Chapter 489: Meteorite Intelligence
Zhao Yao hung up and turned to Xiao Yu .
"It"s done," he stated, "From today, this island is officially mine . "
There was skepticism written all over her face when she looked at him .
"Oh really? The government gave you the island just like that? Zhao Yao, are you trying to trick a child right now?"
"I honestly do not care if you believe me or not," he said casually, "Hey, you"re not done with winter break homework, are you? School starts tomorrow . You have better things to do than gallivant out here . Go home and finish your a.s.signments . "
He cast a severe look at Xiao Yu, then pushed her, Fish Ball, Noodle, and Nekomata through the dimension doorway . This led them into the extradimensional belly, where they fell through another doorway and ended up in the cat cafe .
"No!" Xiao Yu cried .
She had not want to return to the real world . She grabbed onto Zhao Yao"s hand to catch his attention .
"It"s exactly because school is starting tomorrow that I can"t waste my remaining freedom on homework!" she whined, "It"s the last day of winter break! I want to stay out and play until the very last minute! Noodle and Fish Ball will help me with my a.s.signments! I don"t have to go home!"
Xiao Yu batted her eyelashes at him as she continued, "That was a beautiful island! There"s sun, sand, and the ocean! Just let me stay there a while more? And help me take some photos?"
Seeing that Zhao Yao did not budge, she engaged in a more aggressive approach .
"I"ll wear a nice swimsuit . I"ll even invite a few friends . They"re the prettiest girls at my school . Guys at your age idolize high school girls, no?"
Zhao Yao let out a bark of exasperated laughter .
"Not interested," he stated, throwing her a dirty look .
"It"s up to you if you want to do your homework," he continued, "You can go play wherever you want except on my island . I have big renovation plans for it . You"re not allowed there . "
With that, he took one step back and disappeared into the portal . Xiao Yu rushed forward, hoping to steal inside as well, but she fell through thin air instead . She glared at the spot where Zhao Yao disappeared .
Now that Xiao Yu was safely back in the city, Zhao Yao could focus his attention on William .
At this point, Old Cat had successfully brainwashed William and convinced him to divulge every bit of intelligence he had about the meteorite . Zhao Yao did not ask the cat to reiterate everything that he had heard . That was a risky move . As long as Old Cat had a chance to talk, he had a chance to attack . Instead, Zhao Yao chose to hear straight from the horse"s mouth and made William repeat everything he had shared .
William said that the meteorite that crashed onto Earth was the cause of the supercat awakening . It had crossed the globe before finally landing in Maine, USA . However, that did not mean that the whole meteorite could be found there . It had gradually broken into pieces as it journeyed through the atmosphere, scattering meteorite fragments around the world . The thing that ended up in Maine was the largest of these fragments .
The theory William subscribed to was that the fragments could intensify a supercat"s abilities . This was why the ones in Maine were particularly powerful . The radiation from the fragment bounced onto them, strengthening them day by day and pus.h.i.+ng them to evolve into unexpected, new levels . It had reached a point where supercats had entered the public service . Some of them had successfully climbed up the ladder and had fought for equal speaking and voting rights as their human counterparts .
With this new arrangement came the genesis of Star Cats . It was an organization in which the American government and free supercats worked together to manage global catastrophes and to conduct research on the meteorite .
Zhao Yao narrowed his eyes as he took in all this information .
"How far have you come in terms of meteorite and supercat research?" he asked .
William shrugged, "I"m just a n.o.body . I don"t know much . "
"Tell me whatever you know . "
"Well, there are a few trump cards, or rather, trump cats, in my organization," William began, "The government uses the fragment to strengthen them . They grow and evolve continuously . Even though there are apostles who borrow their abilities, no one really knows the true depths of their powers . "
Zhao Yao nodded impatiently . It was expected that they would use the fragment to bolster their best cats .
"What else?" he prompted .
A deep groove settled between William"s eyebrows as he racked his brain for more details .
"I"ve heard some stories . There was talk that they hoped to breed supercats, clone them, and somehow replicate the power of the fragment to accelerate the evolution of the cats . I"m not sure if there"s any truth to them . "
Zhao Yao continued to probe him, but it quickly became clear that William did not know much more .
He ended the interrogation with one final question, "Is there anything else you would like to add? You do have a partner here on the island . If what you tell me does not match what he says, there will be trouble . "
William hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I"m not lying to you . Everything I"ve told you is true . We"re just low-level officers . We don"t know much . "
After an intense brainwas.h.i.+ng session with Old Cat, it was close to impossible for him to lie . However, Zhao Yao"s threat did seem to remind him of something he missed out . There was another crinkle between his brows when he added, "Oh, there is one more thing I"ve heard . It"s quite far-fetched, so I doubt it"s anything more than a rumor
a rumor . "
"Oh?" Zhao Yao was curious and itching to know more, "What rumor? Pray tell . "
There was another pause before William continued, "A colleague told me that there was an, erm, incident in the research facility . An alien escaped . "
"Huh? An alien?"
