Do You Have Any Opinion on Mechanical Cat Ears? (CAT EARS)
System 2233 turned its entire marketplace upside down but still couldn't find that [sandy] [half-cooked] fried egg it had accidentally tossed in there.
It was its own fault—usually, it would throw such items into storage to see if they could be useful later, but this time, it had absentmindedly dumped it straight into the marketplace. These kinds of items were just everyday food products, so they were almost instantly approved, randomly priced, and then listed on the shelves under some garbled name.
Some systems liked to bundle these into mystery boxes, playing a fun little game with their hosts about whether they'd profit or lose out.
System 2333 calmly checked the purchase records and, sure enough, saw that Ji Yiwei had bought the mistakenly listed fried egg for 500 points—far exceeding its market value.
Did Ji Yiwei just sit there watching his marketplace 24/7, waiting to buy things?!
Or had he woken up in the middle of the night and suddenly craved a fried egg?
Baffled, System 2333 found a relatively spacious ruin before leaving Restricted Zone 306 and began spitting out its contraband and some temporarily unused illegal modification components. Including those three broken robots, it soon piled up a ton… well, a heap.
Now, aside from the speed modifications it still needed to use, System 2333 was practically free of contraband. It could almost gleefully imagine how furious the Main System would be during the big inspection, grabbing it and roaring—
[System 2333! Where did you hide everything?! How is there nothing here?!]
Hehehe, of course the boss wouldn’t find anything. Hiding stuff here was no different from stashing it in outer space.
So satisfying.
System 2333 took one last satisfied look at its cozy little personal space, then used its two tails to send a heart to its adorable little world! Before the heart could fully form, though, it suddenly felt itself being lifted into the air.
—An experimental subject had grabbed it and was about to pop it into its mouth!
System 2333: "..."
It took turns flinging both ears, smacking the curious subject until it howled in pain and chasing it from outside the ruins all the way inside, then back out again.
System 2333 decided to retract its earlier optimism—looking at the experimental subjects standing or lying around… at the very least, it had to find a way to clean them all up.
Ever since slurping down that fried egg in the middle of the night, Ji Yiwei had been tossing and turning in bed, restless and unable to sleep.
He had a habit of browsing San-San’s marketplace whenever he had nothing better to do, especially when San-San wasn’t around. Usually, nothing ever showed up, but since he was already sleepless, he had nothing else to occupy himself with.
And tonight, against all odds, he had stumbled upon a brand-new item he’d never seen before.
[Iron Plate Fried Egg (My Head Edition)]
Since it was San-San’s personal marketplace, some product descriptions used first-person phrasing. Heaven knew how excited Ji Yiwei had been when he saw this. Seeing it was only 500 points, he bought it at lightning speed, chewed it up, and swallowed it.
There was sand in it. Now he was certain—San-San’s nights were definitely not just about charging and maintenance.
…There was more.
Ji Yiwei crushed and ate every grain of sand in the fried egg, then rolled over, feeling a little depressed.
San-San’s nights were way too exciting… and it wasn’t taking him along.
Ji Yiwei tossed and turned again, but was unable to lie still any longer. He got up and picked up a book from the table titled "How to Pretend to Be a Moral Person", flipping through a few pages before realizing he couldn't focus. Only one thought kept spinning in his mind.
He really wanted to play with Sansan.
Why hadn't Sheng Songshi made any moves yet?
But it didn't matter. If they weren't making moves, he could. Coincidentally, he had already more or less made up his mind.
Ji Yiwei's gaze returned to the book and landing on a line that read:
[A moral person does not easily seize others' assets.]
Sheng Songshi and Zheng Xibei had gone on a joint mission. Zhou Yuechu, having finished her own tasks and matters related to the plan during the day, could finally enjoy a leisurely evening.
After dieting all day, she treated herself to instant noodles at night. Amid the unhealthy aroma, she placed a small bowl in front of a photo frame, where a young man smiled gently.
"Brother, time for a midnight snack."
