Is this what a zombie is?

118. The weather has changed.

"That's not right. I remember that at the beginning, you really liked old people. Your first few owners were all elderly men."

"Tai Sui!"

I don't know what Tai Sui said that touched a nerve with Cat Master, but Cat Master was suddenly a bit stressed and even bristled.

Tai Sui's lips curled slightly. "It seems you haven't told him about your past."

"You've talked too much. A sensible person should shut up at a time like this."

姜尘嘴角抽了抽，好吧，猫就是这种『上尊老，下爱幼，逮着中间往死里揍』的奇葩生物。

Yet countless people are captivated by them and willingly become their pet owners.

"I haven't had a drink in a long time."

Cat Master gave Jiang Chen a look that said, "You understand what I mean, you know what to do, right?"

Jiang Chen shook his head, no longer dwelling on Cat Master's trip to the orphanage, and got up to take a few bottles of wine from the bar cabinet.

"Here, this is what I promised you." Jiang Chen pushed the wine in front of Cat Master. "I'm giving it to you now. This is what I earned from my salary, promotion, and bonuses over the past few months."

"You've got a conscience, kid, you still remember. I was really touched by what you said. But this is something you owe me. You're still missing a spear, a Jiannanchun."

Cat didn't stand on ceremony, and since there were no outsiders in the bar, he went straight for the bottle and chugged it down in no time.

After finishing his drink, Cat Master began to scrutinize Jiang Chen from head to toe, as if trying to see through him inside and out.

After a moment, it let out a meaningful hum: "Not bad, it seems you haven't been idle these past eight months. You've finally managed to sort out those chaotic forces within your body, and you've almost completely digested the zombie fungus mother body, haven't you?"

Jiang Chen said frankly, "The Zombie Fungus mother is indeed no longer a threat, but the Blood Coral Tai Sui's intelligence is like an unkillable cockroach, always a hidden danger, like a time bomb. Today, we almost crashed."

"That's because you're not skilled enough." Cat Master curled his lip in disdain. "The power that you can perfectly control is the power that truly belongs to you."

At this point, Cat Master changed the subject, a sly glint flashing in his emerald eyes.

"Perfect timing, I'll take you somewhere tonight, you can help me teach this brat a lesson."

"Disciplining unruly children?" Jiang Chen was taken aback. "Going to that orphanage you're in, to beat the kids? That... isn't a good idea."

He thought Cat Master was joking, but seeing the other's serious expression, it didn't seem fake.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not taking you to do charity. That brat is no joke. If you underestimate him, you'll regret it."

"Is it really that exaggerated? Could it be another genius awakener like Attorney Luo?"

"Pretty much, he's an excellent prospect."

Cat Master abandoned his languid demeanor, his expression becoming more serious than ever before. "Kid, you've been hiding in this bar for eight months. You probably have no concept of the outside world anymore."

"The five-clawed golden dragon totem self-destructed, and the dragon energy returned to nourish China, just like the spiritual energy revival novels that have been very popular in recent years."

"For cultivators, this is a golden age that comes once in a lifetime, as the difficulty of cultivation has been reduced considerably. However, every advantage has its disadvantages, which has also greatly increased the probability of ordinary people awakening. In less than a year, the number of awakened individuals has increased several times over."

As he spoke, Cat Master's voice gradually lowered, carrying a hint of impending doom.

"The foundation of social order is being shaken. Pandora's box has been opened, and even the demons and monsters that were previously suppressed in the shadows are beginning to stir and can't help but jump out."

"During this period, there have been frequent incidents involving Awakened Ones and supernatural events, with the number increasing explosively. I estimate that the Foundation and the Four Spirits Family are already extremely busy."

Jiang Chen's heart sank. He hadn't expected that the self-destruction of the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Totem would cause such a chain reaction.

I wonder how Ai Yi is doing with the Four Spirits Family and the Foundation?

"That brat at the orphanage is an awakened one affected by this. He's not inherently bad, but he was abandoned as a child, which makes him extreme and withdrawn." "Being immature, he can't control this sudden power at all. He's already accidentally injured several orphanage staff members, and now everyone else is keeping him locked up like a monster."

"So, Mr. Cat, you mean I should give him a beating, a loving lesson?"

"That's right, your task is to educate him, to make him understand what power is, and how to control it."

"But why does it have to be me? Can't you discipline a brat, Cat Master?"

Jiang Chen didn't understand. He simply couldn't believe that Cat Master, a thousand-year-old monster, couldn't handle a brat.

Cat remained silent, but Tai Sui spoke up at the opportune moment, raising his hand to indicate that he could answer the question.

Can I speak?

Cat Lord rolled his eyes at him helplessly, but didn't say anything, so Tai Sui took it as tacit consent.

"Nine Lives is affectionate towards people and likes to be with them, but it can't stay with people all the time. Whether it wants to or not, as long as there is close contact, whether it's attacking or defending, it will unconsciously absorb people's vital energy and spirit if the contact time is long enough."

"Nine Lives, Nine Lives. For every additional life it has, it means that one or more people will be drained of their life force and die."

"That's how its first few owners died."

Unexpectedly, Cat Lord has such a past; no wonder it disappears from time to time.

"I understand, I'll help you, Cat Master."

Cat Master raised his head. In Jiang Chen's eyes, he saw no disgust, pity, or sympathy, only determination.

This warmed Cat Lord's heart, but Tai Sui found this development boring; it wasn't what he wanted to see.

"You're wrong. You should spit on it fiercely, that monster that sucks away life force."

Jiang Chen and Cat Master both tacitly ignored Tai Sui, choosing to selectively disregard it.

"I'm not in good condition right now, and I can only go out for about two hours."

"Two hours is enough. I'll take you there and back."

After finalizing the arrangements for disciplining the unruly child, Jiang Chen couldn't help but recall the eerie dark cloud that had been hanging over the urban village.

That massive energy body was strangely intertwined with the purest negative emotions and a kind of...lofty "divinity".

For the past eight months, he has hardly left his house, ignoring everything else, focusing solely on consolidating his own strength.

It wasn't until tonight that he realized the outside world had become so strange and dangerous without his knowledge.

The world outside seems to have really changed.