Â
Playmates, kindly whitelist the website to support the site or turn off adblocker!
Â
Parasitic Child: Chapter 6
Chapter 6: Cat
The library is a treasure trove of knowledge for the local civilization. In the past, Xiao Zhen often lingered in libraries across various star sectors. This place was no exception—he dove into the books with great hunger.
The chicken said, “Aside from the civilizations that haven’t developed connections with the galaxy, this Sapien society isn’t much different from those on other planets.”
“I like it here.”
“So do I.” The chicken poked its head out from the opening of the backpack, swaying as it said, “At least here, there’s no deadly Safety Committee or Supervisory Eye.”
“But since we’re here, there must be other aliens around.”
“Of course there are. I’ve run into them a few times. You’re the first of my kind I’ve met.”
“You’ve met other aliens? How long have you been here?”
“By this planet’s reckoning, about half a year.”
“You’ve been here for half a year, and you still ended up locked in a cage waiting to be slaughtered?”
“It was just a small accident,” Captain Ban huffed. “Speaking of which, now that you have a human host, don’t you want to accomplish something big?”
“A career? Let me remind you that, unless permitted by the Council or the Legion, no alien is allowed to interfere with this planet’s technological development. Maintaining the independence of civilizations not yet connected to the StarNet is a fundamental principle.”
“I know that. The last time I saw that guy on the Galactic News, he sneaked onto a primitive planet, used his technology to interfere with the local civilization, played the fast-forward game of civilization leaps, and established an empire with himself as the emperor. How many Stellar Years was he sentenced to again?”
“Three hundred and fifty Stellar Years.”
“And how many years for invading an intelligent life form?”
“At least seven hundred Stellar Years.”
“What are you afraid of? Does another three hundred years in prison make that much of a difference to you?”
“It makes a big difference. Serving seven hundred years versus a thousand years in prison is still a big deal,” Xiao Zhen said, rubbing his chin. “Given what I know about the Supervisory Eye, I don’t want to spend even a day in jail.”
“Let me remind you, you’ve invaded a juvenile host, which makes it an aggravated offense.”
“That’s truly unfortunate.”
“Actually, the career I’m talking about isn’t about playing civilization games. Over the past six months, I’ve watched a lot of local movies. Given your current situation and our species’ advantages, you could easily become a superhero.”
“What?”
“This planet has many interesting entertainment stories. Have you heard of Batman? Yes, the one on your bookshelf. Become Batman! Be a hero who fights crime and upholds justice. It’s perfect since your parents are wealthy too!”
“…Are you cursing my parents?”
“I’m just using a metaphor. It’s a figure of speech in human rhetoric! Or how about Superman? Superman is an alien too.”
“Superman’s father died too.”
“I’m just making a point! Don’t you want to be the protagonist of these stories in real life?”
“No. Our race’s guiding principles are to be discreet, discreet, and more discreet. I’ve seen too many disasters caused by reckless behavior.” Xiao Zhen pushed the bird’s head back into the backpack with his finger. “Since this planet has other alien visitors, it means it’s not safe for us here.”
“Hearing that from someone who invaded an intelligent life form is really unconvincing,” the chicken quipped as it popped its head out of the backpack again.
“Ah! What is that?” The person sitting across from Xiao Zhen exclaimed at the sight of the chicken’s head poking out of the bag.
“It’s a bird’s head. Can’t you tell?” the chicken replied.
Xiao Zhen, expressionless, shoved the bird’s head back in and zipped up the backpack. He didn’t want to be kicked out of the library because of this chicken.
Xiao Zhen flipped through some books that interested him. He read quickly, and his original body’s memory was excellent, but Xiao Zhen’s current body tired easily. After finishing just two books, Xiao Zhen began to feel a sharp pain in his head.
It seems I can’t push myself too hard. This body will have to be strengthened gradually over time.
As soon as he put down the books, a burst of colorful light flashed before his eyes. Along with a vague burning sensation, a consciousness link suddenly connected to his mind, forcefully dragging Captain Ban’s consciousness in as well.
This kind of forceful consciousness linking was a unique communication method among their species.
(What are you doing?) the chicken protested in his mind.
Xiao Zhen replied, (It’s not me doing this.)
(If it’s not you, then who is it?)
A new voice rang out. (Hello, my compatriots.)
In Xiao Zhen’s experience, encountering members of the same species wasn’t all that rare. But meeting two of them in just a few days on a remote planet isolated from the galaxy, with no contact with galactic civilization, was indeed quite unusual.
