Chapter 6
Ever since the pollutant moved in, Shi Xu had been awakened nightly by the sound of it climbing onto his bed. Every night, he would reprimand it and banish it from his room.
Tonight, the pollutant had, surprisingly, not disturbed him, yet his sleep was still restless.
Influenced by his father and Shi Mu, Shi Xu dreamt of his childhood—
The sealed training room, the intense exercises, the relentless battles, the struggle to meet his father’s demands before seeing daylight again…
From a young age, Shi Xu knew his older siblings treated their father’s words as gospel. Loyal subordinates might betray their father, but his siblings wouldn’t. Yet, on the day before their deaths, both had said the same thing to him.
“Being Father’s child is such a misfortune…”
His father told him their deaths were accidents. His brother died in a car crash, his sister from falling off a cliff.
Shi Xu hadn’t witnessed their deaths, but he often dreamt of them being consumed by pollutants—
Devoured by filthy creatures, their forms distorted beyond recognition, they advanced towards his younger self, attempting to consume him too.
Their raspy voices turned into soul-snatching scythes, tightly entwining him.
“Come with us. Become a monster like us, and you will find happiness…”
Shi Xu was a light sleeper, requiring absolute silence. This was why, after purchasing the villa, he bought the surrounding properties as well.
The little black cat had been visiting for a while, but before today, it had never made a disturbing sound.
A series of meows jolted Shi Xu awake. Rubbing his aching temples, he walked onto the balcony.
The front gate was below. He saw a familiar black shape. The little black cat wasn’t alone.
Or rather, it wasn’t with one companion, but with countless tiny jellies.
Without his command, the pollutant hadn’t reformed.
How obedient.
A smile touched Shi Xu’s lips, the negativity from the nightmare dissipating. He leaned against the railing, silently observing the scene below.
The transparent bodies glowed golden in the morning sun. But Shi Xu still preferred the pollutant’s natural gold-rimmed eyes.
So bright, so dazzling.
He didn’t know the pollutant’s true size. In its current form, it was about the size of a basketball.
The little black cat was roughly the same size, appearing gigantic compared to the scattered jellies. Its blue eyes filled with curiosity, it batted at the tiny blobs with its paw.
Even after being nudged away by the annoyed jellies, it persisted.
Finally, the pollutant protested angrily, “Don’t touch me! Only Wife can touch my body!”
Shi Xu raised an eyebrow. Yesterday, it could barely speak, yet today, it formed a complete sentence.
This pollutant learned quickly, but focused its abilities on inappropriate things.
“Meow~” The little black cat seemed to not understand, continuing to poke a jelly with its paw.
The pollutant: “…”
The jellies trembled rapidly, launching themselves at the cat like tiny pebbles.
The pollutant wasn’t attacking seriously. Soft and bouncy like its appearance, the impact on the cat was like a tickle.
The cat, thinking the jellies wanted to play, rolled onto its back, purring happily.
This enraged the pollutant, its trembling intensifying. The jellies coalesced, pushing the cat towards the edge of the property.
“This… is… mine and Wife’s… nest, you are not allowed… in… Out!”
The cat understood, tears welling in its blue eyes. It meowed sadly, pressing its head against the jelly pushing its belly.
“Meow, meow—”
Its voice was no longer cheerful, but filled with sadness and grievance.
Having enjoyed the childish squabble, Shi Xu turned and went to the bathroom.
By the time he came downstairs, the jellies had returned to the living room. Looking out the window, the lawn was empty, the cat nowhere in sight.
“Wife, you’re awake!” The jellies bounced towards him. “I… can’t… do anything… like this. I… didn’t… make… breakfast.”
To Shi Xu’s surprise, the pollutant not only understood human language and thoughts but also adapted to human life.
After observing Shi Xu cooking, it had attempted to learn.
It could use kitchen utensils, but its creations were inedible.
“That’s wonderful,” Shi Xu sighed in relief, a smile blooming on his face.
“…”
The jellies deflated, slumping to the floor, looking up at him with invisible, pitiful eyes.
Rejected by Wife, wuwuwu.
A few jellies glistened with moisture.
SSS-class pollutants were capable of world destruction, ruthless and unreasonable.
That’s what Shi Xu had believed before encountering this one. Now, his previous understanding was completely overturned.
This pollutant was strangely fragile, easily reduced to tears by a single word or expression.
A disgrace to SSS-class pollutants.
Ignoring their tears, Shi Xu entered the kitchen.
The pollutant didn’t stay put. It followed closely, its clinginess amplified.
Shi Xu checked the ingredients in the refrigerator. He had woken 20 minutes earlier than usual. Still early, he decided on a simple sandwich.
Retrieving the necessary ingredients, he asked casually, “Are you close to that black cat?”
