Chapter 42: The Unexpected Encounter with a Cat

"Th-this... could it be... that cousin?"

Zheng Haiyu, who suddenly realized, looked at Ji Chang and Huang Mang with a frightened expression.

Huang Mang also looked at Ji Chang.

Ji Chang nodded with a furrowed brow.

Even though he was standing on the back of the giant spider, Ji Chang could still clearly see the bite marks on the desiccated corpse. The insect corpses, as dry as leaves, also bore varying degrees of bite marks.

Based on his earlier speculation about Uncle Zhou Jun's family, especially his cousin, Ji Chang was quite certain that many of the desiccated bodies on the bedroom floor might all be the work of that cousin.

However, he could understand the presence of so many insect corpses here. What he couldn't comprehend was where these seven or eight people had come from.

Could it be that, coincidentally, they were here when the shrinking occurred?

Or perhaps... just like how they encountered them in the small courtyard before, had this family already started hunting humans?

Thinking about this, Ji Chang couldn't help but shiver with unease.

...

"Who cares? Anyway, that brat has been beaten to death by Brother Ji!"

Huang Mang patted Zheng Haiyu's shoulder, indicating for him not to be afraid.

"Let's go, let's see if we can find any supplies!"

After a while, Ji Chang pondered for a moment and then continued to urge the giant spider toward the bedroom door.

However, whether it was the sound caused by stepping on the insect corpses or some other reason, as Ji Chang brought the giant spider to the door, a huge figure suddenly blocked their path.

Two eyes, resembling searchlights, emitted a faint glow in the dim environment.

The eight eyes of the spider met with these eyes, causing both the spider and the owner of the eyes to freeze momentarily.

At this point, Ji Chang and the others had also discerned the outline of this massive figure – it was a cat!

Although the cat wasn't particularly large, especially compared to the dogs near the house's entrance, it was still perceived as a colossal beast by Ji Chang and the others.

After a brief moment of bewilderment, the cat didn't instantly launch an attack on the spider. Instead, it curiously observed the scene before it.

This unexpected encounter left Ji Chang momentarily stunned.

Given the proximity and Ji Chang's shallow understanding of cats, he knew their claws could create phantom-like illusions.

Huang Mang and Zheng Haiyu were too afraid to even breathe.

Seeing the cat's curious expression and its lack of immediate aggression, Ji Chang seized the opportunity. With a thought, the spider leaped onto the door frame.

This action startled the cat as well. It instinctively jumped backward, causing its fur to stand on end from head to tail.

"Damn, they even keep a cat in this house. Did this cat not wipe out their whole family?"

As the spider climbed up the door frame under Ji Chang's guidance, Huang Mang's voice trembled.

Zheng Haiyu was sweating profusely, trembling all over.

Clearly, the consecutive encounters with the dog and the cat had made him feel like he was continuously testing his fate at the gates of hell.

After shrinking, encountering massive animals like the dog and cat was overwhelmingly oppressive for them. Despite evading repeatedly, even Ji Chang couldn't help his heart racing.

Especially now that he recalled it, if the cat had been as ferocious as the dog, the scene they had just witnessed would have likely ended in their utter annihilation.

Of course, the main reason Ji Chang and the spider had not been alert was that the cat moved so silently, unlike the commotion caused by the dog...

At this moment, only by standing on the spider's back and looking downward could they detect the cat that was trailing them with every step.

The appearance of the cat disrupted Ji Chang's initial plans. In his initial considerations, if he found abundant supplies in Uncle Zhou Jun's house, moving once more would have been a possibility.

However, with the cat freely roaming the rooms now, Ji Chang firmly dismissed that idea. He didn't believe the cat would remain curious without resorting to violence, endangering their lives!

Though they couldn't move houses, the spider's climbing abilities enabled them to ascend the ceiling. The cat could only look on in frustration.

"Ji-ge, look, isn't that a bread package?"

Soon, the spider crawled onto a part of the ceiling, and Huang Mang quickly spotted a bread package in a suspended cabinet.

"Seems like there are instant noodles down in that kitchen too, though it looks like the cat got to them first!"

Zheng Haiyu was wide-eyed and kept checking.

"It looks like this is the kitchen, and there are various seasonings on the stove!"

Hearing their words, Ji Chang's face brightened with joy. The spider's journey had given him a rough understanding of Uncle Zhou Jun's house structure.

To be precise, the house structure wasn't much different from Grandpa Zhou Jun's, but Uncle Zhou Jun's house was more well-decorated.

Soon, Ji Chang took a look at the half-eaten bread package in the cabinet Huang Mang mentioned and the scattered instant noodles that Zheng Haiyu spotted.

In addition to instant noodles, Ji Chang also spotted bags of flour and cornmeal spread all over, like expanses of white and golden yellow.

Upon closer inspection, Ji Chang confirmed that the white substance scattered on the ground was wheat flour and cornmeal.

And at that moment, with Ji Chang and the others entering the kitchen, the cat once again became engrossed in its "playground," darting back and forth across the floor, as if its new "playground" had immediately diverted its attention away from the spider on the ceiling.

"For now, let's not consider the things on the ground. Let's check the situation in that suspended cabinet!"

A few minutes later, as Ji Chang guided the spider forward, he spoke.

"I told you it was bread! Look, there are ham sausages, fruit cans, and... oh, wow, this should be canned luncheon meat?"

When the spider brought Ji Chang and the others to the suspended cabinet, Huang Mang couldn't help but get excited upon seeing what was stored inside.

"Over here, look! There are potato chips, cola, mineral water, and also... oh my god, we hit the jackpot!"

After seeing the wide array of items inside the cabinet, Zheng Haiyu instantly forgot about their recent ordeal and nearly jumped up in excitement.

After Ji Chang and Huang Mang searched around, they found a bag of salt, a bottle of vinegar, and a bottle of soy sauce!

Lastly, Ji Chang discovered an unopened bag of trial-sized rice tucked away in the corner of the cabinet.

Seeing this bag of rice, a smile appeared on Ji Chang's face.

Though they had found so many supplies, a new problem soon arose.

That problem was transportation!