Chapter 73: Departure to the Shenyuan
As soon as Su Tang spoke, she was met with immediate opposition from the two Sentinels present.
“Your spiritual entity is about to be born. It is better to remain steady and calm during this time.”
This would be the first Guide ever to give birth to a spiritual entity. If not for the fear of causing unnecessary complications with the Bai Ta, Zhan Ye wouldn’t have even wanted to bring Su Tang along. He had discussed it with Mo Xiao yesterday; for this mission, his sole task was to protect Su Tang’s safety. As for the mission to blow up the Cocoon as ordered by the Bai Ta, Mo Xiao would be in full charge of that.
“I agree with Zhan Ye.”
Mo Xiao pursed his lips, carefully observing the expression on Su Tang’s face before continuing.
“Anse also told you yesterday that your spirit power will be highly attractive to those pollutants during this period. Even if you want to help with detection, there is no guarantee you won’t attract a large swarm of high-level pollutants. If that happens, it will only hinder our mission.”
Su Tang thought carefully about Mo Xiao’s words and found them reasonable. If she couldn’t go herself, and the location of the Cocoon shifted, the difficulty and time required for the mission would only increase.
“Meow~”
The little black cat sat up from its cushion and walked with an elegant pace to Su Tang’s side. It began to softly knead its paws against Su Tang’s thigh.
“Then we could let Xiao Yu try.”
How could she have forgotten?
When A Ning delivered Xiao Yu, she mentioned that the cat was extremely sensitive to pollutants. Perhaps it could help detect the exact location of the Cocoon.
Zhan Ye frowned, watching the kitten’s paws rhythmically and indiscreetly touch the woman’s thigh. He leaned forward and reached out his right hand, intending to scruff the little black cat by the neck.
Unexpectedly, the little fellow was incredibly clever. It leaped forward, jumping to the other side of Su Tang’s body, and even pressed itself tightly against her waist, rubbing against her flirtatiously. This successfully elicited a round of giggles from the little Guide.
Zhan Ye’s vision momentarily went dark. As expected of Ya Suo’s annoying spiritual entity—it was just as detestable as its master.
“Alright, stop fighting with him. Weren’t you going to tell me about tomorrow’s action plan? If you keep acting up, it’ll be dark soon. Hurry up and speak; we have serious business tomorrow.”
Su Tang cut off the argument before Zhan Ye could lose his temper. Zhan Ye shot the little black thing an indignant glare before leaning his upper body back against the sofa.
In the end, it was Mo Xiao who played the mediator, explaining the revised action plan to Su Tang.
The three of them discussed tomorrow’s trajectory, and the afternoon passed by. In the evening, Li Mo delivered the supplies needed for the following day. Su Tang carefully checked her backpack, ensuring nothing was missing. She then took a bottle of milk from the bag, poured it into a dish, and placed it on the floor next to the little black cat.
“We leave tomorrow. I’ll let you have a normal dinner before we depart. But I’m telling you now, once we’re on the mission, supplies will be scarce and we’ll have to save everything. You won’t get to eat things like this. If you’re truly hungry, I’ll feed you my spirit power.”
Xiao Yu squatted obediently on the floor. It lowered its eyes, casting a disdainful glance at the milk in the dish, but it hid its emotions well enough that Su Tang wouldn’t notice.
Hearing Su Tang say that it could enjoy a “spirit power feast” every day during the mission, the tip of its little tail curled up and twitched excitedly.
“Do you like drinking milk that much? Then I’ll pour a little more for you.”
Su Tang looked at the little black “soot-ball” as it happily wagged its tail and stared at the bowl of milk. Thinking it loved it, she took the bottle and filled the dish to the brim.
“Alright, you drink here. When you’re finished, just put the dish into that groove over there. I’ll clean up tomorrow morning.”
After saying that, Su Tang patted the little black cat’s head and went into her bedroom, closing the door.
She then opened her wristband, clicked on her game, and focused on her spirit power training.
Once the little Guide had left the living room, the black cat no longer hid its expression. It openly showed its disdain for the dish of milk on the floor.
It approached the dish and extended its pink tongue, tentatively licking the milk. As expected, it wasn’t a flavor it liked. However, since the little Guide had poured it personally, it eventually licked the dish clean.
Licking up the very last drop, the black cat picked up the dish in its mouth. A comfortable purr vibrated in its throat as it walked with elegant feline steps to the sink Su Tang had mentioned. The so-called sink was actually just a fixture in the far right corner of the living room, connected to the plumbing in Su Tang’s bedroom bathroom.
There was no running water tap above the sink, but the drain below connected to the bathroom pipes. This was why Su Tang would wash things here. After placing the dish in the sink, the cat returned to the cabinet in the living room and used all its strength to grab a bottle of water in its mouth.
Then, Xiao Yu’s body grew slightly larger. Squatting on the cabinet, it used its large front paws to unscrew the bottled water. Holding it in its mouth, it returned to the sink and poured the water over the dish to rinse it. Once it was clean, it bit the edge of the dish and placed it back in its original position.
Seeing that it had handled everything so perfectly, Xiao Yu returned to its normal size. It curled up on the cushion and nodded in satisfaction. It really was a capable little cat.
Closing its eyes, it thought happily to itself: When the little Guide discovers how much work I did tomorrow, she’ll have to praise me.
With a wide grin on its face and its belly turned up, it fell asleep to the sound of its own purring.
The next day, Su Tang made a point to get up early. She intended to wash the dish for Xiao Yu, only to find the plate already cleaned and sitting neatly on the storage shelf.
“Meow~”
Xiao Yu stretched lazily on the cushion. As soon as it opened its eyes, it saw the little Guide walking toward it.
Then, its body was lifted into the air.
Following that, something soft pressed against its forehead.
“You really are a well-behaved little kitty.”
Xiao Yu extended its two front paws, its soft pads pressing against the tender skin of the little Guide’s neck. It proudly raised its chin, and its pink nose pressed against Su Tang’s chin.
Su Tang smiled and played with Xiao Yu for a while. After finishing her last sip of nutrient solution, she grabbed the backpack from the corner and waved to Xiao Yu on the floor. The little fellow leaped up to stand on Su Tang’s shoulder, following her to the First Squad’s training ground.
There, the Sentinels of the First and Third Squads had already gathered. Seeing her approaching from a distance, Zhan Ye came forward to meet her.
“For this mission, Guide Su Tang will be accompanying us. Now that the mission objectives are clear, we depart immediately. First Squad to Aircraft No. 1, Third Squad to Aircraft No. 2.”
Translator’s Note:
A few things to note:
- Kneading (踩奶): In Chinese, this is often called “stepping on milk.” It’s that cute thing cats do with their paws when they’re happy!
- Shenyuan (Abyss): As we head into the Abyss, keep in mind that this is the most dangerous zone in this world.
- The Soot-ball: Su Tang calls the cat a “black propane tank” (小黑煤氣罐), which is a popular internet slang in China for chubby black cats because of their round, dark shape. I’ve translated it to “soot-ball” to keep that cute, round imagery.
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