Chapter 42: “You Eat It.”

“Wang-wu.”

Wen Chu let out a pitiful cry at Xiu, using his tail to point at another plain black bedsheet.

If Xiu didn’t like it, he could accept the style Minnie had chosen initially.

Xiu looked coldly at the palm-sized black cat in his hand, hiding countless emotions under the cover of his black robe.

Wen Chu was simply too fragile.

He would dissipate at the slightest provocation, vomit from eating canned food, and get contaminated without oxygen. In the short two days Wen Chu had clung to him, he had been frightened by the other party several times.

And this time, he really thought he was going to lose him.

Just a little bit more, and he might have had to be like James, throwing himself into the ruins to piece together this little cat’s corpse.

After surviving the disaster, what rose up was a stifling anger. Xiu held the pitiful Wen Chu, and harsh words blurted out: “Do you have any idea how troublesome you are?”

Wen Chu’s tail stiffened.

He blinked his eyes at Xiu, not daring to “wang-wu” anymore.

Because Xiu seemed to hate him.

Minnie was silent as a cicada in winter by the side, instantly stopped bargaining, stuffed the money into the boss’s hand, grabbed the bedsheet, and prepared to ride away.

Once on the cart, Minnie slapped her forehead.

Wait, no. I should give the cart to Sir and the cat. I should go take away the scattered people in the main city district to leave them some alone time.

Minnie quickly got off the cart, put the car keys on the seat, and said cautiously: “Sir, why don’t you ride him away? I’ll go deal with the main city district matters?”

Xiu didn’t look at her or answer, just carried the cat and sat on the cart.

Minnie ran for it.

Halfway through her run, she saw James walking out of the ruins in a daze, holding a severed arm in his hand.

Minnie changed direction and went to James’s side first.

Whether for clues about the Heart of Steam or for James’s mental health, at this time, she’d better find a way to collect Claude’s corpse fragments under the watch of the patrol officers and take them away.

However, blown to pieces like this, the patrol officers probably won’t recognize them… right?

Thinking this, Minnie rubbed her eyes hard and threw herself at James with a crying voice: “Brother! Is our brother, brother really dead?”

James was hugged by Minnie in a trance and dragged into the crowd, disappearing.

People crying and looking for their relatives were not few. Even people living on the ground with no dignity had their own families. The patrol officers just glanced at this brother-sister pair and didn’t pay much attention.

At this time, Wen Chu and Xiu had already left the city in the steam car.

This car was newly bought by Minnie, the latest automatic model. After adding coal in advance, pressing the handle would drive it forward, only without a Heart of Steam, the range would be relatively short.

The car was bumpy, and when it started, there was a “tu-tu-tu” sound of steel collision. Wen Chu sat next to Xiu, bumping up and down.

He looked at Xiu in the black robe beside him, not daring to make a sound.

Xiu found him troublesome.

Wen Chu wasn’t sure if speaking now would make Xiu think he was even more troublesome, so he chose to shut up and be mute.

Xiu was not a talkative person. Their conversations were mostly started by Wen Chu. Now that Wen Chu wasn’t talking, for a while, apart from the sound of the steam car moving, only silence remained between them.

Finally, Xiu spoke first.

“Are you hurt?”

Wen Chu shook his head.

Then there was a long silence again.

Xiu’s hand gripping the handle tightened, and after a long time, he continued: “Why did you become small again? Didn’t you say you would only become small at night?”

Wen Chu was startled, looking down to realize he had turned into palm-size again.

He looked at the lifespan panel beside him.

[Remaining Lifespan: 4 days 23 hours 49 minutes]

Yesterday he had pulled his lifespan to nearly six days; theoretically, it should have lasted until tonight.

But Wen Chu had evaporated a bit just now, and turned into a human to approach Minnie, maintaining it for over half an hour.

In human form, lifespan drops ten times faster. He spent five hours of lifespan for no reason, so he became small ahead of time.

It was sunset now. They were heading to the West District, exactly the direction the sun was setting.

Wen Chu looked at the red sun slowly descending in the gray horizon and lied guiltily: “Because… I was evaporated by the high temperature of the explosion at the boiler room, so my lifespan dropped a bit more, but I really wasn’t hurt, don’t worry.”

Xiu sneered, speaking sarcastically: “So you still remember you have a lifespan?”

Wen Chu shrank his neck.

His reply seemed to open Xiu’s floodgates. Xiu’s voice grew colder and colder: “Didn’t I tell you to go to school properly at noon today? You ran out after listening for a few minutes? Didn’t I just tell you outside is full of pollution?”

