Zero, in a fit of anger, got angry for a moment, then took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Right after that, Hua sent another message.
[Hua: By the way, do you still want your pet?]
When he saw that message, Zero felt absolutely nothing inside.
It had already been over a year. The other party had been sending him several dozen massive delivery crates, one after another.
Back then, Zero had only opened five or six of them, putting the gifts from his former subordinates back into the system's inventory.
As for the rest, a good number of boxes were still sitting unopened in the courtyard.
Zero couldn't understand it, aside from all the random trinkets, why were there pets mixed in too?
[Zero: What pets?]
Hua sent him a photo.
The background was a courtyard with a pond.
There were seven or eight capybaras loafing in the water, a dozen cats and dogs flying everywhere in the middle of a brawl, and a hamster mansion placed off in the corner.
Zero's head started to ache just looking at it.
He stared at the capybaras, deeply confused.
They weren't even soft and fluffy to the touch, why on earth would he own any?
[Zero: Who sent the capybaras?]
[Hua: The Interstellar Peace Company. When they gave them to you, they said these animals have very stable emotions.]
Zero, '…So they sent them to me, a fallen, unstable emotional mess of a demon?'
Speechless, he began seriously considering which pet to choose.
Capybaras needed a watery environment, they ate, drank, and did their business in the water.
If you wanted to keep them, you had to have at least two, or they'd get depressed.
Which meant constantly changing and cleaning the water. Too much hassle. Disqualified.
Then he ruled out dogs, you had to take them out for walks, and also the overly fertile hamsters. Finally, he decided on a cat.
In the photo, several cats were fighting, fur flying everywhere.
Zero chose the one that looked the calmest, a white, blue-eyed cat.
'Girls probably wouldn't say no to an adorable kitten, right?'
[Zero: Send me just the cat first… I don't have the energy to take care of anything else for now.]
When the cat arrived, Zero went to pick it up himself, and ran into Baizhu, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
He glanced at the foxkin, who was supervising his subordinates as they unloaded cargo, and fell into thought.
For people unrelated to him, Zero had no intention of digging deeper.
But since he happened to bump into him this time, his thoughts started to wander.
Hua was a general of the Xianzhou Alliance, how could a mere rich merchant possibly track her movements?
Obviously not.
When that man told him a "big shot" was visiting Luofu, the Six Commissions hadn't even been notified yet.
Oh, so he was one of Hua's people.
Understanding dawned on Zero. He picked up the carrier case with the cat and turned to leave.
But before he'd taken a few steps, he ran into a child.
The child's face was both familiar and strange. When he noticed Zero's gaze, he flashed a bright, irritatingly smug grin, as if in the next second, he'd rush over, grab Zero's leg, and shout "Dad!"
Zero, "…"
'Aha. You again.'
He looked at that face he'd only ever seen once in his memories, took a deep breath, and turned to find Baizhu.
As a retired superior officer, his only job now was to enjoy retirement. If anything happened, Hua could handle it.
Zero told Baizhu, "Go find Hua. Tell her Aha is in Luofu."
Baizhu's expression changed dramatically.
"Wait, how do you know that?!"
Zero, for once, actually bothered to say a few more words to him, "Is that hard? As a general, she should be aware of her predecessor's movements. Tell her I have no interest in her position and I'm not fighting for her authority."
Baizhu froze on the spot, stunned.
"Wait, General didn't mean it like that! Hold on, you don't mean you know everything, do you?! No way, you can't just leave! Forget not sleeping with my idol, at least sign something for me!"
'…Are all the young people these days this bold when they talk?'
Zero felt like he'd just been hit with a lewd joke, but he didn't have the energy to chase it down.
Because, he saw Aha, in the form of a child, approaching Baiheng and Jingliu.
Zero, "…"
Ah, great. His pyrophobia was acting up again.
He really missed his Heaven-Burning divine weapon, the one he used to play Aeon Crush Saga and Galaxy Crush Saga on.
He quickly pulled out his jade communicator, sent Tengxiao his location, grabbed the carrier case, and walked quickly toward where Jingliu and the others were.
Baiheng was the first to spot him. The foxkin immediately grabbed the Aha-child and sprinted several steps ahead, putting distance between herself and Jingliu.
Zero, "…"
'Baiheng, do you have any idea what you're doing?!'
'Stop sticking your nose into everything strange!'
'Stop using that playboy-level social skill set on everyone you meet!'
Thankfully, he had already messaged Tengxiao earlier…
With that guy nearby to watch things, nothing major should happen.
Zero took a deep breath and met Jingliu's confused gaze, the one she'd worn after being left behind by Baiheng.
"What a coincidence." Jingliu looked surprised. Her eyes drifted to the carrier case in his hand. "Is that… a pet?"
Zero nodded, crouched down, opened the case, and lifted out the cat inside.
Jingliu asked, "A girl or a boy?"
Zero gently ran his fingers down the cat's back.
"A girl."
It was a snow-white cat, with eyes as clear as the ocean. She stared at them both without blinking, then lifted her soft pink paws and tried to climb upward.
Zero didn't stop her.
The cat reached for his chin, rubbing and rubbing, then began to lick.
Zero tried to dodge, but the little thing kept chasing his face relentlessly.
"Ah, why does she keep licking my face…"
Jingliu instinctively said, "Because she likes you."
Zero's hand, mid-stroke, froze.
Realizing too late what she'd just said, Jingliu's lashes trembled. Her ears turned red as she hurriedly added, "I meant... the cat."
Seeing her awkward attempt to fix it, Zero had the sudden urge to tease her more.
But before he could say anything, he spotted Aha, still in child form, bothering Baiheng not far away, and Tengxiao, who had just rushed over, panting heavily.
A spark lit up in Zero's mind. He thought of something that could both tease Jingliu and instantly kill two onlookers who knew too much.
Of course, there was another purpose, to warn Aha. To make sure he stayed away from Jingliu and didn't stir up trouble.
Killing the "Elation" Aeon on the spot… just imagining it was satisfying.
If everyone already saw him as a living demon, a grand villain, then fine, he'd give them a show worth remembering.
Aha had tormented him long enough.
That so-called divine-power mask Aha gave him? A setup to kill him, to destroy all of Yaoqing.
And on top of that, the slander…
A perfectly normal five-thousand-year-old single dog, suddenly rumored to have a ○-teacher lover and an illegitimate son.
The poor strategist had almost died of a heart attack right then and there.
After everything Aha had done, surely he was allowed a little payback, right?
As for Tengxiao…
Well, since he was already here, he might as well get roasted too.
Every time Zero saw Tengxiao's nervous, cautious face when talking to him, he couldn't help but find it funny.
So he went for it.
He lifted the cat, pressed her cheek to his own, then grabbed her paw and waved it at Jingliu. He deliberately slowed his tone, speaking in a soft "kitten voice", "Then… does big sister like me too?"
Jingliu, "…"
The Swordmaster, unstoppable on the battlefield, was utterly frozen by Zero's single word, "big sister."
Her whole body went rigid, rooted to the spot, her jade-pale face visibly flushing red.
Aha, "…"
Aha was shook.
He'd come to watch the drama. The target of said drama was his long-lost dear friend.
It should've been double the fun, so why…
Why couldn't he laugh at all?
Aha felt like his consciousness was still in Luofu, but his real body had just been blasted clear to the edge of the universe by one of Zero's giant mechs.
How to describe it…
It was like watching that idiot "Preservation" Aeon steal his spot as the Aeon of Elation.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/XenosX
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