Chapter 38: Want Lots of Tentacles

“Hey, Wen Chu.”

Xiu frowned after grabbing empty air, looking at the floating cloud of mist.

“Are you okay?”

Wen Chu didn’t reply, scattering a bit more.

Xiu’s eyebrows twitched.

Logically speaking, it would be best if Wen Chu, this biggest variable, disappeared.

But seeing the black mist dissipate bit by bit with his own eyes, a strange suffocating feeling rose in Xiu’s heart.

He couldn’t help but raise his voice slightly: “Wen Chu.”

The black mist seemed to finally hear his words, slowly drifting towards him, responding lightly and vaguely.

“Mmh.”

Xiu couldn’t judge anything from such a short sentence. Remembering Wen Chu’s act of separating half his body just now, he asked urgently, “Is it because you separated too much of your body just now?”

Wen Chu carefully drifted to the side of his neck and gave another “Mmh.”

The mist was actually colder than the Evil God himself, a physical damp coldness.

Approaching Xiu in pure mist form, Wen Chu directly dampened the edge of the other’s hood.

“Can you… let me eat one more bite?”

Wen Chu lightly attached himself to Xiu’s ear, bringing a wave of chill.

He added very obediently, “Just one bite.”

Xiu shrank his neck from the cold. After all, he was afraid of this mist that threatened to dissipate at the drop of a hat, so he stiffened his body and said, “Eat.”

“If you dare to take one extra bite, I will—”

Xiu’s voice came to an abrupt halt.

Because the cold black mist directly wrapped around his neck and gnawed on his Adam’s apple.

This was agreed to by Xiu himself. Wen Chu hugged his neck and took a big bite—Ah-woo.

Directly cleaning all of Xiu’s exposed neck.

[Lifespan +8h]
[Remaining Lifespan: 3 Days 04 Hours 01 Minute]

Lord Evil God’s neck, hidden under the hood all year round, was caught off guard and exposed to the air, rapidly turning red. Yet Wen Chu still clung to his neck relentlessly.

Just like a small scarf, light and soft, even affectionately rubbing against the side of his neck.

“Thank you,” Wen Chu said. “You are so good. Now I can live for three days.”

Xiu was initially a bit annoyed by Wen Chu gnawing on his neck, but paused upon hearing Wen Chu say “can live for three days” in such a cheerful tone.

The hand raised to grab the thick mist at his neck also stopped in mid-air.

Stupid to death.

Only living for three days and being this happy.

Only living for three days and still splitting himself in half to purify the vegetable field.

Thinking of this, Xiu felt a wave of stifling irritation and asked stiffly, “How much Lifespan did you gain this time?”

Wen Chu answered truthfully: “Eight hours.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to hide it, but the messy math at the end of the last world really left quite a shadow on Wen Chu.

He couldn’t calculate it properly to begin with, and having to calculate while hiding the time from Xiu—he simply couldn’t figure it out at all.

Moreover, the Lifespan was now decreasing at the original speed, so there was no need for him to hide it.

Xiu roughly estimated the time, glanced at the not-yet-solidified Wen Chu, hesitated for a moment, and said, “I can let you eat three more bites. Only this time is an exception; you are not allowed to touch my neck afterwards.”

This should be able to pull this mist’s Lifespan to four days.

As for the rest… make it up later.

His hands were still red even now.

“What?” Wen Chu almost thought he heard wrong.

Impatience colored Xiu’s brow. As the black aura quickly covered his reddened neck, a faint, imperceptible blush appeared on Xiu’s face.

Inviting someone to eat himself like this was somewhat difficult for Xiu to say, no matter when.

“If you can’t hear clearly, then don’t eat.” Xiu tightened his hood, about to drive the mist out.

Wen Chu hurriedly hugged Xiu’s neck tightly. “I’ll eat, I’ll eat. I heard clearly.”

Saying this, he took a big bite of Xiu’s neck, swallowing it into his stomach while chewing munch-munch, all the while looking at the side profile of Xiu’s pursed lips.

Although Xiu in this world looked fiercer, he was also easier to talk to.

When they first met in the last world, he had to beg for a long time before Xiu was willing to let him eat from the tip of his tongue.

…Mmh, as long as there’s no kissing, eating nai, or mating, Xiu actually gives in easily on the remaining places?

Or is it because playing pitiful right from the start makes it easier to gain Xiu’s favor?

Thinking of favorability, Wen Chu looked at the system panel not far away while gnawing on Xiu’s neck and was directly startled.

Xiu’s favorability towards him had actually risen to 15.

[Although Xiu is raising others in this world, he treats me so well.] Wen Chu was very moved.

The Evil God is so fierce verbally, but actually secretly increasing favorability for him all along.

System: [……]

System: [Can you stop imagining he’s having a change of heart?]

