[Holy crap! You actually did it, man! Quitting your job just like that? So decisive? Weren't you just complaining to us the other day about how you were sick of coding until you wanted to puke?]
Ye Haibing was the first to cry out in shock.
Gao Zhenyue immediately followed up, [Exactly! You don't even give us a heads-up about something this big! When are you moving? Just say the word, and I'll drive over to help you with your stuff.]
Yang Qi replied, [Thanks, Old Gao, but really, you don't have to. I don't have much stuff, just two suitcases. I can manage on my own with a cab.]
Gao Zhenyue sent a "scorn" emoji. [Cut the crap! Since when are you so formal with me? I don't have a desk job, so I'm free every day. Just name a time.]
Seeing his insistence, Yang Qi no longer refused. [Alright then, how about ten tomorrow morning? I'll pack up first.]
[OK, I'll call you when I get there,] Gao Zhenyue replied briskly.
[So, Yang Qi, what made you suddenly decide to apply for a job at the Zoo? That's a pretty big leap,] Qian Yu asked.
'A big leap?'
Yang Qi looked at his phone screen, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed out his prepared explanation, half-joking and half-serious.
[Well, I guess it's time to come clean. I'm laying my cards on the table! The truth is, I'm the reincarnation of a Druid, tasked with the mission of communicating with all beasts.]
[Writing code was just me experiencing life. Now I've seen the error of my ways and decided to return to my true calling, to use the real power of a Druid to help more animal friends in need of care.]
[A Druid???] Ye Haibing sent a string of question marks, followed by a "vomit" emoji.
[Pah! A Druid? Why don't you just say you're some mythical celestial dog come down to earth?] Gao Zhenyue retorted mercilessly.
Qian Yu, however, seemed to recall something. She replied seriously, [Now that you mention it, I think I remember something. Back in school, those really skittish stray cats behind the library... they actually seemed to let Yang Qi get close. They'd run off if any other student approached.]
[Huh? That really happened?]
Ye Haibing and Gao Zhenyue both expressed their confusion, clearly having never noticed such a detail.
Yang Qi chuckled to himself. 'That was clearly the result of me persistently "bribing" them with sausage sticks several times.' But now it was the perfect detail to make his story more convincing.
He immediately replied, [See! Our police officer here is as sharp-eyed and observant as they come! [Thumbs Up]]
[Pfft~]
Ye Haibing and Gao Zhenyue still expressed their disdain, clearly not taking him seriously and just assuming Yang Qi was talking nonsense.
As the chat was heating up, a sharp, piercing cat's cry suddenly came from outside the window, accompanied by hissing and the sounds of small animals fighting. It sounded like a fierce battle.
Yang Qi was renting a room in an old residential complex in one of the city's "urban villages." He'd chosen it for its proximity to his old company and its cheap rent. His single room's window directly overlooked a narrow alleyway that ran along the complex's outer wall. The alley was usually cluttered with miscellaneous junk and trash cans, so the environment was far from ideal.
The cat's cries sounded a few more times before turning into a single, feeble, pain-filled whimper, which then faded into silence.
Just then—
[Quest Triggered: A dying "Nine-Life Mysterious Cat" has been discovered. Host, please rescue it as soon as possible. Taming this Spirit Beast will grant a chance to receive good luck.]
'Receive good luck?'
Yang Qi's heart skipped a beat, and the playful smile on his face instantly vanished.
He immediately sent a message to the group chat—
[Gotta go, I'm going to pack.]
Then he exited the group chat, quickly grabbed a leftover sausage stick from his instant noodle stash in the drawer, snatched his keys and phone, and bolted out the door, rushing downstairs.
Before entering the dim alleyway, he turned on his phone's flashlight.
The beam of light swept across the junk and trash, soon illuminating a small, dark shadow in a filthy corner.
It was a stray cat, jet-black from head to tail. Its fur was a matted, filthy mess, and it had visible bite wounds on its right hind leg and on its neck near the shoulder. It was breathing weakly, its eyes filled with pain and wariness.
"Hey, little guy, don't be scared..."
Yang Qi softened his voice and approached slowly, tearing open the sausage stick's packaging and offering the meaty-smelling food.
Under the powerful effect of "Ten Thousand Beasts Affinity," the black cat, which had been extremely wary and on the verge of struggling to escape, twitched its nose a few times, its tense body relaxing considerably.
Then, dragging its injured hind leg, it shuffled closer to Yang Qi, cautiously lowered its head, and began to quickly devour the hard-won meal.
"Easy, easy."
Yang Qi soothed it, patiently waiting until it had eaten most of the food and its guard was at its lowest. Only then did he carefully reach out and gently scoop the black cat into his arms.
The black cat trembled slightly in his arms but didn't resist fiercely.
Seeing this, Yang Qi let out a breath of relief.
He then held the light little creature and quickly left the complex, hailing a taxi by the roadside and heading straight for the nearest 24-hour pet hospital.
Registration, examination, wound cleaning, bandaging...
After a flurry of activity, he also had the black cat given a full bath, deworming, and vaccinations.
Looking at the bill printed by the machine, Yang Qi's eye twitched slightly.
Nearly a thousand yuan—almost a month's rent for him.
He took a deep breath and still paid briskly by scanning the code.
Setting aside the chance to receive good luck, just completing the quest came with a reward.
Saving this cat was worth it!
「...」
By the time he returned to his rental with the treated black cat, the little guy was completely transformed.
Although it was still wrapped in bandages, its clean fur was now glossy black, no longer the filthy mess it was before.
Yang Qi found a sturdy cardboard box, lined it with an old towel, and made a temporary bed for it.
The black cat seemed to know that the person before it was its savior. It lay obediently inside, letting out a soft, steady purr.
Yang Qi gently stroked its small head, looking into its cat eyes, which seemed especially clear under the light, and smiled.
"Since the system says you're a 'Nine-Life Mysterious Cat,' I'll call you 'Xiaojiu' from now on. I hope you really do have nine lives."
"Meow~" Xiaojiu meowed softly, as if in response.
Almost simultaneously, the notification arrived as expected.
[Quest Complete]
[Reward: Basic Spirit Awakening Technique]
'Spirit Awakening Technique?'
Yang Qi was stunned for a moment, then overjoyed.
[Basic Spirit Awakening Technique]: Can be used on animals whose intelligence has not yet awakened. Slightly increases their spirituality and wisdom. Can be cast by consuming either Magical Power or Spiritual Power.
'Isn't this exactly the ability I need most right now?'
Without hesitation, Yang Qi immediately tried to cast a "Spirit Awakening Technique" on Xiaojiu in the cardboard box.
A barely perceptible, soft white light shot out from his fingertip and entered Xiaojiu's forehead.
Xiaojiu's body stiffened, and its eyes glazed over for a moment, as if it were processing something.
Immediately after, Yang Qi, whose own mind was hit with a sharp pain, clearly saw the spark of intelligence in Xiaojiu's cat eyes grow at a visible rate.
It lifted its head slightly, and the look it gave Yang Qi was no longer one of simple reliance, but now held a deeper, dawning sense of understanding and gratitude.
"Meeow~!"