Let go of that monster girl!

"Let's rest first, this is already quite big."

A small pot, a small stove, a chick, and a bunch of kittens.

The water in the pot boiled, and the little chimera was chopped into pieces and thrown in. The cats squatted by the stove, adding dry twigs. The flames were deliberately kept low, with no smoke coming out and almost no light.

A circle of cats surrounded it, their tails curled up at their feet, intently watching the chunks of meat bubbling in the pot.

The fresh chimera meat, once cooked, emitted a terrifying odor that suffocated the cats. The stench and sourness mingled together, making it even more horrifying than roasting, causing the cats to squint and shrink back.

But the cats rubbed their bellies, meowing from hunger, holding their bowls, watching the meat in the pot cook with longing eyes, their little noses sniffing the smell of oil.

They used to spit out after just one bite, but now, even this frightening taste makes their mouths water.

The cat village chief picked up a spoon and scooped out bowl after bowl.

The cats and kittens lowered their heads; there was only a bowl of clear soup and a little bit of meat in it.

The chimera's bones and a little more meat were scooped into the hounds' bowls.

The kittens were a little sad, their ears flattened, but they still obediently picked up the bowls and drank the soup, even licking the bottom of the bowls clean with their tiny cat tongues.

The cat village chief had almost emptied the small pot, but there were still a few cats without any soup.

The cats stared at her longingly, the bowl held to her chest.

The village chief, Cat, moved his mouth slightly, but his expression remained unchanged. He scraped the bottom of the pot with the spoon, deliberately making a splashing sound.

"And there's meow, and there's meow."

She added some more water to the small pot, put the lid on and waited for it to bubble, then uncovered the pot and distributed the hot soup to the remaining cats.

The cats lowered their heads to drink the soup, their noses wrinkling. It tasted awful; the chimera's fat had been completely cooked into the soup, and the horrible fishy smell was even more unpalatable in the hot water. But the cats were too hungry, so they tilted their heads back and gulped it down, afraid of missing a single drop.

The village chief, Cat, took a sip of his soup. The hot soup entered his stomach, and he was no longer so hungry. The cold also dissipated a lot.

Being full of water and full of food are two different things. One supports the stomach wall, while the other nourishes the body. It's not so easy to fool your belly.

But the cat village chief deliberately avoided experiencing the feeling of a bloated stomach and a panicked heart.

The kitten finished its drink, looked at her obediently, and placed the bowl on its knee without asking for a second bowl.

Although the kittens were very obedient and didn't say anything, their increasingly empty cloth clothes didn't lie.

The hunting cats picked up their bowls and offered them to the kittens, but the cat village chief blocked them with his hand.

"There's also a cat in the soup pot."

She scooped up another spoonful and added it to the kitten.

The kitten had drunk its fill, its little belly bulging. In any case, the hot soup had driven away the chill, and no one continued to shiver.

The cat village chief reached out and patted their heads, the kittens rubbing their ears against his palm.

Kittens are the future.

But the cats have no future.

"Children are hope"—what a luxurious statement that is.

Everyone in the desolate wasteland knows that adults are hope; without adults, children are nothing more than an insignificant red spot on the side of wreckage.

To the north are mountains, and to the south is a fungal forest.

Maybe it will be better to go a little east after tomorrow?

After finishing their soup, the cats went about tidying up their things in twos and threes.

An older cat, while packing her meager belongings, offered a suggestion:

"How about we head west a bit? The noble ladies over there might need some help."

The cat village chief shook his head.

"Now the fields are basically uncultivable, so there's no need for so many farmers. Even if they were, cats wouldn't know how to farm. If we go that way, we'll just end up being sold to fox cats."

"Where's the low hill?"

"The hill is so far south, the rats are probably all dead. Even if they were still there, the cats wouldn't mine, and no one would take in a useless cat."

"The cats can make things, and make pretty little things for those ladies."

"Who would want those useless little things these days, meow?"

The cats fell silent.

The cat village chief patted his knees and stood up.

"Get some rest, take a nap and then we'll head west."

The cats returned to their own dens, curled up in their smelly fur blankets, spread their tails over their bodies, tucked their legs into their laps, and pressed their ears against their heads, trying their best to keep warm.

The camp gradually quieted down.

The cat village chief was curled up in his smallest tent, his little hands wrapped around his knees, and his tail wrapped around his face.

The chimera fur smelled bad and was stiff. The cats didn't know how to tan it, so many of them got moldy and grew little mushrooms, but it was still warmer to cover oneself with.

She closed her eyes, and her breathing gradually became even.

The cat village chief had a wonderful dream.

