Zhao Yao finally received his well-earned break after this entire escapade. For the past two weeks, he had spent all his time completing missions and training to get stronger. The physical exhaustion is simply unimaginable, evident from his humongous eyebags.
Actually, Zhao Yao wasn't that eager to put Fortune Cat's ability to the test. Instead, this brief respite would serve as a perfect opportunity for Fortune Cat to get used to the environment inside the belly.
Hence, Zhao Yao resumed his comfortable and peaceful life where he would spend the bulk of his time in the café before returning home to his cats and games. Despite staying clear from the world of apostles and supercats, the headless horseman's name continued to spread far and wide.
As usual, both Matcha and Zhao Yao were nestled in the massage chair and couch respectively with their eyes glued to their favorite phone game.
Suddenly, Hanako left the bathroom with a white towel draped precariously over her body. Other than the few vital spots, the rest of her body were all exposed as her silky white skin glistened in the air. She had grown extremely generous in her choice of clothes since witnessing Bai Quan's weird outburst.
Zhao Yao's lips curled in disgust when he noticed Hanako slamming her legs against the table at the corner of his eyes. He could not help but remark, "Please, can you at least try to behave like a girl instead of some hooligan?"
"Erm. Is there anything wrong with my behavior?" In her mind, she had nothing to lose even if she dressed provocatively around people like Zhao Yao and Baiquan.
Zhao Yao continued lamenting, "Can you at least put on your undergarment before sitting here?"
"Who even wears their undergarment when they're at home?" Hanako questioned, "Zhao Yao, you have no idea how unhealthy it is to wear the bra all day long! Furthermore, it's so uncomfortable with the wire pressing against my boobs! Also, your aircon sucks! I prefer wearing as few clothes as possible."
Zhao Yao was left speechless by her brazen words and simply shook his head helplessly. When he first met her, Hanako was the quintessential Japanese lady who was quiet and polite. Now, she was the polar opposite! She had begun to reveal her disgusting and obnoxious nature. All she knew was to put up a pretense outside before exposing her true self at home.
"Yay!" Hanako slammed open the fridge before grabbing four cans of beer into her arms. She collapsed onto the couch after taking one big gulp worth of beer and announced, "Comfort is drinking a can of ice-cold beer after a long, hard day at work!"
Meanwhile, Elizabeth was standing on the windowsill as her furry tail swung from side to side. Her eyes were fixed on the phone screen as she continued to post photos on Weibo.
"Since awakening, I have learned that money is the most important tool in a person's life. Nothing can stop you if you have money."
"Based on my astute observations over the past six months, I have concluded that the fastest way for a cat to earn money is to become a celebrity. The most famous cat online could bring in hundreds or even millions of dollars a year." A sneaky smile crept up her face as she began stalking the celebrity cats' profiles.
"It is finally my time. It is Elizabeth's time." She had painstakingly sieved through her deluge of photos for this particular one. The photo also included Catherina, Diana, and even Caesar.
A glimmer flashed across her eyes when she noticed an adorable photo of her rolling on the floor in her camera roll. She immediately posted that photo to create her perfectly curated profile for instant stardom.
"Hmph, with my intellect and face, it's only a matter of time before I become the next Emma Watson. With all the commercials and sponsorships waiting for me, I need to devote some time to count all these money."
With that narcissistic thought lingering in her head, she began browsing through Weibo for sensationalized news, "Come to think of it, I'm already half a celebrity. I should spend some time learning more about current affairs and interesting news."
Her smile gradually faded and was replaced by a frown as she began to skim through the contents on Weibo. She could hardly believe what she had read.
"A smart cat has successfully managed to complete elementary school math questions …"
"This adorable cat helps her owner clean the apartment, wash clothes and even offer a free massage service …"
"One special cat in a district has reinstated order in the park by forcing all stray cats to line up wherever they go."
"What's wrong with this world?" Elizabeth roared as her cheeks turned crimson, "I am positive no such thing appeared on the news one week ago! Why are there suddenly so many supercats appearing on the news?"
This was actually the work of the government. Prior to the cat king competition, the government officials would take down such information the moment they were posted online. This explained the paucity of cat-related posts on social media.
