“Dada da—”
The rapid patter of small footsteps echoed on the smooth floor. A cat bug with something in its mouth, tail held high, scampered toward the metal gate deep in the passage.
Li Ao let go of the sticker in his mouth and shouted at the overhead surveillance, “Open the door for Mimi!”
“…” With a puff, accompanied by the sound of the gate opening, the little cat darted into Silver Wing’s mecha storage.
Staring at the brand-new mecha, he narrowed his round eyes with a wicked charm, flashed his snow-white claws, stood up straight, and went kukuku at the mecha, scratching away.
“The claw feel is awful.” Too smooth—the cat face full of disdain.
Li Ao tore open a sticker and slapped it pa! onto the mecha’s foot. He crawled and stuck all the way until the broadcast sounded: “Don’t stick on the face.”
That was the machine’s last shred of dignity.
The little cat really didn’t stick any on the mecha’s face either. Being obedient was one thing, but the main reason was—there weren’t enough stickers to even cover one foot.
“…” The robot couldn’t bear to look, forcefully calming its program fluctuations. “Come to the main gate. It’s time for your lesson.”
“Oh, coming then.” Li Ao turned and ran out. Passing a corner, he was startled by something that suddenly popped out.
The little cat quickly stood on its hind legs, spread its arms, bared its teeth with fur exploding to intimidate the foe. But upon closer look, it was just an innocent black-furred chestnut ball.
The little cat was displeased, waving its claws through the air at Xun. “Bad little dog, scaring people.”
The black-furred chestnut ball pounced onto the little cat’s body. The two little ones swatted at the air against each other. Li Ao rabbit-kicked Xun away and scurried out of the base.
The robot stood outside the door, a metal pole in hand with a net pouch at the end. The little cat’s excited running steps halted, its airplane ears perking as it tentatively asked, “What are we learning today?”
Silver Wing calmly uttered a single word that made the cat shiver: “Fly.”
Fly what fly? Fly or die? Fierce Cat twisted its butt and bolted.
The robot swung the net down, scooping up the cat like a little bird, lifting the pouch and shouldering the short-legged cat like a shoulder pole.
“Let me go!” The short-legged cat flailed and wailed, “I won’t learn, I won’t learn. Little cats don’t fly. No little cat can fly.”
Even Dong Xixi couldn’t fly—how could Li Ao?
“Xun, come save Mimi quick!”
The little monster hopped to reach the net pouch, but the robot gave a cold hmph and netted him too.
The two little ones stuck to each other—you on me, me on you—walking right into the trap, squeezed into a ball.
“Can we not fly?” Perched on the Mantis Monster’s head acting as a tree stump, the little cat made its dying struggle.
The machine said nothing, only pulling out a string of candied hawthorns from its storage compartment and waving them at the food-loving cat. The meaning was self-evident.
Little cat heart-eyes, little cat drooling, little cat decided to fly for the food.
Li Ao wiped his mouth, kicked back with his hind legs, and leaped down from the Mantis Monster’s head.
A solid fifty-jin little cat plummeted straight down, limbs straight—no bending. Its less-than-5cm long legs sank firmly into the sand… and couldn’t be pulled out.
Silver Wing watched the short-legged cat flail wildly, watched as he preferred dog-paddling in place in the sand rather than remembering to flap his wings and rise.
“…” The robot was so shocked. It didn’t know what to say. “Are those wings of yours just for decoration?”
【Hahaha, I just got here and it’s already this big scene?】
【Pfft, is this teaching the little cat to use its wings?】
【How are you guys laughing?】 An viewer who’d witnessed the battle said, 【The mechanical Alpha that should have been extinct long ago has reappeared!】
【Then what? You gonna go exterminate it or something? The Federation already issued a notice with clues to this planet’s location. Once found, they’ll definitely take action.】
【Sigh… don’t say it, I don’t even dare to think what’ll happen.】
Silver Wing naturally knew what awaited if its true body was exposed to humans, but it had already made up its mind—it wouldn’t retreat anymore.
Compared to its own situation, the little cat in front of it was what really made its CPU ache.
That little monster too—the two little ones seemed to treat this free-fall game as play, one after another climbing to the Mantis Monster’s head, one after another leaping down.
“Thud.” The black knight cornered the white king.
“Checkmate.” The intoxicating baritone carried a hint of gentle laughter. “Ryan, you’ve lost.”
Ryan Regalis smiled at the light blue-haired man across from him, his palm-sized face pale with illness. “Teacher is amazing.”
“It’s not that I’m amazing.” The man’s eyes, the same color as his hair, curved into crescents. “You were distracted.”
With the game over, the attending maid stepped forward to pour tea for the two.
“What are you thinking about?” Paimon asked softly. “Do you have some worries?”
Ryan lifted the teacup for a sip; it clinked lightly back onto the saucer. The frail body, sixteen yet like a ten-year-old child, leaned back. “…Thinking about our family’s new member.”
