Sleeping with Lion!

If Fenix told others about this, he could brag for a year... no, ten years!

The production team would be in shock, and Athena would shed tears!

The kitten's tail perked up with pride.

He opened the dorm group chat, typing slowly with an unspoken excitement.

Fenix: "Sigh, nothing beats the loneliness of invincibility."

It took several minutes before the group chat responded.

Derek: "? You're invincible again?"

Alfred: "Derek, you're missing the point. The keyword in Fenix's message is 'loneliness.'"

Lancelot: "Let me share a song to warm up the loneliness."

Lancelot: "Shared music - Single Man's Love Song"

Everyone is single. Why rub it in?

Are you happy with your indiscriminate attack?

Fenix sighed. He checked the time and figured the group was probably just waking up.

Before starting work, this time was akin to a holiday. Who would wake up early during a good holiday? There would be plenty of chances to wake up early once they became office workers.

Moreover...

Fenix calculated the days. These were their last few days of freedom.

Once the weekend passed, they would all become half-official office workers.

Trainees sometimes worked harder than full-time employees.

Fenix sighed deeply: "Considering you guys are about to become office drones, Father won't hold it against you. Your merciful father has even prepared great treasures for his sons!"

Just then, the bodyguard approached with three discs and placed them on the table.

Hearing the movement, Fenix turned his head.

The bodyguard stared at Fenix for three seconds. When the cat looked back, his facial muscles twitched.

Fenix: "Meow?"

The bodyguard's fingertips moved slightly.

He recalled the feeling of holding the cat earlier.

Soft, fluffy, warm paws, silky smooth fur, cool tips of the ears brushing against the skin, intimate and tender, like clouds gently landing on the heart.

It was a very relaxing sensation.

The bodyguard stared at the cat expressionlessly, lost in thought.

Fenix, being stared at for a while, flicked his ears and slowly typed a question mark.

He never felt uncomfortable being stared at.

After all, Fenix was handsome. Even as a cat, he was adorable.

Fenix had been receiving love letters with pinyin since third grade. Counting the times he had been confessed to, it would exceed the digits of both hands and feet combined.

This made him extremely confident in his appearance.

In terms of thick-skinnedness, he was naturally gifted.

The bodyguard glanced at the question mark on the screen and refocused on Fenix.

The kitten sat neatly, tilting his head slightly, soft and sticky, emitting a puzzled meow again.

The tough bodyguard's breath hitched, instantly looking away and pointing at the three discs on the table.

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"Here, for you," he said dryly.

Fenix jumped onto the table, peered at the discs, and his cat body trembled!

Oh my God!

Three million!

Fenix turned to look at the bodyguard standing beside the table. His hand hung down, level with the table, with a few barely noticeable scars on the back.

Fenix rubbed his head against the hand and meowed in gratitude.

The bodyguard instinctively stroked the cat twice before coming to his senses, shuddering and looking up at their leader.

Lion sat in the garden pavilion, holding a document, his gaze fixed on him—or rather, his hand.

His expression suggested he was evaluating something. With the bodyguard's experience, Lion was likely deciding whether to chop the hand or the person.

I am so wronged!

The cat seduced me first!

The bodyguard was indignant, quickly retracting his hand and stepping out.

Fenix didn't notice anything amiss. He shook his head, jumped off the table, and trotted into Lion's room.

A moment later, a young man emerged from the room, wearing a sleepwear that was obviously too large.

He took two painkillers, laid on the sofa like a salted fish for a bit.

Once the medicine kicked in, he sprang up, waved to the duo in the garden, and headed out to cause trouble.

The bodyguard looked at the sleepwear Fenix wore, turning green with envy.

That was their leader's sleepwear!

Such a crime!

Lion watched Fenix's retreating figure, propping his chin in one hand and shaking the document in the other.

"This cat is pretty cute, right?" he asked.

The bodyguard choked.

He glanced at his wayward hand.

Who am I to speak!

Lion didn't seem intent on pursuing the matter. He yawned lazily, reflecting on how comfortable it was to sleep in his Awakened form for the first time in years, wondering if it was due to the Awakened form or the kitten's presence.

That night, realizing it was the kitten's presence that made it so comfortable, the lion entered the kitten's room late at night and carried the startled kitten out.

"Meow!"

Fenix kicked his legs.

Lion hesitated between his room and the living room, eventually choosing the latter.

He placed the kitten on the living room floor and lay down slowly.

Fenix gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window, bewildered for a moment, turning to look at Lion.

The lion's mane enveloped the kitten almost entirely.

The kitten parted the thick mane, poking his head out from the dark brown fur, stretching a paw to pat the lion's chin.

Lion looked down, watching Fenix stumble from the mane, nudging the kitten's head gently with his nose.

The next morning, the bodyguard arrived to find the scene reminiscent of yesterday.

Today, the kitten was even more audacious.

He climbed onto the lion's back, hiding in the thick mane, lying on the lion's head, belly up, sleeping proudly!