“I went to the classroom to find you, and when I couldn’t find you anywhere, I thought you died outside, Wen Chu—”

His hand extended from the black robe, and that familiar steam brass pistol pressed against the little black cat’s forehead again.

“Since you like courting death so much, I might as well kill you from the start.”

It would be shorter than the pain of losing him again after saving him.

Wen Chu looked blankly at Xiu’s hand.

Not that he was scared, but he noticed Xiu’s fingertips were trembling slightly.

Xiu was afraid after the fact.

Because Xiu thought he was dead.

Wen Chu hadn’t realized there was anything wrong with leaving without saying goodbye. At this moment, remembering Xiu looking at the City of Steam in the distant sky from the infirmary, he suddenly felt he might have been a bit excessive.

The Xiu of this world said he didn’t care, but he still cared about every life.

Wen Chu suddenly felt his nose tingle, and his heart began to feel sour and swollen. He stepped forward against the gun barrel and nuzzled Xiu’s hand.

“I’m sorry.”

Wen Chu apologized.

“I wanted to go out and buy things for you. I didn’t know it would explode. I didn’t intentionally skip school. I learned it all. I didn’t know I should have told you first, I…”

Wen Chu was a bit incoherent, and finally got stuck.

He stalled for a long time, lowered his head, and whispered: “I wanted to make you happy.”

He just wanted Xiu to care about him a little more, like him a little more.

But looking back now, he seemed to have indeed caused Xiu a lot of trouble.

Xiu froze because of the touch on his fingertips. Looking at the tiny black cat, he forgot what he was going to say for a moment.

Wen Chu obediently curled into a ball, stayed quietly in Xiu’s palm, and whispered: “If I make you unhappy, you can scold me, even kill me, but don’t dislike me.”

Xiu was silent for a long time, then put the gun away.

“You said buying things? The other things in the cart were all bought by you asking Minnie?”

“Mmn-hmm.” Wen Chu nodded. “Bought for you. Bought a new mattress, quilt, and bedsheets, and pillows, and…”

Hearing this, Xiu glanced at the cart.

These were all things Wen Chu had mumbled about in his arms last night.

He thought Wen Chu just wanted them because he saw others had beds, thinking making a cat nest for Wen Chu would be enough, and had coldly rejected Wen Chu’s proposal to change beds and sleep together this morning.

As a result, the kitten ran out to buy a bed by himself this afternoon.

It was bought for him.

In the end, it seemed to be his responsibility too.

Xiu lost his voice. Looking at the chattering yet cowardly little black cat, for some reason, he couldn’t muster any anger anymore.

So stupid.

How is a person like him worth spending effort on?

“…I followed Minnie out secretly by myself. None of these spent your money; it was Minnie’s money.” Wen Chu dropped this sentence at the end.

After speaking, he looked at Xiu uneasily.

He was afraid Xiu would ask why Minnie spent money on him.

Fortunately, Xiu’s attention wasn’t on this matter now. Xiu looked at him, stunned for a long time, and finally said: “Sorry, I was too anxious. I couldn’t find you anywhere, and when I heard news of you, I learned you were at Boiler Room No. 21. Did I scare you just now?”

“No.” Wen Chu shook his head vigorously.

He put his front paws on Xiu’s knee and said seriously: “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have sneaked out of the classroom without telling you. If you are still angry…”

Wen Chu thought for a moment: “You can bite me.”

Xiu looked at the tiny mist cat and couldn’t help laughing: “Bite you for what? Eating exhaust gas?”

Wen Chu: …

Oh, he’s not a jellyfish anymore, can’t be eaten by Xiu.

Wen Chu said weakly: “Then I’ll bite you. I’ll clean the black energy (“hei qi”) off your body.”

Although he didn’t know where so much black energy on Xiu came from, being wrapped in black energy all the time prevented the skin from contacting the outside world. Wen Chu felt Xiu must be very uncomfortable.

Xiu freed a hand to poke him, not refusing, only saying: “Perverted cat.”

Not scolding him anymore? Letting him off so easily?

Wen Chu was poked over on the seat, looking at Xiu who suddenly apologized to him, a bit confused.

Before he could ask aloud, he heard a roar from the steam car beneath him.

Then the car jerked forward and stopped.

The car ran out of energy.

Fortunately, they had already entered the small courtyard, only a few dozen meters from Xiu’s stone tower.

Xiu got out of the car directly and lifted Wen Chu down.

The cart was full of daily necessities. Xiu didn’t rush to move them, but carried Wen Chu into the stone tower.

Inside the dark and empty stone tower, a brand-new wooden cat nest was placed on the ground. Xiu put Wen Chu in to try it.

It was a bit too big for the palm-sized kitten.

But big was better than small.

