The Cat's Plan to Become Human

"My refusal wasn't a problem, right?" "Woof." "Exactly. A symbiosis contract can't be severed at all, only temporarily suppressed. I know that's what they meant, but suppressing the effects like that is seriously idiotic. The fundamental link of the symbiosis contract remains—if you die, I die—yet suppressing the contract causes permanent damage. Do they think I'm stupid?" "Woof." "Besides, once the contract's effect diminishes, Karen would be able to establish a second symbiosis contract, as long as he's daring enough to shoulder the risk." "Woof." "Right, that Luoya—she must have been thinking about this for ages. Humph." "I can't let her succeed. Yes, of course. Even if it's just for the sake of my great-great-great-grandniece, I have to maintain this symbiosis contract and keep a close eye on Karen!" "Woof." "I get it, I'm not stupid. With the talent, ability, and growth rate Karen's showing right now, this is an investment that could make me wake up laughing in my dreams. Through my symbiotic bond with him, I've already broken through the shackles of Ancestor Allen. My 'soul' is free now, with no ceiling boxing it in. Well, the only minor issue now is that I don't have wings, so I can't fly." "Woof." "You mean I should wait a bit longer? Wait until Karen is strong enough, then have him pour water into me?" Purr sat on Kevin's back as the cat and dog strolled across the lawn below the residential building, chatting as they walked. Kevin scraped at the ground with his paw, first drawing a cat: a small circle, followed by an oval, two smaller ovals underneath, and four lines added to the small circle serving as the face. "Oh, what a wonderful drawing. If you hadn't added those whiskers, I would've thought you drew a Wien sausage." Kevin drew a square below, then another square above. Afterward, he scraped his paw from the top square into the cat, and then into the bottom square. "I already know that. Why draw it again?" Purr asked, thoroughly puzzled. Just then, their movements drew the attention of some docile monster beasts roaming freely nearby. Several curious beasts ambled over, huddling together to watch. Presumably, within their realm of understanding, it was rare to see monster beasts comprehend geometry. Kevin shook his head. "Woof." Purr froze. Then an aggrieved look crossed her face. Finally, resignation took over. "So that's what you mean." Kevin nodded. "But if we do it that way, it's just so... pointless." Kevin shook his head and carried Purr away from the foolish onlooker beasts. "You want me to act as a reservoir for Karen through our symbiosis contract, but Karen already has several reservoirs on him." "Woof." "Those are all too small? Right, indeed, none of them is as big as a finger." "Woof." "The problem is, that makes me utterly useless. I know I'm a useless kitty right now, but I've always dreamed of standing up one day." "Woof." "Alright, alright, I get it. I understand." Kevin stopped and gave a slight shake. "What is it?" Kevin seemed hesitant. "You have another way?" "Woof, woof, woof." "Install a floodgate on Karen too?" Purr's eyes instantly widened. "Oh heavens, stupid dog, you're brilliant!" Kevin raised his muzzle toward the moon. "The reason I can't have a floodgate installed is that I already have that finger, plus I'm connected to Karen through the symbiosis contract. With Karen acting as an uncertain reservoir, I can't block it off. But Karen doesn't have that problem, heheh. Wait..." Purr suddenly realized something and immediately said, "He originally brought me here to 'see a doctor,' but after the exam, he's the one who needs surgery... Having the veterinarians here operate on him?" "Woof." "I just feel a little embarrassed about it. But according to your theory, if that finger is blocked and Karen pours power into me, won't I instantly recover?" Kevin shook his head. "No? Hold on, let me think. My current physical condition isn't up to it, and neither is my endurance. Everything is weakened across the board—a survival tactic I chose so I could accommodate the finger. In truth, the finger is me now, and I am the finger; we became compatible long ago. If that spot is sealed off and Karen injects power into me, my fate would be to briefly regain a portion of my strength, only for my body and soul to instantly shatter. I'd turn into a pile of ashes, leaving only that finger behind..." Kevin nodded. "So that's out of the question. Stupid dog, I'm scared of dying, truly." Kevin turned his head, looked at Purr on his back, and grinned. Purr pondered further, and another thought struck her at once: "But if Karen installs a controllable floodgate at the junction between him and me, he could control it himself whenever I or he needs it, opening the gate to release water to me. The water would flow through me and into that finger; I'd merely serve as the conduit. Yet during that brief passage, I would receive a boost in power—I might even be able to transform from a cat into a human for a short time?!" "Arf, woof, woof, woof!" "Normally, this would be impossible, but Karen's foundation is immensely profound—he's often troubled by accumulating too much power without an effective outlet to release it! Coupled with his precise, micro-level control over power, he could actually pull it off. Under normal circumstances, if he channeled power to me, it would instinctively flow back toward the larger side. So he could never properly pour power into me, nor could I truly receive it. But with this gate, he could channel the power across first, then shut the floodgate. Cut off