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

As Li Xian walked back to his neighborhood with the bell in his hand, bathed in the setting sun, he felt like a strange uncle who had just picked up a stray cat (the kind that's really good at bragging).

After a series of questions, Li Xian roughly understood the origin of the bell.

Her original world didn't have the concept of Earth; it seemed she had traveled from another world, and for some reason, she immediately possessed Sequence 004 fission upon arrival.

Along the way, Bell initially tried her best to maintain her dignity as "this lady".

Her little head was held high, but she was quickly drawn to the traffic, the neon lights of the shops, and the ubiquitous, unfamiliar, and chaotic energy fluctuations in the air.

Its ears twitched around like radar, and its big eyes were wide open.

He gripped Li Xian's fingers tightly, occasionally letting out a small "wow" sound, completely forgetting his persona as the "world ruler".

"What are you looking at! I'm not just curious!" Li Xian would say whenever he looked down at her.

She immediately put on a stern face and turned her head away, trying to cover it up, but the slight twitching of the tips of her ears betrayed her.

After finally getting downstairs, Li Xian started to worry about how to get upstairs.

There are surveillance cameras in the elevator.

Although people are used to seeing people with superpowers now, a grown man leading a dirty little girl with cat ears can still easily attract unnecessary attention and lead to unnecessary speculation.

"Ahem, Lord Bell," Li Xian crouched down and said in a low voice.

"We're about to conduct a covert infiltration operation. See that moving metal box?"

That's a small, mobile fortress in this world. To avoid revealing our location, we need to disguise you a little.

Bell looked at the elevator warily: "Disguise? What do you intend to do to me?"

"I'm just temporarily hiding your majestic ears." Li Xian reached out and lightly brushed his hand across her head.

In reality, he was manipulating the micro-psychological power of [Consciousness Slicing], delicately manipulating the hair around her ears and the tiny muscles under her skin.

Make those fluffy golden ears lie flat and lie close to the hair, and then use a little visual interference (again, a micro-manipulation of mental power).

To an outsider, the little girl's hair would just look a bit messy, and they wouldn't immediately notice anything unusual.

As for the tail... Li Xian glanced behind her. Fortunately, although the dress was tattered, it seemed to cover it up, and he couldn't see any obvious tail protrusion.

"Huh? My ears... feel weird." Lingdang reached out to touch them, but Li Xian gently stopped her.

"The disguise is necessary, just bear with it. I'll remove it once we get to the safe house (my house)," Li Xian said earnestly, trying to fool him.

"Remember, don't speak once you're inside. Pretend you're very sleepy."

Bell was skeptical, but for the sake of the "secret operation" and the hot meal (fish!) she was about to have, she reluctantly nodded.

Sure enough, there were neighbors in the elevator.

Seeing Li Xian leading a dirty little girl, the neighbor lady cast an inquiring glance. "Little Li, who is this child...?"

"My distant cousin's child came to stay with us in the countryside for a few days, and fell on the way." Li Xian said without changing his expression.

At the same time, extremely subtle mental suggestions (also a variation of mental power, making it easier for people to accept the idea subconsciously) gently brushed across the surface of the old lady's mind.

"Oh, poor thing." The old woman didn't ask any more questions and even looked at Lingdang with sympathy.

I entered the house safely, albeit with some close calls.

As soon as the door closed, Li Xian immediately dropped the disguise of the bell-shaped ears.

The golden cat ears popped up with a "pop," and the bell shook its head, letting out a sigh of relief: "I was suffocating! Your disguise is not bad, barely worthy of being my temporary ally."

Li Xian ignored her boasting and pointed to the bathroom: "Go and wash yourself clean. As for clothes... I'll find one of my old T-shirts for you to wear as pajamas."

He glanced at Lingdang's tattered dress, which was so worn it could hardly be called clothing, and thought it would be easier to just throw it away.

"Take a... take a bath?" Lingdang suddenly tensed up, took a step back, and hugged herself. "What... what do you want to do? Let me tell you, don't even think about coveting my...!"

