“Bro! Bro! Don’t misunderstand!”

“I didn’t do that!”

The tuxedo cat followed Wu Wang’s gaze to the pile of skeletons in the corner.

Sensing that this gorgeously dressed intruder was about to put his sword to its neck again, it explained hastily, “Those are the remains of the last batch of intruders and my other brothers and sisters. Their bodies were all over the place after they killed each other.”

“We couldn’t just leave them lying around, so we collected the bodies and piled them here.”

“This is the welfare home’s morgue!”

Looking at the tuxedo cat blinking its big, watery eyes, Wu Wang’s expression was unreadable.

You bastard! Why the hell would a welfare home have a morgue!

Isn’t that a bizarre combination to begin with?!

Still, he chose not to draw his sword and chop it up. On second thought, he needed to shift his mindset slightly.

He wasn’t in an Instance right now.

He was in a 【Calamity Lair】. Although the danger level and the break from reality felt no different, he had to remember this was only a part of it, left behind after it had already been cleared.

In other words, it was reasonable to expect that the place was heavily influenced by the actions of other players from the past.

Thinking of this, Wu Wang’s thoughts couldn’t help but drift back to his recent Audience with the 【Spirit Venerable of the Sea of Desire】.

He had once said, “Please take the 【Open Beta】 and the natives of other worlds seriously.”

If the NPCs here, namely this tuxedo cat and the companions it mentioned, had encountered some cruel and tyrannical players in the past, then how could they possibly be friendly to him and the others, who were also intruders?

They would probably want to skin them alive.

He could only believe half of what this guy said. For the rest, he would have to find the key information himself.

Of course, the priority now was to regroup with the others. After all, this tuxedo cat had said that the other similar beings were much stronger than it.

“Have you seen any other intruders like me?” Wu Wang asked, lifting the tuxedo cat by the scruff of its neck.

The cat shook its head timidly.

“N-no…”

Then, it said with a worried look, “If there really are other intruders, they’re in for it. You’ll never find them.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?” Wu Wang asked with a frown.

The tuxedo cat licked the fur on its paw and put on a regretful expression.

It pointed to the spiderwebs on the ceiling.

“The layout here is all messed up. You might open a door and walk out into another room’s window, or a dead-end wall, or even back to the door of this very room. Walking back and forth is like being in a maze.”

“This is all 【The Spider】’s doing.”

“I don’t even dare to run around, for fear of getting lost outside.”

【The Spider】?

Hearing this name, Wu Wang’s expression grew even more peculiar.

Seriously, buddy, you guys have insects here in addition to animals? What kind of welfare home is this? It’s a straight-up wildlife ecosystem!

“Tell me about this 【The Spider】, and give me information on the other beings,” he said, prodding the tuxedo cat’s soft belly with the 【Xiaochuan Broken Sword】.

His posture made it clear that if he didn’t hear the answer he wanted, he would run it through with a quick stab.

The tuxedo cat, whose skin couldn’t even be broken by a bullet, felt a chill run down its spine as it looked at the 【Xiaochuan Broken Sword】. The fur on its back stood on end.

It could vaguely sense that this thing was far more dangerous than a gun.

Thus, it began to recount the stories of the other beings in the welfare home.

“【The Spider】 is our Second Brother. He likes to play Hide-and-Seek and can change the entire layout of the welfare home at will, turning this place into a ‘mobile maze’.”

“That’s why I said that once you’re separated, you might never find your companions for the rest of your life.”

“Even if they’re just on the other side of a door, when you actually open that door, it will definitely lead somewhere else.”

“It’s not so bad if you end up in an empty room, but if you happen to run into 【The Rabid Dog】, then it’s all over.”

At this point, the tuxedo cat began to tremble. It seemed that 【The Rabid Dog】 had caused it a great deal of trauma.

It said with a quaver in its voice, “【The Rabid Dog】 is just like his name suggests. He’s a mad dog, our Third Brother.”

“His teeth can shatter anything. Even steel bars are just teething sticks to him, and human bones are delicious little cookies.”

“He is the most savage of all. Any living thing that enters his line of sight will be torn to shreds.”

“Even… the rest of us brothers are no exception.”

“I was almost eaten by 【The Rabid Dog】 once. I only managed to escape after he bit off half my tail.”

After speaking, the tuxedo cat flicked its tail.

Wu Wang glanced over. Indeed, its tail was very short, only about the length of an average man’s finger. For a cat of this breed and size, its tail definitely shouldn’t be this short.

