“Can you become my follower pet?”
Bai Fuling asked earnestly. He crouched down slightly, resting both hands on his knees.
Through the iron bars of the cage, Liao Zhiqiu looked into those grape-like black eyes.
After the briefest moment of confusion, understanding dawned on him.
Cats had always regarded themselves as the masters and humans as their servants.
So an invitation to become a follower pet was perfectly reasonable.
In fact, this represented a cat master’s recognition of a human, a gracious permission allowing a two-legged creature to remain by its side and attend to it personally.
Humans should feel honored.
A faint ripple stirred within Liao Zhiqiu’s heart.
Ordinarily, stray cats were highly vigilant by nature.
Yet he hadn’t expected this one before him to accept him into its circle of trust so quickly.
“Mm.”
The corners of Liao Zhiqiu’s lips lifted ever so slightly before he said,
“You don’t need to take me with you. This cage is very heavy. You won’t be able to drag it.”
Earlier, Bai Fuling had exhausted every ounce of strength just to pull the cage forward by a tiny distance.
Liao Zhiqiu had noticed.
He understood that neither this lock nor this cage could be opened by an ordinary person.
At this time every year, Liao Zhiqiu was always kept under guard.
His grandfather had never once allowed him to spend that day differently.
This wasn’t the first time he had been locked up.
Liao Zhiqiu had long since grown accustomed to it.
Still…
Whenever he leaned against the inside of the cage, he couldn’t help thinking,
Looks like I won’t be able to celebrate my cat’s birthday this year either.
Once a special day was missed, making up for it afterward no longer held any meaning.
Liao Zhiqiu had never believed in belated compensation.
He only cared about that exact day.
If he missed it, he would simply prepare quietly and wait for the following year.
This year, he had secretly bribed several of his grandfather’s subordinates in advance and learned the layout of the hidden chamber.
If he were locked away again, he already knew how to escape.
But his grandfather seemed to have learned about those preparations.
So this time, instead of locking him inside the secret room…
He had thrown him into an underground iron cage instead.
Under normal circumstances, Liao Zhiqiu rarely came into conflict with his grandfather.
Only on this one day every year did an irreconcilable disagreement arise between them.
He felt little familial affection toward his grandfather.
But he couldn’t really say he hated him either.
Because he had always been indifferent toward relationships between people.
Once imprisoned, Liao Zhiqiu naturally tried to break free.
After feeling the enormous padlock with his own hands, he immediately understood that he lacked the tools necessary to open it.
Sitting there doing nothing was unbearably dull.
So he simply used his small knife to scratch at the heavy iron lock over and over again…
Until Bai Fuling arrived.
He had already accepted the fact that this year would simply pass like all the others.
His heart was remarkably calm.
“You should leave,” Liao Zhiqiu said.
“You don’t need to worry about me. Once tomorrow has passed, they’ll let me out.”
“When that time comes, I’ll bring some cat treats over for you.”
“Then what about tomorrow…”
“…the cat’s birthday?”
Bai Fuling asked in surprise.
“Weren’t you going to celebrate your cat’s birthday?”
Wasn’t the quest [The Cat’s Secret] still in progress?
What exactly did this NPC mean?
“This year…”
“…it can only be like this.”
Liao Zhiqiu lowered his head slightly.
“Next year…”
“I’ll come up with a more thorough plan.”
“No.”
Bai Fuling answered without even a second’s hesitation.
How could such a tiny quest possibly wait until next year?
Unless there were some miraculous time-travel mechanic.
Could this be the game’s way of offering players the option to abandon the quest?
What a joke.
No player would ever quit a quest halfway through.
Besides, there wasn’t even a penalty for failure, nor did it conflict with any other objectives.
Only an idiot would give it up.
Hearing that firm and decisive “No,” Liao Zhiqiu froze slightly before lifting his head.
“You said you were going to celebrate your cat’s birthday.”
