Chapter 47: The Kitten Peeks

On the other side.

It was deep autumn, and the evening wind was chilling. The warehouse, emptied of oxygen tanks by Xiu, was now lit up.

Minnie stood in front of the warehouse. amidst the bleak autumn wind, she looked up at the lonely night sky, wondering if Wen Chu had forgotten or simply couldn’t find his way.

Wen Chu had rushed them too urgently earlier; after babbling a pile of words, he had left her behind without even giving her a chance to tell him where to meet.

“What time is it?” Minnie took a deep breath and asked James, who was behind her.

James’s hair was messy, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He was sitting next to a corpse covered with a white cloth. Fortunately, the Rebel Army members had forced him to bathe and change clothes yesterday, so he didn’t smell too bad.

Hearing Minnie’s question, James scrambled to pull a pocket watch from his chest. “Quarter past eleven.”

“We’ll wait another forty-five minutes,” Minnie decided. “We’ll wait until twelve. If he hasn’t come by then, we’ll go back first. I’ll find a chance to contact him tomorrow.”

James quietly replied, “Okay.”

Minnie had found him today saying she knew someone who could bring the dead back to life.

As the former Chief Engineer of Steam City, James was a materialist who never believed in mysticism, let alone something as blatantly occult-sounding as “resurrection.”

But this was the last chance to save his brother.

Even though he deeply suspected Minnie was just humoring him, James adopted an attitude of “the result can’t get any worse anyway” and waited with Minnie in the dead of night for this mysterious person.

James continued to stare at the human outline sketched by the white cloth.

He didn’t dare lift the cloth, terrified that he would see his brother pieced together. He could only recall his brother’s appearance over and over in his mind.

Just then, he suddenly heard a crisp, youthful voice from ahead: “Finally found it. So you guys are here; I ran around the entire courtyard before finding you.”

Who?

James looked up vigilantly. In the vast darkness, a white-haired youth appeared out of thin air.

He was an extremely beautiful boy, looking no more than seventeen or eighteen, with a hint of childish softness still on his cheeks.

He wore a small cape, and his long white hair was incredibly conspicuous in the dark night. Those round blue eyes looked toward him.

Then, the boy’s eyes curved into a smile as he said to him, “Hello, Teacher.”

James was stunned. “…Hello?”

Minnie’s eyes lit up. “You’re finally here, Wen Chu. This is James, the brother of Claude I told you about.”

Wen Chu shifted his gaze to Minnie and nodded. “I know.”

Minnie rubbed her hands together. “Then when do we start?”

Wen Chu extended his hand to her.

Minnie: ?

Wen Chu: “Where’s the money?”

Minnie realized and handed the suitcase she had placed aside to Wen Chu. “This contains the gold coins James and I scraped together. See if it’s enough.”

Wen Chu opened the suitcase.

Piles of gold coins poured out directly, forming a small mountain that gleamed blindingly under the moonlight.

Wen Chu had no concept of currency. He turned his head calmly to ask Minnie, “Is this all?”

Minnie was nervous. “This is the most we could bring out.”

Then it must be a lot.

Wen Chu nodded, casually set the open suitcase aside, walked up to the dazed James, and squatted down.

He reached out and touched the person under the white cloth.

[Life Span -10h]
[Current Life Span: 20 days 03 hours 23 minutes]

Before James could react, Wen Chu stood up again.

“Done,” Wen Chu said in a relaxed tone.

“Done?” Minnie couldn’t believe it.

This is bringing the dead back to life. Shouldn’t there be a mysterious and grand dark magic ritual?

Just a touch like that, and it’s done?

Just then, James, who had been guarding the white cloth, let out a sound of surprise. “He moved!”

Minnie turned her head sharply. The corpse originally covered by the white cloth had sat up at some point and was clumsily pulling off the cloth covering his head and blocking his vision.

Swish—

The white cloth fell.

A complete young man’s face was revealed.

The young man bore a seventy percent resemblance to James. He looked blankly at his brother in front of him, and the red-haired woman and white-haired boy not far away.

“James…?” Claude spoke uncertainly.

Why am I seeing my long-dead brother here? Am I in heaven?

