"Bind."

Ray muttered as he looked at the undead cat, and immediately an eerie darkness enveloped the area.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in complete darkness.

"Let's hurry up." He closed his eyes and began to visualise the image in his mind.

Ray didn't dare to look around; he had already learned a painful lesson before, nearly losing his life in the process.

Opening his system in this realm of death would have horrifying consequences.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long. The black orb slowly floated toward him, and he could feel the connection.

He decisively took the orb and immediately severed his connection.

When Ray opened his eyes again, he was back in the real world, though his back was drenched in cold sweat.

"That was close," he murmured.

Ray had definitely felt a sense of being stalked in that realm, the familiar presence causing his heart to race.

He took two minutes to calm his thoughts and then casually waved his hand toward the black orb, directing it toward the remains of the Level Two Undead Cat.

Slowly, the remains of the undead cat began to piece themselves back together, forming its original body again. However, when it was halfway done, it suddenly paused.

"Hmm, it seems reluctant to revive?" Ray thought, puzzled.

"Even if you don't want to come back to this world, I will pull you out."

He spoke lightly and then focused on visualising the Grim Reaper in his mind.

Instantly, the cat began to show signs of life, and the process went smoothly, revealing the Level Two Undead Cat now covered entirely in darkness.

"Why did you call me hooman, nya!"

As soon as the cat was summoned, it spoke with an arrogant expression, glaring at Ray.

"Huh?" Ray paused, looking at the cat in disbelief. "You can talk!?"

"Yes, I can talk, nyaa!" The cat nodded with a proud expression.

"You really can talk." Ray stretched out his hand and pinched her cheeks. Despite the darkness, they felt very smooth and buttery.

"Woah, you can really talk!"

The cat's lips twitched. "What are you doing, hooman?"

She swatted his hand away with her paws.

"Could you talk previously?" Ray asked, his curiosity piqued.

"No, I couldn't talk previously, nyaa." The cat shook her head.

"Then why can you talk now, and how did you learn our language?"

"My name is Kikyo, hooman. I learned the language because I am connected with you, nyaa!"

"Hmm, Kikyo?" Ray paused, recalling the name he had heard before. "Was I imagining things or something?"

Just then, the others approached, eyeing the floating cat warily.

"Woah, is that the Level Two Undead Cat?" Vanessa asked with an excited expression. "Did you bind it already, Ray?"

"Yeah, I did." Ray nodded. "This is Kikyo, by the way. Isn't that right, Kikyo?"

"That's right. You look like a smart hooman, nyaa." Kikyo nodded proudly.

"I choose you as my hooman."

She floated over to Ray and started patting his head with her little paws, making his brows twitch.

"Aww."

Vanessa looked at Kikyo with adoring eyes. "It's so cute." She reached out to cuddle the cat.

"Hmph." Kikyo swatted Vanessa's hand away. "You're not my favourite hooman. You can't touch me, nyaa!"

Kikyo then turned to Yuna.

"Hold me, nya!"

"Eh… uh…" Yuna, flustered, extended her arms, and Kikiyo settled comfortably on her lap.

"It's decided. You two are my favourite hoomans, nyaa!" Kikiyo declared with a satisfied expression.

Silence!

"Cancel, go back to the shadow realm," Ray said, and the cat disappeared.

"Nyaa!"

The cat's cry echoed briefly before it vanished into thin air.

"Looks like this cat is really a handful." Rubbing his temples, Ray approached Yuna and began cuddling with her.

"Only I can cuddle with you, right Yuna?" Ray smiled ear to ear.

"Ye-yes." Yuna's social battery was quickly draining, and she was becoming increasingly flustered.

Especially as she noticed the envious eyes of the other girls watching her as Ray cuddled with her, her embarrassment reached its peak.

"Umm… can you leave?"

"You don't like it?" Ray asked softly.

"There are people," Yuna murmured, her face flushed red.

"Fine, fine."

Ray patted her head gently before releasing Yuna. Though she felt a hint of disappointment, her social battery was completely depleted.

"All I want to do is lay in bed and hide under a pair of pillows," she thought.

"Let's return to our base." Ray's eyes narrowed as he focused on the task at hand.

"Yes, boss." Greg, who had arrived a little later, responded with a smile.

"Umm, boss, there are still some survivors trying to join us. Should we allow them to?"

Greg's face showed concern. Despite his desire to help, he knew that accepting new people wasn't always straightforward.

In the apocalypse, food was scarce.

Most domesticated animals had either perished or turned into undead, making meat difficult to come by, and vegetables had long since rotted and gone stale.

"Even if we take all these people in, can they provide food for everyone?" Greg asked, clearly concerned.

"You have a kind heart, Greg," Ray said with a smile. "We're going to take them all in."

"Really?" Greg's eyes brightened with hope. "But what about the food?"

"I have a way," Ray replied casually. He had a specific reason for taking them in; they would be crucial for the maintenance of the Awakeners Association.

Ray's gaze shifted to Vanessa with a knowing smile.

"I have a lot of work ahead of me," Vanessa said with a gulp. Although she could produce green pills, it was a resource-intensive process.

She approached Ray and whispered in his ear, "I can provide for this many people, but there are bound to be more at the base."

"Don't worry about that. I'll help you," Ray said, patting her shoulder reassuringly.

"What do you mean?"

"We've delayed enough. Let's go," Ray instructed. They soon departed, with a puzzled Vanessa trailing behind Ray with the most confused expression.