Doomsday Grocery Store – CH6

Chapter 6 – Adopt as Pet?! 

It was now past three o’clock in the afternoon, nearing four; the sky had yet to darken.

Zhou Qi circled the nearby area several times. After failing to find any other traces of people, he decided to return.

However, now that he had a compass, he didn’t retrace his steps along the marked path. Instead, he headed back in the general direction, continuing to explore more areas along the way.

If luck was on his side and he could complete another transaction, An An could exchange for the special medicine.

With this thought, Zhou Qi observed the scenery along the way, trying to find clues left by human activity as he had before.

However, his luck seemed to have run out—

When he heard an unusual noise and happily approached, turning a corner, a black-gray figure came into view in the distance. The color drained from Zhou Qi’s face instantly.

It was a giant dog at least two meters long. Standing on all fours, it reached up to his chest. Baring sharp fangs, it was gnawing on an unknown animal, blood staining its mouth and facial fur.

Because the wind was blowing from behind him, Zhou Qi hadn’t caught the scent of blood in time.

He held his breath and cautiously stepped back, hoping to retreat smoothly without attracting the giant dog’s attention.

However, his hopes were dashed.

When footsteps sounded behind him, Zhou Qi didn’t hesitate for a moment and broke into a sprint.

After he had run twenty or thirty meters, the mutant dog appeared at the previous corner. It stuck out its massive head, and upon locking onto Zhou Qi’s figure, its crimson beastly eyes gleamed. It then excitedly chased after him.

“Woof! Woof!”

Hearing the commotion behind him, Zhou Qi’s heart pounded like a drum, but he didn’t dare look back.

Even during his middle school physical exams, he hadn’t run this fast in the 50-meter dash. He was practically flying, yet the footsteps behind him kept following like a shadow, growing closer and closer.

This couldn’t go on!

After blindly running for a while, Zhou Qi finally changed direction, heading toward the ruins of collapsed buildings.

“Woof! Woof!”

The giant dog roared, seeming impatient from failing to catch its prey for so long.

Zhou Qi ignored it, making one final sprint before squeezing into a gap between several pieces of rubble, then continued crawling forward.

His speed slowed down, but the mutant giant dog was also seriously hindered.

It kept trying to reach its mouth and front paws into the cracks, but no matter how hard it tried, it couldn’t reach Zhou Qi. This drove it into a rage.

The mutant giant dog soon stopped the futile scratching and biting. Instead, it swung its front limbs, digging like a shovel, constantly smashing and pulling away huge stones with astonishing strength.

Zhou Qi didn’t dare look back.

He kept crawling, with only one thought in his mind: he had to survive. An An was still waiting for him; he couldn’t die here…

His palms were pierced by sharp objects, bleeding profusely. He forgot the pain and crawled arduously among the rubble.

However, he eventually had to stop.

The path ahead was blocked by a massive stone; no matter how hard he pushed, he couldn’t move it…

The sound of the giant dog tearing apart the rubble still echoed from behind. Panting, Zhou Qi took out the dagger that Tang Yu’an had previously placed in his portable warehouse.

Adjusting his breathing, amidst the deathly sound of crumbling stones, Zhou Qi gripped the dagger tightly, silently gathering his strength.

Looking at the mobile phone displayed in his portable warehouse, he hesitated about leaving a final message. But in the end, he just lay there quietly, letting tears blur his vision.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when the noise behind him suddenly ceased.

Just as hope rose again in Zhou Qi’s heart, the massive stone pressing above his head was suddenly lifted away. The ferocious face of the drooling mutant giant dog appeared before his eyes.

Sensing the giant dog pouncing, Zhou Qi quickly rolled to the side.

He kept swinging the dagger, and in the flashing blade, the giant dog hesitated and didn’t continue its attack. Instead, it stared at him, circling from side to side, waiting for an opportunity.

Zhou Qi’s stamina was rapidly depleting.

He knew that once he showed a flaw, this giant dog would pounce and tear him apart.

Gritting his teeth, Zhou Qi suddenly charged at the giant dog, aiming to stab its eyes with the dagger. However, the experienced hunting giant dog easily dodged and lunged, flinging him away.

