Xiaohuangmao had set up a phone to record from behind a rack. The room was blasting intense music as he danced wildly, thrusting a red-hot iron skewer into the skinned corpses strapped to the rack.
It was clear these animals had endured his abuse for a long time. Two had already fallen silent, while the one with its paws severed and tied to the rack let out weak, agonized whimpers.
Shen Ge recorded about ten seconds of Xiaohuangmao’s animal abuse before preparing to enter. But then, he noticed black smoke rising from the creature bound to the rack.
The rack wasn’t even lit—this wasn’t smoke from burning fur. In the blink of an eye, the small body was engulfed in thick, dark fumes.
Xiaohuangmao leaned in curiously, waving a hand to disperse the smoke while cursing. He kept jabbing the red-hot skewer into the cat’s belly, now spewing black mist.
Tsk.
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
No sooner had Shen Ge thought this than a familiar voice echoed in his mind.
[Warning!]
[A second-tier supernatural entity has been detected. Given the host’s current rating, confrontation is impossible. Prioritize survival and evacuate immediately!]It was rare for the long-dormant system to issue a warning. Clearly, this kitten—its paws chopped off, its body riddled with burns—was undergoing a terrifying transformation.
Shen Ge recalled the first time he’d seen these stray cats. The system had labeled them “first-tier supernatural entities,” but back then, they’d shown no visible changes.
The supernatural rat had also been first-tier, but its body had already mutated grotesquely. Shen Ge had suspected the system’s ratings were based on their future evolution—four years from now.
This new warning confirmed his theory. Four years later, this cat would become a second-tier entity. But right now, it was undergoing its first-tier mutation!
Suddenly, the kitten exploded like a smoke grenade, spewing dense black fumes that expanded into a swirling mass nearly a meter wide.
Then, from the smoke, a thick, shadowy paw—easily the size of a grown man’s arm—lashed out, slashing across Xiaohuangmao’s face. Blood sprayed instantly.
“AHHH—!”
Xiaohuangmao collapsed, clutching his face and scrambling backward. But the black mist had already coalesced into a monstrous cat—eyes burning crimson, its snarling visage more befitting a black panther than a house cat.
A first-tier supernatural entity: the Spectral Cat!
“Damn, that’s huge!” Shen Ge was stunned. Even as a freshly mutated first-tier, this thing dwarfed the supernatural rat he’d encountered earlier.
The Spectral Cat pounced, landing atop Xiaohuangmao. Its head—half the size of a basketball—split open into a gaping maw half a meter wide and chomped down, shearing off most of his torso in one bite.
Crunch. Crunch.
Same tier, but this kitten had turned into a panther-sized abomination with a shapeshifting, zombie-dog-inspired mouth. Compared to the rat, this thing was on another level.
If Shen Ge had the air-conditioner unit hidden under his bed, he might’ve stood a chance. But unarmed, he did the next best thing—pulled out his phone.
The moment the call connected, Deng Yuqi’s furious roar blasted through:
“DON’T! TELL! ME! YOU! RAN! INTO! ANOTHER! ONE!”
“You really are my future boss—nailed it!” Shen Ge chuckled.
He could practically hear Deng Yuqi taking deep, calming breaths before she snapped: “Location. Entity tier. Any civilians?”
Shen Ge gave a quick rundown: “First-tier, but twice the size of the rat—about as big as a panther. Its mouth can shapeshift. One casualty: the idiot torturing it just got bisected.”
As he spoke, alarms blared in the background, followed by rapid footsteps. Deng Yuqi was already mobilizing.
“Stay put, keep the line open. If it’s indoors, don’t provoke it. Backup’s en route,” she ordered.
“Bit late for that advice…” Shen Ge muttered.
The Spectral Cat’s enhanced senses had already locked onto him. With a thunderous crash, it burst through the shattered patio door and landed in the yard, back arched, glaring at him with pure malice.
Maybe it recognized him from the villa. Maybe it just hated humans. Either way, its blood-red eyes promised far worse than what Xiaohuangmao got.
“Hey, long time no—WAIT, IS THAT YOUR MOM?!” Shen Ge pointed dramatically behind the cat, then bolted inside.
The Spectral Cat lunged—only to eat a folding chair to the face. Shen Ge hadn’t run blindly; he’d grabbed the nearest weapon and swung hard.
“BEGONE!”
WHAM!
With 92% strength (close to peak human), the chair sent the cat crashing through another window.
No time to celebrate. This thing was way out of his league. Shen Ge sprinted upstairs, barricading himself in a room as the cat shredded the door like cardboard.
Time to go.
He slipped out the balcony, vaulted into the yard, and booked it toward the gate. Just as he cleared the fence, a black streak shot down from above.
The Spectral Cat was hot on his heels.
Shen Ge raced down a steep slope, hurdled the gate barrier—and plowed straight into a power-walking squad.
“Speed fuels passion! Power walking for glory!”
“Rise and stride, conquer the road!”
The retirees marched in a human centipede formation, chanting with militant zeal.
Shen Ge barely avoided bowling over their leader, “Auntie Wang,” but she shoved him back with a scowl.
“Watch where you’re going, punk! Can’t you see we’re exercising?!”
“Yeah, yeah—stop exercising and RUN. There’s a man-eating monster coming!” Shen Ge warned.
Auntie Wang scoffed. “Monster? In broad daylight? Nice try, you little creep!”
Shen Ge blinked. “Did you just… insult my face?”
The squad erupted:
“Look at him! Not a patch on your son, Wang-jie!”
“Even the guards don’t mess with us! Buzz off before I ‘fall’ and sue you!”
Power walkers. Square dancers. Tiny-dog ladies. Auntie Wang was the trifecta of unstoppable aunties, and she owned this neighborhood.
Shen Ge grinned. “Alright.” He slung an arm around her shoulders and pointed. “See that ‘cute’ little panther sprinting at us at 100 kph? Wanna say hi? Don’t worry—you’re too big to swallow whole!”
The Spectral Cat was barreling toward them, jaws unhinged, half its body rotting like a zombie hound.
Auntie Wang’s scream shattered glass.
Shen Ge winced, prying a finger in his ear as the squad scattered like roaches.
“Hey, don’t leave! Let’s get a group photo first!” he called after them. “Where’s that ‘stand your ground’ spirit? That ‘block traffic’ energy?!”
A drowsy guard poked his head out—just in time to see the Spectral Cat leap off the slope, maw gaping wider than its body.
“Holy—LIVE-ACTION RESIDENT EVIL?!” He ducked under his desk, trembling.
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