Maybe, some astute internet users might have realized that something was amiss. However, the majority of the population would have been kept in the dark, completely oblivious to the existence of suprecats.
However, with news of the cat king competition spreading like wildfire, it was virtually impossible to put a stop to the dissemination of such information. Hence, more and more photos or videos began to leak through the gaps.
Most people simply treated this information like tabloids or BuzzFeed news. On the other hand, it provided an ideal platform for supercats to integrate into the human society.
"D*mn it, why are there so many supercats on Weibo? Doesn't that just cut my advantage by half?"
Rice Cake's sudden scream broke Elizabeth's train of thought while she was lamenting her gloomy future, "Zhao Yao! Why did my screen turn black again?"
"Just restart the computer!"
"It doesn't work!"
"Tsk." Zhao Yao slid Rice Cake a condescending glare before walking over to help her.
Zhao Yao's phone started buzzing the moment he went over to Rice Cake. Matcha's ears gave a slight shudder as he struggled to open his eyes before screaming, "Zhao Yao, it's your phone!"
"Can you help me take a look at the message?"
Matcha struggled to crawl towards the phone before prying his eyes open to read the message from Xiao Ming.
"I still have RMB 20,000,000 frozen inside my bank account. I'm currently trapped in Chuan Xiao District of Zha Pian Province. Quickly, come save me! I will return you RMB 10,000,000 the moment I'm free! Urgent!"
Matcha's forehead creased together as his eyes drifted across the screen. He then cocked his head in Zhao Yao's direction and shouted, "It's a message from a scammer!"
"Just ignore it then!"
Matcha thought long and hard before crafting his perfect reply, "The number which you are contacting has been deactivated due to the lack of funds." Xiao Ming instantly replied, "D*mn it! I have no time to joke with you! I'm really trapped! Come now!"
"Hmph, do you take me for a fool?" Matcha began brainstorming for the perfect words before crafting his next message, "The number could be activated with an RMB 100 deposit. Kindly send the money to this account."
Xiao Ming, who was miles away, screamed every single profanity he knew before giving in to Matcha's request and transferred the money to this account, "Happy?"
Matcha looked at the money in his account and grinned from ear to ear before transferring it to his WeChat account, "There are so many fools nowadays." When Matcha was about to continue his scam, he noticed a giant shadow looming over his body.
"What are you doing?'
Matcha slowly cocked his head back before collapsing to the ground with the phone buried under his butt, "Meow! I'm just helping you scam the scammer!"
Zhao Yao's brows knitted together as he bent forward to grab his phone from beneath his butt. Zhao Yao glanced through the conversation before instructing Matcha, "Transfer the money back to me."
"Scumbag," Matcha muttered as despair dragged his body down into the bed.
At the same time, Zhao Yao was alerted to the new changes made to his mission panel. He froze in his tracks as excitement shot out from his eyes when he saw the reward awaiting him.
Mission: Save Xiao Ming!
Objective: Rescue Xiao Ming back to Jiangmen City!
Reward: 1000 experience points
Punishment: Nil
Xiao Ming could finally breathe a sigh of relief when he saw the reply, "Finally, he agreed." Xiao Ming looked nothing like before. He was stripped of his luxurious watches, premium rings, and the other accessories. His cheeks were completely sunken and he looked like he had not eaten for days or even weeks.
A pair of teenager and elderly man stood by his side. Their suits were all crumpled up and it was a poor fit for the both of them.
The older man nodded his head before commenting, "Alright, we shall just wait for your friend. Xiao Ming, you will be in charge of welcoming him. A promotion awaits you at the end of this mission."
A glimmer flashed across his eyes as Xiao Ming nodded his head.
The teenager took a step towards the elderly man and asked, "Meng Ye, isn't that guy an apostle? Is this even safe?"
The old man sniggered, "What are you scared of? We have Old Cat on our side. Even a dragon would have to bow down to us."
The teenager cocked his head towards Xiao Ming before slamming a punch into his face, "Why are you laughing? I told you to do as I instruct you to. Do not laugh without my permission!"
Xiao Ming collapsed to his knees and exclaimed, "Yes! Yes! Yes! Bro, you are right!"