The dagger slipped from his hand, and Zhou Qi was knocked to the ground.

Despair welled up inside him. Seeing the giant dog open its mouth to bite, he instinctively raised his arm to block, but at that moment—

“Whoosh—”

A pebble shot over from the side, striking the mutant giant dog’s head, causing it to angrily turn its head.

At the same time—

“Brother Qi, run!”

Hearing this familiar voice, Zhou Qi was terrified.

He looked in horror toward the sound and saw that Tang Yu’an had somehow found him. Holding a slingshot and pebbles, he was attacking the mutant giant dog.

“An An!”

“Brother Qi, run!”

Zhou Qi’s heart was filled with dread, but he didn’t dare delay. Gritting his teeth, he got up and ran in the opposite direction.

Fortunately, the mutant giant dog didn’t pay attention to Tang Yu’an. After realizing he posed little threat, it continued to chase after Zhou Qi relentlessly.

“Brother Qi!”

Tang Yu’an was extremely anxious. His throat already hurt, and after shouting a few times, his voice became hoarse. The stones launched by his slingshot also failed to harm the giant dog due to his lack of strength.

Seeing Zhou Qi being knocked down again, he was so worried he wanted to cry.

Suddenly thinking of something, Tang Yu’an hurriedly took out the cat teaser he had previously drawn. He thought that since it was a special item, he had placed it into his portable warehouse as soon as it was unlocked.

“Jingle, jingle—”

“Jingle, jingle—”

The crisp sound of bells rang out, abruptly echoing in the silent ruins during this perilous moment, spreading far and wide.

The giant dog, which was pouncing on Zhou Qi, twitched its ears, the tips turning backward. At the same time, its body halted, turning its head to look in Tang Yu’an’s direction.

“Jingle, jingle—”

“Jingle, jingle—”

Tang Yu’an continued waving the cat teaser. Seeing that the sound was effective, he couldn’t help but wave it more vigorously.

Then, the mutant giant dog actually abandoned Zhou Qi and charged aggressively toward Tang Yu’an.

Seeing this, Zhou Qi hurriedly rushed over and grabbed the giant dog’s tail.

“An An—run!!!”

He shouted loudly, being dragged along the ground but refusing to let go.

Tang Yu’an realized the danger now. He quickly turned around and ran.

But the distance between them was only about a hundred meters. The mutant giant dog soon shook off Zhou Qi and excitedly sped up, catching up to Tang Yu’an in the blink of an eye and knocking him to the ground.

“An An!!!”

Zhou Qi’s eyes were about to burst. He grabbed the dagger from the ground and sprinted with all his might, thinking only of reaching the giant dog and perishing with it.

However, as he ran, something miraculous happened—

The giant dog that had knocked down Tang Yu’an began to shrink in size.

By the time Zhou Qi reached Tang Yu’an’s side, the giant dog had transformed into a dirty-looking…

Cat?

The cat was about as long as an adult’s arm. Lying on the ground, it held the cat teaser in its paws, pulling and biting at it, seemingly ignoring Zhou Qi and Tang Yu’an.

Zhou Qi stared blankly at this scene, his chest heaving, breathing heavily.

Tang Yu’an, unharmed, also sat up in surprise. Looking at the giant dog that had turned into a cat, he couldn’t help but recall the description of the cat teaser.

No cat can resist such a cat teaser!

So, by turning other animals into cats, they can’t resist it? Tang Yu’an scratched his head, feeling that this item was truly magical, though the description was a bit lackluster.

Fortunately, the crisis was resolved, and they could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He couldn’t help but look at Zhou Qi. Just as he was about to speak, he met Zhou Qi’s reddened eyes. Zhou Qi glared at him fiercely, using a tone more vicious than ever before to yell.

“Why are you here? Didn’t I tell you to stay at home and not come out?!”

Tang Yu’an was stunned. “I—I saw you were in danger…”

Before he could finish, Zhou Qi seemed to deflate, slumping down, the dagger in his hand clattering to the ground.

