The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

"Huff... Huff... I don't want to die! I don't want to die, ahhhhhh..."

After the crudely made submachine gun in his hand stopped firing, Fish subconsciously pulled the trigger several more times before realizing that its chamber and magazine were empty.

After thinking for two seconds, he hurriedly pulled out the empty magazine, then followed the procedure he had temporarily memorized to load a new magazine and chamber the first bullet.

Completing this entire process wasted a full ten seconds of his time. In the heat of battle, such a delay could be fatal—not to mention that he stood there dumbfounded the whole time, without even looking for cover!

Fortunately, his consistent good luck made up for this fatal flaw: in the space left by his cessation of firing, a "dead eagle" swooped down, its wings covered with thin, sharp metallic feathers like the scimitar raised high by a charging cavalryman, and with the momentum of its descent, it accurately sliced ​​through the neck of one of its targets.

However, the victim chosen by this small chimera was not Fish, who was awkwardly pulling the trigger, but one of his subordinates, a boy holding an old-fashioned rifle as tall as himself.

Like most of the new humans, the boy had a pair of unremarkable yellow dog ears and a short, underdeveloped tail. His skin, somewhere between brown and tan, was covered with pits and dents from scars and blisters. His only armor was a wide-brimmed helmet that was a full size larger than his head and reeked of rust and sweat.

At the moment of his beheading, his face showed neither panic nor pain, only a very brief moment of bewilderment.

Then, more "Dead Eagles" began to swoop down—these creatures were among the lowest tier of chimeras, and not long ago, the smug Fish and his companions had completely disregarded them. They talked about defeating far more powerful and terrifying adversaries, such as the colossal "Jormungandr" said to lurk in the deepest waters of the ruined city, or the legendary "Wailing Banshee" lurking in the deepest shadows…

Only now do they realize that even these "insignificant" targets are extremely deadly enemies to them.

The people trapped in the tower—all teenagers younger than Fish, from different places, and by ancient standards all minors—in a panic, almost instinctively fired at the chimeras in the air.

Two unlucky "dead eagles" were hit by stray bullets and fell into the churning waves below the tower. However, this time, the already sparse defensive firepower failed to repel the attack once again.

"ah--"

"No!!"

"I...I'm dreaming! I didn't...I wasn't here!"

"I want to go home!"

Amidst the chaotic cries and screams, blood splattered everywhere, and the dull thuds of severed limbs and broken organs hitting the ground sent chills down Fish's spine.

Fortunately, unlike most of his companions who were terrified and whose hands and feet went cold and their limbs went numb, the extreme tension and fear stimulated Fish's survival instinct, which allowed him to calmly pick up his submachine gun, aim at a "dead eagle" that was rapidly diving toward him, and then calmly pull the trigger.

A viscous, dark red substance burst from the chimera's shattered body, then crashed onto the blood-soaked floor and lay still.

However, this small victory was not enough to make Fish happy... because he knew very well that if the main force of the War Gang did not come back to rescue them quickly, all the remaining people here would be doomed.

"I...I just wanted a chance to make something of myself..." Fish pulled the trigger again, blowing the head off another "Dead Eagle" that was about to kill its companion.

The pungent stench emanating from the chimera's body tormented his olfactory nerves, making his stomach feel like it was about to churn. This terrible feeling further fueled his regret.

Perhaps coming here wasn't a good idea...

Fish had no idea how old he was. The residents of Oasis City who found him had different estimates, ranging from as low as twelve to as high as sixteen. After all, no one had ever seen his parents. All they knew was that he was found on the outskirts of the atoll on a night when the waves were crashing against the city abnormally.

Four years ago, on a calm night, the residents of the atoll city called "Oasis" saw a red object plunge into the distant sea, creating a strange wave. After the wave subsided, many dead fish appeared on the breakwater at the edge of the atoll city.

The condition of these suddenly appearing dead fish was quite abnormal. Some showed signs of broken bones and bulging eyeballs from being hit, while others were partially cooked or even charred. And among these dead fish, people found a seemingly ordinary boy.

Fish's memories began after that day. Since he couldn't remember his name or even his surname, the residents of Oasis City decided to name him "Fish," an ancient name for "fish," in memory of finding him among a large school of fish.

No one, including Fish himself, knew where he came from—but they were certain that Fish wasn't a local. After all, in the western Pacific region where Oasis City was located, most of the new humans living there had canine ears and tails, or sheep-like horns, eyes, and ears, while the cute little boy they had found had animal features more like a cat.

Those are the characteristics of a new kind of human from the more distant East and North.

In the distant, legendary era, before the vast ocean swallowed the low-lying areas and before the world became so hot, people might have launched an investigation into Fish's identity. But in this era, no one has the inclination or the resources to do so.

A few days after Fish was discovered, he was assigned to work as a handyman at the shipyard in Oasis City. Logically, he should have spent the rest of his life there…

However, Fish didn't like the arrangement—for some reason, he always had this thought in his mind: he wanted to leave this land and go to some higher, farther place to complete some special mission. He found the boring and repetitive work in the shipyard unbearable, so he would daydream or slack off at his post time and time again, and was "successfully" kicked out.

