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

After seeing Su Lin off, Lingdang kept pestering Li Xian to ask where Fatty Orange was "working".

Unable to answer the question properly, Li Xian could only give a half-truth:

"It became the leader of the stray cats, managing a lot of them, and it's very powerful."

The bell's eyes lit up when it heard that.

"Wow! That chubby orange cat is amazing! Is it like a gangster boss in a movie?"

Li Xian: "...More or less."

The subordinates are henchmen, not thugs, and the tribute is dried fish, not US dollars.

"Can I go see it?"

"The bell asked expectantly."

"Not for now."

Li Xian tapped her on the head.

"Fat orange cat is busy with 'work,' wait for it to come back to see you during its 'vacation.'"

"Oh……"

Bell was a little disappointed, but then she remembered that Fatty Orange was alright and had even become the "boss," so she cheered up again.

"Fat Orange is awesome! I'm going to tell Wanwan tomorrow!"

When Lin Wanwan was mentioned, what came to Li Xian's mind?

"Oh right, didn't you tell Wanwan you'd call her when you got back? Don't forget. I need to take care of things at home."

"good!"

Bell immediately ran to get her children's watch phone.

Li Xian then began packing his luggage and took the opportunity to check on "Little Gold" on the balcony.

After two days, this mutated pothos seems to have grown even more lush.

The golden cat's paw flowers bloom and fade, bloom and fade again, yet they maintain a stable quantity and a rich pudding aroma.

It sensed Li Xian's presence, and several vines immediately reached out affectionately, rubbing against his fingers.

"Have you been a good girl at home? Has the fat orange cat bullied you?"

Li Xian asked casually, using a wisp of his spiritual power to soothe it.

The little goldfish swayed its leaves, conveying a vague sense of "everything is fine" and "the fat orange cat kicked my flowerpot before it left, but I forgave it."

Li Xian: "..."

The family hierarchy is so clearly defined.

Meanwhile, Lingdang had already dialed Lin Wanwan's number.

"Hello? Wanwan! It's me, Lingdang! I've arrived in Jiangcheng!"

Lin Wanwan's voice, which tried to remain serious but couldn't hide her excitement, came from the other end of the phone.

"Observer, you have finally returned to your original plane! Did you gain anything from your trip to the capital? Does the 'Astral Chronicles' need to be updated?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I saw a huge square, ate Peking duck, and even saw a fairy sister and a white-haired brother..."

The two little girls started chatting away.

Lingdang described her sights and sounds in the capital in great detail (mixed with a lot of personal imagination).

Lin Wanwan would occasionally exclaim in amazement, "Is this really true?" or "Is this a miracle?"

After chatting for more than ten minutes, Lingdang finally remembered the important matter.

"By the way, Wanwan, Xiaojin is doing great! It's blooming so many flowers, and they smell so good! My dad is taking very good care of it!"

"Very good. I am relieved that 'Emerald Dust' is safe and sound. By the way, Observer, I have some important information to report."

"What? What?"

"Ms. Li informed us today that the day after tomorrow, the whole class will go to the high school training ground to observe the 'practical exercises' of the senior students!"

Lin Wanwan spoke solemnly, as if announcing a sacred expedition.

"Live-fire drills?"

The bell blinked.

"Is it a fight?"

"No! It is a sublime ceremony to test the results of cultivation, hone combat skills, and demonstrate the exquisite application of supernatural abilities!"

Lin Wanwan corrected.

"I've heard that the high school is full of elites. Although their ranks may be similar to ours, they are several years older, and their mental strength and combat power far surpass ours. Even more remarkably, some members of the 'Blazing Flame Class,' personally instructed by Instructor Chen Zhe, have already broken through the C-level threshold, with mental strength reaching a staggering eight hundred!"

"Eight hundred?!"

Bell exclaimed in surprise.

Her current true mental strength is 19 points (361 points after fission), which is still a little short of D-level (400 points).

Eight hundred points, that's an astronomical figure!

However, she quickly realized that after her fission, she had over 300 points, which didn't seem... particularly bad?

Moreover, Old Deng said that her promotion was of high quality.

"Exactly!"

Lin Wanwan's voice was filled with longing.

"Rumor has it that a spectacular showdown will take place, a clash of supernatural abilities, illuminating the entire arena! This is an excellent opportunity for learning and observation, and it will also serve as a reminder that the path of cultivation is long and arduous, and we must not slacken our efforts!"

The bell also became excited after hearing what she said.

"Wow! That must be really good! Wanwan, will we be able to understand it?"

"Of course! I've prepared the 'observation tools' (actually a children's telescope her mother bought for her) and the 'energy fluctuation recorder' (a small toy that lights up), and I'm sure I can discern its subtleties!"

"I need to get ready too! I'll bring... I'll bring Little Gold's leaves! To show it to it too!"

The two little ones started discussing enthusiastically what "equipment" they should bring.

It was as if they weren't going to watch a drill, but rather to conduct a great scientific observation.

As Li Xian tidied up, he listened to the chirping of the bells, a slight smile playing on his lips.

A practical exercise? Observing upperclassmen?

Good, let Lingdang see the fighting styles of other superpowered individuals, broaden her horizons, and know that there are always people better than her, so she won't always think that she's amazing just because she has over 300 points after her transformation.

This will also make her clearer about what level the persona "Li Xiaoling" should maintain.

However, a C-level, 800 mental strength... that's definitely considered genius among ordinary students.

But in Li Xian's opinion, it was nothing special.

Truly top-tier talents, like Lin Wanwan, will likely catch up quickly once their shackles are removed.

As for the bell... well, as long as she doesn't reveal her fission and just obediently acts as a "medium-to-above level mental amplifier with poor control," she can just watch the show.

