Chapter 17: Kitty Kitty, Don’t Cry

Without an answer, Li You’s two hands hanging at his sides gently clenched, his fingertips rubbing into the flesh.

He saw his big brother stand up, his dazed bright eyes fixed on him.

Li Ye was much taller than Li You. The deep black military uniform nearly blended into the dim Illusion Realm, and the close distance brought an intense sense of pressure.

Li You’s head slowly lifted as his big brother approached. He gazed into Li Ye’s eyes, holding his breath, feeling inexplicably panicked.

He saw his big brother raise a hand, his right hand reaching toward him. On instinct ingrained in his genes, Li You lifted his left hand and pressed down on the approaching hand.

The force wasn’t light; it blocked the other’s movement.

But without any defense, Li Ye easily countered with a palm reversal, breaking through the block.

The fighting techniques etched into his body memory stirred Li You’s thoughts. After his block was broken, he quickly dodged to the side, raising his fist to strike, but it was repeatedly caught by his big brother’s palm.

Li You’s heart tightened. He dropped low for a leg sweep, but Li Ye effortlessly blocked it with one leg.

After his muscles tensed, the leg ring strapped to his thigh tightened even more. Li You winced in pain from the stimulus, stumbling. Before he could stand, he nearly sat down hard on the ground. Dizzy and spinning, he was then lifted up by his big brother grabbing the back of his collar.

Li You panted for breath. He lowered his gaze to his dangling feet, his Adam’s apple bobbing, then lifted his eyes to meet Li Ye’s.

Their gazes leveled, Li Ye’s eyes full of scrutiny.

“…” Li You pressed his lips tight. Before he could speak, something strange wrapped around his body.

Smooth and cold, it started from his calf and wound upward, climbing over his entire body, entwining him tightly and slowly constricting.

Li You looked down in terror. He saw dark tentacles spreading from his big brother’s wrist, wrapping around his body and binding him tightly while suspended in the air. His calves, thighs, even waist—all squeezed with growing pressure. Though not as piercing as the leg ring, it was genuinely frightening.

“You…” Li You looked at Li Ye tensely, but his words were cut off.

“You’re right. I can break your Illusion Realm.” Li Ye’s eyes fixed on the suspended youth, his words calm yet laced with danger. “You might not have understood my meaning.”

“What?” Li You froze.

The tentacles around his body slid and tightened. Li You frowned and grunted, his eyes reddening as he looked at his big brother.

“I don’t care why you’re using Li You’s appearance.” Li Ye regarded him. “Twice, I’ve warned you not to use his form. The third time won’t be a question.”

He would act directly.

A chill ran down Li You’s back.

“You want to know why I haven’t dealt with you.” Li Ye admitted straightforwardly. “It’s indeed because of Li You, but that doesn’t mean Li You can be your tool for leniency.”

The tentacles coiled around his body, the cold smooth sensation crawling over every inch of Li You’s skin. His hands were bound together, white skin marked with red welts.

Li You glanced down at the ground, a pang of sourness in his heart.

He swallowed, enduring the discomfort all over his body, and spoke: “I get it.”

Li Ye frowned.

Li You raised his eyes, staring into his big brother’s abyss-like red eyes, forcing a smile: “No need to tell me the reason. I get it.”

This jerk Li Ye just missed Li You a lot. There might be other reasons for not dealing with Little Wan Sis, but wanting to see Li You in the Illusion Realm was absolutely true.

Li You pressed his lips, his smile more ugly than crying. His emotions were complex. He slowly lowered his head to look at his drooping shoe tips, his eyes aching and reddening. He held back again and again, exhaled, and softly called: “Li Ye.”

Li Ye looked at the youth before him.

The youth lifted his head, his red eyes curving into a smile: “I lost again. Will you still treat me to ice cream?”

Li Ye suddenly froze.

