NOVEL NEXT 1. The Stray "Cat"
“Ding, system reloading…”
Jiang Mo was awakened by an unfamiliar voice, but in her groggy state, she couldn’t quite make out what it said. As she blinked her eyes open and looked around, she saw no one in sight.
To be more precise, she saw nothing but towering trees. Jiang Mo found herself in a strange place, surrounded by damp earth, thick fallen leaves, and ancient trees that blocked out the sky. Despite it being a sunny day, the brilliant sunlight filtering through the forest canopy was fractured into scattered spots, sprinkling the ground like decorations.
Jiang Mo blinked once, then twice, closing and opening her eyes several times, but the scene before her remained unchanged. Even when she shut her eyes, the crisp air and fresh scent of soil told her plainly that everything around her was real.
Having grown up in a concrete jungle, Jiang Mo had rarely experienced nature up close except during vacations. Far from finding the scene before her peaceful and beautiful, she was startled to her core. What was going on? Where was she? Who had brought her to such a place?
The sudden alertness made Jiang Mo instinctively try to leap up, but she discovered her limbs were weak. She managed to rise halfway before collapsing back down, the small movement leaving her dizzy and disoriented.
It didn’t hurt, but her vision kept darkening, making Jiang Mo realize she was in an extremely weakened state.
She closed her eyes helplessly, but her mind raced…
An unfamiliar place, a weakened body—without a doubt, she was in danger. Had someone kidnapped her? No, she was just an ordinary person; kidnapping her wouldn’t yield any benefit, so no one would risk the effort. Could it be revenge? That didn’t seem likely either; she had always kept a low profile and rarely argued with anyone, let alone offended someone badly enough to warrant such revenge.
If it wasn’t this and it wasn’t that, then why had she suddenly appeared in such a place, completely drained of strength? As she pondered, a vague memory flashed through her mind.
A busy street, a flashing green light, a speeding sports car… and the vast blue autumn sky.
Oh, right. She remembered now. She must have been in a car accident. While crossing the street, she had inexplicably lost focus, just as a recklessly speeding car came along, hitting her. So what was the situation now? Had the driver thought she was dead and brought her to this remote forest to dispose of her body? It seemed the only explanation, but this wasn’t decades ago—there were cameras everywhere. Could the driver really have escaped?
The thought was laughable, but Jiang Mo couldn’t bring herself to laugh. After all, who wouldn’t sigh at such rotten luck? Besides, she was still young with her whole life ahead of her. She couldn’t die here!
With this thought, Jiang Mo quickly snapped out of her musings, just as her vision had cleared. The suddenness of the situation had prevented her from wondering why she felt no pain after being hit by a car. Her mind was filled only with these thoughts—hopefully the driver had only “disposed of the body,” hopefully her phone hadn’t been damaged in the crash, hopefully there was a signal here so she could call for help!
As she thought this, she tried to reach for her pocket, but as she lowered her head with effort, she froze completely.
No phone, no pocket, not even a hand!
What met her eyes was a furry paw, with snow-white fur marked by faint black stripes. In disbelief, she tried to move her hand, and the furry paw moved in response. Turning it over, she could see coffee-colored paw pads.
This… this…
Jiang Mo’s eyes widened in shock. She wasn’t an ignorant person; in fact, her imagination was richer than most. So she quickly realized that she might have actually died in the car accident. But instead of going to the underworld or drinking Meng Po’s soup of oblivion, she had somehow muddled through reincarnation and become… a cat?
Yes, Jiang Mo thought she might have become a cat. Although she had never owned a cat, plenty of people these days were virtual cat lovers, herself included. Looking at the furry little paws and soft paw pads, what else could she be but a cat?
Jiang Mo quite liked cats, but becoming one herself left her with mixed feelings, especially since she realized she might be a stray.
In the middle of nowhere, without parents, and in such a weak state—would she even survive?
She tried to meow, hoping to call for companions, but the sound seemed odd to her ears. The kitten-like cry naturally failed to summon any allies, and Jiang Mo felt that this reincarnation was truly wretched. She had lived an ordinary life before, not performing any great deeds of kindness, but she had always obeyed the law. Becoming a cat was one thing, but she wasn’t even the free-spirited type—couldn’t she at least have been reborn as a house cat?
Jiang Mo grumbled inwardly, using it to dispel the sudden panic rising in her heart. Her thoughts were a jumble, already imagining the arduous journey of finding a human to care for her.
Just then, in the quiet forest, she suddenly heard an unexpected sound.
“Ding, system loading complete.”
Jiang Mo paused, thinking she might be hearing things.
“Ding, game system addition complete, initializing data…”
Jiang Mo realized she probably wasn’t imagining it. Her round eyes grew even wider, her heart suddenly racing.
“Data initialization complete. Hello, host. I am System 223. I apologize for the accident you experienced due to my error. But please rest assured, the system has made amends…”
“Wait!” Jiang Mo interrupted before the system could finish. Her round pupils contracted into black slits at that moment. “Are you saying it’s because of you that I’ve ended up like this?”
The system paused, its mechanical voice somehow sounding sheepish: “Yes, host. During the system binding process, you were crossing the street. The binding affected your spirit, and unfortunately, a speeding car ran a red light, so…” So you were hit and died quite tragically, your body mangled beyond recognition. The system didn’t want to waste energy repairing it, nor could it make anyone believe you could survive such an impact.
So while the host was unconscious, the system simply took her soul and ran.
The binding was already complete, and having caused such a disaster, unbinding was out of the question. The system’s remaining conscience made it expend extra energy to specially select a new body for Jiang Mo—one that was not only compatible but also powerful!
Look, this white tiger cub that had just died—pure-blooded and with a bright future—wasn’t it perfect for the host?
Worried that the host would fixate on its mistake, System 223 had even taken out a loan to load a game upgrade system—rumored to have a 99.99% approval rating and a favorite among hosts, selling for exorbitant prices in the mall—to help the host train and level up more efficiently, reaching life’s pinnacle as soon as possible… as long as the host didn’t complain about this new system.
The system selectively explained the cause and effect to Jiang Mo, ending with a slogan: “The game upgrade system is now loaded. With this system’s assistance, we guarantee foundation building in one month, golden core in three months, and nascent soul in a year is not a dream!”
Jiang Mo was silent for a long while before suddenly asking, “Are you saying I’m not a stray cat?”
The system was even more surprised than her: “Host, how could you think you were a stray cat?!”
Jiang Mo looked down at her fluffy, tender little paws, not feeling that a white tiger cub’s situation was much better than a stray cat’s. She asked again, “How old is this body?”
The system transformed into a ball of light visible only to Jiang Mo, circled around her once, and provided an answer: “One day.”
A white tiger cub that died just a day after birth was either congenitally weak or had no one to care for it. Based on Jiang Mo’s assessment of her current situation, she had probably encountered both unfortunate circumstances. How was she supposed to survive like this?
The system, sensing the host’s thoughts, flickered and quietly opened its mall. However, being a newly minted system that had just taken out a loan, it couldn’t afford anything. Even though it wanted to help, it was powerless to do so. So it cautiously suggested, “Host, why don’t you try killing a monster to level up first? Once you reach level one, you’ll recover full health, and any congenital weakness will be a minor issue.”
Jiang Mo, lying flat on the ground, too weak to even stand up: “…”
Kill monsters? What could she possibly kill? Insects?!