Apocalyptic Crazy Kitty

Chapter 47: Worse Than Dogs and Cats

The playground of the Weicheng Middle School ruins had now turned into a massive crater, with gullies and fissures radiating outward in all directions. Clearly, this place had also been struck by a meteorite. However, the massive crater was now crisscrossed with thick, blood vessel-like structures, and the surrounding area was swarming with zombies connected by blood-red threads. The energy detector continued to vibrate unceasingly, and the vibrations grew even more violent, nearly causing it to fly off and fall to the ground. Zuo Chen swished his tail, bringing the detector up to his eyes. At the center of the meteor crater ahead, a green light was flashing continuously. “Cat Brother, why won’t this thing stop vibrating? It kind of looks like my dad’s girlfriend’s toy,” Zhao Ritian poked his dog-like head out and asked curiously. The Orange Cat’s face immediately darkened: What on earth is your dad’s girlfriend’s toy? Have you seen something you shouldn’t have, you little rascal…? Weren’t you deep in thought and looking so down just a moment ago? It’s only been a few minutes—have you already forgotten all about it!? “It’s an energy detector. I came here specifically to find that green light.” Although he was at a loss for words, Zuo Chen still explained it—otherwise, Zhao Ritian would definitely keep asking questions nonstop. The cat and the dog had now arrived at the Weicheng Middle School playground, which was right on the edge of the meteor crater. Although there were still quite a few red-line zombies standing here, they were much sparser than outside; it seemed the zombies, too, wanted to avoid this meteorite crater. The interior of the crater—which was several dozen meters in diameter—was completely empty, save for a dozen or so corpses and a dense web of blood-red threads. The green specks of light at the bottom of the crater stood out strikingly in the night. Zuo Chen put away his energy detector and, with Zhao Ritian on all fours, cautiously made their way toward the green specks. What could it be this time? If it’s a fragment of the Gourmet System, that would be great… Just as he was thinking this, they had already reached the bottom of the crater, where they saw a palm-sized metal cube lying there, emitting an eerie green glow. Its surface was incredibly smooth; though exposed to the elements, it remained as pristine as new, as if not even a speck of dust could settle on it. This is it! Zuo Chen’s eyes lit up; this intense sense of high technology was exactly the same as the feeling he’d gotten from the fragments of the Gourmet System. However, the Gourmet System showed no reaction, which left him somewhat disappointed; it seemed this object wasn’t a fragment of the Gourmet System after all. Whether it was or not, he’d take it with him first and worry about it later. Zuo Chen wrapped his two front paws around the metal cube, intending to hold it in his paws for a closer look. But the moment he gripped it tightly, he nearly strained his back. How could it be so heavy! Although he was small in stature, his strength had become immense after his mutation—yet the cube didn’t budge an inch, as if it were rooted to the ground! He took a deep breath, stood up on his hind legs again, and dug his tail firmly into the mud as if it were a third leg. Then, cupping the metal cube tightly with both paws, he strained with all his might once more. Lift! This time, Zuo Chen gave it everything he had, his fur standing on end from the sheer strain. Yet the metal cube merely wobbled slightly; he managed to lift it less than a centimeter before it fell back to the ground. Just how heavy is this thing?! “Meow!” The Orange Cat, furious, lashed out with its paws, slapping the cube three times in a row to vent its frustration. Zhao Ritian squeezed his way over and stared at the cube with curiosity: “Cat Bro, is this thing really that heavy? Let me try.” With that, he clenched his teeth as if suffering from constipation, then his limbs suddenly swelled several times in size, his teeth grew sharp and protruded, and he grabbed the metal cube with his front paws. “Grr… Woof!” With a low growl, Zhao Ritian actually lifted the cube nearly ten centimeters off the ground. He held it there for over ten seconds before suddenly letting go. “Thud!” The cube hit the ground, leaving a dent, as if nothing had happened. “This kid’s got some serious strength. A dumb dog really does have brute strength…” Zuo Chen looked at Zhao Ritian with some surprise. “Cat Brother, this thing is too heavy. I can’t lift it either…” Zhao Ritian scratched the back of his head and said sheepishly. Zuo Chen pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly bent down, pressed the bell around his neck against the cube, and opened the storage space. The heavy cube wobbled slightly, then was instantly sucked into the storage space! Zuo Chen wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his paw and let out a long sigh of relief. Thank goodness the storage space could absorb it—otherwise, it would’ve been such a shame not to be able to take this thing with him. But in the very next instant, a sense of extreme danger suddenly surged through his mind. The hairs all over his body stood on end instinctively, and Zuo Chen turned to shout at Zhao Ritian, “Get out of here immediately!” Zhao Ritian froze, about to ask a question, when he suddenly sensed something as well. He spun around and looked toward a corner of the meteor crater. There, eight pitch-black gun barrels suddenly materialized in midair. Flames flared up, and a storm of bullets rained down on them! The muffled thud of the bullets passing through the assault rifles’ silencers sounded like the chirping of a flock of birds, echoing from the bottom of the meteor crater! “Hit the ground, Meow!” Zuo Chen threw himself on top of Zhao Ritian, pinning him to the ground. “Thud, thud, thud…” The sound of bullets striking the dirt and fur rang out continuously; the Orange Cat looked like a tattered rag doll tossed to the ground, shaking violently with each hit. Ouch, meow! Although the periosteum inside his body blocked most of the bullets, the pain was still excruciating, and many had pierced through his fur, tearing away patches of flesh and blood. But Zuo Chen remained firmly pinned to the ground, shielding Zhao Ritian beneath him and doing his best to keep him out of the line of fire. From the looks of it, Zhao Ritian had only evolved in terms of strength and muscle mass; he lacked strong defensive capabilities. If hit directly, he would likely suffer serious injuries. The eight gunmen advanced while firing, surrounding the Orange Cat and the Teddy. The air was thick with the smell of scorched fur, and tufts of orange cat hair swirled through the air. “Deactivate optical camouflage,” a sinister voice came from behind one of the guns. A face suddenly appeared mid-air, followed by several others as their visors flipped up. Immediately afterward, eight figures clad in Shennu combat uniforms materialized on the spot, each with the number “87” emblazoned on their chests.