"I can't take it anymore."

Fenix lay on Lion's lap, feeling as though his life had come to an abrupt end.

Why was this happening?!

It was supposed to be a happy thing!

Why was this happening?!

Fenix couldn't figure it out.

Lion looked at Fenix, lying stiffly on his lap playing dead, unsure of what to say at such a moment.

In the end, he said nothing and simply continued brushing his fur.

The concern Fenix had was unprecedented; no Awakener had experienced it before because the peak awakening period was usually between the ages of thirteen and fifteen. If someone hadn't Awakened by middle school, awakening later was considered late.

During the awakening phase, the Awakener would experience the growth stages of their Awakened form corresponding to their age at the time of awakening.

That is, from infancy to puberty or semi-maturity.

None had reached adulthood, so none had reached the stage of... that.

Almost no one had encountered a situation like Fenix's, but perhaps Awakeners of fantasy species were exceptional cases.

Lion thought idly, finishing brushing the cat on his lap and noticing that he had fallen asleep, lying on his back, snoring softly.

There was no trace of the worries he had just been grappling with.

Lion opened his terminal and sent a message to the scattered fleet commanders that the problem had been resolved. After sending the message, he glanced down at the sleeping kitten on his lap and, after a brief consideration, sent another message to maintain the current status and postpone returning.

This little one didn't seem like someone who would be willing to become a space pirate.

He was an ordinary person who grew up in a peaceful society.

Moreover, his family must have been harmonious and he must have lived a very happy and smooth life.

Otherwise, how could he have grown into such an untroubled little one?

But it didn't matter.

Time was still long ahead.

When it was time to return to the universe, he could just convince this little cat to travel together.

He was so naive, he would surely believe it.

Lion absentmindedly stroked the cat's belly, glancing at his social media account, noticing he hadn't yet lifted the block on Fenix.

Lion paused, remembering his decision to ignore Fenix for a week to determine if he really had an impact on him.

But it had only been one day before he drove over to see him.

Lion added Fenix back to his whitelist without a second thought.

What did what he had said a few days ago have to do with him now?

With that thought, he searched for cat beds.

The kitten's body was tiny, about the size of a two-month-old kitten.

One hand could easily hold him, and two hands could make him sit in the palm.

After some selection, Lion finally chose a spherical smart cat bed.

It was round with an opening at the top, resembling a bowl, automatically cleaned fur and removed odors, adjustable in size, stable functions, and anti-rollover.

He remembered that the Ragdoll cat at school liked this type.

Lion placed the order and paid extra for emergency delivery within two hours. Just as he was about to search for myths related to cats, he felt the kitten on his lap kicking its legs in its sleep.

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Lion looked down and saw Fenix still asleep, but his tail was fluffed up, and his paws were waving weakly.

It seemed he was having a dream.

Perhaps a nightmare.

Indeed, Fenix was having a nightmare.

He dreamed he was tied to a surgery table, facing a lamp, with doctors and nurses approaching with syringes.

He turned his head and saw Lion anxiously pounding on the glass outside the operating room, trying to save him.

Fenix was confused.

Then he heard the nurse say, "Don't worry, Fenix, when you wake up, you'll be a grandpa!"

Fenix: ?

Fenix: ??

????

Fenix froze.

Fenix was terrified.

Fenix started meowing frantically!

Lion looked even more anxious outside.

Fenix remembered the post he had read earlier, saying that during neutering, doctors would act out a scene of forcibly taking the cat to make it believe it was kidnapped, so it wouldn't hold a grudge.

Damn.

Fenix was shocked.

Lion actually lied to me!!!!

The needle drew closer, and Fenix tried to struggle, but couldn't free his hands.

Ah!!!!

Wait until I get out!

I'll kill you all!!

You all will die!! All of you!!

Damn it!!

Damn you all!!

You dare touch me!! Ah?!

If I don't burn down your shop, I'll change my name to Lion's!!!!

Fenix shouted all the curses he knew, which sounded quite imposing in his mind, but when spoken, they became—

"Mew!"

"Mew mew mew!!"

"Mew mew, mew mew!! Mew mew mew!!"

"Mew howl!!"

Fenix let out a dog-like howl in his cat body.

He suddenly opened his eyes, sat up abruptly, met Lion's gaze, and scrambled away in terror.

Lion was slightly taken aback. "Nightmare?"

Fenix shivered upon hearing Lion's voice.

He immediately retreated under the sofa.

The kitten was still immersed in the fear of almost being neutered. Hearing Lion's voice reminded him of Lion pounding on the glass outside the operating room.

Grass.

Grass grass grass.

So scary!!

Really scary!!

My goodness!

Is this the life of pets?!

So scary!!

Really scary!!

Fenix hugged his tail, trembling under the sofa, refusing to come out no matter how Lion coaxed him.

Lion stopped coaxing him.

He sat on the sofa, opened the search engine, and entered the keyword: "Cat personality."

He saw the highest-rated answer at a glance.

—Cats are very neurotic creatures. They often think they are as fierce and invincible as lions. But in reality, they are just small, cute kittens.

The lion himself typed a question mark slowly, then oddly felt a sense of agreement.

While Lion was earnestly learning how to raise a cat, Fenix was hiding under the sofa, searching for information on cats in heat.

Male cats enter heat passively, needing to smell the pheromones secreted by female cats to enter a state of arousal.

This could be due to a female cat in the house, a nearby female cat, or even scents carried by the wind.

During this special period, male cats become more aggressive, vocal, spray urine to mark territory, and become restless.

