Star Hunter.

Chapter 219 This cat isn't one to be trifled with either.

Chapter 219 This cat isn't one to be trifled with either.

Early in the morning, Old Man Chang had already opened his small repair shop. (Shared by a user on 59 Literature Network)

In this area, most people don't have the extra money to buy additional shops, so they convert parts of their houses into shops. Some houses have shops on the ground floor with living quarters above; others have shops in the front and living quarters in the back. In short, shops and living quarters are basically connected, so this area feels quite crowded and has no particular pattern of distribution. From above, it looks like irregularly cracked ground.

The surrounding buildings are not tall, mostly two or three stories, with fewer five or six stories. Small, dilapidated flying vehicles and old, worn-out cars comparable to the old, broken-down car that Udoze once owned are everywhere, speeding above the buildings.

Old Chang's house wasn't very large, but it had three floors. The first floor was used as a shop, and the second and third floors were living quarters. Perhaps it was because there were so many people in the house back then that there were so many rooms.

The room where Xilin stayed was one of the larger rooms. It used to be where Old Man Chang lived, but later, in order to take care of his grandchildren, he moved in with his four grandchildren.

Although the triplets are only five years old, they are very sensible. Despite their young age, they have helped Old Man Chang a lot. For example, now that Old Man Chang has opened his shop, Chang Xiaoliu and Chang Xiaoba are helping to hand over parts and clean the machinery. When they see that Old Man Chang is tired, they bring him a glass of water.

Chang Xiaoba is the girl, the one who hid by the door and didn't approach Xilin at first. She wasn't as open as her two older brothers when she saw a stranger, but you could tell from the look in her eyes that she was actually a clever child.

"Grandpa, Xiaoqi is bothering that older brother again. She won't come to do any work!"

Chang Xiaoba handed Old Man Chang a glass of water, pouting as he complained.

The triplets used to work together, but now only Chang Xiaoliu and Chang Xiaoba are helping out, while that naughty Chang Xiaoqi has run away again.

Old Man Chang patted his granddaughter's head and chuckled, "It's alright. I told Xiaoqi she could watch from the side, but not to disturb her rest. She'll come down when she gets bored."

Old Man Chang knew his grandson well; Xilin spent most of his time sleeping to recover faster, so if Chang Xiaoqi went there, Xilin would most likely be asleep and no one would pay attention to him. Chang Xiaoqi couldn't stay idle by himself; just watch, he'll come down in a bit.

It wasn't that Old Man Chang was unsuspecting of outsiders; he simply felt immense pity for Xilin. So young, yet already out there performing space maintenance missions. Although his own family was poor, Old Man Chang would never allow his grandchildren to pursue that path. Thinking of his own similar experiences in his youth, Old Man Chang couldn't help but sigh: "Xilin, that child, has suffered so much."

However, Old Man Chang was wrong this time. Chang Xiaoqi actually stayed for a long time. Why?

When Chang Xiaoqi went upstairs alone out of curiosity to see her brother who was eating, sleeping, and taking medicine, she saw a gray cat squatting on the low table next to the bed as soon as she entered the room.

Because Old Man Chang is always busy with work, he usually prepares food and medicine here. He puts them on the table so Xilin can eat them as soon as she wakes up.

And now, Chang Xiaoqi saw the cat, which had been presumed dead for some time, squatting on the low table, head down, eating the food prepared for the patient. Chang Xiaoqi's mouth dropped open, somewhat stunned.

Noticing the commotion around Chang Xiaoqi, the gray cat glanced at her listlessly, then, after determining she posed no threat, continued eating with its head down.

Chang Xiaoqi originally wanted to call her grandfather and Xiao Liu and Xiao Ba to come and see, but she remembered that her grandfather said not to make a lot of noise in front of the patient. However, Chang Xiaoqi was too curious to leave.

After all, they are just kids, and once their curiosity is piqued, it's hard to suppress.

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Chang Xiaoqi looked at the gray cat, then carefully and slowly moved towards it. The gray cat didn't raise its head even after Chang Xiaoqi reached the low table, but its ears twitched as Chang Xiaoqi moved.

Chang Xiaoqi bit his finger, and seeing that the gray cat wouldn't look at him, he lowered his voice and whispered, "Kitten!"

