Chapter 8

In the distance, cats, in an almost solemn tacit understanding, worked together to dispose of their companion's cold corpse. The air was filled with a faint smell of blood and dust.

The black cat that had been pushing people off the wall was following closely at Ji Dongzang's feet. From time to time, it would raise its head and make a few meaningless "meows" at her, as if to confirm her presence.

After the winter has ended, a sudden living person was strolling leisurely among the animals that had just experienced a fight.

At first, her heart was filled with alarm, constantly on guard against a possible siege. However, as she walked along, she found that those eyes, some tired and some wary, focused on her were mostly out of pure curiosity, not much malice.

Her heart gradually settled down, and she simply continued to patrol this ruined territory.

That black cat that always followed her...could it be sent by the "organization" here to "protect" her? She wondered to herself.

The entire yard was almost shrouded in death. After Dong Zang's rough estimate, at least two-thirds of the animals had fallen.

She took the outgoing black cat "Inspector" and went to several corners where sporadic fights were still happening, and forcibly "maintained" order.

To put it bluntly, it's taking sides - it all depends on which side the black cat likes, and it will pounce on the other side with its teeth bared and a low growl to intimidate the other side.

It doesn’t matter if we continue to hide in winter, just let it go.

Finally, the noise died down and the courtyard returned to peace.

Because of this, the deliberately suppressed discussions outside the courtyard wall became particularly clear at this moment:

"Why is there no movement inside?"

"She won't kill all the animals that are calling out, will she?!"

"Maybe she is dead and the animals are eating her body!" someone speculated maliciously.

"There... is someone!" An Yu's voice suddenly rose, full of disbelief.

Jiang Zhijian immediately looked up in the direction of An Yu's finger.

Suddenly, a human head appeared from the top of the wall. It was the target they had been following all the way here.

Jiang Zhijian spoke first: "Hello, my name is Jiang Zhijian. We've met downstairs at Lake International."

The moment she finished speaking.

"Meow~"

A clear, lazy, and even slightly coquettish cat meow sounded from the wall without warning.

The three people under the wall seemed to have paused, their pupils trembling as they stared at Ji Dongzang.

Then his gaze instantly shifted from Ji Dongzang's face to the wall beside her, stiffly and incredulously.

A giant cat, with fur as black as ink, crouched steadily beside Ji Dongzang. Facing the three dull gazes, it added slowly and clearly, as if to prove that the sound just now was not an illusion:

"Meow!"

Ji Dongzang pushed himself up with one hand and swiftly climbed up the wall. He sat firmly on the top of the wall and looked down at the three people condescendingly: "Are you following me?"

"Um... I guess so," Jiang Zhijian said stiffly, feeling that this excuse was far-fetched. "We really had nowhere else to go, so we were driving around on the road and happened to see you resting on the side of the road, so we... just followed you all the way." As she spoke, she subconsciously glanced at the white mirror next to her.

Their car, loaded with supplies, was parked at a fork in the road, and they were debating whether to risk going into the mountains for refuge.

Just then, Bai Jing spotted Ji Dongzang, who had stopped to rest not far away. Jiang Zhijian recognized her immediately, remembering the unique left earring and the indescribable aloofness she possessed.

Bai Jing suddenly had an idea, or rather, a bad idea, and the two confused people followed Ji Dongzang's car. On the way, they also "picked up" An Yu who was being chased by the "savages" in the mountains.

After hearing this bizarre explanation, Ji Dongzang's expression remained unchanged. He simply raised his hand and patted the head of the black cat, which crouched quietly beside him like a huge shadow. "Okay," she said flatly, as if discussing the weather. "You can stay. Housing provided, but no food. No salary, no social insurances, no housing fund, no labor protection, no legal constraints, nothing... in short, nothing."

She paused, a cold, almost heartless smile playing across her lips. "Of course, the job is simple: take care of the animals, clean the yard, break up fights, etc. The probation period begins now."

So, Jiang Zhijian, Bai Jing and An Yu, as "probationary workers", began to work hard in this yard full of corpses and ruins - cleaning up the battlefield.

What is even more bizarre is that each person is followed closely by a sturdy animal. This is not only the bodyguard arranged by the "step-boss", but also undoubtedly a diligent and responsible supervisor.

At this time, the hands-off boss "Ji Lao Boss" was comfortably nestling in his van, enjoying the steaming self-heating hot pot.

As she sipped her wide noodles, she casually pondered: These animals are incredibly smart. Could they be further exploited as "free labor"? Like... cooking and washing for her? Free labor.

After a hearty meal, the boss got out of the car leisurely and symbolically encouraged the three "employees" who were working hard with animal feces.

