34 days... 35 days... 36 days...
Inside the cat cafe, Fu Li leaned back in a soft chair, looking at the calendar on the wall, and couldn't help but sigh silently in his heart.
If he remembered correctly, in about another hundred days, he would have to face that damned, wretched god again and be forced to become its emissary.
"What a headache. If only I could draw some card that would let me fool the Honkai God one more time."
Fu Li wasn't naive enough to think that he, having already been targeted by that black-hearted, twisted pervert of a god, would be let off so easily.
As if thinking of something unpleasant, Fu Li pulled open a drawer and took out a photo album.
The album, starting from their time on the Mu Continent, recorded the bits and pieces of his and Pardo's life together. Looking at it filled one with a sense of nostalgia.
"It seems it's time to take you back."
His long, slender fingertips brushed across a photograph. Fu Li let out a soft sigh. He didn't know if what he was doing was right or wrong, but if Pardo was to undergo the surgery, he would feel more at ease doing it himself.
Of course, if Pardo didn't want to become a MANTIS, Fu Li was confident he could protect her and ensure she lived safely until the very end. After all, to be honest, Pardo's combat power was truly...
The pages of the album were turned, one by one, until it was closed.
Beside him, a small white kitten that looked to be only a few months old was lazily basking in the sun.
It was the child of the original black cat Fu Li had met. The black cat had gone missing for a few days last week. When the other cats led Fu Li to it, it had already passed away from old age.
Cats will always hide away when they sense their own death is approaching.
While Fu Li felt a genuine sorrow for this, he was also happy for it in his heart.
After all, in this world, for any creature to die naturally of old age was, in itself, a form of luck.
Fu Li rose from his chair and strolled over to the sanatorium across the way.
The once-warm sanatorium was now empty and deserted, with only a few lonely burial mounds left behind—some large, some small; some for people, some for cats.
In the eyes of those lonely children, the cats were one of the few family members they had.
"Sleep well, children. And you too, little cats."
Fu Li plucked a flower from a nearby bush, placed it before a grave, and murmured, "We will be leaving Twilight Street soon, too. After that, we'll have to leave this place in your care to guard. But don't worry, before the final battle arrives, we will come back to see you."
"So, farewell for now. We shall meet again someday."
After a brief moment of remembrance, Fu Li looked at the dilapidated walls and the increasingly sparse crowds outside. He stood up without another word and walked back towards the cat cafe.
Parting is always heavy, but as the flowers swayed in the breeze, they looked like waving hands, carrying both sorrow and blessings.
---o---
[Twilight Street was your beginning, but not your destination.]
[You ordered Anderson to take all valuable assets and trained soldiers from Shencheng Pharmaceutical to the MOTHs' headquarters, then prepared to leave.]
[You began to silently pack up everything here, from clothes to books.]
[This place had been your companion for over a decade, witnessing the traces of your life with Pardo. It was a home, and it was a memory.]
"So, are we really moving away from here?" The usually lively Pardo's expression was downcast. She held a packed bag, looking somewhat unwilling.
And for once, Seele wasn't bickering. She just sat on her own luggage, silently petting a cat that had cozied up to her.
Clearly, none of them were in high spirits, which made their packing progress much slower.
Fu Li, though reluctant himself, understood that this was inevitable. He couldn't possibly, for his own sake, demand that the MOTHs establish their headquarters in Twilight Street.
If he did something like that for his own selfish desires, he would be no different from some of the MOTHs' high command.
"Be good, Pardo. You understand, this is a force of circumstance. I have to leave, you know that."
"Oh, alright."
Hearing this, Pardo knew she was being a little unreasonable, and her pace of packing quickened slightly.
But when she pulled out a cloak that was now a bit too small for her, her hand paused for a moment.
This was the first gift she had ever received in her life. It was a pity that, growing up, she had worn it less than once, and that was only when trying it on.
Thinking of her unreasonable behavior just now, the tips of Pardo's ears turned a little red.
She thought that once they got to the MOTHs, if there was a chance, she could try wearing it for Fu Li to see.
---o---
[You left Twilight Street with them and the cats and moved into The Deep End.]
[After arriving at the MOTHs, as you had planned, you explained to Pardo about Fusion Soldiers and Seele's true identity.]
[Upon hearing this news, Pardo was visibly shocked. Although she knew the world was constantly plagued by disasters, she had never truly understood what was behind them.]
[Thus, she finally understood why Fu Li so often went on "business trips" all over the world. It wasn't for fun or travel, but to do things that were incredibly dangerous.]
[After learning this, Pardo agreed to participate in the MANTIS project without a moment's hesitation.]
[You agreed and found the Honkai Beast因子 of her previous life's fusion for her. You and Mobius performed the surgery together.]
[The surgery was a great success. Pardo gained the power of a MANTIS and grew cat ears and a tail.]
[After that, besides occasionally helping Mobius and Klein with their research, you would also occasionally pet Pardo's ears.]
[As for her tail, you only touched it once. After that, whenever Pardo saw you, she would shyly tuck her tail away.]
[You spent the last of your happy times with her.]
[To ensure the MOTHs' high command wouldn't act up while you were confronting the Herrscher of Legion, you handed the remote control for the bombs to Mobius and Eden.]
[Finally, the days slowly passed. News of the Herrscher of Legion's appearance arrived. You knew it wouldn't be long before you became one of them.]
[While Pardo was out on a mission, you left her a letter, then went to find Aponia, taking the Judgment of Shamash you had borrowed from Kevin.]
[The next day, you and Aponia left the MOTHs together and cut off all contact with the base.]
---o---
Meanwhile, in a secret base on the Pacific Ocean, Fu Li and Aponia sat facing each other, silently waiting for the final moment to arrive.
"So, Li, are you certain you want to do this?"
"Of course."
"Then... very well."
Aponia said no more and simply closed her eyes, but inwardly, she almost laughed out loud.
As expected. No matter what, Li can never leave my side.
The advantage is hers; it would be hard to lose even if she tried. A mere kitten is nothing to worry about.