usenovelonline Chapter 140: The Morning After The Pile
Chapter 140: The Morning After The Pile
Xin Yi’s eyes snapped open.
For a terrifying half-second, she didn’t know where she was. The ceiling above her was wrong—not the woven grass of the lion camp, not the smooth stone of the wolf fortress, not the timber beams of the Neutral Zone. Just... leaves. And sky. And a truly alarming amount of golden fur pressed against her face.
She was pinned.
Completely, utterly, helplessly pinned.
On her left, Hei Yan had somehow wrapped himself around her arm like a very muscular, very warm koala. His panther ears twitched in his sleep, and he was making a soft, rumbling sound that was definitely not a purr because panthers didn’t purr. Definitely not.
On her right, Jin Xuan had sprawled out like a starfish, one massive leg thrown over both Xin Yi and half of the hyena pile. His mouth was open. He was drooling. The drool was pooling on Xin Yi’s shoulder.
And underneath her? She was using Qing Lin’s coiled snake tail as a mattress. The Azure King had shifted in his sleep, his massive python form curling protectively around the entire group. His scaled head rested near her feet, and every few seconds, his forked tongue flicked out to taste the air, probably checking for threats.
Or snacks. Hard to tell with snakes.
\[Ding!\]
\[(⊙\_⊙) Good morning, Host! You are currently experiencing what System has classified as \’Critical Cuddle Overload.\’\]
\[Vitals: Heart rate elevated. Body temperature: Rising. Ability to move: 0%. Status: Trapped.\]
Where is Sha Chen? Xin Yi thought groggily.
\[( ꈍᴗꈍ) Wolf King is currently standing guard approximately twelve feet away. He has been watching you sleep for the past two hours. It’s either very romantic or very creepy. System hasn’t decided yet.\]
Xin Yi slowly turned her head.
Sure enough, Sha Chen was leaning against a baobab tree, his white fur cloak wrapped around his shoulders, his bandaged head tilted as he watched the pile with an expression that was trying very hard to be disapproving but mostly looked fond.
When he caught her eye, he raised an eyebrow.
"Comfortable?" he called softly.
Xin Yi opened her mouth to respond—
CHOMP.
"—OW! JIN XUAN!"
The Lion Prince’s teeth had clamped down on her shoulder. Not hard enough to break skin, but hard enough to make her shriek.
Jin Xuan’s golden eyes blinked open. He looked at her. He looked at her shoulder in his mouth. He slowly released her, a dopey grin spreading across his face.
"Good morning, tiny female!" he beamed, completely unbothered by the fact that he had just tried to eat his crush. "I was dreaming about roasted antelope! You taste similar! Very tender!"
\[Ding!\]
\[(≧▽≦) Achievement Unlocked: \’Breakfast of Choice.\’ Host has been mistaken for food by a lion. Again.\]
"I am going to lose my mind," Xin Yi whispered.
The commotion woke everyone else.
Hei Yan’s eyes snapped open, his claws instinctively extending before he registered where he was. He looked at Xin Yi, then at his arm wrapped around her, and a slow, incredibly smug smile spread across his face.
"Good morning," he purred, pulling her closer.
"Unhand me, you overgrown housecat."
"No."
Qing Lin’s massive python head rose from the ground, his emerald eyes blinking slowly. He took in the scene—Jin Xuan’s drool, Hei Yan’s grip, Xin Yi’s murderous expression—and let out a long, disapproving hiss.
"This is why I prefer to sleep alone," he stated flatly. Then, despite his words, his tail tightened slightly around Xin Yi’s legs. "But I suppose... accommodations must be made."
"You’re literally wrapped around me," Xin Yi pointed out.
"I am providing structural support."
\[Ding!\]
\[(¬\_¬) \’Structural support.\’ That’s a new one. System is adding it to the Harem Excuse Dictionary.\]
The hyenas began to stir. Gou Sheng’s head popped up from somewhere near Jin Xuan’s armpit, his yellow eyes blinking groggily.
"Boss?" he mumbled. "Is it time to bite ankles yet?"
"It’s too early for ankle biting, Gou Sheng."
"But it’s always time for ankle biting!" Er Gou argued, emerging from under Wan Ning’s elbow. The massive lioness was still asleep, snoring loud enough to shake the trees.
Da Sha, somehow, had ended up upside down with his legs in the air. He blinked, looked at his position, and shrugged. "This is fine. I will stay here."
"You will not stay there," Xin Yi groaned. "Everyone up. Now. We have two unconscious corrupted beastmen to deal with and I need coffee. Do you have coffee in this gods-forsaken world? No. Of course not. I need to invent coffee."
She tried to extract herself from the pile.
It did not go well.
Hei Yan refused to let go. Qing Lin’s tail tightened every time she moved. Jin Xuan, still half-asleep, simply rolled over and used her lap as a pillow.
"I’m trapped," Xin Yi announced to the sky. "I’m literally trapped by my own harem. This is my life now."
Sha Chen pushed off from the tree, limping toward them with his spear as a walking stick. His white eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Need assistance, oh mighty Boss?"
"Yes! Help!"
"Say please."
"I will hit you with the Bone of Discipline."
