The Curious Cat and the Cola Catastrophe

The Captain gasped for breath, having barely managed to keep up with The Cat’s parkour sprint.

“Are you curious about this?” Wei Hongzhi asked, observing Bai as she circled the beverage vending machine.

“Meow~” Bai responded with a polite meow.

She continued to scrutinize the vending machine with her abilities, realizing that human money could be spent in such a way.

Bai watched as humans exchanged their colorful money for cans from the machine’s dispenser.

Inside those cans, she deduced, was something edible!

‘Something she had never tasted before… Would it be delicious?’

Bai found herself unable to move, proving the saying that The Cat was indeed a glutton.

However, the lack of money posed a minor problem.

Bai concluded her observation of the vending machine and turned towards the Captain, who was resting behind her.

She leaped from the cat carrier, landed beside him, and squatted down.

Staring intently into his eyes, she solemnly chewed the air, then gestured towards the vending machine.

“Do you want a drink?”

Having experienced a series of bizarre events, the Captain had completely abandoned rational thought.

“Meow!” Bai let out a sweet, drawn-out meow, conveying the sincerity of her request.

“Hold on,” the Captain said, confirming Bai’s desire.

He pulled out his wallet and approached the vending machine.

“Which one do you want?”

‘Which kind?’

Bai recalled that the most frequently purchased item she had observed humans buying was a black beverage with a red label.

‘So many people buy it, it must be the best tasting!’

Bai confidently leaped back onto the cat carrier and flew to the machine’s screen, her pink paw pad tapping the ‘Cola’ option.

Soon, the machine beeped twice, confirming the selection.

As the coins were inserted, a dark bottle of soda clunked into the retrieval slot.

Bai curiously extended a paw and swatted at it a couple of times, but the slick metal interior made it impossible to pull out.

“I’ll get it,” the Captain said, reaching in to retrieve the cola and twisting off the cap.

Pshhh!

The carbon dioxide, agitated by the fall, finally found its escape.

With a high-pressure hiss, foam erupted, drenching Wei Hongzhi’s hand.

It seemed our Captain didn’t often drink cola.

He shook his hand, finding no container nearby.

Since his hand was already messy, the Captain simply used the Swiss Army knife on his belt to cut the bottle in half, placing the remaining cola in front of Bai.

“Meow?”

Bai looked at the mysterious black liquid, which had just been spewing foam, now sitting before her.

Her fluffy head cautiously approached for a sniff.

Bubbles burst on the surface, splashing a cool mist onto Bai’s nose.

“Hss!”

She sneezed, once again questioning her own abilities.

‘Could this really be drunk?’

Reasoning that if humans drank it, a taste wouldn’t hurt, Bai cautiously extended her tongue and licked it.

Her pupils dilated!

‘This thing! It’s attacking the cat! The cola attacked the cat’s tongue!’

In that instant, Bai recalled the first time in her cat life she had tasted chili and ice: numb, cold, prickly, slightly painful, and even a little spicy in her throat.

Bai opened her mouth wide, tilting her head and shaking it vigorously, attempting to dislodge the strange sensation from her mouth.

Fortunately, the odd sensation dissipated quickly.

Feeling as though her tongue had been thoroughly beaten, and having not even tasted sweetness, The Cat gave this beverage a very low rating.

‘Humans enjoy this stuff? Incomprehensible!’

The Captain watched from the side, amused.

There was nothing he could do; the mysterious cat, who had been so enigmatic since they met, now seemed to have her image completely shattered.

( ᗜ ˰ ᗜ )

‘Still laughing!’

The cat angrily retaliated by swatting the cola bottle, then unhappily jumped onto the cat carrier.

The liquid spilled onto the ground, fizzing with brown foam, looking utterly toxic.

Wei Hongzhi suppressed his smile, picked up the bottle, and tossed it into a trash can, then hurried to catch up with The Cat, who was already flying off into the distance.

The Cat continued to fly aimlessly through the air, her head peeking out from the cat carrier.

She observed the tall, towering buildings, bright glass walls, and numerous people that were so different from the old city.

Flying too high wasn’t much fun; she could only see a jumble of gray-white rooftops, dense crowds, and flashing streams of traffic.

At a glance, the information was as complex as grains of sand, and Bai couldn’t distinguish anything interesting.

Feeling somewhat bored, Bai lowered her altitude, hovering beside the street, waiting for Captain Wei, who was panting and struggling to keep up.

“Meow…”

Bai called out, leaping from her vehicle.

The impact caused her to let out a hasty, involuntary “Gulp.”

The cat carrier transformed into a faint blue data stream and was retracted by Bai.

Familiar ground movement was, after all, preferable.

Bai resumed her light-footed stride, a pace she had maintained for twenty years, looking left and right, bestowing equal attention upon the street-side greenery, the gleaming billboards, and the gray-blue sky.

The older man following behind also breathed a sigh of relief.

It was truly exhausting trying to keep up when The Cat flew, so walking was much easier.

The Cat soon found an interesting place: a clean, bright environment filled with neatly arranged cans and packaged goods.

Behind a wall, many large wooden boxes were placed, containing numerous cats.

Bai stopped, curious.

‘Why were so many kittens displayed inside?’

Curiosity demanded a look.

Bai walked straight towards the pet store’s front door.

“Pet Home… Kittens, Grooming, Pet Supplies,” the Captain read the sign from behind, then walked forward to push open the store door for Bai.

“Welcome! Sir, are you here for pet supplies or to look at cats?” A store clerk greeted them enthusiastically with a practiced sales tone as they entered.

“Ah, I’ll just look around first,” the Captain replied perfunctorily, his attention entirely on Bai, who was heading towards the kittens for sale.

“Certainly, sir. Take your time. Please feel free to ask me if you have any needs or questions,” the clerk said, noticing the man’s eyes constantly darting towards the kitten area, and smiled as she retreated to the counter.

Bai had already reached the wooden cages.

She saw two small blue cats curled up and sleeping, looking fatigued, and greeted them.

“Meow~”

Hearing the call of a large cat, the two kittens instinctively let out sharp cries in response.

They crawled out of their small beds, looking around confusedly for the source of the call, but saw nothing.

Only then did Bai remember that she was still in a state of reduced presence.

She canceled the skill.

Bai looked at the two kittens, who flinched in fright at her sudden appearance, and tilted her head in puzzled thought.

The Captain behind her immediately realized Bai had canceled her presence reduction.

He quickly crouched down to shield Bai’s form, wanting to ask something but unsure how.

After all, Bai possessed high intelligence, no different from a human, yet she looked like a cat.

He worried she might get angry seeing her own kind, young kittens, caged, displayed, and sold.

Fortunately, the Captain’s worries were superfluous.

Firstly, cats generally didn’t show much concern for unrelated felines.

Secondly, Bai didn’t possess such an awareness.

After observing with her abilities, Bai broadly understood what this place was for.

Humans would pay money here, demonstrating their ability to acquire food, then choose a cute kitten to take home, provide it with food and shelter, and let it play with them!

Though her understanding had some minor flaws, it was largely accurate.

Bai nodded smugly, then set her fluffy four paws in motion, preparing to check out the pet supplies section.

She had seen them earlier—those cans and bags were all delicious things she had once eaten!

This time, she definitely wouldn’t be tricked like with the cola!

“Invisible! Invisible!” The Captain urgently grabbed The Cat’s hind leg.

Bai powerfully kicked back, breaking free, and turned her head to lick her disturbed fur in displeasure.

‘This guy is so annoying,’ Bai thought angrily, but she still obediently activated her skill.

‘I’ll remember this. When we get back, I’ll turn you into a cat.’