The gray cat's ears twitched, but it still didn't raise its head.

There were two reasons why the gray cat ignored Chang Xiaoqi. First, it was eating and had no interest in dealing with this little brat whose fighting power was almost zero; second, it couldn't understand what the little brat was saying at all.

Chang Xiaoqi continued biting her fingers and called out twice, but the gray cat still ignored her. She became bolder and raised her chubby little hand, still covered in a bedding, and poked the cat's head!

He immediately pulled it back after poking it; this little brat does have a bit of cunning.

The gray cat finally raised its head and glanced at Chang Xiaoqi, its eyes still lazily half-open, its mouth still chewing. It blinked lazily, then lowered its head to continue its struggle with its food.

Chang Xiaoqi got excited and continued poking the gray cat after it lowered its head.

However, the second paw missed. Just as it was about to poke the cat's head, the gray cat raised its foreleg and stomped on it. The gray cat didn't extend its claws; after so many years of contact with humans, it still had basic awareness.

Despite all these actions, the gray cat still didn't look up, continuing to eat while stepping on Chang Xiaoqi's chubby little hand.

Chang Xiaoqi, whose chubby little hand was stepped on, didn't cry but instead chuckled – it didn't hurt!

Of course it didn't hurt. The gray cat didn't use much force or extend its claws. On the contrary, the soft paw pads made Chang Xiaoqi feel very comfortable.

Chang Xiaoqi grew bolder and became more playful. She pulled out her chubby little hand and immediately covered the gray cat's paw.

The gray cat finally raised its head again, stuck out its tongue, and looked at Chang Xiaoqi. The little brat was now watching it with a happy grin.

It lazily yawned, and habitually prepared to lick its paws. Realizing that something was wrong, it pulled its paws out from Chang Xiaoqi's chubby little hands, licked them, wiped its face, and then covered them with Chang Xiaoqi's chubby little hands again.

Chang Xiaoqi laughed heartily, pulled her hand away, and then covered it again.

Gray Cat: "..."

So when Xilin woke up, he saw the two childish guys playing a game of stacking paws.

Xilin would bet that this cat is definitely not fully awake yet, otherwise it wouldn't be so patient in folding its hands with a little kid.

Chang Xiaoqi, that little rascal, was so happy he almost jumped for joy. Ah, the joys of childish children are endless.

Noticing what was happening to Xilin, the gray cat finally opened its half-open eyes, retracted its paw, and then flicked its tail lightly at the little brat. It then jumped to Xilin's side. It didn't dare jump directly onto Xilin; Xilin was currently recovering, so it was best to avoid it.

"Xilin, you're finally awake!" Gray Cat, now fully conscious, came over and said happily.

When it woke up, it was in very bad condition. After surveying the area, it found many machine-made items, but they were all low-end products. It had no idea where it was. It didn't care much about that, but after eating, it had recovered somewhat.

Chang Xiaoqi bit her finger as she looked at them, not understanding what the gray cat was saying. But this cat's meow was different from the others!

Xilin stroked the gray cat's head. Then he smiled at Chang Xiaoqi and said, "Xiaoqi, is there any more food? Could you get some for your brother?"

"Yes!" Chang Xiaoqi grinned and immediately dashed out with her short legs. The storage cabinet wasn't far from here.

Although Chang Xiaoqi couldn't speak the capital's dialect, she could understand some of it. In addition, Xilin had learned some of the local dialect over the past few days, so basic communication between the two was no longer a problem.

Upon hearing the language Xilin spoke, the gray cat looked at Xilin in confusion, "I've never heard of the language you're speaking."

"This isn't the Star Alliance. It's probably on the other side of a spacetime vortex, so until you learn the language here, just be a normal cat."

The gray cat shook its whiskers. "You mean I should meow?"

Xilin looked at the gray cat with an expression that said, "You're talking nonsense," and said, "You are a cat."

"Okay. But I'll learn the language here very soon." Learning the language through the machines here won't even take a minute.

"By the way, Xilin, you don't look right right now." The gray cat pointed at Xilin's face with its paw. If it weren't so familiar with its connection with Xilin when it woke up, it would have really thought the person lying next to it was someone else.

"It doesn't look right?"