Moreover, this new compatriot’s way of greeting was far more aggressive than Captain Ban’s.
Its consciousness link firmly grasped both Xiao Zhen and the chicken. To Xiao Zhen’s surprise, he found himself unable to break free, which meant the other was far more powerful in psychic abilities than he was.
This feeling of being tightly held and forced into communication was, to be honest, quite uncomfortable. Xiao Zhen’s brain instinctively started feeling uneasy, a defensive reaction from his host’s subconscious.
Xiao Zhen asked, (Hello, where are you?)
The unfamiliar voice answered, (Come to the third window on the left.)
Xiao Zhen stood up and walked to the window. Looking down, he saw a cat sitting on the wall below, gazing up at them.
It was hard to describe the feeling of seeing this cat. It sat there gracefully, its golden eyes staring directly at Xiao Zhen. The moment their eyes met, Xiao Zhen felt the will contained within those eyes and unknowingly accepted it. The cat seemed older than Xiao Zhen and Captain Ban, though Xiao Zhen couldn’t discern its actual age.
“You’re residing in a cat’s body?”
The cat looked at Xiao Zhen and then slowly said, “You’ve invaded a human body; you’ve violated the law.”
“You didn’t call me over just to tell me that.”
The cat tilted its head and looked at him. “No, I want to ask you for a favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Help me save someone.”
Xiao Zhen asked in his mind, “Who is it, and where are they?”
Captain Ban poked his head out of the backpack and pointed with a wing toward the window. “Look, in the building behind the wall, doesn’t the person behind that second-floor window look a bit off?”
The cat nodded. “That’s right. She suddenly collapsed. You need to save her.” From Xiao Zhen’s angle, he could vaguely see a woman lying on the floor in an unnatural position behind the window in the building. The TV beside her was still on.
The chicken excitedly shouted, “Go, Xiao Zhen! Now’s the time to show your extraordinary abilities and become a hero! Smash through the glass, rush out, leap over the wall, scale the building, and kick down the window…”
Xiao Zhen gave Captain Ban a look that clearly said he was an idiot and then asked the library staff to call for an ambulance.
In just a moment, an ambulance arrived with sirens blaring. The door was broken down, and the paramedics carried an elderly woman out, while a crowd gathered below, chattering.
“You missed your chance to be a hero,” Captain Ban said.
“Your brain is no different from the chicken’s now,” Xiao Zhen remarked as he stuffed the chicken back into his bag. He left the library and walked over to the wall. The cat was perched on top, watching as the elderly lady was carried into the ambulance.
“This lady comes to the park every night to feed the stray cats,” the cat said. “All the nearby cats rely on her. I didn’t expect her to suddenly collapse at home today. I hope she’ll be alright.”
The chicken jumped out of the bag, laughing mockingly. “Are you saying that you’re now hanging out with stray cats? Eating leftovers fed by humans?” Clearly, the fact that the cat had forcefully linked their consciousnesses and left the chicken unable to break free had bruised its ego.
“She doesn’t feed us leftovers. She gives cat food.”
“So you’re saying that you survive on cat food every day? That old lady is your owner?”
“She’s not my owner. I just often observe her behavior patterns.”
“So you’re telling me that, as a member of a highly advanced galactic species, you’re living off cat food!!” The chicken squawked indignantly.
The cat’s voice remained calm. “Do you believe I can slap you down?”
“A creature that can be manipulated by a simple laser pointer shouldn’t boast.”
The cat lowered its body and, in a flash, pounced at lightning speed. The chicken twirled away to dodge and swooped down, aiming to peck at the cat’s tail. The two animals—cat and bird—became entangled in a brawl, clawing and pecking at each other with great enthusiasm.
A child passing by shouted, “Look! The cat is fighting the chicken!” Another child responded, “I think the chicken is winning!” More onlookers began to gather around.
Finding the situation too embarrassing to bear, Xiao Zhen had no choice but to step in and stop what could only be described as the first intra-species war on this planet. He picked up the cat with one hand and grabbed the chicken with the other, leaving the scene under the watchful eyes of the curious bystanders.
Later that evening, Mother Yan looked in surprise at the doorway. Perched on Xiao Zhen’s head was a small chicken, and by his feet, a small cat poked out its head, meowing softly at her.
“He’s Mr. Mao(Cat). My new friend,” Xiao Zhen explained.
If you're enjoying the story don't forget to support the author! You can also support me on KOFI for site maintenance, raws purchase or as an energy boost~Â
Join discord to get notified whenever a new chapter is uploaded since I'm incapable of keeping up with a schedule~
Â
Â