Chapter 9

The Winged Tribe's ascent to royalty was primarily attributed to their formidable power.

To elaborate, while Little Black's home planet had a scattering of other races, it was predominantly inhabited by Beast Tribes. The defining characteristic of these tribes was their belligerence—to put it less politely, their love for a good fight. Encountering an opponent of comparable strength invariably led to a challenge.

No powerful Beast Tribe member had escaped being challenged, yet the Winged Tribe stood as an exception. At least, from Little Black's birth until his approaching adulthood, the number of Beast Tribe members who dared to challenge him could be counted on one hand.

(It's worth noting that Winged Tribe members reach adulthood at one hundred years old, and Little Black was just one year shy of this milestone.)

Moreover, every single one of those challengers, without exception, suffered defeat.

Rumor had it that one challenger burst into tears immediately after his loss.

Little Black at the time: "..."

A burly beast-man openly weeping was, frankly, a bit much to witness.

In truth, the opponent was genuinely brought to tears by the overwhelming defeat. Most Beast Tribes possessed only one ability, a talented few had two, and a rare handful might wield three.

Yet, the Winged Tribe commanded dozens! The common wisdom suggests that too many abilities lead to a lack of mastery. However, Little Black defied this, possessing not only numerous abilities but also mastering each one with seamless transitions. One moment, he'd be using a water tornado to toss his opponent like laundry; the next, a burst of fire would scorch their fur black.

The damage was immense, and the humiliation, even greater.

Anyone facing such an opponent would inevitably lose their composure!

Given the Winged Tribe's immense power, few dared to provoke them. Still, privately, some grumbled, dismissing the Winged Tribe as mere "talent freaks," attributing their prowess entirely to innate gifts. In essence, they believed the Winged Tribe simply got lucky with their birthright.

Those who spoke this way clearly lacked a true understanding of the Winged Tribe. Many assumed Winged Tribe members were born with dozens of abilities already unlocked, but this was far from the truth.

In reality, Winged Tribe members are born with only one ability. For instance, Little Black was born with only Water ability. It was only after he achieved complete mastery over his Water ability that he awakened his next.

Thus, while the Winged Tribe possessed undeniable innate talent, "lying back and winning" was simply not an option. To master more abilities, they had to exert far greater effort than other Beast Tribes.

Nevertheless, it must be acknowledged that their potential ceiling was indeed higher than that of many other Beast Tribes.

Now, having been ambushed and temporarily regressed to a cub, Little Black's strength had naturally diminished. Currently, he possessed only a very weak Water ability.

Little Black recalled how, in his eagerness to strengthen his abilities, he had never rested a single day. Later, he had used his Water ability to defeat opponents and eliminate enemies. Back then, he never imagined that one day he would use his ability for *this*.

Little Black: *Autistic.jpg*

Meanwhile, Cheng Zhiyu thoroughly inspected the bathroom, confirming there was nothing left to clean. Yet, he was certain Little Black had just relieved himself. As for why the bathroom remained spotless, perhaps it was because Little Black was a magical puppy?

Cheng Zhiyu's capacity for acceptance had significantly expanded. After all, with the apocalypse upon them, what was truly impossible? Little Black was so clever; what was the big deal if he could handle a few small tasks?

He quickly rationalized it, left the bathroom, and found Little Black squatting in the living room, a somewhat dazed expression on his face, lost in thought.

Little Black was zoning out when suddenly his entire body was lifted into the air again. Oh, the human had picked him up. Even after several repetitions, Little Black still couldn't get used to this human's habit of spontaneously scooping him up. His hind legs stiffened rigidly, and his tail tucked tightly between them.

*Censored.jpg*

"Wow, I just saw it—Little Black, you're amazing!" He was practically a miracle puppy! Not only did he not make a mess, but he also cleaned up after himself. Although Cheng Zhiyu didn't know how he managed it, a pup deserved a little privacy, right?

Little Black: "?"

*I know I'm amazing, but why is this human suddenly praising me?*

Cheng Zhiyu thought Little Black's expression was full of confusion. He chuckled, "Little Black just cleaned up his own—"

"Mmm..." Before he could finish, Little Black instinctively sensed that he did not want to hear the rest of the sentence and immediately shot out a paw, pressing it against Cheng Zhiyu's mouth.

*Shut up!*

Cheng Zhiyu: "?"

He snapped back to reality, realizing what had just happened, and burst into laughter: "Okay, okay, I won't say it. Little Black is shy, huh?"

He delivered the last line in a teasing, high-pitched voice. Little Black's face was covered in imaginary black lines. He struggled free, jumped to the ground, and turned his back to Cheng Zhiyu, temporarily refusing to acknowledge him.

Cheng Zhiyu cleared his throat lightly and patted Little Black's head: "Good boy, it's very late, time to sleep. Where do you want to sleep? The living room, okay?"

Little Black merely twitched his tail, offering no other response.

Cheng Zhiyu: "It'll get cold at night, but the bed I made for you is very warm. If you feel cold, go back to your bed to sleep, understand?"

Little Black was so clever he would surely understand his meaning, so Cheng Zhiyu said no more and got up to wash.

After washing up, he didn't go straight to bed but first went to the system space to check on Little Two and Little Iron.

Little Two greeted him with its usual lively enthusiasm. Cheng Zhiyu patted it, then checked on Little Iron's condition, which was relatively stable.

