End of the World 15
Lu Mang touched his chest—empty.
He had no memories of being human, only a vague sense that something was missing.
The feeling made him irritable.
Dark energy burst from his body, instantly shredding the two zombies closest to him.
Yet the remaining zombies didn’t retreat. If anything, they became even more frenzied.
They could sense it—this newly risen king was far stronger than the last. So much stronger that even their bloodthirsty instincts compelled them to kneel.
For a brief moment, the thrill of slaughter outweighed his inner turmoil. But almost immediately, the emptiness and rage returned—stronger than before.
The sensation of missing something grew even clearer.
Lu Mang’s eyes darkened. He threw his head back and let out a deafening roar.
A warning.
He didn’t understand the emptiness inside him, so all he could do was confirm—over and over—that nothing around him was the cause of his restlessness.
The kneeling zombies trembled, no longer daring to move closer.
They cowered, pressed against the ground, gazing up at him in worship.
Lu Mang stilled. Then, he started walking.
Aimless. Yet, somehow, as if searching for something.
. . . . .
At the same time, Tang Xi was moving forward, following the system’s guidance.
A tiny golden British Shorthair, soft and fluffy, padding along on tender little paws.
His four short legs wobbled as he trotted, each step landing with a faint plap plap plap.
The zombies ignored him completely. Even the mutated plants and beasts didn’t bother bullying a lone kitten.
The only downside was that his dainty paw pads were getting sore.
Tang Xi pulled out a pack of dried fish from his system space and munched away.
[Did they see my note?]
1551: [They did. Chen Yao and Huang Yuanmiao wanted to come after you, but they’re crucial fighters for the team. If they leave, it’ll weaken the group, making it even harder for them to reach the base safely.]
Right now, Yi Feng was leading the team.
The other ability users couldn’t afford to let their strongest fighters chase after Tang Xi.
Tang Xi’s note had been very clear—he told them not to come looking for him, warned them about Jiang Wenshu, and even exposed the scheming within the base.
They probably thought he was leaving his final words before running off to die with Lu Mang.
Feeling a little guilty, Tang Xi rubbed his nose.
1551 suddenly detected something unusual and hesitated.
Why did Jiang Wenshu look so unsettled when he heard Tang Xi had gone missing? His expression had been terrible, and it even seemed like he wanted to leave the group.
It has nothing to do with them—1551 and Tang Xi despised him anyway.
Maybe Jiang Wenshu realized his cover had been blown and was too scared to stay.
1551 didn’t mention it and instead reported something else.
[They’re leaving. It looks like they’ve decided to return to the base to avenge you two.]
Tang Xi made a small noise of acknowledgment, feeling slightly relieved.
He finished his dried fish and continued on his way. Not wanting to attract attention by shifting back into human form, he stayed in his kitten state, his little paw pads getting dirtier and dirtier.
When the sun set and the moon rose, he found an abandoned house to sleep in.
From his system space, he dragged out the plush ball and goose-down pillow Lu Mang had bought for him.
His paws were too filthy to lick clean, so he pitifully settled for grooming the fur on his belly instead.
When morning came, he set off again, tail flicking as he hopped along.
He encountered stray cats and dogs on the way—most of them mutated. But none of them bore him any ill will.
Feeling bolder, Tang Xi stopped sneaking through alleys and instead strutted down the main streets.
Swaggering. Arrogant.
It didn’t last long.
His joy came to an abrupt halt the moment he spotted his mortal enemy.
A sleek, black rat—its fur glossy with an oily sheen—pushed up a sewer grate, blocking his path.
It was several times his size.
It could bite him in one gulp.
Tang Xi let out a terrified cry.
“Meow!” System, why is it so big?!
1551 panicked too. [Run! Quickly!]
This rat—once nothing more than an easy opponent before the apocalypse—was anything but friendly now.
It bared its teeth at Tang Xi, red eyes gleaming with greed.
Tang Xi bolted.
The tiny golden furball, fueled by sheer terror, moved faster than ever before—like a little rocket.
A little kitten running faster than a human.
The rat lunged after him, its massive incisors narrowly missing Tang Xi’s rear several times.
“Meow!” Tang Xi yelped as he suddenly felt a chill on his backside.
1551’s voice rang out in his mind, filled with grief. [Host, your butt is bald!]
For a moment, fury drowned out fear.
Tang Xi kicked at a discarded wooden board beside him. “Meow!”
With a loud thud, the board crashed down—slamming directly onto the rat.
The thing was as big as an Alaskan Malamute, but it lay motionless under the heavy board.
Tang Xi hesitantly crept closer, stretching out a tiny paw to tap the wood.
He didn’t shift back into human form—his kitten shape made escaping easier. He could squeeze into tight corners if needed.
Just as he was about to strike the board again with his tiny paw, 1551 urgently warned him.
[Get inside that pipe! Now! It’s not dead yet!]
Tang Xi jumped in fright. He had no energy left to run, so he scrambled into a nearby concrete pipe.
The pipe’s diameter wasn’t large—certainly too small for the rat to squeeze through.
The moment Tang Xi tucked himself inside, the rat snapped awake, lunging at the pipe and biting down viciously.
The sickening sound of grinding teeth against cement filled the air.
Crunch. Crack.
The rat was chewing through solid concrete.
