Chapter 9: Shitty Cat

Carrying a desire to puke blood in his heart, Chen Xiaolian tossed the Garfield cat onto the ground. He then sat down cross-legged and read in detail the descriptions regarding [War Pet] within the interface.

After a long time, he finally stood up and gave a sigh.

En, it turned out… War Pets have two forms, [Adorable Form] and [War Form].

This so-called [Adorable Form]… There! This Garfield who is showing off its adorability is what you call [Adorable Form]!

As for the [War Form], do not expect it to instantly transform into the majestic monster that Chen Xiaolian encountered before. Its War Form will possess significantly higher capabilities, however, those needed to be nurtured!

In other words, the Four-Eyed War Cat that Chen Xiaolian had fought against was a mature War Beast. However, after being captured, it was transformed by the system into its initial state, just like a new player.

Various aspects of its abilities needed to be nurtured step by step! As for the other stuff, Chen Xiaolian could not understand.

Very well!

Let us not think about this first. The first goal should still be to leave this place, then to figure out how to return home!

Even though the earlier danger had been relieved, Chen Xiaolian’s mind did not become at ease at all.

This type of encounter was simply too bizarre – Heavens, I am only a student and webwriter. Is there any need to give me such a stimulating experience filled with vicissitudes?

Setting… game…

There was no new instructions in the damned [Instance Dungeon Quest].

Yesterday, didn’t it say that that killing one monster would allow it to activate?

Besides that, there was one more question within Chen Xiaolian’s mind.

What about the other people on the plane? Where did they go?

Assuming that he had become a ‘newbie player’, then…

Were there any other players here? Were there other monsters similar to the Four-Eyed War Cat? Or perhaps a more powerful monster?

Most importantly, how do he return home?

Could the outside world… find this place?

His discussion with Takashimoto Shizuka resulted in the following. According to Takashimoto Shizuka’s prior experience of flying on this route, judging by the estimated flight time and if the aircraft did not go off course, then their crash site would be somewhere within the South Pacific Ocean.

In the beginning, everyone was feeling confident. They felt that even if they could not find any way out, they could stay here and wait for the arrival of rescue workers. But, with the appearance of such a terrifying monster, this confidence had began to waver.

The only one who was feeling relaxed was probably Soo Soo.

While Chen Xiaolian was discussing with Takashimoto Shizuka in low tones in a corner of the aircraft cabin, Soo Soo was cheerfully running around the aircraft interior. As a child, it was normal to have a high level of obliviousness.  Perhaps, she really thought of yesterday’s monster as playing house or a game?

Hmm, Soo Soo was holding onto Garfield close to her bosom – that was right, it's Garfield. That was the name that Chen Xiaolian had decided to give to this pet.

“Oppa, he seemed to be very tired.”

“Oppa, is he hungry?”

Chen Xiaolian was momentarily surprised. He looked at the Four-Eyed War Cat that Soo Soo was hugging close to her bosom and saw that it was indeed somewhat listless.

They tried to feed it some milk, but this bastard gave the milk a glance and turned its head away in disdain.

Among the flight meals, there were some bags of dried fish. This cat only stuck out its mouth before turning away disdainfully.

…

“Perhaps we should leave this place and search around. This would likely be a risky move,” Chen Xiaolian finally voiced out his thoughts. “However, I have a hunch that staying in here is not a good idea. It also would not solve any problems.”

Takashimoto Shizuka seemed to be hesitating.

The biggest issue was this aircraft cabin. This place seemed to be capable of protecting everyone as proven by the Four-Eyed War Cat’s attack. It was unable to enter the interior of the aircraft cabin and was repelled by an invisible force.

Perhaps this is similar to a safe zone for a beginner village? This was not the first time Chen Xiaolian had thought about this.

Nevertheless… one cannot stay in the beginner village forever, right?

“In that case, it would be better if I go alone to search,” Chen Xiaolian hesitated as he made this suggestion.

Truthfully, there was some apprehension within his heart. After all… what if there were other ‘players’ within this island? The passengers and crewmembers of the plane had all inexplicably disappeared…

Would the two females be safe if they stayed here? Even though the aircraft cabin was a safe zone capable of repelling monsters, other players should be able to… in that case…what would happen if they end up meeting wicked people?

“I will leave the choice to you,” Chen Xiaolian said in a serious tone. “If you follow me and leave this place, we may end up meeting with danger, but I might be able to protect you. If you stay here… it may be safe, but there is also the possibility of encountering unknown dangers.”

Pausing, Chen Xiaolian voiced out his concerns. “It may be possible that there are other people on this island.”

In the end, Takashimoto Shizuka chose to stay.

Chen Xiaolian did not say anything.

He himself has no answer for this.

…

As he left again, Chen Xiaolian did not feel confident despite him possessing ‘super powers’. He kept having faint feelings that the current situation was amiss and was growing more dangerous.

In addition, Chen Xiaolian also did not inform Takashimoto Shizuka everything about his own circumstance.

Especially regarding him being able to see a strange ‘interface’, he chose to remain silent about it.

This time around, he decided to move in the opposite direction compared to the last time.

