Apocalypse: Master of Soul Beasts

Chapter 381: Chapter 15 Meow_1

The black cat strutted across the bed, pacing back and forth as if inspecting its territory. Beneath it, Wen Yu and his two beasts snored in chorus, creating a bizarre scene.

The cat first stepped on Wen Yu’s face, then licked Star’s head before skillfully tying a knot in Cyclops’s whiskers with its paws. Then, it slowly crawled onto the windowsill and looked down at Wen Yu.

Then, with a MEOW, it vanished abruptly.

Wen Yu had a dream...

In the dream, Wen Yu was once again living his past life as cannon fodder, experiencing all kinds of hardships.

Fighting Demon Fiends, doing hard labor, distracting monsters—here, Wen Yu seemed to have forgotten his immense power. He was just like an ordinary professionist, wielding a standard-issue weapon from the Exchange Stone Pillar, desperately trying to kill!

This dream was not hazy like usual dreamlands; on the contrary, it felt very real!

The thrill of spilt blood, the anguish of comrades dying in battle, the despair of survival—all these feelings surfaced in Wen Yu’s heart. Then, just as Wen Yu felt utterly exhausted, a colossal shadow of light, like a fiercely burning sun, abruptly appeared before him.

Warmth and hope surged wildly in Wen Yu’s chest. Without needing any explanation, Wen Yu knew its name... Liberation.

He wouldn’t need to touch it or even say anything. Simply by thinking a thought—a thought akin to ’I give up’—Wen Yu could escape from this hell, free from worries, killing, and the pressures of survival!

In this realistic dreamland, Wen Yu had forgotten everything—his power, his resilience. He was like the most ordinary survivor, all his sharp edges worn smooth by the brutal war. So, a thought suddenly arose in his mind.

Maybe, in this world, it’s better to be dead than alive...

Then...

MEOW.

Ordinary, plain... just like the sound a cute little kitten makes when begging for food.

With that simple meow, a purple, glowing vortex instantly sucked the dreaming Wen Yu into it...

The next second, Wen Yu sat bolt upright!

”WHEW! WHEW! That was damn creepy!”

Dreams weren’t exclusive to professionists. When people sleep, a small part of their brain cells remain active; this is the basis of dreams. Professionists were merely more powerful humans, and nightmares were a common occurrence.

Back when the war between the two realms had just ended, Wen Yu would often have nightmares in the forest. After all, Wen Yu was not truly a cold-blooded, inhumane monster. He himself would constantly be tortured and questioned by his own conscience!

However, today’s nightmare felt strange to Wen Yu.

In the early days of this life, Wen Yu would often dream about his experiences from his past life. However, such dreams had become quite rare. Moreover, the huge shadow of light and that MEOW at the end made him even more confused.

Of course, it was just confusion. After all, it was only a dream...

He glanced at the sky outside, then at the wall clock opposite him. The hands clearly indicated it was two o’clock in the morning.

Still early, still early.

Wen Yu flopped back onto the bed, groggily intending to sleep a little longer. Then, as if remembering something, he quietly got up and tied a bow on Cyclops’s two whiskers.

Now it looks cuter...

With this thought, Wen Yu drifted off to sleep again.

As the sky outside brightened, Wen Yu was awakened by a cacophony of noises.

Cyclops and Star were frolicking on the bed, thoroughly enjoying themselves. The cause of the commotion was the bow on Cyclops’s whiskers.

Star had woken up first that morning and had seen the bow on Cyclops’s face. It made Star laugh uncontrollably. He woke Cyclops up and started teasing him.

Cyclops, unaware of what had happened, had slept remarkably well the previous night. He had closed his eyes, and in a blink, the night was over; even his usual vigilance had slackened considerably. He was certain Star was the culprit.

The two beasts were quarreling incessantly.

”Stop arguing... let me sleep a bit more,” Wen Yu mumbled, pressing down on his two soul pets. He playfully tweaked the whiskers on Cyclops’s face and said with a laugh, ”This looks much better!”

”Boss, you tricked me again!”

After washing up and eating breakfast, Wen Yu directly asked Claus for Kuangliu’s whereabouts.

Kuangliu was at a golf course not far from the Red Stone Hotel, leisurely playing a round.

Sensing Wen Yu’s arrival, Kuangliu casually handed his golf club to a nearby caddy and turned to walk towards Wen Yu.

”You certainly seem relaxed.”

Hearing Wen Yu’s remark, Kuangliu first took a sip of water, looking Wen Yu up and down.

”Not as relaxed as you. I was busy all day yesterday. You, on the other hand, I hear you were just exploring the entire Red Stone Hotel.”

