Lion Head and the other supercats were unconcerned with Matcha"s claims. In their heads, they were just coming up with ways to speed up the impending time here.
As usual, Zhao Yao was hiding in a corner and observing the situation. Naturally, he detected the nonchalance the cats felt towards Matcha"s words.
However, he had a trump card in his hand - Diablo 2.
This game was the cla.s.sic of its generation, the forefather of many games to come. It was the pioneer who invented the notions of ability upgrades, hp, mp, and an entire a.s.sortment of potions and weapons. It had provided the perfect blueprint for new LAN games to emulate. The exhilaration of killing monsters filled up the void in that generation"s games.
It"s not far-fetched to claim that Diablo 2 had revolutionized the world of computer gaming.
Zhao Yao fondly remembered the uproar it created when it first landed in stores. Thousands of teenagers stormed to internet cafés for a taste of the game. At that time, not every household had a computer. They spent hundreds of hours perfecting their skill and immersing themselves in this fantasy world.
Many players never grew bored of the game. Some of them had spent 10 and even 20 years absorbed in the gameplay, with its numerous modifications.
Diablo 2 had the fourth best sales record amongst all computer games for the year that it was produced. Even though countless pundits decried Diablo 3 for not continuing the spirit and essence of the franchise, it still managed to sell more than 30 million copies. It was among the top 10 most sold computer games for that year, entrenching its position as one of the most popular computer games.
To gamers who had spent many years playing the game, they would still consider Diablo 2 as one of the best, let alone a supercat which had never played a single game.
Even if Diablo 2 failed to entice them into the world of gaming, there were millions of games waiting to satisfy the supercats.
Zhao Yao also had other plans up his sleeve if computer games failed to attract them.
Matcha continued introducing Dust Ball to them by exclaiming, "Dark Knight, open your mouth."
Dust Ball shot a furious glare at Matcha and only opened her mouth after Zhao Yao pacified her. Dust Ball revealed the alternate s.p.a.ce-time dimension inside her mouth.
Zhao Yao pointed to Dust Ball"s mouth and explained, "This is the entrance to the Heart of the Village of Dreams. You can enter through Dust Ball"s mouth."
The supercats broke into chatters and could not believe that a cat"s mouth was actually the door to this place called the Heart of the Village of Dreams.
Meanwhile, the supercats inside the belly which were either playing Diablo 2 or watching Downtown Abbey noticed the heavenly glow which descended from the skies. Zhao Yao who had disguised himself as Matcha slowly descended to their world.
All the supercats grew somewhat fl.u.s.tered when they noticed this cat"s abrupt arrival and the golden halo hanging above his head.
Only Gaia remained immersed in the world of Diablo 2, totally oblivious to the situation. He slammed his paws against the keyboard and roared, "Meowhaha, it"s another golden armor. I"m really too lucky! Boss, Boss, tell me which is the better glove between the two."
"Tsk." Ares shot a look of disdain at Gaia and was on the verge of asking him to stop. However, they were interrupted by a coughing sound.
"I"ve told you that I"ll be sending all of you out in an hour"s time. Now is the time for your departure ..."
"You are G.o.d?" Ares"s eyes were glued to this cat with a golden halo s.h.i.+ning above him. Ares pressed his lips together and could not believe his eyes.
Catherine and Diana, which were in the far corner of the belly, glanced at each other. Similarly, they had difficulty believing Zhao Yao"s words.
They had heard many things about the extradimensional belly from Ares. However, the most integral figure in this place would be G.o.d.
During their time here, they had witnessed the power and miracles that he could perform. The G.o.d was truly omnipotent and omniscient.
They had never expected G.o.d to appear right in front of their eyes.
"It"s actually just an ordinary orange cat?" Catherine"s right eyebrow shot up as she whispered into Diana"s ears, "I thought the G.o.d would be a ragdoll."
Diana whispered in reply, "Me too. I never expected G.o.d to be such a lame looking cat."
Meanwhile, the silence was shattered by the male ragdoll"s, Caesar, voice, "Wait a minute, can I bring my laptop along? My Diablo 2 account is still inside it and I"ve already gotten so far."
Naturally, Zhao Yao shook his head and explained, "No. All laptops and phones must be kept within the Heart of the Village of Dreams. If you want to use your laptop or phone, you must be inside this place."
