Good food, fine drink, and no need to do any housework.

After Liu Yi finished washing up, she came out drying her damp hair, ready to lend Xiaofeng a hand. Before she even entered the kitchen, a rich aroma greeted her. Liang Zuan, hearing movement, quickly set out the dishes and transformed back into Xiaofeng.

“This is braised pork?” Liu Yi pushed open the door and saw the tender, succulent pork belly, hardly believing her eyes. If it weren’t for the fact that there was no one else in the kitchen, she could scarcely believe such culinary skill could come from a tiny bird—skills on par with a seasoned human chef.

“Chirp~” Try it.

It handed her a pair of chopsticks with its claw.

“Wow… It’s delicious!” Liu Yi, tongue scalded, didn’t spit the food out but instead opened her mouth and kept blowing, exclaiming, “It melts in your mouth, starts off savory and salty, then turns sweet, the flavor rich and lingering.”

The alternating layers of fat and lean in the pork belly were steamed to a perfect softness, each bite releasing waves of fragrance.

“Xiaofeng, you should eat too. Pick what you can handle, and be careful not to burn yourself.”

She set its small bowl before it and eagerly began her meal—mouthfuls of meat, big spoonfuls of white rice, occasionally sipping tomato soup to soothe her throat, and a bite of stir-fried shredded potatoes with vinegar to cut through the richness.

A perfect combination.

Bingtuan, nose twitching at the tip, was roused from sweet dreams by the enticing aroma. Stumbling over on short legs, it was so eager it tumbled twice.

“Awooo~ Great-grandma, Tiger wants to eat too~”

“Open wide…” Liu Yi fed it two bites of the braised pork.

“Heavens, this is amazing! Did the green tea bird make it?” Bingtuan didn’t even feel hungry, but simply couldn’t stop eating—one bite after another.

At last, it collapsed on the ground, kneading its round belly with its chubby paws.

“Bingtuan, when someone feeds you, you should be polite. Just because Xiaofeng doesn’t mind doesn’t mean you can take advantage.”

“Awooo~ Great-grandma is right, Tiger was wrong.”

Upon reflection, Bingtuan realized the truth of her words.

“Good.” Liu Yi was very pleased with its attitude.

After the meal, Liang Zuan conjured up several pounds of oranges and squeezed a large glass of fresh juice. The gluttonous Bingtuan didn’t remain idle either, using its frost ability to chill the juice, making it even more refreshing.

Liang Zuan then ordered the little tiger cub to wash the dishes.

“Awooo~ I’m a tiger. How could I do chores meant for humans?”

Bingtuan was stunned. This was too much bullying.

“I’m a bird, yet I can cook and do housework, can’t I?” Scorn flickered in Liang Zuan’s dark, glossy eyes. “You so-called kings of the jungle aren’t much to speak of.”

“Who says so? I can! I will! I must!”

Competitive by nature, Bingtuan immediately leapt onto the sink and, with its pudgy paws, started awkwardly scrubbing the plates.

“You didn’t add detergent,” Liang Zuan remarked with disdain.

“I know, I was just testing the feel!” How could Bingtuan admit it didn’t know how to wash dishes?

Seeing the little tiger cub struggling to grip the soapy plates, Liang Zuan threatened, “Break even one plate and you’ll miss a meal.”

“I can do it, I know how! Stop bothering me while I work!”

The tiger cub was a bit irritable at first, but the threat of hunger was sobering, instantly calming its restless heart.

Liu Yi sat on the sofa, watching the pair busy themselves. She cradled the large cup in her small hands, sipping orange juice, her crossed legs unconsciously bouncing—a clear sign of her contented mood.

The little tiger cub was resilient—its injured paws already healed. Who would have thought Xiaofeng had such a talent for management? No wonder he was her son; she’d have to trouble him to train a few more little ones to help with housework in the future.

The feeling of eating well, drinking well, and not having to do chores—it was sheer bliss…

Such leisurely days atop Jiu Mountain were a stark contrast to the situation at the Di Clan Shelter.

There, acid rain had begun to fall, continuing for half a month straight. The rain was highly corrosive; human skin first itched upon contact, then quickly ulcerated, the caustic fluid spreading wherever it touched. The shelter’s livestock farms, all with earthquake-resistant metal roofs, were eroded by the acid rain, and the chickens, ducks, and geese in the cages below were inevitably drenched and died. Even those on lower levels who escaped the rain dared not be fed, as no one would risk exposure to the acid—most starved to death.

The rot bred maggots, the stench was overwhelming, and countless pests thrived.

When the acid rain finally stopped, cockroaches, centipedes, bedbugs, and rats impatiently swarmed into every home.

“Ah! A rat! Help! Kill it, quick!”

In the apartment, Lu Yunshu woke up to find a rat on her blanket. She flung the blanket onto Jiang Guangyu, who lay beside her. Raised in pampered comfort, she’d always found markets filthy and never deigned to enter them. She’d only ever seen rats online.

Panicked, she screamed, but made no move to help.

“Ah!” Jiang Guangyu, still groggy, reacted too slowly. Before he could grab the rat, it bit him in return.

Flora and fauna adapted far better than humans to this apocalypse. The evolved rats were now as large as rabbits, with sharp incisors that could bite off a chunk of flesh in an instant. Blood spurted forth.

Jiang Guangyu, gritting his teeth against the pain, wrapped the rat in the blanket and stomped hard at the writhing bundle. The rat’s pained squeals attracted the nearby swarm.

“This is bad, we have to go!” He heard the ominous sounds on the stairwell and hurried to drag Lu Yunshu to jump from the window.

“It’s the second floor—I’m scared!” Lu Yunshu knew the fall wouldn’t kill her, but the uneven ground outside would surely scrape her skin.

Jiang Guangyu, reluctant to be forceful, tried to soothe her gently. But the rats surged in, swarming through the drains and under the door before he could calm her.

Lu Yunshu was petrified by the scene. Jiang Guangyu had no choice but to push her out the window.

“Help!” Lu Yunshu instinctively clung to his arm.

“Let go… ah! Ah!” Delayed by her grip, Jiang Guangyu had no time to jump himself and was quickly overrun by the rats. Blood flowed wherever they passed.

Lu Yunshu saw blood-soaked rats crawling from his body and immediately released her hold. She crashed to the ground, limped away, and, ignoring the frenzied screams behind her, fled without looking back.

Only that capable man could protect her—His Highness the Crown Prince. Jiang Guangyu was just useless; a grown man who couldn’t even handle a rat—how stupid…

The Di family’s higher-ups all lived in single villas, patrolled by powerful lightning and fire abilities users. Well trained, they incinerated any rats or pests they found, reporting swiftly to the Crown Prince.

At that moment, Di Yan was studying the evolution of flora and fauna. Based on current experience, there were two trends: normal and aberrant.

Normal evolution was typically beneficial—like the tiger pack, which gained intelligence, awakened abilities, and followed commands. In contrast, aberrant evolution made plants and animals extremely aggressive, hostile to and attacking humans…