Autumn winds swept past in gusts, sending fallen leaves drifting through the air.
It was just after seven in the morning when Gu Xinghang got up to prepare food for the cats.
First, he deboned the chicken wings and drumsticks and removed the bones from the fish. He then minced all the meat finely, mixed it together, cracked in an egg, and stirred everything thoroughly.
Hearing the sounds coming from the kitchen, the cats secretly followed the scent inside.
One was a black-and-white cat the size of an adult husky. At that moment, it had hooked its front paws over the edge of the counter and was standing halfway upright. It stared fixedly at the pot without so much as blinking.
Another was a tabby cat more than a metre tall. Its tail was short and almost completely bald, as though it had once suffered a severe injury. It paced restlessly around the stove, apparently unable to wait for breakfast.
There was also a blue-grey cat, which simply flopped down on the floor. It looked much like a tiger curled up for a nap.
Once the ingredients had been placed in the pot to steam, Gu Xinghang finally had some free time. He sat down beside the blue cat and absentmindedly stroked its fur.
The blue cat looked utterly disdainful, as though it thought the human before it was terrible at petting cats and wanted to replace him with a more competent servant.
Unfortunately, there was no one else around for it to order about, so it could only continue lying there, aggrieved.
Although Gu Xinghang’s hand continued stroking the cat, his thoughts gradually drifted elsewhere.
It was currently October of the year 2001 on the Federation Calendar.
It was also the second year of the apocalypse.
For some people, the apocalypse was hell.
For others, it was paradise.
Some had fallen from their original social class, while others had climbed even higher.
Unfortunately, Gu Xinghang belonged to the group whose lives had only grown worse.
Before the apocalypse, he had been a genuine second-generation rich kid. He could swipe his credit card without hesitation and buy whatever he wanted.
After the apocalypse, he became lame in one leg. It had taken him considerable effort just to find a job feeding cats, and the salary barely allowed him to support himself.
How had things ended up this way?
Without meaning to, Gu Xinghang began remembering the past.
In July of the year 1999 on the Federation Calendar, he had just graduated from university when his parents unfortunately died in a plane crash.
To take over the company and reassure its employees, he had worked himself into the ground, staying up late and working overtime every day.
Six months later, the company finally stabilised.
He had been preparing to throw himself wholeheartedly into expanding the business when the apocalypse arrived.
Beginning on New Year’s Day in the year 2000, plants and animals across the globe silently began to evolve.
However, humanity was not the protagonist of this evolutionary tide.
Although humans became stronger and faster, and their overall physical abilities improved significantly, they were ultimately no match for the other species.
Eagles became the rulers of the skies, their bodies growing larger than aeroplanes.
Large dogs grew almost as big as cars and possessed exceptional fighting ability.
Even ordinary household rats became as large as millstones, with astonishing bite strength!
During the early stages of the evolution, only a small number of people realised that something was different from before.
Most people noticed nothing and continued living their peaceful little lives.
Gu Xinghang had been the same.
At the time, real estate, finance, and the automobile industry were booming. Gu Xinghang had gone to great lengths to acquire an expensive plot of land in the city centre, intending to develop it into a commercial district.
Yet less than two months later, incidents of animals attacking humans began occurring more and more frequently.
For instance, someone would take their pet to be neutered, only for the doctor to be seriously injured the moment the procedure began, while the pet vanished without a trace.
Or someone would buy a chicken from the market and ask the stallholder to slaughter it on the spot. Instead, the chicken would swiftly beat the stallholder to the ground.
Enthusiastic bystanders would roll up their sleeves and rush over to help, only to be knocked down one after another.
The chicken would then flap its wings, fly to a high place, and look down arrogantly at the crowd as though it were staring at a group of insignificant weaklings.
There were also stray cats that rummaged through rubbish bins for food. Any brat foolish enough to throw stones at one was guaranteed to be beaten until their head was covered in bumps.
Occasionally, the cats would even extort food from them.
Refuse to hand it over?
The beating would continue.
…
Gu Xinghang had never been in the habit of keeping pets. Whenever he saw similar reports, he assumed the media was making things up to attract attention.
Besides, he was busy planning the commercial district. He already felt that there were not enough hours in the day for sleep, so he truly had no energy to pay attention to anything else.