Wen Chu stepped on the cat nest, a bit confused: “You went out to buy things too?”

Why is there an extra new cat nest?

Xiu stood aside with his arms crossed: “No, made it while you were in class.”

“After making it, I wanted to bring the cat nest to pick you up from school, but James told me you ran away after staying in the classroom for ten minutes.”

Having his “crimes” recounted by Xiu again, Wen Chu shrank back guiltily.

Regret, very regretful.

In the future, when he sneaked out to find Minnie to work for the Rebel Army, he would definitely leave a ball of mist by Xiu’s side as a spy. As soon as Xiu made a move, he would return immediately, never letting Xiu worry.

He thought Xiu disliked him; how could he know Xiu would make him a cat nest and pick him up from school?

“Alright, not blaming you anymore. I was too fierce to you before; I apologize to you.” Xiu looked helplessly at Wen Chu, who had curled into a ball again.

Wen Chu felt even worse hearing Xiu’s apology.

He caused Xiu so much trouble to get close to him, and in the end, it was Xiu apologizing to him.

Why would the Xiu of this world concede like this?

Even if he scolded him for a while longer, his heart would feel much better.

The sun sank, and the stone tower grew darker. Wen Chu suddenly jumped out of the cat nest and rushed outside.

“What are you doing?” Xiu followed him in astonishment.

“Lighting the lamp.” Wen Chu jumped onto the tricycle. “I bought you a kerosene lamp, and a new bed.”

The kitten stood on the cart of the tricycle, finally not having to crane his neck to look at Xiu, but looking at him levelly.

“Xiu, let’s sleep in the new bed tonight, with the lamp on, okay?”

Xiu pursed his lips, unable to say any words of refusal.

“Okay.”

As long as Wen Chu is fine.

[Current Favorability 30/100]

.

Night. Minnie supported the unsteady James back to the small courtyard, followed by a group of people, each holding a piece of a human body.

“My brother…” James seemed to be sleepwalking. “My brother treated me very well. In the past, when we ran from place to place on the ground because of patrol officers, he worked illegal jobs in the boiler room and never let me go hungry.”

“Later he stole physics books, learned to make robots and miniature pistols for self-defense. I did whatever my brother did, so I learned with him. The first finished product I made was a music box, a carousel music box.”

“…Later, he was recruited by the City of Steam and took me there. There were blue skies, green trees, and babbling brooks. I saw the blueprint of an amusement park there for the first time. I wanted to build an amusement park on the ground. My brother agreed and used all his salary to support me.”

“I thought I was doing good for the ground, until the day the new Steam Robot my brother and I researched came out, and the blades were aimed at the people on the ground.”

“No one had time to come to the amusement park; only people died under the iron feet of the Steam Robots.”

“I wanted to leave. I am a sinner. But why, brother, you clearly only cared about research, why did you have to do this too…”

James’s eyes were hollow, asking repeatedly.

“Why?”

In the Rebel Army, death was common. Minnie was very calm: “Send a few more people to stay with James tonight. Notify the children no class tomorrow. The rest of you come back with me to piece together the body, see if we can find clues, and also to give James’s brother a complete burial.”

James glanced at Minnie, opened his mouth wanting to say he would help too, but turned his head to see the person next to him holding half of his brother’s bloody head, and couldn’t help retching.

He said in a trance: “Okay…”

Minnie handed him over to the man beside her.

Just as James was about to leave, he turned around and paused.

“What’s wrong?” Minnie asked. “Anything else?”

“Sir…” James looked incredulously at the most remote stone tower.

“Why is the light on in Sir’s tower?”

Hearing this, Minnie also turned her head abruptly.

The stone tower that originally stood in the shadows was now emitting warm yellow light from the cracks in the door and the third-floor window.

Thinking of Wen Chu happily dragging her to buy this and that today, Minnie whispered: “Sir really likes his cat.”

Clearly he looked on the verge of exploding today, yet after coming back, he could still let Wen Chu decorate his tower.

You know, Minnie had euphemistically suggested improving living conditions before. After all, as the Rebel Army’s mentor, Xiu’s conditions made her, the leader, look inhumane.

At that time, Xiu just curled his lips coldly, too lazy to even lift his eyelids: “Do you think you deserve to have all this?”

Opening his mouth just to attack indiscriminately.

Minnie instantly dared not make a sound. Upon returning, she packed all her novels and clothes except for necessities and gave them to the children, not daring to add extra food for herself for a whole half-month.

Even in her nightmares at midnight, Xiu looked at her coolly asking, “Do you think you deserve to have all this?”

Too terrifying.

