The Final Odyssey, the fantastical journey of a cat boy

"Special privileges granted: Short-range system override control."

"Description: Personnel/programs/devices with this permission can perform limited-time bypass control on all devices registered in the standard municipal management system with access permissions lower than R09. The maximum number of devices that can be controlled simultaneously is 1. Duration: R01 (Basic Public Level): 600 minutes, decreasing by 30 minutes for each subsequent level."

"Note that you can choose remote control or implant a preset program. The maximum distance for establishing a bypass control connection is no more than 300 meters."

Although he still couldn't recognize all the characters, with Huang Yan's help, Fish managed to understand the general meaning of the descriptive text. Then, he jumped up with joy.

"I've won the lottery! I've won the lottery! I've won the lottery! Woohoo!"

As a cat-like new human, he was already exceptionally skilled at jumping. Combined with the astonishing power boost from "Phoenix Flame," Fish's leap sent his head slamming into the ceiling, four meters above the ground, with a resounding thud. Then, like one of those unfortunate characters in a Looney Tunes cartoon, he crashed through the ceiling's insulation layer in a dramatic fashion, embedding himself headfirst inside. After a few seconds, he reluctantly succumbed to gravity and landed on the ground.

"Meow! Aaaaaaahh ...

Fortunately, Phoenix Flame's helmet was sturdy enough that even after launching a "kamikaze attack" at the ceiling, Fish only suffered a mild concussion and saw a large group of stars, birds, and a "black destroyer" playing with a ball of yarn in front of his eyes.

"Well, I understand your excitement, and I also understand the cat's instinct to destroy things. But these buildings are quite old, so please be a little more careful when you're taking them apart to avoid any accidents," Huang Yan said half-jokingly.

"I...I know..." Fish said. "I was just a little excited..."

"It's alright, I understand how you feel—after all, as you said, we really hit the jackpot this time," Huang Yan replied. "In these urban ruins, there's no shortage of all sorts of still-functioning devices. Their access permissions are divided into twelve levels, from R01 to R12, with lower levels being more common. Being able to access R09 in one go means we can use about 96% of the equipment... Even if we can only control one at a time, it's still very good. This means that our probability of successfully executing orders from the Joint Operations Headquarters has greatly increased."

"Hmm...yes," Fish had almost forgotten the contract he signed to gain access to the Phoenix Flame after spending the past few hours fighting desperately to heal Xiaoxing and clear out the dangerous chimeras from the tower. "Um...have you already received the orders?"

"I received this four and a half hours ago, right after you were granted access to my services—after all, as soon as an operator becomes available to carry out a mission, the Joint Operations Headquarters immediately begins analyzing the situation and issuing orders. However, to avoid distracting you while you were treating Xiaoxing, I didn't tell you."

"Is it because Xiaoxing is also qualified to use you?"

"That's a very minor factor—her talent as an 'Armored Warrior' is only barely passable. Using combat armor of a lower level than mine wouldn't be a big problem, but using me would be very difficult," Huang Yan said. "The reason I helped you heal her is because she's your girlfriend... uh, your companion."

"Just for this?"

"Yes. This is a deal between the Joint Operations Headquarters and you special agents: in exchange for carrying out missions for the Joint Operations Headquarters, we will assist you in achieving your personal desires. Whether it's protecting your comrades, seeking revenge, or anything else. By the way, if you're lucky, you might be able to take revenge while carrying out your first mission."

"Really?!" Fish's eyes immediately lit up.

"Of course... um, wait a minute." Huang Yan suddenly stopped talking—because at that moment, a little fox-eared girl, soaking wet and with a look of confusion and unease in her eyes, appeared behind them.

Xiaoxing has finally pulled through the jaws of death.

"Are you... Captain Fish?" Having no idea what had happened after falling into that room, Sachi was startled when she saw Fish dressed like a team hero.

"Yes, it's me!" Fish quickly removed his helmet, vigorously shaking his furry ears and tail, while sticking his tongue out of his mouth—a common gesture of friendliness among Newtypes. "Hey, Sachi, how are you feeling?"

