After finishing all this, Fu Lin quietly sat by the bed, gazing at Mei's sleeping face. He gently brushed his fingers across Mei's cheek and slipped a lightning-shaped necklace under her pillow. Then, he got up, shut the door tightly, and walked downstairs.
The clock on the wall ticked softly. Fu Lin slowly sat down, closed his eyes, and his body gradually shrank, turning back into a cat. Then, his consciousness faded into darkness.
Far away in the Sea of Quanta, Bianca instinctively raised her head, a trace of doubt flashing through her eyes.
----------------------------
During the long wait outside the surgery room, Mei's eyes were red as she paced around anxiously, her mind filled with the image of Fu Lin lying cold and stiff in the hall.
By the time she came to her senses, she was already holding Fu Lin and had arrived at the nearest pet hospital.
Now, recalling the vet's strange gaze when she pleaded for Fu Lin's rescue, Mei couldn't help but break into tears.
When she heard the sound of the operating room door opening, Mei stopped crying, nervously biting her lower lip, clenching her fists tightly as she looked at the doctor who walked out, choking back her sobs,
"Doctor, how is Fu Lin?"
"…Sigh, young lady, by the time you brought him here, he had already been dead for a long time. You should have known that."
The vet looked at Mei's heartbroken expression, remained silent for a long time, then took a handkerchief from his chest pocket, removed his glasses, and wiped them, his voice tinged with helplessness.
But the vet's words were like sharp arrows, piercing deeply into Mei's heart, shattering the last bit of self-deception she had been clinging to.
"..." Yes, his body was already stiff—how could he possibly be saved?
Hearing this, Mei lowered her head, clenched her fists tighter, and memories flooded her mind like a tide, the pain in her heart sharp and indescribable.
Just yesterday, they had gone on a date, visited an amusement park, watched a movie together, and walked down a quiet, dimly lit path, chatting about the future.
Seeing Mei so distraught, the vet, who was already accustomed to such scenes, silently put his glasses back on and said, "My condolences. A cat cannot come back to life once it has died."
Mei snapped out of her memories, lifted her head, and looked at the doctor with teary eyes, urgently asking, "I want to know how Fu Lin died..."
Hearing Mei's question, the vet silently handed her the test report, adjusted his glasses, and hesitated before saying,
"As for this cat's cause of death... from a biological standpoint, it was natural causes—he died of old age."
"Impossible! I raised Fu Lin myself, and he's only three years old..." Mei's breath hitched as she shook her head violently, immediately denying the doctor's words.
"Cough, cough, cough..." The vet had just taken a sip of water, but upon hearing Mei's words, he couldn't help but spit it out, erupting into a fit of coughing—clearly, he had choked on the water.
After recovering, the vet snatched the report back from Mei's hands and explained, "This cat died of kidney failure, which led to his death. Kidney failure is a serious illness commonly seen in elderly cats..."
"If he was really only three years old, then that shouldn't be the case... unless..."
Halfway through his sentence, the vet stopped, looking at Mei with a strange expression. But seeing her confused look, he continued, "Unless your cat was overly indulgent, leading to kidney exhaustion, which caused kidney failure... After all, animals are just like humans, but while humans can restrain themselves, animals cannot."
After the vet's thorough explanation, something in Mei's mind snapped. She numbly paid the bill, carrying the box containing Fu Lin's body, and dizzily returned home.
The house was empty. Loneliness crept in. Mei curled up on the sofa, staring at the cardboard box on the table as silent tears streamed down her face.
Then, she burst into uncontrollable sobs, letting out all the grievances in her heart. Eventually, without realizing it, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
But the furrowed brows on her face made it clear—it was not a peaceful dream.
—Evening—
Mei lay on the sofa with a flushed face, weakly placing her hand on her forehead. Her eyes were filled with exhaustion and pain, her body feeling as heavy as a boulder pressing down on her chest, making it hard to breathe.
She coughed a few times, her voice hoarse as she called out, "Fu Lin, I feel so awful (???︿???)"
After calling out to Fu Lin a few more times with no response, Mei pouted in frustration and sat up.
But when her gaze landed on the cardboard box on the table, her misty eyes blinked, and her dizzy mind instantly cleared.
With a bitter chuckle, Mei stood up, staggering toward the telephone. She picked up the receiver and slowly dialed her father's number...
As the dial tone rang in her ear, Mei trembled, pursing her dry lips and gripping the phone tightly.
When the call connected, the familiar voice of Raiden Ryoma came through, "Moshi Moshi (Excuse me), may I ask who this is?"
Hearing a voice she hadn't heard in a long time, Mei choked up and said, "Dad, I miss you..."
"…Oh, it's you, Mei. I miss you too, but the company has been having some issues lately. You and Fu Lin need to be good—"
"Dad, Fu Lin, he..."
"—Beep beep!" Mei's eyes widened slightly as the sound of the call being cut off echoed in her ears. She silently put down the receiver, standing alone in the dimly lit house, feeling as though she had been forgotten by the world.
The Herrscher of Thunder sighed, directly taking control of Mei's body and returning to her room. Sitting on her bed, she lifted the pillow and said, "Don't you want to see the gift that guy left for you?"
Hearing that it was related to Fu Lin, Mei finally lifted her gaze. When she saw the necklace on the bed, she picked it up and held it in her hands.
"This... is from Fu Lin?"
At that moment, the necklace emitted a warm glow, purging all the negative effects of her high fever.
As the light faded, Mei felt light and refreshed. Confused, she lowered her gaze to the necklace in her hand and silently put it around her neck.
In the consciousness space, the Herrscher of Thunder smirked and reminded her, "The energy inside can only be used three times. Once it's gone, I won't be able to replenish it."
Mei clenched the necklace tightly and whispered, "That's okay."
"Alright then."
The Herrscher of Thunder crossed her arms. As long as Mei wouldn't break down and cry when the necklace eventually shattered, that was good enough.
——————Short Scene——————
Fu Lin, Damn system, give me back my innocence!
System, Not my fault. You originally death cause would be from stomach bleeding, but you purified it.
Fu Lin, Then why not just sudden death instead?
System, Hehe, fair and square, all illnesses are random—it's just luck~ (evil grin)
Fu Lin, Damn it!