Twenty-Six Cats

The sea of flowers was located in an area of the map that Shuo Yu hadn't yet unlocked.

Gray-black mist spread out, and the small cloud figure resembled a flickering candle flame, bouncing as it dispelled the surrounding darkness.

The unpredictable nature of the cloud's journey meant that every landing was a mystery—sometimes on bare soil, sometimes on green grass, and occasionally on a dry, brittle piece of dead wood.

Fortunately, it had excellent balance, securely holding the girl in its arms and ensuring no branches or leaves scratched Ji Mianmian.

As a resident of Cat Island, Ji Mianmian's vision wasn't hindered. She felt like she was on a roller coaster, screaming excitedly the entire way.

At first, she clung to the little cloud figure's neck, burying her head in its soft, cloud-like embrace, her heart racing. But soon, she grew brave enough to peek outside.

"Sis, we're almost there!"

When Shuo Yu heard Ji Mianmian's sweet voice softly remind her, the swirling gray mist in front of her gradually dissipated, revealing a vast field of vibrant, blooming flowers.

With no one tending them, the flowers grew wildly in every direction.

Crimson canna lilies, golden sunflowers, and blue-pink hydrangeas...

Different flowers bloomed in their prime, unaffected by seasons, showcasing their best state on Cat Island.

Shuo Yu was mesmerized.

The flowers were growing wildly and passionately, completely unlike the carefully cultivated lavender fields she had once photographed for a major campaign. This scene was more like a freshly used artist's palette—vibrant, colorful, and brimming with the beauty of life itself.

Ji Mianmian frowned, clutching the skirt of her black-and-white maid outfit. "Ah! I forgot to change into a prettier dress!"

She had prepared everything before Shuo Yu came online but had forgotten to change out of her plain maid outfit.

Hearing the faint frustration in the girl's voice, Shuo Yu smiled.

"It's fine, Mianmian. You look beautiful in anything."

Hearing this, the girl on the screen relaxed visibly, letting go of the skirt she had been gripping.

Shuo Yu checked the little cloud figure's abilities and noticed that four new special interaction skills had been added: [Flower Field Cat Power Collection], [Find Meow-Meow Flowers], [Gather Meow-Meow Flowers], and [Tour with Cats].

After quickly reviewing the descriptions, she activated [Tour with Cats] and directed the little cloud figure to bring Ji Mianmian to a sunlit hilltop with higher ground.

While guiding Ji Mianmian, Shuo Yu listened to the girl's soft breathing and said, "Mianmian, keep your eyes open wide. Don't miss a single detail."

In a rush, she activated the [Flower Field Cat Power Collection] skill.

Under the hazy sunlight, colorful orbs of light that matched the hues of the flowers began rising from the plants, swirling above them, and eventually merging into a glowing, multicolored cat-head-shaped figure.

Shuo Yu directed the little cloud figure to focus on a peony flower—the first plant to emit a light orb. The vibrant red petals seemed even brighter now, swaying gently in the wind.

Seeing that collecting cat power didn't harm the plants, Shuo Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

The field of flowers was beautiful, and she didn't want to ruin it.

The floating cat head rotated slowly, its multicolored light swirling inside. Eventually, it separated into two layers—an inner layer that was a creamy white and an outer layer that shimmered with rainbow hues.

It was the kind of sight that could only exist in a magical game world. Shuo Yu watched in awe, feeling utterly enchanted.

Looking down at Ji Mianmian, she noticed the colorful reflection of the lights in the girl's gentle eyes.

As both Shuo Yu and Ji Mianmian were captivated by the scene, a soft chime sounded.

The glowing cat head stopped rotating and flew straight toward Shuo Yu, merging into the little cloud figure's body.

[Flower Field Collection Complete: 1000 Cat Power points collected!]

At the same time, the familiar voice of No. 001 rang in Shuo Yu's ear: "Congratulations! Your cat power has surpassed 1000 points, unlocking the [Cat Power Collector] achievement. You've earned 100 Cat Gems!"

Shuo Yu instinctively swiveled her view but couldn't spot No. 001 anywhere.

Her lips curved slightly into a smile. She had been about to praise No. 001 for its generosity.

Still curious about the Meow-Meow Flowers, Shuo Yu decided to continue using the [Tour with Cats] feature.

Each interaction card lasted two hours, and she didn't want to repeat the experience of last time, where she and Ji Mianmian only spent a short time together before getting distracted by other things.

The little cloud figure held Ji Mianmian's hand, leading her through the field, occasionally stopping to point out interesting flowers or to snap a few photos of the cat-eared girl amidst the beautiful scenery.

There was no path through the field, so they had to step carefully to avoid trampling the low-growing plants.

Seeing this, Shuo Yu grinned cheekily and opened her arms. "Mianmian, how about I carry you the whole way? My feet are made of clouds, so I won't harm the flowers."

Holding her close, Shuo Yu could hear Ji Mianmian's quiet breathing, which she found endearing.

But Ji Mianmian only blushed, her head filled with shy, hesitant, and expectant thoughts, before shaking her head and insisting on walking by herself.

She was so focused on finding a clear path that she stumbled a few times, nearly falling.

Each time, Shuo Yu would enjoy hearing her precious companion's sweet, startled cries while reassuring her with a soft "It's okay," guiding the little cloud figure to steady her.

As they passed between two entwined mulberry trees, Ji Mianmian blinked and said, "Sis, I recognize this place! It didn't look like this last time I was here!"

About a week before Shuo Yu arrived on Cat Island, Ji Mianmian, desperate for food, had brought the little kittens here.

At that time, the terrain had been similar, but there hadn't been any proper flowers in the area.