Chen Xiaolian constantly kept his eyes on the [Coordinates Radar] interface as he carefully moved through the forest.

After yesterday’s fight, he judged that the effective radius of the radar was around two to three hundred metres.

A distance of three hundred metres was enough for him to react or make a run for it if he encounters a monster. However, what if he were to encounter another human? Would the other party also possess the same kind of radar? Could they also detect him? Would they be good intentions or ill intentions?

Garfield moved along behind Chen Xiaolian in a lethargic manner. Its running speed was not slow, but it had obviously become tired.

Finally, a prompt appeared as they climbed up a slope.

[Warning, your War Pet had not eaten in 24 hours. Please feed it as soon as possible. If not fed, the War Pet’s health will decrease by 10% per hour. When its health reaches zero, the War Pet will die.]

Chen Xiaolian legs were planted firmly on the ground as he cursed out a string of expletives.

“Just what is it that you want to eat?” Chen Xiaolian squatted down and looked at Garfield.

Garfield: “Meow…”

It cannot be that it needs to feed on its owner’s flesh, right?

Chen Xiaolian decided to follow his imagination. Hesitating slightly, he gritted his teeth as he rolled up the sleeves of his arm. “Come on, I will let you have one bite.”

“Meow ~ ” Garfield sniffed it and then left in an indifferent manner.

“… son of a bitch.”

At this moment, a reaction appeared on the radar!

A red dot appeared on the radar before disappearing instantly!

Chen Xiaolian’s face turned intense. Picking up Garfield, he looked around and quickly jumped up onto a big tree. With his strengthened body, Chen Xiaolian nimbly leapt up the tree before hiding himself amidt a dense foliage of leaves.

The red dot on the radar appeared again.

The movement this time was extremely fast compared to yesterday’s Four-Eyed War Cat. Chen Xiaolian silently calculated the distance in his mind.

200 metres… 100 metres… 50 metres…

As the red dot was about to close in, it suddenly turned toward another direction. After that, it moved around in a circle at a distance of 50 metres away.

“En?”

Chen Xiaolian was surprised. Chen Xiaolian who was hidden amidst the leaves tried to search with his eyes but was unable to see anything unusual.

Could it be an invisible monster?

It should not be possible…

Following the position displayed on the radar, Chen Xiaolian finally set his sights onto a mound of soil 50 metres away.

He double checked it and determined that he was not being delusional! The mound of soil seemed to be moving.

After several movements, it stopped. The soil was turned over and a head emerged…

A triangular head and the standard body of a reptile. Chen Xiaolian judged that even if it was not a snake, it was likely to be something similar to lizards.

Damn it, I hate these cold-blooded animals… Chen Xiaolian felt nervous. In his childhood days, a snake had bitten him. Thus, the thing he feared the most was snakes!

He firmly gripped the handle of his light sabre and suppressed the impulse to summon the [Goddess of Dawn].

After the monster had fully climbed out of the ground, Chen Xiaolian gave a sigh of relief. This monster looked to be of the same type as a pangolin.

Its body mass was not as intimidating as the Four-Eyed War Cat, however, its entire body was wrapped by a pitch-black rocky hide. In addition… its body would faintly produce a pale green light. This gave Chen Xiaolian the impression that it should not be underestimated.

The pangolin slowly moved toward the tree that Chen Xiaolian was hidden on. As for Chen Xiaolian, his heart was already sweating. He stared nervously at the creature… Its crawling speed was not too fast. However, what kind of capabilities does it have?

Suddenly, Garfield who was held close to his chest made a reaction!

Garfield suddenly opened its mouth and cried out, following which Chen Xiaolian could feel  Garfield struggling to seemingly escape Chen Xiaolian’s hold! Its cat hairs were already standing on its end!

Before Chen Xiaolian could react, Garfield had already let out a cry and leap out!

“Ah! Come back!”

Even as it was in the middle of the air, the cat had already begun transforming, its small body quickly expanding! When it landed, Garfield’s external body shape showed some resemblance to yesterday’s War Cat form.

Its body shape had become as big as a dog; an extra pair of eyes grew on its head. On its paws, sharp barbs extended out of its surface.

Garfield howled before violently charging toward the pangolin!

“What the hell!”

Chen Xiaolian was shocked. He never imagined that the bastard would be so warlike!

The pangolin responded immediately. Without waiting for Garfield to charge over, it thrust headfirst into the ground! Garfield’s charge struck empty air and it quickly used its claws to scratch the ground.

Suddenly, a head emerged from the ground with lightning like speed from behind Garfield, directly facing its fat buttocks!

Garfield cried out and rolled its body over. It then stood up, a scar evident on the back of its thigh. The pangolin on the other hand, slowly climbed out of the ground.

The pangolin suddenly leapt out!

Chen Xiaolian felt as though there was something wrong with his eyes!

So fast!

Garfield was hit again. This time, the pangolin’s claws left a bloody mark on Garfield’s forehead. The poor cat screamed out and rolled away again. Without waiting for Garfield to be ready, the pangolin began moving at lightning like speed again and scored another hit!

