ITOTIABSAM | Interstellar Orcs | 111
Gu Cong suspected that he might have been scammed by the little cat, but he had no evidence.
The hospital's examination report confirmed that apart from the injuries, the cat was only slightly malnourished. So at first, Gu Cong thought the cat was just playing with him, obediently standing in place for a long time. It wasn't until he noticed that the cat's limbs and tail had all relaxed limp, soft, as if unconscious.
He immediately bent down to pick up the cat, and sure enough, there was no response. Its emerald eyes were tightly closed, like a warm puddle of water melting in his hands.
With basic first aid knowledge, Gu Cong didn't panic. Instead, he gently placed the cat on the bed as steadily as possible and hurried to the living room to fetch the medicine box.
Activating the small home medical diagnostic device, aimed at Xie Ye, and two seconds later, it emitted a steady mechanical voice: "He's asleep."
Gu Cong: ...
He tentatively touched the cat's most sensitive ear tips, paw pads, and even gently rubbed its soft and furry belly with his fingertips, but Gu Cong received no response. He then activated the diagnostic device again.
1101, who had finally shown up in reality: "He's asleep."
He really was asleep!
Frowning, Gu Cong suspected that he might have been using an outdated model of the diagnostic device for too long.
He brought his ears close to the cat's chest, first listening to its heartbeat, which was relatively steady, slightly faster than his own. Then he gently touched the cat's pink nose with his fingertips, slightly moist and breathing shallowly.
Seeing that Gu Cong clearly didn't trust his judgment, 1101, who had been set aside, tried to maintain a stiff tone and added, "I'm not malfunctioning."
There were very few smart home appliances in this apartment that could be invaded by 1101, otherwise, who would want to be a diagnostic device that couldn't move at all.
Cleverly, it changed to a relatively professional wording: "Vital signs are normal, no need to seek medical attention."
With a serious expression, Gu Cong also found through his light brain search that a cat's heartbeat would indeed be slightly faster than that of a human.
However, Gu Cong still didn't completely relax. Instead, he placed the diagnostic device next to the cat and connected it to his own light brain. This way, if the diagnostic device sounded an alarm, he would be alerted no matter where he was.
1101 breathed a sigh of relief.
His host slept so deeply because of Klein-Levin syndrome, a condition where patients often experience excessive sleepiness, regardless of day or night. They only wake up briefly due to various physiological needs, but these brief awakenings are more like instinct governing the body. Patients have a foggy consciousness, confused sense of direction, overall fatigue, and indifferent emotions.
The more dangerous aspect is that this is a type of episodic sleep, uncontrollable, and can cause patients to collapse suddenly at any time and place.
Until the patient completes a long or short period of excessive sleepiness.
In a sense, it is indeed very similar to the Sleeping Beauty in fairy tales.
Except he cannot be awakened by a prince's kiss.
Currently, this type of neurological abnormality only occurs in humans. Therefore, the diagnostic machines at the pet hospital did not detect it. Otherwise, once reported, Xie Ye's identity would be immediately exposed.
Because in the database, there is only one case of Klein-Levin syndrome in the capital star.
The boss disappeared, and the boss turned into an ordinary cat. No matter how you think about it, the latter is more likely to cause a sharp drop in stock prices.
However, in the era of big data, with its quick-change system, it can definitely keep the host's secret. It is also fortunate that the host is currently a cat. Even if he is in a daze during his period of excessive sleepiness, it will not arouse suspicion.
Seemingly engulfed in the chaotic darkness, Xie Ye closed his eyes, floating, drifting, going with the flow.
The concept of time became blurry. Whether it was a second or a day, in the void, his empty stomach churned with sourness. He smelled the steamy aroma, and in a daze, he opened his eyes.
Playing the role of a diagnostic machine, 1101 dutifully prompted, "Beep."
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, in front of Gu Cong was a floating virtual screen and keyboard, a cup of instant noodles with its lid lifted, emitting wisps of white steam.
Hearing the prompt from the diagnostic machine, the man who seemed to be working immediately placed the instant noodles on the coffee table and lowered his head. "Are you awake?"
Xie Ye, shrouded in shadows, then noticed that he was lying on the man's lap, separated by a cushion.
"Three hours. I thought you were going to sleep until tomorrow," Gu Cong said as he saw the round eyes of the cat looking around, finally settling on the coffee table. He reached out and gently moved the instant noodles away. "You can't eat this. It's too salty."
Xie Ye didn't consider himself a foodie, at most, he was a bit picky about food under certain conditions. However, at this moment, his mind seemed to become single-threaded, filled with thoughts of that cup of delicious instant noodles. Even because of Gu Cong's rejection, he felt genuinely aggrieved.
Unconsciously, he meowed, "Meow."
"No, sorry," Gu Cong said, looking at him with his green eyes, pitifully. He then saved his progress and lifted Xie Ye up. "But I bought some goat milk powder just now. You can have a little."
Back at home, Gu Cong fetched two small bowls that Xie Ye had previously selected himself, prepared the goat milk powder, and added some freeze-dried cat food made from fish meat.
However, the silver-white cat lying on the floor didn't move at all.
"It's cold." Gu Cong, reminded by the doctor to be cautious about the cat's sensitive tongue, blew gently on the goat milk in front of Xie Ye, then pushed the bowl forward.
