Omens

Where new ambitions met old ruins, where prosperity bordered abandoned decay, Bai slipped in gracefully under the corrugated iron fence that enclosed the area.

This was once a block of buildings under construction, but under the allure of money, human machinations, and the relentless drive of greed, the project had been abandoned halfway.

All that remained was a scarred landscape of somber, dim, dark-red, and chaotic structures.

The orderly frameworks were filled with haphazard construction materials.

Bricks, wood, and steel frames lay molded and rusted, weathered by rain and time.

Even bags of cement had hardened into brittle, unyielding stones.

Unmanaged and forgotten, the disputes had ceased beyond the iron walls, ending beneath the tattered banners.

Inside, unchecked weeds voraciously devoured the ground once destined for noble plants and pebble pathways.

‘Why did it turn out like this?’

‘Why was it abandoned halfway?’

‘Why is no one interested in this place?’

The Cat, however, never pondered such questions.

Bai simply liked it here because of its complex terrain, tall buildings to climb, and dense thickets to burrow through.

“Boss Cat!”

Jump followed close behind Bai, his excited yelps and frantic tail-wagging echoing through their mental link.

Bai had long since given up trying to teach Jump the proper ‘etiquette’ for a cat.

There was nothing wrong with acting like a dog; in fact, she’d heard that dog-like cats were often more popular.

“Play~ Owoo~ Meow~ Mm~”

To an outside observer, it was simply a talkative cow-print cat meowing incessantly, following a large white cat.

He navigated through tall grass, clambered over dirt mounds, and squeezed through narrow gaps, eventually reaching the rooftop.

Normally, even cats wouldn’t climb to such an exposed rooftop frame.

They preferred branches and other sheltered spots.

But Bai was no ordinary cat.

She loved heights, and gazing at the unobstructed view stretching into the distance filled her with a peculiar sense of delight.

Extending a paw, Bai gently nudged Jump back from the edge of the building, where the smaller cat had been fearlessly poking his head out.

Bai then settled into a crouch, her tail neatly tucked in front of her closely aligned paws.

Though some claimed only smoke and fools enjoyed high places, Bai was clearly not a foolish little cat.

“What?” Jump mimicked Bai, crouching beside her and gazing at the distant trees, river, and buildings.

His intelligence had grown, and the already clever Jump had gradually learned simple words from Shop Manager Zhou’s voice recorder buttons.

“Houses, river, trees, sunlight, and wind,” Bai stated, describing only the most obvious features.

For this young cat, just beginning to learn language, understanding what these things were marked significant progress.

Thus, Bai refrained from offering anything too complex.

For instance, Bai knew that the building could yield many delicious treats and fun toys, that the lake was called Mingguang Lake, that a nest of sparrows lived in that tree, and that those sparrows ate grass seeds by Mingguang Lake.

She also knew the sun would set in four hours and that a southwest wind was blowing today.

Knowing all that held little meaning.

It had taken Bai several years to learn human language.

This wasn’t because she was slow; first, she hadn’t studied systematically, and second, cats at that time had no need to speak or even communicate with humans.

Without conversational language learning, it was naturally slower.

Yet, even without formal study, Bai could easily understand any language.

One could only say that Bai’s first utterance was truly remarkable.

Of course, to this day, Bai only spoke Chinese, simply because both worlds she had inhabited happened to speak Chinese.

“Tree, play~ climb, water~ play~” The black and white Jump meowed happily, expressing his joy.

Bai glanced at Jump, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

To think he even liked playing in water!

In that moment, Bai felt a flicker of respect for the silly Jump.

Bai herself wasn’t particularly fond of water; wet fur was truly uncomfortable.

“Meow, mm~”

Let’s go.

Bai called out.

The sun had warmed them enough; it was time to find a new place to play.

Leaping down the stairs one step at a time, with her little subordinate in tow, Bai walked with elegant cat steps, circling to the back of the building.

The wild grass here grew exceptionally lush.

The dense wild grass was perfect for a game of hide-and-seek, a game cats instinctively knew.

This game served as training for their future hunting abilities, allowing skilled cats to learn patience, ambush tactics, vision blocking, and explosive attacks.

Moreover, this patch of wild grass even thoughtfully supported post-training practical experience—it was home to mice and rat snakes.

Although neither Jump nor Bai truly needed such hunting skills, it didn’t stop them from playing and frolicking.

As they plunged into the grass, the game officially began.

With their vision obscured, scent and hearing became their greatest reliance.

Ears twitching, mouth slightly agape, Jump tried to pinpoint Bai’s presence amidst the complex array of surrounding smells.

However, after only two steps, the sound of rustling grass announced Bai’s arrival.

Bai’s form pressed down on Jump, ending the game.

The two cats rolled around on the spot, then began a new round, but the outcome remained the same.

There was no helping it; compared to Jump, Bai was like an existence with cheat codes.

Neither cat cared about winning or losing.

Jump simply thought, ‘Boss Cat is truly Boss Cat.’

Besides hide-and-seek, chasing was also a form of game and training.

Most play behavior in wild animals serves as a rehearsal for future survival.

Chasing was far more tiring than hide-and-seek.

Of course, Bai felt no fatigue, but Jump certainly did.

Again, one shouldn’t compare themselves to someone with cheat codes.

As evening approached, the two cats completed their final hunting game and returned to their respective homes.

Consequently, Shop Manager Zhou had to plaster on a strained smile as she accepted Jump’s gift—a rather plump mouse.

Similarly, Officer Wei, the easiest to find at the permanent base, fell into contemplation as Bai dropped a rat snake before her.

“Can this… be made into snake soup?”

“Ah, no, no, why would a cat have to eat it?”

Bai stared at Officer Wei, her eyes filled with anticipation.

“…”

The kitchen task count just increased by one.

As her time here lengthened, Bai seemed to perceive a growing surge of informational tides pushing at her, a force that intensified and drew ever closer.

The proliferation of anomalies, the emergence of cat-humans, the agitation of world-ending anomalies—all of this was connected to Bai’s arrival.

The Cat herself understood this, and occasionally wondered if it was perhaps not ideal that she kept her companions so busy.

Just then… a faint yet massive wave of information, noticeable only to Bai, swept across the entire region.

Green Leaf Cat, having just finished her lesson, touched the slightly itchy leaves on her head and tilted her head in confusion.

“Eh… do leaves grow a second time, meow?”