“I definitely…”
“…definitely will take you out of here.”
Bai Fuling declared.
“…”
Liao Zhiqiu gazed at the resolute expression before him and another ripple spread through his heart.
He didn’t know whether the other party cared so deeply because it concerned the birthday of a fellow cat…
Or because he wished to repay the kindness shown toward his own cat.
Before him stood the most sincere and touching little cat he had ever encountered.
Bai Fuling controlled his little character until it stood beside the cage before speaking again, this time to make sure the system registered it.
“When you said ‘Mm’ earlier…”
“Did that mean you agreed to become my follower pet?”
“…Mm.”
Liao Zhiqiu nodded.
“I agree.”
He would never betray the trust of a small animal.
Bai Fuling beamed happily.
“That’s wonderful!”
“Starting now, you’re officially my follower pet.”
Since the NPC had agreed, the system should already have detected the dialogue keywords and registered them.
Delighted, Bai Fuling tapped open the character menu.
Sure enough, the follower pet slot at the bottom had lit up.
[Follower Pet] Person Inside the Cage: Large Follower Pet. Requires sufficient space for movement. Cannot ride transportation while being carried. Chance of triggering a police report.
Why was there even a chance of triggering a police report?
Did the game seriously monitor what kinds of follower pets players brought around?
Bai Fuling frowned briefly before quickly relaxing again.
Forget it.
This was only temporary anyway.
Once they left the sewer, he’d simply cancel the follower pet relationship.
Players generally weren’t very enthusiastic about follower pets.
Especially large ones.
Sometimes they blocked the player’s view.
Whether collecting loot or interacting with NPCs along the way, they often caused accidental clicks.
This time, however, was a special case.
He needed the automatic follow function.
After confirming that the follower pet relationship had successfully been established, Bai Fuling rinsed the blood off his raincoat in the nearby water before putting it back on.
Brimming with confidence, he turned around and walked away without another glance behind him.
However…
After walking a fair distance, he discovered that the iron cage remained firmly where it was.
“Hm?”
“Why isn’t it following automatically?”
Bai Fuling blinked in confusion.
He controlled his little character to walk back.
“Why didn’t you follow me?”
Liao Zhiqiu, still locked inside the iron cage:
“…?”
Bai Fuling’s expression became solemn.
He reopened the character panel and examined the follower pet description once more.
[Follower Pet] Person Inside the Cage: Large Follower Pet…
After reading it over several more times, enlightenment finally struck.
So the follower pet wasn’t merely the dark-circled pixel character.
It referred to the entire unit…
Including the cage.
Furthermore…
This counted as a large follower pet.
The reason it hadn’t followed him was because one prerequisite hadn’t yet been fulfilled.
Dogs needed leashes when taken for walks.
Naturally, large follower pets did too.
This was probably the game’s built-in moral and legal logic.
He hadn’t expected the game to pay such close attention to detail.
Deeply impressed, Bai Fuling took a length of rope out of his backpack.
Since the follower pet included the entire cage, he didn’t tie the rope around the dark-eyed pixel man’s neck.
Instead, he fastened it securely to the iron bars of the cage itself.
There.
The prerequisite of attaching a leash was complete.
Satisfied, Bai Fuling grasped the rope.
Now it should work.
Watching Bai Fuling tie the rope onto the cage, Liao Zhiqiu couldn’t help asking,
“…What exactly are you doing?”
“Taking you out.”
Bai Fuling answered naturally.
So…
He still intended to drag him outside this way?
But the result would be exactly the same as before.
The cage was simply too heavy.
And Liao Zhiqiu himself wasn’t exactly light either.
“You don’t need to worry about me.”
Liao Zhiqiu spoke calmly.
“This cage is far too heavy for you…”
Before he could finish speaking…
He suddenly felt the cage beneath him move.
Liao Zhiqiu’s eyes widened in astonishment.
Gripping the rope tightly, Bai Fuling walked forward two or three steps.
