"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I never would have believed it."
"A Big Black Cat with lord-grade potential gave birth to a little black kitten with king-grade potential, but of the other five, only the orange kitten had elite potential, while the other four were all ordinary?"
A flicker of disappointment crossed Zeng Shen's eyes. He looked around at the adult strays in the hospital lobby, hoping for a pleasant surprise.
"Eye of Observation."
A moment later, he sighed softly.
Among these strays, only the two large white cats with black spots had elite potential. The other eight all had ordinary potential.
Seeing Zeng Shen standing still for so long, Big Black Cat lowered his head and began eating the food in the bowl, though the wariness in his eyes never faded.
A few minutes later.
Big Black Cat and the five kittens had finished all the food in the bowl.
After finishing his food, Big Black Cat looked up at Zeng Shen for a while before heading deeper into the corridor.
The kittens ran off to play once they had eaten.
The little black kitten seemed to want to spend more time with Big Black Cat. He was just about to follow when he suddenly turned toward Zeng Shen, as though asking his permission.
"Go spend some more time with your mom," Zeng Shen said.
"Meow~" The little black kitten gave a soft cry, then bounded happily toward the hospital corridor as though he had understood Zeng Shen.
As soon as Big Black Cat left the bowl, the surrounding strays hurried forward to fight over the food scattered outside it.
Watching the adult strays scramble for the spilled food, Zeng Shen smiled faintly. He took a bag of adult cat food from his backpack space and walked toward the bowls.
Startled by Zeng Shen's sudden approach, the strays all backed away several steps.
Zeng Shen filled five bowls with cat food, then retreated a few meters and waited for the adult strays to come eat.
The five bowls, brimming with enticingly fragrant cat food, instantly stirred the adult strays. When they saw Zeng Shen back away a few meters, they all seemed to understand his intent.
This was for them.
The first to react were the two large white cats with black spots and elite potential. They darted toward the bowls, and the other strays quickly caught on, rushing forward to fight over the food.
"Haha, take your time. There's more."
Zeng Shen chuckled softly.
Hearing Zeng Shen laugh, the large white cats with black spots raised their heads warily to glance at him. But seemingly realizing that he meant no harm, they paused briefly before lowering their heads to keep eating.
Looks like delicious food has made them less wary of me.
At this rate, it won't take more than a few days to bring them under my command and make them my first followers.
Zeng Shen thought happily as he watched the cats scramble for food.
Before long, the strays had polished off the two-jin bag of cat food.
It seemed to be their first time eating cat food. Still craving more after finishing it, they looked up eagerly at Zeng Shen, their gleaming eyes full of anticipation.
A smile spread across Zeng Shen's lips as he stepped forward, taking another bag of cat food into his hand.
The strays were about to bolt when they saw Zeng Shen approach, but at the sight of the cat food in his hand, they all began meowing ingratiatingly.
Some of the greedier ones even ran up to Zeng Shen's feet to beg for food.
"You greedy cats," Zeng Shen said with a smile, pouring the food into the five bowls.
As the enticing food filled all five bowls, the strays instantly began meowing with delight.
[Congratulations, host. You have earned the favor of ten Bastet cats. Survival points +100.]
"Haha, nice. You've finally stopped being so wary of me."
"Looks like it won't be long before I turn you into believers."
Zeng Shen felt delighted as he watched the eight adult strays rush forward to fight over the food.
A short while later.
After finishing the food, the strays looked up at Zeng Shen again and meowed softly, seemingly asking for more.
"That's all. Wait until tomorrow."
Zeng Shen said it without knowing whether they could understand him.
It wasn't actually true that he had run out of cat food. He had winced at the cost, but he had spent several hundred yuan on a dozen or so bags.
He simply didn't want to fill their bellies all at once.
Only then would they look forward to his arrival the next day, eventually making it easier for him to tame them and turn them into his believers.
About ten minutes later.
The little black kitten appeared in the hospital lobby, walked over to Zeng Shen, and nestled against his feet.
Zeng Shen picked up the little black kitten, then went to fetch the pitiful little white puppy he had left in the abandoned car before climbing out through the hospital's large iron gate.
[Congratulations, host. You have led your follower and mount safely out of a group of Bastet cats' territory after a scare. Survival points +10.]
"This reward shrank too?"
"Looks like I guessed right. The first clear gives a thousand survival points, and every clear after that only gives ten."
Zeng Shen muttered with a frown as he looked at the survival points on his status panel.
"8,280 survival points now. Only 1,720 short of ten thousand."
"As long as I find a deity's territory or an area where strange beasts gather, I can get a thousand points for the first clear."
Zeng Shen thought it over. He had already triggered all the nearby areas where he could earn survival points. The only place left was the pedestrian street behind his residential complex.
That pedestrian street usually gets plenty of foot traffic. After the catastrophe, there should be quite a few strange beasts lurking there. It'll be perfect for earning some first-clear points.
Oh, right. Li Yuqing's studio is in the office building opposite the back entrance to that pedestrian street. After having lunch at home, I can head there for another first clear too.
With that thought, Zeng Shen quickly crossed the park plaza, passed through the shopping street and along the sidewalk, and finally returned to his apartment building.
Along the way.
He triggered danger warnings from the system, but just as he had guessed that morning.
He ultimately received no survival points.
Downstairs in his residential complex, Zeng Shen had just pressed the elevator button when an urgent voice rang out in his mind.
[Warning! Warning! A tier-three curse deity is rapidly approaching. With your current strength, you are no match for her. Flee immediately, or not even your bones will remain.]
As if to emphasize the danger, a virtual panel appeared before his eyes again, its words flashing frantically in a red so dark it bordered on purple.
Ding.
The elevator doors suddenly opened.
A little girl in a white dress, as cute as a doll herself, was playing with an exquisite wooden doll in her hands. Her bright, watery eyes showed a hint of affection as she glanced at Xiao Hei and Xiao Bai in Zeng Shen's arms, then timidly stepped out.
[Danger! Host has encountered a tier-three curse deity. Have your follower and pet hold this deity back and escape alone immediately.]
Although he had learned the night before that a deity would emerge in this apartment building in the future.
Zeng Shen had never expected it to be this adorable, seemingly harmless little girl.
Damn, after three years of the future catastrophe, I was doing worse than this little girl?
As the little girl stepped out of the elevator, Zeng Shen couldn't help grumbling inwardly before silently stepping inside and closing the doors.
[Host has demonstrated both wisdom and courage, forcing the curse deity to retreat. Survival points +1000.] [Host refused to abandon your follower and mount even in the face of danger. Survival points +1000.] [Congratulations, host. You have reached ten thousand survival points. Prize wheel successfully activated.]