In the end, it was just a little kitten. After subduing the Mantis Monster, Li Ao panted for a couple of breaths from exhaustion. Seeing the Mantis Monster lift its head again, he immediately puffed out his chest, his furry face turning serious as he said, “This is a deal! If you don’t agree, I-I’ll keep hitting you!”
He picked up the biscuit and gestured as if to smash it down, though he was actually feeling quite a bit of trepidation deep down. After all, this was the little kitten’s first time strong-arming a sale.
【…It actually scored points. Is this really a contestant? From which school?】
【No school. The leaderboard shows an empty name, and the score is 1. What’s going on?】
【No idea. I checked but couldn’t find specific contestant info. The monitor’s data is still syncing.】
【I’ve decided to stan him! Such a cute mysterious little bro, wuwuwu.】
【With those thumb-sized legs and that chubby round face, he doesn’t even look weaned yet and you’re calling him bro? (eyeroll)】
【Aren’t all contestants college students? So what if I’m a youthful high school girl—why can’t I call him bro?】
【Gonna call him bro, gonna call him bro! Little Cat Bro, Little Cat Bro!】
The six-year-old Little Cat Bro Li Ao tugged at the black-furred chestnut ball, a bit embarrassed as he negotiated with the trembling Mantis Monster lying on the ground: “So, I’ll take that as a yes, okay?”
[01 Sector | Oversight Field]
This league was divided into two events: practical combat assessment and cultural assessment. Leaving the cultural one aside, for the practical combat, the main scoring items were hunting Xenoids and wilderness survival. One point for each E-Rank Xenoid killed, one point for each day survived, until the test ended or was actively/passively terminated.
To ensure fairness and justice in the competition, contestants were forcibly disconnected from the net during the event, naturally oblivious to the outside world.
The contestants streamed out from the safe zone, with monitors zipping rapidly beside their respective targets.
“Let me see where to hunt some Xenoids.” The yellow-haired, freckled-faced guy pulled up the topographic map on his wristwatch, his eyes gleaming with determination.
【He’s already gearing up to kill bugs?】 A viewer who’d entered the stream based on academy info commented.
【As expected of a Federation Dawn contestant. While most are still finding safe spots to set up camp, he’s already preparing to hunt Xenoids!】
【Quick, look! He found an E-Rank Xenoid! Wow, is the first point of this match about to be born?】
This was a Crex, externally resembling a gray mantis with compound eyes taking up most of its face. Not large among Xenoids, but agile in form, it was one of the trickier types at E-Rank.
But the yellow-haired, freckled-faced guy was very confident. He’d simulated killing this type countless times at school, knew its weaknesses, and figured he could take it down easily.
The Crex in front of him had its back turned, its six steel-needle-like razor-sharp hook claws bent on the ground, completely defenseless.
The yellow-haired, freckled-faced guy held his breath, gripped his dagger tight, and crept closer stealthily.
【Nice, textbook stealth ambush moves.】
【Of course! Federation Dawn has a 100% realistic holographic training ground. He’s probably killed Xenoids tons of times.】
【Can’t wait! First point’s about to drop. Gonna place a bet.】
【Upstairs reminded me—let’s go together!】
The distance closed bit by bit. A ruthless glint flashed in the yellow-haired, freckled-faced guy’s eyes. He raised his dagger high, grinning ferociously for a killing blow. But in the instant the dagger fell, the monster with its back to him dodged at an unbelievable speed and lunged!
He rolled on the ground a few times, not even reacting to what happened before his shoulders were pierced through by the Xenoid’s forelimbs and nailed to the ground.
“Ah——” Agonizing pain exploded from his shoulders. The more he struggled, the deeper those slender spikes tore into his flesh, the bone-piercing agony suffocating him with chills.
The massive compound eyes twisted slightly, reflecting his contorted face in pain. Then, the toothy maw split open from the eyes, teasingly drawing slowly closer to his face. Corrosive saliva dripped down, scorching his skin and sending up a stench of burning flesh. Terror and pain made his eyeballs quiver madly, his consciousness flickering like a candle in the wind.
It was faking! It deliberately pretended to be defenseless to lure him in! This was nothing like the simulated hunts. The yellow-haired, freckled-faced guy’s brain froze; he couldn’t think, only stare in despair as the gruesome maw inched closer, the fetid hot breath from between its fangs making him convulse and retch.
In the second before death descended, the monitor activated. Blinding blue light enveloped his mangled body, forcibly yanking him from the Xenoid’s grasp. The next second, he crashed heavily onto the safe zone’s ground.
【?】
【What? Just this?】 The barrage was speechless.
【No way, I thought the first point was coming. And it’s just this?】
【Praise the Creator God. Good thing I didn’t bet yet ^ ^】
【Upstairs, the first point’s already been scored. Couldn’t bet even if you wanted to.】
【Huh? When? Who? Federation Dawn contestant or some Delphi guy?】
【Uh, neither…】 The barrage posted a link. 【You might not believe it. Go check it yourself.】
This Mantis Monster was acting weird.
Li Ao raised his tail to keep balance, lifted one foot, and hopped on single leg to nudge it. “Don’t sleep anymore. Get up.”
How could the Xenoid humans called a Crex not want to get up? It didn’t dare.
The black creature beside the fragrant little cat carried an aura that terrified bugs—a absolute suppression from a higher being.