It was not until mutated animals began running rampant through the streets and he was attacked while driving, nearly causing a car accident, that he finally realised the severity of the situation.
Unfortunately, by then, it was already too late to acquire a domesticated pet for protection.
Every family that owned a cat or dog treated it like a precious treasure. None of them were willing to sell their pets.
Meanwhile, the situation continued to deteriorate.
Some employees were attacked by mutated animals and died unexpectedly.
Others were so terrified that they trembled constantly and insisted on resigning to return home.
Still others owned dogs, cats, and birds. After the apocalypse, they were able to find far better employment and were therefore unwilling to remain at the company.
Industries that had once been popular gradually declined.
Meanwhile, businesses involving pet sales, pet food, and even agriculture rapidly flourished.
To secure the land and develop the commercial district, Gu Xinghang had invested a vast sum of money in the early stages of the project.
When his workforce dwindled and the company’s funding chain collapsed, he knew the company was finished.
After dismissing the remaining employees, he planned to return to his villa to rest and think about his future.
However, on his way home, he encountered a mutated animal that had gone berserk and injured his leg.
Had someone not passed by and rescued him, he would have lost his life as well.
Remembering everything that had happened, Gu Xinghang sighed, a bitter expression appearing on his face.
“Families that owned pets before the apocalypse are all doing quite well now. Those who didn’t own any pets live in constant fear, no matter how successful they were before.”
“Tell me, why didn’t I ever think to raise a cat or a dog back then?”
The blue cat lifted one of its hind legs and scratched its neck, its expression exceptionally profound.
*First, improve your cat-petting skills. We can discuss everything else afterwards.*
As time passed, the aroma from the stove gradually spread throughout the kitchen.
The black-and-white cat’s eyes lit up. It seemed to have smelled the arrival of breakfast.
The tabby cat ran back and forth, its face filled with impatience.
The blue cat pretended not to care, but its nose twitched continuously as it secretly began to drool.
After being interrupted like this, Gu Xinghang no longer felt like reminiscing about the past.
He stood up, stirred the ingredients, and examined them for a moment before announcing, “You’ll have to wait a little longer. It isn’t ready yet.”
*It’s already ready! We can eat it now!*
The tabby cat let out a loud meow. It stared intensely at Gu Xinghang, attempting to force him to change his answer.
Before Gu Xinghang could respond, a clear female voice sounded from behind him.
“Why did you get up so early to cook for them?”
The moment it heard the familiar voice, the tabby cat’s body stiffened.
It shrank into itself, darted into a corner, and sat there with exceptional obedience, pretending it had done absolutely nothing.
As she spoke, a young woman walked over.
She had fair skin, jet-black hair, and eyes as clear as a spring. Not only was she beautiful, but her presence also made others feel comfortable.
An adult German Shepherd followed closely beside her, maintaining its vigilance at all times.
Although the German Shepherd was still the same size as an ordinary dog from before the apocalypse, the instant it appeared, both the tabby and the black-and-white cat became exceptionally obedient.
Even the blue cat could not help stiffening before rising and moving quietly into the corner.
“You frightened them.” Gao Xuan stroked the German Shepherd’s head.
The German Shepherd affectionately rubbed against her hand before baring its teeth “amicably” at the cats.
*That was a threat!*
*That was a provocation!*
The blue cat puffed up with anger before swiftly curling itself into a small ball.
It had always known when to yield and would never provoke an opponent it could not defeat.
Only then did Gao Xuan look at Gu Xinghang.
She said gently, “I told you that you don’t have to wake up this early. As long as everything is ready before eight thirty, it’s fine.”
Gu Xinghang smiled.
“I couldn’t sleep anyway. There’s nothing wrong with feeding them earlier.”
Before she could persuade him any further, he turned away and concentrated on preparing the cat food.
However, when no one was watching, a trace of dejection appeared in his eyes.
Unlike a failure like him, Gao Xuan was doing exceptionally well.
Before the apocalypse, Gao Xuan had been a veterinarian at an animal hospital and frequently rescued pitiful animals.
After the apocalypse, she opened a new hospital specialising in treating mutated animals.
The cats and dogs she had once rescued either refused to leave the hospital and voluntarily found work for themselves, or wandered outside and occasionally returned with prey in their mouths to visit her.
As for the German Shepherd beside her, its previous owner had apparently died, and the owner’s relatives had decided to abandon it.
