Chapter 19: Before the Crisis Arrives

Delphi people weren’t belligerent, but they never feared battle either. For victory, they charged forward without hesitation.

PJ had just hunted down a D-Rank Xenoid when he heard the monitor announce +10 points. He opened the leaderboard and saw his rank right below Zane Regalis’s. He entered the Little Cat’s livestream:

【Highness, your subject has arrived (creepy blushing grin)】

Delphi people held near-fanatical admiration and blindly faithful devotion toward their royal house of Regalis. Information on the Little Cat was tightly controlled—only contestants who ventured out for matches knew a cub that was very likely a Regalis descendant had appeared.

PJ loved cute cats, but he was even more loyal to Regalis’s leadership. With both factors combined, he…

went completely insane.

【Ah, kitty~ Gimme kitty~ (drooling giggle)】

【…Creepy Bro, don’t do this (I’m scared), but why hasn’t Highness shown up today? (turning listless)】

【Where’s the kitty who goes out scavenging on time every day? Waaah, kitty’s late, kitty’s bad!】

These league viewers were like desperate widowers waiting for their child to return home, staring desperately into Li Ao’s livestream.

Others equally “eager” to see the Little Cat included the Federation’s bigwigs.

“Where is it?” The potbellied Mediterranean man raged impotently. “What the hell are you all doing? Can’t you control the monitor’s trajectory? Huh? Send it through the energy field to search! Even if it doesn’t find the cat, at least get me its location data!”

Qin Mian utterly despised this useless man who only knew how to yell. No matter how many times she explained, he acted like he couldn’t understand human speech and just kept blaming and complaining. Sticking to protocol, she replied methodically once more, “Apologies, sir. This monitor has the military’s highest clearance—we have no authority to control it.”

The Mediterranean man showed no respect or courtesy toward this woman far more senior than him. “I keep saying women can’t handle big things. What’s the point of being old? Your hair’s all white—do you even have experience? You’re overseeing this league, and look at the mess you’ve made! You should’ve banned this livestream the moment it was discovered—what are you doing? You dare lay hands on me?”

Qin Mian raised a hand to stop her indignant subordinate from stepping forward to argue, her tone neither humble nor arrogant. “If I may be bold, sir, the match you’re overseeing doesn’t seem like much either.”

With that, she stood at attention and lifted her gaze. In truth, last session’s match had been far too tragic—even mentioning it now weighed heavily on her heart. Yet the man responsible for such massive losses was still standing proudly on the political stage.

These second-gen politicians born in peacetime were utterly hypocritical and useless.

“You!” The Mediterranean man had raised his palm as if to strike, but seeing her demeanor, he hesitated and couldn’t bring it down. His expression remained ugly. “Then get the hell out and contact the military to sort out the clearance issue!”

Even after she’d answered multiple times, he still couldn’t remember she’d said the military replied they couldn’t intervene.

Tired of dealing with this man, Qin Mian bowed her head in acknowledgment and withdrew from the office.

“Ma’am, what do we do now?”

Delphi was pressuring the Federation government, but they couldn’t hand over the Little Cat’s star system coordinates. Even if they had them, the Federation wouldn’t yield them anyway—it was political maneuvering. With the deadlock, someone had to step up and take the blame.

“Contact Delphi.” Though aged, she still had the courage to handle it.

Yet she felt some disappointment—toward that second-gen politician just now, and toward the Federation government as well. They were searching for that cat out of self-interest, not concern for a life.

Seeing the short-legged Little Cat appear on screen again, toddling along crookedly but fast, she suddenly felt relieved and smiled genuinely, offering a heartfelt blessing: “Little guy, you must be found by Delphi first.”

No sooner had she spoken than she fell silent.

She had sworn loyalty to the Federation and its people’s interests, but just now, she had hoped Delphi would win this cat-hunt contest.

【Highness, Highness, you’re finally here! (sobbing rivers) This old servant waited so bitterly for you!】

The viewers who’d guarded the stream for a full day and night finally spotted the familiar figure.

【Still those little short legs—no mistake, it’s really Highness! (wiping tears)】

【Not to judge, but you guys are way too rude. Highness just has short legs—where’s the ‘short’ about it?】

【Upstairs, you’re pretty rude yourself (drag him away, grant the white silk)】

【Huh, why’s the robot carrying such a huge pack? Aren’t they scavenging today?】

One cat, one beast, one machine—the trio passed through the trash zone without stopping.

“AL0731.” The robot asked, “Are you tired?”

They’d been walking for a while now. Alpha-13 saw him panting from the heat and stopped. “Have some food, drink some water, and rest a bit.”

He’d meant to say he wasn’t tired, but hearing “food,” the Ground-hugging Supercar slammed on the brakes, drifted into position, and sat obediently with his face upturned. “Then I want fruity-fruits.”

Fruity-fruits were real fruits—mutated produce from the Strangling Vine’s blossoms. Those flowers had been soaked in water by the short-legged cat overnight, and all bore bright red fruits.

The robot didn’t know how it happened, but this cat had too many oddities—it was getting used to it.

“Eat up.” It set down the food bowl and poured a bowl of water.

Li Ao plopped down on his butt—the sand was hot from the sun, so he stood up, padded it with his tail, sat properly, then hugged a ping-pong-ball-sized fruit in both paws and chomped away.

【Dear viewers! Our Highness has leveled up his grub!】 The audience had seen the Little Cat eat lunch outside before, but it was usually nutrient paste from compressed biscuits. This was the first time for fruit.