Li Xian rolled his eyes, picked up Fatty Orange, who was dozing off, from the top of the kitchen refrigerator, and placed it in front of Lingdang: "Let me introduce you, this is Fatty Orange, the family's security captain and glutton."

Look at it, isn't it clean? And fluffy? That's because it bathes regularly. If it doesn't get clean, it won't eat, let alone fish.

The fat orange cat was suddenly lifted up and meowed unhappily, but when it saw the little thing in front of it that was radiating unfamiliar energy fluctuations and had cat ears, a clear curiosity and scrutiny flashed in its heterochromatic eyes.

"Meow? (Translation: What's this? A new species of two-legged creature? It tastes weird.)"

Bell stared wide-eyed at Fatty Orange, her nose twitching: "A talking tuft of fur?"

She could vaguely sense Fat Orange's thoughts, but couldn't understand the specifics.

"Its name is Fat Orange. Anyway, if you want to eat, take a shower first." Li Xian pushed the bewildered Bell into the bathroom.

He handed her a set of toiletries and a large old T-shirt, and before closing the door, he told her, "You can wash yourself, right? Just let me know if you need any help."

"Who, who needs your help! I can do anything!" came Lingdang's voice from inside the door, trying to remain calm, mixed with muttering sounds of studying the unfamiliar faucet and bath products.

Li Xian shook his head and headed to the kitchen. He needed to get this "family reunion dinner" sorted out before Li Yu returned, and he also needed to come up with his explanation.

"I told them I met the orphan while volunteering at the welfare home. We hit it off, so I went through the temporary adoption procedures and took him home to stay for a while. We're about twenty years apart in age, which perfectly meets the adoption requirements."

While using [Consciousness Slicing] to process a piece of alien beast meat in the refrigerator (luckily, there was some stock beforehand), Li Xian refined his plan.

As for Lingdang's cat ears, she lets them stay at home as they please, but temporarily disguises them when she goes out.

Anyway, "sponsoring an orphan who is a bit special (referring to the possibility of awakening a beast-type ability)" is not too outrageous in this era.

As for the Bureau of Superpowers, I am currently a certified "low-sequence superpower user" and I am sponsoring an orphan. As long as I don't cause trouble, they shouldn't investigate too deeply.

He moved swiftly, using [Flame Heart Control] to precisely control the temperature. Soon, the aroma of steamed beast meat mixed with the scent of ginger filled the air.

He stir-fried some greens and steamed some rice.

Just then, the bathroom door opened a crack, and a wet little head peeked out. Golden cat ears drooped and dripped water, and big eyes blinked: "Hey... um, the clothes are too big."

Li Xian walked over and saw that Lingdang was wearing his old T-shirt, the hem of which dragged all the way down to her calves, making her look like she was wearing a large sack, and the sleeves were rolled up several times.

Her clean face was fair and tender, and her features were as delicate as a porcelain doll, but her eyes still carried a feigned maturity and wariness.

Her wet blonde hair clung to her cheeks, and the downy fur on her cat ears was all matted together, making her look both pitiful and adorable.

"Just make do for now, I'll buy you something that fits tomorrow." Li Xian covered her head with a dry towel and ruffled it haphazardly. "Let's eat."

The aroma of the food completely dispelled the bell's wariness.

Her eyes were fixed on the plate of steamed meat on the table, which looked tempting and smelled delicious, and her throat moved involuntarily.

But she still maintained her composure, slowly moving to the table and sitting down, trying to speak calmly: "Hmph, since you've prepared so sincerely, I'll do you the honor of having a taste."

Li Xian served her rice, placed a large piece of the tenderest meat in her bowl, and then picked out some boneless fish belly meat (made from frozen fish from his stock) for her.

Lingdang picked up her chopsticks (not very skillfully) and carefully tasted a bite of the strange beast meat.

Instantly, her eyes widened.

The cat's ears snapped upright, and its tail (which appeared out of nowhere and was also wet) swayed happily behind the chair.

"Delicious!" she mumbled in praise, no longer caring about her image, and buried her head in her food, her cheeks bulging out like a hamster.