"Threatening me already? And before breakfast." Sha Chen sighed dramatically, but he reached down and grabbed Jin Xuan by the scruff of his neck. "Off, you oversized cub."
"Hey! That’s my favorite sleeping spot!" Jin Xuan protested, flailing as Sha Chen dragged him away.
With the lion removed, Xin Yi finally managed to squirm free of Hei Yan and Qing Lin. She stumbled to her feet, her legs tingling from lack of circulation, her tunic wrinkled beyond repair, her hair a disaster zone.
\[Ding!\]
\[(⊙▽⊙) Host Appearance: Disheveled. Hair: Bird’s nest. Dignity: Negative. Attractiveness to Alphas: Somehow still maximum. Beast World logic is fascinating.\]
"How are the prisoners?" Xin Yi asked, shaking out her limbs.
Sha Chen’s expression sobered. "Still unconscious. Both of them. The lions have been keeping watch all night, but..." He glanced toward the center of the camp. "The cheetah’s glow hasn’t faded. Jin Ze’s is the same. Whatever this corruption is, it’s not leaving on its own."
Xin Yi’s stomach dropped. She had hoped—stupidly, naively—that a good night’s sleep and some distance from the chaos might fix things. But no. The universe wasn’t done throwing apocalypses at her.
She walked toward the center of camp, the Alphas and hyenas falling into step behind her like a very strange, very lethal honor guard.
The lions had set up a makeshift prison near the main fire pit. Jin Ze was bound with thick vines, his massive form still and pale. Next to him, wrapped in even more restraints, was Su Ye.
The cheetah looked... wrong. His spotted fur was dull, patchy in places. His chest rose and fell in shallow, uneven breaths. And every few seconds, a sickly red glow pulsed beneath his skin, like a heartbeat that didn’t belong to him.
Chief Jin Hai stood guard, his weathered face grim. When he saw Xin Yi approaching, he straightened.
"Tiny female," he greeted, his voice rough. "They haven’t moved. Haven’t woken. I don’t know if that’s good or bad."
"It’s probably bad," Xin Yi muttered, crouching beside Su Ye. She reached out, hesitating just inches from his skin. "System, scan him. Tell me what’s happening."
\[Ding!\]
\[(⊙\_⊙) Scanning... Target: Su Ye (Cheetah Beastman). Status: Alive. Corruption Level: 87%. Core Integrity: Compromised.\]
\[Analysis: The corruption is spreading through his spiritual core. It’s like... a magical virus. It rewires the host’s instincts, suppresses rational thought, and amplifies hunger and aggression to maximum levels.\]
\[Prognosis: Without intervention, host will become permanently feral within approximately 72 hours.\]
Xin Yi’s blood ran cold.
"72 hours," she breathed. "That’s... that’s nothing."
"What’s nothing?" Hei Yan asked, crouching beside her.
She explained. The corruption levels. The timeline. The fact that Su Ye was slowly but surely turning into a mindless monster.
The Alphas exchanged glances. Even Jin Xuan, for once, looked serious.
"So we need a cure," Qing Lin stated. "Where do we find one?"
\[Ding!\]
\[( ꈍᴗꈍ) System has good news and bad news!\]
\[Bad News: System doesn’t have a cure. This corruption is beyond standard medical protocols.\]
\[Good News: System knows who might. The Goddess Mán Shū created the beastmen. She knows their cores better than anyone.\]
\[New Quest Unlocked: Divine Intervention (Again)!\]
\[Objective: Contact Mán Shū and demand a cure for the corruption before Su Ye and JinZe become permanently feral.\]
\[Time Limit: 72 hours.\]
\[Reward: 2000 Civilization Points + The Satisfaction of Not Letting the World End.\]
\[Penalty: Zombie apocalypse. No pressure.\]
Xin Yi stared at the blue screen.
"Of course," she whispered. "Of course it comes back to that lazy, napping, irresponsible goddess."
She stood up abruptly, her fists clenched at her sides. The lions and hyenas and Alphas all watched her, waiting for direction.
"Someone wake up the cubs," Xin Yi ordered, her voice ringing with authority. "Someone else start packing supplies. And someone—" she pointed at the sky, "—get me a clear view of the stars. I need to yell at a deity."
Jin Xuan tilted his head. "Can we yell at the sky together? I’m very loud!"
"You can help," Xin Yi said, a fierce grin spreading across her face. "In fact, everyone can help. If Mán Shū wants to sleep through the apocalypse, we’re going to make sure she can’t ignore us."
\[Ding!\]
\[(★ω★) Quest Updated: Operation \’Wake the Goddess\’ initiated!\]
\[Method: Maximum Chaos. Participants: Every single beastman in the camp. Success Rate: Questionable. Entertainment Value: Guaranteed.\]
Xin Yi looked at Su Ye’s unconscious form, at the red glow pulsing beneath his skin, at the timer ticking down in her mind.
"Hold on," she whispered to him, to Jin Ze, to everyone counting on her. "We’re coming for you. All of you."
She turned to face her army of misfits—lions and hyenas, wolves and snakes and panthers, all watching her with complete trust.
"Alright, everyone listen up! We have three days to save two lives and prevent a continent-wide plague. Here’s the plan..."
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