Minnie shook her head, trying to throw away the bad memories, and said quickly: “Alright, it’s not our place to judge Sir’s affairs. Hurry up and start working.”

On the other side.

Inside the lit stone tower.

Wen Chu jumped up and down happily on the new bed.

Soft mattress, brand-new quilt, and sheets full of egg drawings.

His cat nest was also placed on the bed; Xiu allowed him to sleep on the bed as he pleased.

He could sleep in the warm quilt with Xiu.

Wen Chu happily rolled on the bed.

Rolling to the edge of the bed, he looked up and happened to see Xiu, who had taken off his cloak, standing nearby looking down at him.

Wen Chu scrambled up and asked: “Xiu, do you like it? How is this sheet? Is it pretty?”

Xiu wasn’t quite used to the bright lights indoors, especially after taking off his cloak. He felt a sense of being stripped clean with nowhere to hide.

He lowered his eyes: “It’s fine.”

Wen Chu looked at the favorability that had reached 35, confidently believing this meant he liked it.

He patted the sheet with his paw: “You sit too.”

Xiu slowly sat down.

The mattress was very soft, sinking a bit when he sat down. Even before becoming an Evil God, Xiu hadn’t bought such a soft mattress.

He sat up straight, unaccustomed, stiffening his back.

Wen Chu rolled all over the bed, rolling directly onto Xiu’s lap.

“Xiu.” Wen Chu looked at him eagerly. “I learned it, today’s lesson.”

No matter what, he couldn’t lose his reward.

Xiu had forgotten about this. Being reminded by Wen Chu, he raised his head in surprise.

“What did you learn?”

“Today we learned sine, cosine, and tangent theorems.” Wen Chu repeated from memory.

He didn’t know English, but he could remember it once James read it. Wen Chu repeated exactly what James taught.

“…It’s calculated like this. Then James gave example problems for everyone to write. They wrote for a long time but couldn’t write it out. It was just those questions over and over. I waited too boringly, so I left the classroom early.”

Wen Chu lay on Xiu’s knee and said seriously: “If you don’t like it, I’ll listen to the whole class before leaving in the future.”

Xiu didn’t expect Wen Chu to actually be able to say something substantial, looking Wen Chu up and down with surprised eyes.

So what was clinging to him wasn’t a stupid mist?

Wen Chu started doubting himself under his gaze: “Did I say it wrong?”

“No.” Xiu withdrew his gaze. “What you said is correct. I just didn’t expect you to remember it all.”

Judging from Wen Chu’s daily performance, Xiu could be sure Wen Chu hadn’t attended school at all, so all this could only be rote memorization by the other party.

But to memorize it all within ten minutes, and not forget it even after a day, that wasn’t rote memorization, but a genius with extraordinary memory.

Wen Chu was proud: “I am very smart!”

Xiu gave an “Mmn,” thinking no matter how smart, still a stupid mist, then asked: “Where do you want to eat?”

He wasn’t the type to break his word.

Wen Chu thought about it.

His gaze lingered from Xiu’s thin lips all the way to his waist, staring until Xiu pursed his lips uncomfortably.

Just when Xiu was getting creeped out by the staring, Wen Chu suddenly turned into a cloud of mist.

He drifted leisurely to Xiu’s chest and nuzzled it.

“Eat here, is it okay?”

There was no black energy on Xiu’s face; kissing would arouse suspicion.

The waist was a bit too low; asking Xiu to strip completely seemed unlikely too.

After thinking it over, Wen Chu chose the chest area, which was highest up.

He said clingily and considerately: “You just need to unbutton your collar and let me crawl in.”

Xiu: …

He really wanted to ask if Wen Chu wanted to take advantage of him on purpose.

But looking at the mist without even facial features, Xiu couldn’t ask.

Wen Chu struck while the iron was hot: “I’ll help you eat the black energy on your body. I only eat black energy, nothing else.”

Hearing this, Xiu looked down.

He looked at the increasingly dense black energy on his wrist and curled his lips in self-mockery.

Right, I seem to be flattering myself a bit too much.

Leaving aside that Wen Chu has no concept of that at all, even if he did, a body like mine couldn’t possibly interest him.

He reached out and unbuttoned his shirt.

The collarbone under his neck was revealed, and Wen Chu could even glimpse a bit of the muscle lines of his chest.

“You eat it.”

As Xiu spoke, he closed his eyes, like an offering, presenting his body to the black mist.

The light was too strong. If there was any reaction, he had almost nowhere to hide.

No matter what, he couldn’t let Wen Chu discover his embarrassing, despicable reaction.

Thinking this, a trace of coldness flashed through Xiu’s tightly closed eyes.

He dug his nails deeply into his palms.