Xilin propped himself up and saw his current situation reflected in a small metal piece not far away, and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

It seems that when passing through the spacetime vortex, the genes underwent phenotypic resetting and returned to their original form.

Xilin has now returned to his appearance from Brown Earth, with slight changes in his physique and skeleton. Xilin rubbed his face, thinking to himself that this face was still the most comfortable and pleasing to the eye. No matter how much one artificially alters their genetic phenotype, it's never as natural as the original appearance.

"This is what I was originally like," Xilin said.

"Oh," Gray Cat looked at Xilin curiously. He had heard Kari and the others say that Xilin had other appearances before, but he didn't expect that only now was his true appearance.

Xilin briefly told Gray Cat about their general experience after being sucked into the spacetime vortex. If it weren't for the Chang family, Xilin didn't know how much longer he would have remained silently in this unfamiliar galaxy.

"The little guy who was playing the paw-stacking game with you just now is Chang Xiaoqi, one of the triplets."

Gray Cat was about to explain that he was playing childish games with the little brat because he wasn't fully awake yet, but when he heard Chang Xiaoqi's footsteps, he stopped talking and began to "communicate" with the machines in the area, learning a new language.

Chang Xiaoqi brought over a large plate with a big piece of meat from some unknown animal on it, along with two small fish. It seemed to be specially prepared for the gray cat.

The food on the plate was quite heavy, and Chang Xiaoqi struggled to carry it. Xilin quickly took it from her, patted Chang Xiaoqi's head, and said, "Thank you, Xiaoqi. It's still warm. Did you make this yourself? You're so capable!"

"No...it's not that difficult!" Chang Xiaoqi chuckled as he looked at the gray cat.

Xilin took the plate from the low table where the gray cat had just finished eating, placed two fish on it, and said in the Imperial Common Language with a Fangyan accent, "Purr, this is a token of Xiaoqi's appreciation."

The gray cat had almost mastered the language and could understand Xilin's words. It bared its teeth at Chang Xiaoqi to indicate that it understood, then jumped to the plate and began to eat the fish.

You don't even need to eat it; you can tell from the smell that the fish doesn't taste very good. But now, the gray cat isn't picky about anything and has started to eat the two fish.

"Xiao Qi, aren't you going to eat?" Xi Lin cut off a piece of meat and handed it to Chang Xiao Qi.

Chang Xiaoqi shook her head, "I'm not hungry!" But her eyes remained fixed on the gray cat, her chubby little hand rising and falling repeatedly. She looked like she really wanted to pet the gray cat.

Xilin smiled and began to eat the meat on his plate.

The contents of this plate are all from compressed capsules. These relatively inexpensive compressed capsules are commonly used by these working-class people; they are convenient and time-saving. Simply place the selected capsule into a special machine and press a button. It only takes half a minute.

Even though the operation is very simple, it is indeed not easy for a five-year-old child like Chang Xiaoqi to be able to complete these things independently. Children from poor families learn to be independent early.

As Xilin ate, he looked at the scrolling leaf pattern on his hand. This thing acted like a compass, drawing Xilin to this place. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been possible that only Xilin had changed while the others hadn't been drawn over.

The Yuan family should be located in the Imperial Capital Star Region that Old Man Chang mentioned.

Unlike the Star Alliance's management system, this planet belongs to the twenty-third star sector of the Lansa Empire's twenty-six star sectors. It is just an insignificant little planet among them.

In the original star system, genotype determined one's future, but here, even with excellent innate qualities, it's difficult to rise above others without a good birth. Many people, measured by the Star Alliance's A-grade gene standard, end up as guards for noble scions with mediocre genes and limited abilities. And so, human life is treated like dirt.

Looking at the food on the plate, although these capsules are relatively cheap, they are still meat, and the poor wouldn't eat this for a long time. Their meager income couldn't support a life of eating this all the time. I believe Old Man Chang's family doesn't have much either; the compressed capsule food that Xilin is eating is probably Old Man Chang's family's daily food supply.

Old Man Chang dotes on his grandchildren, which is evident in their meals. Adhering to the principle that one should never let children suffer, Old Man Chang has put a lot of effort into feeding these little ones. The family's savings haven't increased much, likely largely due to the food these teenagers eat. Just look at how chubby the triplets are; you can tell they're rarely hungry.