Paimon smiled and thanked the maid for the snacks. “That little kitten named Li Ao?”
Ryan was about to reply when the boisterous lion Lian arrived, voice preceding him: “Ryan! Ryan! Are you feeling better today? I’ll take you to the canyon to learn flying!”
Reniya followed behind, looking slightly displeased like a protective lioness: “Ryan’s body is too weak, it’s not suitable—”
“What’s unsuitable about it?” Lian raised his voice. “The little cat’s flapping those tiny round wings to learn flying. Ryan’s already sixteen and still can’t fly—what then?”
Here we go again… White strands covered Ryan’s amber brows and eyes. Ever since that cat appeared, everyone around him was talking about it.
Saying its legs were short, its face round, that it could sing, dance, and even kill Xenoids. Everyone talked about it, then looked at him with pity. “A healthy cub is like His Highness the little cat. His Highness Ryan is so pitiful.”
Paimon took a sip of tea. Once the two Regalis great princes arrived, he smiled and stood. “Then, I’ll take my leave.”
Reniya tugged her brother’s hair, but smiled mildly on her face: “You’ve worked hard.” She summoned her maid. “See Teacher Paimon out for me.”
Lian winced and escaped his sister’s grasp: “Violent lioness, if you won’t let Ryan go out, won’t he get bored cooped up in his room?”
Ryan softly lifted his face, shaking his head with a smile. “Uncle, don’t fight with Mom.”
Reniya bent down to hug Ryan’s body, kissing his hair. “Ryan likes reading books. With books to accompany him, that’s enough.”
“Yes.” The little white lion nodded obediently.
Lian scratched his head in exasperation. “Fine if you won’t go. When the little cat comes back, I’ll take him.” The thick-skinned golden lion turned and left, still muttering from afar: “Wonder if brother found the little cat yet. Hope he hurries back. Should’ve gone together.”
Reniya pulled Ryan up, leading him to the study. “Mom found some new books for you. See if you like them.”
Ryan withdrew his gaze from his uncle’s retreating back, smiling. “Thanks, Mom.”
One year, two years, sixteen years. Since birth, he’d been confined to this house. No choice—his body was too weak; a slight breeze would bring a fever. His mother had exhausted every effort just to keep him in the world.
Ryan, you should be content and grateful. He admonished himself inwardly, his slender fingers opening the book.
“Flip—” Li Ao turned a page, staring solemnly at the content. This was the robot’s new method for self-study: make the cat read comic books. Want to understand? Then learn to read.
The black-hearted machine was devious, but the dumb little cat thought it had gotten nicer. What could the comic do about it? It wasn’t the machine’s fault.
He gulped down the page half-understood, licked his paw pad to wet it with saliva, and flipped to the next.
The robot came over with a plate of cut fruit, placing it beside the little cat and saying, “I have something to tell you.”
“What?” The cat didn’t even lift his head; his paw automatically went for the fruit plate.
“About your father.” The robot meant the gene source of this body, but Li Ao had no such concept and thought it referred to the Earth couple.
The little cat’s groping for fruit paused. He blanked for a moment, then muttered softly, “Li Ao has no dad.”
“No mom either.”
“They didn’t want me.”
The little cat fell silent, lips pressed tight, jumped off the table, and ran. Xun followed worriedly. The emotionally dense robot realized too late—it had misunderstood.
Li Ao ran straight out the base gate, head down, to the lake edge. The green grass sprouts had overrun the shore; sensing the little cat approach, they immediately retracted their sharp teeth.
The little cat squatted by the lake, gazing at his reflection. Fluffy face, blue eyes. This was the little cat on the water’s surface—not the kid from the broken faucet that wouldn’t turn off.
Blue sky, white clouds—such fine weather, yet he inexplicably felt a twinge of grievance.
The fact of being abandoned by his parents had existed for years. He thought himself strong and over it. But when a friend mentioned it, that grievance surged so fiercely.
Water droplets fell onto the lake surface, creating rings of ripples. The little cat let out a soft sob, drowned out by the small monster’s shout.
“Li Ao.” Xun cupped the little cat’s face and licked his fur. “Don’t be sad. There’s Grandma, and there’s me.”
The robot carrying a fruit platter behind them said, “And there’s me too.”
Li Ao had only felt a little aggrieved at first, but after hearing their words, for some inexplicable reason, he felt extremely aggrieved.
When you’re facing hardship alone, you often tell yourself to be strong, to not care, that you can get through it on your own. But when someone extends a helping hand and offers comfort, that tiny bit of warmth can make your suppressed emotions instantly spiral out of control.
“I want Grandma.” His two cat paws hung limply at his sides as he threw his head back and wailed loudly.
It was like dropping a stone onto a frozen lake—the ice cracked open, and all his emotions surged forth. His longing for Grandma was so intense that he could barely bear it.
