Just as Yun Manman arrived home, her food delivery also arrived.
The delivery was ordered from a platform called "Flying Deer."
When Yun Manman opened the door, she was startled by a large sika deer standing at her doorstep.
This deer had a heart-shaped tuft of fur on its forehead!
The sika deer lowered its head, gesturing for her to take the food hanging from its antlers. After Yun Manman took it, the deer turned and darted away in a flash.
Yun Manman stood there, dumbfounded, still holding the food.
No wonder it's called Flying Deer!
It really runs fast!
Every day in this new world brings surprises.
Dinner was a grilled meat set.
The beef seemed to fill the box to the brim as if it were free, while two pitiful broccoli florets were stuffed in the corner.
Yun Manman had specifically requested well-done.
From what she understood, if she hadn't specified, she might have received a plate of barely seared beef swimming in blood.
Yun Manman only managed to eat a few pieces of beef before she couldn't eat anymore.
It was too much.
How could there be no vegetables? It was all meat!
Although she was now a cat, her subconscious desire for a balanced diet of meat and vegetables remained unchanged.
Indeed, she could only have takeout occasionally; eating it constantly would lead to constipation.
Though she wasn't sure if her cat body could even get constipated.
Yun Manman looked worriedly at the seemingly endless beef and decided to go up to the rooftop to get some vegetables.
Her grandmother's original body liked to grow cat grass and flowers on the rooftop, and since the original body had studied horticulture in college, the vegetables and fruits on the rooftop always grew well.
Since Yun Manman had arrived, she had also been taking good care of these plants.
Just as she finished picking a handful of crisp spinach and plucked two small cucumbers, suddenly there was a loud "bang" behind her!
The sound was so close, as if right beside her, genuinely startling Yun Manman.
Her light orange tail froze behind her, its fur standing on end, her ears on top of her head flattened like airplane wings, and her pupils dilated as she stared in the direction of the noise.
Damn! What was that?
Did something fall?
It couldn't be a thief, could it?
Should she run now or call the police?
Her beast form wasn't strong enough to fight!
While Yun Manman was lost in her wild thoughts, scaring herself, the rooftop grew quiet again, as if the earlier loud noise had been just an illusion.
She gradually relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief.
Oh well! She had scared herself. Maybe it was just a water bucket falling over.
She remembered there were water buckets and fertilizer over there.
Yun Manman relaxed and walked over, wanting to see what had fallen.
But suddenly, she froze.
On a hot summer night, two drops of cold sweat ran down Yun Manman's forehead.
Something cold and slimy had wrapped around her ankle.
Her keen hearing picked up a faint "hiss" from beneath her feet.
Yun Manman slowly lowered her head, rigid with fear, and in the dim light, she saw a white figure on her ankle.
"Ahhhhh!"
Yun Manman let out a scream, shrieking as she forcefully kicked the snake away.
"Ahhhh! Help!" How could there be a snake on the rooftop!
Yun Manman was almost scared to death.
She wasn't particularly afraid of snakes, but she was terrified of things suddenly appearing.
And who knows if this snake was venomous or not!
She didn't want to die!
Just as Yun Manman was at her wit's end, Nini's mechanical voice sounded behind her: "Manman, is there anything Nini can help with?"
It was Yun Manman's cry for help that had summoned Nini.
Nini's voice helped her calm down a bit.
The cat hid behind the trash can-like robot, her face pale: "Nini, turn on all the lights on the rooftop."
Nini responded, "Yes."
The lights instantly illuminated every corner of the rooftop.
Yun Manman wanted to flee. But until the snake was caught, her heart would remain in her throat.
She grabbed an iron shovel from nearby and cautiously approached the yellow and white object on the ground.
It appeared to be a small white snake, lying motionless, covered in a sticky yellow substance that emitted an indescribable odor.
Yun Manman looked at her right foot where the snake had wrapped itself, and stomped it in disgust.
Ugh, this snake must have crawled out of the fertilizer bin and gotten some on her.
She poked the snake with the shovel, and only after confirming it was truly unconscious did she squat down to observe it closely.
It didn't seem dead.
Could she kill it? Were there animal protection laws here?
This wasn't some protected species, was it?
Yun Manman wasn't very familiar with the laws of this world yet.
The shovel in her hand was itching to act.
After pondering for a moment, she decided not to kill it, just in case she might end up in jail.
Yun Manman used the shovel to scoop up the snake, quickly rinsed it clean with water while it was still unconscious, then tossed it into a transparent box and sealed the lid tight.
She had to wash it; it really stank.
Only after catching the snake did Yun Manman breathe a sigh of relief.
She hurried downstairs and took two showers with shampoo to finally rid herself of the stench.
When she returned, combing her tail fur, to look at the box containing the snake, she found it had awakened and was trying to stand upright, seemingly searching for an exit.
The transparent box was very secure, with only a row of tiny air holes, making it impossible for the snake to escape.
It seemed to notice Yun Manman approaching and stopped its restless movements, quietly tilting its head to look at her.
Its body was no thicker than a finger, pure white like jade, with only two small symmetrical red cloud patterns on its back. Its eyes were like fiery red glass beads, clear and bright, and its pink forked tongue occasionally flicked out and back quickly.
This little creature was unbelievably cute!
