Chapter 26
When the little hamster woke up that morning, his head still fuzzy with sleep, a glowing line of text appeared right before his eyes.
Countdown: 5 days, 4 hours, 32 minutes, 23 seconds… 22 seconds… 21 seconds…
As he blinked in a daze, the numbers ticked down to 5 days, 4 hours, 31 minutes, 59 seconds.
The timer was actively running. That meant the apocalypse would arrive in the afternoon, exactly five days from now.
He did some quick mental math; the timing matched up. When he first woke in this world, the original owner’s memories had placed the catastrophe two weeks out. He had already spent over a week here, and just yesterday he had estimated there were five or six days left. Still, he hadn’t known the precise hour. He had even wondered whether he should seek guidance from the heavens or try to trigger some latent golden cheat.
Instead, this countdown had simply materialized above his head while he was half-asleep.
Sitting in a daze inside his miniature wooden hut, the hamster turned around and poked out his moist pink nose. That was when he caught Mu Feiyi’s scent, leading directly to that shameless session of petting, cuddling, and endless excuses to feel his soft fur.
The man had petted him for ages, yet handed over only two measly peanuts! He was an absolute capitalist, rotten to the core—taking so much fluff time and paying a pathetic two-peanut wage.
By the time the little hamster waddled out of his uncle’s study, carrying his little handkerchief bundle and grumbling under his breath, he realized he had forgotten something crucial again.
Whoosh—!
He slid down the second-floor banister, landed softly on the living room sofa, and untied the peanut parcel his uncle had packed. Popping the fragrant, crunchy nuts into his mouth one by one, he pondered his next move.
Five days and change. How should he structure the remaining time?
His uncle and sister had been remarkably accommodating. They let him spend money without question, actively helped him hunt down wholesale supplies, and hoarded alongside him. His uncle was especially brilliant with the finer details; he had already ordered modular, heavy-duty fencing for the spatial realm, creating a secure boundary between the livestock pens and the orchard hill. The little hamster hadn’t even considered that nuance—his uncle simply arranged it and mentioned it once the crates were delivered.
His sister was just as thoughtful. She kept the freezers packed with gourmet dairy, takeout, and snacks, while having the private chef at their neighboring estate prepare oversized portions of his favorite delicacies to box up. Dishes like king crab, braised abalone, and fresh salmon would be impossible to find once society fell. Starting today, she was also taking deliveries of frozen pork, beef, lamb, poultry, and fish. The little hamster planned to pick up more meat during his grocery runs later, along with crates of self-heating hot pots. When the winter chill set in and nobody felt like cooking, self-heating meals would be an absolute godsend.
Polishing off the last peanut, he remembered the ice he had set to freeze yesterday. He scampered down to the basement, intent on clearing out the freezers so his sister had room for the incoming meat deliveries.
Right as he was busily vacuuming up bags of ice, he heard Mu Feiyi’s voice calling out to bid him farewell.
Standing inside the frosty chest with an ice pack held in his paws, the little hamster thought it over: “Squeak, squeak, squeak.” That human had only paid him two peanuts, but should he still trot up to say goodbye? He was going to be terribly busy over the next few days.
After rapidly devouring the remaining frozen packs with a series of muffled thuds, he shut the freezer door and dashed up the stairs, his tiny paws pattering softly against the risers.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak~” I’m here, I’m here! The little hamster has arrived!
Mu Feiyi watched as the milk-tea-colored furball bounced across the polished tiles like a tiny dumpling. Bending down, he scooped the plush creature into his palm. “Whose little dumpling rolled out onto the floor, hmm?”
The hamster squinted, casting a haughty, disdainful glance upward before pointedly turning his head away.
I’m not your little hamster, anyway. A couple of pats and you can put me right back down. You’ve had your fill of cuddles at the Yu house; don’t get greedy. I belong to this family, not you. Look around—you won’t find another mouse this gorgeous and sweet anywhere on earth. Go ahead and pet me, then. I know how helpless you hairless humans are against top-tier fluff.
He let out a series of soft, melodious squeaks. Though Mu Feiyi couldn’t decipher the words, he could clearly read the supreme arrogance radiating from that whiskered little face. The creature knew full well how adorable and irresistible it was.
Unable to hold back a chuckle, Mu Feiyi murmured, “Using your cuteness to act completely lawless, are we?”
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!” So what if I am?
