Chapter 69. Delivering the Black CatÂ
Lifting her wrist, she saw a notification for an incoming payment pop up on her wristband. An anonymous account had transferred 100,000 points to her. Immediately following that was A Ningâs call request flashing on the screen.
Su Tang was confused; the transfer and A Ningâs call were sent almost simultaneously.
Su Tang answered the call. First came a faint meow, followed by A Ningâs slightly hurried voice.
“Guide Su Tang, are you in your dorm? Did you receive the transfer from our captain?”
It turned out Ya Suo was the one who sent it.
“Captain Ya Suo said itâs payment for the purification last night. He said you shouldn’t feel burdened and just accept it.”
Su Tang nodded. She had put in the labor, so she accepted the points with a clear conscience.
The sound of a girl panting came through the receiver. It sounded like she was⌠running?
“Are you in a hurry? You sound very tired. Is there anything else? If not, focus on what youâre doing. Iâll hang up now.”
“No, no, Guide Su Tang, don’t hang up! Our captain heard youâre going to the Abyss and asked me to bring you something. Phew!“
The girl took a large breath on the other end, and then Su Tangâs dormitory door was knocked.
“Guide Su Tang, Iâm here! Did you hear my knock? Could you open the door?”
Wonderful. She was starting to regret not learning a bit about Feng Shui; she had no way to properly judge the location of her new house.
But she figured this place must be a treasure trove of Feng Shui; otherwise, why would people keep visiting one after another since she moved in?
“Hello? Guide Su Tang, are you there?”
Su Tang snapped back to her senses, gave A Ning a response, then hung up and opened the door.
Upon opening it, she didn’t see A Ningâs sweating forehead first. Instead, she saw a black cat standing on top of A Ningâs head with a haughty, tsundere expression.
“…”
“Why did you bring Ya Suoâs spiritual entity?”
Su Tang looked at the small black cat with green eyes. Its four paws were planted firmly on A Ningâs round little head, its tail coiled to the side, and its chin slightly raised. After seeing her, it tilted its head and let out a meow. Su Tang couldn’t help but have an absurd thought.
Could it be that the thing Ya Suo wanted A Ning to deliver was this fellow?
“Guide Su Tang, our captain asked me to bring Xiao Yu over. He knows youâre going to the Abyss. For certain special reasons, he canât go along. To ensure your safety, he sent his spiritual entity to you. He hopes youâll take Xiao Yu with you on the mission.”
So the black catâs name was Xiao Yu?
Naming a cat “Small Fish”âwas it because it liked eating fish that much?
Seeing the little fellow tilt its head and slowly lick its fur, Su Tang couldn’t help but smile.
A Ning thought Su Tang was smiling because she looked down on Xiao Yu and hurriedly explained.
“Guide Su Tang, don’t look at Xiao Yuâs lazy appearance; itâs actually very powerful. Itâs extremely sensitive to spiritual energy fluctuations and the likeâstronger than most Sentinels and Guides. Captain Ya Suo said the Abyss is full of dangers. Taking Xiao Yu along can at least serve as an early warning alarm.”
Seemingly dissatisfied with A Ningâs description, the black cat on her head whipped its tail andâsmack!âhit A Ning on the forehead.
“Ow!”
Then, the small black cat jumped down. Its paws hit the floor without making a sound. It walked with elegant steps into Su Tangâs dorm as if it had already claimed the place as its own territory.
Su Tang stepped to the right, blocking the catâs path. Sensing the obstruction, the cat sat down by Su Tangâs feet, tilted its head back, and let out an exceptionally delicate meow. From Su Tangâs angle, it looked like a fat little gas tank with a fluffy head on top. Honestly, it was quite cute.
“Itâs not that Iâm unwilling to take Xiao Yu. Youâre a Sentinel; you should know better than I that a spiritual entity cannot be separated from its master for a long time or over a long distance. The entity will instinctively feel uneasy and riot, and that negative energy will backfire on the master.”
“Captain Ya Suoâs condition has only just stabilized. If I take Xiao Yu out and something happens, it won’t matter how much I want to bring it back; itâll be too late.”
A Ning pursed her lips. She naturally knew what Su Tang meant. When Captain Ya Suo asked her to bring the cat, she had said the same thing. Now she relayed his words to Su Tang exactly.
“Guide Su Tang, you might not know, but because the Fifth Squad is always on dangerous missions, Xiao Yu and the Captain have developed a skill. Compared to high-pollution erosion, they can handle the slight spiritual fluctuations caused by this separation.”
“Furthermore, by keeping Xiao Yu with you, the Captain can stay informed of your situation. If anything unfortunate happens, he can control Xiao Yu to help you escape. Those were the Captainâs words.”
“Guide Su Tang, we are deeply grateful to you for saving our captain. We know the unique nature of your spiritual power. You are the only hope for the Captain and other Sentinels to survive. We don’t want anything to go wrong with you. So, please accept Captain Ya Suoâs kindness.”
Su Tang looked down at the black cat sitting by her feet. The little fellow was looking at her with its glowing green eyes, the tip of its tail lightly sweeping the floor every now and then.
Seeing her look at it, a faint whimper came from its throat, as if it were acting spoiled.
“He said… he would control Xiao Yu to help me escape?”
Su Tang asked softly.
“The entity and the master are one, but remote control requires a lot of energy. Can he handle it?”
“The Captain said he can!”
Sensing the softening in Su Tangâs tone, A Ning spoke quickly, fearing Su Tang might change her mind if she hesitated for a second.
“Captain Ya Suoâs control over spiritual power is among the best in the Bai Ta. You might not know, but during the last mission, the Captain controlled Xiao Yu from a long distance to carry the team members out of the Abyssâs core area one by one.”
Xiao Yu, sitting on the ground, seemed to understand A Ningâs words and proudly puffed out its chest, as if saying to Su Tang: Human, don’t underestimate my abilities. See? Iâm very powerful.
Su Tang was moved to laughter by its haughty yet serious expression. Essentially, Ya Suo and this cat were cut from the same cloth.
Translator’s Note: Meet Xiao Yu! His name literally means “Small Fish” (ĺ°éąź). Itâs so ironic for a cat, isnât it? In Chinese culture, cats and fish go hand-in-hand, but usually with the cat eating the fish! Also, A Ning is such a loyal subordinate. Sheâs willing to get smacked by a spiritual entity just to make sure Su Tang is protected.
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