The chubby orange cat jumped onto the table, stared at the bell for a while, then looked at the plate of meat, and meowed at Li Xian, "Meow? (Translation: Where's mine?)"

"You'll get your share."

Li Xian mixed another portion of meat and fish that was specially reserved for Fat Orange and put it in its special cat bowl.

Fat Orange finally lowered its head in satisfaction and started eating.

A gust of wind swept away the remaining clouds.

Lingdang practically devoured all the dishes on the table, her little belly round and full. She leaned back in her chair, letting out a satisfied little burp, her eyes a little dazed, barely managing to stay awake and not fall asleep on the spot.

As Li Xian was clearing away the dishes, Lingdang finally snapped out of her daze from the delicious food.

She looked around the apartment, which wasn't large but was clean and warm (thanks to Lai Hin's diligent "mindful housework").

Then look at Li Xian, who is busy in the kitchen, and the fat orange cat licking its paws next to him.

The dream of "ruling the world" seemed to have been temporarily forgotten, and a strange, reassuring feeling quietly welled up in my heart.

But she immediately shook her head, banishing this "weak" feeling.

No way! How could I be bought off by a meal! This is just a temporary base! Once I become stronger... She secretly clenched her little fist.

It was late at night, so Li Xian told Lingdang to go to Li Yu's room to sleep.

Anyway, that girl is very busy and doesn't come home much, so the room is just sitting empty.

Lingdang lay on the bed, covered with a clean blanket, stubbornly saying, "I don't need your care."

But its body honestly curled up, and it soon fell into a deep sleep, feeling safe and full, with its cat ears occasionally twitching gently in its sleep.

Li Xian sat on the edge of the bed, pondering how to "perfect" Ling Dang's identity tomorrow, and how to deal with Li Yu's possible phone check-in.

The chubby orange cat jumped onto the headboard, looked at the bell, then at Li Xian: "Meow? (Translation: Really want to keep it? What a troublesome thing.)"

"What else? Throw it out?" Li Xian scratched Fatty Orange's chin.

"Just think of it as... another freeloader. Anyway, raising one is the same as raising two, letting them roam freely is the same." He paused, a very faint smile, almost imperceptible to himself, playing at the corners of his lips. "It's quite amusing."

The next morning, Li Xian was awakened by a slight noise.

He squinted and saw that Lingdang had already woken up.

He was now tiptoeing towards the door, muttering to himself, "Hmph, foolish temporary ally, thinking a meal can hold me back? Wait till I go out and recruit more soldiers, then come back... uh?"

She tried to turn the doorknob, but there was no response—Li Xian had locked it from the inside with his telekinesis before going to sleep.

Lingdang frowned, took two steps back, stared at the door lock, and concentrated.

Li Xian could sense the faint basic spiritual power within her beginning to fluctuate, and then... [Fission] activated!

My mental strength, which was around 10 points, suddenly exploded and increased to around 100!

Although the total quantity is still not large, the texture and strength have been significantly improved.

She tried to use this enhanced mental power to attack the door lock structure, or to simulate the intention to unlock it.

The idea is good, but as for self-control...

"Buzz..." The door lock vibrated slightly, but remained motionless.

The lock on Li Xian's door is a standard model, but thanks to Li Xian's intentional and unintentional long-term energy immersion (mainly the trace amounts of energy that dissipate when he uses his abilities) and the extra reinforcement last night, it is slightly sturdier than a regular lock.

Bell didn't believe it and tried again, this time with even more force.

The mental energy struck the lock, and the rebound made her head spin for a moment.

"This is outrageous!" Bell got a little anxious and forgot to hide her voice, so she raised it a bit.

"Behold my might!" She clenched her fists, seemingly trying to gather her mental energy after the squared-off state to forcefully break down the door.

A force that wasn't particularly strong but was extremely concentrated and full of explosive potential was brewing in her palm.

Just then, Li Xian's lazy voice came from the sofa: "What's all the noise so early in the morning..."

Startled, the energy in her hand instantly dissipated.

She turned around abruptly and saw that Li Xian had already sat up at some point, yawning and looking at her sleepily.