Wen Yu shrugged. ”There wasn’t really anything fun. So, what’s the plan next?”

Kuangliu nodded. ”Of course, there’s a plan. I’m going back to Washington before the demon plague hits to help the U.S. military resist it. What about you? What are your plans?”

Wen Yu thought for a long moment, then shook his head.

”I’ll take it one step at a time. If the U.S. military makes a good offer, I’ll help them. If the U.S. military doesn’t need me, I might wander around a bit and maybe chat with some divine beasts along the way.”

Wen Yu wasn’t sure if Las Vegas had any divine beasts, but regardless, he wasn’t going to pin all his hopes on one place. Before the demon plague, he had to secure his 5th Soul Realm.

Kuangliu nodded. ”I spoke with the U.S. military yesterday. Claire should be coming today. They’ll discuss your price with you then.”

Wen Yu replied with a laugh, ”Then they’ll have to bleed for it!”

Getting paid for services rendered—this was the survival method of an Independent like Wen Yu.

No attachments, no restraints, all alone. He wasn’t burdened by worldly affairs, nor did he grieve over the life or death of strangers.

To outsiders, Wen Yu might seem aimless, passively drifting from one thing to another. But who could truly know what was on his mind!

Wen Yu’s goal had always been crystal clear, and he had been steadfastly pursuing it!

Get stronger! And survive!

Working for the military as a mercenary was just for the benefits. Besides, Wen Yu had a very clear understanding of himself!

Be a leader? Not capable enough! Be a savior? Don’t have the leisure! Be a bystander to this apocalypse, detached from it all? Not strong enough!

Strictly speaking, Wen Yu was no different from other survivors!

In this war between species, Wen Yu was merely a slightly stronger ant.

As if recalling the memories from last night’s dreamland, Wen Yu sighed silently.

”Do you think there’s any difference between us and those weak cannon fodder?”

Kuangliu slowly shook his head. ”No difference. They’re weaklings and cannon fodder in our eyes, but in the eyes of something even stronger, we might just be weaklings and cannon fodder too.”

Kuangliu finished speaking and gently pointed to the sky.

Wen Yu chuckled. ”You see things more clearly than I do.”

”It’s not that I see things more clearly than you do,” Kuangliu said, ”but that I see myself more clearly!

”Whether it’s you, me, or my old man, we all share the same identity!

”Pawns!

”We’re subtly controlled by the Dominator, receiving the Dominator’s strengthening. We constantly become stronger, constantly killing! Perhaps one day, we can jump off the chessboard, see the true face of the chess player, and understand the situation of this entire game. But until that day comes, we can only follow the path others have laid out and keep moving forward!

”That’s the only thing we can do!”

”Makes sense!” Wen Yu rarely praised anyone.

”By the way, what made you want to talk about these things with me?”

Wen Yu shook his head. ”Just recalling some unpleasant things. But it’s not a problem anymore.”

Wen Yu looked into the distance, as if muttering to himself.

”Lately, I suddenly didn’t know what I should do or how to do it. That’s probably why I was feeling so contemplative.”

”So, do you understand now?” Kuangliu said to Wen Yu with a smile.

Wen Yu nodded. ”It’s just as you said earlier: keep moving forward! That’s the only way. Right now, my goal is to survive! That’s the ultimate goal. As for the smaller goals, I haven’t thought them through yet!”

”So free and easy... I envy you!”

”Oh? Envy me for what?”

”You can live for yourself!”

Kuangliu changed the subject. ”Do you know what my goal is?”

Wen Yu shook his head.

”My goal is simple: to protect myself and my loved ones, to ensure we survive. Actually, in life, there aren’t that many grand or minor goals. Most people’s overall goal is the same: to stay alive and then live better!

”But, do you know something?”

Seeing Kuangliu’s mysterious tone, Wen Yu raised an eyebrow.

”Perhaps even this simple goal was designed for us by certain entities?”

Wen Yu was rendered speechless!

A so-called pawn makes every move passively, completely in accordance with the chess player’s thoughts. Perhaps, just as Kuangliu said, Wen Yu’s sole goal—to survive!—was also part of a calculation by certain entities, perhaps the Dominator or something else!

Everything Wen Yu did to survive would ultimately form a strange path, leading to the chess player’s objective from outside the board.

After thinking for a long time, Wen Yu didn’t know how to answer Kuangliu and could only say helplessly, ”Well, we can’t just die, can we?”

”Exactly, we can’t just die! So, all these goals and plans are illusory, perhaps even designed! There’s only one thing you can do: get stronger, even stronger! When that time comes, the whole truth will be laid out before you!”

Wen Yu suddenly turned his head to look at Kuangliu, staring intently at his smiling face.

The next moment...