Bai finally remembered that 0/1

Mr. Wei Hongzhi, our resolute and decisive Captain, once a man of formidable stature, unparalleled courage, and a leader who always charged into the fray.

Now, he was a petite loli, with sun-kissed skin, short black hair, and standing barely a meter tall.

“Hmm, the examination results are similar to that previous unlucky fellow. The main structural changes occurred in the spine, ears, and hip joints.”

“You! Who are you calling an unlucky fellow!?”

“Oh, and in terms of psychological modeling, it seems the last person’s mental age regressed by five years because they were originally only twenty. This one, who was almost forty, regressed directly by over twenty years.”

“It’s truly frightening; her personality has almost completely changed.”

“Are you implying I’m childish now?”

“Regarding physical attributes, this person is also quite different from the last. Neither her strength nor endurance is particularly strong, even showing some regression compared to before the transformation. However, her current abilities are still astonishing given her small size.”

“Right, if you think about it, hitting someone might actually be more impactful now, due to increased pressure. So, are you suggesting her changes are different?”

“Yes, her vision and neural reflex speed are astonishingly high, exceeding Gao Xin’s data by another twenty percent. Her neural reflex speed has reached a terrifying 0.015 seconds, and her vision is an incredible 8.0. At the same time, the side effects are also more pronounced, with about 300 degrees of farsightedness. Gao Xin’s degree wasn’t enough to affect daily activities, but hers will require the aid of glasses, otherwise it would impact reading and similar tasks.”

“Our hypothesis is… the prototype cat species might be different. Gao Xin’s prototype was likely a large pet cat, similar to Xuan Bai, while her prototype is a small cat specialized in speed, such as a black-footed cat.”

“Alright, I understand.”

“Hey!! You two!!” Captain Wei, whose mental age was now barely fifteen, grew furious as the researcher and her father continued pointing and discussing, completely ignoring her. “Are you even listening to me?!”

“Listening to what?” The gray-haired Director turned, looking indifferently at the child he had brought into the world. “Are you going to give me suggestions on how to explain this to your mother?”

“I…” Now regressed to childhood, Wei could only look up at her father.

She lowered her head, murmuring, unsure how to begin.

Her mother was quite old and hadn’t weathered great storms like her father.

What if she couldn’t accept it?

“Such a big person…” The Director started to scold her further, but then he saw his now petite and adorable child staring at her own feet.

The researcher’s words echoed in his mind: [‘Though her memory and knowledge haven’t changed, psychologically and personally, she is now a child.’]

The old man sighed, shaking his head. “Impulsive.”

“Dad! But! Clearly…” Wei impulsively wanted to retort, but ultimately, she pursed her lips in an aggrieved silence.

“What’s done is done. Let me handle the explanation,” The Director coughed twice, a weariness in his voice.

He rubbed his chin, pondering other matters. “Should we give you a new name? Your old name…”

“No need!!”

The fur on the little black catgirl’s tail bristled.

Becoming like this was already tragic enough.

Must she also change her name and abandon her past?

The black catgirl, her mood utterly foul, dashed out of the laboratory.

In truth, if her mental age hadn’t regressed, the nearly forty-year-old Wei wouldn’t have cared much about such a thing.

After all, she was a confirmed bachelor with no family to support, and both she and her elders were part of a special system.

Having accepted the command with determination, a change in appearance would not have caused any trouble.

However, after her mental age regressed, she found it somewhat unbearable.

The catgirl ran sadly through the cold corridor, her large, dark brown eyes brimming with tears.

Perhaps due to her confused thoughts and incomplete adaptation to her current physique, Wei the Cat tripped over her own feet and tumbled.

“Meow-ow-wa!”

Her body’s instincts quickly stabilized her balance, preventing a face-plant.

However, she landed in an awkward position, stepping on her own tail.

“Ooh… ooh-ooh…”

The pain, as sharp as an electric current, combined with an intense numbing sensation, made her lower body go limp.

She collapsed to the ground, whimpering, instinctively cradling her painful tail and licking it.

“Ooh-ooh… slurp… ooh-ooh… slurp… Ooh-wa!”

She whimpered, instinctively licked, and then, as the catgirl came to her senses, feeling the strands of fur on her tongue and observing her own actions, she fully realized she had transformed into a different species.

She cried out in sorrow—and then instinctively licked her tail again.

As she alternately sobbed and licked, her aggrieved sounds attracted Gao Xin, who was nearby.

“Captain…?”

Gao Xin, passing by with Bai, saw the pitiful, aggrieved Wei the Cat.

Her face was streaked with tears, and she knelt on the ground, her newly fitted small clothes covered in dust.

Watching her hug her tail, alternately licking and sobbing, Gao Xin’s heart immediately filled with pity and sorrow.

Though Wei had been a reliable captain just half a day ago, the difference was now too stark.

Gao Xin naturally treated her like a little girl.

Gao Xin set Bai down and knelt, embracing Wei the Cat, pressing her into her modest chest, and gently stroking her head.

“Don’t cry. I’ve been through this too. Just think of it as returning to youth. There will surely be other containment items to resolve this in the future.”

Anyone who has raised human children knows that a pouting child, once comforted, will cry even more intensely, unable to stop.

Such was the case with Wei the Cat.

Feeling the warm embrace and the comforting strokes on her head, she immediately broke down again.

As she sobbed, she realized she was being treated like a child, and her tears flowed even more profusely.

Bai, sitting nearby, self-consciously tucked her tail in front of her feet.

Bai’s prank had been unintentional, merely a playful retaliation… she hadn’t anticipated Wei’s reaction would be so intense.

The miserable, sharp cries made the cat feel restless.

“Meow~”

Bai, her voice soft and gentle, walked forward and rubbed against her, hoping she would feel better.

She also conveyed an apology through their contract.

“Sniff…” Wei the Cat struggled to control her overflowing emotions, glaring at Bai and sniffing.

Her broader perspective prevented her from taking her frustration out on Bai.

She had made this decision to foster a good relationship with this rare species from another world; she couldn’t break it.

Wei averted her gaze, stood up, and tidied her clothes.

After a quiet thank you to Gao Xin, she walked away with small, deliberate steps, a far cry from her previous confident strides.

“She still needs time to accept this…” Gao Xin sighed.

She herself had grown accustomed to it after so long.

This body was actually quite good: excellent physical attributes, vision, and reaction speed, and she rarely got sick.

It was just explaining it to her parents that was difficult… Gao Xin still hadn’t figured out how she would explain it.

Bai looked somewhat dejectedly at the departing Wei and at Gao Xin, who had suddenly become downcast beside her.

Even her most earnest attempt at comfort hadn’t worked.

She reflected, wondering if she had done something wrong?

Bai knew that when she attended elementary school in the old city with those children in the mud house, even though she mostly just napped in the sun by the window, the cat had occasionally listened.

When one made a mistake, one should make amends and remember not to repeat it.

Carried by Gao Xin on the way home, Bai curled up in the catgirl’s arms, deep in thought.

Making amends, huh…

Bai recalled the ability she had gained from Reincarnation Cat’s contract:

[Versatility: Freely transform your appearance]

Then she looked at her empty slot:

[Public Skill Equipped: 0/1]

Hmm… this should be able to make amends, right?

If they don’t like being a cat, she’ll just transform into something else.

Thinking this, Bai equipped [Versatility] into her public skill slot.

The only three contractors simultaneously froze.

The usually imperceptible contract suddenly displayed a notification.

[Skill Updated]

(Reincarnation Cat: Meow meow meow??)