A New Kitty!

This is a belated introduction to Anomalous Objects.

The world teemed with peculiar and perilous Anomalous Objects.

In response, various nations united to establish a containment organization: the Joint Anomalous Object Countermeasure Organization.

However, Anomalous Objects varied wildly, and their threat levels hadn’t yet escalated to endanger human civilization as a whole.

Consequently, the various national branches often found themselves in a state of rivalry and hostility.

They treated Anomalous Objects as research specimens or spoils of war, hoarding secrets and even resorting to snatching them from one another.

Anomalous Objects were categorized into three types: Beast, Ethereal, and Inanimate.

Beast-type Anomalies manifested as various biological entities.

Their typical threats included attacking flesh-and-blood beings, parasitic transformations, and some even possessed the ability to multiply and proliferate.

Ethereal-type Anomalies resembled ghosts and spirits.

Their threats often manifested as psychic attacks, interference, distortions of common sense, psychokinetic assaults, and personality alterations, among others.

Inanimate-type Anomalies typically required active use or stimulation to trigger their anomalous effects.

This served as a crucial distinction from Ethereal-type objects.

Thus concluded the overview.

For instance, Yun Juan, acting as the Deputy Team Leader, led the containment operation for an object temporarily designated B-11352.

The activation method remained unknown, but its temporary consequence was turning individuals into stone statues.

Before being fully petrified by the anomaly, they had utilized A-352, ‘False Eternity.’

This object was a coffin lid detached from a bronze coffin, effective only on sentient beings.

Any body placed upon it would fall into a state of suspended animation, akin to frozen time.

While its use guaranteed the condition wouldn’t worsen, it could not sustain indefinitely.

A side effect of ‘False Eternity’ was a permanent deceleration of neural response speed, with consequences growing more severe the longer it was applied.

In the most critical cases, it could take a person over ten seconds to respond to a single stimulus, rendering life impossible—much like trying to play a video game with 999 ping.

Even if A-352 had no side effects, the bloody lessons of history had consistently taught these frontline warriors that anomalous transformation was irreversible.

Awakening only to agonizingly watch oneself turn to stone, or perhaps lying comatose, preserving a whole body for burial—these were the only two outcomes Yun Juan could conceive before falling into his slumber.

Was he unwilling? Of course.

Yet, this was the fate awaiting nearly half of all Countermeasure Team members.

Some, less fortunate, would receive a substantial pension, humorously dubbed a ‘First-Class Bonus’ by their peers.

Others, more fortunate, might receive a smaller disability compensation, playfully called a ‘Second-Class Bonus.’

And those who retired successfully were granted a hefty subsidy, naturally earning the title of ‘Third-Class Bonus.’

‘Eight years of adventure, a Third-Class Bonus.’ This was a jesting yet heartfelt blessing exchanged among the team members.

Did anyone truly join solely for these ‘bonuses’? No.

Someone had to face these perils, and every member had prepared for sacrifice before enlisting.

[Target’s information stagnation has been lifted.]

A clear message surfaced within his hazy consciousness.

Yun Juan immediately realized he must have been moved from A-352, as maintaining self-awareness while using it was impossible.

However, after being transferred, he no longer felt the agonizing progression of his limbs turning to stone.

More accurately, he couldn’t feel his body at all; only his consciousness remained active.

As he pondered this mystery, a radiant glow erupted from the depths of his awareness.

Though merely an ‘image’ of light, it struck Yun Juan with an almost blinding intensity.

After the brilliant light subsided, he regained sensation in his body.

Glancing around, he beheld a vast, utterly blank white space.

Such an enormous, empty expanse ought to have instilled unease, yet Yun Juan felt profoundly at peace within it.

He looked down at his own body.

It appeared no different from usual, save for his limbs—his calves and forearms, where the petrification had taken hold, were blackened.

Upon closer inspection, faint cracks, like those in stone, were visible.

“The petrification stopped? Where is this place?”

Unaware that he was currently merely a soul construct, Yun Juan looked confusedly around, preparing to search for an exit.

Just then, the surrounding light began to surge, dancing and intertwining like ribbons.

It wove itself into a cocoon of light before him.

Moments later, the shell dispersed, dissolving into long white strands of hair that floated in the air, revealing the figure within.

A short while earlier, in the outside world.

Summoned urgently by Wei the Cat, Bai materialized via the causal link of their contract, her fur bristling.

She was fully prepared to engage in a fierce battle with whatever villain had been tormenting her companion.

However, beyond Wei the Cat and the familiar Countermeasure Bureau members Bai had previously encountered, there was no sign of any enemy.

“Mm-meow?”

Bai smoothed down her ruffled fur, looking quizzically at Wei the Cat.

Wei the Cat’s eyes were slightly red, and she embraced Bai tightly, as if finally clutching onto hope.

Her ears, honestly reflecting her emotions, at last ceased to fold back, standing upright once more.

Activating her All-Seeing Eye, Bai quickly understood what had transpired.

The waiting process was always agonizing.

The moment the transport vehicle appeared in sight, the doors impatiently slid open.

As soon as the vehicle halted, the researchers rushed forward, carefully transferring A-352 and Deputy Team Leader Yun Juan onto a stretcher before carrying them away.

“You are to continue with the anomalous object placement procedure. Remember, no talking, no contact,” The Director commanded, stopping several team members who had intended to follow.

“Deputy Team Leader, he…” Several team members hesitated, words catching in their throats.

“We will certainly do our utmost. There is a degree of hope he can be saved; this involves the confidential nature of a new anomalous object,” The Director sighed, revealing a small part of the truth.

The stretcher was wheeled directly into the research center.

Wei the Cat, clutching Bai, struggled to get closer to the unconscious man with closed eyes.

