C12 The Night in the City(1)

Shen Xiang was certainly not a pervert, nor did he have an unusual fascination with pets.

However, anyone who has ever had a female cat knows the ordeal of dealing with a cat in heat. Beyond the unsettling cries that draw complaints from neighbors, it's a domestic nightmare as they rub against furniture to leave their scent and urinate everywhere to signal their readiness to mate.

The duration of this phase varies, but it's always a headache for pet owners. If one is prepared, they might let their cat out to mate and conceive. But Shen Xiang thought his cat was too young for kittens just yet. Sterilization? He felt it was premature, preferring to wait until after a litter was born.

Caught between not wanting to breed his cat too soon or sterilize her, Shen Xiang resorted to the controversial cotton swab method he found online. Aware of the potential long-term harm, he justified it as a temporary fix for a few months, taking care to use lubricant and protection.

This is not a practice for impressionable pet owners; it's risky and can lead to serious health issues like pyometra. It's a stopgap, not a solution.

Afterward, his Ragdoll cat "Little Meow" calmed down, though not without some peculiar aftereffects.

She began giving him looks filled with apparent affection and occasionally presented her hindquarters to him...

When Shen Xiang played games on his computer, Little Meow would gracefully hop onto the desk and place her paw tenderly on his hand, gazing up with a yearning look.

It was as if she were a girlfriend interrupting his gameplay, reminiscent of those who dare to take on the "naked challenge" popularized abroad, suddenly leaping into action.

"Seriously?"

Reflecting on his past actions, Shen Xiang could only facepalm. If Rui was indeed his own cat, that would be astoundingly bizarre. Could his cat have actually transformed into a human? And to think she might be living in the same neighborhood as him...

Could she be plotting revenge against me?

Shen Xiang never treated his cat like royalty. He'd pet and pamper it when appropriate, but he didn't shy away from discipline either, often giving it a spanking when it misbehaved—after all, there was plenty of padding on its behind.

If she were human, she might remember past grievances...

The way he'd touch her, like some kind of creep, doling out spankings when he was in a foul mood, sometimes even with a stick...

Sigh, it's inevitable she'd resent me.

[No wonder she seemed so irritated earlier. Tsk.]

"Whether she is or isn't out for revenge, I'll never confess. Playing dumb is the best strategy. That woman, Rui, looks like she's not one to be trifled with." Shen Xiang resolved. But given the current circumstances, was that menacing yellow dog still lurking outside? And considering what Rui—or should I say, Ruila—implied, she might not be the only threat.

He grabbed his phone and messaged his old schoolmate: Is it always this chaotic outside?

Lee Boran: Rest easy. We've got it under control. Just try to stay in more at night. Those guys are more likely to be active then.

Shen Xiang: Got it, thanks for all your hard work.

Her words were cryptic—stay in at night... But since she had warned him, Rui's words probably held some truth.

"Why is this happening to me? Why am I the target?" Shen Xiang lamented.

No, no, he needed to get ready.

Shen Xiang plopped down in front of his computer and started scouring tutorials on how to combat various animals. Most of the proxy commands he'd set for himself were human-focused, lacking specific maneuvers for animals. To be prepared for future encounters with such foes, he decided to expand his proxy's permissions.

Oh, fighting a kangaroo meant dodging its attacks, grabbing it to prevent it from standing on its tail, and since its arms were slender, joint locks would do the trick.

With bears, he'd have to get behind them to take advantage since their limbs were short and their backs were blind spots, then go for a chokehold.

As for a chimpanzee... Oh, that's a fight he couldn't win.

He pored over various wilderness survival techniques, committing to memory the vulnerabilities and vital points of each animal, and continually uploaded countermeasures into the system—a system equipped with a degree of AI learning capability that could automatically expand upon the basic information he entered.

The dog could outrun him easily, its speed comparable to a car on the highway, clocking in at over eighty yards. Consider Usain Bolt's nine-second sprint, covering six hundred meters in a minute, which translates to roughly forty yards an hour—this was nearly double that speed, far surpassing human limits.

The only way to prevail in such a situation was to arm oneself with a reliable weapon and master the art of a lethal strike.

"Life is precious. If anything goes awry, there'll be no more novels or dramas to enjoy," Shen Xiang mused, his gaze drifting across the screen. His mind, which had been dormant for too long, slowly stirred to life. He wasn't inherently lazy; the system had made him complacent. In fact, back in his school days, he was that clever kid who could ace tests with minimal effort. Faced with a real challenge, he was more than capable of devising a strategy to overcome it.

As darkness enveloped the city, those creatures that lurked in the shadows began to stir.

This time, they proceeded with extra caution, aware that a cadre of hunters lay in wait, ready to pounce on their every move.

The sewer rats whispered among themselves as if relaying messages, then dispersed in various directions. Wildcats, feasting on refuse, utilized their natural night vision to survey their surroundings. Birds perched on tree limbs twisted their heads, vigilantly observing the pedestrians below.

Tap.

The distinct sound of leather shoes echoed through the silent streets, signaling the shadow-dwelling animals to spring into action. Sewer rats amassed into a formidable force, their sharp teeth gnawing away at underground cables. Birds took flight from their perches, swooping down on roadside cameras, their bodies obstructing the lenses. Meanwhile, the wildcats leapt from dumpsters, fanning out to cautiously eye the passersby.

"Papapapapapa."

The sound of clapping filled the air. Boss Xi, donning his signature sunglasses, stood with his trusty, goofy dog by his side. He approached the woman who had come into view and said, "Rui, you've truly outdone yourself. You've got all the local wildlife eating out of your hand. Impressive training."

"Xi Yijia, out for another dog walk?"

Rui maintained her usual cool demeanor in a sharp windbreaker, her voice crisp and detached. Yet, this time, her features were concealed behind a cat mask. Flanking her were three masked figures.

One stooped and hunched, donning a mouse mask, his diminutive frame exuding a chilling presence.

Another fidgeted on the balls of his feet, sporting a cat mask, his gaze darting about as if driven by an unceasing restlessness akin to ADHD.

The last, with twin ponytails, was clad in a vibrant Lolita dress, complete with a bird mask.