Li Ao glanced at her and said very seriously, “I don’t know if you two will get married.”
“See? I told you you got scammed—” The man immediately started accusing the girl of wasting money, but before he could finish, the little kitten said, “But I know he’s a scumbag.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?” The man’s face darkened. “Who’s the scumbag? How does a little brat like you talk?”
The round-faced girl instinctively defended the kitten. “He’s only six! Why are you yelling?” She lowered her head to look at the kitten’s fluffy face, bit her lip, and asked, “Why do you say he’s a scumbag?”
The man was also waiting for Li Ao’s explanation. The little kitten beckoned him with a paw, signaling him to squat down too. The glasses-wearing man was obviously annoyed but squatted down anyway after the girl tugged at him again. “I’m telling you, you can’t just spout nonsense because you’re a kid. I’m reporting this to the platform and getting my thousand bucks back.”
Li Ao stood on tiptoe and brought his paw close to the man’s nose. He couldn’t quite reach, but that was fine—he spoke in pure cat tongue, dead certain: “He breathes, so he’s a scumbag.”
[? Hahahahahaha]
[Goddamn “breathes = scumbag” hahahaha]
[Clear Soup Big Lord!]
[I gifted the little kitten! I support the little kitten—guys who breathe are all wrong.]
The girl seemed amused by the answer too. “Kitty, this… you…”
The guy looked all smug and triumphant as he pulled out his phone. “Just you wait, I’m complaining to the platform right now and getting a refund.”
“I want that latest lipstick, buy it for me~” The little kitten mimicked the coquettish voice of a vixen from TV.
“Which one? Didn’t I just buy you one yesterday…” The man froze. The round-faced girl froze too. “What lipstick did you buy yesterday?”
“I-I didn’t buy any! I was just saying it off the cuff. Then this cat suddenly mentioned lipstick, so I went along with it, haha…”
The little kitten detective dropped another bomb: “There’s a lipstick mark on the inside of your collar, sis’s lips are nice and pink—not this bright red.”
[Holy shit, where? Where’s the lipstick mark?]
[There really is one, right by the collarbone. Holy shit, detective!]
[Who said our little kitten was talking nonsense? Pisses me off— this dead scumbag still wants to report our kitten!]
The round-faced girl stood up to check the man’s collar, but he shoved her to the ground in a fit of rage. “You’ve gone too far! If you don’t believe me, fine—but you’re actually taking a cat’s word and doubting me?”
[Shameless bastard, resorting to violence already?]
[Look at that guilty conscience!]
The barrage floated all around the livestream room, visible the moment the man looked up. His face flushed pale then green, and when he saw someone in the barrage call out his name, he roared red-faced, “Fuck, you’re all crazy! I never should’ve listened to you and come to some shitty cat. Are you even normal?”
“Don’t you dare curse!” The little kitten got mad too. He often watched TV with Grandma, and he always got furious at people who clearly messed up but shifted the blame first. “You’re so mean! I’m gonna beat you up for sis!” He raised his paw to charge, but since it was just a projection, he naturally pounced on empty air.
“Fuck, you—” The man wanted to say more, but the next second, he was booted from Star Network.
[User detected for rude behavior toward underage streamer. Your Star Network account has been banned for 7 interstellar days.]
[Ban well deserved!]
[What a disgusting person?]
[Always “fuck this fuck that”—what, no mom? Fuck his dad, pisses me off.]
The round-faced girl had fallen to the ground. Once the man left, she struggled to get up and chase after him, but she froze the instant the door slammed shut with a thud, standing there utterly lost.
“Sis.” The little kitten ran over and circled her legs. “Don’t be sad—there’s lots of people in the world.”
The girl’s eyes were dazed, devoid of light. “But there’s only one him in the world. He’s the only precious one to me.”
[What kinda top-tier lovebrain is this?]
[No shit, girl, which planet you on? Sis’ll introduce you to some—hard to find a four-legged toad, but two-legged guys? A dime a dozen.]
[I’m a guy but I agree with the girls!]
The little kitten looked at her very seriously and said very earnestly, “But there’s only one you in this world too. We’re all one-of-a-kind. We’re all precious.”
The round-faced girl’s dull eyes suddenly lit up when she heard that. “There’s only one me in the world…”
“Yeah!” The little kitten nodded firmly. “He’s precious because you like him. But he sucks, so don’t like him anymore.”
The little kitten hadn’t gone to school, but he had his lines down pat.
[Mama ya, little kitten boo hoo, little kitten’s so right.]
[Yeah, everyone’s unique. That guy’s behavior says it all, sis—go investigate. Once you’re clear, cut him off for good. The next one’s better.]
The round-faced girl seemed like she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. But no matter the negativity, seeing this kitten circling around to comfort her melted it all away.
“Thanks.” She sniffled. “You’re a good kitty.”