The scene shattered bit by bit, the Illusion Realm collapsing in mere seconds. The youth wrapped in Li Ye’s tentacles vanished without a trace in an instant, his brow furrowing tightly.

He withdrew his sub-body, dispersed the eerie black tendrils everywhere, exited the broken Illusion Realm, opened his eyes, and picked up the Light Brain on the nearby table.

Peisengke’s comm came in.

“Something’s happened, Your Highness!” Peisengke gasped heavily. “Underground in the Yel Forest where Mito appeared, we’ve found a Mutant Nest! It’s been infiltrated by Abyss Pollutants, and the Mutant Species are spreading outward!”

Li Ye stood, grabbed his military jacket from the booth, and headed out: “Mobilize troops to intercept and contain it. Don’t let it spread to the cities. I’ll be there in three minutes.”

He paused, then asked: “The target?”

“The target’s in the center of the nest!” Peisengke’s side was noisy; he shouted back. “Damn, this is such a mess! Your Highness, the Mutant Species ‘mountain leech’ controller we were tracking went out at midnight and reached Mito’s location. She arrived not even two minutes ago, and this place erupted with the pollution source!”

Li Ye grunted: “Got it. Intercept first.”

He pushed open the rear hall door of the Sunlight Palace, reached the warship, boarded swiftly, and piloted toward the pollution outbreak zone.

At the same time, Li You, who had awakened from the Illusion Realm, huddled in his nest, angrily glaring at the Little Black Cat squeezing him uncomfortably.

It was this Little Monster—his big brother’s sub-body—that had just bound him painfully all over.

The kitty angrily burrowed out of the cat nest. He glanced at the night outside the window and suddenly noticed a gap in the cat room door.

Li You paused, then headed to the door and slipped out flexibly into the outer room.

The hall lights were on, the front door open, and the wooden yard gate outside ajar. Cold wind poured in, ruffling his fur.

Li You looked puzzled at the outside, then upstairs.

He hesitated a moment, then went upstairs, struggling up the stairs to the second floor, but didn’t find Little Wan Sis.

He came back down and squatted at the garden wooden door, gazing outside, waves of unease in his heart.

The pitch-black night, with a large swath of red staining the distant mountain forest sky, smoke billowing upward—like a mountainside fire from afar.

Li You stared fixedly at that area and saw a warship fly past toward the Memorial Garden side in the night.

His heart jolted. He turned and ran back into the cat room, headfirst into the nest, bumping into Little Black.

Little Black looked up at him and burrowed out to snuggle against him.

Li You wanted to meow but feared waking the other sleeping cats. He opened his mouth, nibbled Little Black’s ear, and carried him outside.

The two cats reached the outside. Li You led Little Black to look at the distant red sky; Little Black gave him a blank face in return.

Li You fell silent, then opened his mouth: “Meow.”

Little Black affectionately rubbed his head against him: “Meow~~”

Li You: “…”

No communication.

He pawed the ground, anxious as fire, pacing back and forth in the garden, then resolutely decided to head to the Sunlight Palace.

The Sunlight Palace wasn’t far from here; maybe he could find a way from the past.

Li You darted out, then suddenly braked to a stop. Little Black, following behind, didn’t stop in time and crashed headfirst into his butt. The two cats “smack” stacked together; Li You sprawled on the ground with a mouthful of grass. He raised his head and meowed “meow meow”; Little Black on top quickly got up, moved aside, and gently nudged the Ragdoll Cat on the ground with his head.

Li You stood, legs splayed in a bow-legged stance, resentfully staring at Little Black.

He shook off his fur, turned back, grabbed the garden wooden door in his mouth, and struggled to pull it closed.

Little Black came to help; the two cats worked together to shut the door.

Only then did Li You set off for the Sunlight Palace with peace of mind.

Sunrise Village wasn’t far from the Memorial Garden. Li You knew the way well and reached the front hall of the Sunlight Palace but couldn’t go to the rear hall. He stood before the tightly shut bedroom doors, turning to Little Black for help.