“Brother!” After a brief moment of shock, James lunged forward and hugged him. “It’s really you, Brother. This is wonderful.”

Claude was still out of it. He looked blankly at James hugging him. “I remember I should be dead? And you should be dead too?”

“You did die, but James didn’t. He faked his death to escape back then,” Minnie stepped forward to explain for James. “We picked up your body in Boiler Room 21. He resurrected you.”

As Minnie spoke, she turned slightly so Claude could see Wen Chu, who was picking up gold coins nearby.

Claude opened his mouth, but ultimately just said, “Thank you. Do you need any payment? I can pay on James’s behalf.”

The scene before his death was still replaying in his mind; Claude could clearly remember how the high-temperature steam had attacked him.

But he was truly alive right now, with a heartbeat, body temperature, and memories—alive as a human being.

Although he didn’t understand how the boy did it, Claude understood the principle that asking fewer questions leads to less trouble, so he didn’t pursue it.

“No need.” Wen Chu had already gathered the gold coins by then. He stood up carrying the suitcase. “If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving. You guys take your time talking. Oh, right—”

Wen Chu was about to turn around but stopped. He looked at Minnie. “I want to raise Xiu, but Xiu already collected all the furniture this afternoon. What should I buy with this money?”

It took Minnie several seconds to realize what Wen Chu was saying.

The cat… raise Sir?

For real?

Minnie, in a trance, answered slowly, “Sir only asked me for daily necessities today. You could buy him… some seeds? Sir doesn’t have any hobbies besides farming.”

After speaking, she couldn’t help but ask one more thing. “But why do you want to raise Sir?”

“I want to be his lover,” Wen Chu said as if it were obvious. “I have to make him like me first before I can invite him to be my lover.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?”

This statement was too shocking. Not only Minnie, but even James, who was whispering an explanation of the current situation to Claude in the back, couldn’t help but voice his confusion.

“You, you, you—” Minnie’s green eyes widened. She pointed a trembling finger at Wen Chu, stuttering “you” for a long time without getting the rest of the sentence out.

Finally, she gave Wen Chu a thumbs up. “You have courage.”

Wen Chu accepted the praise honestly. “Thank you.”

Minnie: …

She spoke with difficulty, “Sorry, I don’t understand Sir very well either, and I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I might not be able to give you useful advice.”

“Um—”

A hesitant young voice came from behind.

Wen Chu and Minnie looked toward the source of the voice, which was Claude sitting on the ground.

Claude, who had just roughly understood the situation from James, said slowly, “If you want to fall in love, I have a good proposal.”

Wen Chu: “What proposal?”

Claude and James looked at each other, then said in unison, “Winter Jasmine Amusement Park.“

Seeing Wen Chu’s confused expression, James took the initiative to explain, “When we worked in Steam City, my brother and I used our wages to fund the construction of an amusement park on the surface. Although it has been abandoned for a long time because there were no people, all the machines can still start normally.”

Claude added at the right moment, “Also, people from Steam City go to romantic places like amusement parks for dates.”

Wen Chu asked, “What is a date?”

Claude said, “It’s when two people in an ambiguous relationship go out to play together.”

Wen Chu’s eyes lit up. “Okay, then I want to go on a date with Xiu. How much money do you need?”

Saying this, he prepared to open the suitcase to pay.

Claude waved his hand hurriedly to refuse. “No money needed. It’s just starting up the amusement park. Compared to your grace in saving my life, this counts as nothing.”

Wen Chu didn’t understand polite refusals. If Claude said no, then it meant no. He gave up on paying and asked directly, “Then when are you free? Where is that amusement park? I want to go with Xiu.”

“I can take you there directly, but—”

Claude looked embarrassed. “The amusement park can’t be started right now.”

“Because there isn’t enough energy?” Minnie asked. “If it’s not enough, we’ve stockpiled quite a bit of coal; we can spare some to start it.”

“No.” Claude shook his head. “The operation of the Winter Jasmine Amusement Park requires a massive amount of energy support. If an amusement park that has been abandoned for a long time suddenly starts up, it will inevitably attract the attention of the surface patrol.”

