"1103... yes, it should be this room."
Xu Xiaoyou used her ID card to open the door in front of her.
Sensing a presence, the hallway lights flickered on automatically, and a synthesized, gentle female voice spoke.
"Welcome home, Mr. Xu Nian. Tianyu Smart Home is at your service. The living room lights have been turned on for you, and the room temperature is being adjusted to a comfortable level for the 'human' species."
In the center of the dim room, a virtual waterfall projected over a small ecological rockery, where simulated 3D plants rotated slowly.
As the warm yellow lights of the living room turned on, Xu Xiaoyou took in her surroundings. The living room wasn't large; a long sofa, a marble coffee table, and a smart TV made up the entire set of furniture.
The curtains were half-drawn, offering a view of a distant giant tower—the Universal Tower.
It was an inverted triangular building surrounded by skyscrapers, located in the central area of the hive city, near the Gate of Triumph.
Its unique structure made it look like a giant guarding the city when the lights came on at night, standing there, mysterious and magnificent.
Xu Xiaoyou knew that was where she would soon be working.
It was the largest branch office of the mega-corporation Universal Heavy Industries within Corrupt Hive City.
It sat upon the city's lifeline; over ninety percent of the resolutions that decided the future development of this hive city were made within those walls.
Corporate executives with power and status stood at the highest point of the city, looking down upon it all.
Even the scraps of food falling from the gaps in these hunters' teeth were enough to drive countless people to fight and bleed.
It sounded harsh, but it was the truth.
After the smoke of that war cleared, Universal Heavy Industries' rule over this hive city was absolute. No faction dared to challenge its authority.
The so-called chaos in other sectors and the division of territory by numerous forces was simply because Universal Heavy Industries didn't want to get its hands dirty in those muddy waters.
For an entity driven entirely by profit, spending a fortune to manage the security of those chaotic and backward sectors was a thankless task.
They preferred to let the various gangs and forces grow, checking and balancing each other to ensure their own absolute dominance, while leaving the people there to live or die on their own.
The self-destruction of this hive city was only a matter of time.
She had to leave this hive city and go somewhere with more value and potential.
Xu Xiaoyou made a silent vow in her heart.
She shook her head, temporarily setting aside her messy thoughts.
Looking around at the scene, Xu Xiaoyou marveled at the fact that she finally had a place to plant her feet in this city.
"Mmm... water... water."
Anya seemed interested in everything in the room, running around constantly from the moment they entered.
Right now, she was at the bathroom faucet, looking at the suddenly appearing stream of clear water. She was very excited, struggling to climb onto the sink until her small mouth was just about to reach the stream before Xu Xiaoyou grabbed her by the back of the collar.
"Water...?"
"You can't drink raw water; you'll get a stomachache," Xu Xiaoyou said.
Looking at the twitching ears on Anya's head and the sharp teeth in her mouth, she had almost forgotten that the girl's race was likely related to wolves.
Survival in the wild was harsh, and water sources were certainly dirtier. If she was fine with that, then tap water purified by a filtration system would surely be no problem.
Thinking this, Xu Xiaoyou let go, watching Anya lean over the faucet and gulp down the water.
She had never raised a pet before and had zero experience in this area.
"Anya, can you talk?"
Anya's ears only twitched when she heard her name, but she didn't provide much of a reaction.
Xu Xiaoyou guessed that she probably didn't know how to speak, let alone read. She could only respond reflexively to words like 'food' and 'water.'
After finishing the water, Anya started running around the living room again.
She found a ball and kept pouncing on it while baring her teeth. When the ball rolled away, she would hop and skip after it, repeating the cycle as if she'd never tire of it.
A simulated hunting game—an instinctual habit of canines.
Xu Xiaoyou silently watched her play with the ball until it rolled to her own feet.
She picked up the ball. This time, Anya didn't run over. She sat in place, her small face looking at her, and Xu Xiaoyou saw a flash of unease in the girl's eyes.
【Interaction Prompt: When you complete an interaction, Anya's favorability toward you will increase.】
Xu Xiaoyou smiled slightly and squatted down, rolling the ball back.
Anya caught the ball, her eyes lighting up slightly.
This time, Anya didn't play with the ball alone. Instead, she carefully nudged the ball toward Xu Xiaoyou's side and looked at her expectantly.
Xu Xiaoyou understood her meaning, picked up the ball, and tossed it a short distance away. Anya ran over happily, quickly picked up the ball, trotted back to her, and handed it over again.
Looking at those blinking big eyes, Xu Xiaoyou couldn't bring herself to refuse and patiently began playing with her.
Two hours later.
Anya was still full of energy, but Xu Xiaoyou felt like she was about to drop dead from exhaustion. She collapsed in front of the sofa as if she had no bones left, the girl's furry ears constantly rubbing against her face.
"No more playing, Anya. I can't do it anymore. Let me rest a bit."
Anya seemed to understand her words. After nodding blankly, she hugged the ball and walked away.
Xu Xiaoyou sighed, never imagining she would one day spend her time on such things.
But there were benefits.
She chuckled and held up Anya's character card.
【Bond Level: Stranger → Casual】
【Your bond level with Anya has risen from Stranger to Casual. You will share 12% of character Anya's attributes.】
【Gained strength: 2】
【Gained agility: 3】
【Gained constitution: 3】
【When Anya's bond level reaches Familiar, the first stage favorability plot will be unlocked. Completion will grant free attribute points as a reward.】
A slight change washed over her body. Xu Xiaoyou felt her strength, reaction speed, and physical coordination improve slightly.
Although it was still far from the level of a normal adult.
It was just like God to close a window for you and then seal up a wall while he was at it.
The number 12% didn't look like much, and in reality, it wasn't.
But once she had more characters in the future, and each character could share attribute points with her, she would gain points every day even while lying still.
What was a late-game class? One that turns the tide when the world is crumbling—that's a late-game class!
As for why the world would be crumbling? Hmph, kid, stop asking about card maker business!
Thinking of this, Xu Xiaoyou couldn't help but recall the scene of using her skill cards to deal with those three grade 1 fixers.
Whether it was her imagination or not, at the moment she used the second Fireball Bombardment, it felt as if her body had resonated with the fire elements in the air, allowing her to truly sense their existence.
She had read the autobiography of a high-grade fixer mage, which contained insights on this matter. Her experience then was very similar to the descriptions in the book; she could even hear the fire elements cheering in her ear.
Even now, she still had a faint feeling of it. It was as if... as if something inside her body was about to burst through its cage!
Fire was calling to her!
Xu Xiaoyou suddenly thrust her palm forward!
Nothing happened.
Rate on N.U.
