These two creatures were unusual. The moment Jing Shu tossed them into the Rubik's Cube Space, the space reacted instantly.
They stretched out comfortably, their bodies softening until they melted into a puddle that spread across the small space. They seemed to love this kind of environment.
That was the Cube Space's specialty. It could mimic the optimal living conditions of any creature.
So the mutant vampire leech immediately showed how it behaved when it felt safe and comfortable. The leeches started exchanging body fluids over and over, shedding each layer of skin and creating a newer, stronger version of themselves.
Based on Jing Shu's understanding, this was a kind of cleansing. Every time the leeches exchanged fluids, their essence strengthened while the impurities were stripped away. That was where the so-called refinement came from.
Their genetics became stronger with every exchange, their bodies grew tougher, and they kept evolving.
What made these two truly special, though, was their self-awareness. Out of all the pets Jing Shu had, only a handful possessed anything close to that.
She categorized any creature without self-awareness as a low-level organism. Those with self-awareness, like Xiao Dou, the dino-chicken, and No. 3, the forty-year-old Yi Hou, belonged to the mid-level category.
As for high-level creatures? That would be humans, though humans couldn't enter the space.
It showed just how rare and valuable self-awareness was. Judging from the space's feedback, the leeches didn't seem vicious. Their constant messages were simply eat eat eat eat eat and mate mate mate mate mate. They didn't have any other desires.
They just devoured everything edible and destroyed anything that threatened their survival. What intrigued Jing Shu most was her experiment inside the Cube Space. Their bodily fluid could shoot more than ten meters. It was terrifying.
That meant as long as the leeches wanted to, they could spray their fluid, then transfer their bodies onto the target immediately afterward.
Jing Shu tested it with a few pieces of meat. Their accuracy was precise. They locked onto the target within seconds, then in under a minute, their entire bodies transferred over. Their fluid infiltrated the meat, and they drained every bit of flesh and blood.
That was when Jing Shu finally understood what the staff meant. Why did they say to be careful around the leeches? Because once their fluid touched you, they'd burrow into your flesh and wouldn't come out until they drained you dry like jerky.
They were like rabid dogs. Once they bit down, they'd never let go. You couldn't scrape them off. They were basically the perfect little murder weapons for traveling, adventures, and eliminating witnesses.
The scariest part was how silent they were. In this apocalypse where big data could track everything, they handled matters quietly and cleanly. Of course, snakes or poison bees worked too.
But Jing Shu felt nothing beat something that could suck a person into a dry husk through some untraceable method. Not to mention, it was also a bit satisfying. And no, killing people didn't require draining them dry. There were plenty of ways to stage a natural death.
Next, she started her full set of tests. These two adorable little monsters were hers now, so she needed to understand every function they had.
After all, in Jing Shu's worldview, nothing in this apocalypse should eat for free.
Every pet needed a secondary product. Xiao Dou laid eggs, Yi Hou expanded its colony and produced sulfuric acid, the snake could be used for wine, the geese laid eggs, and so on.
So what kind of byproduct could these leeches provide? So far, she didn't see any.
Wait. There was something. Not only could the leeches turn into liquid, their skins could be used to make new gloves with excellent defensive power. They could help Jing Shu avoid danger and let her strike unexpectedly. They were especially useful in public or chaotic situations.
Compared to snakes or bees, they were far more discreet.
Even though they were sliced up by lasers when they fused with the big hog earlier, and even though they melted like water, their skins were extremely durable. They had the same ability as platelets.
If one part of them got hurt, their entire defense focused instantly on that spot, boosting protection.
All Jing Shu needed was a chance to react.
Her defensive equipment now was already strong, but she feared sudden one-hit kills. The chances were low, but she couldn't ignore the risk. Having another layer of protection, plus a warm little heater to help her survive this freezing apocalypse, made her pretty satisfied.
"They just don't have any real byproduct," she muttered, feeling slightly disappointed. But it wasn't a big problem. In this apocalypse, every creature had a purpose. Even a corpse could be refined into fuel. So how could two living mutant creatures not have value?
She just hadn't discovered it yet. Whether the leeches could be used as medicine, or help accelerate some new phenomenon, or produce some other material, she was sure there was something.
Of course, back then, she also wondered how she'd quickly and safely subdue these dangerous things. Leaving them outside was absolutely not an option.
But she didn't expect creatures with self-awareness to be so clever, just like Xiao Dou back then. She only fed them a little Spirit Spring and used the Cube Space's absolute dominance.
The moment she stepped out of the prison gates, she could fully control them. When the two warm, soft creatures wrapped around her hands, they felt just like slipping her hands into thick gloves dipped in hot water. They felt wet but weren't actually wet.
When she formed bonds with the dino-chicken and Yi Hou, it took forever. But this time, it was unbelievably fast. Jing Shu figured it was because her space had leveled up.
Back when her space was only tier 5, she spent half a year forming a connection with the bees. As her space climbed higher, her bonding time got shorter and the bond stronger, to the point that she could order them to die if she wanted.
The staff probably never imagined that the moment Jing Shu left, she'd put on gloves made from what they called top-tier dangerous creatures. The uncle beside her had no idea the black gloves she wore were extremely deadly.
"Goodbye, uncle."
"Goodbye, little sister!"
They parted ways. Jing Shu returned home with a feeling of accomplishment. In fact, she was itching for trouble. If a few thugs jumped out at this moment, that'd be perfect. She wanted to test her new leeches.
But reality wasn't that dramatic. Everything was calm. No one knew where Jing Shu went today, and no one knew she'd gained a new pair of gloves.
Maybe the leeches wouldn't show their value until the day someone finally forced her hand.