from their source, that power would have no choice but to pass through me before finally draining into the finger, granting me a temporary power boost. If this really works, then whenever Karen wishes, I can turn into a human to help!" "Woof!" "But here's the problem: the procedure is impossibly difficult. Aisli's parents could never pull it off. Even if you assembled the finest team of 'veterinarians' in this entire research institute, they still couldn't perform such an operation successfully. Because Karen and I share a symbiosis contract bound at the soul level, while the transfer of spiritual power uses the physical body as a medium. So where could we ever find a floodgate capable of bridging both soul and flesh? And that floodgate would have to be completely under my... no, under Karen's control, letting him decide when to open and close it. Can't find one. Impossible. And even if we found one, we couldn't install it. Neither the floodgate nor the surgical technique is something we can touch right now. I even suspect this might belong to the realm of gods—or perhaps require someone on the level of Diss in that field. No, even if it were Diss, he had a fellow 'Diss' from the Church of Principles beside him—Mr. Hoffen. Sigh, all that excitement for nothing." Purr slipped down from Kevin's back of her own accord and walked forward with hesitant steps, letting out a cat sigh. The cruelest blow in this world was to be handed hope in your despair, only to be told, 'Hey, just kidding.' Looking at Purr, Kevin blinked, reached out a paw to scratch his bald head, then stepped forward and shook his body, gesturing for Purr to climb back on. "No, I want to walk on my own for a bit. I want some quiet. I'm fine, I can get over it. If Karen makes me a bowl of boiled fish with pickled greens tomorrow, I'll be fine right this minute." Kevin extended a paw to block Purr. "What is it?" "Woof." "The Gate of Samsara?" "Woof." "The Gate of Samsara inside Karen that's already undergone Order transformation!" *** "Mr. Karen, it's a pleasure to meet you. You can call me Angie." "Hello, Ms. Angie." "No, call me Miss." "My apologies, Miss Angie." This woman, over forty years old, had a voluptuous figure. She wasn't wearing Order robes, but a white lab coat, looking as if she had just come off shift. In reality, however, she oversaw administration and did no research work herself. She was striking and glamorous, carrying an allure like milk splashed across a bee's wings. Walking down the street, she would turn heads without fail, especially with the beauty mark near the corner of her lips, which added just the right touch of sensuality to her uniform. After shaking hands with her, Karen politely averted his gaze. "I'll be direct. My elder brother, Bernie Camp, is the head of the Logistics Department of the Whip of Order in the York City Region. Have you heard of him?" "I'm afraid not." "That's fine. You're honest. Most of the time, the Whip of Order governing bodies in local regions are little more than empty signboards. Actual authority over Whip of Order squads has always rested with the local regional administrative offices. Now, isn't reform in the air? The Whip of Order's status within the region is bound to rise in the future. So my brother Bernie will be contending for the position of head of the Whip of Order in the York City Region—the Regional Whip Holder in your system. My brother holds you in high regard. He hopes you will bring your squad over to his side." She wasted no words, getting straight to the point from the moment they met. Karen had to match her directness: "The difficulty is enormous." "What difficulty? Bernie securing the post of Regional Whip Holder, or having you take his side?" "Lord Bernie securing the position of Whip Holder, of course." For a department head handling logistics to leap straight to contending for top dog, the difficulty was obvious. "That's not for you to worry about. Nor will my brother ask you to do anything for him right now. He simply hopes that through this, we can foster some friendship... Well, friendship might be an exaggeration. Let's call it mutual goodwill." "I already harbor goodwill toward you and Lord Bernie." "Heh, yes, exactly that. Provided our interests aren't harmed, we help each other where we can. All you need to remember is that there's a regional superior named Bernie whose sister once did you a small favor. That will suffice." "Of course. I will not forget." "Alright, that's that. I'll take my leave." Angie rose to depart. Selina asked, "My lady, won't you stay for dinner?" "I'm watching my figure lately, so no dinner for me. We'll do it another time when there's a chance. Enjoy your meal. Goodbye." "Goodbye." After Angie left, Santos said, "Deputy Director Angie certainly knows how to deal with people." Selina chimed in, "She may be worldly, but she manages to be worldly without rubbing anyone the wrong way." As genuine senior researchers, Aisli's parents didn't have much to fear from administrators. People with real skill and expertise had the confidence to avoid taking grief from anyone, no matter where they were. "She seems nice," Karen remarked. The matter was laid to rest, and dinner followed. Strictly speaking, dinner wasn't lavish, as Aisli's parents had prepared everything themselves. Their culinary skills weren't stellar, but the atmosphere was warm and cozy. All in all, it was an enjoyable dinner, completely free of stress. After the meal, Karen got up and said his goodbyes. Aisli saw Karen to the front gate on behalf of her parents, heading back inside only after Karen