Willian nodded earnestly, "Yes . I heard that the government managed to extract an alien from the big fragment that landed in Maine, but I think it is absolutely ridiculous . There have been so many stories about aliens in Area 51 for decades too, no?"
Zhao Yao shrugged . "Perhaps . "
In the next moment, William had been robbed of all five senses and had fallen to the ground, unconscious .
Zhao Yao called for Diana and Caesar, whom appeared quickly .
"Erase his memories from the past 24 hours," he ordered .
After that, he got Old Cat to brainwash William"s colleague, whom became honest and compliant, but did not offer any new information . The man had his memory erased as well .
"As I suspected, America has been actively regulating and developing superpowers too . I hope we aren"t too far behind?" Zhao Yao mused, scratching the bottom of his chin .
The things he heard were a little unsettling .
He was fairly confident that he was one of the strongest apostles in the world . However, there was no way that he could take down an entire country, much less one that had the latest military technology and a substantial number of meteorite fragments .
The dimension doorways were the ultimate defence and served as the perfect escape,the perfect escape, but they were not indestructible .
"If I want to get my hands on all the fragments, I might have to fight the American government . I really need more horsepower for that . "
He was not ready, but that was okay . Collecting the fragments was no simple task . It would take time and preparation . For now, Zhao Yao would focus on tying up all loose ends on the island and eventually transform it into his personal, portable basecamp with the help of a dimension doorway .
One of those final loose strings included freeing the two Americans and the rest of the stranded individuals from the island . This rescue mission earned him 520 * 2 experience points .
With that, the mission panel became:
Book: Level 6 (45,302 / 10,000)
Matcha: Level 7 (4,700 / 20,000)
Elizabeth: Level 6 (4,200 / 10,000)
Dust Ball: Level 8 (6,355 / 50,000)
Ares: Level 6 (5,400 / 10,000)
Lucifer: Level 6 (2,900 / 10,000)
Sphynx Cat: Level 6 (300 / 10,000)
"Oh right, there"ll be the end-of-month tally tonight . There"s going to be an influx of experience points . Looks like I can level up a few cats at once . "
Zhao Yao nodded his head smugly . Right now, he was feeling fairly confident about his upcoming mission to fight Star Cats so that he can collect all the meteorite fragments .
Zhao Yao hung up and turned to Xiao Yu . It 39 s done, he stated, From today, this island is officially mine . There was skepticism written all over her face when she looked at him . Oh really The government gave you the island just like that Zhao Yao, are you trying to trick a child right now I honestly do not care if you believe me or not, he said casually, Hey, you 39 re not done with winter break homework, are you School starts tomorrow . You have better things to do than gallivant out here . Go home and finish your a.s.signments . He cast a severe look at Xiao Yu, then pushed her, Fish Ball, Noodle, and Nekomata through the dimension doorway . This led them into the extradimensional belly, where they fell through another doorway and ended up in the cat cafe . No Xiao Yu cried . She had not want to return to the real world . She grabbed onto Zhao Yao 39 s hand to catch his attention . It 39 s exactly because school is starting tomorrow that I can 39 t waste my remaining freedom on homework she whined, It 39 s the last day of winter break I want to stay out and play until the very last minute Noodle and Fish Ball will help me with my a.s.signments I don 39 t have to go home Xiao Yu batted her eyelashes at him as she continued, That was a beautiful island There 39 s sun, sand, and the ocean Just let me stay there a while more And help me take some photos Seeing that Zhao Yao did not budge, she engaged in a more aggressive approach . I 39 ll wear a nice swimsuit . I 39 ll even invite a few friends . They 39 re the prettiest girls at my school . Guys at your age idolize high school girls, no Zhao Yao let out a bark of exasperated laughter . Not interested, he stated, throwing her a dirty look . It 39 s up to you if you want to do your homework, he continued, You can go play wherever you want except on my island . I have big renovation plans for it . You 39 re not allowed there . With that, he took one step back and disappeared into the portal . Xiao Yu rushed forward, hoping to steal inside as well, but she fell through thin air instead . She glared at the spot where Zhao Yao disappeared . Now that Xiao Yu was safely back in the city, Zhao Yao could focus his attention on William . At this point, Old Cat had successfully brainwashed William and convinced him to divulge every bit of intelligence he had about the meteorite . Zhao Yao did not ask the cat to reiterate everything that he had heard . That was a risky move . As long as Old Cat had a chance to talk, he had a chance to attack . Instead, Zhao Yao chose to hear straight from the horse 39 s mouth and made William repeat everything he had shared . William said that the meteorite that crashed onto Earth was the cause of the supercat awakening . It had crossed the globe before finally landing in Maine, USA . However, that did not mean that the whole meteorite could be found there . It had gradually broken into pieces as it journeyed through the atmosphere, scattering meteorite fragments around the world . The thing that ended up in Maine was the largest of these fragments . The theory William subscribed to was that the fragments could intensify a supercat 39 s abilities . This was why the ones in Maine were particularly powerful . The radiation from the fragment bounced onto them, strengthening them day by day and pus.h.i.