Chapter 54

Chapter 54: The Heartbroken Ragdoll

No one living here was ordinary. They all understood that if trouble swallowed one household, it wouldn’t stop there.

A voice rose from the crowd.

“I’ll cooperate,” a man said, “but I want more specific information, and I want to know your source.”

He looked to be in his early thirties, wearing glasses, with a calm and refined demeanor.

“Fine,” Jiang Xin said, nodding. “I’ll explain.”

He laid it out clearly.

“They’ve had their eyes on us for a while. The reason they’re choosing tonight is because they plan to sabotage our complex’s power supply system.”

The room’s mood changed instantly.

They’d tried to stay low-key when buying supplies, but when trucks went in and out of the complex day after day, it was impossible not to draw attention.

Most of the city had already started losing water and electricity. Power and water only came on for limited windows each day. Yet their complex remained stable.

One reason was infrastructure—the complex had its own solar power generation system. Another was simpler: there were many players here, and people feared provoking them.

They didn’t have an official alliance, but shared ground created its own kind of familiarity. More importantly, everyone wanted the same thing: a quiet, stable life.

The man who’d questioned Jiang Xin watched him closely. In his vision, Jiang Xin was surrounded by a faint white glow.

That was his talent—he could read emotions and tell at a glance whether someone was lying.

After a moment, the man nodded. “Alright. I believe you.”

Those who knew his ability finally relaxed. If he said it was true, it was true.

Jiang Xin looked just as relieved. He wasn’t skilled at convincing people, and he’d already decided that if this failed, he would only protect his own home.

“We still have some time before nightfall,” he said. “Let’s each share what we can do, so we can coordinate. I’ll go first. My talent is lightning.”

A streak of purple lightning condensed in his hand, crackling like it was alive. What should’ve been invisible became something tangible, held like a weapon.

Jiang Xin knew talents were everyone’s trump cards. People didn’t reveal them easily. But he also knew hiding his was pointless. The moment a fight started, it would be exposed anyway.

His openness pushed others to speak up.

“My talent is farseeing.”

“My talent is speed boost.”

“My talent is flight.”

“My talent is beast transformation.”

When it was Ling Mo’s turn, she kept it simple. “I can use animal communication.”

Among the dozens of players, elemental talents and body enhancement were the most common—about two-thirds of the group. The rest were psychic-type talent and special-type talent.

But psychic-type and special-type tended to be support early on.

Jiang Xin didn’t try to seize control as a lone commander. He discussed tactics with a few others, and with everyone staying calm, the plan came together quickly.

Ling Mo didn’t offer ideas. She didn’t think she was as sharp as these people, and she didn’t want to be the one standing out. If anything, she was here to assist.

After the plan was settled, Ye Kai approached her again, looking awkward. “Um… since you can use animal communication, can you help me with something?”

Ling Mo’s first instinct was suspicion—testing. Probing.

Then Ye Kai led her to a ragdoll cat curled up on the floor, listless and sulking.

Snow-white fur. A plush tail. A chubby body. And blue eyes that could’ve been painted on.

The cat looked like it was engineered to match human aesthetics.

Ling Mo had once considered raising a ragdoll herself, but she’d heard they had delicate stomachs and got sick easily, so she’d given up on the idea.

Ye Kai crouched beside the cat with a worried expression. “Can you ask Little Bu what’s wrong? He’s been like this for days. He eats half as much as usual, and he’s gotten thinner.”

Ling Mo stared at the cat.

Sad, yes. Thinner… she really couldn’t see it.

Still, she released her mental power and reached toward the ragdoll cat’s mind. She’d practiced this often lately, and the connection came easily.

The answer came back fast.

Ling Mo withdrew her mental power and looked at Ye Kai. “Your ragdoll cat fell for a stray Calico. They saw each other once through the window, but after that, the Calico walked away without looking back and never came back. He got dumped. That’s why he’s depressed.”

Ye Kai’s eyes widened. “Outrageous! A stray cat dares look down on my son? Who does she think she is?”

He looked ready to march outside and demand an explanation.

Ling Mo hesitated, then decided to tell him the ugly truth. “To cats, calicos are considered breathtaking beauties.”

Ye Kai blinked, still not understanding. “Then is my Little Bu not good-looking?”

“Ragdoll cats are beautiful,” Ling Mo said carefully. “To humans.”

She paused, glanced down at the cat at her feet, then lowered her voice. “To cats… his face is basically the equivalent of a plain, chubby lump.”

Ye Kai froze.

He looked down at his gorgeous, show-grade ragdoll cat. “That’s impossible.”

“Human taste and cat taste aren’t the same,” Ling Mo said. “Anyway, he’s listless because he’s heartbroken. Either you let him work through it himself, or you find him another Calico as a wife.”

The ragdoll cat suddenly lifted its head and let out an indignant cry.

“Meow!”

Ye Kai snapped his head toward Ling Mo. “What did he say?”

Ling Mo adjusted her glasses. “He said he only wants the original one.”

Once the cat crisis was resolved, the rest of the group moved back to preparations.

Because Ling Mo was young and her talent wasn’t offensive, she was assigned to the rear.

But Jiang Xin didn’t let her sit idle. He asked her to communicate with the stray animals in the complex and use them as eyes and ears.

Before the extreme heat, the complex had been home to plenty of stray cats and dogs, most of them fed by residents.

Ling Mo looked outside at the blazing sky and asked with genuine doubt, “With temperatures like this… how many of those stray cats and dogs do you think can survive?”