“Brother Qi…”

Tang Yu’an was startled and wanted to check his injuries. But as soon as he approached, Zhou Qi reached out and pulled him into his arms, hugging him tightly.

“Tang Yu’an, you scared me to death… you really scared me to death…” Zhou Qi buried his head on his thin shoulder, sobbing.

In the silent and empty ruins, the suppressed cries of the young man echoed.

Tang Yu’an was dumbfounded.

He had never seen Brother Qi cry like this… His own tears couldn’t be controlled and started to flow.

“Brother Qi, you’re bleeding a lot… sob sob…”

The two youths who had narrowly escaped death embraced each other. They cried softly, venting their inner fear and anxiety. In this strange and desolate world, they truly only had each other to rely on.

*

“Brother Qi, that cat-dog is still following us.”

On a path overgrown with weeds, Tang Yu’an looked back at the dirty cat and whispered to Zhou Qi.

“Ignore it,” Zhou Qi shook his head.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to deal with this cat transformed from the giant dog, but—

After venting his emotions earlier, he had picked up the dagger, intending to take advantage of the opportunity to eliminate this highly dangerous giant dog.

But as soon as he stabbed, the cat, which had been harmless, suddenly bared its teeth and instantly swelled back into the giant dog’s form.

If An An hadn’t reacted quickly and used the cat teaser again to turn it back into a cat, they would have been in danger.

After experimenting a few times, Zhou Qi helplessly discovered that once attacked, the mutant giant dog would revert to its original form. This was probably a limitation of the cat teaser.

So, for now, they couldn’t do anything about this mutant dog.

Fortunately, it was almost six o’clock. Once they returned to the grocery store, with the safety barrier activated, it should keep it out, so they didn’t have to worry about it causing trouble.

Although Zhou Qi had been running blindly earlier and had lost the previous markers, they now had a map and didn’t need to worry about getting lost.

Earlier, Tang Yu’an had found Zhou Qi by relying on the map.

This place wasn’t far from the grocery store; it was only a 30-minute walk in a straight line. Without taking any detours, they soon saw the familiar stones in front of the grocery store.

Zhou Qi quickly pulled Tang Yu’an into the house.

Sure enough, with the safety barrier activated, the cat couldn’t follow them in and could only wander at the door.

Zhou Qi finally relaxed completely. He slid down to sit by the door, his leg muscles probably overused and trembling slightly, his hands also somewhat uncooperative.

Tang Yu’an wanted to help him inside but was stopped by him: “I’m too dirty.”

Looking at his tattered clothes stained with blood, Tang Yu’an’s eyes reddened again.

He sniffled and started helping Zhou Qi take off his clothes, shoes, and pants. Seeing that he really couldn’t move, he ran to the bathroom to fetch a basin of warm water and used a towel to wipe him down.

“Does it hurt a lot?” Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but shed tears again.

“It’s okay, just small wounds.”

Zhou Qi had many scratches and bruises on his body, but as he said, they were all superficial wounds, which was fortunate.

Even so, when Tang Yu’an was wiping his hands, his body couldn’t help but tremble.

The most severe injuries on Zhou Qi were his hands, caused when crawling through the rubble. Even his fingernails had two that were split open.

Tang Yu’an felt terrible and was extremely careful when cleaning them.

Zhou Qi looked at his flushed face but was equally worried. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.”

Tang Yu’an took out one of his father’s shirts for Zhou Qi to wear.

As Zhou Qi dressed, he suspiciously examined him, “Really? Let me see.”

“J—just scraped my elbow…”

“And your face?”

Zhou Qi touched the side of his face, and Tang Yu’an immediately scrunched up his face, pitifully saying, “It hurts….”

Zhou Qi paused and quickly withdrew his hand, “Sorry.”

He pulled Tang Yu’an closer, applied some medicine for him, and finally placed a bandage on his face. Only then did he pat his head and slowly exhale.

Tang Yu’an nestled in his arms, feeling a bit listless and not wanting to move.

He was already ill; now his throat hurt badly, his body felt hot, and he was becoming a bit dazed.