Looking at what was happening, Chen Xiaolian was both anxious and vexed.

“Damn it, you took the initiative to provoke it but could not fight against it? Are you an idiot?”

Chen Xiaolian hesitated briefly. He then gritted his teeth and jumped down from the tree!

“When beating up a cat, you need to first look at its owner! Go to Hell, you bastard!”

The light sabre slashed out, but the pangolin’s speed was surprisingly fast and it ducked under the sword slash. Chen Xiaolian felt a black shadow coming from the side and was barely able to turn his head.

Shua!

His shoulder burned with pain! Chen Xiaolian knew that he had been injured!

The clothes on his shoulder were torn apart and a bloody gash appeared, causing blood to flow out from it.

“You bitch!”

Holding onto the sword, Chen Xiaolian went to face it again. This time, Garfield too rushed forward.

A human and a cat. Although they were in a disadvantageous spot in terms of speed, a joint attack would give them a little momentum.

During the several times in which they fought, Chen Xiaolian exerted all he could muster to hack down with the light sabre while Garfield was also working hard at charging the pangolin. Nonetheless, the pangolin was unusually agile. It moved and jumped about continuously, leading to Chen Xiaolian and Garfield going out of breath. Yet, they still could not restrain the pangolin.

Chen Xiaolian had already suffered wounds in four places, he could feel his endurance slipping down. At this moment, he felt a pang of regret. He regretted his actions of using his strengthening package points on Physique and Agility.

It appeared that his Endurance was too lacking. A few rounds was enough to leave him gasping for breath, his chest aching with a feeling akin to being torn apart.

Running away? Would this monster allow him to run? Considering the pangolin’s speed, Chen Xiaolian would not be able to outrun it if it wanted to kill him.

Chen Xiaolian looked onward as the pangolin utilized its lightning like speed to leave another wound upon Garfield. Once Garfield was dealt with, he would be unable to fight it alone!

Suddenly, an inspiration flashed through his mind!

“That is right! I am such an idiot!”

All those novels that I have written were for naught!

“Garfield!”

Chen Xiaolian turned around and quickly ran toward a big tree at the back. Positioning his back to face the tree, he gripped tightly onto his sword.

With this, the area that he needed to deal with was greatly reduced. The pangolin attacked twice, but with the tree to his back, Chen Xiaolian only needed to use his sword to hack down quickly and avoided any loss on his part. Garfield also seemed to become shrewder; its animal instincts led it to move closer toward Chen Xiaolian.

Then, when the pangolin tried to charge Chen Xiaolian one more time, his light sabre finally slashed onto its body.

A “chi” sound was emitted and the pangolin cried out miserably. It bounced off and drilled into the ground without any hesitation.

What the Hell!

At this moment, a series of loud sounds came from behind him!

Ka ka ka ka ka

“Holy shit!”

Chen Xiaolian turned pale and pushed himself out to the side!

The tree that was acting as a barrier behind him came crashing down!

The pangolin leapt out from below the tree and ruthlessly pounced toward the back of Chen Xiaolian who was on the ground! Chen Xiaolian felt as though an iron hammer had pounded him in the back. Suddenly, pain erupted in his chest and all the air within his lungs were forced out…

Then, Garfield suddenly opened its mouth and unleashed a transparent sphere of qi…

Chen Xiaolian could only curse out inwardly: Me too???

Bang!

It felt as though he had taken another punch, so many stars…

Chen Xiaolian felt his own body being blown up to the skies before falling down. The pangolin was obviously struck as well. But, its body appeared to be moving slowly and was unable to quickly get up.

[Prompt: War Pet Four-Eyed War Cat launched the ‘Cat’s Roar’ skill. Small probability of inducing stun triggered. Effect will last for five seconds, five, four…]

Chen Xiaolian shouted aloud inwardly! Additional effect of stun?!

This is a good opportunity for a final attack!

But…

Damn it! The senior me has also been hit with stun effect ah!

Chen Xiaolian lied on the ground with his limbs outstretched.

I can only count on you, Garfield. Quickly give him the final attack!

Chen Xiaolian looked expectantly at Garfield and nearly coughed out blood!

Possibly due to having used the Cat’s Roar, he had probably used up all its strength. Garfield had already abandoned its War Form. Its body shook for a bit and shrunk rapidly… it transformed from an indomitable Four-Eyed War Cat into that adorable fat cat!

Garfield: “Meow ~ ~ ~ ~”

Chen Xiaolian: “… … …”

WQNMLGB bloody Hell!

…

He watched as the pangolin climbed back up again…

Chen Xiaolian’s heart was filled with grief: The Heavens want me to die!!!

Xiu!

A sharp piercing sound!

A sharp arrow descended from the skies, piercing directly into the pangolin’s neck and nailed it tightly onto the ground!

Chen Xiaolian’s mouth gaped as he stared with wide-open eyes at the pangolin that transformed into a beam of light before disappearing…

Instant kill!

On the radar, two green dots approached at a rapid rate!

“Eh? There is another player here?”

It was a woman’s voice, the tone was slightly husky but was filled with a faint trace of indescribable flirtation.