Chapter 128: A Glitch in the World

In the established order of this world, beyond the mysterious powers passed down from ancestors—that is, the ancestral mystical Eastern arts—there is nothing else that could be considered truly supernatural. Even these mystical arts are exceptionally rare and faint in this world.

Seeing Miao Xiaomiao stammering and unable to speak, Jiang Sui suddenly manifested a talisman seal in her palm. A bright yellow surge of power bore down directly on Xiaomiao!

Terrified, the girl leaped into the air instantly. With an agile movement, she performed a backflip and landed gracefully, her four limbs clinging tightly to the floor like a cat. She stared at Jiang Sui with a nervous, fearful expression.

Small paper dolls rose from behind Jiang Sui, trapping Xiaomiao within the formation created by the talisman seal. One paper doll tugged at her clothes, another grabbed her hand, and a third latched onto her leg, pinning her in place so she could not move.

"Master, oh Master, have mercy! Xiaomiao has never harmed anyone!" Miao Xiaomiao raised her two hands, which had partially transformed into beastly paws, and whimpered in surrender.

Jiang Sui looked at her with a playful smile. "Then tell me, what exactly are you?"

"I... I am a cat. A calico," Miao Xiaomiao whispered, her eyes darting around as she observed Jiang Sui. She figured that since she had revealed her breed, the Master surely wouldn't beat her anymore.

Jiang Sui glanced at Xiaomiao’s hair, noticing that there were indeed three distinct colors hidden beneath her short cut. It was subtle enough that most would simply assume it was a trendy highlight job done by a teenage girl.

"Then how did you turn into a human?" Jiang Sui asked, crossing her arms.

"I don't know, either..." Xiaomiao’s head was filled with confusion as she recounted her origin in a low voice. "I just remember that when I was little, my siblings and I were strays in the neighborhood. There were many kind people who would bring us canned food and cat kibble. There was an old grandmother who had no family, but she would bring us food every single day. To thank her, my mother chose the prettiest kitten among us and dropped me off at her doorstep. After that, I was raised by the old grandmother.

"But not long after, the grandmother passed away. On the day of her funeral, I chased after the car carrying her ashes, running and running... and then I fainted on the road. When I woke up again, I had become like this..."

Jiang Sui frowned. She asked the System, "What is going on here?"

The System replied, "It is possible that this world has a bug. You should be familiar with the saying that all things have spirits. I just queried the data for this Earth and discovered that before the age of dinosaurs, there was another era. Humans and animals were no different; their level of evolution was the same. Later, humans evolved the fastest and gradually became the dominant species.

"This calico's situation is likely an atavism. Fundamentally, your ancestors were the same. Because of this, she was able to, under these specific circumstances, accidentally revert to the form of your common ancestor."

Jiang Sui was skeptical. "That’s possible?"

The System continued, "It is... not impossible. Every world contains some bugs, but they are so rare that they are easily overlooked. For example, some children see 'things' that are very strange, but as they grow up, they lose those memories entirely. Or, some people, in the moment of experiencing death, see images that do not belong to this world... and, patients in psychiatric hospitals never believe they are mentally ill...

"When these bugs clash with the rules of this world, they are considered heretical and are rejected or labeled abnormal. This calico might be the product of such a bug, which is why she transformed into human form." The System’s voice carried a hint of contemplation. "However..."

"However what?" Jiang Sui asked.

The System said, "It would be best if you didn't keep her by your side. If she truly is a bug, the world's rules might attempt to 'process' her, much like how some people have their memories wiped."