Looking at him, Zhou Qi became worried again.

Just as he was about to ask if there was any medicine left at home, Tang Yu’an asked, “Is that cat still outside?”

Zhou Qi stood up and opened the window to look out.

“It’s still there.”

“Brother Qi, do you think I can turn it into a pet?”

Tang Yu’an told him about the special task “Fortune Cat.” He felt that since the cat teaser was a special item and had such a magical effect, perhaps this special task might also be special?

Not to mention, that “Super Cool Dog Frisbee” might have the same effect as the cat teaser.

“The Frisbee can be thrown out; I feel it’s safer than holding the cat teaser.”

When the mutant giant dog charged at him earlier, Tang Yu’an was extremely frightened. He was really scared and hadn’t reacted before being knocked to the ground.

Although he wasn’t hurt in the end, it was scary enough.

Zhou Qi nodded, “Then let’s give it a try?”

But this cat outside was essentially a dog; he felt the chances of success might not be high.

Thinking of it, they acted immediately.

The two youths supported each other to stand up, opened the door of the grocery store, and walked out together. The cat, which had been lying in the corner, immediately looked over warily.

Tang Yu’an looked at it and took out the cat teaser.

“Jingle, jingle—”

“Jingle, jingle—”

The crisp and pleasant sound of the bells rang out. The cat’s gaze was immediately attracted by the cat teaser, and its tail wagged excitedly.

Soon it couldn’t hold back and ran toward Tang Yu’an.

Tang Yu’an held onto the cat teaser without letting go. Following the system’s prompt, he carefully placed his hand on the cat’s head.

Zhou Qi watched nervously, ready to pull Tang Yu’an back into the barrier at any time.

However, the cat that usually transformed back into its original form whenever they got close was fine this time, allowing Tang Yu’an to pet its head.

  [Do you want to adopt as a pet?]

  [Yes]    [No]

As Tang Yu’an selected [Yes], the system prompts changed again.

  [Pet adoption successful. Please name it]

Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and entered the name: Wang Cai.

He didn’t know whether the system regarded this as a cat or a dog, and he didn’t know if the task could be completed…

When Tang Yu’an finished typing the name and pressed confirm, the system prompt followed—

  [Congratulations, you have successfully adopted a cat for the grocery store, completing the special task “Fortune Cat.” Super Cool Dog Frisbee +1]

  [Please choose a delivery address]

  [1. Peace Grocery Store Warehouse]

  [2. Portable Warehouse]

  [Successfully adopted Fortune Cat “Wang Cai.” You can rename it at any time through the pet interface]

  [Every day after 8:00 AM, feed the Fortune Cat “Wang Cai” its favorite food, and it may bring you random points of credits]

Wow! The Fortune Cat can really bring fortune!

Tang Yu’an’s eyes lit up. He immediately wanted to bring the cat inside.

Tang Yu’an carefully chose the delivery address for the “Super Cool Dog Frisbee,” and then took out the Frisbee from his portable warehouse.

It was a colorful Frisbee, which indeed looked cooler than the cat teaser. As he fiddled with it in his hands, a series of system prompts overwhelmed him.

  [Congratulations! You have triggered the special task: “Guard Dog”]

  [Guard Dog]

  [Task Description: Dogs are loyal companions of humans, the most reliable helpers to maintain the security of the grocery store and assist the owner in driving away thieves and unwelcome guests.]

  [Task Content: Please raise a dog for the grocery store (1/1)]

  [Reward: Super Mousetrap.]

  [Congratulations, you have successfully raised a dog for the grocery store, completing the special task “Guard Dog.” Super Mousetrap +1]

  [Please choose a delivery address]

  [1. Peace Grocery Store Warehouse]

  [2. Portable Warehouse]

  [Successfully adopted Guard Dog “Wang Cai.” You can rename it at any time through the pet interface]

  [With the Guard Dog “Wang Cai” scouting, the danger detection function of the business map is fully activated. You can see all dangerous creatures within the illuminated area]

!!!

So, in the system’s judgment, Wang Cai is both a cat and a dog!

Tang Yu’an: ???