Finding that his movement speed remained completely normal without any debuffs, he immediately broke into a brisk, cheerful stride.
Sure enough.
His idea had worked.
Automatic follower pet movement really was reliable!
Now he would finally make it back to school before eight o’clock in the morning and keep his [Law-Abiding Good Student] title intact.
Bai Fuling’s eyes sparkled.
After pulling the cage several steps, he simply controlled his little character to start sprinting.
The astonishment Liao Zhiqiu had just experienced hadn’t even faded before an even greater shock struck him.
The person before him hadn’t merely dragged the cage…
He was actually running with it!!
Sitting inside the cage, Liao Zhiqiu felt as though he were riding inside a vehicle.
Even someone as calm and detached as he was found it difficult to remain composed.
Was his strength really this incredible?
Then that earlier display of struggling with all his might just to move the cage a tiny distance…
Had he merely been teasing him…?
Still…
Cats were like that.
A little mischievous.
Liao Zhiqiu successfully convinced himself of that first.
Then he paused.
But…
A cat’s strength shouldn’t be capable of something like this.
Logically speaking, only a tractor should have enough power to drag an iron cage containing a full-grown person while running!
Bai Fuling ran ahead holding the rope.
Behind him, the iron cage obediently “followed automatically.”
The sewer passages were perpetually damp, with standing water collecting in many places.
But none of that mattered to a player.
So he simply chose the shortest possible route, charging straight through without making any detours.
Water splashed everywhere.
Liao Zhiqiu silently wiped the droplets from his face.
Sitting inside the cage, he somehow experienced the sensation of riding through white-water rapids.
His mind was still processing the question:
Is it normal for a random stray kitten to possess strength comparable to a tractor?
At that moment, Bai Fuling finally stopped.
Ahead stood a ladder.
Climbing it would lead them back outside.
“I can’t leave the cage.”
Liao Zhiqiu spoke once again.
“You don’t need to worry about me.”
“I won’t be able to get up there.”
Bai Fuling merely smiled calmly.
Heh.
There had never been such a thing as a follower pet being unable to keep up with its owner.
Even if the player climbed mountains of blades or crossed seas of fire, follower pets would automatically overcome every obstacle to catch up.
That was simply how the system had been designed.
So Bai Fuling merely replied,
“Don’t worry.”
“I said I’d take you out.”
As he spoke, he controlled the little character with one hand gripping the rope and the other grabbing the ladder before beginning to climb upward.
“…”
Inside the cage, Liao Zhiqiu felt the ground growing farther and farther away beneath him.
The entire cage was being lifted upward…
Little by little.
…Wait.
He can actually lift the entire iron cage?
That’s something only a crane should be capable of!
Liao Zhiqiu’s thoughts reached an entirely new level.
The question occupying his mind expanded once again:
Is it normal for a random stray kitten to possess strength comparable to both a tractor and a crane?
Bai Fuling controlled his little character as it climbed the ladder.
At the very top was a sewer manhole cover.
Within the game’s system, however, manhole covers apparently defaulted to being opened from the inside.
Unlike prying them open from the outside earlier, this required almost no effort.
He pushed the cover aside and climbed out.
Then he immediately encountered another problem.
The cage was simply too large.
The sewer opening was far too small.
There was no way the iron cage could fit through it.
Large follower pets always came with this sort of inconvenience. Sometimes their models would get stuck because of their size.
After climbing out first, Bai Fuling tied the rope suspending the cage to a nearby fire hydrant.
There was no helping it.
It looked like the player would have to handle this personally.
In that case…
He might as well pry up this entire section of ground.
What a pity he didn’t have any explosives.
That would’ve been much more efficient.
Bai Fuling had originally intended to take an axe out of his backpack and smash apart the pavement.
However, as he rotated the camera, he suddenly spotted an unfamiliar little pixel figure lying motionless not far away.
Hm?
What’s this?