Tang Xi pressed himself further inside, trembling.
“Meow, meow, meow” System, save me!
. . . . .
Lu Mang suddenly halted mid-step.
His hearing had become incredibly sharp—most background noise was automatically filtered out.
But that faint, pitiful meow sliced through the distance, straight into his ears.
A strange, indescribable feeling surged through him.
His expression shifted instantly.
Then, without warning, he accelerated in the direction of the sound.
His speed was terrifying.
Just a moment ago, he was still some distance away, but in the blink of an eye, he’s already closed in.
The zombies following him were left far behind—completely unable to keep up.
Somewhere deep in his mind, Lu Mang could picture the owner of that meow.
Small. Soft. Utterly harmless.
The kind of delicate little creature he normally despised.
Yet the emotions churning inside him now weren’t the usual destructive urges.
His gaze swept across the scene—immediately locking onto the enormous, black rat.
The rat froze the moment Lu Mang’s eyes landed on it.
Paralyzed with fear.
Inside the concrete pipe, Tang Xi let out a tiny huff of warning.
The rat didn’t react—it only drooled more.
Tang Xi squeezed his eyes shut in despair.
But then—
Everything went silent.
The rat, which had been so eager to pounce, suddenly stopped moving, as if struck by overwhelming terror.
And in the very next second—
It disappeared. Completely.
He opened his big, round green cat eyes—the mouse at the cement pipe’s entrance was really gone.
“Meow?”
He tilted his head and asked the system what had happened.
1551’s voice trembled with fear as it spoke in a small, shaky tone: [Y-you should go out and see for yourself.]
The storyline had already gone so off track thanks to this silly cat, yet the villain still ended up becoming the Zombie King. 1551 found the villain even scarier now that he had turned into a zombie.
As the first system to be frightened by the villain, 1551 felt utterly embarrassed. After saying that, it disappeared.
Tang Xi was still confused. He hesitantly poked out a tiny bit of his whiskers to test the waters.
Then came a fluffy cat paw. Finally, a scared little kitten head cautiously peeked out.
Lu Mang gazed at the kitten peeking from the cement pipe with an indifferent expression.
At his feet lay a mouse—its corpse gruesome beyond words.
Despite his calm exterior, Lu Mang’s heart was in turmoil—because he had found his missing heart.
The kitten seemed timid, staring blankly at the dead mouse, then looking up at him, as if still processing what had happened.
Why wasn’t he coming out?
Lu Mang’s zombified mind was more straightforward and single-tracked now.
The kitten was so timid—it must have been scared by the dead mouse.
With just a slight movement of his fingers, black mist emerged from his fingertips, instantly engulfing the mouse corpse.
After double-checking several times, Tang Xi was finally sure—his human had turned into a zombie and found him!
According to the storyline, the villain’s power after becoming a zombie manifested as this black mist. No one knew exactly what it was—only that it could kill, devour, and had a multitude of eerie abilities.
In fact, even before turning into a zombie, Lu Mang’s powers had been related to this mist, though they had been disguised.
Tang Xi eagerly scampered out of the cement pipe.
This world’s version of his poop scooper had never seen his cat form before. At first, he had worried that Lu Mang wouldn’t recognize him, but judging by his reaction, he clearly had.
“Meow, meow, meow!” I’ve been looking for you for so long! You’ve been looking for me too, right?
“Meow, meow, meow?” Does it hurt to turn into a zombie?
“Meow!” Hug me, quick!
The little chatterbox of a kitten sat in front of him, meowing nonstop, trying to pour out all his grievances from the journey.
Lu Mang frowned—he couldn’t understand a single word.
Tang Xi’s fluffy tail thumped against the ground in frustration.
How did his human get even dumber after turning into a zombie?
Left with no choice, he raised both of his little front paws, making a gesture for a hug.
All the strength he had shown on his journey—enduring even when small rocks scraped his paws and made him bleed—was now gone. Having finally found his safe haven, he turned back into that clingy little kitten who just wanted to be spoiled.
Lu Mang’s expression stiffened, and for the first time, a hint of bewilderment appeared on his usually cold and emotionless face.
It took him a long moment, under the kitten’s impatient urging, before he finally reached out to pick it up—though his movements were incredibly stiff.
The tiny, soft creature in his hands felt so delicate that he didn’t dare to use any strength, afraid that even the slightest squeeze might hurt it.
But the kitten wasn’t the least bit obedient while in his grasp.
Tang Xi proudly raised his little tail high and commanded, “Meow!” Pet me properly!
Meeting the kitten’s gaze, Lu Mang somehow understood what he meant—an eerie realization in itself.
So, he carefully reached out and ran his hand from the kitten’s head down to the tip of its tail.
After a few strokes, the fur that had bristled up in fear because of that nasty mouse finally settled down.
With his fur smooth again, the spot on his rear where he had lost a tuft of fur during his escape became even more noticeable.
He wasn’t completely bald, but upon closer inspection, the area near his tail clearly had fewer and shorter hairs than before.
Lu Mang’s hand paused mid-petting, and he spoke his first words since turning into a zombie:
“This part… is bald…”
Author’s Note:
Some readers found the last chapter too sad, so here’s some comforting kitten cuddles! The poop scooper is just spoiling his cat in a different way—no angst here! ❤️
tão fofos 😭