*Schwing!* The Cube's right arm morphed into a blade, severing a zombie's leg mid-shin. As the creature collapsed, a follow-up strike pierced its skull.
"Ugh… organic decay never gets less repulsive."
Red scanning beams swept the deserted town. No human heat signatures—just four cats lounging on rooftops, tails flicking as they observed the shambling undead below. One calico yawned, as if bored by humanity's downgrade from incompetence to outright absurdity.
"Hmm? An enhanced specimen?"
The Cube sprinted, wheels screeching as it vaulted onto a sedan's roof. With a hydraulic leap, its blade-arm plunged toward a bulkier zombie—this one's jaws still smeared with fresh gore.
*Thunk!*
The enhanced zombie twitched slightly—a feeble survival instinct—before the blade skewered its brainstem. The Cube rode the collapsing corpse to the ground, white plastic bags billowing around its chassis like morbid confetti.
Up close, its scanners dissected the anomaly:
"Cerebral activtivity limited to motor and hunger functions. Pain receptors offline. Explains the reckless strength—muscles operating at 112% capacity without self-preservation protocols."
A new discovery flashed: *Viral concentration in neural cluster: 2.3% above baseline.* "Mutation catalyst? Not ideal…"
Data logged, the Cube turned to explore the town's resources. Grain silos bulged with corn. Hardware stores offered enough tools to rebuild civilization. But as it climbed the post office's roof for reconnaissance, four feline silhouettes materialized.
"Shoo! I'm not your laser pointer!" The Cube backpedaled from a tabby's paw swipe. "Dogs respect personal space. You furballs are worse than paparazzi!"
"Mrrow?" A black cat headbutted its tire.
Retreating to a TV antenna, the Cube balanced precariously while the cats circled below. *Clang!* A distant gunshot—no, something heavier—echoed from farmland. Zooming in, it spotted a white-tiled farmhouse. A face peered through curtains before vanishing.
——
The farmhouse door creaked open. An elderly man emerged clutching a…
"Is that a *blunderbuss*?!" The Cube's optics dilated.
The weapon roared again, vaporizing a zombie's head into crimson mist. "Got 'em, Ma!" the man called inside. "Poor soul used to deliver our milk…"
Testing their defenses, the Cube flicked a pebble at a chicken. *Cluck-cluck-cluck!* The hen's alarm brought the farmer outside, his antique firearm gleaming.
"State your business, metal critter!" he barked, aiming the musket.
The Cube raised its blade-arm in surrender. "Peace offering?" It extended a synthesized corncob from its chassis.
The man blinked. "Ma! We've got a robot… and it's doing… corn magic?" Inside, his wife's voice trembled. "Invite it in! Maybe it knows what happened to the grandkids!"
As negotiations began, the four town cats watched from a fence, tails swishing in unison. The black one licked its paw, unimpressed by interstellar diplomacy.