He used some of the water from his wash to water Little Iron first. Little Iron was very responsive, its vitality increasing to 9%. Not only was Cheng Zhiyu putting in effort, but Little Iron's own will to survive was also remarkably strong. Cheng Zhiyu proudly stroked Little Iron's leaves.

Next, he watered Little Two. There wasn't much water left, so he didn't waste it, pouring it all onto the cabbage seeds he'd planted that day.

After finishing his tasks, he exited the space and found Little Black standing opposite him, seemingly having waited for a while.

Cheng Zhiyu was certain it wasn't his imagination, because Little Black followed him when he returned to his room.

He glanced at the puppy, who was feigning nonchalance, and his eyes curved into a smile. Indeed, even clever puppies could feel insecure. It was perfectly normal not to want to stay alone in the living room on the first day here.

Little Black: *How could I, a revered Crown Prince, sleep on the floor? I'm not a real dog.*

*Hmm, this human is fairly perceptive; he didn't refuse to let me follow him into the bedroom.*

Then, he watched as Cheng Zhiyu moved the makeshift bed of clothes from the living room to the bedroom, placing it beside his own bed.

After all, Little Black had just eaten half a bowl of meat. Although he seemed fine for now, Cheng Zhiyu was still a bit worried. By placing the bed bedside, he could hear if Little Black made any sound of distress.

As for letting Little Black on the bed... better not. Little Black had just been rescued and hadn't been bathed yet.

After finishing up, he saw Little Black standing blankly not far away, so he picked Little Black up and placed him in the bed, petting his head: "Sleep well, good night."

Little Black, in the dog bed: "..." *Can't fall asleep.*

Cheng Zhiyu, however, fell asleep quickly. He was utterly exhausted today—he'd gone out and personally killed a zombie, which had quite a profound impact on him. But with no one to confide in, he desperately needed a good night's sleep to recover.

In the darkness, Little Black slowly opened his eyes and, by the moonlight, looked at Cheng Zhiyu sleeping peacefully in bed. He stood up, gathered strength in his hind legs, and prepared to silently jump onto the bed. *Hah, making me sleep in a dog bed? Impossible.*

*How could a revered Winged Tribe member sleep in a dog bed? If other Beast Tribes found out, they'd laugh their heads off.*

However, Little Black overestimated his current jumping ability. Cheng Zhiyu's bed was somewhat high, and unlike when he jumped onto the coffee table earlier, there was nothing to use for leverage. So, he first bumped against the side of the bed, then fell to the floor with two distinct "Thud! Thud!" sounds that echoed startlingly in the quiet room. Cheng Zhiyu was immediately jolted awake, sitting up abruptly and turning on the light.

There was nothing there. Cheng Zhiyu frowned, got out of bed, and saw Little Black sleeping quietly in his bed. He didn't notice the slight twitching in Little Black's hind legs. After checking outside and finding no danger, he returned to the room puzzled, sat by the bed for a while, then went back to sleep.

Little Black, pretending to sleep, opened his eyes and glanced at the not-so-high bed, questioning his very existence...

*Ahem, actually, the dog bed is quite comfortable to sleep in. The human laid out several pieces of clothing, making it very soft.* Little Black consoled himself with these thoughts and closed his eyes.

---

Upon opening his eyes, Cheng Zhiyu greeted Little Black, who was stretching, with a good morning, then got himself ready and tidied up after Little Black.

Little Black was quite fastidious—while Cheng Zhiyu was washing his face, Little Black even lifted a paw, indicating he wanted to be wiped too. So adorable.

It was still early. After preparing warm goat milk for Little Black, Cheng Zhiyu entered the system space.

As soon as he entered, Cheng Zhiyu's eyes widened in shock. Overnight, the five cabbage seeds he had planted had already sprouted.

A 100% survival rate was impressive enough, but the germination speed was incredibly fast. Cheng Zhiyu was certain the seeds he had found were just ordinary cabbage seeds.

So... he glanced at Little Two, who seemed to be seeking praise, and instantly understood. He stroked Little Two’s leaves and said, "It's your doing, isn't it?"

Little Two swayed its leaves up and down.

Overjoyed, Cheng Zhiyu didn't hold back on the praise, and Little Two practically soared with delight.

He didn't rush to check the cabbage sprouts but went first to see how Little Iron was doing.

Overnight, Little Iron's vitality had reached 11%. After watering both Little Iron and Little Two, Little Iron impressively gained another 1% in vitality.

Cheng Zhiyu then checked Little Two's status—it was still at first-level maturity. Since it was level one, that implied there were second and third levels, but he wasn't sure how to level up.

He guessed it probably wasn't as simple as watering and loosening the soil... Unable to figure it out, he decided to ask the system: "System, how do I increase Little Two's maturity level?"

After asking, Cheng Zhiyu was slightly worried the system would tell him to explore on his own again. Fortunately, this time the system wasn't so unhelpful: "Combat-type plants need actual combat to increase their maturity level."

Actual combat? Did that mean he needed to take Little Two out to fight more zombies? Cheng Zhiyu immediately began formulating a plan.

Next, he checked the cabbage sprouts. At first glance, Cheng Zhiyu thought he might have been mistaken, but upon closer inspection, he realized he wasn't—these cabbage sprouts were actually red.

*Uhm...* he remembered cabbage sprouts shouldn't be red, right? So what was going on now?