This whole comforting session exhausted Li Ao. The little kitten patted her at the end. “Kitty good, you good—everyone good!”
[Angel! Our little kitten’s an angel (screaming)]
[Boo hoo, wanna give birth to a kitten this cute and sweet—how’s he so thoughtful?]
[Fuck, jealous of you all connected—wait till I connect, I won’t do shit, just let the little kitten lie beside me and sleep.]
[Fuck, take me too, so jealous (screaming)]
After soothing sis, the little kitten lay on the ground to rest for a good while before connecting to the next one.
This time, it was a pale-faced, frail young man with chestnut hair.
His limbs were all strapped to a wheelchair, and he didn’t look mentally well.
“AI, activate Astral Projection.”
[Understood. Deducting payment now. Astral Projection will activate in 1 minute.]
[Holy shit! Another baller activating Astral Projection!!]
[Who’s this? Anyone know?]
In the interstellar era, networks developed fast, and privacy for most humans on most planets was basically nonexistent.
[Found him—patriarch of the Bai Family on Capital Star.]
[Oh, I know who.]
[Who? Some famous rich guy?]
[A big deal. The Bai Family’s top clan on Capital Star. This patriarch’s infamous too—under 35, ruthless and decisive. Slew his dad and dad’s mistress, took back the patriarch seat.]
[Heard his Doom Virus flared up, mid-to-late stage… about to be forcibly euthanized. Such a shame.]
[No wonder the limbs are bound. Mid-to-late Doom Virus turns people zombie-like.]
Bai Yunjun naturally saw the discussion about him. He lowered his eyelids and coughed lightly.
In the first half of his brief life, he’d struggled for survival under his father and paternal clan’s oppression. In the second half, he’d paved a path of vengeance with blood and schemes, dismantling his father’s rule, settling the clan’s betrayal, seizing the patriarch seat with thunderous means, and personally ending his humiliating past.
He’d lived without regrets to heaven and earth, just about to reap the rewards. But merely two years after grasping the fruits, the Doom Virus lurking in his genes erupted.
Crushing headaches tormented him to no end, gradually making him crave blood. Once Doom Virus hit severe infection, the host lost all reason and attacked indiscriminately, with victims getting activated and infected too—one to ten, ten to a hundred.
That was the virus at its late stage: incurable, unsavable, walking dead.
And humanity had learned to compromise—what else could they do? A mercy shot was the final dignity for Doom Virus victims.
He was about to die. Before dying, he wanted to see what the kitten Isiris had held was like.
“Hello.” He greeted the little kitten.
—
[ Delphi | Morning ]
“Your Highness Lian, His Majesty is changing. Please wait a moment.” The purple-eyed man stepped forward to block the fiery Lian Regalis.
“Shen Que, move.” The golden short-haired, green-eyed man was clearly hot-tempered. “We grew up buck-naked together—what’s there to hide?”
The dutiful loyal dog gripped his Tang sword, blocking the path. “Please step back.”
Isiris stood before the full-length mirror, his slender fingers slowly fastening the last button on his shirt, concealing the faintly visible colorful markings on his chest beneath the snow-white silk.
Even upon hearing the commotion at the door, he continued adjusting his cuffs unhurriedly. His golden eyes lowered slightly, his lashes casting noble, aloof shadows in the play of light. The silver shirt clip secured the hem, linking to the leather straps along his thigh—the slim buckle hugging his muscled lines, vanishing into the dark Western trousers along his long legs.
He straightened up, smoothed his collar, and strode out the door.
“Shen Que, get out of my way—bro!” The irritable lion, on the verge of drawing his sword against Shen Que, instantly turned into a big dog wagging its tail at the sight of Isiris. “Is it real? Are we getting a new cub?”
Isiris lightly raised a hand, swatting his face aside. “That’s Zane’s cub.”
“So it is true!” Lian seized the man’s wrist, excitement visible to the naked eye. “What does it look like? Golden fur or white? Born as a human or a little lion cub? I asked them for pics, but they insisted on waiting for your announcement.”
“Neither human nor lion.” Isiris took the cloak from Shen Que’s hand. “It’s a little cat.”
“Cat?” The big lion looked baffled. “What’s a cat?”
“Face rounder than the moon, legs a mere 5 centimeters long, but courage most praiseworthy.” The crimson cloak flared dramatically behind him, blazing like flames against the vast sky, its lavish gold threads glimmering faintly. “That’s what a cat is.”
“People of Delphi.” The golden-haired emperor loomed atop the heavenly stairs, gazing down upon the land and its inhabitants. “You are about to welcome a new little Highness.”
“Wow—”
The crowd, already gathered after hearing the news, erupted in an instant. A frenzied wave swept the plaza as people craned their necks, eyes fixed on the king standing high above, brimming with anticipation for a glimpse of the little Highness.
But when the massive screen projected the kitten’s photo, the crowd fell deathly silent.
“Does the little Highness… not have any legs?”
