The little furball, upon closer inspection, looked like a kitten.
It was only about the size of a palm. Its fur was messy and tangled, as if it had rolled through trash cans and sewers, and it even smelled a little. Hidden within that chaotic fluff was a pair of big, round, gleaming eyes.
When it saw the doctor approach, it shrank back, pressing itself deeper into Yuan Li’s palm, letting out a soft, milky whimper. “Mm…wu…”
Yuan Li had always liked fluffy things. Seeing the little creature’s reaction, her heart immediately melted into a puddle. “Don’t be scared. This is Doctor. We’re not afraid, okay?”
As if comforted by her voice, the little furball stopped trembling so much.
It even lifted its head and sneakily glanced at the doctor with cautious curiosity.
Yuan Li turned her head as well. “Doctor, can we take it with us?”
One big, one small—both wore the same innocent expressions, both had the same round, pleading eyes. The doctor was hit with a double dose of cuteness.
Even though she had hardened her heart, it still softened a little—but her rationality remained.
“Yuan Li, in this world now, very few people keep pets anymore.”
Yuan Li grew anxious, her expression turning serious. “I can take care of it. I can work hard and earn money.”
“That’s not the reason.” The doctor lowered her gaze to look at Yuan Li. “You’ve seen humans turn into Mutants, but animals can become Mutants too. That would be very dangerous. Besides, it’s an unidentified young creature.”
Even those with more money than they could spend didn’t just pick up random pets.
If they wanted one, they would buy from specialized breeding facilities. Those animals had been selectively bred over generations, becoming especially docile. At the same time, at least three generations of their siblings would have shown no mutation into Mutants.
That meant their genes had been screened—stable.
Not something like a random stray picked up off the street.
And besides…
“Why do you insist on taking it?”
Although she had only known Yuan Li for a short time, her personality was obvious. She wasn’t someone willful or stubborn.
Especially in her own understanding—she had come straight from a peaceful era into the apocalypse. In many matters, she didn’t insist on her own way; instead, she was willing to listen to the advice of those who had already lived through it.
But this time, she was unusually persistent.
If not for the fact that Yuan Li’s mind was clear and her pupils showed no strange discoloration, the doctor might have suspected she had already come into contact with a Mutant.
—After all, there were Mutants that looked cute and pitiful on the surface, yet possessed silent mental attacks that could subtly manipulate people.
“I just think it’s pitiful. Maybe it was suddenly abandoned too…” Yuan Li lowered her head, looking at the furball in her hands, her expression dejected. “And it’s so small. If I don’t take care of it now, can it even survive?”
The doctor’s heart softened.
Not for the furball—but for Yuan Li.
The apocalypse had only begun five years ago, but those five years had been accelerated.
Five years was enough to overturn the very rules of society.
And Yuan Li, who hadn’t experienced those five years, was both a fortunate survivor—and a pitiful one who hadn’t adapted.
Everyone else had survived after being tempered and culled by darkness.
Except her.
“If you insist on taking it back, I can give you that chance—but I have conditions,” the doctor finally relented.
Yuan Li’s dim eyes lit up instantly. “Thank you, Doctor Sis!”
“Don’t thank me yet. I said there are conditions. First, I’ll examine it. After that, it must wear a monitoring collar to track its contamination level. If it reaches Medium Risk, I’ll have you send it away. If it reaches High Risk, I’ll have someone kill it immediately. Can you accept that?”
Yuan Li’s little face turned serious. “I can accept it. I can feel that it’s good. It won’t turn into a Mutant and hurt me.”
The doctor had seen too many tragedies.
Not to mention a stray like this— even pets that had accompanied their owners for seven or eight years could suddenly mutate.
Of those, 80% would kill their original owners.
The remaining 20% would injure their owners and then flee.
There was no need to say more.
And besides, in the Cleaning Department—even if it mutated, how much danger could it really cause?
When getting into the car, Yuan Li deliberately took several tissues and carefully lined her hands before holding the furball.
She gently stroked its head with her finger. “Be good, okay? Sister has to handle something first. Later, I’ll take you back and give you a bath.”
The little furball nuzzled her finger affectionately.
In a corner Yuan Li couldn’t see—and the doctor couldn’t see either—the furball stared at Yuan Li’s pale wrist as it moved before it.
Its eyes suddenly turned a deep, blood-red.
But those once terrifying crimson eyes were now filled entirely with an intense, almost pathological attachment.
It had found her…
Mother.
Because the place where Yuan Li found the furball was already close to the hotel, they made a quick stop there.
This time, it was just to collect yesterday’s wages and request leave for the day.
After that, the two hurried back to the Cleaning Department.
Medical room.
Most of the equipment there was designed for human examinations, but checking a small furball’s contamination level wasn’t a problem.
However, when it came time for the examination, a small issue arose.
It was far too dependent on Yuan Li.
The doctor tried to place it into the testing device, but it clung desperately to Yuan Li’s finger, letting out pitiful, milk-soft cries—as if the doctor were about to drag it off to be slaughtered.
The doctor took a step back and let Yuan Li place it inside.
But it still refused to let go of Yuan Li’s finger.
Despite its tiny body and short limbs, it somehow had incredible strength. Once it latched onto her finger, it wouldn’t loosen its grip at all.
Yuan Li was afraid of hurting it if she used too much force. After a brief stalemate, it ended up with Yuan Li entering the machine together with it.
“That works. Saves me the trouble of checking you separately,” the doctor said.
Clearly, she hadn’t lowered her guard just because of the furball’s harmless appearance or Yuan Li’s seemingly normal thinking.
Fortunately, the results were good.
There was no unusual contamination on Yuan Li, and the furball’s contamination level was only 11%—a very safe range.
Some of that contamination might even have come from the dirt on its body.
Yuan Li looked at the doctor eagerly. “Doctor, do you have a basin or something? So I can give it a bath?”
The doctor handed her a basin, lined it with a disposable bag, and also gave her a pair of gloves.
“Be careful when washing it. Don’t hurt yourself.”
Yuan Li smiled brightly. “Okay, thank you for your concern, Doctor.”
As long as Yuan Li didn’t leave, the little furball was the most well-behaved little creature.
It showed none of the usual aversion fluffy animals had toward water. It obediently let Yuan Li place it into the water, and when she scrubbed it, its round eyes slowly narrowed, looking almost…enjoying it.
But Yuan Li was sweating by the time she finished.
She used four basins of water before finally getting the furball clean.
Afterward, she exclaimed in surprise, “You’re actually silver?”
She had thought it was a little black lump.
With its fur soaked and clinging to its body, the little creature looked even smaller. Without the fluff to hide it, its thin and frail body was fully exposed.
Sensing Yuan Li’s gaze on it, it rarely felt…self-conscious.
It wasn’t tall, not strong, not chubby. It looked ugly.
Would she dislike it?
No… please don’t dislike it.
“Don’t cry.” Yuan Li cupped the teary little furball in her hands. “Don’t be scared. I’ll make sure you’re well-fed in the future. I’ll raise you until you’re plump and chubby!”
The little furball’s eyes widened in shock.
Yuan Li rubbed her cheek against it, coaxing gently, “Let’s go dry your fur first, okay?”
Such gentleness.
It wanted to monopolize it.
The little furball settled comfortably in Yuan Li’s palm. As for those companions who had faintly sent probing signals due to its unusual reaction?
The little furball twitched its tiny claws—and crushed them all.
It’s fine! Don’t come at me! Definitely don’t come bother me!