+ng them to evolve into unexpected, new levels . It had reached a point where supercats had entered the public service . Some of them had successfully climbed up the ladder and had fought for equal speaking and voting rights as their human counterparts . With this new arrangement came the genesis of Star Cats . It was an organization in which the American government and free supercats worked together to manage global catastrophes and to conduct research on the meteorite . Zhao Yao narrowed his eyes as he took in all this information . How far have you come in terms of meteorite and supercat research he asked . William shrugged, I 39 m just a n.o.body . I don 39 t know much . Tell me whatever you know . Well, there are a few trump cards, or rather, trump cats, in my organization, William began, The government uses the fragment to strengthen them . They grow and evolve continuously . Even though there are apostles who borrow their abilities, no one really knows the true depths of their powers . Zhao Yao nodded impatiently . It was expected that they would use the fragment to bolster their best cats . What else he prompted . A deep groove settled between William 39 s eyebrows as he racked his brain for more details . I 39 ve heard some stories . There was talk that they hoped to breed supercats, clone them, and somehow replicate the power of the fragment to accelerate the evolution of the cats . I 39 m not sure if there 39 s any truth to them . Zhao Yao continued to probe him, but it quickly became clear that William did not know much more . He ended the interrogation with one final question, Is there anything else you would like to add You do have a partner here on the island . If what you tell me does not match what he says, there will be trouble . William hesitated for a moment before speaking, I 39 m not lying to you . Everything I 39 ve told you is true . We 39 re just low level officers . We don 39 t know much . After an intense brainwas.h.i.+ng session with Old Cat, it was close to impossible for him to lie . However, Zhao Yao 39 s threat did seem to remind him of something he missed out . There was another crinkle between his brows when he added, Oh, there is one more thing I 39 ve heard . It 39 s quite far fetched, so I doubt it 39 s anything more than a rumor . Oh Zhao Yao was curious and itching to know more, What rumor Pray tell . There was another pause before William continued, A colleague told me that there was an, erm, incident in the research facility . An alien escaped . Huh An alien Willian nodded earnestly, Yes . I heard that the government managed to extract an alien from the big fragment that landed in Maine, but I think it is absolutely ridiculous . There have been so many stories about aliens in Area 51 for decades too, no Zhao Yao shrugged . Perhaps . In the next moment, William had been robbed of all five senses and had fallen to the ground, unconscious . Zhao Yao called for Diana and Caesar, whom appeared quickly . Erase his memories from the past 24 hours, he ordered . After that, he got Old Cat to brainwash William 39 s colleague, whom became honest and compliant, but did not offer any new information . The man had his memory erased as well . As I suspected, America has been actively regulating and developing superpowers too . I hope we aren 39 t too far behind Zhao Yao mused, scratching the bottom of his chin . The things he heard were a little unsettling . He was fairly confident that he was one of the strongest apostles in the world . However, there was no way that he could take down an entire country, much less one that had the latest military technology and a substantial number of meteorite fragments . The dimension doorways were the ultimate defence and served as the perfect escape, but they were not indestructible . If I want to get my hands on all the fragments, I might have to fight the American government . I really need more horsepower for that . He was not ready, but that was okay . Collecting the fragments was no simple task . It would take time and preparation . For now, Zhao Yao would focus on tying up all loose ends on the island and eventually transform it into his personal, portable basecamp with the help of a dimension doorway . One of those final loose strings included freeing the two Americans and the rest of the stranded individuals from the island . This rescue mission earned him 520 2 experience points . With that, the mission panel became Book Level 6 45,302 10,000 Matcha Level 7 4,700 20,000 Elizabeth Level 6 4,200 10,000 Dust Ball Level 8 6,355 50,000 Ares Level 6 5,400 10,000 Lucifer Level 6 2,900 10,000 Sphynx Cat Level 6 300 10,000 Oh right, there 39 ll be the end of month tally tonight . There 39 s going to be an influx of experience points . Looks like I can level up a few cats at once . Zhao Yao nodded his head smugly . Right now, he was feeling fairly confident about his upcoming mission to fight Star Cats so that he can collect all the meteorite fragments .