Minnie waved her hand. “Psh, don’t worry. Our coal sources are legal and compliant, and right now the entire Southwest map—”

Claude continued, “When I escaped Steam City, I hijacked a train transporting Hearts of Steam. To evade capture, I controlled robots to hide that entire batch of Hearts of Steam in the control room of the Winter Jasmine Amusement Park, inside the abandoned energy station.”

“If we don’t move that batch of Hearts of Steam first, and they discover it when they come to investigate, it will bring you trouble.”

Minnie paused mid-sentence, staring at Claude dumbfounded.

“That many Hearts of Steam, and you hid them in an amusement park?!”

Claude smiled at Minnie. “Wasn’t it very successful? At least until now, no one has remembered such a long-abandoned park.”

Wen Chu had no concept of Hearts of Steam; he was only interested in the amusement park, so he didn’t interrupt.

James was also surprised. After the surprise, he finally remembered to ask Claude, “So, Brother, why did you suddenly escape from Steam City?”

The smile on Claude’s face faded. “It’s a long story. Simply put, my philosophy clashed with theirs.”

“I started making weapons myself at age seven. From the first gunshot of my childhood that killed the patrol chasing us, I knew I wanted to research mechanics for my whole life, to create more war machines, and let everyone see the power of steam.”

“As long as there is powerful technology, it can drive social progress and lifestyle changes, ultimately allowing people to live better lives.”

“That was how it was supposed to be. I thought Steam City was a milestone in human progress. Until I was promoted all the way to Councilor and came into contact with their governance plan, I suddenly realized they only use steam as a tool for control and intimidation.”

“This is different from my goal.” Claude looked up. “I couldn’t accept them using technology as a stepping stone for power, so I chose to escape with the Hearts of Steam.”

Claude looked at Minnie. “James just told me that you are the leader of the Rebel Army. If you are willing to overthrow the deformed rule of the Heart of Steam and promise to only use the technology for social progress, then I am willing to give all the Hearts of Steam to you.”

James’s face went pale, and he didn’t speak.

Minnie was decisive. “I am willing to swear. I will sign a contract with you later. If I violate it, I am willing to voluntarily give up my position as leader and commit suicide.”

James said softly, “Brother, must steam technology be used to make weapons?”

Claude and Minnie looked at him like he was a child. Finally, Claude spoke gently, “Brother, if steam is only used to drive merry-go-rounds, then our research will only rot in the warehouse, and we won’t even have the funds to build an amusement park.”

“But haven’t you experienced it personally? The death brought by steam technology,” James said urgently.

Claude was calm. “Destruction is the precursor to rebirth. On the road to progress, bloodshed is the most normal thing.”

Minnie agreed. “Correct.”

James lowered his head and stopped talking.

Claude patted his shoulder. “I know our last meeting wasn’t very pleasant, and I didn’t expect you would go so far as to fake your death to escape Steam City. But now, Brother, I am on the same side as you. We are fighting for the people on the surface.”

Wen Chu listened to the whole process quietly, then abruptly asked, “So when can the amusement park be started?”

He didn’t care about these people’s respective thoughts; he just wanted to date Xiu.

Once he knew when the amusement park would start, he should leave. He still had to go to school tomorrow morning.

Hearing this, everyone present froze for a moment, and the originally somewhat tense atmosphere relaxed a lot.

Minnie mused, “Moving the Hearts of Steam on a large scale is too conspicuous. We can send people to bring a little back for experiments now, but it’s best to move the bulk of it during the chaos after we use the children to stir up conflict in the Central Plaza.”

Wen Chu nodded, expressing understanding. “Then call me when it can be started.”

Saying this, he prepared to leave.

The white-haired boy turned around carrying the suitcase, then paused, turned his head back, and made a shushing gesture at them.

“By the way, don’t mention my existence to Xiu.”

Wen Chu’s eyes curved into a smile, revealing a harmless expression.

“I will always be Xiu’s kitten. I don’t wish for anyone to break the peace between him and me.”

Minnie shivered for no reason and immediately stood at attention. “Okay!”

James and Claude also nodded repeatedly.

Only then was Wen Chu reassured. Carrying the suitcase, he left and vanished into the night, seen no more.

James voiced his confusion, “Sir’s cat?”

