Chapter 21: It's a Cat Girl

If the Trolls and Frenzied Black Bears were temporarily out of consideration, then only the Goblins and their rival, the Wind Demon Panthers, remained as options.

Although the Goblin race was extremely numerous, they simply couldn’t serve as Followers, and Zhai Guangyi didn’t want Goblins as his Followers anyway.

Goblins had an abysmal reputation in this World, like rats scurrying across the street—everyone wanted to beat them.

Goblins inherently worshipped evil gods, making it difficult to sway their faith to anything else. Moreover, they were highly aggressive and bloodthirsty, making communication nearly impossible.

Additionally, their race had no females. They relied on invading humanoid races like the Human Race or other humanoid beings to serve as tools for reproduction.

Goblin genes were incredibly dominant. No matter which race they mated with, the offspring would always be green-skinned, male Goblins.

Even if he could successfully subdue Goblins as Followers, it would likely be difficult to cooperate with Humans or other intelligent races afterward. No one wanted to work with rats from the sewers, after all.

Especially Humans, who relied heavily on sensory and visual perception, would be particularly concerned about such appearances.

Compared to Goblins, the Wind Demon Panthers seemed like a better option. Moreover, the Wind Demon Panthers had previously come to block them in an attempt to seize the territory across the river and reduce Goblin harassment.

This provided a great starting point: resolve conflicts, achieve win-win cooperation, and find a way to take in these Wind Demon Panthers, making them Zhai Guangyi’s Followers.

Zhai Guangyi could provide them with living territory, even the healing abilities that were especially scarce in the Forest. He could also join forces with them to counterattack the Goblins.

Zhai Guangyi sent a mental message to Xiong Batian, Xiong Da, and Xiong Er, instructing them to head east and attempt to make contact with the Wind Demon Panthers, mediate the conflicts, and, if necessary, help them fend off the Goblins from the south.

Xiong Batian was more than happy to serve Zhai Guangyi, but Xiong Da and Xiong Er, as modern people, also set off with great enthusiasm. The two of them seemed to regard Zhai Guangyi as their Golden Finger in this Otherworld.

Zhai Guangyi also planned to pick out some decent Equipment from the System Shop for them to use once this mission was completed. After all, they were still running around like savages, wearing animal skins every day, which was rather unsightly and offered low safety.

The three of them rode three strong Storm Holy Wolves, all blessed by Zhai Guangyi. Whether in combat power or speed, they were top-notch. Even carrying someone like Xiong Batian, who had transformed from a Giant Bear, was no problem—they could still race through the Forest with ease.

Riding the Storm Holy Wolves, they quickly arrived by the river. A twenty-meter-wide river divided the two banks. Although the opposite bank was still densely forested, crossing the river gave everyone the illusion of leaving their homeland.

The Storm Holy Wolves’ speed was remarkable. Even while carrying Xiong Da and the others, they could easily leap across the twenty-meter-wide river, still with energy to spare.

After crossing the river, just as Xiong Da was wondering how to find traces of the Wind Demon Panthers, he heard the sounds of battle and the whooshing of air being sliced—it was Wind Blades.

“There must be Wind Demon Panthers ahead. Let’s hurry and catch up.”

Xiong Da was the first to charge into the thicket on his Storm Holy Wolf, with Xiong Batian and Xiong Er quickening their pace.

On the other side of the woods, thirty Goblins were besieging over a dozen Wind Demon Panthers.

The Goblins wore animal hides, their weapons mostly sharpened tree trunks. The leader among them held a rusty iron sword and wore tattered human clothing, likely looted from a human Adventurer.

As for the original owner, they had probably died under the Goblin swarm—the garment was riddled with fist-sized bloodstains.

The Wind Demon Panthers were clearly overwhelmed by the Goblins’ numbers, with roughly three Goblins ganging up on each panther. Though the panthers relied on their Wind Control Skill, they were still outmatched.

Xiong Batian was most adept at combat. Riding her Storm Holy Wolf and wielding a Spiked Club, she charged straight into the Goblin horde, swinging her club and taking down one Goblin with each blow.

Before the Goblin Captain could even grasp what was happening, seven or eight Goblins had already been smashed into pulp—none could withstand a single strike from Xiong Batian.

She showed no mercy, unleashing a massacre. In no time, all thirty Goblins were instantly slain.

The Goblin Captain tried to flee, but its speed was no match for the Storm Holy Wolf. Xiong Batian, still mounted, closed the distance in an instant. Without hesitation, she brought her Spiked Club crashing down on its head.

Xiong Da and Xiong Er didn’t even get a chance to act.

“No need to be afraid—we’re here to help.”

Xiong Da clapped his hands, snapping the Wind Demon Panthers out of their stunned fixation on Xiong Batian’s swift slaughter and redirecting their attention to himself.

Only then did the panthers notice that these Demon Humans were clad in Wind Demon Panther pelts. Terrified, they turned and bolted.

“Hey! Don’t run! We really are here to help!”

Xiong Da shouted after the fleeing panthers, urging his Storm Holy Wolf forward as he gave chase.

“We’re wearing their pelts—of course they’d run.”

Xiong Er shook her head helplessly but quickly followed suit.

“What’s the big deal? When winter gets cold, they’ll strip the hides from their dead kin to keep warm too. This is nothing.”

Xiong Da remained cheerful, replying to Xiong Er as he caught up to the fleeing panthers. He didn’t overtake them but instead ran alongside them.

“We really don’t mean any harm. If you’re willing to talk, we’ve even brought fruit for you. Or you could take us to your Boss to discuss things.”

The Wind Demon Panthers were dumbfounded. They were running at full speed, yet this Husky Two carrying a person kept pace effortlessly beside them, its rider persistently bothering them.

After running for over ten miles, the group followed the panthers to a massive boulder.

The fleeing Wind Demon Wolves came to a halt, turning to glare fiercely at Xiong Da and the others while baring their teeth with continuous snarls.

Then, countless Wind Demon Panthers emerged from all directions Inside the Forest, their eyes fixed intently on Xiong Da and his companions.

“Looks like we’ve reached their den.”

Xiong Da and the others showed no fear. Though the number of panthers here far exceeded those that had surrounded them earlier, Xiong Da’s group was no longer the same as they were a month ago. With the speed of the Storm Holy Wolf, escaping would be no issue at all.

Immediately, a figure appeared atop the massive stone—a slender woman, even more petite than Xiong Er. On her head were a pair of fluffy pointed ears, and behind her trailed a long, white tail.

White hair paired with red and blue heterochromatic eyes gave her an eerie, captivating beauty.

“It’s… it’s a cat, Cat Girl!”

Xiong Er exclaimed in excitement.