【Your spirit pet has completed a long solo hunt, and here is the list of its hunting harvest.】

【Evolution Points: 1700/1500】

【Trait Improvement: None】

【Special Item: Attribute Core +1】

【Due to your spirit pet's injury, it will require six hours of evolution or rest before it can embark on another adventure.】

There were still 700 evolution points left, meaning that Xiao Yi only earned 1000 evolution points this time, less than the previous time. There were no improvements to its traits, and it even sustained an injury, but...

Xu Zhi's gaze settled on the section for special items.

"Is it because of this energy core?"

Is it because of this unfamiliar energy core that Xiao Yi's gains from this hunt were significantly less than the last time?

Xu Zhi opened the game warehouse and indeed found a small gray crystal. It was very tiny, resembling a fragment of diamond, but unlike diamond's brilliance, it only faintly glowed with a dull gray hue.

She selected the core, and a single character appeared beside it: 【Moth】.

【Congratulations on obtaining your first Attribute Core. Now, perhaps you would like to know more about it?】

【Please select: Yes or No.】

"Attribute Core?"

Xu Zhi immediately thought of the common attribute that both of her spirit pets possessed, and realized that both spirit pets belonged to the category of 【Blade】.

Xu Zhi clicked "Yes," and the next line of text quickly appeared in the center of the screen.

【Everything has traits and affinities, which can be broadly referred to as: Attributes.】

【Energy also possesses inherent attributes, and all types of monsters have the potential to generate energy cores within their bodies that correspond to these attributes. The stronger the monster, the higher the possibility of such energy cores being produced.】

【The reason why attribute cores are so precious is that they involve secrets that cannot be spoken of. They fragment and disseminate the power of the incorporeal spirits, bringing it down to the mortal realm and making it no longer unreachable and unattainable.】

【There are eight major categories of attributes, and all creatures are attracted to the attributes that best align with their own nature. You have obtained the core of a Moth. Is it the Moth attracting you, or are you attracting it?】

After this passage faded away, another option popped up.

【Would you like to briefly learn about the Moth Attribute?】

Xu Zhi stared at the character 【Moth】 feeling a bit bewildered. She indeed desperately needed some explanations.

After she pressed the confirmation button, the narration appeared again.

【Moth: Wild and dangerous, it is the standard of chaos and desire.】

【Moth is the principle of change, fancy, irrationality, intuition, seeking, chaos, desire, passion, nature, and woodland. It is associated with forgetting and discarding unnecessary things, characterized by secretive and unstable behavior.】

【You have briefly learned about the Moth Attribute. Other attributes will be unlocked when you possess the corresponding Attribute Cores. Regarding the specific functions of Attribute Cores, please explore them yourself.】

"That's it?"

Xu Zhi couldn't help but voice her question aloud, but the narration didn't provide any further explanation.

The young girl's eyelids flickered slightly as she gazed at the screen, reading the description of the 【Moth】 attribute, revealing her inner turmoil.

Initially, she instinctively felt that everything related to the 【Moth】 attribute had nothing to do with her, as she had always been a well-behaved, obedient, and somewhat reserved child. But then she realized that it actually fit her current self quite well.

Or rather, it aligned with her inner self, not her outer appearance.

Nowadays, she would act on intuition and guesses, even if it meant doing something dangerous. Her thoughts had been constantly changing since being trapped in this dead city. Her ideas were unstable, and even her actions were not entirely rational. Even killing that girl, even though she could no longer be considered human, barely a day later, when Xu Zhi recalled it, there was little fear left. What she could remember was the excitement and intensity of the moment.

She thought of the narration's question: "Is it attracting you, or are you attracting it?"

Xu Zhi lifted her gaze away from the game screen. In fact, she had often felt over the past few days that in this empty home, in this city that was no longer normal, she was undergoing some inexplicable changes. But before this moment, Xu Zhi hadn't seriously analyzed these changes. Until now, when the narration abruptly pointed it out, she suddenly realized that in just a few short days, she seemed to have become a different person.

Oh, no, she had always been herself, a suppressed self and a self gradually releasing its natural instincts.

Upon realizing this, the young girl smiled.

She was naturally beautiful, with a face of indifferent and remote elegance, even her pupils were a shallow amber color, giving her a natural sense of distance and mystery. However, her overly thin body and pale complexion added a hint of melancholy to her appearance. Her cheaply made and outdated clothes were carelessly worn, and her hair, which had not been properly cared for, was somewhat dull and yellow. Just one look was enough to tell that she was definitely malnourished.

She resembled a delicate porcelain figurine that had not been properly cherished. While her naturally beautiful appearance still maintained a semblance of elegance, her interior was already cracked and damaged, teetering on the verge of shattering. It seemed as if one could hear the sound of her impending fragmentation simply by approaching her slightly.

No matter how rough she appeared, her smile was still beautiful. At this moment, it carried a sense of clarity that she had never had before, even diluting the sickly aura that surrounded her.

Xu Zhi suddenly didn't care so much about being abandoned by her biological parents. This didn't mean that she had let go or forgiven them, but rather that she had finally realized who she was and what she should be doing. As a person like her, why should she dwell on such grievances all the time? She had far more important things to attend to.

If they ever met again, she would still retaliate against them for abandoning her. She would never forgive those who betrayed her, no matter how many reasons or excuses they had.

But that was all. She didn't need to let this matter consume any more of her time, energy, or emotions.

Just by having her true self pointed out, Xu Zhi felt as if she had undergone a transformation, as if she had been reborn.

From this day forward, she would completely bid farewell to her past. The demands and behavioral norms that her parents had repeatedly instilled in her ears were discarded as "unnecessary things."

Even her parents were no longer important to her.

As if her mood was affecting her body, Xu Zhi felt a sense of lightness in her body at that moment.