His attention was immediately drawn toward it.
Still suspended inside the cage over the sewer opening, Liao Zhiqiu sharply caught the scent of blood in the air.
It was different from the faint trace of blood that had lingered on Bai Fuling earlier.
This smell was much stronger.
It carried the heavy metallic odor of fresh blood, mixed with the scent of internal organs and iron.
“What happened outside?”
he asked immediately, his voice full of vigilance.
Bai Fuling walked over to the little pixel figure lying on the ground.
The left side of the figure’s chest was covered by a patch of red pixel mosaic.
Its neck was another mass of red pixels.
The ground beneath it was stained with the same dark crimson color.
“Wow.”
Bai Fuling exclaimed in admiration.
“It’s a corpse!”
Without another thought, he immediately crouched down and reached over to search it.
When a player comes across a random fallen NPC in the wild, what should they do?
Obviously…
Loot the gold and equipment first!
Author’s Note:
Player: Anyway, loot the dropped items first.
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
And thus, the humble translator awaits their coffee-shaped reward. ✧
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Escape game freezesChapter 2 · Players aren’t allowed to use the main entranceChapter 3 · Players have created a medical miracle!Chapter 4 · If I hit the NPC more, will the NPC drop gold coins?Chapter 5 · Players earn the title of “bus weirdo”Chapter 6 · Players get a prison experienceChapter 7 · So the red bar isn’t for favorability, it’s for anger!Chapter 8 · The player is a nimble catChapter 9 · The player is a “law-abiding” good studentChapter 10 · Players have no morals and are fearlessChapter 11 · Player: What’s wrong? It’s called “Cai Cai Shui Ling LingChapter 12 · The player is the famous Farmer Detective!Chapter 13 · The player raised a new petChapter 14 · The player is a genius dog-riding boyChapter 15 · The player is a sticky, helpful, and kind comradeChapter 16 · It turns out that players aren’t considered human by NPCsChapter 17 · Players are like angels descending upon my side!Chapter 18 · Player: There’s only one truth!Chapter 19 · Why are players farming at the school?!Chapter 20 · Players came to the cafeteria to buy suppliesChapter 21 · Are NPCs model workers?Chapter 22 · If you’re a gay manChapter 23 · Player: Wheelchairs are a useful mode of transportation!Chapter 24 · So the player is actually part of Cat Returns (?)Chapter 25 · Liao Zhi Qiu, a large pet belonging to the playerChapter 26 · Player: Hello, I picked up this corpse.Chapter 27 · Bai Fuling: Players will never dieChapter 28 · Has the murderer been caught?Chapter 29 · Player: Visiting the mental hospital felt as familiar as coming homeChapter 30 · Players’ Adventure in the Mental Hospital: Round 1Chapter 31 · Player: Kid, fly!Chapter 32 · The player who does good deeds every day is truly a good personChapter 33 · The kitten brought back some local specialtiesChapter 34 · Let this adorable kitten stay forever?Chapter 35 · Players, don’t give up on being human!Chapter 36 · A kitten is just a kitten, isn’t it?Chapter 37 · Players want it, players get itChapter 38 · Angel Player and Unlucky Bear NPCChapter 39 · In short, players choose to throw at NPCsChapter 40 · The player just flew away!Chapter 41 · Player: You need to thoroughly understand the bookChapter 42 · Players love to tease honest NPCs.Chapter 43 · He said he was a little hungry.Chapter 44 · Even if cotton essence mutatesChapter 45 · Pure Love TentaclesChapter 46 · Choose to be a kitten?Chapter 47 · Players’ tears are weaponsChapter 48 · Players do not need to breatheChapter 49 · It’s on fire!Chapter 50 · The player is a top-tier rescue masterChapter 51 · How did the player manage to resurrect after killing themselves?!Chapter 52 · Call the player “Little Cat King”!Chapter 53 · What are the consequences of raising the cat-like alienation