Chapter 46 Creation of a Starry Civilization-Reencarnada como um Gato no Apocalipse(Por favor, seu milkshake de manga.)

On the other side of the wall lay a maze of complex, abandoned pipelines and structural voids. The air inside was foul and dim, heavy with the scent of rust and dust.

Transformed into a stream of water, Xia Tong sped rapidly through these narrow, tortuous conduits. Red alert lights flashed intermittently along the cold, metallic pipe walls—remnants of a fully activated automated defense system.

Occasionally, she could perceive the hurried footsteps of search teams and the scanning fluctuations of energy detectors in the distance.

Thanks to the shielding function of the "Source Core,"

Xia Tong in her liquefied state was like a master assassin, flawlessly bypassing every obstacle and detection mechanism. Her mastery over water flow had reached the realm of perfection.

Permeating everywhere, leaving no trace.

After wandering through these labyrinthine industrial structures for an unknown length of time, a faint gleam of light and a breath of fresh air finally filtered in from ahead.

Xia Tong's spirits lifted, and she immediately accelerated.

"Splash..."

Emerging quietly from a covert drainage outlet, the stream of water reformed within a shadow into the shape of a black cat.

"Finally out," she breathed out a soft sigh.

......

She should be temporarily safe for now.

Dazzling sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across the overgrown weeds, causing Xia Tong, accustomed to the darkness, a slight sense of discomfort.

This place appeared to be a forest. The density of collapsed buildings around her was remarkably low, while lush vegetation was abundant, completely enveloping the ruined structures so that her entire field of vision was swallowed by green.

Faint insect chirps drifted from the gaps in the canopy overhead. Xia Tong walked cautiously through the woods, her expression vigilant.

Strange... Didn't she escape from the pipelines of that abandoned industrial zone? How did she end up in this "remote wilderness" with almost no shattered urban architecture in sight...

Only endless greenery and some rotting fences.

If she remembered correctly, the surroundings of that abandoned industrial zone should have been a large zoo.

How did it turn into a botanical garden here?

For now, however, she could only take things one step at a time. Her top priority was to find a secluded corner to rest and carefully study the "Seed of Life" that had been floating deep within her spiritual sea all this time.

This was a hard-earned trophy, after all.

......

Meanwhile, in the abandoned industrial zone.

Black Dragon stood with a solemn expression at the laboratory entrance, his sharp gaze sweeping over the bloody and tragic scene within.

He was one of the Tier 2 ability users dispatched by the base to provide reinforcement, but despite rushing as fast as he could, he had arrived a step too late.

"Report, sir. There are two headless corpses here."

"Preliminary judgment indicates they are the two assistant researchers from the secret research division of this base, identified as researchers Hermann and Wang Hangyang."

Just then, a soldier hurried over from another laboratory. "Report, Commander Black Dragon! No suspicious individuals were found, nor was there any sign of the black cat mentioned in the report..."

With that, he glanced at Black Dragon hesitatingly, then stammered, "Furthermore, all the experimental samples in this lab have undergone self-destruction, and even the final test subject is missing." Having spoken, he lowered his head nervously, awaiting Black Dragon's verdict.

After a long silence, Black Dragon stated concisely, "That black cat has already escaped. There's nothing to be gained here. Prepare to regroup and evacuate."

"Understood!"

After the soldier left, Black Dragon rendezvoused with the other two dispatched ability users. They thoroughly searched the abandoned industrial zone, but as expected, found nothing. Not only had that talking cat escaped, but there had also been some massive creature...

This was evident from the extent of the destruction...

"The two runaways possess extremely high intelligence, and that talking mutated cat is somewhat interesting."

"It's just a pity about that 'Seed of Life'; the tracking node set upon it has also been jammed..."

......

Over on her side, Xia Tong had sought out a corner among the crumbling ruins of an abandoned building.

Overgrown with wild grass, it barely sufficed as a temporary shelter. She gently shook her fur to rid herself of the grime clinging to her body, panting slightly as she regulated the somewhat chaotic energy within her.

"Source Core, are you there?" she called out softly in her mind.

"This 'Seed of Life'... and that so-called ' kindred soul imprint'... what on earth are they? How can I safely absorb its power without running into complications?"

As her voice trailed off, the cold, electronic voice of the "Source Core" responded almost immediately:

[The "Seed of Life" is a highly complex bio-engineering artifact. Its success was merely the result of a genetic fusion accident.]

[The soul imprint contained within it belongs to the residual consciousness of a subject codenamed "Origin Subject Zero" from the laboratory's raw database. According to current analysis, this imprint is not a complete soul, but rather a highly condensed fragment of life information and will... devoid of living traits.]

"Devoid of living traits?"

"Just a fragment of information?"

Xia Tong's eyes widened slightly. The cold, crisp electronic voice of the "Source Core" echoing in her mind felt like a boulder dropped into a calm lake, stirring up layer upon layer of ripples.

"The residual consciousness of 'Origin Subject Zero'... life information fragments and fragments of will?" She repeated softly, her heart filled with shock and doubt.

Yet none of that mattered compared to the core question: Who on earth was the owner of this residual consciousness? Were they a rebirth traveler like her, or...

The prompt from the "Source Core" did not stop there. Before she could ponder further, the cold electronic voice continued to resound in Xia Tong's mind:

[Supplementary Analysis: Following the analysis of the original blueprint and conscious data of "Origin Subject Zero," it is preliminarily determined to originate from a stellar civilization beyond the cognitive scope of the current world. The civiliazation tier of this entity... far surpasses this realm.]

"A stellar civilization?!"

Xia Tong was utterly dumbfounded, her feline features frozen in a rare expression of blank astonishment.

"This... is actually an artifact from a civilization outside of Earth!"

The impact of this news was monumental for her. She had previously assumed it was merely the byproduct of a meteorite from Earth's orbital belt accidentally plummeting to the surface, never imagining that the Seed of Life was tied to a civilization far beyond the stars.

No wonder even the "Source Core" had been unable to fully analyze it at the time, offering up so many question marks instead.

That gave her all the more reason not to let it go.

......

In the corner of the weed-choked ruined building, light filtered through fractured walls, casting mottled light and shadow on the ground. A gentle breeze blew past, rustling a few dead leaves with a soft whisper.

Xia Tong lay quietly, her glazed feline eyes flashing with complex emotions.

After the initial shock, a sense of release washed over her.

"What of a stellar civilization?" She licked her paw, her gaze gradually turning sharp and resolute. "Dwelling on such things is utterly meaningless."

To her, whether it was native terrestrial mutation or mysterious power from the stars, as long as it could make her stronger and allow her to survive better, it was worth striving for.

The immense wood-attribute energy contained within this "Seed of Life" made even her soul tremble with eager yearning, and that was an undeniable reality.

Therefore, her primary concern now was how to absorb it safely.