Seeing Li Ao keep talking to the lowly one and ignoring itself, Xun got displeased. It yanked its tendrils out from the kitten’s paws and turned away with a “Hmph.”
Li Ao blinked in confusion and leaned over to look. “What’s wrong?”
The black-furred chestnut ball held its breath and “Hmph!”ed again.
“Ah? I’m not keeping it, okay.”
“Hmph!”
“Really, Li Ao only needs Xun. I can’t take care of that many little dogs.”
“Hmph!”
“The biscuit was to make it help with work. It’s a deal, not keeping it.”
It was the Abyss’s primordial beast, born from desire, endlessly devouring. Its long life had produced emotions starting from that encounter—it liked the feeling of “liking,” and today, it birthed a second emotion: jealousy.
And what it didn’t know was that this superficial softness feigned from liking, alongside the dark crawling from jealousy within, would shadow him for life.
At this moment, Li Ao was still patting his chest to guarantee his little dog: “Meow talks count. Meow only keeps one little dog, Xun.”
The black-furred chestnut ball was easy to coax and immediately snuggled into the reliable fluffy cat chest, weakly nuzzling: “Li Ao.”
“Mhm!” The Macho Cat roughly responded to it, then nudged the Mantis Monster again: “Get up.”
More and more viewers flooded into Li Ao’s stream.
【Holy Creator God’s stinky socks, what’s this short-legged thing?】
【Upstairs, it’s a cat lol.】
【Huh? He got the first point of this match? Sure the monitor didn’t glitch?】
【What glitch? Didn’t you see that Xenoid still lying there?】
【Whoa, is this a Complete Evolutionary Body?】
In the interstellar era, humanity—aside from pureblood humans—was mostly incomplete evolutionary bodies from interspecies hybrids. Their bodies largely retained human form with partial beast features. Complete Evolutionary Bodies were different; they had human forms and could freely switch to full beast forms—the pinnacle of evolution.
【No way, right? Mistake? I recall the only known feline Complete Evolutionary Body is from that family…】
【Which family?】 Asked a viewer from a remote system that just got net access.
【Where’d this hick come from? Doesn’t even know that?】
【What’s so great about you city folk? Regional discrimination over this?】
【Hey, stop arguing. Remote star here—lemme tell you, the only known feline complete body is Delphi’s royalty—the Regalis.】
【What? What royalty? Monarchies died out over a century ago. Still royalty?】
【Hick, come here. Let me educate you: Delphi is the last surviving monarchy planet. Its ruler, Isiris Regalis, is the universe’s strongest king and strongest human!!!】
【I’m done. Why’s everyone blindly hyping that tyrant Isiris?】
【Can the fighters get out? Blocking my Little Cat Bro view!】
With Xun’s permission, the lowly Xenoid stood up.
Li Ao tiptoed and shoved the biscuit onto its head. “Eat up, then help Li Ao with work.”
Xenoids could eat anything—human flesh best, but rocks worked too if none. Compared to appetite, this colorful glowing little cat before it delighted the bug’s heart more.
“Shhh——” It buzzed, its maw splitting from its compound eyes.
【…? Am I seeing things or blind? What’s this Xenoid doing?】
【Uh, it’s eating the biscuit from Little Cat Bro’s hand… packaging and all…】
【Zerg chew metal rods for fun, and now packaging bags—not fake, right?? This ain’t a Xenoid, it’s a dog in disguise??】 Zerg were a savage race that devoured everything. Humanity had warred with them for a millennium—not your death or mine. Never heard of anyone taming them, let alone begging for food from hands like dogs.
Li Ao struggled to drag over the backpack, jumping to loop the strap around the Mantis Monster’s neck.
【What’s this cat doing?】
【No, what’s this Crex doing now?】
With the Mantis Monster’s help, there was no need to worry about transporting the stuff back. Li Ao dove back into the garbage pile and frantically collected supplies, packing a dozen big and small bags before hanging them all on the Xenoid.
【Help… I can actually see a weary, travel-worn look on the ferocious, twisted face of that brutal Xenoid? This really isn’t a movie shoot?】
【So fake. There’s no way a scene like this could happen.】
【Never mind that Zerg can’t be tamed—even if they could, it wouldn’t be by just one person? What the hell is this thing? That leg—is it three centimeters thick?】
【@Event Organizers, come investigate this! How can the tournament have such a massive oversight? Don’t turn the other players’ suffering into entertainment with this blatantly obvious comedic foil!】
【@Event Organizers, Little Cat Bro is cute and all, but this is way too fake. Take it down!】
【Fix the bug with first place and reopen betting!】
Li Ao had no idea that Star Network was already in an uproar over him. Gazing at his masterpiece, he puffed out his little chest without a hint of modesty. “All set!”
What a brave little kitty—so many tricks up his sleeve!
His fluffy little ears perked up on top of his head, quivering in the wind. Xun stared intently before leaping back onto the little cat’s head and opening his slit to chomp down on an ear: chew chew chew.
“Xun! You can’t eat Li Ao’s ears either!”
【@Event Organizers, get out here!】
The officials were equally frantic. Unable to track the signal source or shut down the stream without authorization, they could only post a reply under pressure: Hello viewers. The current situation is under investigation. So far, we can confirm the signal source does not belong to any tournament player—
But before the official announcement even finished, the player profile updated, delivering a massive slap to everyone’s face.
【The signal source just updated with a player name!!】
【Am I seeing this right? What’s this cat’s name?】
【…Zane Regalis.】