【What kind of fruit is that?】

【Bright red one—looks kinda like cherry tomatoes?】

Yeah, Li Ao had thought so too at first, even putting on a stern face and punching the robot twice more. “See? I said it was tomatoes, but you didn’t believe me—you even yanked my whiskers!”

But once it hit his mouth, it was nothing like tomatoes. The Little Cat smacked his lips savoring it. His life with Grandma hadn’t been affluent, and he hadn’t tried many fruits, but among what he’d eaten, this tasted kinda like grapes?

Whatever—delicious was all that mattered.

Fierce Cat satisfied, Fierce Cat grinning and nomming away.

After one fruit, he remembered his little buddy and generously shared with Xun. “You eat too.”

【Little Cat eating so yummy~ (drooling)】

【Bad kitty, smacking lips… Louder, louder, LOUDER!】

Human lip-smacking was unbearable, but what did that have to do with us Fierce Cats?

【Wish I could record it as my phone ringtone.】

【I already did. Set it.】

【Good person! Share please (kneeling)】

【Can’t take it—this eating is too ASMR. I’m off to buy snacks.】

【Waaah want fruit but can’t afford. I went for lychees yesterday—you know how much three cost? Five hundred bucks!!】

【Feels cheap tho… When a head of cabbage is a few hundred…】

【This damn world—only nutrient fluid is affordable.】

【When can we mass-plant crops? Kids really want fresh veggies and fruits…】

【Next life… Ignoring soil pollution, dare to farm today and bugs’ll devour it clean by tomorrow.】

【Isn’t Highness on a barren star? How’s it growing fruit?】

Barren stars didn’t just grow fruit—they could turn to desert soil, brimming with oases.

The Little Cat, soon to bring life to this barren star, was still focused on chow time. Alpha-13 confirmed the route. “Keep heading north, and we should reach the black soil boundary right before Tianchi arrives.”

Black soil was just the starting point—their journey was truly long. Look at those short legs on the cat; squatting and standing were almost the same height. The robot worried he couldn’t keep up.

“If you can’t walk anymore, I can carry you.”

Machines didn’t tire, but Fierce Cats were stubborn.

“No need!” Little paw waved, little mouth wiped. “Li Ao can walk himself.”

And indeed he could—small steps, but quick cadence. Once on the move, he was focused, no wandering or playing. If the robot wasn’t careful, he’d actually fall behind.

“You ate too much—don’t run too fast.” Alpha-13 was still packing up when the Ground-hugging Supercar revved its engine and duang-duang’d off.

【Weird, where are they headed?】

After losing the target, monitors auto-power-down and go black, so no one had seen Aurilion’s Tianchi.

【Speaking of, this planet has two suns—shouldn’t it lack night?】

No night indeed, but as crimson spread, livestream viewers panicked.

【So scary—first time seeing skies like this.】

【You don’t travel interstar much? Pretty common—if specific atmospheric gases do red light scattering.】

While the helpful commenter explained, Aurilion’s temperature dropped steadily.

At a cliff edge, Alpha-13 unpacked, pulling out cold-weather gear for Li Ao.

The cat’s legs were already short; in the full-body puffy suit, his feet vanished entirely.

“Xun wear too.” Li Ao worried his little dog would get cold.

After hearing this, the robot paused for an instant while dressing the cat. It wanted to say the little monster didn’t need it, but when it activated its scan, it surprisingly found that it was indeed losing body heat.

It was starting to need food, need water, even need to stay warm… It was becoming more and more like a living, breathing thing.

Alpha-13 didn’t know if this transformation was good or bad, but it listened to the short-legged cat and dressed the little monster as well.

The piece of tech automatically adjusted its size, so there was no worry about it not fitting.

The two round, fluffy balls held hands and waddled along like penguins, swaying side to side.

【So cute (heart eyes)】

【Help, I actually started thinking that black coal ball is pretty cute too!】

【Did it change? It feels different from how it looked at the start?】

【By the way, where exactly are they heading? It’s getting colder—shouldn’t they hurry to find shelter?】

Of course they needed to find some. The robot had already scouted a wind-sheltered spot and was preparing to pitch the tent.

It could keep traveling through the frigid red hour, but the cub couldn’t. He had walked a long way today; he needed rest.

“I’ll pitch the tent—you don’t run off.” Alpha-13 got to work.

The round little cat, entirely wrapped in puffy bread-like clothes with only its fluffy big face poking out, obediently stood there holding Xun’s hand upon hearing this.

Occasionally, he tried to help the robot with the tools, but his movements were clumsy and got him disdainfully picked up and set aside by Alpha-13.

“Bad machine.” The little cat grumbled to the little monster again. “Meow tried to help it, but it wouldn’t let me.”

“Very bad.”

This was the second time the robot heard the little monster speak in human words—and it was straight-up badmouthing it.

Alpha-13 gripped the wrench, its circuit board sparking wildly… itching to zap it.

Right in the midst of the two little ones trash-talking the machine while the robot busied itself with the tent, something only Xun detected began closing in.

A fishy stench of rotten flesh mixed with rusted iron.

Li Ao’s still muttering mouth was abruptly covered by a tentacle.

Xun was undergoing a horrifying mutation. The clothes the machine had just dressed it in gradually disintegrated, revealing its true form. Tentacles across its body twisted and elongated, tips contracting to needle-point sharpness. Then, they all split open slits in unison, locking onto a target.

Not far along the mountain wall, some viscous entity writhed, licking, sucking.

It was a Xenoid Variant, completely corrupted—beyond any salvation.

Xun readied itself for the attack.

“Pro-tect.” It dropped the little cat’s mimicry, emitting instead the most primal buzz of the Abyss. “Li. Ao.”