I Can Control Resources

According to Gao Neng’s calculations,

this slash should have sent Gao Xiaomeng flying like a rubber ball.

After all, when he and the Tier Seven Gene Martial Artist had attacked together earlier, Gao Xiaomeng had used a similar ’defensive measure’ and simply deflated on impact.

But the reality of the situation was a little unexpected.

When Gao Neng’s blade came down, Gao Xiaomeng’s body didn’t immediately deflate. Instead, the laser-coated edge sliced right through her.

Then, Gao Xiaomeng was sent flying.

BOOM!

A loud crash echoed.

Gao Xiaomeng slammed into the cliff wall.

Gao Neng, on the other hand, froze for a moment. He looked at the long saber in his hand, now covered in a green laser, then at Gao Xiaomeng, who was deeply embedded in the cliff wall. He was momentarily stunned.

’I hurt Gao Xiaomeng?’ In Gao Neng’s mind, Gao Xiaomeng was indestructible, because she was just a rubber ball made of energy.

But he had just clearly seen his blade leave a gash on her shoulder. Although it was very shallow—a superficial wound, really—Gao Xiaomeng was truly injured.

’Is the Laser Saber this powerful?’

’It can actually hurt Gao Xiaomeng?’

’As expected of a high-tier special ability!’

However, judging from this, Gao Xiaomeng’s defense actually had a limit.

The ’Three Slashes in One’ technique, combined with the laser produced by splitting life atoms, was enough to harm Gao Xiaomeng, even if it only left a small cut.

BOOM!

When Gao Xiaomeng climbed out of the crater, her two dark eyes were filled with disbelief.

She looked at the wound on her shoulder.

Then she looked at the green-glowing saber in Gao Neng’s hand.

There was no anger in her eyes, only a dazed and melancholic look. She really couldn’t believe it. ’How could I, the Xiaomeng Queen, lose?’

Most importantly, her loss felt completely baffling.

Gao Neng had clearly been at his limit.

But then, his saber suddenly turned green, and he broke through her defense with a single slash?

The whole thing happened without the slightest warning!

"Is that a new combat technique you learned?" Gao Xiaomeng asked, her gaze finally resting on the long saber in Gao Neng’s hand, which was still glowing green.

"Something like that," Gao Neng nodded. He had no way of explaining to Gao Xiaomeng that he had just upgraded this ’thing’ using his system.

"What’s it called?" Gao Xiaomeng asked.

"Love is a Ray of Light!" Gao Neng thought for a moment before answering earnestly.

"’Love is a Ray of Light’?" Gao Xiaomeng fell silent. She glanced at the wound on her shoulder again. "That’s a really powerful combat technique!"

"Want to learn it?" Gao Neng asked casually.

"Yes, I do!" Gao Xiaomeng nodded immediately.

"Then you’ll have to listen to me from now on. Also, if you want me to trust you, you at least have to tell me what your real goal is," Gao Neng said.

"You’re asking what I want to do?"

"Yes."

"I want to establish a new race, the Cat Race!" Gao Xiaomeng answered without much hesitation.

Because she had lost.

Since she had lost, she had to honor her promise to answer any question he asked.

"Like the other non-human races outside the City of Hope?" Gao Neng had actually suspected this for a while.

Back in the Forgotten Land, Gao Xiaomeng had united all the stray cats.

And she had declared herself their queen.

So how could she not do the same now that she was in the City of Hope?

However, Gao Neng hadn’t seen Gao Xiaomeng or her stray cats since, so he could only guess what she had been up to after arriving in the City of Hope.

"Yes, but my race will be stronger!" Gao Xiaomeng nodded.

"What if I don’t let you?" Gao Neng’s brow furrowed slightly.

"Why can’t I? Do you know how many cats there are in the City of Hope? Between house cats and strays, there are at least two hundred thousand. That’s a powerful army in itself!"

"Isn’t it better to maintain the status quo?"

"Heh, maintain the status quo? Then... Gao Neng, can you tell me, are house cats happier, or are strays happier?"

"..." Gao Neng fell silent.

That was a really difficult question to answer.

Of course, there were many, many cats in the City of Hope. Some were kept as pets, while others were abandoned, forced to scavenge in trash heaps to survive.

Are house cats happy?

Perhaps they are.

They get to live in nice houses, eat good cat food, and are even taken out for walks.

But their freedom is restricted.

And are abandoned cats necessarily unhappy?

They may eat from trash heaps, but at least they have their freedom.

Of course, that’s one way of thinking.

But there’s another perspective: house cats are happy because they are carefree and loved by their owners.

And abandoned cats are unhappy. After all, when it rains, they can only huddle in a corner, feeling nothing but loneliness.

