The little cat’s four paws moved at lightning speed. The desperately struggling threads instinctively tried to block his approach, but they were all severed by the lightsaber one by one.
The mech protected the little cat, allowing him to get close to the area of the Xenoid Variant that hadn’t yet been covered by the fleshy membranes.
Li Ao placed his paw on the Xenoid Variant’s body, and gold reemerged in his sapphire-blue pupils. “Niu Niu, I’m here to save you.”
Invisible Spiritual Power instantly pierced into Zolax’s brain. This Spiritual Power was so vast and immense that nothing could resist it.
The tidal wave directly flooded into the collapsing mental domain, sweeping away and devouring the source of corruption like a tsunami.
Zolax’s body convulsed violently. Soon, those fleshy membranes began to disintegrate bit by bit from its flesh.
The gray-white faded from its eyes, and the Xenoid Variant, not fully corrupted, reverted back to a Xenoid.
【So terrifying…】
【What kind of power is this exactly…】
The power of machines was still within human comprehension, after all—they were secondary creations, built by humans.
But this cat?
Such an inconceivable ability. Was he really human?
[ Emperor Warship | Mandjet ]
“Sun.” Shen Que strode quickly across the bridge into the command room. “Message from the ground center—they found star system clues in Yi Xiangjin’s diary.”
Isiris had just ended a bloody battle in lion form and was now leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, resting. After shifting back to human form, he casually grabbed a pair of long pants and pulled them on around his waist. Colorful markings crawled from the lower edge of his abdomen up his chiseled abs, nearly disappearing into his chest. Shen Que’s throat bobbed several times. “You need to return to Delphi immediately for purification.”
The golden eyes opened, and Isiris reached out toward his loyal dog, saying indifferently, “I won’t die.”
Shen Que was as loyal to the emperor as he was pained by him. He was cold and aloof, impossible to dissuade. Pain meant nothing to him; nothing in the world could leave a mark in those golden pupils.
Knowing that no amount of worry could change the emperor’s decision, the inevitable anxiety and pain still gripped Shen Que’s chest. Shen Que tried his best to restrain himself and presented the data.
Isiris stood and walked to the porthole, his golden eyelashes lowering as he browsed the file. “Yi Xiangjin once served in a secret organization conducting genetic experiments and life modifications…”
Shen Que half-knelt and put shoes on for him. “According to the diary analysis, she reached an agreement with the secret organization out of some need, assisting them in transferring human brains into mechanical bodies, or storing memories in chips placed into clone brains for activation, attempting to verify if eternal life could be achieved.”
“Theseus’s paradox, that’s all.” Isiris’s expression was cold and disdainful. “Ants delusionally trying to break free from the laws’ restraints, crossing the boundary between life and death.”
In the cosmos, humans couldn’t rebirth or live long lives, Xenoids couldn’t leave the Abyss to reproduce independently—everything had its strengths and weaknesses. This was the law of life.
Shen Que rose and stood respectfully beside the emperor. “Yi Xiangjin ultimately concluded: Humans cannot achieve immortality through body transplants or consciousness transfers, but mechanical life can develop emotions and attain eternity.”
“And then?” Isiris grew impatient. These things were irrelevant to him; he only asked, “Where are the star system coordinates?”
But Shen Que didn’t reply. Instead, he opened a projection. “The power this cat possesses has already surpassed all reason.”
Isiris shifted his gaze and saw the little cat pulling Zolax back from the scythe of the Grim Reaper.
“The world speculates that such immense power comes from Regalis’s bloodline.” Shen Que’s lips curved slightly. “But we all know…”
The strength of Delphi people came from cruel inheritance. Regalis’s power came at what agonizing cost.
Shen Que gazed at the alluring yet deadly colorful markings on Isiris’s body. “That cat’s power far exceeds human limits. This isn’t something Regalis’s genes could achieve, and—”
“So what?” The golden-haired emperor said indifferently. “As long as Regalis’s blood flows in his body, he will forever live under my protection.”
“Since I’ve promised to pick him up, whether he’s human, ghost, or god, the promise will be fulfilled.”
“Yes.” Shen Que bowed. He would be loyal to all of the emperor’s decisions, but he couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit envious of that kitten named Li Ao.
They had never even met, yet he had won the emperor’s favor.
—
The little cat was laying down the law.
A row of offenders stood waiting for scolding, from left to right, smallest to largest: black-furred chestnut ball Xun, Mantis Monster No. 2, robot Alpha-13, and Cow Monster Zolax.
“Xun!” The little cat put his paws on his hips and put on a stern face. “You have to follow the deal from now on!”
Seeing the little monster blink softly, Li Ao nodded in satisfaction and moved to the right. “Mantis Monster No. 2!”
The six-legged low-level Xenoid that was called out immediately sat up straight, lowering its head ingratiatingly to take a slap from the little cat. “No blocking Li Ao’s path from now on!”