Gao Xuan had brought the dog home and provided it with excellent food and care.
Now, the German Shepherd had evolved to an extremely high degree.
Its name was known far and wide, and it was one of the overlords of City A. No one dared provoke it.
When Gu Xinghang injured his leg and nearly lost his life, it had been Gao Xuan and the German Shepherd who rescued him.
“The food is ready.”
The sound of his own voice interrupted Gu Xinghang’s thoughts.
He abruptly came back to his senses, mixed the minced meat into some white rice, and served it to the three cats.
The three enormous cats immediately began eating happily without lifting their heads.
Gao Xuan watched them for a while before suddenly asking, “Would you like to adopt a cat?”
Gu Xinghang froze.
Gao Xuan said seriously, “In times like these, nowhere is truly safe. It’s always better to have a pet accompanying you.”
“There are many animals without owners in the hospital, and I can’t look after all of them by myself.”
“If you adopted one, it would be good for both you and the cat.”
Gu Xinghang was extremely tempted.
However, after a moment, he shook his head and refused.
“Even if I were willing, they wouldn’t be.”
After evolving, animals had clearly become more intelligent. They could distinguish between good and bad people.
The only reason they were willing to remain at the hospital was because Gao Xuan was here.
As for him, he was merely a random handyman.
These days, humans could no longer adopt whichever pet they wanted.
If the animal was unwilling, it could beat its supposed owner to the ground within minutes.
In that case, rather than acquiring a bodyguard, he would have brought home an enemy—or perhaps an assassin.
“You haven’t even asked them. How do you know what they think?” Gao Xuan asked in confusion.
Gu Xinghang laughed self-deprecatingly.
“I didn’t raise any of them from childhood, nor did I save their lives. There’s no reason for any of them to choose me.”
After hearing this, Gao Xuan could no longer say anything.
She merely reminded him, “Tell me if you change your mind.”
“I will.”
After thanking her, Gu Xinghang left the kitchen. He picked up a broom and went outside to clean.
Gao Xuan turned around and crouched beside the blue cat. She poked its plump face in disappointment.
“How could none of them like him? I think you’re rather fond of him.”
The blue cat continued eating breakfast with an exceptionally aloof expression.
*I’m not.*
*I don’t.*
*Stop talking nonsense.*
Apart from preparing food for the cats, Gu Xinghang was also responsible for cleaning the hospital.
A fallen leaf lazily spun in a circle on the ground before being carried away by the wind.
Gu Xinghang walked over and was about to pick it up when he raised his head.
His expression abruptly changed.
A praying mantis more than a metre tall was hiding there, its forelegs as sharp as blades.
It had silently crouched in the corner, and no one knew how long it had been hiding there.
The hospital had never kept praying mantises.
Realising this, Gu Xinghang shouted, “Enemy attack!”
Before his voice had even faded, the mantis’s foreleg pierced through his chest.
It then violently pulled it back out.
Blood immediately poured from the wound.
Before collapsing, Gu Xinghang saw Gao Xuan, the German Shepherd, and the blue cat rushing towards him, their faces filled with anxiety.
Then he completely lost consciousness.
…
In a villa on the outskirts of the city.
Inside one of the bedrooms, a young man’s brows were tightly furrowed. Cold sweat covered his skin as though he were trapped in a nightmare.
Although he struggled desperately, he could not escape the dream.
Suddenly, his eyes flew open.
He sat up abruptly and gasped heavily for breath.
“Was it a dream?”
For a moment, Gu Xinghang could not distinguish reality from the dream.
He seemed to have experienced a nightmare, yet every detail within it had been so clear that it felt as though everything had truly happened.
He unlocked his phone and glanced at the screen.
His gaze immediately froze.
The calendar showed that today was September 23rd, 1999, according to the Federation Calendar.
—
**Author’s Note:**
Writing about military or political matters can easily get a story deleted with a 404 error, so sensitive topics will not be mentioned.
This is a completely fictional setting. Please automatically rationalise anything that seems unreasonable.
【Different flowers appeal to different eyes. Everyone has different tastes, so there is no need to force yourself. I hope you enjoy the story.】
**
The prologue is written from the male lead’s perspective, and the male lead is also the one who was reborn. Beginning with the next chapter, the story will be written from the female lead’s perspective.
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