Chapter 26: Becoming a Good Cat Begins with Stealing Whatever Lies at Paw

Inside the silent, ruined shopping mall, thick, emerald-green vines were entwined everywhere. A brisk bonfire burned steadily in the darkness, its orange flames dancing and flickering, dispelling the surrounding damp chill.

Amo’s death was like a boulder dropped into a lake, sending ripples of unease through the hearts of the three remaining members. The atmosphere was so stagnant it was nearly suffocating, and a cloud of gloom hung over every face. The Scarred Man breathed heavily for a moment, his suppressed rage and frustration finding no outlet until it finally dissolved into a helpless sigh and a shake of his head.

"Let’s get back to the vehicle and rest. We’ll go down and take another look tomorrow."

"The priority of the mission must come first..."

"Mm..." Keji whispered, his eyes unfocused behind his lenses. He boarded the vehicle in silence. Ling’s expression remained cold, though a closer look revealed a hint of dullness in her gaze. She nodded silently at his words and followed Keji inside.

The heavy vehicle door slammed shut with a thud, sealing out the cold, yet failing to block the heaviness within their hearts.

...

"Heh..." Xia Tong curled her lips silently, a trace of mockery in the curve of her mouth.

This was perfect; she needed time to rest as well.

To her, Amo’s death was merely the removal of a minor obstacle, but she knew the remaining three—especially the Scarred Captain and Ling—remained significant thorns in her side. As for Keji, he was nothing more than an expendable "support"; dealing with him would be trivial. The other two were the real trouble.

Xia Tong curled up in a hidden corner formed by cold metal shelving and tangled vines, retracting her presence to the absolute minimum. She could feel that even inside the seemingly safe off-road vehicle, Ling’s psychic perception continued to sweep the environment like invisible tentacles. Were it not for the shielding effect inherent to the "Source Core," she would have been exposed long ago.

"So persistent."

But that was fine, too. Having a fixation meant having a weakness, didn't it?

Time flowed slowly in the silence. The bonfire gradually faded, leaving only a few dark red embers flickering in the dark. From deep beneath the collapsed mall came the occasional strange chirping of insects or the sound of faint crawling, a reminder that this place remained a paradise for mutated creatures.

Humans were the intruders here.

...

In the early hours of the next day, the mall remained shrouded in deep darkness, barely brightened by the dawn.

Thin shafts of sunlight struggled through the dust-covered, broken dome, casting pale patches of light onto the vegetation above, but they were unable to dispel the cold and gloom deep beneath the building. The bonfire from the night before had long since extinguished, leaving only warm ashes that whispered silently of the past.

The Scarred Man and his two companions awoke from a light sleep; none of them had rested well. Amo’s vacant spot felt like a heavy stone pressing down on their chests. After a night of tossing and turning, every face bore unmistakable exhaustion and melancholy.

"Damn it..." The Scarred Man cursed under his breath, rubbing his bloodshot eyes, the bitterness in his chest threatening to erupt.

He forcibly suppressed his grief and rage, speaking in a raspy voice to the others: "What time is it? Get up! Prepare to move out. We must secure the 'Moonlight Orchid' today!"

Keji nodded silently and began checking his gear. His movements were far slower than usual, and his eyes drifted occasionally to where Amo had lain the night before, a flash of indescribable sorrow passing through them. He replied in a low voice: "Captain, equipment check complete!"

Beside him, Ling had already packed her gear and was wiping down her pistol and arrows with a fierce, driven intensity.

The Scarred Man’s expression remained grim. He slammed a fist against a nearby concrete pillar with a dull thud.

"I know everyone is hurting, but I’ve kept a tally of this debt! Once this mission is finished, I’ll tear this place apart to find that beast!"

"The captain is right." Keji adjusted his glasses, attempting to soothe his inner grief. "Right now, the 'Moonlight Orchid' is more important. We... we won’t let Amo’s sacrifice be in vain."

"Mm..." Ling nodded heavily, a cold determination flashing in her eyes.

...

A moment later, the three gathered again at the entrance to the underground passage.

It was the same bottomless, dark hole, resembling the greedy, gaping maw of a colossal beast, exhaling a chilling, unsettling aura. Even in the daylight, the light could not penetrate even a fraction of it; only endless darkness churned within, as if something might lunge out at any moment.

The Scarred Man stood at the front, his great axe gleaming faintly in the dim light. He looked back at the two behind him and asked in a low voice:

"Are you all ready? Once we go down, keep your wits sharp. There is no room for error!"

Keji took a deep breath and gripped his tablet. The screen glowed faintly, displaying basic environmental parameters, but now, those figures seemed to carry a chilling weight.

"Ready, Captain. The sensors have been recalibrated."

Ling offered no wasted words. She simply checked the crossbow on her back once more and said coldly: "Ready when you are." Her gaze was sharp as a hawk, fixed intently on the deep darkness.

The Scarred Man drew a deep breath, hesitated no longer, and stepped with heavy, deliberate strides into the abyss. Keji followed close behind, his tablet screen flickering with rapid data streams as he attempted to decode the unknown subterranean environment.

Ling brought up the rear, scanning her surroundings vigilantly to guard against an ambush from behind or a sudden strike from the black cat.

She didn't believe for a second that the cat had left; it was surely skulking in the shadows, waiting for an opening.

The three figures were quickly swallowed by the thick darkness, leaving only the sound of their heavy footsteps and the faint clinking of gear echoing through the passage, sounding exceptionally sharp.

Xia Tong waited quietly in the dark.

Only when the sound of their footsteps had faded into the distance did she glide out from her hiding spot like a ghost. Her movements were incredibly light, landing without a sound, her glass-colored cat eyes glowing with a cold, eerie light in the darkness.

"Moonlight Orchid..." She murmured the name silently. Since they wanted it so badly, she wouldn't mind being a cat who "walks off with the prize."

Xia Tong followed the faint scent and tracks they left behind, keeping a steady, unhurried pace. She did not get too close, always maintaining a safe distance.

That psychic-awakened girl, Ling, remained a significant threat.

...

The underground passage of the ruined mall was far deeper and more convoluted than she had imagined. The air was filled with a damp, musty odor, mixed with the stench of earth and some kind of decaying vegetation—it was nauseating.

Despite the trail left behind by the others, Xia Tong found the pursuit difficult. Scents were invisible, yet they were the most lethal of traps.