drove off. "Met the deputy director?" "Yeah. She introduced her brother to me. He's Bernie, head of the logistics department of the regional Whip of Order." Purr laughed. "What does her brother even manage? Delivering documents?" For all Whip of Order squads in the York City Region, benefits distribution, reward payouts, and even the initial issuance of basic gear were handled at the Church Affairs Building, not some administrative office. Karen had joked before that the regional Whip of Order administrative office was just a place for stamping papers and circulating spiritual directives. Under such conditions, a logistics director who had no logistics to manage... held an even more awkward role. "Perhaps he felt I'm still too insignificant right now to be worth recruiting in person." "I'd say it's more likely he's the one feeling insecure." "We'll see later. Either way, we won't have any dealings anytime soon. Or we could let the Captain know about this; he reads interpersonal dynamics much more clearly." "Right. When all your superiors see you as a hound, it's actually the least taxing persona to keep up. A hound means loyalty." "Did you have something you wanted to say?" "Huh?" Sitting in the passenger seat, Purr looked puzzled. "Haven't I been talking this whole time?" "You usually don't care about work matters. Bringing it up and chiming in so much means you're definitely laying the groundwork for something." "Oh, maybe I just want fish." "If you wanted fish, you'd be more direct. Like pretending to talk in your sleep next to my pillow at night, repeating the names of those dishes over and over." "Why did you have to say it so bluntly? How am I supposed to talk in my sleep now?" "Heh." "There really is something I want to talk to you about and ask your opinion on." "Go ahead. We're family; there's nothing you can't say." Purr relayed her examination results and the plan she had discussed with Kevin. "The Gate of Samsara inside you can serve as that exact floodgate, so..." "Of course I agree." "Oh, if only you were this agreeable every time I asked you to cook fish." "How does it work specifically? Is there danger?" "Woof!" "The stupid dog says it'll take a lot of effort, but the danger isn't high, because the greatest danger is that the soul will endure violent turbulence with a risk of collapse during the process... Wait, stupid dog, you call that low danger?" "Kevin probably meant that for me, it isn't much of a risk, since there are plenty of things in my soul that can stabilize it." "Woof." Kevin nodded. "What's the exact procedure?" "Right, what's the operating procedure?" Purr turned to Kevin. "The stupid dog must know, or he wouldn't have proposed it." "Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof." "Aha, the stupid dog says he will act as the guide. When the time comes, the two of us just need to follow his lead and cooperate. It won't be that difficult because he'll break it down into steps, though it'll take quite a while, and both of us will be weakened for a period. Most importantly, we need Aisli's parents to perform surgery on you first—the sealing surgery. But they only need to do half of it, laying the foundation and the framework, without installing a floodgate." "That's not the most important part." "Huh?" "If I'm not mistaken, the most important part is that in order to have the power to guide the process, Kevin needs me to undo another layer of his seal." Purr's eyes went wide as she stared at Kevin. Kevin smiled bashfully. "Ah, stupid dog! Do you know how touched I was just now? You hid your real angle all the way here!" Kevin turned his head to look out the car window, wagging his tail as if the scenery along the road were utterly breathtaking. "You've earned it," Karen said with a chuckle. "Kevin, you've earned this. I'll say what I've always said: I don't know whether you truly acknowledge me or acknowledge us in your heart, but you have always helped me, helped us, and I will give you fair compensation." Kevin turned back and flashed a goofy, honest grin into Karen's rearview mirror. "However, I also have to ensure my own safety, so you need to let me prepare. Let's put it this way: not counting our current security mission, once I've visited Compasini's burial ground and recovered that Rax copper coin, after all that is done, I will undo another layer of your seal." With that, Karen looked at Purr and said, "Then I'll ask Aisli's parents for help to finish my part and make this happen for you. Sound good?" "Of course!" Purr immediately agreed. Heading to Compasini's burial ground to find the phantom beast's relics would allow the radio pixie to evolve, and having a Rax copper coin at hand would mean the radio pixie and Luoya could keep watch over the stupid dog together during the channeling process, putting everyone's minds at ease. Naturally, such things couldn't be said aloud, but those who understood, understood. After that, the car fell silent for a while. Purr spoke up: "Karen, thank you." "What's there to thank me for? Having you with me means an extra fighter whenever I run into an opponent I can't beat. And besides..." Even a Purr who had regained only a fraction of her power would be formidable. Her ceiling back then might have been constrained, but her personal genius was unquestionable. "Of course! In the future, whenever you run into someone you can't beat, leave it to me. Heheh, meow! Hmm, and what else?" "And besides," Karen checked his rearview mirror, turned the steering wheel to take a corner, and continued, "I'm also looking forward to seeing what you look like as a human."