The hamster propped his front paws on his hips, puffed out his chest, and struck a defiant little pose—which only served to push his soft, pale tummy directly into view.
Mu Feiyi gently cupped the creature, his fingers working through the velvet fur. Looking down at that well-behaved little face, he couldn’t help himself. “Hey, little hamster… want to come out and play with me?”
Ignoring the creature’s stunned expression, Mu Feiyi pulled open his jacket pocket. “Hop in. I’ll take you out for a spin.”
The little hamster stared at the gaping pocket, then up at the kidnapper towering over him.
Yes, a kidnapper! The man was brazenly abducting a pet right out of its own home!
He licked his moist nose. But… this was thoroughly thrilling! He loved the idea!
Driven by pure mischief, the hamster pushed off with his hind legs and leaped straight into the open shirt pocket. He plunged in headfirst, his round skull bumping gently against the bottom seam. Being wonderfully plump, he simply wriggled around, flipped over, and settled into a cozy, upright nest.
“Squeak!” Let’s roll!
Mu Feiyi gently patted the outside of the pocket. Casting a cautious glance toward the third-floor landing to ensure Uncle Yu hadn’t noticed, he strode swiftly out the front door.
“We need to move fast,” Mu Feiyi whispered, slipping into the driver’s seat. “If your uncle catches us, our little adventure ends before it even begins.”
He hit the ignition, and the high-performance sports car roared to life, smoothly accelerating out of the Yu family estate.
The little hamster poked his head out of the breast pocket, his whiskers twitching as the scenery blurred past along the quiet suburban boulevard. The sheer speed made his fur stand on end with delight.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak~”
This is fantastic! The little hamster is having the time of his life! So this is what humans call eloping! Wow, I love it!
Feeling the hamster vibrating with excitement against his chest, Mu Feiyi reached up to stroke the tiny head, the corners of his mouth curving into an easy, genuine smile.
In truth, he had business scheduled for this afternoon. He had arranged a gathering with several longtime associates and former partners. Today’s meeting was a deliberate test: he needed to see who was truly willing to collaborate with him on equal footing, and who would pull away—or attempt to kick him while he was down—now that he had formally severed ties with the Mu Corporation.
Their past relationships had been built on his status as the undisputed heir to a corporate dynasty. Now that the dynastic safety net was gone, where would their loyalties lie?
Mu Feiyi was genuinely curious. Savvy business operators would keep their composure, gradually letting the connection cool or offering polite pleasantries without committing real resources. That was standard corporate pragmatism. But truly smart operators were rare in high society; far more people were eager to gloat, burn bridges, or kick someone who seemed to have fallen from grace. Even among the hand-picked group gathered today, one or two short-sighted opportunists had likely slipped through the cracks.
Mu Feiyi pulled up to the private club’s entrance, tossing the keys to the valet before bounding up the granite steps with light, confident strides.
Had his personal assistant seen him now, he would have noticed an undeniable shift. Freed from the suffocating politics of the Mu family, the young man carried himself with an effortless vitality and sharp anticipation for the future. The conglomerate had always been a crushing millstone around his neck. Yet carrying that burden had tempered him, giving him the strategic acumen and operational mastery needed to run an empire.
His wings had fully formed. Old Master Mu had failed to realize that the grandson he once pushed around was no longer a helpless boy; he was a titan who commanded absolute respect. Staying at the corporation to clean up after incompetent relatives like a beast of burden was an insult. Building his own empire from the ground up was infinitely more appealing.
Mu Feiyi calculated that within seven years, his independent venture would rival the current scale of the Mu Corporation. And without him at the helm, the legacy company—even with the aging patriarch personally steering the ship—would struggle to keep its leaky hull afloat for that long.
Pausing before the double doors of the private dining suite, his deep blue eyes gleamed with raw ambition.
Sensing the restless energy in his pocket, he looked down and gently ran a finger over the hamster’s plush crown. “Ready to face the wolves with me?”
The little hamster tilted his head, his face squished flat and his eyes squeezed into slits beneath the stroking finger.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!” Talk all you want, but stop messing up my fur!
He swatted at the hand with tiny paws, though against the giant human, his struggles were entirely futile.
Mu Feiyi slipped off his silver-framed glasses and pushed the heavy doors open.
In that instant, the little hamster felt an unmistakable shift—as if the heavy gears of fate had locked into place with a resounding chime, sending a strange, thrilling hum through the air.
