Memories soaked in blood are pain, are numbness.

A round of electric shocks, flooding, and freezing plunged Liu Yi into deep self-doubt.

Inside the spatial pocket, the little chick—no, Liang Zuan—watched her suffer and leapt off the coral fleece blanket, furiously flapping his wings at the puppy.

The sound crackled.

"Mama, mama, the ugly thing is hitting me, help!"

Although their powers couldn't be used in the space, everything happening outside was clearly visible from within.

The puppy, inexperienced and defenseless against the smooth, strange creature, struggled desperately but could not resist, howling pitifully.

The commotion forcibly yanked Liu Yi from her quiet mood.

Liang Zuan slapped the puppy several times, sending it somersaulting through the air. The fresh meat and seeds she had stored in her space were thrown into chaos.

"All of you, get out now!" Liu Yi gazed at the mess in her mind’s sea, clutching her hair that had been frizzed into wild waves by the electricity, unable to keep her composure any longer.

She had wanted to braise that half slab of pork once she learned the recipe! That basket of hazelnuts had taken her so long to collect her legs went numb! That case of soy sauce and vinegar, she had dug ten meters through the ruins for, until her palms were rubbed raw! And that box of brown sugar—she’d been saving it for her period, never daring to eat it otherwise!

She had finally managed to hatch the powder eggs, and not even a day had passed before the chicks and the puppy were fighting.

Once, she believed herself incredibly lucky.

She was reborn, had defied fate, avoided being handed over by her own kin to the laboratory as a guinea pig, and didn’t have to starve like the refugees in the shelters.

Through her own efforts, she had arrived in a place without a soul, where no one knew her, and lived a peaceful life as a normal person.

She had her own tiny plot of land, raised a few adorable animals, and ensured three meals a day.

She felt hopeful for the days ahead, even if scavenging and hoarding supplies exhausted her.

But now?

All the supplies she’d painstakingly stockpiled had been ruined by the pair!

They were so tiny—she couldn’t hit them, and scolding likely wouldn’t work either. She was furious!

Before she could utter any reproach, she was already crying, mostly heartbroken over her lost supplies.

As Liang Zuan exited the space, he hooked his little blanket with his claws to cover his naked body. Upon seeing her, he curved his enormous eyes, trying hard to radiate a peaceful aura.

But that was only what he thought.

Seeing the tears rolling down her cheeks, his feathers stood on end, and he chirped frantically.

The puppy lay weakly on the ground after being pummeled by the chick. It had wanted its mother to comfort it, but now limped over to her.

"Mama, I was wrong, please don’t be angry..."

"Great-grandma, we were wrong, we’ll change!"

"Mama, don’t cry, let me cry for you, okay?"

The black puppy and the tiger cub also crowded around, never having seen her cry before. They didn’t understand why someone so big would cry, but their hearts couldn’t help but ache with her.

After crying, Liu Yi felt much better. Their babyish voices soothed her, and her anger faded.

The little white tiger rubbed its furry head into her palm.

Both puppies burrowed into her arms, one licking her hand wildly.

The three little ones did their best, and finally managed to cheer her up.

Only Liang Zuan seemed detached from their merriment, quietly clutching his blanket and watching them laugh and play.

"Little one, did you intervene because you saw me get hurt by their powers?" Liu Yi sat up, lifted him onto her lap with his blanket.

Liang Zuan nodded quickly, almost twisting his slender neck off.

"If yes, nod twice. If not, shake your head." Liu Yi demonstrated as she spoke.

Liang Zuan stopped, then solemnly nodded his bald head twice.

He really understood?

"Good boy. I’ll say a few names—if you like one, nod after it; if not, shake your head. Okay?" Liu Yi, finding it amusing, tried again. "Dog Left, Useless Egg, Silly Two, Turtle Son? Which do you like?"

Liang Zuan shook his head repeatedly.

What kind of names were these?

Could anyone even call them out?

Liu Yi: ...Are mutated animals all this quirky now?

She moved past the chick and gave names to the puppies and tiger cub.

This time, there were no surprises, but they all rejected her silly suggestions.

Hmph—if even the clown chick didn’t like those names, how could these noble creatures accept them?

Don’t underestimate the beasts...

The black puppy was male, with water powers—he was named Water Cannon.

The black-and-white puppy was female, with electricity powers—she was called Sparkle.

The white tiger cub was male, with ice powers—he was dubbed Ice Lump.

The mother tiger’s powers were still unknown, but her combat ability was unmatched; few could survive seven moves against her. Liu Yi named her Seven Strike.

Finally, under Liu Yi’s authority, the chick was named Little Phoenix.

She couldn’t tell the chick’s gender, but her reasoning was simple: birds, after all, and the phoenix is the king of all birds—auspicious and powerful. Regardless of gender, the name fit perfectly. She congratulated herself for her brilliance.

In her spare time, she followed book instructions and dug an ecological biogas pit in the backyard.

It not only solved the waste disposal problem, but the biogas produced could be used for cooking, heating water, and lighting. The fermented waste residue could serve as fertilizer.

Truly, not a drop of benefit was wasted on outsiders.

Her days passed with laughter and busy work.

Time flew by, yet seemed to crawl.

Months went by, and Liu Yi diligently excavated the ruins, emptying the supplies of the surrounding town.

One day, the sky remained dim until noon, with no sun in sight.

Seven Strike unusually did not go out hunting, instead marking the manor’s perimeter with urine from early morning.

Ice Lump, Water Cannon, and Sparkle joined in, mimicking her behavior.

Liu Yi knew that beasts marked their territory by scent, and urination was one way.

Sensing the polar night approaching, she sealed all possible entrances to the manor.

The polar night would be bitterly cold, the climate extremely harsh.

In such conditions, it was best not to venture outside.

She remembered how, in her previous life, the laboratory lost subjects to the cold every day. She barely survived, saved by the warmth of another experiment—a person-turned-monster—who helped her endure the endless polar night.

That blood-soaked memory was pain and numbness, but only that sliver of warmth remained unforgettable...