Chapter Fifty-Six: Cat Demon?!

As Zhou Shu stood frozen, caught off guard by the stark contrast between the monster and Huahua, the cat wasted no time. It trotted over and sniffed Zhou Shu curiously. Yes, the scent was unmistakable: this was the human child it had watched grow up. Yet something faintly unpleasant lingered, a trace of an odor it disliked. How odd.

Huahua circled Zhou Shu twice, confirming he was family and not some filthy intruder, then sauntered into the house. Zhou Shu kept a wary eye on Huahua as it made its rounds, the label “Unknown Monster” spinning above his head. Since Huahua showed no signs of aggression, he ignored the Hunter’s prompt to attack.

Inside, Huahua leapt lightly onto the Eight Immortals table and sprawled beside Grandma’s hand. Grandma smiled and stroked Huahua’s belly; the cat promptly rolled onto its back, legs splayed, inviting her touch.

“So this is it?” Zhou Shu wondered aloud. “This is the monster?”

He simply couldn’t understand it. Grandma, seeing his bewilderment, said, “What’s wrong? I thought you ran outside to welcome Huahua. Why are you just standing there?”

“Uh, nothing,” Zhou Shu replied, entering the room with a strange look in his eyes. “I just think Huahua is so irresponsible—wandering off and making Grandpa and Grandma worry, and now it has the nerve to come back.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Huahua cocked its head and let out a “meow~,” as if it understood him.

“You silly child, if it didn’t come back we’d worry even more,” Grandma said, gently stroking the cat’s head. “It watched you grow up. Remember when you almost got bitten by that big wolf dog? Huahua fought it off. If it truly didn’t return, you’d have to go find it—it’s the cat that saved your life. Isn’t that right, Huahua?”

Huahua squinted contentedly under Grandma’s hand, offering a timely “meow,” as if agreeing.

This series of interactions shook Zhou Shu’s worldview once again. Just as learning of monsters made him question ordinary events, now knowing Huahua was a monster made him reconsider all his familiar experiences. Were those exchanges—his words and Huahua’s meows—really conversations?

Grandma was delighted: her eldest grandson had returned, Huahua was home, and after a brief session of cat-petting, she left to buy groceries. Zhou Shu and Huahua were left staring at each other.

The Hunter recognized that Huahua posed no threat and switched its affiliation to “Friendly.” It even suggested Zhou Shu pet the cat so the system could analyze Huahua’s attributes.

Zhou Shu found this reasonable. If the Hunter had identified Huahua as a monster, there must be something extraordinary about it. The most obvious anomalies would be in its physical stats. Huahua had approached him earlier, but never stayed for more than ten seconds, so the system couldn’t collect data.

Determined, Zhou Shu walked to the Eight Immortals table and slowly reached out to Huahua. His fingers brushed the soft fur of its abdomen—the familiar sensation instantly reassured him: this was the same Huahua as before.

Huahua opened its eyes to look at him, recognized the human child it had watched grow up, and closed its eyes again, purring contentedly.

“Purr, purr, purr~”

After ten seconds, a string of data appeared before Zhou Shu’s eyes.

He couldn’t help but curse aloud. “Holy crap!”

The exclamation startled Huahua, who sprang up and glared at him.

“Sorry, sorry,” Zhou Shu apologized, hastily stroking the cat until it lay down again, then returned to the data.

[Strength 1.31~1.33, Agility 2.75~2.78, Endurance 1.12~1.14, Constitution 2.94~2.96]

This was dominance in every category!

Zhou Shu had added points several times, yet he couldn’t even match a cat. Humans couldn’t outrun cats, true, but that didn’t mean cats were stronger—humans can lift a hundred kilograms, but a kitten certainly can’t. Cats run faster because they’re small and light; a little strength goes a long way. Like two AA batteries and a small motor can make a toy car zip around, but the same setup wouldn’t budge a real car.

Yet Huahua’s strength stat surpassed not only ordinary adults but even “superhuman” Zhou Shu! Combined with its size, it wasn’t just fast—it was practically skimming the ground!

And that wasn’t even its highest attribute; its agility and constitution had both reached the “2” range. Constitution was especially impressive—2.9!

This wasn’t a cat; he’d believe it was a cat demon!

What kind of world was this?

Zhou Shu nearly shut down mentally.

But he couldn’t afford to; he needed to figure out what was going on. He recalled the alien language the Hunter used earlier and asked, “Little Hunter, can you understand cat language and translate it? It doesn’t have to be 100% accurate, just a rough gist.”

[Yes, but I’ll need to gather some data. Please interact with Huahua as much as possible.]

That was no problem; Zhou Shu had always gotten along well with Huahua.

PS: Thanks to reader 20200531160830391 for the reward.

He’d never imagined Huahua was a monster; those stats made it look like Catzilla.

Terrifying.

After a while, Zhou Shu pulled out his homework and wrote while keeping an eye on Huahua. He was, after all, still a student.

Huahua, seeing Zhou Shu stop petting it, took the initiative to perch atop his homework notebook and stared at him.

Zhou Shu: “…”

No doubt, this was still Huahua.

He had no choice but to pet it, then move it aside. Huahua returned to sit on the homework; Zhou Shu petted it again. After this cycle repeated three times, Huahua finally settled nearby, quietly watching him write.

Grandma soon returned with groceries, and Huahua meowed and followed her until she tossed it a small piece of raw meat.

At lunchtime, the family used a low table; Zhou Shu skillfully arranged four stools, one for Huahua. The cat sat properly on its seat, eating from its own bowl; whatever the family ate, Huahua ate as well.

Zhou Shu noticed Huahua was indeed different from ordinary cats—it was obedient, almost as if it truly understood human speech. The elders often said it was “spiritually gifted,” “understood human nature,” or “had become a spirit.”

As a young man in the era of the internet, Zhou Shu had always dismissed such talk, but now he began to ponder these descriptions deeply.

In the afternoon, the elders gathered at the door to bask in the sun, play games, and chat. Huahua didn’t wander anymore; it sat by the chessboard, watching the old men play. Occasionally someone would pet it, and it never resisted.

Unable to contain himself, Zhou Shu called Captain Wang of the Demon Control Bureau in Dongyuan City.

As the organization with the most contact with mutants, Zhou Shu suspected they’d encountered Huahua’s “type” before.

“Hello, Captain Wang, it’s me, Zhou Shu.”

In the Demon Control Bureau, Wang Kailun stepped out of the lab, peeled off his disposable gloves, accepted a phone from his assistant, and said, “Zhou Shu, what brings you to call me? Did you get your business sorted? Need any help?”

Zhou Shu felt a bit embarrassed but replied smoothly, “It’s nothing serious, I’ve handled it. But I have a question—I was wondering if the Bureau has encountered mutant beasts, or more accurately, animal-type supernaturals whose mental states are normal, who not only don’t attack humans but are actually friendly to people. Is there such a case?”

Wang Kailun pondered Zhou Shu’s words, adjusted his glasses, and replied, “Yes, actually, once you join us you’ll have access to all this information. Since you’re considering joining, I can share a little. The Bureau’s Monster Tamers are a sizable profession—our city has one, in fact. He has several powerful animal partners; the Monster Tamer’s own strength aside, the animals alone are formidable.”

“So, are you asking because… you’ve discovered an unregistered mutant beast?”

Zhou Shu looked at Huahua in the crowd, hesitating before saying, “Well, how should I put it…”