Wasteland Development Diary

Yalong Bay coast.

Here stands a tall mud-sculpted pyramid, with a Bent House inverted inside, a disguised structure created by Bone Man Wu Yi to deter external prying eyes and unwanted visitors.

Zhou Yi entered the interior through an underground tunnel. The glass room inside was intensely bright, like a giant light bulb, with crisscrossing electric arcs throughout the glass shell.

Tuo Zhu’s face was beaming with joy: “Chairman, you’ve arrived! We have results here! It really can…”

Seeing Extinction Duke beside him, he suddenly became hesitant.

Zhou Yi gestured: “Extinction Duke is one of us. Speak freely.”

With permission, the panda man didn't hold back and immediately explained the entire process.

After the generators, cables, and supporting equipment from Recursive City were transported here, Tuo Zhu and the electrical engineers sent from there began tinkering together.

They first connected the cables to the Bent House to ensure a stable electrical environment, and then patiently tested the effects of different currents and voltages to find the most suitable electrical conditions.

In this process, they also paid a considerable price, with two generators being scrapped and significant losses to cables, transformers, and batteries.

“But the result is good!”

Tuo Zhu’s bear face was full of joy as he pointed to the Bent House, saying, “Look, that flashing electrical object inside, can you see it? That's the electric cat.”

Zhou Yi stared intently.

Inside the glass room, there was indeed a constantly flashing ball of electricity.

It was composed of dense blue electric arcs, with a triangular radiation zone on each side, plus a central main arc that looked like a wide-open mouth, indeed resembling a cat's head.

The electric cat darted around the room, never stopping for a moment, turning into a ball of lightning in its high-speed motion.

The panda man said, “The electric cat is a transient state. You need to find this state and then match it with the corresponding current and voltage for it to maintain its shape and structure in the long term.”

“This is largely thanks to Yu Ai—the electrical engineer sent from Recursive City.”

Tuo Zhu pointed to the side: “Come over here, why are you standing so far away? Introduce yourself to the Chairman.”

A two-wheeled small robot drove over.

A metal probe extended from its chassis, with two cameras on the top, reminding Zhou Yi of the robot WALL-E.

Yu Ai said in an emotionless, default voice: “I am the substation inspection robot ARIS-OS, capable of autonomously or remotely inspecting the readings of meters at different heights and positions, switch positions, equipment temperatures, and other states. I can also build foundations and monitor basic power systems.”

Tuo Zhu said from the side: “Yu Ai confirmed the existence of the electric cat through the power meter. As for the high voltage and high current stuff, I still don’t quite understand it. You explain.”

Zhou Yi turned his gaze to the robot.

Yu Ai aimed its two cameras at the Bent House: “From a safety perspective, it is necessary to maintain a low current state inside the room to allow for harmless touching.”

“But electric cats are more about low voltage and high current; they are naturally suited to this environment. However, even if the electric cat's form can be maintained for a long time, it's difficult to touch it. Once the electric cat leaves this room and touches external life, it will cause fatal harm.”

“The most difficult point is finding an electric cat formed in a low current state.”

“I named the electric cat born in this environment the 'tameable electric cat.' High-current cats are difficult to tame due to their natural hazards; as soon as restrictions are lifted, they will cause death and injury.”

Zhou Yi’s gaze sharpened as he listened: “Are you saying that the electric cat can exist outside the Bent House?”

“Yes.”

The electrical engineer said: “It is a life form of electrical energy. The Bent House can stably contain it. If you want to take it out, it is possible, as long as you maintain a specific electrical environment.”

“To ensure the electric cat can be safely touched at a current of 10 milliamperes, Mr. Tuo Zhu and I conducted many sets of experiments. The process was arduous, but the result was fortunate.”

“We found a power system template with corresponding voltage and resistance at 5 milliamperes and raised this electric cat, which we named 'Thunderbolt 5'.”

Yu Ai said: “Even ordinary people can touch Thunderbolt 5 with their hands. Although it likes to bite people, it doesn’t hurt. You can enter the living room inside to experience it.”

So Zhou Yi walked inside.

Stepping into the living room, all the hairs on his body stood on end, as if there was some kind of electrostatic field.

Zhou Yi finally saw the electric cat up close.

It was incredibly fast, like a ball of lightning flying around, the electric arcs stretching at high frequency like scrawled bright blue graffiti.

Yu Ai beside him said: “Mr. Zhou, please hold this power orb.”

Zhou Yi took the device handed over by the robot.

It was a spherical metal object, not heavy in the hand, and could be opened from the middle.

He asked, “Can I open it and take a look?”

“Of course, please feel free.”

Zhou Yi opened the metal ball and found it filled with gel and circles of copper coils, fixing a glass model of the Bent House.

“Isn't this the prototype that Tuo Zhu got from Bone Man Zema?”

He suddenly realized: “So this miniature version of the Bent House is used to house the electric cat?”

“Yes, Mr. Zhou.”

Yu Ai said: “Although we are still unclear about the principle of the Bent House, it can indeed accommodate and maintain electric gall and electric cats.”