Truth be told, Bai felt a little suffocated by Wei the Cat’s short arms.

Wriggling twice, Bai broke free from the embrace and jumped down, intently observing the man before them.

[Name: Yun Juan Race: Human Current Status: Information Stagnation Information Erosion: Body Alienation (Undetermined Matter) Information Erosion: Mental Weakening]

The System thoughtfully extracted the pertinent information for Bai.

In her eyes, the symptoms afflicting the man before her seemed strikingly familiar…

Bai tilted her head, recalling.

‘Oh, right,’ she thought. ‘Isn’t this kind of information erosion, where the very essence of the body is transformed, just like the information backflow from my own contract?’

‘Perhaps if we use our contract to counteract it, we can save him?’

Bai reached her conclusion swiftly, then turned to Wei the Cat to convey her method.

If they didn’t save him, he would surely be lost.

Wei the Cat naturally agreed without hesitation.

Bai needed to prepare before forging the contract; of course, that meant respecting the contractor’s wishes by first explaining the consequences.

A faint glow gradually emanated from Bai, steadily brightening until it enveloped her entire form.

Having witnessed this once before, Wei the Cat instantly reacted, frantically yelling at the surrounding researchers: “Don’t look! Turn away! That’s an order!”

Then, extending a small hand to the shortest female researcher present, she demanded: “Lend me your lab coat.”

Even though she currently sported the adorable appearance of a cat-eared loli, Wei the Cat was still, in theory, one of their superiors, possessing absolute authority.

No matter how curious they were, the researchers could only obey her command and turn away.

The moment Bai’s human transformation was complete, Wei the Cat immediately pressed a lab coat onto her.

“Thi—Why?” Bai questioned, tugging at the white fabric on her body with a puzzled expression.

Wei the Cat pulled at Bai’s restless hands. “Everyone wears clothes. Don’t you feel uncomfortable being naked?”

‘It seems so. Everyone is wearing clothes, and with them on, the covered parts won’t feel chilly without fur anymore.’

Bai happily swayed the tip of her tail, then hugged Wei the Cat and licked her cheek. “Thank you, meow!”

Wei the Cat’s face flushed crimson.

She pushed Bai’s face away, and, blushing with exasperation but not daring to raise her voice, she reminded Bai, whose face was comically squashed and still trying to lick her, “First, save him!”

‘Oh~’ Bai reluctantly let go of Wei the Cat. ‘Wei the Cat gets hugged by all sorts of people every day. Now that I’m a cat-girl too, hugging others is quite fun!’

Bai approached the man, extending a finger to press against his forehead.

[Stagnation Released.]

[Pure Land of the Heart.]

Closing her eyes, Bai entered the spiritual realm.

Returning to the spiritual realm, Yun Juan observed the figure revealed as the long hair scattered.

What first met Yun Juan’s eyes was an ethereal purity of white: soft, pale skin, cascading white hair, pristine white cat ears, and a gently swaying white tail.

The figure was clad in thin, white garments.

‘Wait, those clothes look familiar. Isn’t that the lab coat the researchers wear?’

White eyelashes fluttered twice, revealing pupils of black-blue.

Within this ocean of white, those eyes seemed to be the sole splash of color.

Yun Juan found himself involuntarily drawn to them, then ensnared and overwhelmed by the vast information they contained.

“Hello…”

A soft, ethereal voice resonated, and only then did Yun Juan break free from the layers of captivating illusions.

What magnificent illusions they were!

Through those eyes, he had witnessed stars ablaze, truths whispered, and the endless cycle of all creation and demise.

Snapping back to reality, Yun Juan looked at the figure before him.

‘Eh, it’s a cat-girl! So cute.’

A flush crept across Yun Juan’s face.

“My name is Xuan Bai. Your friend entrusted me to save your life.” Bai had tried her best to speak, but though she understood the meaning of every word, she hadn’t quite grasped how to combine them effectively.

Bai continued to explain with effort: “The method to save you: contract with me.”

As she spoke, despite her expression remaining unchanged, Yun Juan distinctly sensed the small, white cat-girl before him growing serious.

“Contract with me, you will no longer be human, henceforth non-human. Perhaps slander, belief, discrimination, fear, all such calamities. And your destiny intertwined with mine. Do you agree?”

Having finished, Bai smugly wagged her tail, awaiting a reply.

She had pondered this line for a long time, drawing inspiration from the cat court’s television.

‘Concise, coherent, comprehensive—this must be what humans call the art of language!’ she mused proudly.

“I understand. I can only be saved if I contract with you, but I won’t be human anymore, right?” Yun Juan furrowed his brows. “What exactly will I become? And… what kind of being are you?”

“You will become, like a cat,” Bai said, pointing to herself.

“…Have you contracted with Gao Xin before?”

‘Who is Gao Xin? Oh… my first companion.’

Bai answered cheerfully: “Gao Xin, good friend.”

“Gao Xin… Alright, I think I know who you are now. I agree to the contract.” Yun Juan recalled his roommate, who had also transformed into a cat-girl.

He nodded.

‘Anyway, if I don’t sign, I’ll be gone, so becoming a cat-girl it is.’

‘Though he wasn’t particularly eager to transform himself, he actually quite liked cat-girls.’

[Contract Established.]

Meanwhile, in the outside world, Gao Xin, having heard about the accident involving her old friend and roommate, rushed over.

Upon entering the room, she saw a young woman with short black hair and golden eyes, her cat ears twitching as she meticulously examined her own tail.

Sensing someone approach, the black Yun Juan turned her head towards the newcomer, a smile playing on her lips, and offered a greeting.

φωφ

“Hello there, Gao Xin.”