As someone in sequence 001, I also want to give up today.

Li Xian was sprawled on the sofa, picking his teeth, and was about to change the channel to see if there was any variety show to watch while eating when he suddenly stopped.

His senses... detected something else.

It was very faint, yet very familiar.

It smelled a lot like the little strange beast in the alley last night, but it was more... agile? And it was extremely close.

So close it seems like it's right there...

Outside the door?

Li Xian put down the remote control, sat up straight, and stared in the direction of the apartment door.

Indeed, there is something outside the door.

The energy fluctuations were extremely weak, probably only at the F level—that is, a newly awakened level that poses no real threat.

But there was a clear sense of "intelligence" in that fluctuation, unlike last night's purely animalistic instinct.

Also, that thing seems to be... scratching at the door?

"Sizzle... sizzle..."

It was very light, but exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Li Xian frowned.

He didn't really want to get involved. What if it was a mutated cockroach or rat or something? That would be disgusting.

But the scratching at the door continued, accompanied by a faint sound that resembled a cat's meow but wasn't quite.

"Meow... Awoo..."

Li Xian sighed.

Okay, let's see.

He got up, slipped on his slippers, walked to the door, and looked out through the peephole.

The motion-activated lights in the hallway were on, and in the dim yellow light, there was... a cat?

No, it doesn't look like a typical cat.

The thing looked like a cat, but it was a size larger than a regular house cat, chubby, and weighed at least fifteen pounds.

Its fur is orange and white.

It has a typical "orange cat" color scheme, but the sheen of its fur looks very unnatural.

It gleams faintly, like a pearl, under the light.

What's most special about it is its eyes—one gold and one blue, heterochromatic eyes.

It's staring intently at the door with its cat-like eyes, as if it knows someone is watching it from behind the door.

"Meow!"

It barked again, raised its front paws, and started scratching at the door again.

This time, Li Xian could see clearly that there was an extremely faint flow of energy wrapped around its claws.

Each scratch leaves a faint, almost invisible trace of energy on the door panel.

Although the marks will fade quickly, this is something that an ordinary cat cannot do.

"A strange beast...a cat?"

This combination popped into Li Xian's mind.

"Is it still a stray cat that has awakened its true nature?"

He hesitated for three seconds.

Open the door?

What if the cat rushes in and scratches him?

Although an F-rank attack wouldn't hurt him, getting caught in the attack would still be quite annoying.

Not open?

What if it keeps scratching? What if the neighbors complain?

"Tsk."

Li Xian clicked his tongue again.

"Why are there so many troublesome things today?"

He decided to open the door and take a look.

With his current strength, a mere F-rank creature can't cause any trouble.

He grasped the doorknob and gently turned it open.

The door had barely opened a crack when the fat cat darted in with a speed that belied its size.

Then, it rushed into the living room as if it knew the way well, jumped onto the sofa—which was exactly where Li Xian had just been sitting—curled up in a ball, and began licking its paws.

Its movements were fluid and graceful, as if it were the master of the house.

Li Xian stood at the door, looking at the orange and white ball of fur on the sofa, somewhat bewildered.

"you……"

He closed the door and walked to the sofa.

"Who let you in?"

The fat cat raised its head, glanced at him with its heterochromatic eyes, and then... yawned.

"Meow~" (Translation: Human, you've finally opened the door! My legs are numb from waiting.)

Li Xian, of course, couldn't understand.

All he saw was the cat yawn, then look at him with an expression that said, "It's your duty to serve me," before continuing to lick its paws.

"...Alright then."

Li Xian gave up on communication.

He walked to the other end of the sofa, sat down, and picked up the remote control again.

Seeing this, the fat cat shifted its rear end, moved closer to his legs, and rubbed its head against his thigh.

"Meow~" (Translation: I saw you were pretty good at fighting just now, so I'm going to follow you from now on. Will you feed me?)

Li Xian looked down at the fluffy thing beside his leg and poked it.

The feel... is not much different from a regular cat, except that the fur is a bit softer and the body temperature seems a bit higher.

The fat cat wasn't angry when it was poked; instead, it rolled over and exposed its belly.

"Meow~" (Translation: Scratch this, I'm exhausted from running here.)

Li Xian stared at the white belly and thought for two seconds.

