Chapter 202: A New Family Member

Still, under circumstances where traffic rules no longer existed, Joo Joowon was completely willing to drive anyway.

With the roads in their current state, it would not matter even if he accidentally ran someone over.

The problem was that, aside from motorcycles and similar vehicles, almost nothing else could travel properly anymore.

A motorcycle, however, could not carry many supplies.

Surely he was not expected to settle his territory first and then make countless return trips just to transport everything little by little?

After thinking about it for a moment, Joo Joowon gave up on the idea.

It was simply too troublesome.

He might as well abandon his supplies and just collect new ones along the way for free.

So, was there any kind of vehicle that could ignore the terrible road conditions?

An excavator?

A loader?

A bulldozer?

They all seemed like possible options.

But under normal circumstances, where would he even find one?

Joo Joowon thought about it for a while but could not come up with an answer, so he temporarily gave up and instinctively thought about the group he had encountered on the eleventh floor.

They had met quite a few people.

Maybe they knew something?

He would find out tomorrow by asking.

After glancing at the sky, where there was neither moon nor stars, Joo Joowon decided it was time to rest.

There would be plenty to do tomorrow.

When he use his Mental Power to check the surroundings, Joo Joowon scooped up Byeol, whose paws had been itching to swat at the female ant, and reminded it, "That’s not a toy."

"Meow?"

Byeol glanced at the female ant and reluctantly let out a soft meow.

Cats also released pheromones, so it found the scent coming from the ant extremely irritating.

It felt as though the ant was trying to invade its territory.

Maybe it should mark it again?

Byeol hesitated.

Its human did not like it when it peed anywhere other than the litter box.

Joo Joowon never noticed the dangerous thoughts running through Byeol’s head.

Still feeling uneasy about the female ant, Joo Joowon simply picked up the trembling ant and carried it into the bedroom together with him.

"Meowww?!"

Caught in the act of being replaced right in front of its eyes, Byeol exploded with rage.

At that moment, it completely forgot about everything else.

What was going on?!

Its human was actually bringing another creature to bed right in front of its eyes?!

"Meow?"

Hwi was awakened by Byeol’s ear splitting cry.

Still groggy, it staggered to its feet.

What happened?

The female ant’s antennae trembled violently.

Its front legs instinctively clutched Joo Joowon’s sleeve, while the two tiny eyes behind its antennae looked as though they were about to burst into tears.

If it had known becoming independent would lead to this, it would rather have stayed in the colony and remained a spoiled child living off its Mother Queen.

Joo Joowon stood there, completely confused.

"Byeol?"

"Meow~"

Byeol flattened its ears and its voice instantly became sweet and innocent again as it answered Joo Joowon with a soft meow.

The moment it finished, however, its murderous gaze shifted back toward the female ant.

If the ant failed to show some tact, it looked fully prepared to deal with it by itself.

The female ant trembled while staring blankly ahead.

Who was this?

Why did these ants all look so strange?

And why did their pheromones smell so bizarre?

Help!

Its brain just could not process any of this!

Joo Joowon was a little surprised.

After all, Byeol had shown almost no reaction when the female ant first appeared.

At most, it had seemed a little curious and wanted to paw at it.

So why had it suddenly become so hostile?

He reached out and scooped Byeol into his arms.

The moment it was picked up, Byeol immediately swiped a paw at the female ant, trying to knock it off Joo Joowon’s body.

The dizzy female ant, which could not even speak, thought, "...Forget it. I might as well die."

"Byeol!" Joo Joowon looked at it disapprovingly.

"Meow..."

Byeol flattened its ears slightly and looked up at Joo Joowon with wide round eyes.

It looked pitiful and adorable at the same time.

Joo Joowon, "..."

Who could possibly resist that?!

He could not help lowering his head to give Byeol a kiss before speaking again.

"Good kitty. From now on, she’s part of the family too. Try to hold back a little, okay?"

It was perfectly normal for the original pets of a household to have trouble getting along with a newcomer.

Joo Joowon did not intend to force them to become friends.

As long as they did not fight to the death, that was good enough.

Besides, the female ant would definitely be living inside an ant nest in the future.

The only reason they were staying together now was because circumstances left them no other choice.

Although Joo Joowon could not understand why Byeol had suddenly become so agitated when it had seemed perfectly fine before, he had never planned for the female ant to keep sharing the same room with them forever.

They only needed to endure this arrangement for a few days.

"Meow!"

Byeol immediately let out a fierce cry.

Was it because the ant was hairless just like its human?

Was its human going to abandon it and start sleeping with the bald monster instead?!

"Don’t be angry, don’t be angry," Joo Joowon said as he walked toward the bedroom, trying to comfort Byeol. "No matter how many new members join our family, nothing will ever change your place in my heart."

The moment he finished speaking, Joo Joowon fell silent for a second.

Why did that sound so strange?

Byeol’s eyes were still blazing with anger.

Why hadn’t his human put that ugly thing down yet?

Even Hwi was still outside and hadn’t come in.

Why did that thing get to come inside?!

And its pheromones smelled awful!