His Dick Cat at home had a tail almost as long as his forearm.

After calming down a bit, the tuxedo cat continued.

“Then there’s 【The Sheep】. She’s one of the only two girls among us, our Fourth Sister.”

“I don’t know what she can do, but when intruders encounter her, it’s basically no different from encountering 【The Rabid Dog】.”

“None of them have ever made it out alive.”

“The only difference is that the bodies left by 【The Rabid Dog】 are all torn-to-pieces scraps, which are a pain to clean up.”

“The ones from 【The Sheep】’s side are quite intact, without a single wound on them. They’re just so thin they’re practically skin and bones, as if they’ve been completely dehydrated.”

When mentioning Fourth Sister, 【The Sheep】, the tuxedo cat once again pointed its paw at the corpses in the corner.

Among them were indeed a few bodies that had not yet fully decomposed, but they were so emaciated that they looked like skeletons at a glance. Their cracked faces and sunken Orbital Cavity made it seem as if every drop of moisture had been wrung from their bodies.

“Finally, there’s 【The Vicious Snake】. She’s also a girl, our Fifth Sister.”

“Her personality is a bit strange, moody and unpredictable.”

“If you run into her, she might help you escape the pursuit of our other brothers and sisters if she’s in a good mood.”

“But it’s also possible that just after leading you to safety, she’ll inject her deadly venom into you the very next second, watching you struggle in what you thought was a safe place, dying in the agony of the poison.”

“All in all, no matter which of them you intruders encounter, you’re probably in mortal danger.”

The tuxedo cat wore a helpless yet regretful expression as it licked the fur on its paws, smoothing them out.

Wu Wang frowned.

“How is that the last one? Didn’t you say there were five of them?”

His words seemed to put the tuxedo cat in a difficult position. Sharp claws extended from the soft pads of its paws. It scratched its face in a very human-like gesture.

It even fiddled with its whiskers, just like some long-haired girls might unconsciously twirl their hair, and said awkwardly, “There are five. There’s also the Eldest Brother.”

“But I can’t remember who he is…”

Shua—

Before it could finish, a flash of sword light swept past.

The tuxedo cat raised its paw in a daze and touched the top of its head. It was bare and soft. It was touching its own scalp.

Huh? Where’s my fur?

Fuck! I’m a bald cat now!

“If you spout any more nonsense, the next sword strike won’t be shaving your head. I’ll be taking it clean off.”

Wu Wang’s cold voice pulled the tuxedo cat back to reality. The fur on its entire body stood on end, but it didn’t dare make a reckless move. After all, it really had no direct combat ability.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be here getting threatened by Wu Wang.

“I… I’m not spouting nonsense!”

“I really don’t remember, meow!”

“Every time I finish luring an intruder, I have to exchange a part of my own memory to replace their memory of a loved one.”

“By now, I can’t remember who the Eldest Brother is anymore. I can only remember that besides me, there should be five people in the welfare home, meow!”

It spoke extremely quickly. Wu Wang narrowed his eyes and stared at it.

Hmm, it was telling the truth.

【Soul of Desire (Unknown): A gift personally bestowed by the being who holds the Authority/Domain of Power over 【Desire】】

【Effect Three (Lie-alization): The user can see through lies, but you will also unconsciously tell lies】

From the moment this tuxedo cat started talking, 【Lie-alization】 hadn’t been triggered once. Everything it said was the truth.

After obtaining the 【Soul of Desire】, Wu Wang had tested it at home. For example, when his second sister’s eyes darted around as she said she didn’t know who ate the grilled fish he had prepared for his midnight snack, it was as if a needle had gently pricked his mind. It made him subconsciously understand.

That was a lie.

Yet, even with this special skill, Wu Wang remained wary. As a genius of lies himself, he knew better than anyone that the most brilliant lies were not falsehoods.

They were truths.

The so-called “montage lie.” Creating a new meaning by rearranging the sequence of events.

Wu Wang had tested this as well. If the other party said nothing but the truth, but only told parts of the facts or changed the order, 【Lie-alization】 couldn’t detect any problem. The subjective judgment of such a lie lay with himself. The other party was, after all, telling the whole truth.

For example, the tuxedo cat said one would get lost outside, and that 【The Rabid Dog】 would go into a frenzy and bite any living thing it saw. Finally, it said that it was almost eaten by 【The Rabid Dog】 and had half its tail bitten off.

These were all true statements.