He licked his lips in anticipation, watching the room intently from his pocket perch as the doors swung wide.
“Well, well! Young Master Mu has finally arrived!”
“A penalty drink is in order! Pour him a glass!”
Perched securely in the breast pocket, the little hamster observed the gathering with wide, luminous eyes. Every guest in the room wore a calculated smile, their eyes probing, measuring, and weighing every gesture.
Mu Feiyi, however, handled the room with absolute poise—relaxed, charming, and carrying an undercurrent of untamed confidence. The subtle shift in his aura was palpable, prompting several guests to quiet down and reassess their assumptions.
Suddenly, an associate noticed the well-behaved furball nestled in his pocket, resting quietly without scratching or fussing. “Since when do you keep pocket pets?”
“I don’t,” Mu Feiyi replied smoothly, glancing down at the hamster’s inquisitive face with a quiet chuckle as he lightly brushed its ear. “I pinched him from someone else’s house. I’ll probably have to return him before long.”
“Whether you return him or keep him depends entirely on your leverage, doesn’t it, Young Master Mu?”
The double meaning was unmistakable, clearly referencing his departure from the conglomerate. Nobody in the room believed a man of his caliber had walked away empty-handed—and whatever assets he had taken, the current Mu family wouldn’t have the power to claw back.
Even if they tried to dig, those outsiders wouldn’t know what Mu Feiyi had taken—or if he had taken anything at all.
Mu Feiyi simply smiled, offering no direct answer. Instead, he gently tapped the top of the little hamster’s head, parting the thick fur into a tiny dimple.
“Squeak~”
Poked on the crown, the little hamster let out a soft, reflexive squeak, sounding like a novelty squeeze toy.
Lifting the furball from his pocket, Mu Feiyi cradled him in his palm. He stroked the creature’s back while sweeping his cool gaze across the table. “The one thing I dislike most is owing debts—whether practical favors or moral obligations.”
The message was clear: he owed the Mu family nothing. He had walked away without taking a single corporate asset, not out of weakness, but because he refused to maintain any lingering ties with that household. Conversely, if anyone in this room offered him genuine support today, he would remember that loyalty and repay it in full down the road.
The little hamster licked his lips, feeling pleasantly dazed from all the petting. Still, human conversation was far too exhausting to follow; every word seemed wrapped in three layers of subtext, completely derailing his tiny train of thought.
The gathering continued. Mu Feiyi soon pulled a few of his closest associates into a quiet corner of the lounge to discuss his venture plans.
The little hamster sat perched on the low coffee table, where someone had set down a small ceramic dish filled with mixed hamster feed. Yet a pampered spirit beast was hardly going to eat just anything.
He was remarkably picky!
Sifting through the seeds with his front paws, he selected only his favorite morsels, tossing the grains he disliked into a neat pile on the opposite side. Whenever he encountered a whole sunflower seed, he didn’t even bother cracking the husk himself.
Instead, he gripped the seed between his front paws and trotted across the glass tabletop—pat-pat-pat—straight over to Mu Feiyi, demanding that the human peel it for him!
After enduring so much petting, shouldn’t a hardworking little hamster enjoy a bit of customer service?
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”
Holding the seed high above his head, the hamster tilted his fluffy face upward, his velvety ears fluttering as he gazed at the man with bright, expectant eyes.
Mid-sentence, Mu Feiyi paused, interrupted by the tiny intruder.
Without a word of complaint, his slender fingers took the seed. Applying pressure to the tapered end, he cracked the outer husk between his thumb and forefinger, presenting the pristine white kernel to the waiting paws.
The little hamster instantly beamed.
“Squeak, squeak~” Thank you, human!
Spinning on his heels, he scampered right back to his dining spot.
“Now that’s a charming little creature,” the eldest son of the Shao family remarked, watching the exchange with a chuckle. “He actually knows how to outsource the hard work. He won’t even peel his own seeds!”
“He’s quite delicate,” Mu Feiyi replied with an easy smile, reaching over to stroke the hamster’s plush back.
“Fascinating,” Young Master Shao murmured, leaning back against the leather sofa. “Which specialty breeder did you get him from? I wouldn’t mind picking one up for my daughter.”
“He isn’t mine,” Mu Feiyi said, turning his head with a teasing glint in his eye. “I literally ‘borrowed’ him from someone else’s house.”