"My whole body aches terribly..." Xiaoxing said, "It's like... uh... like I've been gutting a fish all day in a restaurant's kitchen..."

"This is normal," Huang Yan's remote terminal flew between the two of them. "The body's repair and regeneration process produces some metabolic byproducts, such as lactic acid. But don't worry, these metabolic byproducts are generally harmless and can be slowly degraded."

"Wow!" Xiaoxing, seeing this "fairy girl" who was as tall as her palm for the first time, was so startled that she took two steps back. "This is...?"

"This is 'Phoenix Flame,' or rather, strictly speaking, her remote control terminal. Phoenix Flame's true form is me... or rather, this armor I'm wearing... uh, I know this sounds hard to believe, but... hey, hey, hey, don't stare at me like that, like I'm a lunatic. I'm serious..."

"Let me explain," Huang Yan sighed as Fish's explanation only made things worse, then his remote control landed between Xiao Xing's tall fox ears. "Give us half an hour. I'll talk to Miss Xiao Xing about the current situation, and we'll have some private conversations—and, no eavesdropping! Understand?"

"Yes, yes, yes," Fish quickly replied, then trotted off to another corridor not far away. This used to be where the inpatient department counter of the medical center was located, with rows of plastic chairs next to a floor-to-ceiling transparent window that took up an entire wall.

As the wind subsided and the churning waves calmed, Fish peered through the water and saw the garden below—a place where residents of these towers used to relax, filled with trees and flowers. Now, it was submerged dozens of meters below the surface. The former rockeries and park sculptures were now covered in mussels, barnacles, and oysters, and coral thrived at the waterline.

On the wall near the floor-to-ceiling windows, there is a world map made of fine mosaic, showing the boundary between land and sea a thousand years ago. Although not very precise, Fish can still see that in that distant era, the land area was much larger than it is today.

Although the historical records of the old civilizations are mostly chaotic and unclear, one thing is certain: the world had already begun to have problems long before the old human civilization disintegrated.

According to legend, although humanity in the old civilization possessed various technological means to control and regulate the weather, this once prosperous world continued to deteriorate—the weather grew hotter, dry places became drier, and rainy areas experienced torrential downpours. Storms became more rampant each year, accompanied by rising sea levels… ultimately creating these urban ruins half-submerged beneath the ocean.

Although the rate of environmental degradation slowed significantly after the end of the old civilization era due to societal decline, the harsh environment still greatly reduced the number of habitable places on Earth. Apart from areas submerged by the sea, most of the modern landmass has become wilderness—except for some high-altitude mountain climate zones, the rest are either arid and desolate deserts or humid and uninhabitable rainforests.

Severe soil erosion has also led to widespread desertification and salinization in some areas. As a result, the vast majority of the population in these countries lives on islands or narrow coastal areas, while the vast interiors are barren and sparsely populated.

Where exactly is that farther, higher place I've always wanted to go? As he gazed at the now-vanished landmasses on the mosaic map, this question quietly surfaced in Fish's mind again—ever since that stormy night when he awoke amidst piles of dead fish, Fish had subconsciously pondered this question whenever he had a spare moment: He was certain that before his amnesia, there was indeed a place he wanted to go. However, the memories associated with it seemed to have been deliberately erased, almost entirely absent from his brain. The only remaining vague impression was that it was a very far, very high place…

What surprised Fish even more was that when he met Huang Yan and learned that carrying out the order issued by the "Unified Combat Headquarters" might require him to go to a distant place, he actually had the feeling of "this is right" at the first moment... even though he didn't know exactly where he was going.

Could it be that I actually know something about the Joint Operations Headquarters? Did I have some kind of connection with this mysterious organization in the past? Fish pondered as he ran his fingertips along the mosaic world map. Although it sounded unbelievable, considering his blank memories and his extremely rare talent that perfectly complemented "Phoenix Flame," these thoughts seemed... somewhat plausible.