Wen Chu: [This is a fact, not my imagination.]

The System choked up and went offline.

Wen Chu continued to hug Xiu’s neck and gnaw.

The black aura on Xiu’s body spread very quickly, covering it almost as soon as he ate it, so Wen Chu was able to eat three times in quick succession.

With twenty-four hours of Lifespan added, Wen Chu stopped as promised.

At this time, Xiu’s neck had become as red as his fingertips just now.

Especially the collarbone. A seashell necklace had once been worn here. Wen Chu liked this spot particularly. While cleaning it, he secretly rubbed against it several times.

Now Xiu’s collarbone was so red it looked like it had been repeatedly kissed and ravaged by someone, as if it would be worn raw with just one more second of exposure to the air.

In the next moment, this place was covered by black aura, and Wen Chu could no longer see it clearly.

He withdrew his gaze regretfully and turned back into the little black cat.

Having eaten from Xiu so many times, if he were still a cloud of mist, faking illness would be a bit too fake.

Of course, there was the most important point: Xiu’s hood was almost soaked through by him.

Wen Chu turned into a black cat but didn’t climb out. Relying on being only palm-sized, he nestled in the hood, in the hollow of Xiu’s neck, using nine soft, thin tails to hook the other’s long golden hair. “I’m done eating.”

Xiu felt his neck had lost sensation, leaving only a burning itch. Suppressing the urge to reach out and scratch fiercely, he tried hard to say in a steady voice, “I’ll take you back now.”

He was busy suppressing his strange feelings and didn’t notice the little black cat taking the opportunity to stick closer to him.

Wen Chu had gnawed enough and was coaxed well, so he magnanimously and temporarily forgave Xiu’s cheating behavior of raising others. Lying by Xiu’s neck, he said happily, “When I save enough Lifespan, I can help you purify the whole vegetable field, and help you kill people you don’t like. Let me help you destroy the world…”

“Wen Chu, I don’t seem to have ever agreed to let you help me,” Xiu said coldly.

Wen Chu’s words stopped abruptly.

Xiu reached out, lifting the little black cat from beside his neck to his eyes, meeting the black cat’s innocent round eyes.

“I don’t mind feeding you occasionally to keep you alive, but I don’t need your help. You are just a cloud of mist; you don’t even know why I want to destroy the world.”

“Since you are mist, then be a cloud of mist properly. Don’t always overestimate yourself and try to interfere in my affairs.”

Xiu half-narrowed his eyes, looking at the kitten in his hand, his ice-tempered transparent blue eyes a mix of disdain and pity.

So weak, a mist that scatters with a pat and disappears with a bit of purification—why must it run to meddle in human karma?

Wen Chu stared blankly at Xiu.

“Oh…”

“So why do you want to destroy the world?”

Xiu didn’t expect Wen Chu’s first reaction to be pursuing this question. He was stunned for a moment, then said, “I suppose you also know I brought the Heart of Steam?”

Wen Chu nodded.

Xiu looked at the gloomy sky and said softly, “That is the whole reason. I must always take responsibility for what I have done.”

Wen Chu didn’t understand.

Giving humans the Heart of Steam is a good thing; why does Xiu want to destroy the world?

However, not understanding wouldn’t shake Wen Chu’s determination to help Xiu destroy the world.

It was just that Xiu rejected him for being too weak. His biggest reliance for approaching Xiu had now become an obstacle to helping Xiu. Wen Chu suddenly fell into a dilemma, pondering silently.

Thinking he had spoken too harshly, Xiu stopped talking. After a while, he gently put the little black cat back into the hollow of his neck.

“Just be a cloud of mist obediently; don’t always think so much.”

“By the way, cats only have one tail.”

?!?

Wen Chu widened his cat eyes.

He instantly threw his thoughts to the back of his mind, quickly retracting his extra eight tails. His body size also grew a little with the retraction of the tails. He looked at Xiu resentfully and gave a wronged “Whimper.”

Xiu just watched him be grotesque for so long.

Xiu is bad.

Xiu let out an extremely low, extremely light laugh.

“Stupid cat.”

If you don’t read more books, you’ll be cheated away by others sooner or later.

---

Wen Chu followed Xiu around the vegetable field once, then returned to Xiu’s stone building.

On the way back, they passed the yard from the rear again. It was late autumn, and the sunlight was already bleak and heatless, in sharp contrast to the bustling activity in the yard.

The classroom was no longer teaching the buoyancy formula but talking about force analysis instead. Wen Chu looked at the messy drawings on the blackboard, didn’t understand, and lost interest.

Flicking his single lonely tail, he nestled on Xiu’s bed, tucking all four limbs under his body like a burnt little cat loaf, pondering major events of mist life.

How to be both pitiful and help Xiu.

And also, why can cats only have one tail?

