Eating, sleeping, and playing with Tiger Tiger.

Shanshan: "..." Calling it Dog Milk is useless.

"Woof-woo~" The Water Cannon darted over.

Grandfather Dog has arrived!

The ground was smooth and even, and under the force of inertia, it slid along like a playground slide.

Surprisingly, Water Cannon found it all very entertaining, and soon enough, it slipped back and forth, thoroughly enjoying itself.

In the end, it even crashed headlong into the ice ball that was the little tiger cub, sending it tumbling head over paws.

The round, plump ice ball rolled a long way across the ground, then, caught off guard, splashed right into the hot spring.

"Woof-woo~" Are you alright?

Water Cannon climbed to its feet, innocently covering its head with its paw.

Liu Yi couldn't help it—she squatted down and burst into laughter.

The ice ball, now a drenched mess, clawed its way out of the water.

It tilted its head and watched them laugh so heartily; for once, shame overcame it, and it turned away, sulking in the corner, tail drooping, presenting its backside to them.

"Oh my, are you angry? Again?" Liu Yi, seeing the little tiger bristle up like a black-and-white dandelion puff, only laughed harder.

Utterly put out, the ice ball twisted its head back, squeezing out five rolls of chubby flesh, and bellowed with its plump little mouth.

"Awoo!" Barings its tiny baby teeth, it instinctively let out a fierce roar.

"Roar~" How dare you act up toward your great-grandmother? Without her, would you be having such good days now? Ungrateful little tiger!

Qisha strode over with elegant steps, unhurried, ready to lecture the cub.

The ice ball was struck by its mother's whip-like tail, and those once fiercely adorable eyes rolled into dizzy spirals.

"It's alright, Qisha! We're just teasing it!" Liu Yi couldn't help but defend the cub, kneading its soft, thick fur into handfuls of water.

Because the polar night brought no sun, the temperature kept dropping—each new day colder than the last.

Everyone was kept busy.

Eat, sleep, wrestle with the tiger cub~

A dimness cloaked the land, while brilliant auroras danced across the sky.

It was rare, but Liu Yi joined the furry morning jogging brigade.

At dawn, she began her exercises, stretching out her body.

Her plan today was to finish her run, then follow along with videos to learn some martial arts, combat, and self-defense—skills both for protection and attack.

She had set herself a clear schedule, but had overestimated her own stamina.

After a session of flashy but useless routines, hunger overtook her.

Little Phoenix had already prepared fragrant soybean milk and steamed buns.

Liu Yi never wondered how such a tiny bird had mastered the art of cooking. She wolfed down two trays of meat buns, felt a slight fullness, and dared not eat more.

Her appetite was like a bottomless pit—no matter how much she ate, she could always manage a little more.

Yet she sensed that overeating would only lead to poor digestion, so she controlled her intake.

"Squeak~" Liang Zuan, seeing how little she ate, gazed at her with round, glossy eyes full of self-doubt. He wanted her to eat more, but worried his cooking wasn't to her taste.

Spending her days with animals, Liu Yi had become adept at guessing their meanings even if she didn't fully understand their speech.

"The buns are delicious, and the soybean milk is rich and fragrant. Mommy loves them both, but my tummy is only so big—how could I possibly eat that much?"

Liang Zuan: "..." Long used to her calling herself his mother, he'd grown numb to it.

Hmph, he would never admit she was his mom anyway.

"Little Phoenix, why is it that I've understood Qisha and the ice ball's language since the very beginning, and after being 'attacked' by Shanshan and Water Cannon's abilities, I can understand them too—yet with you, no matter what, I just can't?"

"Squeak-squeak~" Human and animal languages were originally parallel lines, but with the evolution brought on by the apocalypse, the closer their ability levels, the smoother their communication.

Qisha and the ice ball shared a similar power level with her when they met. Shanshan and Water Cannon, two little puppies, experienced a leap in abilities thanks to the spiritual spring water, making mutual understanding possible.

As for him...

Though in this life, his wood-type power was at the fifth rank and his avian transformation at the third, thanks to a successful rebirth, both abilities were now at the very top.

They simply hadn't fully fused yet. Once they did, he'd be able to "downwardly" communicate with those of lower rank, animals or humans alike.

Liu Yi had no idea that the reason she couldn't understand the little bird was because her own power level was far too low.

Instead, she comforted Little Phoenix, encouraging it not to feel inferior, to stay positive and optimistic, assuring it that Mommy would always love it...

Because the polar night brought no sun, time could no longer be gauged by the sky.

She dug out a clock from some forgotten corner and hung it on the wall, but she wasn't in the habit of checking the time. After charging her tablet, she followed along with a session of Five Animal Frolics.

When she finished her routine, she discovered it was already eight in the evening. Neither Qisha nor the cubs had returned, and even the ever-present Little Phoenix was gone.

She guessed Little Phoenix, seeing it was late, had gone to look for them without disturbing her.

Liu Yi put on her coat, mask, and goggles, and set out to look for them...

She called out twice, but there was no response nearby. Liu Yi headed toward the mountains where Qisha liked to wander.

Suddenly, she felt a prickling sensation at her back—as if something was watching her from the ruins of the little town nearby, and not with friendly intent.

She turned her head immediately, but the odd sensation vanished in an instant.

Liu Yi's heart sank. Her eyes, hidden behind her goggles, narrowed into vertical pupils.

A red heat signature crouched behind the rubble.

A human body—alive.

She had been targeted.

Unsure if Qisha's late return was related to this person, she calmly pretended not to notice, quickly retrieving a weapon from her space and preparing to launch a surprise attack.

The man in the shadows, spotting a lone girl, smirked and charged at Liu Yi at lightning speed.

Liu Yi spun around and fired without hesitation.

Bang!

Instead of tackling the girl to the ground, the man took a bullet to the chest.

His eyes filled with disbelief, and the sharp military bayonet in his hand clattered to the ground.

As Liu Yi was searching the man's body, a silver military knife, brimming with murderous intent, stabbed at her from behind!

She had only seen one heat signature before and never expected a second person. The blade flashed so close she hardly had time to react.

How could this human be even faster than Qisha!

On instinct, she raised her forearm to block—the steel plate hidden there her only defense. But her opponent was clearly more skilled in both offense and defense.

With a swift twist, the man in black pressed down on her left arm before she could bring it up.

No! A trained fighter?!

With no other choice, Liu Yi gripped his knife-wielding hands with both of hers, but couldn’t stop the blade from inching closer to her chest.

Her strength and speed were no match for this man. As the blade drew nearer, sweat poured down her face.

She was no weakling, so why did it feel like she was as helpless as a mantis trying to stop a chariot?

Three inches. Two. One.

This is the end...