Chapter 19: The Snowcat: I Found a Beautiful Kitty.

To complete the Outdoor Patrol quest, Tang Danqing needed to buy a vehicle. She wasn’t capable of walking three miles through three feet of snow.

She bought the most expensive snow vehicle in the Shop: an off-road model called the Polaris X7.

Its wide tracks, low center of gravity, and fully sealed design let it glide steadily over deep snow. Inside, the vehicle was as warm as an insulated box. Heating wires in the front and rear windows and side mirrors quickly cleared frost, keeping her view clear while she drove.

The Polaris X7 snow vehicle cost 2,000,000 Survival Coins. It was the largest amount she’d spent in the game so far.

You got what you paid for. The moment she climbed into the driver’s seat, Tang Danqing knew how good the vehicle was.

She’d driven a few luxury cars over the years, but none of them came close to the Polaris X7’s insulation, steady chassis, or the sense of security it gave her inside. Put all the luxury cars she’d ever driven together, and they still couldn’t compare.

It was like sitting in the heart of an armored warrior.

Once she was in the car, she checked her [Info] almost without thinking. Not only had her Supply Score increased—her Security Score had, too!

[Residence Information]

[Supply Score: 6,165 (Assessment: Put safety concerns aside, and you have enough to take care of yourself in comfort for the rest of your life.)

Security Score: 90 (Assessment: You’re capable of both attack and defense. You’re more than enough to make other people worry about their safety!)]

Tang Danqing immediately saw how useful the vehicle was. There were even two gun mounts on the front windows!

They solved the problem of trying to handle the steering wheel and raise a gun at the same time.

[Achievement Unlocked: Tech-Powered Travel.]

[Achievement Unlocked: Mobile Fortress.]

Her account held eight figures’ worth of Survival Coins, so Tang Danqing bought the best equipment available at every turn. Unlocking two or three achievements with one top-tier item was just par for the course. She’d never had much patience for taking things one step at a time. When it came to spending money, she liked to do everything in one go.

Tang Danqing used the vehicle’s navigation system and drove comfortably through the freezing snow, with her gun close at hand.

By the floor-to-ceiling window, Shang You watched the silver-and-green off-roader roll beautifully over the snow, its camouflage pattern streaked with fluorescent accents. She couldn’t help envying the sight.

Would she ever get the chance to drive a car like that?

Tang Danqing had a blast drifting the snow vehicle. It handled far more steadily than the cars in action movies; inside the cab, she barely felt the force of the turns. She let out a satisfied breath as the tires and tracks carved a trail behind her.

A few minutes later, fresh snow covered it.

Light shifted across the snow, and the tracks vanished.

On the first day she drove the Polaris X7, Tang Danqing completed the five-kilometer patrol without a hitch.

Unfortunately, the outdoors were a vast white wasteland. She was lucky just to follow the map and find her way back. She’d driven around for a whole lap without seeing a single person.

The next day, Tang Danqing set out to complete her new quest. Driving the snow vehicle was a wonderful experience. Through the blizzard and bitter cold, she felt herself gliding along in warmth and comfort. She really wanted to take the NPC out with her and let her experience the thrill of racing through the snow, but the system wouldn’t allow it yet.

[Main Quest: Many Hands Make Light Work. Search the wide-open world and try to meet three new NPCs. (0/3) (Hint: Your roommate currently cannot leave the shelter. This quest is time-limited. The lives of NPCs in the wild are being worn away by the disaster. Find enough of them before they die. Time is running out!)]

Tang Danqing suddenly remembered the first time she’d met Little Jelly. Little Jelly had been just one step away from starving to death.

So the NPCs outside her shelter, like Little Jelly, could starve or freeze to death—or even be killed by other people.

She was getting better at following the game’s logic. She tightened the straps across her chest.

Then, glancing at the barrel of the AK slung behind her, she set off feeling safer.

Another day of searching brought her no results.

The world outside was nothing like it used to be.

The grounds around the massive hotel were no longer crowded like Times Square. Forget finding three NPCs; in the old days, she could have stood by the edge of the plaza and seen three hundred people without trying.

Winter had swallowed Times Square, leaving it a ruin beneath the snow.

