Chapter 118: Complete Annihilation!

"You have to be ready to throw your conventional values out the window whenever you watch this stream!"

"Oh my goodness! Are the relationships between magical beasts really this complicated?"

"Shocking! A cross-country search for a husband turns into a provincial manhunt for a mistress!"

"Who can guarantee the sanctity of marriage vows? Stay tuned for today's legal segment!"

"This is the first time I've realized that cats have this kind of worldview!"

"And it's the first time I've learned that cat... you-know-whats have barbs on them!"

"I love my cat so much, and it's so clingy to me. Does it really just see me as a poop-scooper?"

"No, you're not just a poop-scooper; you're a hairless, poop-scooping freak!"

"User 'I Forever Love American Curls' gifted the streamer a Chaos Meteor! Adding the comment: 'So I'm that ugly in a cat's eyes! My heart is broken!'"

"User 'Best Domestic Cat in the Mainland' gifted the streamer a Hellfire! Adding the comment: 'Actually, isn't that normal? If a cat had no hair, humans would think it was ugly too. Imagine how hideous we must look to them!'"

"User 'Love Cats, Be Their Slave' gifted the streamer a Chaos Meteor! Adding the comment: 'I actually think this attitude is perfectly normal. That’s how a cat’s mind should work—otherwise, how could they maintain that cute, arrogant personality? Anyway, gotta go huff some cats!'"

"Count me in on the cat-huffing!"

"The cat-huffing cult must be banned! The Church of Petting Cats is the only truth!"

"I used to think Zorro was a pretty decent cat, but after hearing his wife’s accusations—abandoning his wife and kids, philandering everywhere, drinking, gambling, and being a total degenerate—he's the scum of the earth! But he does sing beautifully."

"And his dance moves are so dashing! If a good-looking guy courted me like that, I’d be willing to have some fun with him, too!"

"Wake up! Zorro’s hobby is hooking up with leopards!"

"Suddenly I really want to know how Zorro manages to hook up with a leopard..."

"What kind of film is this? A cat film? A leopard film?"

"User 'Men Are All Trash' gifted the streamer five Meteor Showers! Adding the comment: 'Seeing that damn Zorro makes me think of painful memories. I curse him to be torn limb from limb by Teacher Ling!'"

"User 'No Way, Out of Pears, Can't Save It' gifted the streamer five Meteor Showers! Adding the comment: 'I agree with the person above! A scumbag cat like Zorro should be skinned and deboned! If Teacher Ling does it, I’ll send ten World-Destroying gifts!'"

"Wow, the resentment here is real. There's a story behind this!"

"My folding chair is ready! Selling popcorn in the front row!"

"These two cats seem to know Teacher Ling! Are they old friends? Finally, a chance to learn about Teacher Ling's past!"

"Don't! Among Teacher Ling's old friends, nobody ends up well unless they're immortal!"

"..."

Ling Mo looked down at the pair of ridiculous cat spouses with a faint, mocking smile. "Are you two taking me for a fool? Do you really think you can just walk away like this?"

The female cat, clearly having a hot temper, widened her eyes and thrust out an arm, revealing sharp little claws. She yelled furiously, "Human! My husband cheating on me has already put me in a foul mood; don't you dare provoke me further! If I strike with these claws, you might die! Foolish human, I’ll count to three, and you better move aside immediately..."

Before she could finish, Zorro—who had been cowering while she pulled his ear—saw her outburst and his expression shifted violently. He wrenched himself free from the female cat’s grasp, pivoted to face her, raised his paw high, and slapped her across the face!

*Smack!*

The sound was deafening. It must have been a brutal blow, as the female cat’s head snapped to the side, and the momentum sent her entire body flying. She soared nearly ten meters through the air, landed with a thud that created a small crater, and rolled several times until she finally crashed into a tree and stopped.

The Arctic cat lay on the ground, completely stunned by the blow. She groaned in pain, and Zorro frowned, barking at her, "Arctic! Shut up!"

The cat immediately fell silent, trembling, and pressed herself flat against the ground, not daring to move. Zorro then turned back to Ling Mo, wearing a flattering, sycophantic grin as he rubbed his paws together. "Lord Watcher! My wife has a bit of a screw loose; she speaks without thinking! She meant no harm. If she has offended you in any way, I apologize on her behalf and will make sure to discipline her severely later!"

His eyes darted about in panic as he signaled for the female cat to come over and apologize. She struggled to her feet and crept toward Ling Mo, where Zorro shoved her head down, almost slamming her face into the dirt. Zorro looked at Ling Mo and simpered, "Lord Watcher! See? She knows she was wrong. Please, with your magnanimity, spare her life!"

Ling Mo was silent for a moment before saying, "I am no longer the Watcher."

Zorro froze, looking anxious. "If you are no longer the Watcher, then... wait, never mind. I’m just a poor little cat; why should I care about such grand matters? Even if you aren't the Watcher, my respect for you will not diminish in the slightest!"

"Since that's the case," Ling Mo said, gently helping the terrified female cat up, "then tell me, what happened here? What about the members of the human expedition team?"

"They're dead," Zorro answered without hesitation. He gestured toward the several black-robed figures he had sliced into mincemeat. "They were all killed by them and then consumed by the 'Blue Brain.' You should know about those mushrooms, right? You saw them back in the day at Kuba’s home!"

"Hmm?" Ling Mo let out a sharp, menacing hum. "Little cat, you aren't lying to me, are you? According to the intelligence I received, when you arrived, there were at least twenty members of the expedition team still alive while being besieged by members of the Obedience Cult. With your strength, couldn't you have protected them?"

"Watcher... Lord Ling, you are wronging me!" Zorro began to wail. "How could I dare lie to you? Those black-robed men had mediocre strength, but the 'Blue Brain' they brought had already evolved eight tentacles! I couldn't stop that monster at all! It easily swallowed all the humans and took off, leaving only these four mushroom-men behind!"

"What did you say?!!!" Weiss suddenly lunged out from her hiding spot, her eyes bloodshot. She grabbed Zorro by the throat, lifted him into the air, and shook him back and forth, demanding, "Are the members of the World Tree expedition team all dead?! Is there not a single survivor?!"