Across the table, a young man from the Qian family froze, quickly pulling out his smartphone. “Wait… the Yu family? Did you actually raid the Yu estate and make off with Miss Yu’s sacred mascot?”
He had Yu Tianwei on WeChat, giving him full access to her social media feed. Ever since she brought the creature home a few days ago, her personal timeline had been flooded with hamster photos, behaving as though she had completely lost her mind. In the past, her profile had contained nothing but corporate press releases and formal holiday greetings—not a shred of personal life.
Now, every update showcased this exact milk-tea-colored furball lounging in luxury.
Pulling up one of her recent photos, the young man held the screen right beside the coffee table, comparing the image to the creature in front of them before staring at Mu Feiyi with a bizarre expression.
The resemblance was undeniable: the same soft gradient coat, the same rounded ears, and the same wide, innocent eyes staring blankly at the world.
It was foolish, sweet, and entirely identical.
The little hamster craned his neck to inspect the screen, then tilted his head, subconsciously mirroring the exact pose from the photograph.
“Holy smoke… Are you secretly seeing Miss Yu behind our backs?!”
“Absolutely not!” Mu Feiyi’s reaction was immediate and sharp, a flash of genuine annoyance crossing his face. “I barely know the woman!”
“Oh, come off it! If you aren’t close, how did you manage to ‘borrow’ her family’s pampered little prince?” The young man chuckled, reaching out to poke the hamster with an index finger.
Flop.
The little hamster instantly threw himself backward, sprawling across the glass with his limbs limp and his soft white belly exposed to the ceiling.
“What on earth?! He’s faking an injury!” The young man pulled his hand back in shock. “This little hamster is outright staging a slip-and-fall!”
“That’s because he doesn’t appreciate being referred to as a common mouse,” Mu Feiyi scoffed.
Leaning forward, he coaxed the drama-prone hamster back onto his feet before glancing around the table. “He belongs to Little Yuan.”
“Hmm?” The name drew blank looks from the gathered heirs.
An associate from the adjacent table leaned over to fill the silence. “He’s referring to the younger Yu heir—the one who never attends formal galas. He has an exceptionally mild, timid personality; he isn’t cut out for our circles.”
“Ah.” The young man who had poked the hamster studied Mu Feiyi with renewed curiosity. “How did you end up spending time with him?”
“He’s rather entertaining,” Mu Feiyi murmured, a fond smile softening his features as he recalled the boy’s guileless face. “His thought process doesn’t run on the same track as ordinary people.”
His mind is so wonderfully smooth that a person could slip on it and tumble to their death.
A chorus of knowing, suggestive chuckles rippled through the group.
Mu Feiyi laughed, waving them off. “Cut the nonsense. He’s Uncle Yu’s absolute treasure.”
Even though the eldest daughter was Yu Yuanzhou’s flesh and blood, the family head held an immense soft spot for Yu Xiaoyuan. Anyone familiar with the household knew that Yu Yuanzhou carried deep guilt over his late sister. He believed that his youthful rebellion had forced the corporate burden onto her frail shoulders, creating the opening for Pang Liangcai to exploit her.
As a result, he indulged Yu Xiaoyuan’s every whim out of remorse, yet constantly feared that overprotecting the boy would do his sister’s memory a disservice.
Meanwhile, the boy, determined not to burden his uncle, had spent his life striving to be independent. He had swallowed his grievances in silence, which had allowed his parasitic stepfather’s family to walk all over him for years.
Mu Feiyi clicked his tongue softly in sympathy, reaching down to gently poke the hamster’s flank.
“Squeak!”
Infuriated, the little hamster whipped around and hurled a half-chewed sunflower seed straight into the man’s cheek.
“Look at that temper,” Mu Feiyi chuckled, entirely unfazed. Catching the wet seed in his palm, he offered it right back to the creature with a low laugh.
“Hmph!”
The hamster snorted, turning his round behind toward the shameless human once more.
The group watched in silence as the little creature nibbled through his treats with methodical focus. The guest who had poked him earlier felt bad about the drama, pulling up a classic cat-and-mouse cartoon on his phone and propping it against a glass so the furball could watch while snacking.
“Honestly…” Young Master Shao murmured, transfixed. “This is surprisingly therapeutic.”
