Do You Have Any Opinion on Mechanical Cat Ears? (CAT EARS)
System 2333 made full use of the nighttime, continuing to "heave-ho" as he worked on developing his Gobi Desert.
The desert was now littered not just with construction materials, but also with an assortment of flashy contraband items. These were all entrusted to System 2333 by fellow cat-balls through various channels for safekeeping.
System 2333 took good care of these forbidden goods.
Little Two’s stash was particularly troublesome—a massive pile of firearms that required strict storage conditions. But through sheer effort, he had managed to solve that problem!
Under the relentless scorching sun, the black cat-ball with his head wrapped in white cloth for sun protection, bounced excitedly in place. Before him stood several large sheds.
Meow! The first major landmark on the Gobi Desert!
...Though it would eventually be dismantled.
System 2333 prioritized storing Little Two’s and the others’ contraband in the sheds, while his own belongings had to make do—edible ones were consumed, and the rest were buried under the ruins.
While transporting Little Two’s batch of firearms, System 2333 caught a glimpse of white-winged bird insignias stamped on the corners of the crates.
He scratched his head with his tail, puzzled.
Where had Little Two gotten such a massive haul of weapons? It looked like the stockpile of some organization preparing for an uprising.
System 2333 prided himself on being a hardworking and clever cat-ball. After learning a trick or two from System 4399, he had repurposed the spider-like robots that had once hunted him and Little One.
One of them had a cracked shell—thanks to him sitting on it—and despite makeshift repairs, it still sparked and sputtered electricity.
After reprogramming them, the spider-bots began digging, but progress was slow.
Being lightweight models, they could handle simple plowing, but clearing collapsed structures was beyond their capacity.
System 2333 sighed, resigned to doing what he could. He called over the female ghost to help move rocks.
"Time to pay rent," he reasoned. "You live in my world, so you owe me rent."
The ghost: "Aah... aahhh..."
She wailed a mournful tune.
As if she chose to live here?!
As he lugged stones, System 2333 sighed dramatically.
"There just aren’t enough robots. If only there were more..."
The ghostly songstress wholeheartedly agreed. She frantically manipulated the fountain’s water, twisting it into two giant floating words:
[SO TRUE!]
Starved for conversation, System 2333 was thrilled to have a response. His social butterfly instincts kicked in, and he chatted away with the ghost.
"Y’know, I’ve got this from boss. Super rich—embezzled loads of our points. Owns tons of robots too, for everything from construction to deliveries."
The fountain drooled with envy. The ghost completely understood the cat-ball’s longing—wasn’t this just like the amusement park director back in her hometown? Bosses like that skimmed off the top and lived in luxury!
"I’ve always thought, since the boss exploits us and has so much to spare... wouldn’t it be fine if I ‘borrowed’ a few robots? Or, well, a few hundred?"
The only issue was that taking too many might tip the boss off.
"Ah, if only I could get hundreds of robots without any risks," sighed the black cat-ball, daydreaming. "For example, if someone else was also eyeing the leader robots and hoarded hundreds, I could happily turn the tables on them!"
The fountain sprayed water wildly as the female ghost wholeheartedly agreed.
Turning the tables was great! That way, they wouldn't come after her!
But System 2333 was a clear-headed cat-ball and knew this was just wishful thinking.
After finishing the tasks near his tail, he took out a ladle bigger than himself and reached toward the female ghost singer's fountain, muttering under his breath.
"We agreed earlier—water usage is high right now, and your fountain is very convenient."
The female ghost resisted desperately with tears streaming down her face. Seeing this, System 2333 thought for a moment and decided to leave her a little.
"I'm not some devilish ball, so I'll just take half for now."
The female ghost: "..."
She burst into loud sobs!
Suddenly, the ghost seemed to notice something.
Desperate to distract this devilish cat-ball, she quickly pointed in a direction while crying. System 2333 looked and spotted a patch of green sprouts growing on a small patch of land not far away.
How strange—he had never watered that area. The environment in this wasteland was so harsh, yet such tender little shoots had sprouted?
He scanned the small patch of grass—it was brimming with vitality.
System 2333 grew even more puzzled. In his own world, he wasn't bound by the Main System's two-meter flight limit and could soar as high as he wanted. So he floated up from the ground, ascending higher and higher until he could scan the entire energy reactions of Restricted Zone 306 from above.
The energy readings were incredibly strong.
After a moment of contemplation, System 2333 equipped an energy visualization module and began tracing the source.
Though faint, the energy formed a continuous thread. Following it, System 2333 eventually reached the boundary of Restricted Zone 306. There, the black cat-ball looked up and beheld a breathtaking sight—
Energy was drifting in delicate strands from the edge of the world, emitting faint glows as it integrated into the environment. These shimmering lights intertwined, creating a spectacle as magnificent as the aurora borealis. Under the glow of this energy aurora, the outermost regions of Restricted Zone 306 had already sprouted grass identical to the earlier patch, with signs of further expansion.