Chang Xiaoqi watched with amusement as the gray cat finished eating the two fish. Since he had eaten her food, the gray cat obliged and thanked Chang Xiaoqi after finishing, speaking in perfect local dialect.

Chang Xiaoqi's eyes widened, and she pointed her chubby finger at the gray cat: "You...you can talk!"

The gray cat licked its paws and wiped its mouth. "Why can't meows talk?"

Chang Xiaoqi didn't answer again, but seeing the gray cat grinning foolishly, she suddenly remembered something and immediately ran out and shouted downstairs, "Grandpa, Xiao Liu, Xiao Ba, there's a smart cat here!"

Xilin's lips twitched. It seemed that in the eyes of these little kids, he, a handsome young man, was far inferior to Grey Cat, a glutton.

Upon hearing the phrase "clever cat," the gray cat immediately categorized Chang Xiaoqi as someone with discerning eyes who could recognize talent, and squatted there, raising its chin as if it were an elite.

Old Man Chang, who was repairing machinery, put down his work, quickly wiped his hands, and went upstairs. Chang Xiaoliu and Chang Xiaoba, who were helping him, had already rushed upstairs upon hearing Chang Xiaoqi's call.

The grandfather and his grandchildren were astonished to see the cat, which they thought had been dead for a long time, sitting proudly on the low table. Old Man Chang, in particular, carefully tapped the cat. At first glance, it didn't seem any different from the other cats, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that this cat was very intelligent.

"Grandpa, Grandpa!" Chang Xiaoqi said proudly, pulling on Old Man Chang's hand. "The kitten said hello to me!"

Chang Xiaoliu and Chang Xiaoba's eyes lit up. There were other people's pets on their street that they could talk to, but those families cherished them. The triplets had only seen them from afar a few times and had never been able to get close. Hearing Chang Xiaoqi's words, Chang Xiaoliu and Chang Xiaoba couldn't resist anymore and started chattering away around the gray cat.

Hearing the triplets' boast, the gray cat straightened its head and puffed out its chest, striking a serious pose, before replying in its standard dialect, "Hello!"

Xilin glanced at the gray cat, who looked serious but whose mind was probably already racing, and curled his lip. What a character!

Xilin introduced the gray cat to Old Man Chang and the others again: "This is a pet I met by chance a few years ago. It has been following me ever since, and its name is Huru."

Hearing Xilin's words, Old Man Chang didn't think too much about it and chuckled as he watched the triplets talking to the gray cat. However, he was still somewhat surprised that the cat spoke in such authentic local dialect.

Xilin explained that he had encountered some people on this planet before, and that Gray Cat had learned his accent from them.

When Chang Xiaoqi took it upon himself to give the best meat capsule and two fish capsules to Xilin and Gray Cat, Old Man Chang did not show any reluctance.

In two more days, Xilin will be almost fully recovered. When Old Man Chang asked Xilin about his plans, Xilin said he hoped to stay here temporarily to help Old Man Chang. After all, Xilin was quite familiar with mechanical repair, so he didn't need to be paid; he only needed to be provided with food and lodging.

The capital city is not an option for now. Xilin hasn't fully grasped the situation in the Salan Empire, and he won't act rashly. Therefore, he chooses to stay here for a while, fully recover his health, adjust his condition, and make plans before taking action. After all, Xilin has no backing here.

Old Man Chang was very happy that Xilin was willing to stay and help. Moreover, there was an empty room in his house. The food for an extra adult and a cat would be a burden for Old Man Chang alone, but with Xilin's help, the benefits would be greater. However, Old Man Chang insisted that he would pay Xilin a salary as appropriate, because it is not good for a young man to not have some money.

Xilin and the gray cat stayed behind, and the triplets were the happiest because they could play with the kittens.

The triplets cheered, and Old Man Chang looked at the three little ones with a loving smile.

Xilin couldn't help in his current situation, but the gray cat could. So after lunch, this scene unfolded in the shop: three little ones following behind a gray cat, happily carrying parts.

However, Old Man Chang did save a lot of effort. When he needed a part, Gray Cat and the triplets would take it from the parts shelf, and the model number was very accurate, unlike before when Old Man Chang often had to describe it in detail for the triplets to get the correct one.

Old Man Chang was pleased: It seems this cat isn't just a lazy bum.