However, before Fish could think any further, a series of light footsteps came from behind him—Xiao Xing, and the Phoenix Flame remote control terminal sitting on her shoulder, had finished their conversation and found him.

Xiao Xing has somehow found a new outfit to replace her old tattered jacket and ill-fitting camouflage green shirt. However, this outfit doesn't look like proper clothing either; it's a light purple bodysuit that resembles the completed "Phoenix Flame."

"This is... wait, did you get Xiaoxing a set of smart combat armor just like yours?" Fish asked hurriedly.

"Partially correct. After all, as I said before, Miss Xiaoxing, like you, also possesses 'talent'... only her level is slightly inferior. She is currently equipped with the AM-208 intelligent combat armor, whose basic design principles and capabilities are similar to mine, but its overall functionality is only 55% of mine. It is a rather mediocre model, but it allows wearers with limited talent to adapt quickly."

"Huh? Why didn't you give me this before? It would have been so much easier for me to get used to it that way," Fish asked.

"Because your talent is high enough, equipping you only with the AM-208 would be a waste," Huang Yan replied. "Besides, unlike me, the AM-208 doesn't have a super-intelligent AI like me, capable of effectively guiding a blockhead like you with only prenatal education. Its AI program only has the most basic learning and assistance capabilities. Without me as your guardian, a fool like you might get kidnapped by human traffickers on the street."

"Hey, 'prenatal education dropout' is just too hurtful, isn't it? I did attend a literacy night school and technical school in Oasis City for a year..." Fish protested.

"I don't care about any of that!" The green-haired fairy girl flew over, tugged at Fish's ear, then turned to Xiaoxing and asked in a gentler tone, "So, Miss Xiaoxing, have you named your combat armor yet?"

"Hmm, I think we should call it 'Grape'," Xiaoxing said, "because its color looks a lot like grapes."

"Hmm..." Fish and Phoenix Flame's remote terminals frowned simultaneously—it seems that Xiao Xing's naming talent and imagination are rather... mediocre.

"Alright, let's leave it at that. At least it's not a weird name, much better than that legendary red-eyed Explosive Maniac's naming taste," Huang Yan said, changing the subject while speaking in a language that Fish and Xiao Xing couldn't understand. "Well then, since you two are ready, we should prepare to move in. Mr. Fish, Miss Xiao Xing has just agreed to sign the same contract as you. Therefore, she is now a special agent of the Joint Operations Headquarters, just like you, and will be carrying out missions together."

"I have no objection," Fish said. Although he vaguely sensed that being a "special agent" was definitely not a safe or secure job, considering that Xiaoxing currently had nowhere to go, having her come with him was at least not a bad option.

"Very good, your first operation instructions are as follows." As Huang Yan uttered these words, her remote terminal raised a small hand, magically "summoning" a holographic map out of thin air. On it, vast urban ruins spread out like fish scales across the submerged plains, resembling a pancake, surrounded by an archipelago formed from former mountain ranges. A red cross flashed in the center of the city, while two small blue dots marked the northwest edge.

"Is this...us?" Xiaoxing asked, pointing to the blue dot.

"Yes. The destination has been marked in red," Huang Yan replied. "Your mission is to retrieve a batch of sealed old civilization-era technology and equipment from the destination as soon as possible, and bring them out of the city ruins intact, awaiting further instructions. There is no time limit for completing the mission."

"Go to the city center to retrieve some items... is it really that simple?" Fish asked. Of course, if he had said this yesterday, he would have been shocked—after all, the danger of venturing into urban ruins is well-known; it's no exaggeration to say it's risking one's life for money. However, with Phoenix Flame's assistance, and a series of successful battles after surviving a near-death experience, Fish now naturally considers "just" retrieving items from the depths of the ruins to be relatively simple.

"That's not the case," Huang Yan said. "Because although the mission itself has no time limit, unfortunately, you also have a group of competitors."

"Competitors?!"

"Yes." As Huang Yan gave an affirmative answer, several more orange dots appeared on the map, and they were half again as close to the red cross as the blue dots!