The person answering the question attached several photos of their own cat, unable to mate with a female cat, instead mounting stuffed toys.

There were also photos of the cat rubbing its butt against the owner's leg.

"If neutering is delayed, situations like this may occasionally occur."

Oh?

Oh, no!!!

He only had contact with Lion during his awakening period!

Fenix couldn't imagine rubbing against Lion.

Or hugging a stuffed toy.

No, not just stuffed toys.

What if a female cat passed by one day?

Damn.

This was too cruel!

Fenix shook with his paws, opened his social media account, and was about to ask his friends for help when he heard the AI housekeeper announce a delivery.

Lion asked the robot to fetch the package.

Fenix was still hiding under the sofa, pondering his cat life.

The awakening period lasted between three months and six months.

There was no way he could stay indoors for three months, especially since he had to start work next month as a psychological counselor with Lion.

Even if he stayed indoors, he couldn't prevent accidental exposure to scents.

Over.

All over.

This was a dead end!

Fenix clung tightly to his tail, feeling square.

Lion patted the sofa. "I bought you a smart cat bed. Don't you want to check it out?"

Fenix was stunned and couldn't help shedding a tear of gratitude.

Oh my God.

In this cold and ruthless world, the boss was the only warmth and conscience!

Fenix peeked out from under the sofa, "Mew" to Lion.

Lion unpacked the box, took out the cat bed, and adjusted it to the smallest size.

The smallest size was about the size of a bowl, suitable for a kitten, similar to the cardboard box Fenix had dragged onto the bed.

Fenix crawled out from under the sofa and glanced at the cat bed.

Inside the cat bed was a price tag.

The tag read 16,999.

Fenix: !!

Money power!

Golden daddy!

Lion casually removed the tag, pressed the bottom of the bed to test its softness, lifted Fenix, and placed him inside.

Fenix instantly curled up into a ball in the round bed.

Lion looked at Fenix melting into milk in the bowl. "How does it feel?"

It was the taste of money.

Fenix solemnly: ‘Comfortable.’

"Good."

Lion tossed the tag aside, placed the cat bed next to the sofa, and resumed reading on his terminal.

He bought a stack of books related to mythical cats.

He wanted to know what species Fenix was, but the cosmic biological database had no records, leaving him with no other options.

Fantasy species were unique to Athena alone, and no one knew how to categorize this special awakening type.

Assuming a new fantasy species awakened, how could they identify them?

According to myths, it wasn't easy to determine.

Not all mythical species were as recognizable as Athena's mermaid.

Furthermore, after years of interstellar development, countless civilizations had merged, resulting in numerous myths without a single photo of mythical creatures.

Finding corresponding species from vast amounts of text was a daunting task.

Moreover, examples of fantasy species were scarce. One Athena alone was not representative.

What if it wasn't even a mythical creature?

What if it was purely a creation of imagination?

Fenix rested his head on the edge of the bed, watching Lion earnestly reading on his terminal, feeling a twinge in his heart.

How could there be such a good boss in this world?

Attentive and caring!

Most importantly, generous with money!

Oh my God.

Fenix withdrew into the bed, holding his terminal, clutching his little heart, and opened the dorm chat group.

Roommates United (4)

Fenix: 'Beep beep beep.'

Lancelot: 'Beep!'

Fenix: 'Bro, besides Lion Corp., are there any other big companies hiring?'

On the other side, Lancelot was taken aback and replied: 'In theory, with Lion Corp. moving its headquarters to Marina City, there will be a wave of job-hopping. Their benefits are always top-notch, so there will definitely be vacancies in other major companies.'

Fenix thought it made sense.

Based on his limited knowledge, he agreed.

Although mass poaching was unethical, none of the major groups had their headquarters in Marina City, so they wouldn't fight with Lion Corp. over it.

Fenix: 'Lancelot Bro, recommend one?'

Lancelot: 'Are you changing jobs? Weren't you praising Lion Corp. just the other day?'

Because he's too good!

I can't do anything to betray him!

Fenix: 'Actually, I have a friend who needs a job.'

Lancelot: 'Is that friend you?'

Out of thin air, Fenix typed sorrowfully: 'No, it's really my friend!'

Lancelot didn't believe him: 'What did Lion do to you?'

Untrusted, Fenix was sad: 'Lion didn't do anything to me, I'm worried about what I might do to him.'

Lancelot: '???????'

Lancelot was shocked: 'Fenny, I never knew you were so ambitious.'

After the shock, he sensed something was off, and suddenly became alarmed.

Lancelot: 'Are you gay?'

Fenix: 'Fenix is straight, guaranteed quality.'

Lancelot: 'Then what do you want to do to Lion?'

?

What do I want to do to Lion?

I'm just a little kitty, what can I do to him!

Fenix typed, deleted, typed again, and deleted again.

Finally, he sighed: 'Lancelot Bro, you killed the conversation.'

Lancelot looked at his terminal, puzzled but as the eldest in the dorm, he gave a heartfelt suggestion.

Lancelot: 'I think you won't find a better job than this, no need to jump ship over small matters.'

Fenix thought about it seriously and felt this wasn't a minor issue.

Fenix: 'This is no small matter.'

Lancelot: '...Okay, how big is it?'

Fenix: 'Bigger than social death, so terrifying that even mentioning it scares me.'

Lancelot: 'Then I definitely need to hear it.'

Fenix sneered.

Ignorant Lancelot Bro.

Even if I told you, you wouldn't believe it.

I'm afraid that once I go into heat, I might even mount my boss.