Lonely, not fitting Wen Chu’s aesthetics at all.

In his opinion, having more of everything is better. Lots of Lifespan, lots of tentacles, lots of tails, and if laying eggs with Xiu, laying lots of them too.

Xiu changed out of his mist-dampened black robe nearby. Not until Xiu changed into another black robe, covering himself tightly again, did Wen Chu figure out a countermeasure.

Just then, three polite knocks came from the door.

Minnie’s voice sounded from outside: “Sir, it is time for lunch.”

Xiu casually picked up the little mist cat contemplating mist life, placed him on his shoulder, and got up to open the door.

Minnie never dared to look directly at Xiu, but keeping her head down in front of him was too impolite, so when facing Xiu, she always looked at his shoulder.

Today was no exception. Minnie looked at Xiu’s shoulder as usual.

In the next moment, she blinked in disbelief.

…Hmm?

Was she seeing things?

Why did she actually see a little black cat on Sir’s shoulder?

The little black cat was audacious. Under Minnie’s dumbfounded gaze, he pawed at Xiu’s black robe, wriggled crookedly into Xiu’s hood, and buried himself in the hollow of Xiu’s neck.

Minnie revealed a trance-like expression of “Am I dreaming?” and almost popped her eyes out.

Xiu pulled his hood closer, giving Wen Chu a warning look to indicate he wasn’t allowed to gnaw randomly, then looked expressionlessly at Minnie.

Minnie quickly came back to her senses and turned to lead the way.

While leading the way, Minnie said, “Regarding intensifying the conflict you mentioned, I already have a preliminary plan. Before winter arrives, I want to have Dorothy and those few clever children pretend to be children who escaped to the Central Square and died after being tortured by the welfare institute, serving as a preliminary foreshadowing for the outbreak of coal shortage in the cold winter. It’s just that the patrol police have been replaced recently, and the patrol times have been updated. We need to investigate the schedule clearly first…”

Xiu maintained a distance of three steps from Minnie. He didn’t listen carefully, only paying attention to the kitten in his hood.

Wen Chu whispered quietly in Xiu’s ear: “You have to eat too?”

In the last world, he never saw Xiu eat things.

Xiu slowed his pace imperceptibly and responded equally quietly, “No need, but my identity now is human.”

Therefore, human rules must be obeyed.

Wen Chu whispered very quietly: “I want to eat too, can I?”

Xiu looked at the weak kitten and nodded lightly.

Although canned food was full of additives, at least the nutrition was balanced. The chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats in the yard grew up fed on canned food leftovers; feeding Wen Chu shouldn’t cause any problems.

Having received permission, Wen Chu lay very happily on Xiu’s shoulder, looking forward to the arrival of lunch.

Eating, eating.

Rice as delicious as green algae and scallops.

Although Xiu had a cold and disgusted attitude towards everyone, he didn’t specifically ask Minnie to set up a separate small stove for him given the scarcity of supplies.

He was too lazy to waste his breath and always dined with everyone.

It was just that every time he ate little and fast, always arriving last and leaving first.

Xiu also knew that as long as he was present, this group of people would be silent as cicadas in winter, daring not speak.

Today was no exception.

Laughter could be heard from the dining hall from afar, but as Minnie pushed the door open with him, the entire dining hall instantly fell silent.

There wasn’t even anyone moving a spoon.

Only a pale-faced little girl sitting next to Dorothy smiled immediately upon seeing Minnie while carefully stroking the calico cat: “Sister Minnie.”

Dorothy pulled desperately at her sleeve: “Don’t talk, Catherine.”

Only then did Catherine notice the black-robed person behind Minnie. Instantly remembering Dorothy’s instructions just now, her face turned even paler, and she lowered her head abruptly.

Because she lowered her head too violently, she let out an earth-shattering cough, then began to wheeze rapidly and heavily, like a dilapidated bellows.

The calico cat was startled and jumped to Dorothy’s side with a “Meow.”

Minnie stepped forward quickly: “Catherine, deep breaths. Inhale—exhale—”

Catherine clutched Minnie’s arm tightly, slowly adjusting her breathing, and finally returned to normal breathing.

Only then could Minnie turn her head. She hurriedly stood up and said to Xiu, who stood silently behind her, “Sorry, Sir. This is John’s sister. I just sent someone to pick her up. She worked illegally next to Boiler Room No. 317 in the South District with John before. Because she inhaled too much dust, she suffers from pneumonia and asthma, and doesn’t quite understand the rules yet…”

“Let’s eat.” Xiu interrupted Minnie’s torrent of words expressionlessly.

Obviously, he wasn’t interested in this.

Minnie shut up tactfully. No one present dared to raise a bit of dissatisfaction with Xiu’s indifference—they all knew deeply that without the cold and powerful man before them, there would be no Rebel Army today.

