A talking cat

Just before leaving, Chen Luo gave Ma Yu a warning.

"No matter who it is or what excuse they use, don't open the door. Even if someone is about to die right in front of you, you still can't."

"Keep the doors and windows shut tight. Don't stick your head out the window, and definitely don't go outside. If you do, you'll bear the consequences."

After what had happened in the hotel's cold storage, Ma Yu was frightened too. She nodded solemnly.

Chen Luo, Su Dazhu, and Dharma King were going out to collect crystals, so Ma Yu would have to stay home alone.

They couldn't take her along. She would only be a burden. All she needed to do was handle the support work.

Leaving someone behind to protect her was even more out of the question, including Dharma King.

Dharma King was a very capable helper, all right? If they ran into danger, he might just turn the tide.

Chen Luo gave Ma Yu two Stun Batons for self-defense. That was enough.

After leaving the residential complex and reaching the place where he had parked the heavy truck, Chen Luo's expression darkened.

Someone had smashed the window on the right side of the truck's cab.

It had been completely shattered. Apparently, someone had climbed inside.

They had probably wanted to check whether there were any supplies in the truck.

Were they blind? They could have seen there weren't any supplies just by looking through the window.

The truck's cargo compartment had been opened too, and whoever had done it hadn't even bothered closing it afterward.

Chen Luo hadn't gone out for three days, so it wasn't surprising that someone had targeted the truck.

He hadn't wanted to put Dharma King through the trouble of standing guard outside. It wasn't worth it.

Two zombies lunged at them.

Chen Luo kicked out, sending a zombie flying hard.

"Damn it, how were you guarding the truck? What good are you?"

Zombie: ???

Chen Luo climbed into the truck, cursing under his breath. I'd better not find out which little bastard did this.

He checked the truck. Fortunately, everything was fine apart from the window.

Chen Luo drove to a nearby street with relatively few people. Whenever he could ram zombies with the truck, he did. Otherwise, he and Su Dazhu got out to kill them.

In just over an hour, Chen Luo collected more than three hundred crystals.

As he killed zombies, he deliberately worked his way toward the residential complex where Mi Ling and Mi Li lived.

After they had collected more than five hundred crystals, Su Dazhu was panting for breath. They rested briefly, then Chen Luo entered Mi Li's residential complex.

It was a little after six in the evening, and the sky was starting to darken.

Before the apocalypse, Chen Luo had specifically hired someone to investigate Mi Ling and Mi Li. Not only did he know their general preferences, but he had also learned their exact address.

The complex had sixteen buildings, each nine stories tall, with around three thousand permanent residents.

At the time of the apocalypse, it would have been a lot if even a thousand people were inside the complex.

As he entered, Chen Luo surveyed the area. There were only three supermarkets in the complex, all small ones of around thirty to fifty square meters.

Supermarkets like those barely had any supplies.

Chen Luo took a look and was somewhat surprised to discover that all three had been emptied.

That was normal enough. Hunger was often more frightening than zombies, and there were always people bold enough to come looking for supplies.

Chen Luo chuckled. Even better. If Mi Ling and Mi Li are home without any food, let's see how long they can hold out.

Killing zombies as he walked, Chen Luo reached Building Eight and looked toward Apartment 201 in Entrance Three.

That was Mi Ling and Mi Li's home.

No lights were on. In fact, no household in the complex had its lights on, because the power was out.

The curtains in Apartment 201 were all drawn.

Chen Luo narrowed his eyes. Normally, people rarely closed all their curtains completely unless they were resting.

They wouldn't close every curtain when leaving home.

During the apocalypse, anyone at home who wasn't an idiot would draw the curtains to protect themselves.

Of course, that alone couldn't tell him whether Mi Ling and Mi Li were home.

There were two ways upstairs. One was the elevator, which he ruled out immediately. The other was the stairs.

Chen Luo said quietly, "Dharma King, go sniff around and see whether anyone's home."

Dharma King nodded. Now this was something a dog was supposed to do.

Dharma King was about to head upstairs when his sole remaining right ear suddenly twitched. Then he lowered his body, a growl rumbling in his throat.

Like a rabbit, Dharma King darted toward a nearby patch of bushes.

"Meow!"

A distinctly terrified meow rang out. Then a white shape emerged from the bushes and fled at full speed.

Dharma King had discovered the cat hiding in the bushes and chased after it, sending it fleeing in terror.

But even though cats were more agile than dogs, Dharma King caught up with it very quickly-in just five seconds.

Chen Luo froze. A cat?

Clearly, this was a cat that hadn't turned into a zombie.

Chen Luo hurriedly said, "Dharma King, don't hurt it."

Taking a cat home as a pet wouldn't be bad.

Cats and dogs could also turn into zombies, but they wouldn't become particularly powerful. They were a little weaker than human zombies, unless they were mutants, which was extremely unlikely.

Before the apocalypse, Chen Luo had wanted to buy a cat for company. But he hadn't known whether it would turn into a zombie afterward. What if it bit him? In the end, he had abandoned the idea.

Chen Luo thought, If you're cute, I'll take you home.

If you're not, heh.

Holding the cat by the loose skin at the scruff of its neck, Dharma King trotted over, looking eager for praise.

Chen Luo studied the cat and was delighted.

On closer inspection, it was a silver-shaded cat, a little over twenty centimeters long, with sky-blue eyes.

Its fur was smooth, without any stray patches of color.

Overall, it was incredibly pretty, like a little fairy among cats.

Of course, it might also be male.

The cat struggled furiously in Dharma King's mouth, but clearly couldn't get free.

Chen Luo was about to stroke its little furry head when he suddenly heard a voice.

"Boohoo, hurry up and make this stupid dog let me go."

Chen Luo's pupils contracted as he stared at the cat in shock.

The voice hadn't sounded beside his ears. It had appeared inside his mind.

Chen Luo was familiar with this ability. Powerful psychic ability users could master it, communicating with others through mental power without having to speak.

Dharma King was a dog, yet he could wield lightning powers. Why couldn't other cats and dogs possess psychic powers?

The silver-shaded cat before him had clearly mastered telepathic communication. It was also clever enough to realize that Chen Luo was in charge, so it begged him to make Dharma King release it.

Chen Luo's eyes lit up. What an unexpected windfall.

Stick with me, and you'll feast on fish and meat at every meal.

Chen Luo scolded, "Dharma King, how could you be so rough? Hurry up and let the poor thing go."

Despite his words, Chen Luo grabbed the cat's body, afraid it would run away.

Dharma King was utterly crushed. Fine, everything's my fault.

Once in Chen Luo's hands, the cat stopped struggling. It gazed at him with its big sky-blue eyes, and another voice sounded in his mind.

"I didn't bother him or provoke him, but this dog bit me out of nowhere. He's so mean."

Chen Luo agreed. "Yes, yes, absolutely terrible."

Su Dazhu scratched his head, looking at Chen Luo in confusion. Why did his boss seem to be talking to a cat?

The cat used its ability again, seemingly sensing something.

"Do you have dried fish? I think you do."