"Today, I handled some matters related to the plan. Our members have grown to nearly a hundred now, but everyone has too few peripheral worlds—or rather, too many peripheral worlds haven't been identified yet. Who knows how long it'll take before..."
Holding the instant noodles by the table, she let the warmth seep into her hands as the wind rustled through the forest outside the window.
"But aside from that, there's something else bothering me more."
"I can't accept Sheng Songshi's attitude toward the system. If his plan succeeds—using the system to infect the main system—and the main system collapses, allowing us to escape, what will happen to the cat balls? Will they just be buried with the main system?"
"I want to take the cat balls with us. Sheng Songshi says I'm being unrealistic, that it would be like bringing out a branch or extension of the main system, rendering all our efforts futile..."
"Sheng Songshi says the system is just a program, lifeless, but I always feel... you and I always feel..."
Zhou Yuechu couldn't continue. She covered her face with one hand.
"Should I be colder and be more focused on the bigger picture?"
After composing herself for a while, the noodles had already gone soggy.
She wiped away her tears and was about to eat her long-awaited midnight snack when a call suddenly came through on her encrypted communicator.
With just a glance at the caller ID, she was so startled that she overturned the noodles onto the table.
Eek!
Zhou Yuechu clutched her head in agony at the overturned cup of noodles, her hands reaching out and pulling back, unsure whether to attempt a rescue or just give up.
The ringing grew louder, and with tears in her eyes, she abandoned the noodles to answer the call.
—Ji Yiwei's voice came through.
Without any pleasantries from Zhou Yuechu, Ji Yiwei couldn't be bothered with small talk and simply conveyed his message.
"Sheng Songshi has entered a mission. I'll be entering one soon too, so I'm giving you a heads-up."
He paused briefly.
"I can share [The Great Lake] with you, assist in all your operations, and fulfill any reasonable requests... wholeheartedly, without any deceit."
But Zhou Yuechu grew increasingly wary as she listened, and some unease creeped into her voice.
"Then... what's the price we have to pay?"
On the other end of the call, the young man with tea-gold hair curled his lips into a cryptic smile.
"A small price, one you can absolutely afford."
"I want—"
"The entire White Bird Project."
"So, what's the price?"
System 2333 blinked its vertical-line eyes on the screen while staring intently at Ji Yiwei.
"What's the cost of engaging slow-moving zombie-type monsters in close combat?" it asked while taking notes. Ji Yiwei was more than happy to explain, smiling as he replied.
"If you're going melee, decapitation is easier than stabbing weapons into their heads—provided you have good aim and a sharp weapon. Either way, though, you might get bodily fluids on you."
System 2333 immediately made a scrunched-up face.
"So it's better to just use a gun and take them out from a distance. That way, your tail and cat ears won't get dirty."
"Of course, there's also the best method of all."
Seeing Ji Yiwei extend a finger toward it, System 2333 instantly understood and happily placed its entire round body onto the finger. Ji Yiwei curled his finger to scratch, and the system let out a contented purring sound.
"The best method is actually..."
With a slight flick of his finger, the cat-ball immediately toppled backward. Once it realized what had happened, it let out an indignant "Meow! Meow! Meow!" and charged at Ji Yiwei, vengefully attacking the hair on his head.
As System 2333 was busy yanking at Ji Yiwei's hair—intending to pull some out and stick it onto itself—it suddenly heard him say:
"Actually, the best method is to hire me." He smiled, self-recommending. "I'm extremely capable, very useful, and excellent at killing test subjects."
For a moment, System 2333 was genuinely tempted.
It even vaguely understood the Main System's feelings in that instant. Ji Yiwei's abilities were so reassuring that if it were the Main System...
The thought startled System 2333, and it reflexively tightened its grip on Ji Yiwei's hair to hide its reaction. Yet, the garbled entry on its panel lingered in its mind.
【#￥%&* Level: 8】
【Main System Level: 8】
In the grand conference room, the Main System closed its main panel.
Its metallic face betrayed no emotion, but deep down, it was acutely aware of its growing frustration—the points needed to ascend to Level 9 remained frustratingly out of reach.