Disappointment clouded his features as Caesar replied, "How can you do this to me?"
Gaia started jumping up and down and asked, "Can we return to this place after leaving?"
"Of course, you can come back whenever you want. You just have to shout your intention and I"ll be able to send you out of this place. As for returning, you will have to inform the cat standing guard outside to allow you to return."
Ares did not know why but he heaved a sigh of relief when he heard that it was possible to return to the belly.
The Garfield, Gaia, started crying and complaining, "But I don"t want to leave this place! I just want to stay here!"
Zhao Yao mustered his most solemn voice and replied, "You have already spent the past 24 hours playing the game. It"s bad for you to stare at your screen for such a long time. It"s time for you to go out there and get some fresh air into your body."
Gaia interrupted Zhao Yao and retorted, "But I"m still so energetic, just look at my face! I really don"t need to leave this place!" Gaia stretched open his eyes to the best of his ability.
"No." Zhao Yao instantly rejected Gaia"s suggestion. He continued, "You have spent too much time playing. Go out and have a good rest. You can play after enjoying a good night"s sleep."
Zhao Yao turned a deaf ear to the cats incessant complaining and took his leave. He also instructed Dust Ball to expel them out of her stomach.
Lion Head and the five supercats noticed Dust Ball opening her mouth and streams of black lines poured out of her mouth before materializing into eight cats.
Matcha"s eyes instantly gravitated towards two particular cats when they arrived. His eyes were glued to Catherine and Diana.
With an affectionate stare, he looked towards them and dashed in their direction. He exclaimed, "Princess Qian, you are really inside Dust Ball"s stomach. Do you know how much I miss you?"
Zhao Yao could only facepalm himself at this sight. Luckily, he had cast an illusion on Matcha and replaced him with a fake Matcha which continued talking to the cats.
The Matcha which was created by Zhao Yao"s illusion explained, "Do not worry. These are the eight supercats that previously resided in the Heart of the Village of Dreams. From today onwards, they will be your neighbors."
At the same time, Zhao Yao had already grabbed hold of the l.u.s.tful Matcha and threw him a death glare before asking, "What are you trying to do?"
Sadness clouded his features as Matcha replied Zhao Yao, "Zhao Yao, can I just hug Princess Qian one time? Just once will be enough."
Zhao Yao rolled his eyes and replied, "Her name is Diana and she doesn"t even know you."
"Cats just have to lick the other cat"s a.s.s to get to know each other." Matcha began struggling violently in mid-air and protested, "Zhao Yao, let go of me! Diana is waiting for me! How can you bear to separate a pair of love-birds?"
"You are just in love with her pretty face. You are not truly in love."
"I do not care about her face. I can"t even distinguish someone ugly from someone pretty. To tell you the truth, I fell in love with her not because of her appearance but because of her personality. I will continue to love her even if she"s a dog."
Zhao Yao lifted his shoulder in a half shrug and replied, "I will only allow it if you are crowned the star cat for the following month."
Matcha immediately started bawling, "Cat torture! Zhao Yao is torturing me!"
Left with no options, Zhao Yao released Matcha onto the gra.s.s and sighed, "Alright, since you are bent on going for her, I shall not stop you as well."
Matcha bolted towards Diana the moment his paws touched the ground. However, he noticed that Diana had turned into a Shar Pei after taking just a few steps. He thought, "What the h.e.l.l is this?"
Zhao Yao glanced at Diana that was coated with illusion and started giggling. He thought, "Since you are so madly in love with who she really is, I guess you will just make do with it."
MAtcha stood beside the Shar Pei and was about to open his mouth to lick her a.s.s. However, he started retching the moment he opened his mouth, "She is too ugly, it"s impossible for me to see who she really is."
Zhao Yao ran his fingers through the fur on his back and commented, "It"s alright, you"ll be used to it after a few licks."
Matcha"s ears and tail instantly drooped down. He explained, "Zhao Yao, I don"t think I"m capable of loving anyone anymore."
Meanwhile, Zhao Yao used the fake Matcha to explain to Ares and friends, "These are the stray supercats which I have adopted. You will be neighbors from now on."
Ares slid a guarded look at the five supercats and the mountains and greeneries surrounding him. His eyes were full of suspicion and fear.
It was natural that domestic cats like Ares would develop these fears when they were taken out of their original habitat and forced into a foreign environment.