared before his eyes.
It displayed the warning he had just heard. As if stressing how serious the situation was, every word glowed such a deep red that it was almost purple.
From inside the shop.
A beautiful figure in a long white dress stepped out, carrying a plastic bag.
Looking at the figure emerging from the shop, then at the virtual panel shaking wildly before him, Zeng Shen slowly developed one enormous question mark over his head.
This system... didn't seem all that bright.