Feeling sorry for itself over having to depend on someone else, the bush viper Linshu Kui wallowed in self-pity for a while before suddenly noticing that the black furball’s expression had become unusually grim.
It composed itself, feeling a bit apprehensive.
In the face of absolute hierarchical suppression, no matter how many mutants arrived, they would only become subordinates to be commanded.
If it were in the black furball’s position, it would be delighted to see other mutants coming to seek refuge.
Before long, the base would become even more chaotic, and humans would be too preoccupied to manage. By then, they could take the opportunity to establish a kingdom of mutants and dominate a region!
But the black furball was different.
In fact, the black furball was different from all the mutants.
Back at the base, the black furball had numerous opportunities to devour other mutants, complete its evolution ahead of time, break free from human constraints, and even retaliate and destroy them.
Yet the black furball had never taken action.
So while Linshu Kui was eager to recruit underlings, it was likely that the black furball would refuse.
The black furball remained silent for a long time, its eyes clouded and thoughts indiscernible.
Linshu Kui had survived under its claws until now partly due to its ability to read situations. Sensing that the black furball was in a foul mood, it immediately became quiet, afraid of becoming a target for venting.
After a while, it finally heard the black furball murmur hoarsely, “I have to leave here; I can’t let him get involved…”
Linshu Kui was puzzled. “Him?”
Who was this “him”?
*
In the evening, Wen Xin carried a large box of instant food back home and found the black furball squatting in the community garden waiting for him.
The furball’s long tail swayed back and forth, visibly irritable and listless.
Puzzled, Wen Xin squatted down and asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
The black furball looked up at the concerned young man, but the words of farewell stuck in its throat.
It became even more annoyed and swatted away some nearby pebbles with a paw.
Wen Xin didn’t understand but could see that the black furball was feeling very low. To comfort it, he gently said, “Don’t be sad. How about I make you some steak later?”
Holding the box with both hands and unable to free them, he tilted his head to nuzzle the fluffy little head, his clear voice tinged with a smile, “Good boy, Xiao Hei.”
The black furball felt as if an electric current had run through its body at being called “good boy,” retreating in embarrassment.
Wen Xin felt a kind of joy in teasing a big block of ice and chuckled softly, standing up with the box.
After walking a few steps and seeing that the black furball hadn’t followed, he turned his head and called, “Come on, Xiao Hei, time to go home.”
The evening sun’s glow spread over the earth, casting a layer of soft light over the young man, making his smiling face even more captivating.
After being called several times, Xiao Hei, who was standing stiffly in place, gritted its teeth and finally took slow steps to follow him upstairs.
In its heart, it emphasized repeatedly that it was all for the steak; after eating, it would leave.
After the man and the furball left, Linshu Kui poked its snake head out from the shadows nearby. Recalling the scene it had just witnessed, it almost burst into laughter.
So “him” referred to a human.
Who would have thought that a supremely powerful top-level mutant would actually bow and scrape before a weak and despicable human?
The pride of mutants could not be trampled upon. If it were in the black furball’s place, even if subjected to severe torture, it would never submit to humans!
Linshu Kui suddenly felt it had one up on the black furball and couldn’t help but wiggle its body excitedly.
It turned and slithered back into the shadows of the bushes, planning to have a good laugh when the black furball came out again.
*
Back home, Wen Xin first moved the instant food into the storage room, freeing his sore arms.
Then he took out his phone and opened the chat with “Elder Brother.”
Elder Brother: “Are you growing wings now?”
The chat still stayed on this blunt rhetorical question.
Since Wen Xin hadn’t responded, the other party didn’t send any more messages, as if they weren’t biological brothers but complete strangers.
He moved his fingers, scrolling up the chat history. The last message was from six months ago.
The psychological counselor thought that Wen Xin might have suffered some family trauma, but actually, he hadn’t; he just had a very faint concept of family and didn’t know what to talk about.
He remembered that his mother had died in childbirth when giving birth to him, and a few years later, his father fell ill due to excessive grief.
At that time, he was still a toddler who stumbled when walking. The vast family estate fell entirely on his elder brother Wen Jinfeng, who was always so busy he was never around. After finishing high school, he didn’t even return home.
Later on, Wen Xin felt the house was too big, too empty, and moved out.
The relationship between the two brothers continued to be as bland as water; they didn’t see each other more than twice a year, let alone chat about family matters.
Thinking about the past, Wen Xin’s fingers hovered over the screen.
Wen Jinfeng, who usually couldn’t be bothered to say much to him, suddenly sent a message telling him to stock up on food; something must have happened.
