Zhao Yao muttered, "… don't worry, I'll get everything back for you."
This was not the answer Xiao Yu wanted as she refuted anxiously, "No way! You have to bring me along! I am a minor! I will make a difference during the crucial moments!"
As Xiao Yu's exasperated voice continued to echo in Zhao Yao's ears, a body of black gas had already agglomerated before his very eyes. Piece by piece, Xiao Yu had materialized before him.
Evidently, she had rushed over the moment she received this piece of traumatic news.
"This is not a plea, it is an instruction! Bring me along!" Rage poisoned her veins as she continued reasoning, "Do you know that no power is capable of capturing me if I choose to hide from them? I will catch that outrageous thief with my very own hands!"
Seeing his favorite exclamation mark floating above Xiao Yu's head, Zhao Yao grudgingly gave in to her, "Since you're so adamant to contribute to this effort, I shall just bring you along then."
Those words were music to Xiao Yu's ears as a wide grin stretched across her face, "So you're agreeing to bring me along?"
With his eyes staring intently at the exclamation mark, Zhao Yao nodded his head, "You want me to help you, don't you?"
"What are you trying to say?" Xiao Yu asked with her forehead furrowed together, "Why I do feel as if you are talking to someone else?"
Zhao Yao interrupted her, "Just stop your blabbering. The expert here is bringing you along to catch the cat thief. He is asking if you want to board the car."
"Yes, I want!"
Zhao Yao accepted the mission instantly. Consequently, the mission panel reflected the corresponding changes.
Mission: Help Xiao Yu find Fish Ball and Noodle
Objective: Assist an elementary school student in her search for her beloved pets and catch the thief responsible for it. Make him apologize to Xiao Yu specifically.
Reward: 1000 experience points
Punishment: Nil
Zhao Yao nodded his head with a contented glee shining on his face, "One mission, two rewards. I guess this isn't that bad after all."
By stretching his mouth wide open, Matcha immediately leaped into it and entered the extradimensional belly. With that, Zhao Yao also stepped into the invisible extradimensional gates as his body whizzed forward.
"Follow me."
Xiao Yu morphed into her invisible spirit form and followed closely behind his nephew. She asked, "Where are we going?"
A calm voice rang in her ears, "Don't worry. Just follow me. The professional will lead the way. Your only responsibility is to clap for me when it's all done."
…
Meanwhile, Cheese and the three levitating rocks had traversed across the vast sky and noticed the giant body of fog looming towards him.
However, he was no stranger to this. In fact, he was extremely familiar with it. With no hesitation at all, he plunged headfirst into this mysterious object.
However, a magical thing occurred the moment he dove in. The body of fog directly ahead of him began to spiral to the side as a narrow passage emerged. It seemed as if it was guiding Cheese forward.
Moments later, Cheese descended on a beautiful island along with the rocks.
A tiny shadow was seen sprinting across the sandy beaches from afar. It was actually a Dragon Li which welcomed Cheese with a wide grin, "My brother, you have finally returned? Have you managed to find your sister?"
"Kimchi brother, I have found my sister!" Both cats jumped forward and embraced each other in a warm hug, "Other than my sister, I also brought along two new brothers. However, they still do not understand …"
Kimchi cut him off with a thunderous bellow as he reasoned, "I understand. After all, weren't we all like them when we first arrived on the island? It's only a matter of time before they come to their senses. Then, they'll thank us for everything."
The two cats sauntered along the beach with three rocks levitating behind them. These three rocks were none other than the restrained Fish Ball, Noodle, and Rice Cake.
A few minutes later, the duo once again bypassed another layer of thick fog before arriving at a beautiful creek. This place was astounding. It was blessed with perpetual spring, rewarding the inhabitants with weather that most could only dream of.
Supercats could be seen all over the place. Some of them were running around while others lazed beneath the canopy of the Eucalyptus trees. Others were chasing butterflies as their agile bodies pranced across the landscaped vistas.
