Through studying Xun’s battle with the Xenoid Variant, the Federation army had pinpointed the monster’s fatal weakness.
“Too ridiculous. Humanity has developed to this point, yet only today do we discover that all those high-tech weapons are completely useless against Xenoid Variants,” Qin Mian mocked herself.
Xenoids could at least be suppressed with firepower—even an insect swarm could be swept away with a frenzy of gunfire. But what about Xenoid Variants with their innate energy fields?
Dare to blast it with a laser cannon? Sure, it might die on the spot, but the shockwave from the explosion would take the humans down with it.
What, you say launch a nuke? What about the living environment then? The interstellar era had already endured dozens of racial wars, especially after the Machine Revolution, leaving countless planets nuclear-polluted and barren to the point where even wild vegetation couldn’t grow and propagate on their own.
If none of that matters? Then go ahead and bomb. Everyone dies together after.
“Hot weapons can’t be used for attacks. We can only switch to cold weapons,” Qin Mian commanded, adjusting the army’s combat strategy.
But in the course of human civilization’s development, aside from those near-primitive cold weapon worshippers in Delphi, who would abandon high-tech weaponry for swords and blades?
In the past, Delphi’s cold weapon faith had been mocked endlessly by the self-proclaimed advanced Federation bureaucrats and even the public. But now?
Qin Mian watched the central star contestants on the monitor issuing withdrawal requests. How pathetic—these elite picks enjoying the Federation’s best education and resources didn’t even have the courage of a cat whose legs were less than 5 cm long!
The short-legged cat at least knew not to abandon friends, daring to pick up a stone and smash at a Xenoid Variant. Yet these people hadn’t even stepped onto the battlefield before clamoring to crawl back to their warm nests.
Meanwhile, our short-legged but giant-courage Li Little Cat had no idea what others were thinking. He was focused entirely on chow time.
As dawn broke, the temperature rose, and the ice and snow on the cliff melted rapidly. Even the soil turned dry, leaving no trace behind.
But Li Ao’s little head didn’t notice this peculiar environmental change. He hugged the food basin with both paws and buried his head in a hearty meal.
“Xun, I-I wanna taste yours too.”
They were eating exactly the same thing, but he just had to poke his head into someone else’s basin for a taste. After savoring it, he’d smack his lips in satisfaction before going back to his own.
The little monster facing the kitten was extremely good-tempered. Not only did he not guard his food, he even pushed his own basin over to the kitten’s side, clanging and banging as they ate together.
The robot glanced at the monitor’s direction and silently packed up the tent.
[Hey, come watch the cats to relax…]
[I’m here too (lights a cig). The outside world’s in an uproar right now—better to listen to Little Cat Highness’s smacking lips.]
[Who could’ve guessed? After all these years, when facing these newly emerged Xenoid Variants, humans can only poke them with cold weapons…]
[The matches are suspended. Apparently, they won’t restart until the battlefield’s cleared.]
[Restart what? I just checked—5 zones, 300 contestants, nearly a third have withdrawn voluntarily!]
[A bunch of cowards. Not even worth one of our Little Cat’s whiskers.]
Li Ao had no clue he’d already gained diehard fans. After finishing his meal, Fierce Cat was preparing to groom himself.
He was clearly a cat who started late in life—seemed unskilled because he really wasn’t. But cat good, cat tries hard. He dipped his paws in the water basin, lifted them up, and tried to wipe his cheeks.
Try hard, try hard, try even harder. Reach, reach, strain to reach.
…Couldn’t reach. Paws too short, just couldn’t get there.
Effort wasted, he awkwardly stomped his little feet a couple times, glanced at the robot and little monster. Seeing they weren’t paying attention, he gave up on his paws and buried his face in Xun’s body, rubbing wildly.
[? My dear Little Cat Highness, so you can’t reach your face and just use your friend as a washcloth?]
[So what? Didn’t you see that black-furred chestnut ball looking delighted?]
[Exactly, so what? If it were me, I’d be willing too.]
[Don’t tell me, after watching a while, that pitch-black coal ball actually seems kinda cute.]
[Cute? That coal ball solo-killed a Xenoid Variant. I think your eyes are the problem—go get them checked.]
The little monster, used as a face towel by the kitten, was so pleased its pupils dilated. It hopped on three legs. “Li Ao.”
The kitten pinned it down and rubbed the spot where its leg was missing. “Okay~ I’ll rub for you. Rub rub and it’ll grow back.”
Alpha-13 packed its luggage and deliberately exposed its broken mechanical arm.
Li Ao looked up at it in a daze. Seeing it standing there motionless, beckoning like a money cat with its paw, he tentatively asked, “You want rubs too?”
The robot primly emitted a “Mm.”
Rubbing Xun could grow back its claws? Could the robot regrow its arm too? The kitten didn’t get it, but the kitten was a generous good kitten. Might as well give it a rub too.
Xun narrowed its eyes, planning to sneak out the spare mechanical arm from the robot’s backpack when it wasn’t looking and show it to the kitten! Little Cat, please distinguish the loyal from the traitors!