The jellies crawled onto the kitchen island, stopping half a meter away, replying obediently, “No, only close to Wife.”
Shi Xu: “So you’ve been deliberately chasing it away?”
The pollutant: “…”
Since he first met the black cat, it had appeared at his door every morning and evening. After the pollutant arrived, the cat vanished. Had he not woken up early today, he wouldn’t have seen it.
Combined with the pollutant’s unusual behavior, Shi Xu had his answer.
“It… clings… to Wife, don’t like.” Guilt made the pollutant stammer.
Shi Xu scoffed, “I think it’s clinging to you, not me.”
The jellies straightened, as if lifting their heads.
“No.” Its voice was filled with resentment. “It clings… to Wife…”
It had seen Shi Xu petting the cat’s head, chin, and belly, playing with its paws and beans, and letting its tail wrap around his wrist.
It had learned a new word, understood the emotion: jealousy.
It was jealous of the cat, so it would pet the cat excessively after Shi Xu left, trying to erase his scent. After being taken in by Shi Xu, it chased the cat away before Shi Xu woke up or returned home.
“Why does the cat cling to you?” Shi Xu ignored the pollutant’s resentment, already having a strong suspicion.
Judging by its behavior, the cat was fond of the pollutant.
Pollutants repelled all living things. The cat’s affection was strange, piquing Shi Xu’s curiosity.
Little Black?
Wife gave the black cat a name… How hateful!
“Answer my question.” Shi Xu’s voice was light. The egg hitting the pan sizzled, startling the pollutant.
The jellies trembled, confessing, “It… thinks… I am… its… father.”
“…” Shi Xu paused, the spatula landing on the uncooked yolk, spreading a pool of yellow.
He recalled the ugly cat the pollutant had transformed into, amused and speechless.
Cats and humans had vastly different aesthetics.
He couldn’t understand how, with the obvious tentacles, the cat could mistake the pollutant for its own kind.
“So you chased your son away?” Shi Xu’s eyes twinkled with amusement.
The pollutant: “It… too clingy, I… don’t like.”
“Correction, you’re not human.” Shi Xu placed the fried egg on the bread. “Just as you dislike Little Black clinging to you, I dislike you clinging to me.”
“…” The pollutant whispered, “Wife, I… wrong, I won’t… chase… Little Black… away…”
So Shi Xu couldn’t chase it away either!
Shi Xu didn’t reply, picking up the sandwich and eating. The jellies sat quietly on the counter, their invisible eyes fixed on him.
Besides clinginess, their gaze now held a hint of pity.
Shi Xu felt that if he looked at them, the pollutant would burst into tears, begging him not to send it away.
He didn’t want to confirm his suspicion, keeping his eyes averted. The pollutant remained silent, watching him eat.
After finishing his breakfast and wiping his mouth, Shi Xu said casually, “I won’t chase you away.”
Before he finished speaking, anticipating the pollutant’s reaction, he raised his hand to block the incoming jellies.
He was too late. A few clung to his fingers, greedily absorbing something.
Shi Xu frowned, shaking them off. They landed on the marble counter, dissolving into puddles.
“Stay away from me.” His tone was colder and more distant than before.
“Okay, I… listen… to Wife~” The pollutant didn’t seem to mind his coldness, content with having touched his fingers.
Shi Xu lowered his eyes, shadows darkening his eyelids.
The puddles quickly reformed, merging, seemingly savoring the lingering touch and warmth of his fingers.
[Wife’s fingers smell good… hehehe…]
Shi Xu saw their movements. The pollutant hadn’t made a sound, and he had no telepathic abilities, yet he somehow knew what it was thinking.
Disgusting.
His fingers were still damp with the pollutant’s residue, yet he forgot to wash them.
Two minutes remained before his usual departure time, but he stood frozen, staring at the pollutant.
Sensing his gaze, the jellies all looked up, one of them asking shyly, “Wife, I… pretty?”
Shi Xu: “Ugly.”
“…” Though it had no nose, the pollutant made a sniffing sound, followed by loud sobs.
Wuwuwu, rejected by Wife…
Shi Xu reached out, pinching the crying jelly. The gelatinous substance was surprisingly elastic, not as disgusting to the touch as it looked.
“Mmm… Ah… Feels good… Like…”
Like being pinched by Wife.
As Shi Xu continued, the pollutant stopped crying, making suggestive noises.
Shi Xu’s face darkened. He tossed the disgusting jelly into the frying pan, which still had oil from the eggs.
He turned on the heat. The oil quickly heated up. Unafraid, the pollutant swam in the oil, testing Shi Xu’s patience.
“Wife, you… comforting me? You… don’t think… I’m ugly… right?”
Wife is so gentle!
Shi Xu responded by pouring more hot oil over it.