The two mulberry trees were unique—one leaning north, the other leaning south. While their roots were practically fused, their upper branches spread wide, as if they couldn't stand each other.

Ji Mianmian had even discussed it with Little White and Little Flower at the time.

"Maybe it turned into a flower field because I came here," Shuo Yu joked smugly after hearing her story.

Of course, she knew it was likely part of the game's design. Before the player arrived, this was probably a chaotic, unformed world.

To her surprise, the cat-eared girl believed her, nodding earnestly with a bright smile. "Yes, I'm really, really happy you came to Cat Island, Sis."

Seeing Ji Mianmian's rosy lips and warm honey-colored eyes, touched by the setting sun, Shuo Yu swallowed hard, forcing herself to suppress certain thoughts.

"Mianmian, let's go find some Meow-Meow Flowers."

Meow-Meow Flowers were a type of flower that looked completely different from the others. They had only one petal and resembled a cat's face, though without features.

The "whiskers" of the cat face were the stamens.

The description said that these flowers could also generate cat power and cat gems, so Shuo Yu decided to collect as many as possible.

Following the trail of clouds emitted from the little cloud figure, they eventually found a patch of Meow-Meow Flowers.

Normally, these flowers were pure white, but as Ji Mianmian approached, the petals magically took on black and yellow patterns.

On closer inspection, each flower's pattern was identical to the color of the fur on Ji Mianmian's cat ears—they were adorable calico cat markings!

Shuo Yu was the first to notice. Delighted, she exclaimed, "Mianmian, take a few steps back!"

The girl on the screen looked confused but obediently complied.

As soon as Ji Mianmian stepped a meter away, the colors on the Meow-Meow Flowers began to fade, returning to pure white.

Shuo Yu marveled, "It seems the Meow-Meow Flowers can match the fur colors of nearby cats! Mianmian, you don't have to do anything. Just stay with me, and we'll collect as many as we can!"

That night, a ring of white Meow-Meow Flowers surrounded the lure area on the western ear beach.

When night fell, the petals of the flowers emitted a faint glow, and the colors remained longer on any cats that approached.

The shimmering flowers, swaying in the breeze, looked like a group of cute, multi-colored kittens playing in the grass.

Shuo Yu pursed her lips, extinguishing all the lights within the safety zone.

After making sure Little White, Little Flower, and Ah Jin were all equipped with cat power gloves, Shuo Yu spoke softly, her expression serious.

"With these gloves, you can hit the evil spirits with full force, and even if they've possessed other cats, you won't harm their bodies."

Unable to resist, Shuo Yu patted Ji Mianmian's fluffy cat ears one last time before the battle.

Her voice lowered. "Everything's ready. Tonight, we'll lure the evil spirits. Everyone, please be careful."

With a chorus of determined meows, she lit the incense that would attract the spirits.

As expected, nighttime was when the evil spirits were most active. The incense doubled in effectiveness, and within five minutes, five spirits and one possessed cat appeared.

In the dim, shadowy night, the evil spirits' ghostly black forms seemed more menacing, like an abyss waiting to devour the cats.

Shuo Yu didn't offer any instructions this time. As the player behind the screen, her role was only to assist; the battle against the spirits was something the cats on the island had to face on their own.

Watching the cats form a well-coordinated attack lineup, Shuo Yu felt both proud and relieved.

They used their cat power gloves to drive the spirits out of the poor possessed cats and pinned the spirits down with arrows charged with cat power.

Seeing her little team of cats fighting like seasoned warriors, Shuo Yu couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

After about fifteen minutes, the ground was littered with glowing drops, but more evil spirits had surrounded them.

Shuo Yu asked, "Can you still hold out? Do we need to burn more incense?"

The cats all meowed in response, each rejecting the idea.

Little Flower: "No need! The more they hit me, the more damage they take! Come at me, you bad guys!"

Little White: "No need. Shuo Yu, just pick up the drops around us. They're getting in the way!"

Ah Jin: "Fighting with these cat power gloves is amazing! It's effortless, and my paws can move so smoothly!"

Shuo Yu looked into Ji Mianmian's bright, spirited eyes as the girl glanced up at her.

Feeling reassured, Shuo Yu fully entrusted the battle to the cats.

Thirty minutes later, the incense had burned out, and the long battle had left the cats visibly exhausted.

Little Flower let out a triumphant meow as it bit into the last evil spirit, ending the battle.

Shuo Yu quickly brought out the cart she had prepared and gently loaded the sleepy, confused cats, one by one.

Just as everyone was enjoying the calm and preparing to tally their gains, a sharp pain struck Shuo Yu's ear.

She heard a child's voice, close to her ear, shouting, "Let go of my kitty! Don't touch my kitty!"

The screen blurred.

The peaceful, moonlit beach twisted and transformed, becoming a room decorated with cartoonish images of wolves chasing rabbits and leopards tearing into meat. The furniture was painted in pastel pink and blue, resembling a child's room.

The strange yet cozy environment made Shuo Yu feel uncomfortable.

She turned to find that Little White, Little Flower, Ah Jin, and the four rescued cats had all disappeared.

Only Ji Mianmian remained, her expression serious, gripping her bow tightly.

Sensing that Shuo Yu was still with her, although she couldn't see her face, the cat-eared girl's hands stopped trembling.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is the evil spirit's mental space."

As soon as Ji Mianmian finished speaking, the door handle of the room began to turn with a soft click.

The faint cries of kittens, mixed with a child's voice saying, "Kitty, your fur feels so nice. I'll make gloves out of it," echoed from beyond the door.

Shuo Yu's face darkened, her tone turning cold. "Mianmian, don't worry. Hide in the wardrobe on the right."