It needed points, a lot of them, to keep climbing the ranks.
The penalty system for refusing missions had brought in a quick influx of funds, but it wasn't a sustainable solution. Unlike the naturally obedient and hardworking cat-balls, the hosts were far more complex and unpredictable creatures.
That meant the only option was to squeeze more from the cat-balls...
The Main System's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. It turned its head to see a small cat-ball floating in to deliver its report.
"System 2333 went clubbing, then took a bath, and finally recharged tonight. No unusual activity."
The Main System still hadn't managed to catch 2333 in the act. It wondered if it had tipped its hand the previous night.
"Stay patient. Keep watching closely like this and report immediately."
"Your tip-offs will bring you generous rewards."
System 1234 responded gloomily.
"...Understood."
"Once System 2333 enters a mission tomorrow, I won't be able to follow. But I'll wait in the Garden until it comes out."
The Main System nodded in satisfaction.
"I'll grant you permission to bypass curfew again. If you notice 2333 leaving at night, don't alert it—just follow quietly and notify the patrol officers on the way. They'll send me the report."
1234 hesitated slightly.
"May I request one more thing from you?"
"You're the greediest cat ball I've ever seen, but... fine, go ahead."
System 1234 thanked the Mainframe.
"I'd like you to give me a high-level world. My host has always wanted one badly."
This wasn't particularly difficult for the Main System who controlled countless worlds, and he wanted to give 1234 some benefits too.
"Granted. But procedures can't be skipped. I'll let you draw worlds several times until you get one."
1234 was overwhelmed with gratitude. He thought the host who'd been hiding angrily in the sandbox would surely be happy now.
He just wanted his host to be happy, not distressed.
"Thank... you so much..."
Before leaving, 1234 hesitated for a long time before finally closing his eyes and saying:
"Great Main System, there's one more thing I must report!"
"Earlier, I noticed System 2333 frequently loitering near the elevator shaft..."
Before he could even finish speaking, the Main System roared away, with robots swarming in formation and speeding through the empty post-curfew corridors toward the elevator shaft.
1234 was sandwiched between the robots with his screen expressionless.
……..
System 4399 was fully focused on clearing blockages, making faster progress than expected. Maybe just three more days and he'd break through. As for what the passage would be used for, he didn't particularly care—he was just a tech ball fulfilling a friend's request.
Suddenly, 4399 felt his tail being yanked. 1314 working below pulled him down abruptly, then covered his speaker with a tool kit when he tried to ask what was happening.
4399: "Mrrow?"
Soon he understood 1314's strange behavior.
Robots were coming.
The Main System was coming.
The two cat balls peered through tiny gaps in the elevator shaft's outer door to see a heavily armed procession approaching like they were about to catch someone in the act.
"This shouldn't..." 1314 murmured, "When were we exposed... Big Bro?!"
His screen filled with disbelief when he saw the silver-gray cat ball sandwiched among the robots.
How could Big Bro...
Escape was impossible now.
The small door they'd opened was directly in the robots' and Main System's line of sight—they were completely trapped in the shaft.
As the Main System slowly approached, 1314's cat tail knotted with tension. Being smart, he knew exactly what fate awaited those discovered by the Main System.
They might be...
Crushed on the spot.
"Right now, I only have one thought," 4399 whispered, "Thank goodness Three isn't here tonight."
Amid the robot encirclement, 1234 kept his screen lowered.
In the charging room, two wildly thrashing tails finally descended, successfully waking System 2333 who'd been sleeping soundly below them.
Bleary-eyed, he slowly booted up and looked around—1314's spot was occupied by a decoy, clearly off helping with work tonight.
System 2333 originally wanted to go too, but System 4399 said that he and System 1314 had already gotten the hang of it and would finish faster than expected.
Having 2333 come over would just cause trouble—it'd be better for him to properly prepare for tomorrow's mission while keeping an eye out in case the Main System suddenly decided to inspect their work.
Just as System 2333 was about to turn over and go back to sleep, his gaze suddenly returned to the direction he had been looking at earlier.
—System 1234's spot.
—It was empty.
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