By the time Lingdang finished her call, it was already quite late.

Li Xian quickly prepared a simple dinner—using the space folding mechanism to "take" the ingredients directly from the refrigerator and quickly heat them using optimized thermal radiation, making the meal ready in ten minutes.

Bell enjoyed the meal. Although it wasn't as good as the cooking of chefs in Beijing, "Old Deng's taste" made her feel at ease.

After the meal, Li Xian felt a little tired.

Two days in Beijing: dealing with an S-level emergency, suppressing the urge to overeat, and taking the kids on a trip. Although there was no real danger, it was mentally exhausting.

"Lingdang, play by yourself for a while, or watch cartoons. Go to bed at nine o'clock sharp. I'm going to lie down for a bit."

After giving his instructions, Li Xian collapsed onto the sofa.

Lingdang was very well-behaved. She hugged her newly bought Palace Museum cat plush toy and sat on the other end of the sofa watching cartoons, keeping the volume very low.

Li Xian closed his eyes, but his consciousness sank into his sea of ​​knowledge.

The power of all things floated there quietly, exuding a gentle yet vast aura.

It certainly ate too much during this trip to Beijing.

It digested, integrated, and optimized a massive amount of supernatural ability information, causing Li Xian's ability pool to expand again, and many of his original abilities also received subtle but solid improvements.

He briefly "browsed" the update log:

[Spatial Folding] Improved stability and reduced energy consumption for short-distance transitions.

[Causal substitution] slightly increases the success rate of intervention in "low-probability events".

[Consciousness Segmentation] The upper limit of multi-threaded information processing has been increased, and now I can think about... about a hundred different things at the same time without getting confused? Although I don't use it most of the time.

After the fusion and optimization of [Flame Core Control] and [Heat Radiation], the control of temperature is more precise and nuanced, and it can even simulate the "feel" of the best cooking temperature for different ingredients.

[Electromagnetic Control] The newly added metal perception is very interesting. Now he can know the location and shape of all the metal objects in the house even with his eyes closed.

【Healing Light】is much better than Su Lin's original version, but it's more efficient at treating superficial wounds. If the bell gets bumped or bruised, he can probably heal it with a simple wipe. The only question is whether it can regenerate severed limbs, since no one has been experimenting on him.

There are also some other miscellaneous new abilities, such as [Scent Marking], [Water Flow Shaping] (basic), [Local Acceleration], etc. Most of them are not very practical, but the abilities have been thoughtfully categorized and archived.

"It's really... becoming more and more like an intelligent operating system."

Li Xian thought to himself, "But it's pretty useful."

He withdrew from his consciousness, lay on the sofa, and listened to the sounds of cartoons and the occasional laughter of a bell next to him, his consciousness gradually fading.

Oh well, let the chubby orange cat be as wild as it wants. Anyway, it's got the strength, and it won't cause any major trouble.

Lingdang's campus life is quite fulfilling, and there's something exciting to see the day after tomorrow.

As for myself... I'll go back to the quick reaction team tomorrow to continue slacking off. I wonder if Magnet String has any new suspicions.

Life seems to have returned to its familiar track.

Just as Li Xian was about to fall asleep, he heard the sound of Lingdang tiptoeing over, and then a small blanket was gently placed over him.

Goodnight, Old Deng.

Lingdang whispered something, then gave him a mock "tsk" on the forehead before skipping back to her room to sleep.

Li Xian smiled and adjusted to a more comfortable position.

Yes, it's so good to be home.

---

Night was falling.

An abandoned boiler room in the western district of Jiangcheng.

Fat Orange squatted on the highest pipe, its heterochromatic eyes gleaming eerily in the darkness like two small lanterns.

Below, its "subjects"—dozens of stray cats of various colors—quietly lay or sat, gazing up at their "king."

In the corner of the boiler room, piles of "spoils of war" brought in by the "underlings" today were stacked up.

A few relatively fresh fish, several unopened cans of cat food, and even an unopened packet of catnip.

A large tabby cat with a scar on its face (formerly a local leader, now the fat orange cat's "law enforcement officer").

It stepped forward, meowed respectfully, and reported on the situation within its territory that day.

A raccoon was found trying to steal food in the eastern trash can (it has been driven away).

Two strange stray dogs came from the alley to the north (they were scared away by the presence of Fat Orange).

The new owner of that convenience store to the south is nice to cats; we could consider making it a "long-term supplier"...

The chubby orange cat listens and occasionally lets out a lazy "meow" to indicate that it understands, or gives instructions (such as: the convenience store can be developed, but theft is not allowed, and you have to exchange it for "cuteness").

It licked its paws, feeling the abundant B-grade energy within its body, and narrowed its eyes.

Fortunately, it had the foresight to align itself with a powerful patron, which allowed it to be promoted to B-level in such a short time.

Although it can't compare to its terrifying two-legged owner at home, it is the undisputed overlord of this neighborhood.

The feeling of freedom is wonderful.

They have their own territory, their own underlings, and their own "concubines." They don't have to be tugged at by some little maid, nor are they used as foot warmers by some unscrupulous master...

Well, aside from occasionally thinking about that silly, glowing plant at home, and that annoying but incredibly delicious succulent-eating two-legged creature...

Fat Orange shook its head, trying to shake off this "inappropriate" thought.

This king is a cat with a career now! How can I always think about going home to be a pet? At least... at least I have to play enough before going back!

It stood up, stretched, and made a majestic snort, announcing the end of the "morning assembly".

The cats respectfully withdrew.

Fat Orange lay down again, gazing at the night view of Jiangcheng outside the window, a hint of human-like satisfaction flashing in its heterochromatic eyes.