A dozen powerful corporate executives had abandoned their cocktails, stopped their business pitches, and set aside their cutthroat posturing—all sitting in dead silence, staring intently at a tiny hamster eating seeds and watching cartoons.
Mu Feiyi watched the creature’s plush back, a quiet, protective warmth settling over his chest. Unhurriedly, he cracked open another shell, brushed away the chaff, and held out a fresh kernel the very second the hamster finished the one in his paws.
Eat up, he thought with quiet amusement. Get rounder, get plumper. Next time you run into that village cat, you won’t even need to run—you can just tuck in your paws and roll away like a ball.
Meanwhile, Yu Tianwei had slipped away from the corporate office during the noon break. Returning to the suburban villa with her executive assistant, they hauled inside stacks of heavy vacuum-sealed boxes alongside a massive delivery of frozen wholesale meat.
After instructing her assistant to leave the lunch orders and return to headquarters, she waited until the front gate clicked shut before raising her voice.
“little hamster? little hamster, where are you?”
She checked the basement, searched the kitchen, and hurried down the hall to the guest room. She even lifted the roof of the miniature wooden house, but found only empty wood shavings.
Frowning, she jogged upstairs to her father’s study. “Dad, is Little Yuan in here with you?”
“No,” Yu Yuanzhou replied, setting his reading glasses down onto his paperwork.
“Did he head out for another supply run?” she muttered, turning toward the landing. “I need to inspect the thermal lining on this meat shipment, or we’ll have to manually repack everything into the deep freezers.”
Over the past week, Yu Xiaoyuan had spent every waking hour scouring the city for provisions—a night-and-day transformation from his former reclusive self. While she was thrilled to see him taking charge, the chilling shadow of the approaching cataclysm weighed heavily on her mind.
If the apocalypse truly arrived, survival would become an agonizing struggle.
In peacetime, as the direct heiress of the Yu Corporation, she held immense social power in T City. She had wealth, status, and an effortless command over the corporate landscape. Every cent she earned could be poured into shielding her younger brother from the world’s harshness.
Yet the moment civilization fell, all social order would dissolve.
Without state authority and the rule of law, the darkest instincts of human nature would surface. The economy would evaporate overnight, municipal security would vanish, and violence would carry no legal penalty. Affluent families like theirs would become primary targets for displaced, vengeful mobs. In a broken world, trust was a fatal liability.
Even with the colossal mountains of food Little Yuan had gathered, they couldn’t hide underground forever. As ordinary mortals—and with her physical strength lagging behind aggressive men—their family consisted only of an aging father and a delicate younger brother in his early twenties. The sheer vulnerability of their household gave her an unrelenting headache.
And then there were the Seven Catastrophes: violent gales, torrential downpours, scorching heatwaves, and sub-zero blizzards.
She had initially assumed the final seven days of perpetual night would be the easiest to endure. Yet in absolute darkness, where every artificial light source was swallowed by the void, the loss of time and direction would make survival terrifying. Lurking in the shadows would be mutated monstrosities—and desperate humans who were far more dangerous.
For the past several nights, deep sleep had eluded her; she felt as though a rusted scythe were suspended inches above her neck.
Worse still, her brother had no way of knowing whether she and their father belonged to the ninety percent who would fall in the initial outbreak, or the ten percent who would survive.
If they were doomed to turn, perhaps becoming mindless walkers right at the start was a twisted mercy; at least they wouldn’t suffer the horrors of the wasteland. They would simply close their eyes, their consciousness fading in the opening second of the disaster.
Tianwei shook her head, forcing the morbid thoughts away. She had an aging father to protect, and a naive brother who would be swallowed alive by predators if left unattended.
This family would crumble to dust without me.
“little hamster? Come out, Little Yuan!”
Reaching the ground floor, she spotted a rinsed coffee mug sitting beside the kitchen sink. “Dad, did we have visitors earlier?”
“Yes, Mu Feiyi dropped by,” Yu Yuanzhou called down, pulling out his phone to send a quick text to his nephew.
“Wait, Mu Feiyi was here?” Tianwei froze on the bottom step, her sharp mind connecting the dots in an instant. “Was my brother still in his animal form when he arrived?”
“He was. In fact, Mu Feiyi spent the better part of the morning playing with him.”
Before Yu Yuanzhou could finish the sentence, Tianwei had already bolted toward the front entrance like a whirlwind.
“That shameless bastard—he abducted my brother, didn’t he?!”
