"Huff, huff~"
Shao Zifeng lay sprawled out on the bed, gasping heavily, trying to calm his racing heart. Following suit, Qiuqiu spread all five limbs—counting the tail—exposing its soft little belly, and lay next to Shao Zifeng, also gasping for air.
Shao Zifeng looked at the panting Qiuqiu, bewildered. "I carried you the whole way, why are you panting?"
Qiuqiu, feeling shy under Shao Zifeng's gaze, quickly curled up into a ball, exposing just its little eyes.
It peeked at Shao Zifeng.
⁄(⁄⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄⁄)⁄
"By the way, Qiuqiu, what were you chasing just now?" As his breathing gradually steadied, Shao Zifeng turned to look at the Qiuqiu egg.
Upon hearing this, Qiuqiu's spirits lifted immediately. It stretched its body and started gesturing wildly in front of Shao Zifeng...
Shao Zifeng fell silent. He could sense Qiuqiu's excitement, pride, and triumphant feelings, but he honestly didn't understand lizard language. Seeing the confused look on Shao Zifeng's face, Qiuqiu grew anxious.
Suddenly, its eyes lit up. It jumped onto the computer desk, grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, and ran back to Shao Zifeng's side, placing the paper on the bed. Qiuqiu grasped the pen with its tiny claws and struggled to draw something on the paper.
Shao Zifeng watched Qiuqiu with interest. After a few moments, the postmodern abstract artist, Qiuqiu, had drawn four wavy, radiating lines on the paper. Then, with a dramatic flair, it transformed into a postmodern performance artist, Qiuqiu, and lay flat on the paper, lifted its little head, and looked at Shao Zifeng expectantly.
Emmmmm.
Shao Zifeng propped his chin with his hand, staring at Qiuqiu, who was spread out on the paper surrounded by radial lines, lost in thought.
So, what is this?
Realizing that Shao Zifeng didn't understand its meaning, Qiuqiu sat up cross-legged on the paper, imitating Shao Zifeng's pose, propping its chin with its tiny claws, looking irresistibly cute. Shao Zifeng's tough guy heart was about to melt.
Suddenly, Qiuqiu clenched its left claw into a fist, struck its open right claw, and had an epiphany.
Then it grabbed the pen, which was almost as tall as it was, again, and drew four more wavy lines. It then quickly crawled to the center of the eight lines, curled into a ball, and continued to look at Shao Zifeng expectantly.
"A round ball with four radiating lines on each side, could it be the sun?"
Upon hearing this, Qiuqiu puffed up angrily.
"Just kidding," Shao Zifeng said, lightly stroking Qiuqiu to soothe it.
"A round ball, eight lines on either side, what could it be?" Shao Zifeng rubbed his temples, pondering deeply.
At that moment, an image flashed through his mind, a round spider abdomen, and eight iron-like sharp claws lunging at him.
"Qiuqiu, were you chasing a tarantula today?" Shao Zifeng asked, opening his eyes.
"Ying ying ao~"
Seeing that Shao Zifeng had finally guessed correctly, Qiuqiu breathed a sigh of relief and happily climbed onto Shao Zifeng's chest, seeking praise.
"What happened to that tarantula?" Shao Zifeng lifted Qiuqiu to eye level.
Qiuqiu thought seriously for a moment, trying to find a simple way to explain it to this stupid biped so he could understand quickly.
Qiuqiu jumped out of Shao Zifeng's arms, swept the paper to the floor with its tail, then puffed up its cheeks, and a tiny flame fell on the paper, instantly igniting it, turning it to ashes.
It then pointed to the ashes on the floor with its tiny claws and patted its chest proudly.
"Burned to ashes?" Shao Zifeng asked incredulously.
Hearing Shao Zifeng's tone, Qiuqiu raised its chin even higher, waiting for Shao Zifeng to praise it.
"Meow~"
Before receiving any praise, a weak meowing sound came from the corner. Qiuqiu glared angrily at the white cat. Only then did Shao Zifeng remember that he seemed to have brought back a dying cat.
He got up and walked to the barely breathing white cat, ignoring its resentful gaze, as blue light flashed in his eyes.
[Name]: Mutant House Cat
[Growth]: Growth Phase
[State]: Critical, Afraid
[Strength]: None
[Phylum]: Chordata
[Class]: Mammalia
[Order]: Carnivora
[Family]: Felidae
[Attribute]: None
[Potential]: ★
[Talent]: Pure Water Vapor: Filters and purifies air by washing it with a water curtain, increasing humidity, and sending clean, moist air indoors through airflow, thus improving environmental humidity and cleanliness.
[Skills]: Being Cute, Coquetry
[Description]: A mutant house cat, it perfectly substitutes a humidifier with its soft, cute appearance as its means of survival.
Indeed, it was a standard household pet template, but he didn't know how to treat a pet nor could he send it to a pet hospital, which made things difficult.
Suddenly, Shao Zifeng remembered a healing potion he had purchased on the platform in his backpack, so he got up to retrieve it.
He fed the white cat a pill for internal injuries and sprayed a few times on its wounds with an external injury spray.
Given the limited conditions, it seemed he could only do this much, so its survival was up to fate.
Hopefully, it would pull through.
...
"Dear Mr. 9331, your mission report has been submitted. We will dispatch a specialist to verify it in person. Once approved, the corresponding rewards and items will be automatically credited to your account. As for the household pet mentioned in your report, please handle it yourself. Have a pleasant day."
The phone screen went dark, and Shao Zifeng's world turned black. After his eyes adjusted, the low-wattage heat lamp in the snake cabinet emitted a faint glow.
Feeling Qiuqiu sleeping soundly in his arms, a complex look flashed in Shao Zifeng's eyes. Although the mission investigation was completed, it seemed he found himself tangled in another troublesome matter.
A large number of missing household pets, the sudden appearance of the tarantula, and the evolution method described about the Blood-sucking Tarantula all combined seemed to form an invisible net that surrounded not just him but maybe the entirety of Su City.
"Sigh, ultimately, I'm just too weak." Shao Zifeng felt a bit frustrated and confined.
"Ying~"
In its sleep, feeling Shao Zifeng's emotional fluctuations, Qiuqiu clutched his clothes tightly with its tiny claws.
Shao Zifeng's heart softened, and his gaze grew tender.
Such a clingy little guy.
No wonder some tough guys would shout at their pets, "Transform for daddy!"
Hmm? But whether Qiuqiu was male or female...
Darn, he didn't actually know. How do you tell the gender of a lizard?
Lost in random thoughts, Shao Zifeng slowly drifted off to sleep.
...
Pei Yong, exhausted after a busy day, finally reached the end of his shift. Thinking of his wife possibly waiting for him at home, he hurriedly tidied up his desk, wishing he could appear at his doorstep the next second.
With the heavy burden gone, he felt like he was back in those days of dating his wife, fulfilling and happy.
"Ding~"
In the dark, deserted office building, the phone's notification sound was unusually clear.
Pei Yong's heart tightened. He stopped walking, paused for a moment, and pulled out his phone with trembling hands.
His face turned deathly pale in an instant.
"I'm downstairs at your place."