Gao Neng was no philosopher.

After all, if you were to really debate a question like this, you could argue for a year or two and still not find a real answer.

"You can’t answer, can you? As long as cats depend on humans for food and love, it’s a question with no answer. But if cats could become a powerful race, do you think the question would still have no answer?" Gao Xiaomeng continued, seeing that Gao Neng remained silent.

"At least, cats and humans have lived together for so many years. They should be friends..." Gao Neng didn’t continue arguing the previous point.

"You mean allies?"

"I guess so."

"Do you think that’s possible? Once cats’ intelligence and power increase, do you really think humans will continue to be friends and allies with us cats?"

"..." Gao Neng fell silent again.

’Yeah.’

When cats were domesticated, docile pets, humans could naturally be friends with them. Some people even doted on them like their own children.

But if cats evolved like the other non-human races, and even became a threat to humanity, could humans still be friends with them?

That answer, too, was unknown.

"Gao Neng, you’re so smart, you must have already figured out what I’ve been doing in the City of Hope, right? Fine, since I lost to you today, I’ll tell you all my secrets. I stole a Seed of Resurrection. It was from that Dark Night Elf you killed back in the Forgotten Land, the one named Ye Ying. That’s right, I found her in the City of Hope, and after I killed her, I took the Seed of Resurrection from her body!"

"What? You killed Ye Ying? And took the Seed of Resurrection?"

"Yes. After I killed her, I used the Spring of Life from the Dark Night Elf Clan’s ancient tree to water the seed. And just as I expected, it let me replicate a new Ancient Elf Tree!"

"You replicated a new Ancient Elf Tree?" Gao Neng’s jaw dropped. Gao Xiaomeng’s words were an immense shock to him.

A shock that was even greater than when she had created the magnetic pile.

Because Gao Xiaomeng was truly creating a new race.

A race belonging to cats.

If he guessed correctly, with a new Ancient Elf Tree, the army of stray cats under Gao Xiaomeng’s command would also have a ’source of evolution’.

That was terrifying.

An army of stray cats with a source of evolution!

His guess was right.

The cats...

They were really evolving!

"Hahaha... Gao Neng, you don’t actually think I, the Xiaomeng Queen, plan to lead the Cat Race to war against humanity, do you?" Gao Xiaomeng suddenly burst out laughing when she saw his expression.

Then, her gaze turned serious again. "Actually, I did think about it. It’s just that you and Fang Tangtang have been so good to me, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Besides, I promised Mom I wouldn’t hurt humans!"

"Have you told Mom what you told me today?" Gao Neng was slightly alarmed.

"No, I haven’t told Mom. Of course, Mom is so smart, she must have guessed. She’s not like you," Gao Xiaomeng said, shaking her head.

"Of course she’s not like me," Gao Neng nodded. ’Xu Zilan is just an ordinary person, how could she possibly be like me?’

"Alright, those are all my secrets. I’ve told you everything. So, starting now, let’s officially break up!" Gao Xiaomeng said.

"Break up?"

"Of course. Once all the secrets are out in the open, breaking up is the only option. Or are you going to help me establish the Cat Race?" Gao Xiaomeng said with a matter-of-fact expression.

"Of course I..." Gao Neng started to say, but trailed off, unable to finish.

"Gao Neng, I get it. You don’t have to say it, I understand! In the future, you’ll just be wary of me, or you’ll keep nagging me to be good, like a broken record. But it’s useless, because whether the Human Alliance and my Cat Race are friends or enemies isn’t up to you," Gao Xiaomeng said, tilting her head back and cutting him off.

"Yeah, the Human Alliance... How could I possibly be the one to decide?" Gao Neng also looked up, his gaze directed toward the top of the Demon Abyss.

He was just a minor Dragon List Genius.

A genius, they called him.

But in the eyes of the truly powerful, he was just a ’weapon’.

The decisions of the Human Alliance were made by the Supreme Council.

If the Supreme Council told him to stay in the Underground City, he stayed in the Underground City. If the Supreme Council sent him to the battlefield, he went to the battlefield. Likewise, which race the Supreme Council declared war on was not something he could decide.

If Gao Neng had any power at all,

then that power was...

to obey orders.

Suddenly, Gao Neng didn’t know what to say.

Gao Xiaomeng’s goal sounded terrifying, but in truth, if he were in her shoes, he might have had the same idea.

"Sigh..." Gao Neng let out a breath. In any case, he had to go back up first. After all, they were already 20,000 meters deep. Going any further down would be asking for death.

Still, why did it seem like there was no danger at 20,000 meters?

Just as he was thinking that...

he felt that something was off.