Suddenly, a line of text appeared on the game screen.

【You have undergone a transformation, losing certain things and gaining others.】

When Xu Zhi lowered her head and picked up the game console again, she saw these words.

"... What kind of cryptic message is this?"

The young girl was speechless for a moment, and then switched the interface to Xiao Yi.

She had accumulated enough evolution points to upgrade again, but considering that midnight was soon approaching, Xu Zhi first instructed Xiao Yi to come to her side. Before midnight fell, she had Xiao Yi upgrade and rest immediately after the upgrade was complete. After also arranging for the dog to find a safe place to rest, it was finally Xu Zhi's turn.

"... Why does it feel like going to work?"

The young girl silently pulled the blanket over herself and muttered a complaint. After adjusting the alarm clock, she fell into a deep sleep.

……

The alarm clock rang, and Xu Zhi struggled for a moment before finally climbing out of bed.

She quickly took out the game console and woke up her two spirit pets. She instructed the dog to go out hunting and then summoned Xiao Yi to her front door.

Before Xu Zhi put her luggage on the wheelchair and pushed it to the door, she felt a slight sense of nervousness.

This was the first time she had ever met her spirit pet face to face!

In the game, even though she knew that Xiao Yi's size was already comparable to a large snake, it was still just a small screen with pixelated graphics, lacking any real sense of presence.

This was the first time she was seeing a snake, a large python, in real life!

With a sense of novelty and excitement, the young girl pushed open the door. When she finally saw the black snake figure coiled outside, she let out a sigh of relief.

She had been worried that perhaps it was just the game's map model that was identical to reality.

But now, even without the companionship of her spirit pets, she must leave while everything is still asleep.

Luckily, her greatest concern did not come to pass, and her spirit pet indeed existed in reality.

Although it had only been less than 24 hours, Xu Zhi could already smell the foul odor emanating from the nearby corpse.

With a composed expression, she stepped out of the door and looked at Xiao Yi, who was estimated to be around five or six meters long. She didn't feel afraid, but rather a sense of familiarity.

Seeing the eager gaze fixed on her, Xu Zhi could almost sense Xiao Yi's urgent desire to be close to her and have some physical contact. However, due to some unknown reason, Xiao Yi didn't dare to approach directly. Instead, it stared at her with those narrow pupils filled with longing. If Xu Zhi hadn't been able to sense it, she might have mistaken Xiao Yi for considering her as a prey.

"This strange sense of connection isn't a bad thing."

Even though Xiao Yi was a large python, Xu Zhi didn't know how to ask it to carry her luggage. Therefore, she had to put the suitcase on her wheelchair and push it herself.

Fortunately, after Xiao Yi's recent upgrade, Xu Zhi's body had received some nourishment, allowing her to slowly walk for a short distance. Otherwise, even if she wanted to leave, she might not have had the strength to do so.

However, Xiao Yi didn't think too much about it. The black snake's tail moved, easily lifting the suitcase from the wheelchair and placing it behind itself. It even proudly tossed the suitcase up in the air with its tail and then caught it steadily.

This sight startled Xu Zhi. She quickly spoke up, "Stop! I know you're powerful, but there are fragile items inside! Don't break them!"

Xu Zhi's expression was somewhat speechless, probably not expecting her spirit pet to be so "childish."

However, now that Xiao Yi had reached level 12, its stats had undergone some changes. Its physical strength had increased to 640 points, and its mental strength had reached 160 points. A suitcase was no longer a challenge for it.

The elevator in the apartment building was still functional, probably due to the backup electricity not being depleted yet. Xu Zhi pressed the button for her floor and then sat comfortably back in her wheelchair.

Why stand when she could sit? Especially when her health wasn't the best.

After all, the wheelchair could move much faster than she could walk...

While waiting for the elevator, Xiao Yi would occasionally flick its tongue, making some noise. Xu Zhi felt that the snake was intentionally trying to attract her attention. Although she couldn't hear any sounds, she could sense the emotions emanating from Xiao Yi's entire body. They were simple and easy to understand. If translated into words, they would probably be: "Look at me, look at me, look at me! Cuddle, cuddle, cuddle..."

Truthfully, it was quite childish and a bit noisy.

Xu Zhi never imagined that one day she would find a non-verbal snake to be quite noisy.

"Is this the kind of lively and clingy personality snakes originally have?!"

Xu Zhi managed to restrain herself, for Xiao Yi was her spirit pet, and some excitement was understandable at their first meeting.

Then she felt something cool and slightly slippery brush past her ankle, catching her off guard and causing goosebumps to rise on her skin.

Undoubtedly, it was Xiao Yi's tail.

Xu Zhi's temples twitched as she turned her head to look at the black snake beside her and asked angrily, "What are you doing?"

The black snake stared at her, tilted its head slightly, and flicked its tongue innocently, looking very innocent.

——Ding!

The sound of the elevator arriving interrupted Xu Zhi. She looked at Xiao Yi and said helplessly, "Don't suddenly touch me, okay? It's scary!"

The black snake flicked its tongue again, appearing slightly aggrieved but also nodding quite humanly.

Seeing this, Xu Zhi controlled her wheelchair and entered the elevator.

As the elevator door opened on the first floor, a dense black fog seeped into the elevator through the gap.

As she maneuvered her wheelchair out of the apartment building, all that was visible was the dense black fog and the blurry outlines of the surrounding buildings. Beyond five meters, even the buildings were indistinct.

Through the game's perspective, Xu Zhi realized that her spirit pet's eyes could see more clearly in the mist than humans. And after Xiao Yi's upgrade, it could now see very far distances. So she looked at the black snake and said, "Xiao Yi, lead the way and keep an eye out for anything nearby." With her first spirit pet by her side, Xu Zhi ventured into the mist for the first time.