To be born as a human—how deeply ashamed she felt!

Liu Yi counted the days on her fingers. At the onset of the polar night, her companion, the Human Swine, had not yet been transferred to her laboratory. She had no idea where he had been experimented on before his transformation, so even if she wanted to save him in advance, there was simply no way.

"Screech—" Little Phoenix, keenly sensing her low spirits, tilted its wings and fluttered lightly through the air.

Its slender body was adorned with semi-transparent feathers, soft and white, drifting high above like dancing snowflakes. Its jade-like claws retracted their tips as it carefully alighted on her shoulder. Cocking its head, it gazed at her with round, gleaming black eyes, its thick, curled lashes fluttering with each blink, exuding an intelligent charm, almost as if betraying a human-like emotion.

"You little eyelash spirit!" Liu Yi marveled at how the once bare and awkward creature had grown smooth feathers, transforming into something ethereal, aloof, and untouched by the mundane world.

Creatures like Ice Lump, Sparkle, and Water Cannon were still fluffy and chubby, retaining their childishness even as they grew. But Little Phoenix had changed so dramatically that even its “mother” could barely recognize it.

Yet she would always remember the day Little Phoenix hatched, resembling a bald turkey, and its comical scuffles with Little Sparkle. Pity she had been too distressed over the destroyed supplies to think of taking a photo—otherwise, she could have later shown Little Phoenix its "adorable" chick self.

By evening, the sun had not appeared all day, and the wind grew ever fiercer.

The manor was nestled atop a small basin on the mountain. The surrounding vegetation remained lush, apart from an abundance of fallen leaves and broken branches, but looking down the slope, one could see swirling yellow sand and clods of earth whipped skyward by the raging wind.

Humankind, driven by selfish desires, had wantonly ravaged the environment and exhausted Earth's resources, leading to severe overconsumption and ruthless exploitation of land, forests, and water. The result was irreversible, catastrophic damage to the ecosystem.

So, nature had finally unleashed its wrath. Under mounting pressure, plants and animals evolved in succession, struggling to thrive even in radioactive wastelands. Only humanity remained stagnant—high technology aged and failed rapidly under the relentless radiation.

By the time people had retreated into their shells for protection and adapted to the relentless disasters, they found that, after all the internecine strife, barely one in a thousand survived.

The collapse of civilization had reduced humanity to trapped beasts, struggling to survive. Former glories had faded like fleeting clouds. Only the occasional ruins of cities served as a haunting reminder of past technological brilliance...

"In the end, mankind destroyed itself..."

Having locked all doors and windows of the manor in advance and tidied up, Liu Yi sighed, then sat in the first-floor hall to wait for the tigress and her cub, along with the two dogs, who had gone out to patrol their territory.

She waited and waited, but they did not return.

Growing restless, she glanced at Little Phoenix, who seemed about to fly outside. She caught its long tail in one swift motion and stored it away in her spatial pocket.

"In winds above level five, all high-altitude work should be halted. This is at least a level ten gale outside—do you want to be blown away like a kite?"

Liang Zuan pretended not to understand, standing in its tiny nest, preening the tail feathers she had ruffled. There were now three tail feathers; each represented a level in its avian mutation ability. Once it grew five, reaching the fifth rank, it could return to human form. It couldn’t let someone pluck it bald before then.

Seeing Little Phoenix fuss over its precious tail again, Liu Yi paid it no further mind. This little creature had been clever from the moment it hatched. Not only did it outsmart the three little ones, even Seven Slays was bullied into confusion. At least it was truly devoted to its "mother," bringing her much comfort in her old age.

She put on her coat and pushed the door open, struggling against the powerful wind that almost kept her from moving it. The wind outside was far stronger than she had expected—each step forward was matched by three involuntary slides sideways. A few steps ahead, a few steps adrift.

"Sparkle! Water Cannon! Ice Lump! Seven Slays! Come home!"

Though she shouted with the wind at her back, her mouth filled with grit, and the wind turned her face pale.

After several calls, she saw no sign of them, but instead encountered a mutant rabbit.

The rabbit stood half as tall as a person, with blood-red eyes, huge incisors, and sharp fangs—just looking at it made her heart quiver.

It seemed quite excited.

Thanks to the tigress and her cub, she had always received hunted meat as tribute and had never faced truly menacing mutant beasts herself. Judging by its size, this rabbit was even bigger than those Seven Slays usually caught—surely it offered plenty of meat and must taste delicious.

She was about to pull an axe from her spatial pocket when a white blur dashed past her, pouncing on the rabbit. With a single bite, it snapped the rabbit’s throat.

The rabbit kicked a few times, then fell still.

"Awwooo!" Great-grandma, don’t use an axe. Pounce, pin it down with your body, then go for the throat—never let go, no matter how it struggles!

It was Ice Lump. After killing the prey, it wiggled its round little bottom, dragging the carcass to her feet, patiently demonstrating hunting techniques.

"Awwooo..." See? First this, then that.

Unreserved in its teaching, it demonstrated twice, worried Liu Yi wouldn’t catch on, and insisted she practice herself.

Liu Yi: "..."

You really are an enthusiastic little tiger.

Meeting Ice Lump’s expectant gaze, she quickly stored both it and the prey away.

"Well, the wind outside is so strong—it's all too easy to lose a darling tiger like you. Let me tuck you away for now. Once we’re home, I’ll let you out again. If you’re hungry, eat the prey inside; if you’re thirsty, drink some water. Just don’t waste anything."

No sooner had she finished than Seven Slays arrived with Sparkle and Water Cannon in tow.

After storing the two puppies away, she climbed onto Seven Slays’ back and headed toward the manor.

Only then did she learn, through Seven Slays’ account, that they had picked up a human scent nearby and had gone to investigate, which explained their delay.

A chill ran through Liu Yi’s heart.

She decided to wait until the wind died down before seeking out these strangers herself.

Back at the house, it took great effort to tightly close the door.

Her clothes were coated in thick dust, so she released Little Phoenix, the three little ones, and dinner from her spatial pocket before entering.

After washing up thoroughly in the first-floor bathroom, she finally felt alive again.

Seven Slays helped clean the wild rabbit with its sharp claws, while Liang Zuan, ever the mysterious bird, busied itself in the kitchen, plotting a surprise for Liu Yi.

When she had finished tidying herself, she saw Little Phoenix mounting the marinated rabbit on a spit, turning it with its claws so the meat roasted evenly, the skin crisping and dripping with juice.

Beside it, Seven Slays drooled uncontrollably, while the three little ones stared hungrily at the roast, saliva pooling beneath them.

Liang Zuan waited for her to join, then grasped a small knife with its claw, slicing off a large, steaming, juicy chunk of rabbit and flying over to present it.

"Little Phoenix, you—!" You’ve become a spirit!

For a tiny bird to understand human speech was already astonishing, but now its claws worked with more dexterity than her own hands—not only roasting meat but doing it so expertly.

Born human, yet utterly shamed!