Boss!!!

The bodyguard was distraught.

But Lion didn't let Fenix sleep until noon today.

He shook his head, dislodging the sleeping kitten from atop.

The bodyguard paused, his heart easing slightly.

Lion remembered Fenix had plans to dine with his roommates today.

Watching the drowsy kitten, he picked Fenix up and headed back into the room.

???

The relieved bodyguard froze.

Inside, Lion placed the cat on the bed and entered the bathroom with clothes. After dressing, he pulled out a previously prepared prosthetic in front of the finally awake kitten.

Better Fenix doesn't accidentally expose himself.

While accidental exposure would be beneficial for Lion—since Fenix would have nowhere else to turn—it would likely upset his young friend.

Lion thought, retrieving the clothes he'd prepared for Fenix, tossing the cat into the bathroom.

"These are prosthetics."

Lion briefly explained the purpose of the prosthetics to the now clothed Fenix.

They were light, breathable, semi-solid simulated skins, like films that adhered to limbs and face, setting in a couple of minutes.

Thus, any sudden changes to the body would be perfectly concealed.

Fenix, having taken painkillers, watched curiously as the prosthetics set. Once settled, he clenched his fists, hopped a bit, and contorted his facial muscles, revealing a grimace.

Other than a negligible sense of separation, it had no impact on his movements.

Impressive!

"Alright, I'm off!" Fenix said cheerfully.

Lion paused: "No breakfast?"

"I'll grab a bread on the way. BluBay is far from the city, and I need to take a transfer to get to school."

Fenix opened the door, adding, "Should I go directly back to Sunnyfields Manor afterward?"

"Back to the manor?"

"Because there's no reason to stay elsewhere, and we're about to start working officially."

Lion recalled Fenix had spent these past two weeks in BluBay solely to master his Awakened form.

He had zero interest in advanced courses on talent development offered by the Awakened School.

To put it bluntly...

Fenix was lazy.

He didn't see any benefits in Awakened abilities, only finding them troublesome.

A robot delivered breakfast. Fenix grabbed a bread, stuffed it in his mouth, and carefully wrapped each disc in thick foam, placing them in his backpack.

Strapping the backpack on, he prepared to leave.

Lion sat at the dining table: "Come back."

Fenix turned: "?"

Lion slowly produced a cap.

Fenix understood, putting on the cap: "Thanks, boss!"

Lion nodded, watching Fenix walk a bit further before calling him back again.

Fenix turned, running back.

Lion handed him the painkillers.

Fenix stashed them away, turning to leave.

Lion calmly: "Come back."

"..."

Fenix paused.

Is Lion messing with me?

Thinking this, he turned back again.

Lion attached a device similar to a terminal to Fenix's wrist, bearing the Lion Corp logo.

Fenix touched it: "What is this?"

"A tracker," Lion said, "Considering you were kidnapped once, this ensures I know where you are."

Fenix was stunned.

Lion continued: "As long as you stay within the Cobalt Supercluster, I can find you."

Wow!

Fenix's heart fluttered with Lion's words, deeply moved.

No wonder Lion was the most popular male lead in the game!

No wonder hundreds of thousands of Athenas braved numerous Bad Ends to pursue Lion!

Fenix sniffed.

Our boss is so reassuring!

Lion smiled at Fenix's pouting, moved face: "Go ahead."

Fenix acknowledged, slinging his backpack, and ran off.

Lion glanced at the approaching bodyguard, then towards the corner where Fenix disappeared: "This cat is quite obedient, right?"

This time, the bodyguard dared to speak.

"Yes."

Obedient and silly.

The bodyguard thought.

Trackers were protection, but in the eyes of pirates like them, they also implied ownership.

Only those who surrendered everything—their lives, bodies, loyalty, and dignity—to their leaders would wear trackers.

Though Fenix's tracker wasn't of the standard collar type and could be removed freely, entrusting one's whereabouts to another so easily...

The bodyguard clicked his tongue.

This wasn't a spoiled, arrogant cat.

This was clearly a beauty firmly held by their leader.

Impressive, boss indeed!

The bodyguard rallied, beginning his report.

Lion nonchalantly finished today's work, checking the time, stamping the final document, saying: "Clean up, we're heading back to the city."

The bodyguard was surprised.

"The new headquarters will be operational in two days, let's check it out," Lion added.

While the new headquarters would be operational soon, other buildings in the complex were still under construction.

Some departments had already begun operating in the completed main building.

Logistics, HR, and miscellaneous departments had been functioning for a week.

Sitting in his mostly converted cat room office, Lion checked Fenix's current location.

His young friend had just finished commuting and entered Marina City University.

Lion glanced at the unopened box of cat toys in the corner, recalling Fenix's mention of sleeping in the dorm tonight.

Nope.

Lion tapped the desk lightly.

Fenix is a good kid.

Being a good kid, how can he stay out overnight?