Minnie explained, “It’s that black cat you saw.”

James couldn’t believe it. “The one that hogged the podium?”

Minnie nodded.

James: …

No wonder Wen Chu called me “Teacher” right off the bat. So he really attended my class.

Minnie said, “You take Mr. Claude to rest first. It’s a good time for you two to catch up. We have to continue teaching the children tomorrow.”

Claude volunteered, “I won’t appear in the Rebel Army’s field of vision for this period. Just arrange a studio for me.”

His wanted poster had long spread everywhere. Plus, in everyone’s eyes, he was a dead man. If he suddenly appeared, it would inevitably cause chaos.

Minnie nodded. “I’ll arrange it tomorrow. It’s too late today; everyone rest first.”

“Also, about Wen Chu.” Minnie’s expression was serious. “His existence is very special. Regarding him, not half a word is allowed to be leaked.”

Claude and James nodded repeatedly.

Resurrection, cat turning into a human—even if they told people about such things, they would probably just be treated as crazy.

It wasn’t materialistic at all.

—

On the other side.

A small ball of black fog, carrying a heavy suitcase, floated leisurely back to the stone tower through the small window on the third floor.

Before entering the stone tower, he looked specifically to ensure Xiu was still fast asleep before boldly carrying the suitcase in and hiding it under the bed.

He hadn’t decided how to spend this money yet, nor how to explain to Xiu where the money came from, so he’d hide it first.

The little black fog hid the suitcase, floated eerily out from under the bed, and returned to the little black cat lying on Xiu’s body.

A flawless execution of multitasking.

Wen Chu wagged his tail happily.

Just as he stretched and prepared to continue sleeping, he looked up and saw Xiu wrapped tightly in the black robe.

Wen Chu instantly remembered his plan from before he left.

—To see what is actually under Xiu’s black robe.

“Xiu,” Wen Chu called out softly.

The other person breathed evenly and didn’t respond.

Xiu was asleep.

Wen Chu glanced at the clock.

It was already 1:00 AM.

Just one look; it shouldn’t wake Xiu up, right?

Holding this thought, the fog cat’s tail slowly dissolved into mist.

This wisp of mist, extremely light and slow, followed Xiu’s hood and sneaked inside.

Under the black robe.

Xiu wasn’t asleep. Quite the opposite—he was wide awake.

After realizing Wen Chu had left again, he hesitated but ultimately didn’t follow to look.

He worried that doing so would make Wen Chu feel his desire for control was too strong, and he also worried that instead of making Wen Chu honest, it would make Wen Chu use a more covert method to leave him next time.

Xiu waited quietly for Wen Chu to return, waiting until now, even masochistically not moving the kitten that was pressing on his chest and causing the clothes to rub against him again.

Just as the weight on his body returned, Xiu felt Wen Chu become light again.

And this time, he became even lighter.

Xiu pursed his lips.

Wen Chu left again.

He seems unable to keep Wen Chu.

From seeing the new green sprout in the vegetable patch this morning to Minnie’s invitation to Wen Chu, Xiu had been pondering a question:

Why was Wen Chu born into this world?

Was it to save this world that had already gone deformed? After all, every one of Wen Chu’s abilities fits this world so perfectly.

Including the need to eat him.

He is the root of all evil that shouldn’t exist in this world, which is why he became Wen Chu’s food, to eventually be eaten clean by him bite by bite.

…But at least give him a little time.

He still had a final method of redemption. At least in the little time remaining, let him speak a few more sentences with this wisp of fog.

Just as Xiu was hesitating about whether to lift his hood and catch Wen Chu in the act, he came face-to-face with a wisp of fog drilling into his hood.

That small wisp of fog froze instantly, obviously not expecting him to be awake.

Xiu was also startled and immediately tried to wrap himself up.

But it was too late.

That wisp of fog, in shock, fell directly onto his face. Arriving simultaneously with the cold sensation was Wen Chu’s stunned voice.

“Why, why, why, why— Why are you not wearing clothes?!?”

---

Author’s Note:

• The characters James and Claude were inspired by Steamboy.​
  (Just look at how big of a dumpling I wrapped just for this vinegar of writing the amusement park date.)