So after work, he went to buy a large box of instant food and planned to continue buying more the next day.
He just didn’t use the card that Wen Jinfeng had given him when he left home after high school, spending his own earned money instead.
Seeing that Wen Xin hadn’t moved for a while, the black furball couldn’t help but walk over and look at him curiously.
Wen Xin came back to his senses, smiled at it, and turned to take some steak out of the refrigerator to defrost.
The kitchen was somewhat quiet; the faucet was turned on, and the sound of running water filled the room.
As Wen Xin lowered his head to prepare dinner, he suddenly spoke, “Xiao Hei, you know, living alone in a big house can make you afraid to go home.”
The black furball lifted its head, and Wen Xin looked back.
He saw the cat’s pupils, clear as amber, encompassing his entire figure.
It was as if a solitary person had found a place where he could belong.
Wen Xin paused his actions, dried his hands, squatted down to pet its head, and said, “Thank you for coming.”
As he spoke, he leaned in, touching foreheads with the black furball, with a plea even he didn’t notice in his voice, “Please… don’t leave anymore, okay?”
The black furball paused upon hearing this, eyes filled with inner conflict.
It opened its mouth, then closed it, repeating this several times. Finally, it raised its long tail high, placing it on the back of the young man’s slightly trembling hand, and meowed seriously.
—Okay, I won’t leave.
*
Soon, dinner was ready. Wen Xin’s cooking skills were excellent, and the black furball ate ravenously throughout.
After comfortably enjoying the meal, the black furball leisurely extended its paw to wash its face. Then, it jumped off the table, slapped its long tail against the door, signaling for Wen Xin to let it out.
Wen Xin glanced at the clock on the wall. “Going out so late?”
Xiao Hei nodded.
Wen Xin unceremoniously ruffled its furry head but still opened the door for it. “Come back early.”
Xiao Hei nodded again, drew a cross on the floor with its paw pads—meaning it would be back in ten minutes—and then dashed out.
Reaching the garden downstairs, Linshu Kui was indeed still waiting in the bushes.
The latter was bored, dragging its sleek and slippery body, sometimes twisting into an “S,” sometimes into a “B.”
Seeing the black furball run downstairs, its eyes lit up immediately. “You’re finally here; I’ve been waiting—”
Before it could finish, it heard the black furball say solemnly, “Bite me.”
Linshu Kui was stunned. “What?”
It thought it had misheard, its snake eyes widening instantly.
The black furball impatiently repeated, “Bite me. Inject more venom.”
Linshu Kui was bewildered. “Are you serious?”
Indeed, it could control the amount of venom injected, but it had never heard such an outrageous request!
Under the black furball’s intense gaze, even if Linshu Kui thought the other’s brain had been damaged, it had to obediently comply.
After Linshu Kui mustered up the courage to inject the venom, the black furball visibly weakened.
The unique biological aura that was so strong it made mutants flock to it also faded significantly.
Noticing these changes, Linshu Kui couldn’t help but feel a bit shocked.
If any other mutant had been injected with its venom, especially in such a large dose, they’d be dead beyond doubt. But the black furball was only weakened.
The black furball struggled to digest the pain brought by the venom, then narrowed its eyes and warned Linshu Kui, “You can stay here, but don’t cause trouble or make a scene; otherwise, this place will be your grave.”
“From now on, I’ll come to find you every night. Remember that.”
After speaking, the black furball turned and ran back upstairs.
Linshu Kui stood there for a long time, not coming back to its senses.
It couldn’t understand why the other, who had decided to leave, changed its mind so easily after just going back for a meal and even used such a self-destructive method to suppress its aura.
Suddenly, it recalled the young man who had happily brought the black furball home at sunset.
Was it because of that human again?
Linshu Kui grinned and, after a moment, let out an extremely strange sneer. “Ha.”
As if long-suppressed emotions suddenly erupted, gusts of wind rose around it, tearing flowers and crushing trees.
Recalling the tortures it had suffered at the base, Linshu Kui was filled with resentment and indignation.
“Mere humans—what right do they have to make mutants compromise?”
“Mere humans, more insidious, cunning, ruthless, and heartless than venomous snakes! What right do they have to make mutants care for them!”
Standing there with a grim face for a long time, Linshu Kui twisted its body and approached the building where Wen Xin lived.
It slithered up along the drainpipe outside the building and then stopped outside the young man’s window.
Not long ago, Wen Xin had sealed the windows, so Linshu Kui couldn’t get in. But it didn’t care, just stared with wide snake eyes, its gaze penetrating through the gap in the curtains, obsessively watching the figure moving inside.