Tang Danqing usually drove out for only two hours a day, then returned home for the rest of her time in the game. Little Jelly would wait for her with a cup of coffee, milk, or black tea, then serve her a plate of fried toast and a fruit platter.

If it was mealtime, she’d sit and watch Little Jelly eat.

Little Jelly usually pan-fried a frozen steak, then made a nutritious meal of boiled eggs and vegetables. She added a little salad dressing and sat at the table, chewing slowly, her cheeks puffing as she ate.

On her third day out, Tang Danqing made a strange discovery.

Beneath the ruins of a gas station, crushed under heavy snow, a few iron sheets had fallen together in a triangle. Through a narrow gap between them, she spotted a gray-furred, red-eyed cat.

Her long fur clung to her body in fine, drawn-out strands. She was no longer fluffy or soft. It looked almost like needles of ice, a brittle shell around the trembling body. When Tang Danqing found her, the cat was still breathing steadily, each breath just barely audible—

To put it in perspective, her breathing was stronger than Little Jelly’s when they’d first met. There was still some strength in her yet.

But cats were terribly sensitive to cold! Even in a normal winter, strays that couldn’t find shelter froze to death in residential neighborhoods.

Tang Danqing was stunned. She couldn’t understand how the cat had survived.

She wasn’t lying listlessly on her side, either. She sat upright on her hind legs with her front paws planted on the ground, head turned toward Tang Danqing as she approached. Her posture was proud and dignified.

Her red eyes were like pomegranate seeds: clear, full, and vivid.

A tiny flame seemed to burn in each pupil, bright and unyielding.

The cat wasn’t particularly sweet. She didn’t try to charm anyone, lower her head, or whine in a pitiful voice. She simply sat there, watching Tang Danqing approach with a cool expression.

Tang Danqing had fallen for her looks. She was beautiful. Once her frozen fur warmed up and softened, she’d be even prettier.

Tang Danqing lured her into the car with a deep-sea fish treat. The cat sat in the passenger seat, paws tucked neatly beneath her. Her little paws looked like garlic cloves, resting quietly against the leather. She gazed straight through the windshield, so poised and proper in her seat.

The car was warm. As Tang Danqing drove home, she heard a faint, steady drip beside her.

She slowed down and glanced over. The ice clinging to the cat’s fur had melted, and drops were falling from her like she was made of snow.

The cat lifted her face and meowed.

“Meow~”

What are you looking at?

For some reason, Tang Danqing felt as if that was what the cat meant.

Maybe she was just a proud little thing.

Tang Danqing broke into a smile. “I’ll give you a bath when we get home. You’ll be all pretty again afterward.”

The cat turned her head and curled up on the seat.

Tang Danqing hid her inside her clothes. As soon as she got home, she slipped into the bathroom and locked the door, telling the NPC to wait outside.

After she’d bathed the cat, dried her long fur, vaccinated her against rabies, and applied flea treatment, Tang Danqing put a sunflower-shaped Elizabethan collar around her neck. Only then did she carry the clean, beautiful cat out to show Little Jelly.

“Jelly, ta-da!” Tang Danqing lifted the cat up. “I found you a pet today. Do you want to keep her?”

Shang You was genuinely surprised. There were still cats alive in this world, after the cold had killed so many animals?

Shan Qing must have found her near an oasis. Oh. That made sense.

The cat was beautiful, and her striking looks were bound to win people’s affection.

Shang You cradled her in her arms. The cat was well-behaved, neither squirming nor extending her claws.

Before long, the cat climbed up Shang You’s arm and settled across her shoulder.

Tang Danqing laughed. “She’s a girl. Jelly, why don’t you name her? You’ll be her owner from now on.”

She stroked the fur behind the cat’s neck and spoke softly. “Be good and keep your owner company at home.”

Little Jelly named her Little Red.

Afterward, Tang Danqing bought Little Red a pile of food and toys. She even set up a cat wall and climbing tree in the spare bedroom.

On her first day, Little Red patrolled every corner of her new territory. The spare bedroom had an entire wall of toys, the master bedroom had a big bed, the study had a fireplace, and the living room had plenty of space.

She realized she’d been brought home by a rich human!