In the far corner stood rows and rows of tiny cottages lined neatly against one another. It was a small village. It was also where the supercats lived. You could even spot traces of humans' shadow weaving through it. It seemed like they were either feeding the cats or playing with them.
Even Cheese had to draw in a long breath as he took in this amazing scenery, "This is beautiful! This is our country! I don't know why but I always get butterflies fluttering in my stomach the moment I look at this place in its entirety."
Kimchi, who stood by his side, laughed along and reminded him, "Let's continue walking and meet Cat Sage. The sage has been expecting you for quite some time."
"Wait a second." He glanced at the three rocks behind him as a thin crack appeared down the middle of the rock, exposing the beautiful surroundings to them.
Fish Ball's deafening howls punctured the serenity, "Cheese, you've got the wrong guy! My owner is just a penniless elementary school student! Her allowance is less than RMB 100. There is no way you can get any money out of her!"
Noodle's clumsy fingers traced the curvature of his sausage lips as he demanded, "Can you send me to a hospital? The pain is getting worse by the second!"
Rice Cake rammed her head against the tiny crack as she screamed, "Cheese, you b*stard! What do you want from me? Quickly! Let me out this instant!"
Inundated with their awful screams, Cheese simply responded with a nonchalant smile. He then directed their attention to the gorgeous sight before them and explained, "The cities which humans live in are not your true homes. Do you see it? This is a cat's true home, our heaven. This is where we truly belong."
Cheese and Kimchi continued making their way towards the village while introducing the spectacles in front of them.
It was not a huge island. In the past, no one lived on it. It was as good as a deserted island.
Hence, even though it was currently inhabited by intelligent super-cats, it was still completely devoid of electricity or internet. Everything here was more primitive and rustic.
However, the cats living here did not mind at all. They were contented with the nature surrounding them.
"This kind of backward farming village …" Rice Cake scoffed as she noticed a cat burying its feces with layers of soil. Suddenly, terror flashed in her eyes as she shouted, "Don't tell me that there is no wifi in this place!"
Cheese was stunned by her sudden wrath and asked, "Wi what? What are you talking about?"
Evidently, Cheese had spent the majority of his time on this island since awakening. Hence, he had no clue what these phones and computers which they spoke of were. Even after spending the past few days with Fish Ball, he was still perplexed by these gadgets that flooded the human world.
Those words echoed in Rice Cake's ears like those bone-chilling nightmares. Words failed her at that moment as she uttered the word which succinctly described her predicament, "F*ck!"
…
Zhao Yao and Xiao Yu were making a beeline towards the fog region.
However, Zhao Yao's heart skipped a beat the moment they came to the vast sea.
"Wait a moment!" Zhao Yao threw his hand forward, stopping Xiao Yu from continuing forward. His wary eyes began to examine his surroundings in an attempt to identify the source of his uneasiness.
Since earning more powers with 'five is better than four', Zhao Yao had enjoyed significant improvements to his observation and perceptive skills. They had proved to be rather handy the past few times.
Hence, he was extremely confident in his abilities. Currently, the tremendous threat which he felt was unprecedented. It felt as if someone had wrapped their hands around his heart and started squeezing against it.
However, he just couldn't seem to identify the source despite how hard he tried.
"What's going on?" Zhao Yao stared at the boundless sea as worry started to creep into him, "Why can't I find it? Is this the effect of a certain superpower?"
Xiao Yu was confused by Zhao Yao's behavior and asked, "What happened, Zhao Yao? What are you searching for?"
Suddenly, both their expressions changed in unison as their eyes met a beach hidden beyond the vast sea.
At the start, they noticed some obvious vibrations down the coastlines. Because of the moving of the tectonic plates beneath the sea, a giant wave emerged and came crashing towards the coastlines.
However, this anomaly disappeared as quickly as it came.
Zhao Yao was tunned, "Is this an earthquake?" He was struck with a bad feeling, "I hope not."