In my dream, there were many cats, big cats, small cats, fat cats, and thin cats, all crammed together around a long table eating. There was no distinction of rank or status, and the table was laden with grilled fish and cakes.

There was no cold wind, no bad guys, and the high city walls protected the cat.

So warm, so happy.

The cats play together and make all sorts of pretty but useless things.

A new city has sprung up, with a huge cat tree standing in the middle!

The hero stood outside the city wall, atop a high mountain, picked up a small pebble at his feet, aimed at the dark cloud in the sky, and threw it with all his might. The pebble flew up and smashed a big hole in the cloud, through which golden sunlight streamed down and shone on every cat!

The cats lived happily ever after.

Just like the ending of all fairy tales.

A tiny body snuggled into the village chief's arms, its fluffy head nuzzling her chin, waking her up.

"What's wrong, meow?"

"Hungry."

"Go to sleep, you won't be hungry when you're asleep, meow."

"I'm so hungry I can't sleep."

"Then I'll tell you a story, meow."

"Once upon a time, there was a very powerful cat warrior."

This story has been told to death.

Why do cats like to hear this story?

The mice's favorite stories are about a great hero who saves them and someone who discovers a sugar mine, perhaps for the same reason.

"The sky lantern is very bright, meow, and then the hero suddenly appears, meow, and then all the bad guys are driven away, meow."

How bright?

"It's as bright as that light in the sky, meow."

"That's amazing."

Ok.

Meow?

That ray of light in the sky?

The cat village chief blinked.

The cats are all awake.

The tent fabric was lifted, and all the cats crawled out and looked up at the sky.

A bright ray of light pierced the entire sky, slowly rotating, its warm yellow glow sweeping across the wasteland, the withered forest, and over their heads.

Following the direction of the glow, an incredibly conspicuous ball of light stood atop the eternal darkness of the lightless zone!

Is anyone there?

Who wants all the cats to know he's there?!

It's a sky lantern! It's a secret code only cats know!

"Yes, yes, yes, I'm a hero, meow!"

"It's the hero who's come to save the cat, meow!"

In the distance, in a secluded spot on the wasteland, bright sky lanterns rise one by one, their tiny lights swaying and drifting into the sky.

In another part of the wilderness, one after another sky lanterns rose up.

The cats didn't have sky lanterns, so the cat village chief grabbed a piece of dry firewood and stuffed it into the still-burning stove pit. Flames leaped up, and she held the burning firewood above her head.

The cats eagerly grabbed dry branches from the woodpile, lit them, climbed up the high ground at the edge of the depression, and climbed to the bare treetops in the deadwood forest, waving their torches vigorously.

Even if hope is as elusive as a fairy tale, it is still the straw a drowning cat grasps at.

I beg you.

It doesn't matter who it is.

Whether they were slave traders or not.

Even chimeras would be fine.

Anyone is fine.

Save the cat.

More and more sky lanterns rose from all directions, and the scattered points of light in the darkness became denser and denser. Cats were everywhere on the wasteland responding to the giant lantern.

The lighthouse's glow swept across the sky lanterns, illuminating their positions one by one.

A vast radiance gathers tiny glimmers of light, rising brilliantly in the eternal darkness!

……

The entire cat village is still as dilapidated as ever, but thanks to the hero's call, the cats' spirits have been completely renewed.

They roused themselves and immediately began dismantling tents, rolling up blankets, and packing up cooking utensils. The cats moved with astonishing speed, and the entire camp was packed up in minutes, ready to head west.

As they walked, the cats excitedly discussed how the hero would appear.

"I'm definitely going to stand in front of a super beautiful and awesome castle, meow!"

"They must have arrived riding a unicorn, meow!"

"They must be leading a very powerful army, meow!"

"Maybe it can fly, meow!"

The cats laughed when they heard that the cats could fly.

how can that be possible.

Hero, you're not a flying cat.

In the distance, towards the low mountains, the huge outline of something emerged from the darkness.

The bulging airbags were clearly visible in the lighthouse glow, the hum of the spinning propellers grew closer, and the triangular sails filled with wind in the dark night.

A fleet of airships drifted in, their hulls adorned with fluorite lanterns.

It left a long trail of light in the night sky.

Chapter 147: Piles of Cat Girls

The airships made one trip after another, and soon the Sweet Hill campsite was filled with cats.

Jimmy stood beside the lighthouse foundation, his mouth agape in astonishment as he watched the airship slowly descend. A whole bunch of cats tumbled out from both sides of the ship, meowing and swooping like little fish in a net as they fell to the ground.

The second airship landed, and a huge horde of cats poured out of it, even more than the first one.