“Bee… ow…” The pitiful Xenoid nodded.
Next was the robot’s turn, but the little cat suddenly remembered he was still mad at it. He huffed, turned his butt, and faced Zolax. “Cow Monster!”
The heavily injured C-Rank let out a half-dead moo and immediately welcomed the little cat’s climb. Li Ao scrambled all the way up to its head, grabbed its eyelid, and roared, “Don’t eat random things! If you dare turn bad again, I’ll—I’ll kick you all the way to the bottom of the earth!”
The C-Rank Xenoid, with a huge hole leaking through its body, trembled under the lecture from a kitten the size of a rubber ball. “Moo…”
Li Ao huffed again, his gaze landing on Mantis Monster No. 1 charging over from afar. “Who told you to come out!” The little cat got angry. “Did your legs heal? Why’d you come out?!”
The irritable Meowzilla had finished venting at the group of wrongdoers, then deflated and flopped down powerlessly.
He was exhausted, rubbing his eyes as he looked at the rift ahead. “Earth… don’t crack open anymore, okay?”
As if hearing his words, the planet responded. The ground hummed, and the crack began to close.
“…” Was this right? Alpha-13 looked at the monitor overhead. Whatever, just let it be.
The silver mech knelt on one knee and extended its palm before the little cat. With its steel-forged body, it submitted to the one who gave it meaning. “Don’t be mad anymore. Come back with me?”
The little cat pouted, raised his head to look at it, and after a while, grumbled aggrievedly, “Li Ao needs to watch cartoons to stop being mad.”
This walnut-sized cat brain only remembered this one thought. The machine sighed. “Two episodes a day, no more.”
“Deal.” The little cat shakily raised his paw and placed it on the machine’s finger.
The little monster picked up the little cat, and the two little ones climbed onto the machine’s palm together. The mechanical wings flared up sharply, and the silver mech carried them flying toward the blue sky.
This was Li Ao’s first time riding a “machine.” The little cat first poked his head out to look at the Mantis Monsters shrinking below, then rolled over, belly up, gazing at the sky.
Blazing sun, vast firmament. The silver wings were icy cold yet gleaming brilliantly.
“Machine.” The little cat suddenly spoke up. “I-I, I thought of a name for you.”
“…” Alpha-13 gradually slowed its flight speed, waiting for the name that belonged to it.
The illiterate little cat racked his brains, picking from all the words he knew. “Silver Wing! It’s, it’s…” He tried to explain the meaning, but the machine softly said, “That’s my name.”
Its creator had once told it a story that mentioned the concept of taming.
The little fox said to the Little Prince: “You must be very patient. Right now, you sit far away, but every day, sit a little closer. Until one day… you’ll hope I can get even closer to you.”
“Come find me at the same time every day, getting closer bit by bit. That way, I’ll start to get used to it, start looking forward to seeing you.”
This cat was that Little Prince.
He had suddenly burst into its life, shattering its century of solitude.
He taught it to take the first step.
Bit by bit of closeness, bit by bit of warmth—he gradually filled the machine’s icy entirety.
Taming was giving meaning.
His eyes were no longer just eyes, but a blue ocean. His face was no longer just a face, but a round moon. His legs weren’t short, but cute. His fluffy fur matched his stubborn temper, his tiny body matched his great courage.
Everything about him held special meaning to it.
It was never he who tamed it—it was it, willingly tamed by him.
“Will you raise me?” it asked.
The little cat seemed stunned, but soon nodded. “Of course.”
Little Blue’s eyes reflected the mecha within them. “Anyway, you don’t need to eat.” The kitten thought to itself—raising a machine was way easier than raising a puppy. It didn’t eat tomatoes or little cakes; just feed it electricity and done.
“Yes, I’m easy to raise.” Silver Wing’s tone carried a sense of relief. “Sit tight. We’re landing.”
Yi Xiangjin, my creator. My mother.
I understand everything you did for me.
I was timid, afraid of returning to my main body only to be destroyed by humans. But I was also afraid of loneliness, yearning to connect with some form of life.
A century ago, I lacked the courage to open the door and pilot the mecha to your homeland. But now, a century later, I finally dared to stand beneath the sunlight and face everything awaiting me.
Even if it meant destruction at human hands.
I was no longer timid, because a cat said he was willing to raise me.
Mother, I will head to your homeland with him to see the sea you described. Then, standing before your grave, I will tell you my name.
The short-legged cat clambered down from the mecha and bolted toward the television set. “Pink electric hairdryer-head piggy, Li Ao’s here to see you!”
Silver Wing powered down the kinetics and shifted its consciousness back into the nanny robot’s body. The next second, a red light flashed in its electronic eyes. “Li! Ao! You can only watch two episodes—then it’s homework time!”
Mother, this isn’t the tale of the little fox and the Little Prince. It’s the story of the short-legged cat and the robot’s encounter.
