Chapter 78

Chapter 78

Snowball the kitten dashed forward.

Within minutes, they reached the town.

By now, Peach Blossom Town had become a nightmarish living hell.

Terrified townsfolk heard screams, cries of "monster," and mentions of mutated spiders...

Giant spiders—some a meter wide, others the size of bowls—swarmed out in droves.

With a spray of silk, glass shattered, making indoor hiding pointless.

Even with burglar bars, the larger mutated spiders couldn’t enter, but their silk shattered windows, allowing smaller ones to crawl inside.

Screams erupted as countless people fled their homes...

Director Huang Ming and his team quickly received word and immediately mobilized officers, grabbing pistols, axes, and flamethrowers.

The spiders were overwhelming in number. The bowl-sized ones were easy enough to kill, but the ones the size of fingernails were nearly impossible to stop.

One bite triggered blistering, left victims weak and collapsing, unable to escape.

"Flamethrowers—now! Evacuate!" Huang Ming barked.

The special forces rushed to the front lines, but their efforts were too little, too late. Many were bitten, and some townspeople helped carry rescued officers and soldiers to safety.

Without these defenders, they would have already been dragged away by the spiders.

"Holy shit, what’s that?" someone shouted, pointing at a glowing massive creature.

Eyes widened in shock. "A cat! It's a cat! Jesus Christ, a mutated cat is here—run!"

"Run! Run! The mutated cat is coming!" The townspeople screamed in panic.

An officer turned back and saw the enormous glowing feline behind them. "We're done for. Director Huang, take the men and retreat. Trapped between wolves and tigers—get the civilians out. We’ll cover you."

Director Huang turned around, as did the special forces who had gone with him to Huo Village.

When they saw the giant silver cat, they called out, "Don’t panic! This cat doesn’t hurt people. We know it."

Just as Huang Ming said, the giant cat leaped over the defensive line and pounced straight on the huge mutated spiders.

Qi Mo stared at the long-legged spider, then at his fluffy black-legged cub, his whole body trembling.

"Snowball! Snowball, get rid of it! Who let this ugly freak out here?!" Qi Mo shouted, revolted.

Huo Liangzhou noticed Momo’s ashen face.

"What’s wrong, love?" Huo Liangzhou pulled him into his arms.

Qi Mo looked up. "It’s too disgusting. I’m gonna puke—it’s hideous."

Especially after seeing the victims of spider venom—huge, pus-filled blisters burst open, flesh dissolving from the toxins.

Huo Liangzhou reacted instantly. "Get to the space—now! I’ll handle these freaks. Just stay safe."

Qi Mo was yanked into the pocket dimension by Huo Liangzhou.

Seeing Daddy kneeling by the fruit tree, gripping a branch and retching uncontrollably, Qiu Qiu quickly understood what was happening.

A soft light washed over Qi Mo.

When the light faded, Qi Mo felt warmth spreading through his body, the nausea subsiding significantly.

Looking at Qiu Qiu, Qi Mo said, "Thank you, Qiu Qiu."

Qiu Qiu meowed in response.

Picking on Chubby Baby was fine, but messing with Daddy? No way.

As Qiu Qiu dashed off to get revenge for him, Qi Mo couldn’t help but wonder what he’d done to deserve such an incredible child. Truly, fate had blessed him this time around.

Chubby Baby crawled across the freshly laid wooden floor of the half-built cabin.

The little cabin was still just a skeleton—recently everyone had been too busy, and Huo Liangzhou hadn’t had time to continue construction.

But with the floor laid and a mat rolled out, the baby could at least crawl around.

A plastic water tank stood nearby. After cleaning it, Qi Mo walked over to the chubby baby, who was about to crawl off the edge.

He grabbed the baby just as those little hands reached past the edge, then took a deep breath. The baby really did smell sweet—absolutely wonderful.

The defensive line was packed with special forces, cops, government staff, and locals—everyone who dared to fight was going all out.

When Director Huang shouted, a massive, glowing cat dropped right in front of the defensive line. Blade-like spider legs stabbed forward, while thick, sticky webs fired at the mutant cat.

Everyone watched as the big cat swiped its paw—sending the previously unstoppable mutated spider crashing to the ground with one hit.

The crowd gasped—this cat was insane.

As the webs flew at it, the cat opened its mouth and unleashed a pillar of fire...

Webs and spider alike went up in flames.

The cat turned its head, setting the ground ablaze. Dozens of spiders big and small burst into fire, the air reeking of charred spider guts.

The crowd cheered as the mutant spiders were stopped cold.

Director Huang wasn’t wrong—this mutated cat was on their side.

"Move up, move up! Crush any spiders that get past!" Director Huang shouted, watching the cat chase down the remaining spiders.

If they didn’t reclaim their homes before daylight, they’d burn, get heatstroke, and die under the sun.

And food—no one could survive without it.

When Qiu Qiu appeared, it touched down with a roar, instantly making dozens of little spiders pop like balloons.

Snowball, the second brother, was just as ruthless.

Those spiders must’ve disgusted Daddy, angering the second brother.

That guy always said he didn’t give a damn about not having a mom.

Dad said they never had one.

Later, Dad explained that while they truly had no mother, they did have a Daddy—unfortunately, Daddy had died when they were born.

Their birthdays fell on the same day Daddy and big brother died.

Later, Second Brother stopped celebrating his birthday altogether.

He never brought up Daddy or big brother again.

They had never met Daddy or big brother, so they didn’t feel much connection.

But Dad had always missed them deeply.