A normal person hearing this would subconsciously connect the dots. They would assume the tuxedo cat got lost, accidentally encountered 【The Rabid Dog】, and was then chased and bitten. But that was an inference, not something the cat explicitly stated.

What if the whole thing started because the tuxedo cat tried to ambush 【The Rabid Dog】, but failed, and that’s why it was chased and bitten?

As long as it could mislead Wu Wang’s judgment into believing it was a harmless little kitty compared to the others, then its montage lie would be a success.

“I’ll believe you for now,” Wu Wang said, toying with the 【Xiaochuan Broken Sword】. “But why do you call the other beings your brothers and sisters? You’re not even the same species. Darwin’s theory of evolution is weeping!”

Hearing this, the tuxedo cat’s mood clearly plummeted. Its tail drooped limply, and its entire body went limp in Wu Wang’s hands.

Finally, it sighed.

“We were originally human too.”

“The reason we’re in this state now is all related to the previous intruders.”

“They did a lot of bad things in the welfare home, which triggered a strange curse here.”

“Since then, 【The Spider】 has permanently sealed this place. You can only get in, not out.”

“【The Rabid Dog】 went mad and attacks on sight; 【The Sheep】 developed a passion for torturing and killing powerful targets, especially males; 【The Vicious Snake】 lost her mind and doesn’t even recognize us, her own siblings, anymore.”

Its voice grew lower and lower as it spoke. Coupled with its cute appearance, an ordinary person would probably feel a stir of pity.

However, Wu Wang just silently placed the sword against its neck.

He asked flatly, “So what exactly happened? What did they do?”

Pity? Mercy? In Wu Wang’s mind, those things were less important than having fun.

What’s more, after experiencing the tuxedo cat’s bizarre ability earlier, he suspected this fellow hadn’t told the whole truth. That ability probably wasn’t a one-time use thing. Perhaps if a certain condition was met, it could make him sink into that state of delusion once more.

He had no desire to suddenly see his second sister pop out and cry for help while he was navigating a maze.

“I don’t remember,” the tuxedo cat said bluntly.

This statement… was also the truth.

Wu Wang raised an eyebrow. How come this stupid cat doesn’t remember anything? Just how many intruders’ “help” has it exchanged its memories for?

“Forget it. I can’t expect any useful information from you,” Wu Wang sighed.

Just as the tuxedo cat thought he was about to let it go, the man unexpectedly pulled out a leash from somewhere and expertly clipped it around its neck.

Only then did he put it on the ground.

“Lead the way. Take me to meet your other brothers and sisters, including that 【Rabid Dog】.”

The tuxedo cat stared.

?

Seriously, buddy, is there something wrong with your damn head?! I already told you 【The Rabid Dog】 attacks on sight, so why are you rushing to your death?

And isn’t this a fucking dog leash! I’m a cat! You put a dog leash on a cat?

In truth, it just didn’t understand Wu Wang. If it did, it would know that when Wu Wang took his Dick Cat out for walks, it was not only on a dog leash, but also wearing a husky cosplay costume. Wu Wang was even trying to teach it to bark.

He said it was to break stereotypes and make Dick Cat step out of its comfort zone. Who says cats can’t bark?

Of course, he hadn’t succeeded yet. Dick Cat learning to do a backflip was already its limit. Its little brain couldn’t seem to load the barking application.

“No! I don’t want to go out! If I leave here, I don’t know when I’ll find a safe room again!” the tuxedo cat shrieked, hugging Wu Wang’s leg tightly as tears streamed down its face.

Wu Wang asked, puzzled, “In what’s left of your memory, what’s your family relationship like?”

The cat was still wiping away snot and tears. It said timidly, “Uh… this is a loving big family?”

Wu Wang stared back.

?

Aren’t you just spouting nonsense with your eyes wide open? Why don’t you take a piss and look at your own reflection? You’re so scared you can barely stand, and you’re still talking about ‘loving’?

Compared to your paranoid Second Brother, insane Third Brother, perverted Fourth Sister, and unhinged Fifth Sister, even the gambling dad, sick mom, student younger brother, and broken woman from a foot massage technician’s sob story seem blissful!

Wu Wang shot the tuxedo cat a look.

“Hurry up and lead the way. I’ll go beat them all into submission for you.”

“Uh… why are you doing it for me?” the tuxedo cat asked, confused. Aren’t you the one who wants to go get yourself killed? What do you mean, ‘for me’? If you really cared about me, you wouldn’t go out!

The next second, Wu Wang spoke in a firm tone.

“Because the struggle for the heir apparent has always been this way.”