Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

  It stood on the roof of the three-story building, observing the racers who only knew how to brag. It felt extremely disappointed in them. They had actually been scared away by a bunch of strays just like that? They didn’t even talk about how silly they looked as they merely flipped their hoods open, cursing and screaming at the gift of cat pee that they had received.

  Useless!

  It didn’t bother with those useless things anymore. Stiffly raising its head, it judged the time by looking at the moon’s position.

  The nights were becoming shorter and shorter. It got dark later than before, and became bright earlier than usual. The night had almost half passed, and yet it still had gotten nothing.

  This situation had happened often recently. Sometimes it could roam for the entire night, unable to find a suitable target. Even if it did, its plans were ruined by a bunch of strays that had come out of nowhere, just like today.

  Something didn’t seem quite right.

  It tried its best to recall how smoothly everything had been at the beginning. It had stalked Binhai City at night as though there was no one there to stop it. It could easily find weak-willed targets and successfully influence their thoughts, using their hands to torture and kill strays. It would sit nearby enjoying the show, basking in the feeling of its strength improving.

  Just a little bit more time……

  It raised a front paw, keenly observing it.

  Its body was still a little heavy and stiff, far from an actual cat’s—flexible and agile. It would still make a sharp sound if you knocked on its skin, making it clumsy in its every action.

  Just a little bit more time and it could be completely renewed, changing the heavy skin for a better one. Then it wouldn’t have to make use of other people and could instead do the dirty work itself. Even though it didn’t really need the help of humans, it could kill the old, young, and injured successfully. But if the other was an adult healthy cat, it could barely catch up, unless it was an ambush.

  But its previously successful plans had been taking a nosedive recently. It didn’t know what had gone wrong, but the cats seemed to have achieved some sort of cooperation. The moment they heard the cry of help from one of their mates, they no longer ignored it or walked away as they had used to. Instead they gathered there from all directions and used their utmost speed to bring aid to their comrade.

  It couldn’t think of anyone that would possibly give them such courage to do such a thing, even if it used all of its limited brain capacity.

  It observed the group of strays in the dark. They surrounded the queen and its kittens to keep guard, keeping their distance so they didn’t stress out the queen too much. Only one of the cats got close to the queen, seemingly trying to explain or advocate something to the queen with gestures.

  The queen was initially wary of the strays, but not too long later, she seemed to be taken in by the other stray’s words as its eyes shone with a different glint.

  It wanted to go closer to have a listen instead of hiding in the dark, wanting to know what these strays were preaching to her. Instinct told it that it would be closely related to the change in situations recently.

  But its gut was warning it not to go closer to listen, since it might just bring more harm to it than good.

  It was just words and gestures. How could those possibly harm it?

  It didn’t understand.

  After some time, as it was still debating whether it should go ahead to listen or not, more pitiful meows came from the distance.

  The meows were extremely heart-rending and sounded far away. If not for the silent night, they definitely wouldn’t have been audible. Humans wouldn’t be able to hear them at all—only animals with acute hearing would.

  It narrowed its eyes at the distance, the pitiful meowing akin to the most beautiful piece of music to it.

  What was happening?

  It was still here, so what was with the call from far away?

  It quickly understood that there was some human torturing strays of their own accord, without its influence and guidance, but through their own effort and want.

  Its lips twitched up in glee. It loved such initiating humans. They gave it so much more power than the puppets that it had to control.

  Those puppets often got cold feet at the most important time. What was the point of torture if you didn’t kill eventually? Such spoilsports.

  The strays on site had heard the calls too and panicked for a moment, but one of the cats called loudly, getting them to quiet down. It was the cat that had been communicating with the queen earlier.

  The cat quickly split the strays on site into two, one group to stay behind to protect the queen and its kittens, and the other to rush toward the calls. They clearly intended to go there to save the tortured cat.

  Interesting!

  It became excited, euphoria bubbling up in its heart.

  These cats didn’t have to split themselves into two—it had already lost interest in the queen. There was clearly a better target waiting for it.

  So it tailed after the strays, running toward the calls.

  Slower!

  It called in its heart: Just a little slower!

  It wasn’t to get the strays before it to run slower, but calling at the brave warrior torturing the cat. The essence of torture was “slowness” to let the strays taste the suffering to the maximum before dying, just like Ancient China’s “Death by a Thousand Cuts,” or Ancient Egypt’s mummification of live cats. There was no point in killing them directly.

  It wished for the brave warrior to be a little slower, or at least leave the best part till its arrival so it could graciously give pointers to the brave warrior and gain more strength, too.

  Since it had not gotten new energy for the past few days, it could feel its powers gradually slipping away. If it continued on this way, it would sooner or later end up back as a copper statue, so it viewed this mission with utmost regard, hoping to turn the tides.

  It had even decided that if the brave warrior who hadn’t shown their face yet had exceptional performance and could impress it, it was willing to groom it long-term so it could help start a more effective torture movement—going on at least until it had completely evolved. It had had enough of this life, not knowing when its next full meal would be!

  As to how it would take care of them after its goals were met……

  One thing was for certain—it was a god, and a god only needed offerings. It didn’t need owners!

  It excitedly made its plans, running toward the east with the bunch of strays.

  The cries got closer and closer, clearer and clearer, and it was getting more and more exciting too.

  Hm?

  This……

  Where was this place?

  Why was it so familiar?

  It stopped, observing its surrounding buildings, lost, its memories from not too long ago resurfacing.

  The Amazing Fate Pet Shop’s sign was tall and unyielding, stopping it right in its tracks.