The Apocalypse Shelter System

"Slash!" Di Ping saw a white shadow flash and charge toward him, moving at lightning speed directly at his face. He immediately swung his sword to strike.

The sword shot forward like a meteor, accompanied by a sharp whistle, as it descended upon the white shadow. In the blink of an eye, it was nearly upon it, but the white shadow suddenly twisted in mid-air, narrowly dodging the blade by swerving to the left.

A sharp "sizzling" sound rang out as a piece of clothing was cut, and Di Ping immediately felt a searing pain in his left arm.

"To think I was injured, it's so fast!" Di Ping sucked in a cold breath. He thought he was already incredibly strong, with an abnormal speed. Yet, this white shadow was even faster. He was caught off guard, and in an instant, he had been struck. Di Ping felt a bit embarrassed and frustrated.

"Bang…" The white shadow passed through Di Ping and slammed into the door, which the others had just managed to close. The collision made a soft thud.

"Meow…" A high-pitched cry of pain echoed as the white shadow tumbled to the ground.

Di Ping quickly turned, and only then did he realize that it was a white cat, which, although quite cute, was unusually large, nearly the size of a typical rural dog. The cat, meowing pitifully, looked up at Di Ping with fearful eyes, seemingly pleading for mercy. However, its originally blue eyes had turned blood-red, glowing eerily, sending a chill down Di Ping's spine.

Although cute animals often soften people's hearts, Di Ping, momentarily distracted, was struck by a horrifying thought—the gruesome wounds of the female corpse on the couch, her eyes filled with terror and disbelief. He hardened his resolve. This seemingly innocent creature was far from harmless.

"Meow…" The white cat suddenly screamed, its body arching as it leaped toward Di Ping's face, claws extended.

"Damn it!" Di Ping cursed, realizing the cat had been feigning weakness in order to launch a surprise attack. He swiftly turned to the left, dodging the cat's glowing claws, and swung his sword in a wide arc.

"Choo…" The sword moved with lightning speed, aided by his body's rotation, a blur of light.

"Meow…" The white cat seemed to have underestimated Di Ping's quick response. In midair, it executed a rapid roll, avoiding the lethal strike by a hair's breadth.

"Dammit!" Di Ping cursed under his breath, thinking, "This creature is ridiculously fast. I won't let it get away!"

His anger intensified as he decided that he must destroy the cunning, fast-moving mutated cat. With such a dangerous creature lurking nearby, he couldn't allow it to remain a threat. There was no way to prevent a thief who could strike at any moment.

"Meow…" The white cat, sensing that Di Ping was determined, let out a low growl and turned to flee, quickly darting into a nearby room.

"This little thing is too sly!" Di Ping cursed again, realizing the cat was playing the coward, retreating when it knew it couldn't win, only to prepare for another ambush.

"I can't let it get away!" Di Ping's anger flared. The white cat was not only ruthless but also more cunning than any regular feline. If he missed this opportunity, it would be much harder to eliminate it in the future. He couldn't afford to let this ticking time bomb remain nearby.

Resolved to eradicate the cunning cat, Di Ping cautiously approached the room. He had to be extremely careful; the cat's speed far exceeded his own, and a single moment of carelessness could spell disaster.

The bedroom was over thirty square meters, decorated in a Western style, with few furnishings: a large white leather mattress, a white vanity table, a 55-inch flat-screen TV, and a large wardrobe with five doors tightly closed. The door faced a floor-to-ceiling window leading to a balcony.

Di Ping moved slowly into the room, his eyes scanning every corner, trying to detect where the white cat might be hiding. Though the room was not large and the furnishings were minimal, there were plenty of places the cat could conceal itself: under the bed, behind the curtains, inside the wardrobe—who knew if it had learned how to open doors?

After a careful search, he found no sign of the white cat and heard no sound. Growing increasingly frustrated, Di Ping knew that cats were masters of stealth, making it almost impossible to find them without a noise.

"This time, I won't let you escape!" Di Ping's eyes suddenly brightened as he spotted the door to his left. He moved forward, his hand quietly reaching for the handle, applying force.

"Bang!" The door slammed shut.

