Chapter 6: Ten Thousand Survival Points

"If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it."

"A lord-level black cat giving birth to a king-level Little Black, while the other five are mostly ordinary, except for one elite orange kitten?"

A hint of disappointment flashed in Zeng Shen's eyes as he glanced around the hospital hall, hoping for a surprise among the large wild cats.

"Eye of Insight."

After a moment, he sighed softly.

Among these wild cats, only the two black-spotted white cats were of elite quality, while the other eight were all ordinary.

The large black cat, seeing Zeng Shen standing still, lowered its head to eat from the cat bowls, though its eyes remained vigilant.

A few minutes later, the five kittens and the large black cat had finished the cat food.

The large black cat glanced at Zeng Shen before retreating into the corridor.

The kittens, having finished eating, scampered around playfully.

Little Black seemed eager to follow the large black cat but turned to Zeng Shen as if seeking permission.

"Go spend some time with your mom," Zeng Shen said.

"Meow~" Little Black meowed softly, seeming to understand, and happily trotted down the corridor.

As soon as the large black cat left the bowls, the surrounding wild cats rushed to scavenge the spilled cat food.

Watching them scramble for the leftovers, Zeng Shen smiled slightly and took out a pack of adult cat food from his inventory, approaching the bowls.

Startled by his approach, the wild cats retreated a few steps.

Zeng Shen filled the bowls with cat food and stepped back a few meters, waiting for the wild cats to approach.

The enticing aroma of the cat food made the wild cats eager. Seeing Zeng Shen step back, they seemed to understand his intent—it was for them.

The two elite black-spotted white cats were the first to react, darting to the bowls. The other wild cats followed suit, scrambling for the food.

"Ha-ha, take your time, there's more."

Zeng Shen chuckled softly.

The black-spotted white cats glanced warily at him but, sensing no malice, quickly resumed eating.

"It seems their wariness is fading in the face of delicious food."

"At this rate, within days, they'll be my followers, my first group of retainers."

Zeng Shen mused happily as he watched the cats eat.

Soon, the two-pound bag of cat food was devoured.

The wild cats, seemingly tasting cat food for the first time, looked expectantly at Zeng Shen, their bright eyes filled with anticipation.

Zeng Shen smiled, approaching with another bag of cat food in hand.

The wild cats, seeing him approach, seemed ready to flee but instead meowed appealingly, some even coming to his feet, begging for food.

"Greedy cats," Zeng Shen laughed, pouring the cat food into the bowls.

The enticing cat food filled the bowls, eliciting joyful meows from the wild cats.

[Congratulations, host, for gaining the favor of ten Buster Cat Tribe members. Survival points +100.]

"Ha-ha, finally, no more wariness."

"Soon you'll all be my followers."

Watching the wild cats scramble for food, Zeng Shen felt pleased.

Soon, the wild cats finished their meal and looked at Zeng Shen, meowing softly, as if asking for more.

"That's all for today, wait until tomorrow."

Zeng Shen replied, unsure if they understood.

Not that he was out of cat food—he had spent several hundred dollars on ten bags.

But he didn't want to feed them all at once.

Only by doing so would they look forward to his return the next day, making it easier to tame them as followers.

About ten minutes later, Little Black returned to the hospital lobby and snuggled at Zeng Shen's feet.

Zeng Shen picked up Little Black and retrieved Little White from the abandoned car before climbing out of the hospital's iron gate.

[Congratulations, host, for safely leading your followers and mount out of Buster Cat Tribe territory. Survival points +10.]

"Even less now?"

"It seems my guess was right—first-time visits yield a thousand survival points, subsequent visits only ten."

Zeng Shen muttered, checking his survival points.

"8280 survival points. Just 1720 away from ten thousand."

"If I find another deity's territory or beast gathering area, I can earn a thousand points for a first-time visit."

Zeng Shen thought for a moment. He had triggered all nearby areas for survival points except for the pedestrian street behind his neighborhood.

"That street is usually busy, so after the apocalypse, it should host many beasts, perfect for earning first-time points."

"Oh, and Li Yuqing's studio is in the office building across from that street's back entrance. I can have lunch at home and then check it out."

With this in mind, Zeng Shen quickly made his way through the park square, across the commercial street, and along the sidewalk back to his apartment.

Along the way, he triggered danger warnings, but as he had suspected, earned no survival points.

At the apartment complex, Zeng Shen pressed the elevator button when an urgent voice sounded in his mind.

[Warning! Warning! A Tier 3 Curse Deity is approaching rapidly. You are no match. Flee quickly to avoid certain death.]

A virtual panel appeared before him, emphasizing the danger with violently flashing red text.

"Ding."

The elevator doors opened.

A little girl in a white dress, playing with a delicate doll, and as cute as a doll herself, looked at Little Black and Little White with bright, adoring eyes before timidly stepping out.

[Danger! Host has encountered a Tier 3 Curse Deity. Have your followers and pet distract the deity while you escape.]

Though Zeng Shen had known that a deity would emerge in this apartment building, he hadn't expected it to be such an innocently adorable little girl.

"Darn it, in three years of the apocalypse, I couldn't even surpass this little girl?"

As the girl stepped out, Zeng Shen couldn't help but mutter to himself before quietly entering the elevator and closing the doors.

[The host, wise and brave, repelled the Curse Deity. Survival points +1000.] 

[The host remained loyal to his followers and mount in danger. Survival points +1000.]

[Congratulations, host, for reaching ten thousand survival points. The lottery wheel is now activated.]