Then, he reached out and started scratching the cat's belly.

The fat cat immediately started purring, its eyes narrowing into slits, looking completely content.

"They really know how to enjoy life."

Li Xian commented.

He scratched the cat while scanning it with his senses.

The energy core is indeed very weak, probably at the level of newly awakened beings. But the core's structure... is quite unique.

Unlike the ferocious and chaotic beasts he had seen, it had a peculiar sense of "order," more like... a superhuman?

Can animals also awaken superpowers?

Li Xian didn't know.

He knows too little about this world.

"Meow!" (Translation: Yes, yes, that's it! Push harder!)

The fat cat was so comfortable that it lay on its back with its paws in the air, swishing its tail back and forth.

Li Xian scratched for a while, then stopped.

"Alright, you should go now."

He said, "I don't keep pets at home."

The fat cat immediately sat up and stared at him with wide eyes.

"Meow?! (Translation: What? You're not going to keep me? I saw you take down that giant lizard in a flash! You're so amazing, what's wrong with keeping a cat?)"

It barked and lightly patted Li Xian's leg with its paw, as if in protest.

Li Xian couldn't understand, but he could sense that the cat didn't want to leave.

"I really won't raise one."

He tried to reason with them.

"I can't even be bothered to take care of myself, let alone you? My sister's coming back tomorrow, what if she sees there's another cat in the house..."

Before he could finish speaking, the fat cat suddenly jumped off the sofa and rushed towards the kitchen.

"Hey you—"

Li Xian followed and saw the fat cat standing in front of the refrigerator, patting the refrigerator door with its paw.

"Meow! Meow meow!" (Translation: I'm hungry! Feed me! I smell meat!)

Li Xian then remembered that there was still some braised alien beast meat left in the refrigerator.

He opened the refrigerator and took out the bowl of leftover meat.

The fat cat's eyes lit up instantly, and its tail stood straight up.

"Meow!! (Translation: Yes, yes, yes! This is it! It smells good! Give it to me!)"

Li Xian looked at the meat in the bowl, then at the fat cat pacing anxiously at his feet.

"You...want to eat this?"

"Meow! (Translation: Of course! This is B-grade alien beast meat! Extremely nutritious!)"

Li Xian hesitated for a moment.

He ate the meat and was fine, so the cat should be fine too, right?

Okay, I'll give it a try.

He took out a small plate, put a few pieces of meat in it, and poured some meat juice on it.

As soon as the plate was placed on the ground, the fat cat pounced on it and began to devour the food.

Their eating habits... were quite unrestrained.

Li Xian squatted down beside him and watched, and suddenly found it a little funny.

An awakened cat came to his house late at night, just to beg for a piece of exotic beast meat.

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you," he said.

Fat Cat looked up at him, his eyes full of disdain that said, "What do you know? This is B-grade meat." Then he continued to eat with his head down.

A few minutes later, the plate was empty.

The fat cat licked its lips, let out a satisfied burp, and then... jumped onto the sofa and curled up into a ball.

"Feed".

Li Xian walked over.

"Shouldn't you be leaving after you finish eating?"

The fat cat raised its head and looked at him innocently with its heterochromatic eyes.

"Meow~ (Translation: Going? Where to? I'm going to live here from now on.)"

After it finished speaking, it closed its eyes and pretended to be asleep.

Li Xian: "..."

He stared at the orange-white ball of fur on the sofa for a full minute.

Then he sighed.

"Alright."

He said, "You can sleep here tonight, but you have to leave tomorrow."

The fat cat didn't react, but its ears twitched.

Li Xian took it as tacit agreement.

He turned off the TV, turned off the lights, and went back to his room to sleep.

While lying in bed, he could still hear faint snoring coming from the living room.

"Really..."

He muttered something and rolled over.

Never mind, it's just a cat. I'll deal with it tomorrow.

The next morning, Li Xian was woken up by being stepped on.

It wasn't stepped on by a person, it was stepped on by a cat.

He groggily opened his eyes and saw the fat cat standing on his chest, looking down at him.

"Meow! (Translation: Wake up! I'm hungry!)"

Li Xian stared at it for three seconds, then reached out, picked it up, and put it on the ground.

"Good morning."

He said expressionlessly, "And who gave you permission to enter my room?"

