Apocalyptic Crazy Kitty

Chapter 10: Little Fang Mao, Let’s Eat!

Food!? A look of disbelief flashed across Erzi’s face as he turned to look at the Lao Gan Ma ham and egg fried rice in the pot, swallowing hard. Even at a life-or-death moment, that tempting aroma still lingered around him, making him itch with anticipation. Was he really going to get to eat such a delicious meal? It was like going straight from hell to heaven! “What are you just standing there for? Serve the rice.” Zuo Chen rolled his eyes—did he really expect him to serve the rice himself? “Yes, yes, yes!” Erzi immediately grabbed a few bowls, scooped a bowl of rice, and respectfully brought it to the Orange Cat. “Put it on the table—and bring the pan too,” Zuo Chen said as he walked out of the kitchen, hopped onto the dining table, and slumped down there. Erzi hurriedly placed a bowl heaped high with Lao Gan Ma ham and egg fried rice on the dining table, then carried the pot out and set it right on the table as well. “You eat this!” Zuo Chen pointed his paw at the bowl of rice and pulled the entire pot toward himself. Is this really for me to eat!? Erzi was on the verge of tears—His Majesty the Beast King was actually letting him eat! Loving cats really was the right choice! Even if a cat became a Beast King, it would still be the warmest Beast King ever! With reddened eyes, he sat at the table, picked up a spoon, and carefully scooped up a large spoonful of the golden-red egg fried rice. Erzi swallowed hard as he looked up at Zuo Chen. He was still a little hesitant to eat it. “Eat!” Zuo Chen said excitedly, staring at Erzi. After confirming the order once more, Erzi immediately opened his mouth eagerly and shoveled the fried rice in. A rich aroma instantly exploded in Erzi’s mouth; he felt as if every pore in his body was desperately breathing in the scent. The fried rice was at the perfect temperature—not too hot to burn his mouth, yet just right to fully release its aroma and flavor. Erzi closed his eyes and mouth to fully savor the aroma for a few seconds before gently opening his mouth to let his tongue and teeth take in the flavor of the fried rice. Every grain of rice was coated in red chili oil and ham fat, offering a chewy texture that was fragrant without being greasy, with a hint of spiciness. The savory aroma stimulated his taste buds, delivering a wonderful sensation. The flavors of the ham bits and scrambled eggs had blended together—intertwined and inseparable. With each bite, it was as if delicious flavor bombs were exploding in his mouth, bombarding his sense of taste and smell. And at the very heart of these flavors lay the spicy-sweet depth of Lao Gan Ma, serving as the foundation that held the rice, ham, and eggs together. This rich aroma was so intense it nearly brought tears to Erzi’s eyes. The deliciousness instantly traveled through his nerves to his brain, bringing endless pleasure! Heaven… Erzi thought, closing his eyes as he slowly chewed the rice, tears streaming down his face. “Beep… Host detected cooking food. Measuring the eater’s pleasure level… Pleasure level has reached Level 8, exceeding Level 5. Meets the conditions for reward distribution. Recording food molecular composition. Initiating random distribution of Level 8 rewards.” The mechanical voice of the Gourmet System rang in Zuo Chen’s mind, and a smug smile spread across his face. This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for! He quickly jumped down from the dining table and rushed to another bedroom. Zuo Chen closed the door and waited for the reward to appear. Suddenly, a ring of light shot out from the bell hanging below his neck, forming a small luminous circle. From Zuo Chen’s perspective, the interior of the circle was pitch black, as if connected to nothingness; he couldn’t make out what was inside at all. A tiny black speck, no bigger than a mung bean, flew out of the ring and landed in a groove on the bell, as if it had always belonged there. The ring vanished in an instant. “The reward is a subspace storage device, which will be integrated into the system,” the mechanical voice sounded again, and immediately afterward, a wealth of information about the subspace storage device flooded Zuo Chen’s mind. He froze in shock—this mung bean-sized object was actually a subspace storage device, connected to a storage space of nearly two cubic meters! Just what is the deal with this “Culinary System”!? Such advanced technology simply doesn’t belong on this planet! But regardless of its origins, Zuo Chen felt nothing but joy at that moment. From now on, he could carry two cubic meters of supplies at will—without feeling a single ounce of weight! Given his current appetite, this was incredibly useful. He’d been worried about not being able to carry large amounts of food while on the move—this was truly a godsend. The device was controlled entirely by his brainwaves. Zuo Chen tried stowing some of the furniture in the room and then retrieving it, and he immediately got the hang of it. After doing all that, Zuo Chen opened the door and returned to the dining table, his heart brimming with joy. He smiled at Erzi—now, that kid’s head full of yellow Mohawk-style hair seemed to grow on him the more he looked at it. Erzi was wondering why His Majesty the Beast King had suddenly run off when he saw the Orange Cat had returned to the dining table, looking at him with a friendly smile—a smile that seemed to hold a deeper meaning, sending a chill down his spine. “Hurry up and eat. Once you’re done, it’s time to hit the road,” the Orange Cat said, narrowing its eyes and flashing an eerie grin. Set off!? Erzi felt as if his heart was about to explode. Could this be a “last meal” meant to kill him? No wonder His Majesty the Beast King had been so kind… If earlier he’d been afraid of dying but could still accept it, then after eating this bowl of Lao Gan Ma ham and egg fried rice, his