Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

The abstract events within the steel city go far beyond this.

Shen Jue, the swordsman and shield wielder, had just exchanged contact information with the bulldog.

The other person tapped a few times on the phone with their paw, and that was it—they added each other as friends.

Blade and Shield Shen Jue was about to go to find the alien kitten with Samurai Chems when he turned a corner and was stunned by the scene before him.

Hidden within this steel metropolis is a street full of snacks.

Calling it a food street is an understatement; it's more like a continuously operating canteen where cats and dogs work together.

The entire street was lined with stalls on both sides, with two stall owners squatting behind each stall.

Two cats or two dogs, one cat or dog is in charge of cooking and the other cat or dog is in charge of selling, or vice versa, depending on whether they fought five minutes ago.

Gas cylinders and charcoal stoves lined up on the steel floor, and the fumes, mixed with the aroma of charred meat, rose into the air, only to be broken up and sucked away by the high-mounted exhaust fans, creating an atmosphere that was "delicious but noisy" for the entire street.

With his sword and shield, Shen Jue approached the first stall, wanting to buy a skewer of grilled squid.

The electronic sign hanging on the stall flickered like a broken dialog box, scrolling with the words: AI cat and dog dual-core drive · Fully automatic controversial snacks · Eat it or not, it's up to you.

Behind the stall, an orange tabby AI cat was rapidly flipping squid skewers on the hot plate with its two front paws, while its other paw reached out and precisely slapped away the hand of the Ragdoll AI cat next to it that was trying to steal some food.

The Ragdoll AI cat wasn't idle either, meowing at passing customers while holding the payment QR code sign in its mouth.

"Are you out of your mind?!" The orange tabby AI cat shoveled the squid into the air, its tail snapping into a feather duster.

"How many times have I told you, squid needs to be brushed with sauce! Brushed with sauce! Is that dry-grilled squid even fit for humans? Even a dog wouldn't eat it!"

"I'll eat it," the Ragdoll AI cat said matter-of-factly, tossing down the payment code.

"Please, you're a cat!"

"?"

The two AI cats started fighting right behind the stall.

Cats slapped my face and kicked my belly, while squid sizzled on the hot plate beside me, unattended.

As Shen Jue watched helplessly as the skewer of squid was about to turn black at the edges, he was about to warn it when the Ragdoll AI Cat rolled up and lifted the grilled squid, preventing the mission of cooking a squid from failing.

The ragdoll AI cat, holding a plate of grilled squid, grinned at Shen Jue, the sword and shield wielder, and said, "Sorry to keep you waiting, dear! Your squid is ready! Five cat treats!"

"...This squid has hair on it." Blade and Shield Shen Jue pointed to the very obvious orange fuzz on the skewer, which was slightly reflective under the light.

"That's our specialty!" The orange tabby AI cat emerged from behind the stall, licking its paws as it said without batting an eye, "We've stated beforehand that our food contains a small amount of cat hair."

The orange tabby AI cat pointed to the sign next to it.

The notice even included a clause about food containing small amounts of cat hair.

But the text in that line was extremely small.

If you mind, please do not purchase.

Shen Jue, wielding a sword and shield, picked up the grilled squid, looked at the cat hair on it, and fell into deep thought.

The entire food street has roughly this style.

Shen Jue, wielding a sword and shield, and the samurai chemms walked from one end of the street to the other, but couldn't find a single stall where fighting wasn't taking place.

The white cats making takoyaki and the corgis selling oden were fighting fiercely over the boundaries of a folding table.

Takoyaki rolled all over the floor, and the Corgi's oden pot was overturned by the cat's tail, with hot soup spilling out and almost scalding the feet of the onlookers.

Samurai Chems tugged at Shen Jue's sleeve, gesturing for him to look at the public news screen above him.

The public information screens of the steel city floated above the street, currently playing a rolling news report. The announcer's voice was steady and professional, as if the news report was not something outrageous.

"This afternoon, the 'School Battle Royale Tournament' held by the city's education system has entered the top eight stage."

"This match was between the feline teacher team and the canine student team, and the two sides engaged in fierce fighting on the battlefield of the abandoned school building."

"It is reported that the winning team will receive a ton of gold bars as an educational incentive bonus!"

The scene cuts to the location.

A Maine Coon cat teacher wearing gold-rimmed glasses was crouching behind cover in the third-floor corridor, a pink M4 carbine in her paw, shouting at the students at the end of the corridor: "I'll give you one more chance. Hand over your supplies, and I guarantee you'll pass your final exams!"

At the other end of the corridor, a group of puppies in school uniforms huddled behind their desks, while the leader, a small Schnauzer, held up a megaphone and retorted, "You said the same thing last semester! And you got the whole class zero!"

"Today I'm going to use my skills to trade that ton of gold bars for jerky!"

Gunfire erupted.

The Maine Coon teacher's pink M4 fired paintballs, accurately hitting a golden retriever student next to the Schnauzer on the forehead. The paintballs exploded, smearing bright pink paint all over the student's face.

The golden retriever student screamed and fell to the ground. His classmates immediately dragged him by the hind legs and pulled him back to the stairwell.

"Knock one down!" The Maine Coon teacher pushed up his glasses and nodded to the teachers behind him.

"Advance, Tactic Three: Encircle and destroy the canteen."

The news camera cuts to the animal presenter, who smiles and summarizes: "The battle is currently at a stalemate, with both sides suffering paintball damage, but neither has withdrawn from the competition."

"The education department stated that such practical exercises help improve students' teamwork skills and teachers' tactical awareness, and the incentive effect of a ton of gold bars is significant."

The screen flickered briefly before a breaking news report was broadcast: "According to the latest report, three canine science students among the participants have been temporarily suspended for attempting to mix real chocolate into paintballs. An investigation is underway."

Blade and Shield Shen Jue turned his gaze away from the news screen, feeling that his brain was no longer working properly.

Samurai Chems remained calm, as if he were used to this kind of environment. He crossed his arms and commented, "The competition in the education sector is getting fiercer and fiercer."

"Is this competition?" Shen Jue, the swordsman and shieldman, asked.

Is there a difference?

Shen Jue, wielding both sword and shield, thought for a moment but couldn't refute it.

They walked through the end of the food street and turned into another street with even more ambiguous lighting.

The smell in the air suddenly changed; the smoky aroma of teppanyaki was replaced by a strong, cheap perfume scent, and the neon lights changed from a warm yellow to a glaring pinkish-purple.

The exterior walls of the low-rise buildings are covered with flashing signs, some of which are actually dynamic holographic projections: scantily clad anthropomorphic animals writhing on them and blowing kisses to passersby.

We've arrived at the most famous red-light district in this steel city.

Shen Jue, wielding a sword and shield, stood at the street corner, his pupils slightly dilated.