It was said that eldest brother was incredibly adorable as a child—chubby, sweet-smelling, super cuddly.

Now Kitty Snowball completely believed Dad’s words—Daddy was extremely gentle, an absolute sweetheart who charmed everyone.

As for eldest brother, don’t even get him started—milky, fragrant, soft and squishy, truly the cutest. Nothing beat napping on his tummy.

Ah, the one bad habit he had was always wanting to bite the cats.

But eldest brother treated everyone equally—whether it was Daddy, Dad, or Second Brother, he’d give everyone a test nibble first, meow meow meow…

Every time Kitty Snowball saw Second Brother getting bitten and gnawed helplessly by eldest brother, it cracked him up.

The two brothers soon led Dad into the poplar grove together.

Deep in the grove, at the foot of the mountain, there was a gaping cavern. Inside, countless little spiders crawled around, and skeleton after skeleton—picked clean—leaned against rock walls or lay scattered messily on the ground…

Huo Liangzhou sighed. All these people died, yet the town hadn’t noticed at all.

If they had discovered these mutant spiders earlier, they could’ve wiped them out easier.

Fortunately, they found them in time—otherwise, the whole town would’ve been spider chow.

After over ten minutes of fighting, Kitty Snowball and Qiu Qiu pushed deeper into the cave, where they found water seeping from the ground. No wonder the mutant spiders bred like crazy.

With layer upon layer of webs insulating the area, this place wouldn’t dry out fast.

Huo Liangzhou came back from deep inside the cave.

Director Huang was leading special forces members with torches, while carrying a hurricane lantern himself.

"Liangzhou, when did you get here?" Director Huang asked.

Huo Liangzhou glanced at him. "I got here earlier. Who do you think saved your bacon?"

"My god, that cat—it was you?" Director Huang exclaimed.

Huo Liangzhou’s lips twitched. "If you say so. Let’s not get into that. I found water deep in the cave, trapped under layers of webs. If you destroy the webs, this place will dry out fast."

"There's still water here? Then I’ll think of a way to avoid damaging the webs," Director Huang replied.

Huo Liangzhou nodded. "Seal the entrance first, then figure out the rest."

"You're one hell of a fighter. Uh, next time something like this happens, can we still count on you?" Director Huang asked.

Huo Liangzhou nodded. "If there’s trouble, tell my young master—Momo. I’m often away from home lately. Give me a day’s notice—if I’m around, I've got your back."

Huang Ming perked up hearing Huo Liangzhou’s straightforward answer.

Their bureau was almost out of ammo.

If we encounter any more mutated animals, we'll really have to grab our knives and fight.

"How did you manage that cat transformation ability? Could you share how you did it so our soldiers can learn a thing or two?" Huang Ming inquired.

Huo Liangzhou replied, "Tricky—it's inborn. It's an awakened ability. There's a power awakener in Chenjia Village; you could try recruiting them."

"If you genuinely want to awaken abilities, then seek out my Little Master. If he's in a good mood, he might have a way," Huo Liangzhou added after some thought.

With stronger personnel under Director Huang's command, this area would be safer.

Director Huang and the special forces team were generally reliable, with morals—at least they'd rush to the frontlines when danger arose.

They were brave and willing to die, which was why Huo Liangzhou even suggested it.

Director Huang was puzzled. "Why do we need to make the Little Master—no, Momo—happy?"

"Quit asking so many questions! Just do as I say. The one with this ability isn't me—it's my Little Master," Huo Liangzhou said before being interrupted.

Huang Ming interjected, "You mean this is Momo's ability?"

Shaking his head, Huo Liangzhou clarified, "No, it's the ability of the chubby baby in Momo's belly. Now you understand, right? Make Momo happy, and the baby might help you awaken."

Huang Ming's eyes widened in disbelief. What kind of nonsense—an unborn baby's ability?

"You're saying your unborn child has abilities? Are you pulling my leg or just making excuses?" he retorted.

Huo Liangzhou shrugged. "Believe it or not. Do you think I could awaken two kitties on my own? That’s my son’s projected form."

"Why do you think the kitty only plays with Momo? Because that’s his own baby—who else would it cling to?" Huo Liangzhou explained.

The baby was his pride.

"I’m heading back now. I need to put the Little Master to bed. You all carry on," Huo Liangzhou said, taking his leave.

Huang Ming's mind was still reeling—he couldn’t quite process it all.

Though he’d read novels in his youth, this was straight out of fantasy—an unborn baby with such formidable power?

That scoundrel Huo Liangzhou—no wonder he pulled strings to get Qi Mo back then!

Truly, the ultra-wealthy had a sharp eye for talent.

I’d love a dozen such babies myself—I'm green with envy...

While arranging tasks, Huang Ming resolved to visit the Little Master first thing tomorrow for help.

Without some ace up our sleeve, he doubted he could hold this town.

Huo Liangzhou blinked home.

Entering the space, he found the whole family—except him—lounging on the cabin floor.

"Momo, stop teasing the chubby baby. Have some snacks, then it’s time to rest," Huo Liangzhou said as he walked onto the floor.

In the capital, Bai Bin turned to Chou Yun. "Does your memory contain anything about the 'Divine Messenger'?"

Chou Yun shook his head. "No such memory. This lifetime is different from the last. Qi Huai’s ability is dangerously contagious. If left unchecked, all of Daxia will become his mindless followers, robbed of free will. It's downright horrifying."

Bai Bin agreed—it was indeed horrifying.

It felt like everyone would become mindless puppets.

"Huo Liangzhou survived into the late-stage apocalypse. We need to pick his brain," Bai Bin said.