Little Black tilted his head, looking up: “Mew~~”

Li You: “…”

No help there.

Li You rallied his spirits, trying to find another passage to the back in the front hall. After circling around, he suddenly spotted someone standing not far away under the moonlight shining through the glass window.

White long skirt, black long hair, elegant like an elf in a flower cluster.

Li You halted, looking closely—it was Little Wan Sis.

“Meow!”

The weight on his heart lifted halfway. He leaped toward Little Wan Sis but was suddenly blocked by Little Black stepping forward.

Little Black stood in front of the Ragdoll Cat, back arched, fur bristling—clearly in attack mode.

Li You stared blankly at Little Black, then looked toward Little Wan Sis gazing at the moonlight in the distance.

She looked down toward them, her expression soft and gentle, eyes curving: “Good evening, little kitty.”

Li You saw clearly: Little Wan Sis’s white long skirt was clusters of wriggling white leeches, coiling around her body, draping down, encircling her, forming her.

At the same time, Li Ye, who had just arrived at the Mutant Nest, saw Li Yiwan in the Sunlight Palace through his sub-body. Then, looking at the identical Li Yiwan standing in the center of the giant pit nest, his face darkened instantly.

“Your Highness, the scattered Mutant Species have all been handled. How do we deal with the target Li Yiwan?” Peisengke’s voice came through the comms.

“…” In the warship, Li Ye overlooked Li Yiwan in the center of the red giant pit, his gaze falling to her feet.

The leech swarm wriggling down from her body burrowed into the ground. She lifted her head, glanced at the warship in the sky, a hint of a smile in her calm eyes.

In an instant, Li Yiwan turned into a puddle of water and seeped entirely into the ground, vanishing along with the leech swarm.

The giant pit fell calm, only the stench of blood and smoke remaining. Through his Little Monster sub-body’s eyes, Li Ye saw Li Yiwan reshaping her flesh in the Sunlight Palace; his brow furrowed instantly.

“Hey, look what I’ve found?”

The familiar voice stunned Li You. Li Ye, observing the scene through the Little Black Cat, had his expression turn pitch black.

“Leech lady.” Li Ze, in black combat gear, spun the laser gun in his hand, pushed up his glasses, and sneered coldly at Li Yiwan swarming with leeches. “Lucky me. I just came here to gather intel and caught the mission target.”

He whistled into his comms: “Boss, Third Bro, come close the net.”

Bow-legged Li You sensed trouble. He didn’t know Little Wan Sis’s strength, but he knew his second and third bros’ power well. Though they couldn’t beat Li Ye together, they weren’t pushovers!

In less than a minute, Li Ming and Li Weier arrived. The three exchanged glances and gave no time for Li Yiwan, whose body wasn’t fully remade, to react—the laser gun directly severed her head from her body.

Li You watched in shock, his “meow” stuck in his throat, then saw Little Wan Sis’s head reattach.

The scene was horrifyingly eerie.

“Really persistent.” Li Ming tsked, stowing his laser device. He rolled his neck, spread his wrist into a fist; the sharp weapon on his wrist extended into a giant serrated blade—made from a detached attack part of a Mutant Species body.

Li Ze pulled his little sister back: “Big Bro, give a heads-up next time you use high-tier weapons. That thing’s highly toxic.”

“Stay back yourself.” Li Ming’s eyes sharpened as he dragged the weapon and leaped toward Li Yiwan.

Li You anxiously lunged forward but was pressed back by Little Black’s tail.

He saw Little Black swell and grow into a giant black cat, leaping over in a few steps to bite the weapon about to pierce Li Yiwan’s flesh.

The black cat landed, smashing a huge pit in the ground. The leeches buried in the earth rustled. Li Yiwan stared at the black cat, lips curving in a smile, but she didn’t flee. She was swept up entirely by a mass of black, wrapped into a ball.