Afterwards, she took the black cat, which served as her exclusive "car" and bodyguard, and leisurely wandered into the depths of the forest.

On the way, the black cat lowered its body and motioned for her to ride it.

Ji Dongzang was not polite and sat on the broad and warm back of this "employee" with peace of mind.

The mountain breeze blew across her cheeks. She looked at the black cat walking steadily beneath her, then turned her head to look at the chaotic courtyard that was gradually moving away. A thought quietly emerged: since they have wisdom and no longer actively attack humans, perhaps... releasing them into the mountains is their final destination?

After wandering for a while, the man and the cat took a rest under the shade of a tree, enjoying the brief coolness.

In the distance, a red-tailed fox appeared quietly.

It was a fox that had undergone a strange transformation. It was hiding nearby, peering around, its eyes gleaming with a reserved yet eager glint.

Almost at the same time, the black cat that was lying down also discovered the uninvited guest.

It looked up at the fox, glanced at Ji Dongzang, then stood up and rushed into the woods like a black lightning, disappearing without a trace.

Ji Dongzang: "..."

After spending so much time with animals, it seemed as if human language had completely disappeared from her mouth. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Noticing that the fox didn't seem to have any intention of attacking, she stood up. However, the moment she and the fox confronted each other, the fox suddenly turned around and quickly fled.

Wealth and honor are determined by fate, life and death are determined by heaven. Ji Dongzang simply sat back where he was and waited for the black cat to return.

She fell into a deep sleep in the tranquility of the mountains. When she awoke from her nap, she saw the transformed fox had returned, crouching quietly beside her—so close she could touch it just by turning over. It was indeed an animal, devoid of the human sense of boundaries.

Beside the fox's paws lay a few ordinary mice, frightened to death. But what caught Ji Dongzang's attention even more were the fox's transformed paws: broad, thick, dusty, and with grimy nails. Their shape... unexpectedly resembled a human hand, only with a wider palm and shorter, thicker fingers.

When the fox saw her wake up, he immediately sat up straight, picked up the two mice with his strange claws, and handed them to her attentively.

Ji Dongzang looked at the fox, then looked down at his own sitting posture, and a thought suddenly arose in his mind: This fox is probably imitating himself?

This thought instantly reminded her of the legends of brown bears in the mountains that mimicked people's waving and lured passersby. A chill quietly crept up her spine.

At this time.

There was a sound next to my ears, the sound of claws stepping on fallen leaves.

The black cat that had left had returned. The blood of the Tibetan Mastiff that had stained it not long ago had not yet dried, and now it had new wounds. The mottled blood mixed with dust made its originally shiny fur look gray and dirty.

It held a massive mutant rat in its mouth, its tail dragging on the ground, whipping back and forth like a whip as the black cat walked. The rat was now nearly as large as the black cat holding it.

The black cat walked straight past Ji Dongzang, came to the fox without looking around, and dropped the big rat at the fox's feet with a "click".

Then, it affectionately rubbed its head, which was covered in blood and mud, against the fox's relatively clean fur, leaving several dirty marks on the fox's body.

After doing all this, it raised its chin towards Ji Dongzang proudly, as if showing off its trophy and "new friend".

The cat and the fox stood close together for a while, their postures intimate, as if they had established some kind of strange friendship.

This scene reminded Ji Dongzang of a popular science post he'd read: Foxes, like dogs, have a strong desire for social interaction beyond their basic survival needs. In remote rural areas of Northeast China, it's common for domestic cats to wander outside, only to return home trailed by a fox. The fox could easily have eaten the cat, but it chose its friend.

…

At this moment, a cat and a fox began to share the giant mutant rat right under Ji Dongzang's nose.

While eating, the fox grabbed an ordinary dead mouse and threw it at Ji Dongzang.

Ji Dongzang picked up the dead mouse expressionlessly and threw it back at the black cat's head accurately, but his eyes were always fixed on the claws of the two animals.

The black cat's transformation seems to be limited to the increase in size, and there is nothing more strange about its appearance.

But the fox was different - its claws were as broad and thick as palms, with distinct knuckles, and the mutation was making it develop closer to an "orc", or in other words, closer to Fury.

If all living beings were experiencing changes of varying degrees like this... perhaps the end of the world wouldn't come...

However, if the evolution of animals into human form is inevitable, what does the speed of change mean? What differences will it bring?

No one knows the answer, but Ji Dongzang is full of curiosity about their changes.

To be honest, if she were to transform into a beast, she hoped she could become a dragon.

A one-of-a-kind true dragon that transcends the long river of time.

In his ears, he could hear the sticky sounds of animals chewing flesh and bones. Ji Dongzang listened quietly, his thoughts drifting away.