[My eyes might really be messed up. I see tsundere on the robot’s face.]
[Go get checked quick, or you might really go blind.]
Under the shine of two suns, the adventure squad crested the mountaintop and finally spotted the majestic peak towering in the distance.
“Wow—” The inexperienced kitten who’d never even left Kitten Street in his previous life gaped wide, staring at the massive mountain ahead and gesturing with his paw. “This mountain, it’s—this big!”
Most of the peak was brownish-black, with only the summit capped in pure white snow. Sunlit golden mountain, the wind crisp and clear.
“Is that Snow of the Day?” Li Ao excitedly pointed at the sky and asked the robot.
“Yes.” Alpha-13 had existed for a long time; its database held vast data on famous interstellar peaks. But no matter how many videos or footage records, none compared to the shock of seeing it with its own eyes.
If it hadn’t met this cat, it might never have such feelings until its “death.”
“Hurry up!” Li Ao led Xun running ahead, hopping back to wave at the robot. “Run or Grandpa Sun’s gonna clock out!”
Alpha-13 touched its nonexistent mouth corner. Its electronic voice light and cheerful: “Coming.”
[ Delphi ]
The emperor’s warship hovered in the sky. Many training and working personnel paused to wave enthusiastically upward. “The Sun has returned!”
Isiris descended the heavenly ladder, nodding to them.
The ladder came down from the heavens, and at its end stood a graceful figure waiting. Silver-white hair fluttered in the wind; the woman tucked it behind her ear. “A bit late returning today, aren’t you?”
Isiris shrugged off his greatcoat to the loyal dog trailing behind him. “Xenoids evolved new Xenoid Variants—pretty tricky. Why come to pick me up today? Doesn’t Ryan need your care?”
Mentioning the child, the woman’s face took on a trace of worry, but she didn’t elaborate on her son’s condition. Instead, she smiled and asked, “When do you plan to tell everyone about the little cat?” Seeing the man’s indifferent gaze, she wasn’t deterred by the coldness and continued on about the kitten. “That kitten pup has black hair and blue eyes in human form—his mother must be Eastern, right? That Zane boy’s always been a playboy; having a kid out there is normal. Such a tiny thing wandering outside—you need to bring him back soon.”
Isiris gave her a faint glance. “Reniya, whether he is or not is still unknown. Don’t worry about the kitten. Just take care of Ryan.”
Reniya shrugged with a smile. “My brother’s so cold. Fine, I’ll go. Oh, Ryan was asking this morning when Uncle’s coming back, so please, Delphi’s noble Sun, deign to dine with us tonight~”
Isiris strode off without looking back.
Shen Que clutched the greatcoat and hurried after the emperor’s steps. “Since Highness Reniya already knows about the kitten, why not let her get involved?”
To his loyal dog, Isiris didn’t stop walking, only patiently counter-asked, “What do you think?”
Shen Que paused slightly, thin lips pressing together as he replied, “You’re worried Highness Reniya might do something bad to the kitten?”
“Reniya wouldn’t harm her own cub.” Isiris said, “But that kitten’s too healthy—can run, jump, even dares smash Xenoids with stones. Just legs a bit short.” At this, a fleeting smile seemed to flicker across the man’s handsome, cold face. “Ever since his mother died in difficult labor, we’ve known there’s a problem with Regalis’s inheritance. Reniya wouldn’t accept it and nearly killed herself to birth the sickly Ryan. He’s grown over a decade and still frail as ever, unable to withstand the wind. Yet now a healthy cub appears.”
These years, Reniya had tried every method for Ryan, even using many forbidden arts. In ancient times, those rituals would’ve been deemed heresy and punished. Though the whole kingdom knew, the people accepted it—they believed in Regalis, worshipped their leader.
Passing bowing attendants, Shen Que said softly, “Highness Reniya’s expectations for the kitten are too high. You’re afraid she’ll pin too much hope on him, and if it falls through, it’ll be even worse…”
Isiris raised a hand, cutting off talk of Reniya. “She’s a grown woman—if she does something foolish again, I won’t tolerate it. The most important thing now is finding the kitten.”
Shen Que wisely changed topics. “But it looks like the Federation side can’t hand over the star system’s coordinates for the kitten.”
Even though Delphi’s warships were overwhelming the Federation’s border forces, they still had that dead pig unafraid of boiling water attitude.
No means no. Threaten me all you want—I still can’t produce it.
Shen Que said, “The person who tampered with the surveillance monitors is incredibly skilled. Even the monitors’ manufacturers can’t crack the anti-detection measures he set up. The Federation itself is baffled, wondering where such top-tier technical talent suddenly appeared from.”
Isiris opened the live stream screen. The golden-white little cat on screen was diligently climbing a snow mountain. A nanny robot trailed behind him, occasionally extending a mechanical arm to hoist up the cat’s butt when his short legs couldn’t make it up the slope.
“Who says it has to be a person?”
One had to admit, Lion Daddy had eyes as sharp as a torch.
