Time: Autumn 2024.
Location: Earth, Songshan Town, Luoyuan County, FJ Province.
Li Zhen was an ordinary young man from Songshan Town. One day, while walking beside the river, he saw a drowning Calico Cat. Without a second thought, he picked up a withered tree branch and rescued the cat.
“Why are you so careless?”
Li Zhen said to the Calico Cat. When he tried to catch it, the Calico Cat darted away in an instant.
“What an ungrateful creature.” Li Zhen watched the Calico Cat run into the grass and muttered before turning around and leaving without paying it any further attention.
After Li Zhen had gone some distance, he did not notice the Calico Cat that had just Disappeared into the grass poking its head out and looking at his back.
From that day onward, a man and a cat began to form a bond.
The next day, Li Zhen left for work as usual. As soon as he opened the door, he saw a Dead mouse placed at the entrance.
“Where did this Dead mouse come from?” Li Zhen did not think much of it and kicked it away.
In a shadowy corner, the Calico Cat watched this scene.
For the next five days, a Dead mouse was placed at the entrance of Li Zhen’s home every day.
“Thank you, but please stop bringing me Dead mice. I really don’t eat them.”
Li Zhen looked toward a shadowy corner and shouted at the Calico Cat.
After Dead mice had been left at his entrance for several days in a row, he already knew something was Strange. After observing the area, he discovered the Calico Cat hiding in a dark place.
What an Interesting Calico Cat. It knows how to repay a kindness.
At least you have a conscience.
Although Li Zhen did not eat Dead mice, the Calico Cat’s behavior still made him somewhat happy.
His efforts to save its Life had not been in vain.
Just as Li Zhen thought the Calico Cat would continue bringing him Dead mice, on the sixth day, he opened the door and discovered that there was no Dead mouse at the entrance. Instead, there was a green glass sphere.
Li Zhen glanced toward the corner and, sure enough, saw the Calico Cat looking at him there.
“All right, all right, I’ll accept it.”
Li Zhen picked up the glass sphere from the ground, shook it in hand, and then stuffed it into his pocket.
He felt that by accepting something from the Calico Cat, it had finished repaying its debt. From then on, the Calico Cat should end this silly yet adorable behavior.
Pity, he soon discovered that he was wrong.
From that day onward, the Calico Cat indeed never brought him Dead mice again, but it began sending him all sorts of Strange objects one after another.
Human objects.
They were stones, glass, or metal that glittered beneath the sunlight in a riot of colors.
Apparently, the Calico Cat had finally realized that Li Zhen did not eat Dead mice, so it had changed its way of repaying him.
Li Zhen found the Calico Cat’s behavior both amusing and exasperating.
“I never thought that one day a cat would repay me. Am I about to get rich?”
He arranged all the colorful things the Calico Cat had given him one by one, took a photo, and posted it to his social feed.
He even included a photo of the Calico Cat.
“What an adorable Calico Cat.” This was the reply from some girl.
“Be careful. One day it might turn into a beautiful woman and cling to you.” This was a joking remark from one of his buddies.
Li Zhen occasionally replied to his friends’ comments, merely smiling to himself.
Such Interesting events were a seasoning in his life, and quite entertaining.
Li Zhen had originally treated the cat’s repayment as nothing more than a joke.
He never imagined that the situation would suddenly undergo an unexpected change.
This change would transform his present and future life, bringing about an earth-shaking upheaval in his life.
It happened on the fifteenth day of the cat’s repayment.
Although the Calico Cat was still somewhat wary of Li Zhen, he had already given it a Name—Mimi. In his heart, he had come to regard it as his own cat. If possible, he wanted to pet it from time to time in the future.
That morning, Li Zhen opened the door and once again saw a gift from Mimi—a purple diamond-shaped crystal.
“Huh? Why is it glowing?” Li Zhen discovered that the purple diamond-shaped crystal seemed to emit a hazy purple radiance beneath the sunlight.
Curious, he picked up the crystal and held it in hand.
Suddenly, a thread of electricity shot from the crystal into Li Zhen’s Within Body. Although the current was not strong, it still made his entire body jolt, and he was not as good as throwing the crystal away immediately.
【Intelligent life-form detected】
A voice suddenly emerged in Li Zhen’s mind, frightening him badly.
Before he could react, his mind instantly received even more information.
This time, the information was transmitted directly into Li Zhen’s mind. There were no words, yet he instantly understood all of its meaning.
Li Zhen also understood what this diamond-shaped crystal was—the Mechanical Concept Heart.
It was a gem possessing Powerful energy.
The gem’s function was to grant Li Zhen the ability to Copy machinery.
The conceptual power of Copying machinery.
However, unlike the System in traditional novels, this Heart of Concept did not allow its recipient to become its master unconditionally upon obtaining it.
Its recognition of a master came with conditions.
He needed to complete the other party’s assessment Mission and obtain its Acknowledgement before it would take the initiative to recognize him as its master.
He could choose to accept or refuse.
【Respect every intelligent life-form; every intelligent life-form has the right to choose】
This was one of the principles conveyed by the Heart of Concept.
It would not force him to carry out the Mission, nor would it erase him or anything of the sort.
That aspect was rather friendly.
Just as its principle conveyed, it respected every intelligent life-form. The right to choose lay in Li Zhen’s own hands.
What surprised Li Zhen even more was that he had one “game life.”
Simply put, carrying out the Mission for the first Time meant traveling through the soul. Even if he died, he would not truly die.
If he traveled through his soul again after dying, then he would need to go in his true body. At that point, death would be real.
This Mechanical Concept Heart was truly very friendly.
Since even death during the first attempt would not be real death, what was there to hesitate about? “Let’s go!”
Li Zhen lay on the bed, and his consciousness suddenly became hazy.
✦✦✦