Chapter 12: Persistent Grudges

Oh wow, it turns out that I don’t even need to deliberately act cute to casually earn cuteness points.

No wonder the system said that being cute is the biggest bug in the upgrade methods these days.

Forget about cultivating, treasure hunting, and leveling up—being cute is obviously the best method.

While Ji Wuxiu was lost in thought, one of the men suddenly stepped forward and tentatively said, “Big brother, how about we take it with us? Otherwise, if we scare the black and white fur ball, it might start to develop a wariness of humans.”

The man called “Big Brother” raised his ferocious expression, his voice tinged with a hint of danger. “What do you mean? What are you suggesting?”

The other man, braving the situation, continued, “We can sell it as a pet. It will definitely bring in a lot of money. Nowadays, the rich people love these kinds of pets.”

A flicker of interest passed across the big brother’s face, and with a sharp glance at the black and white fur ball, he found himself agreeing with his younger brother’s suggestion even more.

Rich people these days love unique and adorably cute pets, willing to spend any amount of money for them.

The man thought for a moment and continued, “Besides, although the black panther hasn’t fully awakened, it’s still a panther. We could still sell it for a decent amount of credits.”

The big brother’s gaze softened even more, and his tone became slightly gentler. “You’re right, second brother. You’ve got a quick mind. Since you say so, let’s take them both.”

The second man immediately nodded and flattered, “It’s all thanks to your guidance, big brother.”

The atmosphere between the three men eased, and they began preparing to tie up the heavily injured and helpless black panther. But Ji Wuxiu wouldn’t allow it. He quickly held the black panther and wore an expression of deep unwillingness.

“Big Brother?” Another man looked at the big brother with a troubled and unsure expression.

The man called Big Brother, who was naturally short-tempered, hated animals the most. Seeing the black and white fur ball resisting, his anger flared up. His face twisted in fury as he walked over…

Ji Wuxiu raised his head expressionlessly, his eyes dark and filled with dread, silently screaming in his mind: “We’re going to die! We’re going to die!”

The system seemed to fall silent for a moment but quickly prompted: 【Host! Quickly act cute!】

Ji Wuxiu swallowed hard, his fur almost standing on end.

The man called Big Brother reached out to roughly grab the black and white fur ball…

A furry bear paw shakily extended, gathering courage and with cautious intent, placed itself into the big brother’s hand. The small, wet eyes were full of panic.

The previously enraged man, whose fury had been at its peak, stood frozen, stunned.

The black and white fur ball widened its eyes again, wiggled its claws, and gently scratched the palm of the man called Big Brother.

The big brother flinched, hastily retreating several steps, his face full of horror, as if he had seen something terrifying.

For a moment, a quiet, almost eerie atmosphere spread.

Ji Wuxiu immediately fell silent.

His actions just now didn’t seem like he was acting cute at all.

Instead, it looked more like he was teasing.

But he had initially just wanted to act cute…

Moreover, the human’s reaction seemed to suggest that he had been scared.

Ji Wuxiu almost collapsed, silently screaming in his mind, “System, I’m sure I failed at being cute this time.”

The system’s voice came, tinged with something odd: 【Ding! Your proactive act of being cute just now made this ruthless, inhuman human experience a strong feeling of cuteness for the first time.】

Ji Wuxiu was confused, “What feeling?”

The system explained again: 【It means that you made him feel a strong emotional reaction from being cute.】

Ji Wuxiu: “Oh.”

The system continued to cautiously provide a reminder: 【The human’s current thought process: Is this why those rich people like cute creatures? It feels so wonderful, its little paws are so chubby, and it touches my hand so cautiously—how can such a cute creature exist?】

Ji Wuxiu: “…”

【Ding! Being cute was a success! You gained 10 cuteness points.】

Ji Wuxiu: “???”

This actually worked?!

After Ji Wuxiu earned more cuteness points, the system’s tone became even more gentle: 【If it were an ordinary panda, it wouldn’t have worked, no matter how cute it is, not everyone would like it. But you’re different. Your body was carefully designed by the system, specifically made for earning cuteness points. Of course, it has to be perfect.】

Ji Wuxiu twitched his mouth.

Fine, you’re the system, so whatever you say is right.

The man called “Big Brother” quickly came to his senses, casting a strange glance at the black and white fluffy ball, and awkwardly said to his two subordinates, “Take out our stretcher, put both the black panther and it on it.”

The two men exchanged glances and immediately took out a portable stretcher. This item was the size of an umbrella when not in use and could be stored in a backpack.

But once someone was injured, the stretcher could be taken out, and by pressing a button, it would automatically unfold into a stretcher. It was lightweight but sturdy.

This was something the trio always carried with them when going on missions.

Not only could it allow the injured to lie on it, but it could also be used to carry captured prey, and while walking, it wouldn’t make loud noises, preventing other dangerous creatures from detecting them and launching an ambush.

The moment the stretcher unfolded, it looked like something from a futuristic sci-fi movie. The black and white fur ball’s dull eyes suddenly brightened, “!!!”

What a high-tech product!

“Let’s go, we’ll set up camp and rest in a safe place.” The man called “Big Brother” decisively stated.

The other two men immediately lifted the heavily injured panther, who was unable to resist.

Despite having already given up on resistance and choosing to wait for death, the panther instinctively bared its teeth and growled with a fierce expression when faced with human touch. Its throat emitted a low, unsettling growl that seemed to send a warning.

The panther’s large, dangerous claws moved slowly, at a pace so sluggish even a snail could easily surpass it, inching forward as it tried to scratch the human holding the stretcher with a deadly swipe. Its eyes were fixated on the human’s hand placed on the stretcher, focused and determined.

—As if it wouldn’t stop until it reached its goal.

The black and white fur ball couldn’t help but feel that the panther was truly holding a grudge with its life.

The two men carefully glanced at the black and white fur ball.

On the grass, the black and white fur ball was still focused on the panther, seemingly unaware of the humans approaching. At a glance, it resembled a sticky rice ball, quivering, exuding an aura that made it look incredibly soft and comfortable to lie on.

This caused the two men to sigh in relief, but a slight concern also crept into their minds.

This creature, so unusually odd and adorably cute, couldn’t possibly be… dumb, right? How else would it have no wariness toward humans, even getting too close to them?

Muttering inwardly, the two men quickly placed the round, large black-and-white fur ball onto the stretcher. The fluffy, round ball looked like it might roll off at any moment, making them instinctively press on the fur ball’s backside, trying to flatten it a bit.

The black-and-white fur ball quietly raised its dull, lifeless face. “???”