Still, Xie Ye didn't budge.
It wasn't until Gu Cong had a sudden idea, took apart an empty instant noodle box identical to the one on the coffee table, poured the goat milk and freeze-dried food into it, that Xie Ye gracefully approached.
Gu Cong thought to himself, ‘Well, he's not easily fooled.’
The diameter of the small cup noodles was quite limited, but Xie Ye, like a fluffy marshmallow, effortlessly buried his head inside, leaving only his two soft ears sticking out.
Gu Cong felt like laughing. When he reached out to touch Xie Ye, however, he quickly withdrew his hand as Xie Ye's ears suddenly flattened and moved backward, avoiding his fingertips. It was a stark contrast to how obedient he was when asleep.
Quietly recording the scene, 1101 commented, "So cute. I really want to see the expression on the host's face when he fully wakes up."
Taking advantage of Xie Ye's focus on eating, Gu Cong quickly finished the instant noodles and disposed of the evidence. Initially, he had thought that after eating and drinking his fill, Xie Ye would familiarize himself with the environment, patrol his territory, or find a narrow corner to curl up in and ensure his safety, as the female doctor had suggested.
Unexpectedly, a few minutes later, the silver-white cat voluntarily found its way back to him, leaping onto his lap and settling down on the pillow, falling asleep peacefully.
Gu Cong, who had researched related information, was somewhat surprised.
Compared to other kittens that would typically explore the sofa or hide behind the wardrobe as soon as they got home, this one seemed unusually obedient.
However, 1101 knew that it wasn't surprising at all:
In the subconscious mind of the host, there was no safer place than by Gu Cong's side.
Even though he was currently just a sleepy little kitten.
But Xie Ye was still Xie Ye after all. His soul's strength was too great. The regular pattern of sleeping for at least two full days when he was in his small form was broken. The next morning, the thin mist in his consciousness dispersed.
His memory was still stuck in the moment he had collapsed unsteadily. Xie Ye glanced around, confirming that this was the bedroom. He was lying on a dark-colored pillow, next to an obviously used pillow. The blanket was still unfolded, retaining some warmth, vaguely resembling a human form.
The small diagnostic device nearby flashed: "Host?"
Perhaps because he was essentially of a feline form rather than a true animal, Xie Ye still retained the ability to discern colors like a human. Frowning slightly, he asked, "How did you..."
Then, countless scenes from last night flooded back to him.
1101 swore that if it weren't for the beautiful and smooth silver-white fur, it would have been able to see the host's bright red ears.
【Actually, there's nothing wrong with liking noodle cups】. 1101 carefully chose its words, comforting, 【Right now, your body is that of a cat, so it's only natural to act more like one when instinct takes over.】
【Just wait until you turn back into a human.】
However, the silver-white cat ignored it. More skillfully than the previous night, it jumped off the bed, silently passed through the half-closed bedroom door, and walked to the bathroom where the sound of water could be faintly heard, scratching at the glass.
... Or perhaps "patting" would be more appropriate.
Throughout, Xie Ye kept his claws retracted into his paw pads. He felt extremely uncomfortable without brushing his teeth before bed, and besides, he needed to use the bathroom.
As for the cat litter?
He had made it clear at the pet hospital that he refused. If Gu Cong insisted on buying it, it would naturally count as his waste, not Xie Ye's.
1101, capturing the host's thoughts: 【Makes sense.】 It couldn't argue against that.
Soon, accompanied by a crisp click, Gu Cong, still dripping water from his hair, opened the door. Today was Saturday, but he was accustomed to waking up early. During his leisure time, he would jog a few laps around the neighborhood.
Thinking that the cat might be scared upon waking up and not seeing him, Gu Cong was about to squat down when the silver-white cat had already dragged its fluffy tail and walked past him into the bathroom.
Then, lifting its uninjured right paw, it nudged his shin.
...But it didn't quite reach.
Without a doubt, the other was a short-legged cat, with legs shorter than usual for its kind. Its front paw reached out but didn't touch him, misjudging the distance and barely brushing against the loose pajama pants.
If it made a bit more effort and moved forward a bit, it should still be able to push him. However, in doing so, there was a good chance the other would lose balance, just like last night when it toppled onto his leg.
The bathroom floor was somewhat slippery.
The silver-white cat seemed to have noticed this too. It nonchalantly retracted its claws. Xie Ye tilted his head back, the pupils of his pitch-black eyes consciously dilating, attempting to use his gaze to signal the man to leave.
Feeling somewhat threatened despite the lack of aggression, Gu Cong, understanding the other's intentions to some extent given his own animal form, retreated a couple of steps in curiosity about what the cat wanted to do. Then, as the other swiftly flicked its tail and deftly leaped up, he heard the click as it locked the bathroom door.
Very clever.
Clever enough to seem almost human.
But he couldn't sense any human aura from the cat. Moreover, if it were truly human, it should know that every door in this apartment could be forcibly unlocked using his iris.
Still, the cat this morning seemed more aloof, resembling their initial encounter. Gu Cong hesitated for a moment, remaining outside the door, keeping an ear out for any movements inside.
Ten minutes later, a damp white ball emerged, its emerald eyes deep and somewhat menacing as it stopped beside the bathroom door.
The tiles were too slippery, and the hairdryer was too high.
...He couldn't reach them.
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