The Perfect Path To Insanity

Chapter 79: Fool’s Euphoria— End

After Fei Ming stepped out of the portal, he was back in the Gray zone.

Now looking at the streets, it had become more desolate than it was. Only a few run down shops were opened.

This only meant that the plague had gotten worse.

Whatever it was, it wasn’t any of his problems anyway.

He still hadn’t found a place to stay. And he would not return to Light’s faction. Going back would only create more problems, especially what had happened.

Even though he hadn’t gotten the answers he wanted, the reasons behind his rejection... it no longer mattered.

Whether the cosmic gods had cast him aside for the same reasons as Xia or Light made no difference now.

None of it changed anything.

Heaven’s rejected or not, he was still Fei Ming.

The illusion of RiaKai had left one truth burning clearly in his mind.

Fei Ming the rejected.

Fei Ming the mortal.

Fateless. Void of destiny.

Truly, he had many more mountains to climb.

Yet something has changed. The last game had sharpened him in ways no one could ignore anymore.

He had absorbed the cores of the dead right in front of a Hawk officer and several players.

Any future death that left a body broken and withered would point straight at him.

However, revealing himself felt good. There was no need to hide again. Or pretend to be who he wasn’t.

Even so, he was stronger now. He could handle whatever came next.

Quietly, he sighed. "Oh, Lin. I’m more free than before. Thanks to you."

After what seemed to be hours, he finally bought a house.

A small rundown bungalow in the quieter part of the Gray Zone became his.

Ten thousand coins for cracked walls, a leaking roof, and distance from the main streets. Outside, the wind pushed thin-leaved branches against the roof, making them scratch the shingles

Inside, dust covered every surface.

Taking a broom, Fei Ming swept the floorboards over and over as he cleared the room.

He shoved the dust out the door, then turned to the walls, scrubbing at the grime until he could see what the original wood looked like.

Hauling the food bags he bought into the kitchen, he wiped off the dust from his face.

And then lined Justice’s toys in the corner.

When the space finally felt livable, he lowered himself onto the wooden floor. The boards creaked under his weight, and the floor’s damp chill soaked into his clothes.

Finally, opening his system, he clicked on an item.

[The item ’S tier carnival core’ is being taken out of your inventory!]

Pop!

Justice appeared in front of him. "Huh?"

The orange Maine Coon had grown noticeably larger. Clumps of fur tangled along his flanks, knotted with dust.

The cat’s amber eyes struggled to focus, the pupils blooming wide as he blinked at the ceiling. "W-where am I." His question was barely a whisper.

Looking up at Fei Ming, a low growl rumbled in his chest.

The cat leapt. His weight crashed into Fei Ming’s chest, and his paws pinned his servant’s head against the floorboards.

Shoving his paws against the man’s cheeks, squeezing his skin into a bunch. "You—you wet towel blanket!" Justice shouted.

"You stuck me in your inventory again! For hours!" He dug his front paws deeper into Fei Ming’s face, flattening his nose and mouth.

"Where am I? Where is this place? Where are the beautiful girls—the treats—?!"

Catching the damp, warm paws, Fei Ming held them still. "Stop throwing a tantrum."

He fished a few treats from his pocket and offered them on a flat palm.

Justice’s ears snapped upright, the growl dying in his throat as he lunged for the food.

A loud, rhythmic crunching filled the quiet room.

With every bite, the tension left the cat’s frame until his heavy weight slumped, soft, across Fei Ming’s lap.

Ears twitching, Justice looked around the small house. "This place... is it ours?"

Fateless’ palm sank into the orange coat.

The fur trapped a heavy, stagnant heat, though the knots caught against his fingers as he moved his hand from neck to tail. "Yes. It is. You have more toys to play with, too."

’So soft. His fur is so soft,’ he thought. ’I should trim his furs, they’re starting to tangle.’

Justice’s lids drooped, his amber eyes losing their focus. "Cool..."

Aiming a paw toward the kitchen, Justice suddenly asked, "We have water too, right? When will I get to meet the ladies again? They were really nice..."

Fei Ming continued petting him. "Yes, we have water."

"What about the girls?"

"...that too, yes."

He noted how much Justice had changed.

The kitten features had almost disappeared.

Counting back the months, Justice was roughly five months old now and had grown heavy in his arms.

Later on, he scooped the big ball of fur up and carried him toward the bathroom. Justice groaned but leaned into the hold anyway.

"Your fur’s overgrown and getting matted to skin. I’ll trim and brush them off for you. Don’t wriggle around too much."

The brush dragged through the orange tangles, pulling up tufts of shed fur with every pass. Justice remained still for a long moment before his voice broke the quiet. "Do you... do you have a mom?"

Without breaking the rhythm of the strokes, Fei Ming cleared a thick layer of orange fluff from the bristles. "Everyone has one. Why?"

Justice stayed quiet, his amber eyes finally drifting upward to search the man’s face. "No, I just... I just thought of mine. Do you miss yours?"

The bristles stopped mid-swipe. Setting the brush aside, Fei Ming cradled the heavy, warm mass of the cat into his arms and lowered him into the bathtub. "You’re chatty today, aren’t you?"

Meeting the cat’s sharp glare, he let his voice drop. "I have little to no memories of her. Happy?"

"You really don’t miss her?"

With a pair of scissors, Fateless snipped through a tangle of orange fur, not looking up. "How do you miss something you don’t even remember?"

Justice stayed quiet after that.

Between the rhythmic tug of the brush and the splash of water, Justice’s voice filled the small room.

He jumped from one thought to the next, asking Fei Ming more questions. All which he answered as his fingers untangled the last of the knots of the soaked orange fur.

By the time they were done, it was nighttime.

Justice was fast asleep on a soft pillow bed Fateless made from towels.

Now, he was left alone with his thoughts. Staring at his rough hands, Fateless had one more question lingering in his mind.

’If I reached the peak of godhood, and finally achieved the Immortality I seek... will I still be able to feel how soft his fur is?’