My Pet Beast is Super Fearsome

Shao Zifeng walked alone in Su City, surrounded by lush greenery. Twenty years after humans had left this place, nature had repaired the artificial traces on its own. The entire village was covered with green vines and weeds, with grass growing out of the cracks in the stone slabs. His footsteps were silent on the grass.

Shao Zifeng, carrying a travel bag, walked through the tranquil village, occasionally glancing around to guard against unknown mutant creatures. The village was too quiet, so quiet that Shao Zifeng could even hear his own heartbeat.

"Squeak~"

Shao Zifeng was startled, and swiftly took out a kitchen knife from his travel bag, cautiously staring at the grass where the sound had come from, swallowing secretly.

After a moment of stalemate, nothing happened. Shao Zifeng slowly started to relax. He didn't feel any negative emotions, just a bit of nervousness mixed with a faint curiosity.

He tried to take a step forward. The small creature that had been secretly observing Shao Zifeng seemed frightened, and the grass rustled as three mice, one large and two small, jumped out.

"Squeak squeak~"

The large mouse guarded the two small mice behind it, staring nervously at Shao Zifeng while making a warning sound. The two small mice poked their heads out, curiously scrutinizing Shao Zifeng, sniffing the unfamiliar scent with their twitching whiskers. Indeed, young creatures were always adorable.

A few blue light dots unfurled the usual light blue screen.

[Name]: Mouse

[Growth]: Mature/Infant

[Status]: Healthy, Extremely Hungry, Nervous

[Strength]: Tier 1/None

...

[Order]: Rodentia

[Family]: Muridae

[Attribute]: None

[Potential]: ★/☆

[Talent]: None

[Skills]: Tear and Bite, Steal

[Description]: The most numerous and common mutant creatures in the world. These weak creatures survive by stealing leftover food from others/beasts.

The attributes of the three mice were not much different, very ordinary attributes and templates. However, the 'Extremely Hungry' status was a first.

Shao Zifeng thought for a moment, took out a small piece of bread from his bag, squatted down slowly, and placed the bread in front of him. Smiling, he tried to convey through his emotions that he had no ill intentions, then slowly retreated.

The mother mouse sniffed the bread, looked at Shao Zifeng disappearing around the corner, and a flash of gratitude appeared in her eyes. Due to the two small mice, they hadn't eaten for a long time. Dragging the bread, she glanced back at the direction where Shao Zifeng had left, and then the three mice disappeared into the grass.

...

After leaving the three mice, Shao Zifeng took a different path to continue exploring the village. He tried using his cheat to find valuable items, but after searching the entire village, he found nothing of value.

This wasn't following the script. Other protagonists with cheats found treasures everywhere they went. At a minimum, they came across rare herbs guarded by spiritual beasts. So why was it so hard for him?

Shao Zifeng wandered distractedly, exploring the last area of the village, only to be even more disappointed. After leaving the village and arriving at the backside, he saw Wutong Mountain in front of him. How should he put it? It was really just a small hill, at most tens of meters high.

Due to the lack of human presence, the entire Wutong Mountain was covered with pine trees, appearing vibrant and lively.

Behind the village, there was a path covered in wild grass, vaguely suggesting it was once used to enter the mountain. Shao Zifeng looked up at the noon sun, gritted his teeth, and walked toward Wutong Mountain with his kitchen knife.

Although Qiuqiu wasn't by his side, at the critical moment...

A flash of fire appeared in Shao Zifeng's eyes, and the blade of the kitchen knife in his hand glowed faintly red.

Wisps of black smoke rose from the wooden handle gripped by Shao Zifeng.

Damn it, this was not the time to be a show-off. Shao Zifeng quickly dispersed the fire element, revealing the charred and cracked wooden handle.

???

...

As he ventured deeper, the surrounding shrubs gradually disappeared, replaced by tall and dense pine trees. The dark forest dispelled the midday heat, and the occasional bird calls added to the eerie tranquility of the environment.

Shao Zifeng struggled to cut through the branches blocking his path. Each time he exerted force, some charcoal powder sprinkled from the knife handle, making it thinner and thinner.

Shao Zifeng remained silent, confirming that he indeed wasn't suited for showing off.

The last time he awkwardly showed off was saying "Hello" to his phone.

Shao Zifeng secretly mocked himself to ease his tension, advancing one step at a time through the forest. When he got hungry, he just found an open spot to eat some bread, not appearing impatient at all.

Su City was indeed renowned for its poor natural resources. Shao Zifeng wandered an entire day without finding any rare mutant creatures. Other than the three mice in the village, he only saw a few birds that flew away before he could check their information.

The sun gradually set, making the forest even darker. If he couldn't find shelter before it got completely dark, the night would be very hard. Shao Zifeng felt anxious, but there was nothing he could do.

You couldn't expect a shut-in to know wilderness survival techniques. Although he had watched shows like Bear Grylls' and Les Stroud's in another timeline, he was confident while watching but panicked when actually in the wild.

As it got darker, Shao Zifeng couldn't help but show a hint of anxiety.

Just then.

"Splash splash splash~"

A sound of flowing water came from deeper in the dark forest, making Shao Zifeng's heart lift. He hurried towards the direction of the sound. He had heard rumors that there was a small river near Qifeng Temple; if he could find the river and follow it, he had a good chance of finding Qifeng Temple.

Technically speaking, approaching a water source in the wild was a risky move. You never knew what animals were drinking there, not to mention in this timeline where the danger level of mutant creatures had escalated drastically.

Shao Zifeng couldn't worry about that now. Without shelter, the forest at night would be even more dangerous. Many carnivorous creatures hunted at night, and searching for water had a low probability of danger compared to a high probability of being attacked if he stayed put. The first option seemed safer.

The sound of water grew closer. Shao Zifeng pushed through a shrub, revealing a clear small river. The river wasn't wide, with reeds growing on both sides, and the flow wasn't very fast, though there was a low area forming a small waterfall, creating a loud splashing noise.

Crossing the shrub, Shao Zifeng prepared to follow the river upstream to find Qifeng Temple. As he passed a patch of reeds, two black birds flew out and landed on the water, calling anxiously at him.

Blue light gradually gathered in front of Shao Zifeng's eyes.

[Name]: Black Waterfowl

[Growth]: Mature

[Status]: Healthy, Nervous

[Strength]: Tier 1

...

[Order]: Gruiformes

[Family]: Rallidae

[Attribute]: Water

[Potential]: ★☆

[Talent]: Water Play: Can quickly restore energy in water.

[Skills]: Charge, Water Defense

[Description]: A Gruiformes bird that resembles a chicken, gentle in disposition, and not prone to conflict.

Shao Zifeng gave a soft exclamation, finally encountering a less common mutant creature. With two-star potential, it should be worth some money. He took a couple of steps forward to observe it more closely.

"Chirp chirp~"

The two Black Waterfowl became more anxious as Shao Zifeng approached. They made loud, high-pitched calls, flapping their wings frantically, appearing ready to pounce but hesitant to get too close.

"Huh."

Seeing the anxious Black Waterfowl, Shao Zifeng was puzzled. It didn't seem necessary for them to be so agitated when he was still quite far away. Maybe it had to do with the reeds...

Thinking this, Shao Zifeng instinctively looked toward the reeds. In the lush patch of reeds, a few eggs lay quietly in a grass nest.