Yun Manman was almost enchanted by its beautiful and adorable appearance.
"Looking this good, it can't really be a protected species, can it?" Yun Manman muttered, deciding to send a message to Aunt Zhou to ask.
She sent a photo of the little white snake to Aunt Zhou.
Aunt Zhou must have been looking at her communication device, as she sent back several voice messages shortly after.
"Manman, you found a snake?"
"It doesn't look like a protected species; there's nothing like this on the protected species list. Being so pretty, it might be someone's lost pet snake."
The difference between Beastmen and ordinary animals lies in the fact that Beastmen's genes contain segments of human genes, as well as some special gene segments, allowing Beastmen to possess intelligence and the ability to freely transform between human and beast forms.
Yun Manman replied, "Could it be a Beastman?"
Aunt Zhou laughed and replied, "Oh, my dear Manman, why don't you just use your Spirit Power to check if it has any? Have you forgotten already?"
"You're right," Yun Manman thoughtfully looked at the little white snake.
But a moment later, her face scrunched up like a disgruntled kitten.
She didn't know how to use it.
Yun Manman hadn't inherited the original body's memories, nor did she know how to use Spirit Power.
How does one use Spirit Power again? The original body only had D-level Spirit Power, which was hardly ever used in daily life. She had almost forgotten about its existence.
She searched online for a long time about how to use Spirit Power, trying several times before successfully extending a tendril of it through the box, enveloping the little white snake.
The small white snake contentedly narrowed its eyes, its body pressing against the box wall, seemingly wanting to get even closer to Yun Manman.
"There's no Spirit Power fluctuation. It seems to be an ordinary snake."
Yun Manman withdrew her Spirit Power.
As the Spirit Power covering its body was suddenly retracted, the little snake looked at Yun Manman longingly, apparently quite fond of her Spirit Power.
Such pure Spirit Power! It had eased his intense headache and discomfort.
The snake didn't know how it had ended up being confined by this feline Beastman.
But he was certain that he himself was a Beastman.
The Spirit Power disorder was causing him to gradually become more beast-like, acting only on instinct.
He was just a step away from turning into a Beastfiend.
The night had grown deep, and the shop needed to open tomorrow.
Yun Manman yawned and took one last look at the little snake. She'd release it far away tomorrow.
All the lights in the house went out as its owner drifted off to sleep.
In the darkness, the quietly coiled snake in the box suddenly began to thrash about, its form fluctuating between large and small, until with a "bang," it burst the plastic box.
The white snake fell to the floor, writhing in agony, tying itself into a knot. Blood slowly seeped from beneath its scales, dripping onto the carpet.
So painful... Want to kill everyone...
Violent thoughts swept through the snake's mind like a raging tornado.
No... mustn't... Can't...
He craved that gentle, soothing Spirit Power from earlier. It had eased his suffering...
Driven by survival instinct, the little snake dragged its body slowly towards Yun Manman's bedroom, leaving an S-shaped trail of blood on the floor.
He squeezed through the gap at the bottom of the bedroom door with great effort and climbed onto Yun Manman's bed.
The sleeping cat-girl noticed nothing. Her long, light brown hair spread across the pillow like seaweed, and her rosy white face bore a faint smile.
Mmm... A scent that comforted the snake.
The little white snake's mind was a jumble, but sensing the familiar aura, it coiled itself around Yun Manman's wrist like a white jade bracelet.
The pain in its head finally subsided, and the little white snake passed out.
However, its body remained tightly wrapped around the girl's slender, fair wrist.
The night streets were quiet, with only a few flying insects buzzing around the streetlights, making soft impact sounds.
A tall black Labrador patrolled the park, wearing a small fluorescent vest with "Security" written on it.
The Labrador security guard hummed a tune as he observed his surroundings.
Looks like another peaceful day, he thought happily.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, lifting his head to sniff the air carefully.
Then, he ran quickly towards something ahead.
In the darkness beneath a tree, there was a figure curled up, hugging their knees and crying.
The Labrador security guard urgently crouched down beside the person, placing a front paw on their shoulder. "Sir? What's wrong? Do you need help?"
The person raised their head, wailing, "I don't want to live anymore. Life is too hard..."
The security guard realized this was actually a female, with a neutral short haircut and several silver earrings.
At first glance, he had mistaken her for a male.
Now her expression was sorrowful and lost, tears streaming down her face.
With his keen eyesight, the guard could see a red, swollen handprint on her fair cheek.
The Labrador tried to help her up. "Ma'am, you can tell me if you're having any difficulties. Please, stand up first..."
The young woman covered her face with both hands, crying uncontrollably, "It's so hard, really so hard... I might as well become a Beastfiend!"
The Labrador was clearly startled, his tail tucking between his legs.
He nervously said, "Oh my, you shouldn't say such things!"
Then the girl sobbed, "But this pudding is so sweet. I've never eaten anything so sweet before..."
The Labrador paced on the spot, scratching his ears and head, unsure how to console this excessively sad female who was talking nonsense.
He didn't know what pudding was either.
At the girl's feet lay an empty package box. The pudding inside had been eaten completely.
Only the holographic label on the packaging reading "Perfect Sweets Shop" reflected tiny points of light.
It was a custom-made label that Yun Manman had specially ordered.