Xiu took his seat at the head of the table.

Everyone still lowered their heads, and Catherine was shivering even more.

Under the table, Dorothy quietly held her hand.

Xiu turned a blind eye and looked at the canned food on the table—synthetic meat fruit and vegetable mix cans.

The Steam City certainly wouldn’t be kind enough to flavor the canned food for the “pigs.” All cans were the same, containing various elements essential for the human body, large amounts of sodium chloride and sodium benzoate, tasting just ordinarily salty.

Xiu opened the can, habitually scooped one-third onto his plate with a spoon, leaving the rest for Minnie to take to the farm to feed the chickens.

He ate the meat paste mouthful by mouthful, elegantly and expressionlessly.

Wen Chu shrank in Xiu’s hood and waited for a while. Seeing Xiu eating mechanically and completely forgetting his existence, he got a bit anxious and poked his head directly out of Xiu’s hood.

He pawed at Xiu’s hand holding the spoon.

And then was startled by Xiu’s current expression.

Wen Chu had seen many kinds of Xiu—angry, blushing, tongue sticking out from being done… but no matter which kind, it wasn’t like now, devoid of any emotion, like a walking corpse, merely imitating a human shell.

Even emptier than the expression in the photo given by the System.

Xiu snapped back to reality and looked at the dissatisfied little black cat.

“Sorry,” he said.

There was silence at the table, so Xiu’s apology was particularly obvious.

Almost everyone looked at Xiu at the same time.

And then, everyone saw the scene they least dared to believe in their lives—

A palm-sized little black cat jumped out of Sir’s hood and pawed at Sir’s plate.

And instead of getting angry, Sir patiently scooped up a spoonful of canned food and held it to the little black cat’s mouth.

His other pale, slender hand tapped the kitten’s head.

“Eat.”

Xiu said softly.

Wen Chu was happy, perked up his tail, leaned over, and took a big bite, chewing and swallowing.

It was inconvenient for him to speak in front of everyone, so he could only wang-wang-wu-wu and rub against Xiu’s hand to express satisfaction.

Delicious! The flavor is rich! Mist likes!

Xiu chuckled low.

Everyone’s jaws had dropped by this time.

Dorothy whispered very quietly to Catherine: “I told you, Sir definitely likes small animals.”

Now he is even willing to feed a cat with his own spoon.

Heaven knows, the patrol officer who touched Sir’s hand last time had his arm broken the next day.

Catherine, however, focused on the wrong point: “Why does that cat bark wang-wang?”

Xiu didn’t care about others’ opinions at all. Since he promised to feed Wen Chu canned food, he would do it. Seeing Wen Chu liked to eat, he simply concentrated on feeding Wen Chu.

Although Wen Chu looked like just a palm-sized kitten, he was essentially a cloud of mist. He ate half of Xiu’s plate of canned food in one go without feeling full yet.

Just as he was eager to try the opened can on the table, he suddenly felt his stomach churning.

“Urgh—cough cough cough.”

The kitten let out a childish cough.

Xiu thought Wen Chu had choked, put down the spoon, and gently stroked Wen Chu’s back to help him breathe.

But as he stroked, he realized something was wrong.

White foam appeared at the corner of the little black cat’s mouth, and the whole cat was twitching, clearly in a state of poisoning convulsions.

Xiu’s pupils constricted. He cupped the cat in his hands and walked out quickly: “Contact the doctor immediately! Prepare oxygen and emetics!”

Only then did everyone wake up from their dream, falling into chaos. Minnie followed quickly, shouting into the walkie-talkie for the logistics doctor to come quickly.

Wen Chu was already uncomfortable. As Xiu lifted him up, he finally couldn’t hold it back and retched again.

The canned food he just ate hadn’t digested at all and was vomited entirely onto Xiu’s hand.

Xiu was flustered by him, not even caring about his hood in the panic.

Thus, under everyone’s gaze, the hood of the Sir under the black robe fell for the first time.

What came into view was long golden hair.

The man under the hood had a cold, pale face, like a vampire who hadn’t seen sunlight all year round or a tuberculosis patient terminally ill—a sickly, deathly white.

That extremely sharp, tough, and even somewhat divine face now showed a look of panic and self-blame. He helplessly held the cat in his hands, not caring about the filth on them, lowering his head to gently stroke the fragile kitten’s back.

“It’s okay… it’s okay, I’ll take you to the doctor right away.”

The person who was usually mean and toxic-tongued spoke so gently.

It was simply like…

Dorothy blinked, somewhat in a trance.

“…Simply like the legendary God of Steam.”

Compassionately and generously loving the world, the God who brought the Heart of Steam to the world.

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Author’s Note: 

At first, everyone thought Sir’s love for the cat was the limit of exaggeration.
Later, they discovered in horror that this was only the beginning.