That look in his eyes... how should I put it, it was like watching a kitten trying to pry open the refrigerator door to steal some food.

"I...I just wanted to go out and scout out the enemy's situation!" Lingdang stubbornly argued, her little face slightly red.

"Oh." Li Xian responded, slowly stood up, walked to her, squatted down, and looked her in the eye. "Lady Bell, if you want to leave, I won't stop you."

Bell's eyes lit up.

"However," Li Xian changed the subject, pointing to the gate.

"Outside, there are 'official personnel' patrolling everywhere, specifically targeting little guys like you who have no background, no identity, and cat ears."

If we catch them, at best we'll lock them up for questioning, at worst... we'll dissect them for research." He deliberately downplayed the "dissection" part.

Bell's cat ears twitched, and its tail curled up uncomfortably, but it protested, "Slice? I'm not afraid! My fission ability..."

"Fission? Oh, so it's just flattening your mental power, right?" Li Xian interrupted her, his tone still calm. "Sequence 004, indeed impressive."

The bell froze instantly, its pupils dilating in shock: "How...how did you know?!" This was her biggest secret!

"I could tell." Li Xian pointed to his eyes.

"I'm a little bit special too. But that's not the point."

The key question is, with your current... well, roughly 100+ in post-fission mental strength, how many well-trained, well-equipped government personnel, each with mental strength possibly in the hundreds or even thousands, do you think you can handle?

Not to mention they might have even more powerful weapons and superhumans.

The bell opened its mouth, but no words came out.

Although she was a bit of a chuunibyou (a person with delusions of grandeur), she wasn't stupid. The scene Li Xian described made her feel a real threat.

"so…"

Li Xian stood up and looked down at her (although the height difference wasn't that big), with an expression that said, "I'm doing this for your own good."

"Before I get you a legal identity and teach you how to hide yourself in this world and use your abilities properly, it's very dangerous outside."

This is the safest place for now.

Of course, if you insist on leaving, the door is over there, and I can open it for you. But once you're outside that door, whether you live or die is up to your own fate.

After saying that, he actually turned around and pretended to open the door.

"Wait, wait a minute!" Lingdang panicked and instinctively grabbed Li Xian's clothes, her voice trembling slightly.

Li Xian stopped and turned to look at her.

Bell lowered her head, her cat ears drooping, and her little hands tightly gripped his clothes. After a long while, she finally spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, "...Is there any more fish?"

Li Xian chuckled inwardly, but maintained his usual nonchalant expression: "Yes. But you have to be obedient."

"...Okay." Bell replied sullenly, letting go of her hand. The great journey to rule the world had barely begun when it was tripped up by a breakfast (and the threat of reality).

But she wasn't entirely convinced. "Hmph, once I've eaten a few more meals and raised my basic spiritual power, after the fission... I definitely will! I definitely will!"

Just then, Li Xian suddenly felt his [All-Encompassing Power] move slightly.

Just moments before, as the bell was emotionally agitated and unleashing its full power to attempt to break down the door, the Authority had already automatically completed the analysis and recording of this top-tier sequence ability.

[The superpower "Fission" (optimized version) has been replicated]

[Optimization Effect: The multiplier of mental energy is increased to "mental energy^2.5", consumption is reduced by 50%, controllability is improved, and it can be activated locally (such as only enhancing the senses or specific limbs).]

Current level of mastery: Perfect

[Note: Now you can square your laziness (and then take the 2.5 root). Theoretically, you can lie down with even more justification.]

Li Xian: "..." This note is as cheeky as ever.

However, fission (optimized version)? That's interesting. But he doesn't plan to use it for the time being, nor does he feel the need for it.

His current basic mental strength (although it has never been tested) is probably an astronomical figure. Square it, square it again, and take the square root... that's too troublesome. It's better to save the energy to roast chicken wings.

Lingdang had no idea that her trump card had been taken and even optimized by the seemingly lazy "temporary ally" in front of her.

She walked dejectedly towards the dining table, preparing to channel her grief into food.

Li Xian watched her retreating figure, then glanced at the chubby orange cat beside him with a "I knew it" expression, and felt that his days were becoming more and more "fulfilling".