“I have made improvements and upgrades on this basis. Through electromagnetic coils, I can maintain an electromagnetic induction area within a radius of 5 meters. Within this area, the electric cat can maintain its movement.”

“The electrical potential inside the power orb will attract the electric cat.”

Before the robot finished speaking.

A ball of light darted into the metal ball in his hand.

Through the miniature model inside the metal shell, Zhou Yi saw the shrunken electric cat flashing and tumbling inside.

“Because current flows from high electrical potential to low electrical potential, according to this principle, I created the power orb to allow the electric cat to enter the 'cat house' inside.”

Yu Ai explained: “This way, you can carry it with you. Do you see a button on the ball? Press it to change the electrical potential, and the electric cat will run out.”

Zhou Yi did as he was told.

The electric cat suddenly rushed out of the cat house, darting up and down around him.

The contact of the electrical life form with the body surface was not painful, only a slight touch and impact, like a normal pet.

Zhou Yi activated 【Alertness】 and discovered that the electric cat surrounding him emitted a red light.

It was actually a B-level life form!

He was a little surprised: “The strength is really high… Yu Ai, you said it can be tamed, how do we tame it?”

“It's very simple.”

The small robot said: “The bioelectricity possessed by different life forms is completely different. The electric cat can use this to identify and distinguish different life forms.”

“Using the cat house to feed it for a long time, providing it with electrical energy, will gain its recognition—as long as a floating heart can generate electricity. Now, after modification and the installation of generator accessories, the floating heart is a very high-quality generator.”

“Currently, Thunderbolt 5 recognizes Tuo Zhu the most.”

Just as it said.

Although the cat house was in Zhou Yi's hand, the electric cat quickly burrowed onto the panda man, running around on its thick fur.

Tuo Zhu reached out to touch it, and the electric cat did not resist.

“Taming is just long-term power supply, then mutual familiarity and adaptation.”

“We have currently summarized two uses for electric cats.”

Yu Ai continued: “The first use is purely for research.”

“The electric cat itself is a very rare energy-state life form. Now that we have stable breeding and cultivation methods, we can allow them to grow further through continuous supply of electricity. Because they are energy-state, the energy limit of electric cats is theoretically only restricted by the environment. Growing to A-level is at least no problem.”

“We have done physical tests, and Thunderbolt 5 is not far from A-level.”

Zhou Yi asked: “That is to say, as long as we further build Bent Houses, we can cultivate a large number of electric cats?”

“Yes. Because the floating heart can be modified into a motor, there is no lack of materials and equipment.”

This made Zhou Yi's heart flutter.

Even if it has no other use.

Raising an A-level life form is a huge achievement in itself. It would be nice to have them as pets for the company's employees.

“The second use is combat.”

Yu Ai continued to state: “Although the electric cats have been selectively screened to find low-current, high-voltage types, they are also full of lethality.”

“This can be done with this electric cat staff.”

The small robot drew out a metal rod from behind, with a layer of cloth wrapped around it.

“The electric cat rod can change the voltage and current of the electric cat, turning it into low voltage and high current in a short period of time. This will fully release their destructive power, and the instantaneous damage caused will not be lower than any B-level life form.”

“For example.”

Yu Ai brought the electric cat staff to the side of the panda man, and the electric cat jumped onto the metal rod, running around it, bringing bursts of electronic sparks, like a large sparkler.

The robot's mechanical arm grabbed the electric cat staff and pointed it at a large iron plate propped up on the ground.

“Attack, electric cat!”

Where the electric cat staff pointed, the iron plate emitted a high-pitched burst of noise amid a bright flash, and then instantly melted into a pool of hot, steaming bright red molten iron.

Zhou Yi watched in amazement.

He didn't expect the company to come up with Pikachu and Master Ball.

The power system seems to have great potential.

He asked again: “How do you get the electric cat to determine the target of the attack?”

“It cannot accurately locate the target because it cannot communicate.”

The robot said: “So it can only release energy through the area pointed to by the electric cat staff. Discharging will cause instantaneous destructive damage, so it is generally best to use it with caution.”

“And after discharging, the electric cat will become less active due to energy reduction and fall into laziness or sleep…”

While speaking, the electric cat had already burrowed back into the power orb.

Zhou Yi spent some time digesting this information.

He told the two cat breeders: “Electric cats are of great value, you have done very well! The company should raise more electric cats in the future to provide them to employees who are out and about. They can protect everyone's lives in critical moments.”

The panda man said triumphantly at this time: “Chairman, I said, electric cats are definitely worth the money!”

The group discussed and celebrated enthusiastically.

Coming back to his senses, Zhou Yi realized he had ignored someone.

Extinction Duke.

But the young puppet was staring intently at the power orb in his hand, with a slightly strange expression.

Zhou Yi asked him: “What's wrong?”

“This thing… is a Terror Claw.”

“Terror Claw? What is that?”

Extinction Duke said, word by word: “A unique creature of the Spark Plains. They can even kill Light Core Entities… They rule the Spark Plains.”

Zhou Yi was stunned to hear this.

The Spark Plains of the Forbidden Continent.

Is that where the electric cat's home is?