A small red flower stubbornly bloomed in the wind at the edge of the world.
While the cat-ball happily jumped around the little red flower, the Main System was deeply depressed.
It had exhausted itself planning for the major inspection, only to uncover almost nothing—just a few cat-balls with minor contraband or items it disliked.
The Main System punished these cat-balls severely and confiscated all prohibited items, including an annoying blowout toy.
The cat-ball who originally owned the toy burst into tears upon hearing it was confiscated, which slightly lifted the Main System's mood.
...If only System 2333 hadn't given them a suona in return, it would have been even better.
The Cat Balls loved to sing and were passionate about music, so musical instruments weren’t considered contraband in the Main System’s space. This particular Cat Ball had learned its lesson—after obtaining the suona, it played the tune "The Main System is Truly Great, La La La La La." Both emotionally and logically, there was no reason to interrupt.
So the Main System had no choice but to endure the cheerful suona performances every single day.
It was infuriating.
And once again, it had failed to catch System 2333 red-handed.
System 2333’s every action danced on the fine line between compliance and violation. Even if punished severely, the worst that could happen was a deduction of points—something System 2333 didn’t have to worry about at all, since his host, Ji Yiwei, would find a way to replenish them within days.
Infuriating ×2.
"Your recent work has been lacking effort," the Main System said coldly. System 1234, floating before it, had already been reprimanded. His mechanical cat ears, now marked with black streaks, were pinned so far back they were nearly invisible from the front.
"I reported to you about the cafeteria situation—"
"And what good did that do? Still no evidence against System 2333."
—Because it was the story of the boy who cried wolf.
If not for being a mechanical body, 1234 was sure he would have broken into a cold sweat by now. He felt the timing was right—he had laid the groundwork for a long time, feeding false intel multiple times about 2333’s frequented locations. Now was the moment!
He lifted his screen with hopeful anticipation.
"But, Main System, since nothing was found either time, doesn’t that prove System 2333 isn’t actually doing anything against the rules? In fact, doesn’t it show his unwavering loyalty to you?"
Yes! This was what he had been building toward! After two false leads, this was the clever persuasion he had painstakingly devised!
He knew the story of the boy who cried wolf, but the lesson he took wasn’t something as simplistic as "don’t lie." The shepherd boy kept shouting "wolf," and the villagers came running the first two times—but by the third, they stopped believing him.
They assumed the wolf would never come.
First, he had led the Main System to the elevator shaft. Then, he had directed it to the cafeteria. Both times, nothing was found. After these two incidents, surely the Main System would now trust that System 2333 was truly loyal!
This way, the Main System would stop suspecting 2333. And once 2333 sensed this, he would regain his respect for the Main System. Then, 1234’s dream—getting promoted, earning a raise, and having 2333 by his side as a friend—could finally…
Could finally…
"This is not the outcome I desire."
The Main System’s icy voice shattered 1234’s fantasy in an instant. His screen paled as the Main System spoke with each word deliberate.
"What I want is one conclusion, and one conclusion only—'System 2333 defies the Main System.'"
Its voice was like the whisper of a devil.
"Even if he truly is innocent… 1234, do you really think…"
"That I assigned you to follow him out of goodwill?"
1234 froze as if struck by lightning, his entire body trembling. At last, he finally understood the Main System’s true intentions.
"Leave," the Main System said, its rings rotating as it floated away. "But I do not wish to wait much longer."
"…"
"1234?"
With his back turned to the Main System, Number 1234's screen displayed a crying emoji. But when he turned around to face the Main System, he forced himself back to a neutral expression.
"...Understood."
Satisfied, the Main System departed through a special passageway, returning to its safe house where countless screens still glowed and displaying constantly shifting images. The Main System first glanced at its current total points—still a considerable distance away from becoming a Level 9 system.
It then casually scanned another small screen. Its gaze had already moved on when suddenly it snapped back, locking onto the tiny display.
This screen also showed a string of rapidly changing numbers, except these were decreasing. These numbers represented the Main System's current energy reserves—including energy from minor worlds. Both world operations and the Main System's spatial functions consumed massive amounts of energy.
The numbers had been decreasing at a steady rate, but now the depletion speed suddenly accelerated, causing the entire count to hit the Main System's preset "energy deficiency" warning line much earlier than expected.
Why? How was its energy being consumed so rapidly all of a sudden?
It was like a large bag suddenly springing a leak.
Numerous considerations flashed through the Main System's mind.
Regardless, energy deficiency posed a significant risk.
In the near future, it would have to dispatch its cat-eared little slaves to go mining again.
Author's Note:
Main System: I'm leaking?
San San: I'm catching it!
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