mindset had completely changed. He didn’t want to die! Having tasted something this delicious, he absolutely did not want to die! “Thud!” Erzi dropped to his knees before Zuo Chen, snatched the explosive collar, and slipped it around his own neck. Then, cupping the remote control in both hands, he held it out to Zuo Chen: “Great King, if you want to kill me, just press the button. I beg you to spare my life—I’ll be your slave for the rest of my days…” Zuo Chen couldn’t help but wag his tail. What was up with this kid? Why was he so convinced that Zuo Chen was going to kill him… “Stop blabbering. Finish your meal and get to work.” Glancing at the guy with the yellow Mohawk, Zuo Chen leaned over the pot and began shoveling rice into his mouth, meowing as he ate. This fried rice really was delicious—no wonder it was rated as an “Eighth-Level Pleasure.” “You weren’t going to kill me? Does ‘hit the road’ mean you’re really going out to work?” Erzi, relieved it was a false alarm, quickly placed the remote control in front of Zuo Chen, sat back down at the table, and began eating heartily. Between the sky and the ground, he’d nearly scared himself to death—thankfully, the delicious Lao Gan Ma ham and egg fried rice was there to soothe his frightened soul. He finished the bowl of rice in no time. Although Erzi was already full, he still licked the bowl clean, savoring every last bit of oil. Zuo Chen had eaten more than half of his pot of rice and was now taking small bites of the remainder. Without looking up, he said, “Meow, meow… Tell me, what’s a Beast King? And what’s the situation out there?” “His Majesty the Beast King wants to understand this world through me!” Upon hearing this, Erzi immediately realized he truly wouldn’t be killed. He sat up straight and began telling Zuo Chen everything he knew about the current state of the world. The biohazard crisis had been raging for several years. Although humans had previously imagined such a scenario in numerous works of art, the sheer brutality of the situation still exceeded everyone’s expectations. People referred to the zombie virus by the same name used in earlier movies: the T-virus. More than ninety percent of the human population had been infected with the T-virus, and this virus could infect not only humans but also animals. Infected humans became zombies, while infected animals became zombie beasts! Compared to the clumsiness of zombies, animals—which were already extremely agile—possess far greater combat prowess than ordinary zombies after becoming zombie beasts. Furthermore, different individuals react differently to the T-virus. Just as there are mutant zombies among humans, many beast-zombies have also mutated. The most powerful among them have evolved intelligence superior to that of humans, and each possesses the power to bring about apocalyptic destruction—they are known as Beast Kings! Rumor has it that one particularly powerful Beast King once single-handedly destroyed a city held by human troops! “Whoa, that’s so awesome…” Zuo Chen swallowed a mouthful of fried rice, thinking to himself, “No wonder that guy was scared out of his wits. These days, the only animals that can talk are probably Beast Kings.” He then asked, “If the Beast King is so awesome, what about the human zombies?” Erzi immediately continued the story. Although the Beast King was extremely formidable, the zombies were equally powerful. Every mutated zombie was a powerful individual in its own right, and among them, the most powerful mutated zombies—who towered above all others—were known as the Abyss Ones! True to their name, the power of every Abyssal is as unfathomable as the abyss itself! Many former human cities have already been overrun by the Abyss Ones. It is said that these Abyss Ones have been secretly carrying out some kind of activity within their territories, yet no one knows exactly what they’re up to. Fortunately, in addition to animals and zombies being able to mutate and evolve, some humans who are immune to the zombie virus have also undergone mutations and evolved, becoming exceptionally powerful. Each is capable of withstanding attacks from hot weapons, and the strongest are said to be able to stand up to the Abyss Ones. Today’s humans have all retreated into major cities, building a series of fortress belts composed of major cities and satellite towns. At the same time, they rely on a railway network, using heavily armored trains to connect the various fortress belts. “Wait, Fei… why does that sound so familiar?” Zuo Chen finished his last bite of rice, grabbed a napkin to wipe his pink, cat-like mouth, and said, “Isn’t that… Armored City?” “Your Majesty, have you actually seen *Koutetsujou*?” Erzi’s eyes lit up. “Not bad, not bad. This approach is a bit like the one in that anime, but it’s much more complicated in reality—after all, there are so many powerful mutated zombies and zombie beasts. I’ve heard that almost every heavy armored train is a mobile firepower fortress, packed with heavy weapons. But I only heard about all this on the radio; I haven’t actually seen any myself…” Zuo Chen nodded. For the first year or so after the apocalypse, he’d spent his time hiding and fleeing; afterward, after being captured, he’d been locked up in a cell at the biological research institute every day, completely unaware of what was happening outside. He never would have imagined that in just three years, the world had transformed into something completely different. Wiping his mouth, the Orange Cat stood up on the dining table, stretched, and began putting the large gold chain and small watch he’d just taken off back on, leaving Erzi staring in astonishment. After finishing, he said to Erzi, “From now on, you’ll be my mount.” With a single leap, he landed on Erzi’s head and crouched there silently. Patting the yellow Mohawk-haired boy beneath him with a paw, he said, “Little Fuzzy, let’s go.”