"Meow~ (Translation: The door wasn't closed properly, so I pushed it open myself. Pretty clever, huh?)"

Li Xian ignored it and got up to wash up.

The fat cat followed closely at his feet.

While I was brushing my teeth, it squatted at the bathroom door and watched.

While washing its face, it jumped onto the sink and stared at the faucet.

Li Xian finally couldn't hold back any longer: "What exactly do you want?"

"Meow! Meow meow! (Translation: Breakfast! Breakfast! Is there any meat left from yesterday?)"

Li Xian understood the "meow" but didn't understand its meaning.

He thought for a moment, then took out the last few pieces of meat left over from last night from the refrigerator, heated them up, and put them on a plate.

The fat cat pounced on it immediately and ate with relish.

Li Xian cooked himself a bowl of noodles and sat down at the table to eat.

After finishing his own meal, the fat cat jumped onto the dining table and stared at his bowl of noodles.

"Meow? (Translation: This looks good too, want me to try some?)"

Li Xian glanced at it, picked up a piece of noodles with his chopsticks, and placed it in front of it.

The fat cat sniffed it, took a bite, and then... spat it out.

"Ptooey! Meow! (Translation: What is this?! It has no taste! Meat tastes better!)"

Li Xian: "..."

He took the noodles back and ate them himself.

After finishing his meal, Li Xian began preparing a "feast" to welcome his younger sister.

The ribs need to be marinated in advance, the fish needs to be processed, the vegetables need to be washed... a whole host of things to do.

Fat Cat watched the whole thing, occasionally offering his comments:

"Meow~ (Translation: This knife skill is terrible, much worse than cutting the lizard yesterday.)"

"Meow? (Translation: I can see the fish scales aren't clean.)"

"Meow! (Translation: Cooking time! Cooking time! It's going to burn!)"

Although Li Xian couldn't understand it, he could feel the contempt in the cat's expression and meows, which seemed to say, "If you can't do it, let me do it."

Finally, when the fat cat tried to "instruct" him on how to chop vegetables with its paws for the third time, Li Xian couldn't hold back anymore.

He put down the cleaver and stared at the fat cat.

"You," he said, "have you become a spirit?"

The fat cat tilted its head: "Meow? (Translation: Becoming a spirit? This meow calls it awakening! A higher life form!)"

Li Xian sighed.

He reached out and aimed at the fat cat.

[Consciousness Segmentation], Micro-management Version.

He wanted to try and see if he could use this ability to "communicate" with the cat—not with language, but by directly conveying his thoughts.

A thin silver thread extended from the fingertip and gently touched the fat cat's forehead.

The fat cat paused for a moment, then... its eyes lit up.

"Meow?! (Translation: What's this? It feels so good!)"

Li Xian felt some vague, fragmented information flooding into his consciousness:

Hungry...meat...powerful...safe with you...

Although it's not clear, I can understand the general meaning.

Is this cat trying to curry favor with someone powerful?

Li Xian retracted the fine thread and looked at the fat cat.

The fat cat looked at him, its eyes filled with anticipation.

"Do you want to stay?" Li Xian asked.

"Meow! (Translation: Yes, yes, yes!)"

Why?

"Meow~ (Translation: You're amazing! You were so cool fighting the giant lizard yesterday! I saw it with my own eyes! You'll get to eat meat if you follow me!)"

Li Xian caught the key information: "Yesterday...you saw it?"

"Meow! (Translation: Of course! I'm watching from the rooftop right next door! You wear a monkey mask, and you slice that big guy down in a flash, so cool!)"

Li Xian remained silent for a few seconds.

So, this cat not only awakened, but also has a high level of intelligence, and even witnessed his "feat" yesterday.

"Can you speak human language?" he asked.

"Meow? (Translation: Speak human language? I'm a cat! Cat language is the only proper way!)"

"...Alright then."

Li Xian gave up.

He continued processing the ingredients, while the fat cat squatted beside him, occasionally offering a few words of "guidance".

At noon, all the dishes were prepared, and they were just waiting for Li Yu to return.

Li Xian slumped on the sofa, with the fat cat lying beside his legs.

"Oh, right."

Suddenly remembering something, Li Xian asked, "What's your name?"

The fat cat raised its head: "Meow? (Translation: Name? I am who I am.)"