A few days later, after Li Xian's "operations" (mainly using mental suggestion and reasonable explanations to deal with the community registration, and giving Lingdang a fake "special orphan foster care" identity that could not be found to be problematic for the time being).

Lingdang has settled down in this home for the time being.

When Li Yu called, Li Xian casually said, "I've sponsored a child, and he's quite well-behaved." Although Li Yu was surprised, she was busy with her mission and didn't ask any further questions, only saying that she would come back to visit when she had time.

Lingdang gradually came to terms with reality: escaping was out of the question for the time being. This "temporary ally," though lazy, was a good cook and seemed... unfathomable.

Her several attempts to probe him (such as secretly using her enhanced mental power to "poke" Li Xian) were like throwing a stone into the sea; he didn't even bother to lift an eyelid.

Once, feeling resentful, she took advantage of Li Xian's inattention during a meal to condense her mental energy, which she had gained through the squared-up process, into a small needle, intending to scare him.

As a result, the tiny needle disappeared silently when it got close to Li Xian's skin.

Li Xian merely glanced at her, his eyes seeming to say, "Don't play with your chopsticks while eating."

The bell has become completely obedient (on the surface).

She sadly discovered that her grand plan to unify the world seemed to have run straight into the final boss's lair before it even began, while the boss was leisurely picking fish bones out of her bones.

However, children are highly adaptable.

A warm and safe dwelling, and plenty of delicious food (Li Xian's supernatural cooking skills are improving day by day).

Hmm... there's also a chubby orange cat that, while aloof, occasionally allows her to pet it a couple of times, which quickly eroded a lot of Bell's "ambition".

She began to enjoy this life where she was taken care of and didn't have to hide anymore. Of course, she still refused to admit defeat verbally.

"Hmph, I'll just consider this my secret base before I conquer the world!" she always told herself.

Then, feeling perfectly justified, he ordered Li Xian, "Hey, temporary ally, I want to eat that glowing pudding!" (referring to the caramel pudding Li Xian made using [Flame Heart Control]).

"Call me Daddy," Li Xian said without looking up, while using his telekinesis to control the caramel on the surface of the pudding to form a perfect grid.

"Huh?!" Bell bristled, her cat ears standing on end like airplane ears. "Don't even think about it! How could I, a person of such high status, possibly..."

"If you don't order, you won't get any." Li Xian moved the pudding bowl closer to himself.

"...Dad, Daddy." Bell bit her lip, her voice barely audible, her face flushed, her eyes fixed on Pudding with a mixture of humiliation and longing.

For the sake of delicious food, Your Majesty will temporarily bow your head!

"Good girl." Li Xian pushed Pudding over with satisfaction, and casually ruffled her soft hair and the base of her ears. It felt nice.

While sulking as she ate her pudding, Lingdang vowed in her heart: When I become stronger! When I... Mmm, this pudding is really delicious.

Thus, under Li Xian's half-coercion and half-indulgence, and Ling Dang's tsundere attitude, the strange "father-daughter" relationship was initially established.

Li Xian discovered that he actually liked this bell, who, despite being a bit eccentric, arrogant, and prone to causing trouble, was essentially simple-minded and like a frightened little cat that liked to bluff and hiss.

Of course, the "breathing" of the bell is in the literal sense.

Whenever she felt annoyed by Li Xian's laziness or teasing, or wanted to emphasize her "authority," she would unconsciously let out a low, harmless "ha" sound from her throat, just like a cat.

The bared teeth and erect cat ears were used to try and increase the imposing presence.

The result is usually that Li Xian rubs his head even harder, or Fatty Orange gives him a look that says he's an idiot.

"If you keep breathing on your skin, you won't get any fish tonight."

"Ha—...I'm sorry."

It seems that Bell's path to conquering the world is destined to be fraught with difficulties, first under the authority of her "keeper" (and the temptation of delicious food).

As for Li Xian's lazy daily life, it seems... not so boring anymore after the addition of a small figure who needs to be fed, occasionally suppressed, but also unconsciously snuggles over while asleep, bringing a little warmth and noise.