The two sides faced off, with Little Black in the middle successfully intervening.

Li You, pushed back and rolling several times, barely stood steady, shook his dizzy head, and tensely watched the standoff in the distance.

“You—” Li Ming’s weapon was clamped in the giant black cat’s jaws and couldn’t be pulled free. He dangled in the air, face flushing red and white with anger.

None of the three Your Highnesses failed to recognize this black cat—those red eyes were too distinctive.

It was Li Ye’s sub-body.

“Oops, caught red-handed.” Li Ze rubbed his forehead, whispering to Li Weier beside him. “Li Ye won’t get mad, right?”

Li Weier shot him a glance, said nothing, frowning at the black ball wrapped by the black cat.

The scene was held in check by the black cat, but in just minutes, a rumbling came from above the Sunlight Palace—Li Ye had returned. With him came Peisengke, who had handled the nest, and the Imperial Military troops.

“Crap…” Li Ze wanted to slip away but looked down to see the Ragdoll Cat clinging to his leg.

“Oh, little cutie, you…” He squatted and poked at the Ragdoll, unable to pry it off, somewhat annoyed. “Don’t get me in trouble. You weren’t this clingy before.”

Li You hugged his second bro’s leg tightly, refusing to let go.

Can’t leave! If you dare do it sneakily, why not settle it face-to-face?

None of the three Your Highnesses managed to slip away. Li Ye entered and glanced at them, his gaze landing on the cat on Li Ze’s leg. A few seconds later, he shifted his eyes away and withdrew his clone.

Li Yiwan, whose physical body had fully formed, was corroded and infiltrated by the venom from the black sphere. She truly was no match for Li Ye. In just this short time, she had lost all ability to fight back.

She lay in the center of the massive pit, gazing at the artificial moon outside the window.

Over there, Li Ming, whose weapon was still being gnawed by the black cat, roared, “Li Ye! Make it let go of me!”

Li Ye gave him a sidelong glance before stepping forward to look down at Li Yiwan in the pit.

“You knew long ago that there was a mutant nest in that place?” Li Ye’s voice was cold. “You lured them out, then exterminated them, and afterward came here.”

Li You listened in a daze. He let go of his second brother’s leg and hesitated as he approached, only to be blocked at a distance by a tentacle.

“The reason?” Li Ye asked.

“…” Li Yiwan quietly gazed at the full moon before closing her eyes. “I’m about to die.”

“I was infected by an abyss pollutant long ago, in the second year after Your Highness Youyou left, up until now.”

She said softly, “I’m so tired.”

“Your Highness Li Ye, what are you doing this for?” she asked, then let out a soft laugh. “I’ve become a monster, and you’re a monster too. Aren’t you also protecting the empire left behind by Your Highness Youyou?”

“So there’s no reason.” Tears slid from the corner of Li Yiwan’s eye as she quietly stared at the moon. “I just couldn’t figure out why, but I still did what he would have wanted to see…”

Li Yiwan raised her hand weakly, looking up at the sky as if to grasp that cluster of moonlight. “Your Highness Youyou…”

She no longer had the strength to hold her hand up. As it fell, the ragdoll cat, which had been blocked by the tentacle, broke free and leaped down, pressing its head against Little Wan Sis’s palm.

Under the cold light, the ragdoll cat propped up Little Wan Sis’s hand and rubbed its head hard against her palm. It looked up and called out sadly, like a mournful cry in the silent long night.

The moment Li Yiwan closed her eyes, a relaxed smile touched her lips. She struggled to murmur something.

Li You heard it. Only Li You heard.

She said: Long time no see. I’ve missed you so much.

Everyone watched this in silence. Li Ye’s hand at his side clenched, then slowly relaxed.

A tentacle reached down and brought the cat curled up beside Li Yiwan back to his side. Li Ye held it in both hands and slowly wiped the venom from its body.