"Meow…" The white cat, seemingly realizing the seriousness of the situation, let out a shrill cry and darted from behind the curtains, leaping onto the bed. Its blood-red eyes fixed fiercely on Di Ping, flashing with killing intent.

"Hah!" Di Ping exhaled, thinking to himself that animals, after all, still had predictable reactions. The cat might be fast, but he could corner it and compress its space until its speed became irrelevant.

"Meow…" The white cat, seemingly desperate, leapt into the air from the bed, claws outstretched, aiming straight for Di Ping.

"Bring it on!" Di Ping yelled, swinging his sword to meet the attack.

"Slash!"

"Dammit! Die, you cat!" Di Ping's attack missed again, as the white cat's sharp claws slashed at him, leaving more cuts.

"Come again!" Di Ping shouted, charging forward.

"Choo!"

"Bang!"

"Ah!"

"I'll cut you down!"

The room descended into chaos as cat and man clashed—sword against claws, a whirlwind of destruction. The TV shattered, the vanity table was demolished, the bed's sheets flew through the air, and the wardrobe was slashed to pieces, its contents scattered everywhere.

"Pant… pant…" Di Ping leaned on his sword, gasping for breath. Sweat poured from his body, and his clothes were torn and bloodied. Two shallow cuts ran across his face, beads of blood still dripping from them. The white cat, its fur bristling, was covered in blood, its eyes burning with hatred as it glared at Di Ping.

"Dammit… come on…" Di Ping gritted his teeth, still glaring at the white cat, his breath labored as he cursed under his breath.

"Out of energy, huh? Well, I've still got more!" Di Ping took a few deep breaths, feeling his strength returning, thanks to the constant practice with his sword. He had trained hard for this moment.

"Meow!" Enraged, the white cat screeched and pounced again, but this time, its speed was noticeably slower.

"Watch for hidden weapons!" Di Ping grinned mischievously as he suddenly twirled his sword and flicked a red dress off the floor. The fabric soared through the air, landing on the oncoming cat.

"Meow…" The white cat was caught off guard as the dress descended like a net, trapping it beneath the fabric. It struggled desperately, claws tearing at the cloth with sharp "sizzling" sounds.

"Die!" Di Ping shouted, throwing himself onto the bed with his sword raised high.

"Whoosh!"

"Crack!"

The sword descended with a whoosh, striking the bundle of fabric and the cat beneath it.

"Meow…" The white cat let out a final, pitiful cry as it was crushed beneath the force, its body slamming into the floor with a sickening thud. Slowly, blood began to seep from under the fabric, and the cat's struggles ceased.

"Bang! Bang!" Di Ping quickly approached and struck twice more with his sword, ensuring the creature was truly dead. He couldn't afford to let it play dead; this mutated cat was far too devious.

As the green energy of the cat's soul slowly floated upward and entered Di Ping's body, strengthening him, he finally relaxed and slumped onto the bed. This battle had been far more exhausting than he had expected. He had never imagined that such a small mutated cat could put him through such an ordeal. Thankfully, he had thought of a strategy, or things might have ended very differently.

"This cat's main weakness was its lack of strength," Di Ping mused, catching his breath. "It was fast, but its offensive power was minimal. If it had been stronger, it might have been me lying here today."

"Beep… Soul energy detected. System activation. Tavern not built; unable to store. Consuming energy to strengthen the host's body."

At that moment, the system beeped again, and Di Ping felt a gentle warmth rising from within his body. However, unlike before, this sensation was much weaker, and the increase in strength was barely noticeable. It was nothing like the energy from the mutated dog.

"Wait a minute!" Di Ping suddenly realized. While his strength hadn't increased significantly, he felt more agile, his reactions quicker than before.

"Could it be… different soul energies strengthen different aspects?" Di Ping pondered, sensing the subtle changes in his body. He wasn't entirely sure, but he had a strong feeling that he was right. However, with such a small increase in power, he would need to test this theory again in the future.

"Di Ge! Are you okay?" a voice called from outside the door.

"I'm fine, come in!" Di Ping answered, relieved to hear the worried voice of his companion. Now wasn't the time for more speculation, so he decided to leave that for later.

"Holy crap! Di Ge, are you sure you're not demolishing the house?" When the door opened, his friends were greeted by the chaotic scene inside, their faces filled with confusion.