Zhao Yao scurried back to his bedroom and sat cross-legged on his bed. He began contemplating his important decision.
Zhao Yao had already given his upgrade strategy much consideration over the past month.
As compared to upgrading Matcha, Elizabeth, Dust Ball or even Ares, Zhao Yao was more inclined towards upgrading his BOOK.
Zhao Yao had no idea what new power awaited him when the ability branch appeared. On the other hand, Zhao Yao knew exactly what he would receive when he signed a new supercat to his BOOK.
After a slight deliberation, Zhao Yao finally set his mind on upgrading his BOOK.
Once again, he felt overwhelmed by an invisible yet potent force swarming from his head all the way to his feet. Every single bone and shreds of muscle in his body seemed to have melted away from this mighty force.
A numbing sensation engulfed his body. This unique sensation was a mix of fiery pain coupled with an intense soreness. He could literally feel every strand of nerve being crushed by this force.
He collapsed on to his bed with his body drenched in sweat. It took him a total of five minutes before he managed to get back on his feet.
The current Zhao Yao had awakened his power of 'Four is better than three', officially incorporating Ares's intrinsic power.
His chest rose and sank as he took in a deep breath. The first obvious difference which he detected was his perception power.
By just skimping across the room, he could see the dust settling into the corner of the room against the dim lighting.
With a slight quiver of his ears, he had already detected every single living organism within his apartment.
He took in a few sniffs and was inundated by a smell comprising of human, cat and even the stench from the trash.
Suddenly, Zhao Yao threw his mattress to the ground and saw a bag of catmint hidden beneath it. A smile crept up his face instantly.
"Haha, is this where Dust Ball had chosen to hide all her stash? Is she under the impression that the most dangerous place is also the safest one?"
Currently, Zhao Yao's five senses and observation skills had reached a level that ordinary humans could only dream of. Even when he shut his eyes, his sense of his surroundings was just as strong as when his eyes were open.
Somehow, he also experienced an incredible improvement in his clarity of mind. There seemed to be a stronger connection between what his body and mind perceived.
"Is this the power of a cat's instinct?" Zhao Yao shook his arms with a smile plastered on his face. He felt as if he had just released a heavy load from his body and every movement he made felt so light and comfortable.
"The power of four cats combined together is truly amazing." Zhao Yao spared minimal effort and managed to execute a backflip flawlessly. He bent his body forward with his palms pressing against the ground. Instantly, he managed to walk around the apartment using his hands. His agility was as good as any human walking on their two feet.
He could acutely detect the change in his body, be it his strength, speed, and explosiveness. His body was almost comparable to any elite athletes. As for his nimbleness and reaction, he had already exceeded what humans thought was possible.
"Haha, if I actually took part in the Olympics right now, I'm confident of bringing home a few gold medals in athletics, swimming or even gymnastics."
After upgrading his BOOK, Zhao Yao just had to recruit a supercat into his BOOK in order to complete the main mission.
However, Zhao Yao was rather hesitant when it was time for him to make the decision.
Sphinx Cat's power would be able to improve Zhao Yao's body conditioning holistically. Because of the passive nature of his power, Zhao Yao could still receive the benefits of it even when he was using some other cat's power.
With this power, it was as good as having a permanent power in his hands. This meant that he could wield two powers simultaneously.
However, despite the obvious strengths which Sphynx Cat's power provided, there was a major drawback in this choice. Sphynx Cat's hostility towards Zhao Yao could not be described with words. Even if he successfully managed to recruit him, the meager loyalty points would hinder the use of his power.
That was as good as wasting this opportunity on a cat.
This brought Zhao Yao to his second option. That was to recruit Lucifer, the cat that promised the power of super-regeneration, into his team.
Zhao Yao had long craved for this kind of godly power which could potentially save his life.
Zhao Yao vividly remembered how Hao Cang managed to stay alive after detonating himself with a grenade using this power. With this power, Zhao Yao was as good as being an immortal. He would most probably be alive unless he was buried 50 meters into the seabed.
Even though Time Distortion allowed Zhao Yao to literally have a second life, this power could only be used once a day.
If he suffered heavy injuries, such as a fractured or even broken limbs, in a battle, Zhao Yao would have no idea whether to use the ability or not.
This kind of situation would be the best time for super-regeneration to show its power. It would effectively make Zhao Yao immune to all such injuries.
"This means I will have super regeneration coupled with Time Distortion. Furthermore, I can even absorb myself into Dust Ball's stomach or use Ares's deflective field as a shield!" Just the thought of it sent Zhao Yao's heart racing with excitement. With this power, Zhao Yao chances of survival had increased by a few folds.
Furthermore, Lucifer's power could be further enhanced by the BOOK's ability. Currently, Lucifer's power on its own was deadly enough. Zhao Yao dared not imagine how strong it could possibly get.
Suddenly, his eyes sparkled with excitement as a thought crossed his head, "Hmph, even though I might not be able to use his power for myself. I can get Sphynx Cat to lend his powers to Baiquan."
Zhao Yao had realized that he was unable to borrow a superpower from a supercat like any other apostles when he first met Roly Poly. It might be because of his BOOK or simply because he wasn't an apostle.
Even though he wasn't an apostle, his number one subordinate certainly was.
"Haha, as long as I get Baiquan to train using Sphynx Cat's power every day, he would surpass Sphynx Cat's strength in a few months' time! Combined with Roly Poly's power of invisibility and the body Sphynx Cat's power had endowed him with, he would be an invincible opponent. He would be as strong as Sasuke."
Zhao Yao could not contain his excitement at the thought of it as he began jumping up and down.
For the past month, Zhao Yao had lent the power of invisibility to Baiquan on a daily basis. Even though the power alone brought along an element of surprise which came in rather handy in a battle, it was actually rather useless the moment it was exposed by the enemy.
Hence, Zhao Yao only lent it to Baiquan for familiarization sake. He had no intentions to send him into the battlefield.
However, it would be a totally different story if Baiquan had Sphynx Cat's body combined with Roly Poly's power. Zhao Yao can't even begin to imagine how strong he could possibly become.
"Haha, not only Baiquan, I can also pull Zhao Xue into it as well. I will simply send the two of them when confronted by any enemies. Meanwhile, I can simply hide in a corner."
Zhao Yao could not help but mourn for his future enemies. They had to go against a pair who could destroy a series of concrete walls with a single punch and could walk around without a single person noticing them.
Zhao Yao continued his marvelous daydream, "Hmph, even if they got injured during the course of action, I can simply eject Lucifer from my belly to treat them using his powers. Actually, I can just let them enter my belly if they are willing to. Lucifer can then start his treatment in this perfectly safe environment.
Or maybe they can simply combine the power of their physically enhanced body with super-regeneration. That's an awesome combo as well!"
"However, I'll have to keep track of Lucifer's loyalty the moment I recruit him under my BOOK. When his loyalty hits 100, he won't be able to lend his power out as well."
However, that was just a small matter in Zhao Yao's eyes. He had a few tricks up his sleeve which could instantly drop their loyalty points.
"Hmph, no matter which supercat I recruit, I can still get Sphynx Cat to lend his power to Zhao Xue and Baiquan. However, I must discuss with Sphynx Cat regarding the ideal candidate for my BOOK."
"Hmph, I guess I'll just lend the power out to Baiquan first. I shall test his attitude towards it."
Zhao Yao instantly translated his thoughts into action and left his house.