Chapter Eleven: The Black Cat

Shen Lie hid beside the window on the second floor, peering outside. Sure enough, before long, three spider monsters—one large and two small—emerged from the corner of another street, making his expression tighten with anxiety. If it were only one or two, he might still have a chance of handling them, but three at once was pushing the limits of what he could bear. Moreover, the large one was clearly of a higher rank; after spending so much time in the otherworld, he had come to deeply appreciate the terror of these high-level spider monsters. A single one of them was harder to deal with than ten of the smaller ones. He had nearly lost his life to such creatures more than once.

He lowered his body a bit more, slowing his breath as much as possible. The senses of these high-level spider monsters were extremely keen; Shen Lie felt it was best to take no chances. He didn’t know if a whole horde might be lurking nearby—if so, being discovered would mean he wouldn’t even get the chance to run. After all the effort it took to escape that terrifying place in the otherworld, it would be a pity to lose his life here.

The three spider monsters lingered at the street corner, scanning their surroundings for a good while, but eventually failed to detect Shen Lie’s presence. The large one uttered a strange screech, and the trio vanished from his field of view once again.

Shen Lie exhaled in relief. This small town was no longer safe; he had to leave as soon as possible. Since these spider monsters had appeared, he doubted there were any survivors left—unless an army was stationed here, these three monsters would be enough to slaughter everyone in town. Clearly, this was no military outpost.

He quietly retreated into the room. Only now did he have a moment to survey his surroundings—he hadn’t noticed in his haste before, but he was in an inn. He was standing next to the reception desk, a window behind him and a long, narrow hallway stretching out ahead, lined with guest rooms on either side.

He hefted his backpack and walked over to a shelf near the reception desk. To his surprise, there was still a fair amount of food left—instant noodles, sausages, bottled water. For someone about to leave, these were just what he needed.

He stuffed a large pack with instant noodles and sausages, grabbed a few bottles of water, and stopped once he felt he’d reached his load limit. The more supplies the better, but too much would slow him down. As for taking a car, he dismissed the idea for now—the sound of an engine would only attract those spider monsters. Maybe once he’d left town he could reconsider.

“Who’s there?”

Just as Shen Lie finished packing and was about to head downstairs, a faint sound came from the far end of the hallway, instantly putting him on high alert. He raised his black short spear defensively across his chest.

No answer.

Frowning suspiciously, Shen Lie wondered if his nerves were playing tricks on him. But he quickly dismissed the thought—since his body had mutated, his senses had become incredibly sharp. The sound just now was real; there was no way he’d imagined it.

“Could it be a survivor who didn’t manage to escape?” The possibility made his eyes light up.

He hadn’t spoken to another human in three months; the longing for conversation surged within him. With that hope, he turned and walked toward the other end of the hallway.

“Meow!”

Just as he reached the first guest room and extended his hand to push open the door, a black shadow shot out from the adjacent room, accompanied by a deep, guttural growl.

A wave of ferocity crashed over him. Without hesitation, Shen Lie rolled sideways, retreating diagonally backward, while channeling the mutated energy in his body. His pale golden hand gripped the black spear and struck fiercely toward the shadow!

With a muffled thud, Shen Lie was hit by a powerful force, sending him rolling backward several times until he came to rest beside the reception desk.

No time to think—he sprang to his feet, eyes locking on the shadow as he braced for another attack.

Only now did he clearly see his assailant. It was a black cat, a small bell tied around its neck—the sound from earlier must have come from that bell. But the cat was as large as a hefty dog, its eyes a blood-red glow, staring at him with feral intensity as it let out a low, menacing snarl.

Was this a cat or a tiger? Shen Lie couldn’t help but grimace at the sight of this supersized feline. Ever since he’d seen that mutated elm tree, he’d suspected that if plants could mutate, then so could animals—maybe even humans. He himself was proof enough.

Still, seeing it with his own eyes made his gaze narrow in wariness. After his mutation, Shen Lie had discovered a mysterious energy inside him; when he used it, his strength became monstrous, and the energy could even turn parts of his body gold. He figured this must be what people called an “ability.”

If he could gain powers through mutation, then mutated animals surely didn’t just get bigger—the cat before him might possess some terrifying abilities as well.

“Meow!”

The mutated cat’s cry snapped Shen Lie out of his thoughts. Pressed against the bar, he let his eyes roam over the cat’s body.

Suddenly, Shen Lie noticed a wound on the cat’s forepaw—small, but definitely bleeding. It must have been from his spear strike just now. This suggested the cat wasn’t invincible; as long as he could break through its defenses, it would be easier to handle.

Still, its resilience was astonishing. He didn’t know what material his black spear was made of, but it could pierce even the armored shells of spider monsters with ease—without it, he’d never have survived so long in the otherworld. Yet this cat had only suffered a minor injury from a direct hit; its toughness was nearly on par with a high-level spider monster.

After being wounded, the big black cat didn’t dare act rashly either. It kept scraping the ground with one paw, occasionally letting out a low, threatening yowl.

Man and beast remained deadlocked for over a minute, until Shen Lie could endure no longer—not because he lacked patience, but because he feared the cat’s cries would bring those three spider monsters back. Even if he managed to kill the cat, he’d still end up as spider food.

Unable to hold back, Shen Lie suddenly snatched a calculator from the bar and hurled it at the cat. As the cat moved, he lunged forward, his golden right hand gripping the black spear and driving it forcefully ahead!

This was his strongest attack, but to his shock, he didn’t even graze the cat’s fur. The black cat was unbelievably agile; with a mere twist, it dodged aside, and Shen Lie could almost see a look of mocking disdain in its eyes.

“Meow!” The failed ambush seemed to enrage the cat. It counterattacked instantly, raising a massive paw—its claws gleamed like daggers. The sight made Shen Lie’s hair stand on end. Without hesitation, he poured all his energy into the spear and clashed with the beast once more.

He was slammed against the wall, the force injuring his organs. Coughing, he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

But the black cat wasn’t unscathed this time—a claw had been broken off by Shen Lie’s spear, and the creature howled in pain.

Both wary of the other, man and beast fell into another stalemate—this one even longer than before. Two or three minutes ticked by without either moving. Just as Shen Lie racked his brains for a solution, three screeches—one long, two short—sounded from the street outside.

Shen Lie’s face blanched. The screeches were unmistakably from the three spider monsters that had just left. His fears had come true—the cat’s cries had attracted them back.

The situation had become dire. He could no longer hesitate. He prepared to attack again, hoping to force the big black cat back so he could escape.

But the cat reacted even faster. The spider monsters’ screeches had barely sounded when its ears perked up. In a flash, it spun around and leapt out the window beside the bar, leaving behind a spray of shattered glass.

The turn of events left Shen Lie stunned, but it was a stroke of luck for him. He took a deep breath and headed for the stairs, but at the last moment changed his mind. Instead, he slipped out a window at the far end of the corridor and quickly climbed up to the roof of the small building.