After losing his job at the shipyard, Fish began asking people who came to the atoll city to take him away: he didn't know where he was going, he only knew that he wanted to go far away and fly into the sky.

As a vital shipping hub on the East Asian coast, Oasis City receives numerous merchants and travelers every year. People and ships of all kinds come and go in droves, but no one is willing to hire a boy with no special skills and an unknown background.

And so, Fish lived in Oasis City for a long time by doing odd jobs and petty theft. Because of his rather cute and endearing appearance, he even received many gifts from passing female merchants on several occasions, and enjoyed a few comfortable and carefree days.

However, things took a turn for the better half a month ago. Fish once again used his harmless and cute smile as cover to sneak up on a big man who was drinking alone in a port tavern and was wearing an unusually heavy leather coat. He planned to look for a "surprise" in the man's pocket, but the man grabbed his wrist instead.

Prior to this, Fish had no experience of being caught—but he had witnessed the fate of other caught thieves: because the Oasis City relied heavily on trade to support its economy, the punishments for those who harmed travelers were extremely severe. Murder went without saying, but robbery, assault, and kidnapping of outsiders were all punishable by being caged and thrown into the sea to drown, while petty theft, if caught red-handed, usually resulted in a choice between caning and having a finger cut off.

However, just as Fish began to estimate how many fingers he was going to lose, the guest smiled at him.

Then, the man actually praised his skills and courage, and asked him why he did it.

"I don't want to stay here forever," was Fish's answer. "I want to go further afield to fulfill my great mission."

"Deal! Our 'Tidal Lightning' guild needs someone with your ambition!" The burly man in the leather coat was overjoyed, revealing a greedy look like a brown bear seeing its prey. Of course, this man named Liu Gang did indeed have bear-like ears, sharp teeth, and a strong physique, exuding a predator-like aura that was oppressive wherever he went.

The very next day, Fish joined Tidal Lightning, a large warband that ran various "businesses": serving as security forces for different city-states, providing armed escorts for merchant fleets, participating in wars as mercenaries for various countries, or searching for technological treasures left behind in ancient, flooded ruins of cities.

The last type of business is the most dangerous, but also the most lucrative.

As is well known, these ancient city ruins are remnants of a distant, ancient civilization, built by a human civilization that has been lost for millennia. Before being ultimately defeated and driven out by the "Eternal Heroes," the humans of that ancient civilization possessed a level of technological sophistication unimaginable to modern people, along with virtually inexhaustible wealth. Even if only a small portion of it has survived in the ruins, it still holds immeasurable value for modern humans.

However, just as legendary treasures are always found deep within dragon lairs, these ancient ruins are often also haunted by vast numbers of ancient chimeras, hostile autonomous weapons and androids, and a wide variety of other dangers.

Many people tried to make a fortune from these ancient ruins, and a few did indeed gain immense wealth, but for the majority, they simply found their final resting place there.

"Tidal Lightning" is currently engaged in this high-risk, high-reward "business".

Thanks to the recommendation of Liu Gang, the leader of the war gang, Fish, this "ambitious individual," became the captain of the 10th squad just a few days after joining. As a sizable war gang, "Tidal Lightning" possessed two hybrid armed sailing ships with a displacement of over 500 tons, a small reconnaissance airship, and more than 200 members, divided into nine squads. Fish's 10th squad was the newly formed one.

Unlike other squads, all twenty members of this squad were so-called "young heroes" recruited by the War Gang in the past month. Not only were there no adults among them, but their equipment was also the worst. The youngest, Xiu, was only eleven years old (by Chinese reckoning). Liu Gang claimed that forming this squad was a major innovation for the War Gang because "the cultivation of future heroes must start from childhood."

He assured Fish that the squad, composed of "promising" young men, would initially only perform the simplest basic tasks, gradually gaining experience through training and eventually becoming a new generation of heroes.

Of course, Fish completely believed what the other man said. Even when he learned that the fleet was heading towards Dusk City—a giant, ruined city known as the "city of no return"—he felt no fear whatsoever.

In the days that followed, he enthusiastically led his new men on the ship, practicing firearms handling, conducting basic physical training, and assisting with cleaning and other chores. In Fish's relatively short life, this was perhaps the happiest and most fulfilling period of his life…

Finally, a day earlier, the fleet arrived at the ruined city that once stood on the eastern coast of the ancient Asian continent and is now submerged more than ten meters underwater.

As previously promised, shortly after entering the ruined city, Liu Gang left Fish's 10th squad on an "island" formed by a cluster of giant towers. The area around the island was calm and peaceful, with no signs of chimeras, autonomous weapons, or other dangers.

"Your first mission is to hold out here for three days and wait for our return," Liu Gang said, handing Fish a device that looked like a radio before leaving. "This is a communications repeater, used to contact the outside world. You must ensure it's always on and kept as secure as possible. Never abandon it under any circumstances. That's my only requirement of you. Can you do that?"

"Yes!" Twenty-one young voices, including Fish's, shouted the word at the same time, each one full of confidence, none of them able to guess the fate that awaited them ahead.