Chapter 28: The Choice

As expected, while Ying Su was pretending to sleep, the Hamster noticed the door that Ying Su had slightly opened.

'Did the owner forget to lock it?'

The Hamster became excited. This might be its chance to escape all of this!

It cautiously moved to the cage door, pushed it open, and after confirming it could indeed get out, it excitedly scurried out.

Ying Su, meanwhile, followed behind it using a tentacle with an eye on the end.

Once outside the cage, the Hamster immediately rushed for the room's main door. However, a dark shadow soon fell, completely covering its body.

It was the Black Cat. It was in this room too, just like them!

The Hamster, wanting to flee, immediately began scrambling to escape. But it was no match for the Black Cat. Fortunately, after being caught, the Black Cat didn't kill it right away. Instead, it played with it—catching it, letting it go, then catching it again.

After much torment, the Hamster finally made it back to its cage. The cage seemed to be a safe zone; the Black Cat glanced at it but stopped trying to paw inside.

The Hamster, however, was now covered in bite marks and scratches. The Black Cat had clearly used some force when grabbing it.

After all, the size difference was enormous. Compared to Ying Su and the Hamster, the Black Cat was a giant.

'The cage is a safe zone. That Black Cat looks tough, but it's not like I can't take it on.' After understanding the situation, Ying Su began to plan her move.

Her primary goal wasn't to escape like the Hamster, but to operate the computer and attract the agents. However, this was much more difficult than simply fleeing.

After all, she would need to stay in the room for a longer time, which meant she would inevitably have to confront the Black Cat.

But since there was a safe zone, she could always retreat if she couldn't win.

If nothing else, Volk vampires were best at running away and hiding.

Immediately, Ying Su also squeezed out through the opening. After pushing aside the bed curtain, sure enough, the Black Cat jumped down.

This time, Ying Su saw it—the cat's bed was placed on a tall stand next to the door.

To escape, she would have to face it, or at least divert its attention.

"Meow!!" The Black Cat hissed and prepared to charge and apprehend Ying Su.

But Ying Su instantly restructured herself into a tiny humanoid, so small she looked like a figurine. She pulled out the Gauntlet Sword, which looked so huge it could crush her.

So, Ying Su simply transformed the Gauntlet Sword into a Needle Prick. Even then, holding it felt like wielding a spear.

Strike Strike Strike

Ying Su, making no attempt to defend, simply thrust the Needle Prick in her hands forward.

After feeling it sink into solid flesh, she was immediately swatted away.

'Its strength is immense. The size difference is such a hassle.' Ying Su, having reformed from a puddle of blood, launched another attack.

Although she couldn't withstand a single swipe, her transformative abilities were enough to prevent any serious injury.

After exchanging blows with the Black Cat for several rounds and injuring it a few times, the cat went berserk. It pinned down Ying Su's Needle Prick and lunged to bite.

Ying Su immediately transformed into a chestnut covered in sharp spikes. The pain made the Black Cat spit her out the moment it bit down.

This time, however, Ying Su didn't continue the fight. Knowing when to quit, she quickly turned back into a parrot, flapped her wings a few times, landed on the bed, hopped a bit, and flew onto the computer desk.

She hurriedly pressed the computer's power button. The screen lit up and began to show a loading circle.

"Damn it, why is it so slow!"

Seeing the Black Cat jump up again, she had no choice but to engage in guerrilla warfare on the desk.

For a while, it was chaos on the table. Fortunately, although the Black Cat was stronger, it couldn't do much to her.

After all the commotion, the computer screen finally finished loading, but it displayed a password prompt.

"No good, it needs a password. What a pain." Seeing this, Ying Su had no choice but to call off the operation and retreat to the cage.

'That Black Cat has to be dealt with.' Ying Su thought. Otherwise, it would keep interfering with her actions.

But right now, Ying Su simply didn't have the ability.

It seemed like she had gotten stronger, but because she had turned into a parrot, her HP was pitifully low. Fighting a single Black Cat was difficult. If she were in her original form, she would have kicked that "hachimie" flying long ago.

And she still needed to figure out what the password was...

"You... you actually came back!" The Hamster cried out, seemingly astonished that Ying Su had returned alive. She had been gone for a while, and he thought this silent parrot had been eaten by the Black Cat.

But Ying Su remained aloof, not replying, and simply preened her feathers.

"Look, here's the deal. You want to escape too, right? I can't reach the doorknob. I'll distract that cat, you go open the door, and then we escape together. How about it?"

"..."

Ying Su paused upon hearing the key phrase.

"What's going on here?" Ying Su asked him, which was rare.

"I... I don't know either. I was walking on the road, then I passed out. When I woke up, I was here. It must be that giant's doing!" The Hamster cried out indignantly. "Before this, there was a jumping spider living with me! She was the one who told me the rules!

And then... then she broke the rules... and that giant ate her! It was horrible! I have to get out! My wife and kids are still waiting for me at home!"

"Getting out the door doesn't necessarily mean escape." Ying Su said. Beyond the door, there might just be another door.

She was all too familiar with containment facilities.

"But... but I..."

"Stay here and don't move." Ying Su said this and squeezed back out.

Although her main goal wasn't to escape, it was far less troublesome for her than dealing with the computer.

After all, she was much more capable in action than the Hamster.

Seeing the parrot on the move again, the Black Cat quickly jumped down.

But this time, Ying Su immediately took flight, circled in mid-air, and then dashed toward the always-closed curtains.

She pulled the curtains open. The view was from the second floor. Outside was a thick, Nordic town-style scenery, with houses spaced apart and few people around.

Ying Su unlocked the window latch, opened the window, fought with the Black Cat for a bit again, then went back, grabbed the Hamster directly, evaded the cat for a while longer, and finally burst out the window with the Hamster in tow.

"Thank you, thank you!" The Hamster cried out excitedly upon seeing the outside scenery.

"Keep your voice down."

Ying Su said this as she landed on the grass with the Hamster.

"No... that's not right! Why haven't I changed back yet!" The Hamster cried out again. Even after leaving the room, it was still a hamster.

"It seems turning people into animals is the owner's ability. Only she can change them back." Ying Su's words chilled the Hamster's heart.

"But... but I..." The Hamster wailed miserably.

A hamster's lifespan is two to three years. Even if it could return to its home now, there would be nothing it could do.

"Your choice. I can take you back." Ying Su said.

Either gain freedom as a hamster, wandering and struggling outside, with only a slim hope of returning home.

Or, stay in the room and find a way to change back.

"I'll go back." The Hamster replied after a long pause.

In its current state, it was completely unfit for the wild environment as a mouse. Outside, it would only meet its end.