"I can't keep telling you to 'feed' or 'cat' all the time."

The fat cat thought for a moment.

"Meow~ (Translation: This cat is so majestic, how about calling me 'Your Majesty'?)"

Although Li Xian couldn't understand it, he guessed the gist of it from the cat's smug expression.

"OK,"

He said, "From now on, I'll call you 'Fat Orange'."

"Meow?! (Translation: What do you mean, 'fat orange cat'? That sounds awful! I'm not fat! I'm just fluffy!)"

"Objection overruled."

Li Xian said, "Fat Orange."

"Meow!! (Translation: Protest!)"

"Fat orange."

"Meow!! (Translation: Strong protest!)"

"Fat orange."

The fat cat... no, the chubby orange cat, finally gave in.

It lay listlessly on the sofa, its rear end facing Li Xian in protest.

Li Xian smiled and reached out to scratch its chin.

The chubby orange cat immediately started purring, forgetting the humiliation it had just suffered.

At one o'clock, the doorbell rang.

Li Yu is back.

Li Xian got up to open the door, and Fatty Orange jumped off the sofa and followed at his feet.

The door opened, and Li Yu, dragging a small suitcase, looked travel-worn but had a bright smile.

"Brother! I'm back!"

Then, she saw the chubby orange at Li Xian's feet.

"...Huh? What's this?"

Fat Orange raised its head and looked at her with its heterochromatic eyes.

"Meow~ (Translation: This is your sister? She looks pretty good.)"

Li Yu paused for two seconds, then her eyes lit up.

"Bro! You got a cat?! It's so cute!!"

She crouched down, wanting to touch the chubby orange.

Fat Orange took a step back and hid behind Li Xian's legs, only showing half of its head.

"Meow. (Translation: Don't touch me, I don't know you.)"

Li Xian: "...It's a little shy."

"oh oh."

Li Yu withdrew her hand, but her eyes remained fixed on Fatty Orange.

"What's its name?"

"Fat orange."

"Meow?! (Translation: I told you not to call me that!)"

"You see, it really likes this name."

Li Xian remained unfazed.

Li Yu smiled: "Fat Orange...that's good, it's fitting."

She went inside, put down her luggage, and then... took a deep breath.

"It smells so good! Bro, what did you make?"

"Sweet and sour pork ribs, steamed fish, garlic greens, Mapo tofu," Li Xian announced the dishes.

"And the strawberries you like are washed."

"Wow! You're the best, bro!"

Li Yu rushed into the kitchen and started sneaking food.

Fat Orange followed at her feet, looking up at her.

"Meow? (Translation: This is your sister? She looks kind of silly.)"

Li Xian glanced at it: "Shut up."

Fat Orange: "...Meow. (Translation: Why are you being so fierce?)"

Lunch was plentiful, and Li Yu ate with great relish. Fat Orange also received some ribs—Li Xian had specially chosen boneless meat for it.

After eating and drinking her fill, Li Yu slumped on the sofa, rubbing her stomach.

"Ah...home is the best. Brother, have you missed me these past few days?"

"without."

Li Xian spoke the truth.

"Tch, you're just saying that."

Li Yu pouted, then looked at the fat orange lying next to her.

"By the way, bro, where did this cat come from?"

"He came here on his own."

Li Xian said, "I'm not leaving."

"Then let's keep it."

Li Yu reached out to touch Fatty Orange. This time, Fatty Orange didn't dodge, but its eyes were full of "I'll reluctantly let you touch me."

"It's quite special."

Li Yu stroked the cat and suddenly said, "Its eyes are a different color, and its fur is especially soft..."

She continued to pet the cat, and the chubby orange cat squinted its eyes in comfort.

Looking at this scene, Li Xian suddenly felt that... having more cats at home might not be so bad.

At least, it was quite lively.

As for the origins of the chubby orange cat, its awakening, and the secret of how it witnessed its own battle...

"Let's talk about it later."

he thought.

Right now, all he wants to do is enjoy this peaceful weekend afternoon.

The sun is shining brightly outside the window.

Inside the house, my sister is teasing the cat, and the cat is pretending to be aloof.

Li Xian, meanwhile, was sprawled on the sofa, watching TV.

Life seems to be that simple.