After being dried off, the little furball turned into a fluffy, clean, lemon-scented bundle of cuteness.
It sat obediently in Yuan Li’s palm, letting out soft, milky little cries.
Yuan Li stared at it for a while before hesitantly asking the doctor, “Is it a cat… or something else?”
The doctor didn’t have much experience with small animals either, but judging from its appearance…
“It looks like a cross between a cat and a red panda.”
Yuan Li: “?”
She stared in disbelief. “A cat and a red panda? Aren’t those two different species?”
What about biological barriers?
“The apocalypse has already happened—what’s impossible anymore?” the doctor said matter-of-factly.
Yuan Li: “…”
Alright.
That actually made sense.
Besides, even if it was a hybrid, this little furball was exceptionally adorable.
It perfectly combined the best features of both a cat and a red panda—round feline face, long-lined eyes, large ears, slightly shorter front paws, sturdier hind legs, and a long, fluffy tail with layered silver ring patterns.
“Then I’ll take you in for now!” Yuan Li smiled as she gently tapped its damp little nose. “You’re so cute, and your fur looks like it’s dusted with frost. I’ll call you Shuangtang, okay?”
“Meow~”
The little creature tilted its head and rubbed against Yuan Li’s finger, clearly liking the name.
“Little Shuangtang, Little Shuangtang!”
“Meow~ meow~”
“It looks quite intelligent,” the doctor said, staring at Shuangtang, though something still felt off.
Yuan Li blinked, speaking as if it were obvious. “If it wasn’t smart, how would it know to ask me for help?”
That wasn’t quite the same thing.
The doctor couldn’t pinpoint what felt wrong. She stared at Shuangtang for a long time, making the little furball—who had been focused on Yuan Li—finally turn its head and meet her gaze.
Wait…
How had it sounded before?
It didn’t seem to have been making cat-like “meow” sounds! The meowing had only started after they assumed it was a cat!
As that thought flashed through her mind, the beast’s pupils—meeting her gaze—suddenly turned red.
The doctor’s body stiffened. A flash of red flickered through her eyes as well.
Then it disappeared.
When she came back to herself, she had already forgotten her earlier suspicion. She simply looked at the tiny furball and said to Yuan Li, “Don’t get too close to it. It’s still young, and that makes it unstable.”
Yuan Li replied, “Okay, I’ll be careful.”
But in reality, Shuangtang’s fur was far too soft and smooth—she simply couldn’t resist petting it like a devoted fanatic.
Seeing that she couldn’t be persuaded, the doctor sighed and took out a collar.
“It probably won’t let me touch it. You put this on it.”
Yuan Li took the collar and, under the doctor’s guidance, gently fastened it around Shuangtang’s neck.
The collar was silver, but against its moonlit silver fur, it stood out clearly.
“We’ll just wear this for now,” Yuan Li soothed softly. “It’s to check if you’re healthy. If everything’s fine later, we’ll take it off.”
Fortunately, although small, the little creature had a very stable temperament.
Even though the collar made it uncomfortable, it only whimpered softly and acted spoiled toward Yuan Li.
Yuan Li felt a pang of sympathy and stroked its fluffy head. “Are you hungry? Let’s get something tasty to eat.”
Ten minutes later.
A small bowl of milk sat in front of the little one—provided by the doctor.
Smelling the milk Yuan Li had poured herself, the fluffy creature meowed twice at her, as if expressing gratitude.
Then it buried its head and started drinking eagerly.
Yuan Li could even see its tiny, tender tongue lapping quickly at the milk—it was unbearably cute.
She suppressed her excitement and didn’t dare touch it.
After all, she knew that some small animals—especially when starving—could become protective over their food.
Just then, its long tail casually brushed against her hand.
Almost instinctively, Yuan Li pinched the tail lightly.
Before the little one could react, she was already feeling guilty.
But after waiting for a while and seeing no strong reaction, she blinked and tried gently pinching it again.
Still no response.
It seemed the starving little thing was too absorbed in eating to care.
First of all, she was not someone obsessed with cute things.
She was just trying to comfort Shuangtang, who hadn’t yet adapted to the environment—definitely not petting it for her own enjoyment.
With a serious face, Yuan Li’s hand slowly moved from the tail up along its back.
When she felt its body stiffen slightly, her hand froze as well.
But Little Shuangtang let out a small milk hiccup and continued eating.
Yuan Li let out a sigh of relief.
After finishing the bowl of milk, its little belly puffed out slightly.
Yuan Li gently touched its stomach. “I don’t know how long you’ve been hungry, so we won’t eat too much at once. I’ll feed you again in two hours, okay?”
Shuangtang nodded obediently.
Yuan Li praised it, “Good baby.”
With a little one to take care of, Yuan Li brought up the topic of work.
“I’m not sure if I can still work at the hotel. Doctor sis, do you have any jobs to recommend?” She quickly added when she saw the doctor’s expression light up, “Something outside the Cleaning Department.”
The doctor instantly lost most of her enthusiasm. “I really don’t understand—why are you so against working for the Cleaning Department?”
Yuan Li looked at her innocently. “I don’t like fighting and killing.”
The doctor shot back, “You don’t like fighting, yet you’re learning killing techniques from Hong Yuan?”
Yuan Li had her own logic. “That’s self-defense.”
The doctor: “…”
“Fine. Go rest first. I’ll ask around for you.”
Yuan Li held Shuangtang and followed the doctor to her residence.
It was a small two-bedroom apartment. One room was unoccupied—perfect for Yuan Li.
As for the doctor?
Of course, she had to go to work.
After the doctor left, Yuan Li finally relaxed.
She lay on the bed, letting Shuangtang curl up on her stomach, spacing out for a long while.
When she saved it earlier, she had been filled with overwhelming affection and attachment, almost pleading for its sake.
Her emotions back then… had felt off.
Was it because of Little Shuangtang?
Yuan Li couldn’t help glancing down at it. The little furball was already curled up asleep, even letting out tiny snores.
Yuan Li: “…”
Forget it.
Even if Shuangtang was a little unusual—or even if it had charmed her with its cuteness—so what?
She herself had grown tentacles, hadn’t she?
Weren’t they about the same?
Instead, it was the doctor’s tolerance toward her that made her uneasy.
Before she knew what the Cleaning Department actually did, she thought they were kind.
But after learning the truth, one thought lingered—
What value did she have?
Before she could figure it out, Shuangtang’s soft snores made her drowsy as well.
Her eyelids grew heavy, and without much resistance, she fell asleep.
One human and one fluffy creature slept warmly together, missing dinner and sleeping straight into the night.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Hong Yuan and her team of five, along with ten others as a vanguard, traveled day and night. Their tires nearly sparked from friction. Fortunately, they didn’t encounter any troublesome Mutants along the way.
At 2 a.m., they finally reached the area marked as the domain of the SSS-level Mutant, codenamed “Meteor.”
Arriving early left everyone fatigued and stiff.
But there was no time to waste. Captain Lin pointed at the ten vanguard members. “Split into two groups. Go in and scout.”
The ten gritted their teeth and entered despite the danger.
Exploring an SSS-level Mutant even once would be enough to wipe clean their past crimes. After that, they could become regular members of the Cleaning Department—no longer sent on near-certain death missions.
The edge of the zone was about ten kilometers from the Mutant’s location.
From there, they had to proceed on foot.
After walking five kilometers, they would reach the highest peak, from which they could overlook the basin below.
Among the ten were two Evolvers.
Forty minutes later, Captain Lin received a communication from one of them.
“SSS-level Mutant ‘Meteor’… has disappeared!!!”