C19 The Other Use of the System(2)

"Phew." He exhaled deeply. Truth be told, the sensation of his personal space being violated was unsettling; nothing felt right anymore. Rui hadn't mentioned when she'd leave his place, but given the current situation, it seemed the orange cat would remain there until it was found and this whole ordeal was over.

There was something endearing about that cat, and considering he had once stabbed it, Shen Xiang felt a pang of conscience at the thought of his old classmate rounding them up. Especially since Rui had used the term "hunt" to describe the special office's methods. He understood, though. Like those two monsters the other night—if they weren't dealt with, it would be a disservice to the taxpayers.

Today, he had specifically taken time off, yet he couldn't sleep, which threw off his circadian rhythm and daily routine. He was someone who cherished the status quo, believing that a stable life and fresh creativity were the keys to bliss. Now, his life was in disarray.

All because that orange cat had given him a few extra glances in the crowd.

Tsk.

My life, once so orderly, is now in complete chaos. I wish I could remain oblivious, unaware of these complications, just living my days in peace. Indeed, the saying "some secrets are too heavy to bear" rings true.

[The solution...]

Find the orange tabby, and this matter should be resolved, right?

"System."

Shen Xiang commanded: Initiate automatic search for the orange tabby.

Mission Failed

The text that appeared on his cornea didn't surprise Shen Xiang in the slightest.

The automatic object/person search feature was a higher-tier function within the proxy capabilities, prone to success or failure. If it was a matter of locating something he'd misplaced, the success rate was virtually 100%. The system acted like a recorder, logging events around him for a set duration. For instance, if he placed his phone under his pillow before sleeping and forgot upon waking, the system would recall the action, automatically lift the pillow, and retrieve the phone.

However, if his phone had been stolen, the system could only backtrack to the theft location and was incapable of further tracking.

Finding his way was simple; if he had been to a place before, he could almost always find it again. But when it came to searching for a person or a living creature, there was only one thing he had ever attempted to find. He glanced at Rui, who was asleep nearby, and pondered: The outcome of that search was unclear—was it a success or a failure?

"Activate search for Ruila," he had commanded, only to discover some cat hairs. That was the reason Shen Xiang had not pursued the search further. He preferred to believe that his cat had run away with enough provisions rather than having met with an accident.

With that experience behind him, Shen Xiang knew exactly how to search for something alive.

He positioned himself in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, opened the small pane, and closed his eyes.

"Run Command Prompt."

"Define Orange Tabby X."

Shen Xiang mentally retraced the first time he encountered the orange tabby. It must have been after dinner and a walk with Team Leader Lin, by the garbage bins. He was home by 8:45 PM, finished dinner at 9:30 PM, and factoring in the hour for his walk, he would have been back at the apartment complex around 10:35 PM.

"Encountered the orange tabby outside my home around 10:35 PM, January 6, 2021."

With the command issued, Shen Xiang felt as though he had traversed time, revisiting that night once more, but this time as an observer.

"Meow~"

At the sound of the distressed cry, he turned to see the big-bellied orange cat that had toppled the wet garbage bin.

The wind, a cold night breeze, made every hair on his body stand on end, and goosebumps became distinctly noticeable.

The smell, a mix of kitchen waste and the distinctive scent of the cat, filled his nostrils.

The sounds of nearby conversations, rustling leaves in the wind, the cat's meows, and breathing all reached his ears.

The images in his memory were vivid, every strand of the cat's fur, every blood vessel in its eyes, rendered in high definition.

As "he" turned and entered the complex, the memory abruptly stopped.

"Hu~" Shen Xiang stretched out his hand to rub his slightly dizzy head. Recalling his own memories was no easy task. He looked at the still flickering image of the orange tabby on his retina and once again set out to define it.

On January 6, 2021, at around 10:50 PM, I saw an orange tabby outside the floor-to-ceiling window at home.

Shen Xiang found himself revisiting that night once more.

He drew back the curtains and locked eyes with the cat, now slightly larger, perched on the windowsill.

As with the previous definition, the scent, the appearance, the sound, and every noticeable characteristic of the cat were amplified and etched deeply into Shen Xiang's memory.

"Hu, hu."

After completing the second definition, Shen Xiang took a couple of deep breaths, feeling feverish. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking, This is much more bearable than when I was searching with Ruila. Is it because there's less information to process, or have both my system and I made some progress?

Unbeknownst to him, the minute changes in his body had roused Rui from her slumber. She gazed at Shen Xiang, who stood by the window, her eyes filled with confusion.

It was as if he had become a different person, and why did his body temperature seem to have risen?

"Complete!"

Define Orange Tabby X complete.

Don't question why the system mixes Chinese and English; Shen Xiang thought it was cooler that way, so that's how he handled it. It wasn't about programming or anything else.

Were two recollections sufficient?

Shen Xiang wasn't certain. Maybe the information gleaned from the memories wasn't enough to initiate the mission, or it could end up targeting a different orange tabby. But it was worth a shot.

He inhaled deeply and commanded:

"Initiate automatic search for Orange Tabby X."

This time, the system didn't signal the mission's commencement or failure. Instead, it activated the indicator for ongoing operation. Suddenly, Shen Xiang felt his soul detach, transporting him to a cinema surrounded by screens. Each screen played scenes of his life since that day at breakneck speed—commuting, visiting the police station, battling monsters, familiar streets, familiar faces—all flashing by like a whirlwind.

Crack!

Suddenly, a still frame detached from the screen and floated before Shen Xiang's eyes.

On his way home from work, at the corner of the street, there was a single yellow cat hair that he hadn't even noticed.

Snap!

A new image.

He was squatting at the window across the street while picking up his takeout, his gaze fixed on his cat, which watched him intently, like a tiger eyeing its prey.

Click!

"Gurgle, gurgle."

This was an audio clip, a sound emanating from the grass around him as he made his way to the police station.

Once the minute details that had escaped his notice were sifted from his memories, these still frames reassembled themselves in chronological order. These snapshots, much like the concept that once defined Orange Cat X, repeatedly drew Shen Xiang back to that period, amplifying each moment and allowing him to perceive all the biological information available at the time!

A model took shape in Shen Xiang's mind, and this model sprang into action. It leaped from walls, concealed itself in the woods, and made a break for the outside...

Mission start!

Whoosh!

Shen Xiang's eyes snapped open. He reached out, yanking the window wide open, then braced his other hand on the balcony. With a powerful push from his calves, he sprang gracefully from the sixth floor!

"Holy shit! Pause!"

Damn it, System, are you brilliant or just plain dumb? Calling you dumb seems almost insulting, given your strength. You're smart enough to take the elevator when you're off to work or heading home, so why on earth would you jump out of a building now?!

Shen Xiang gauged the distance to the ground, feeling a sudden chill in his lower body. In a rush, he turned to Rui, who had grabbed his collar with one hand, and pleaded, "Big Sister, help me out here. Pull me back up, please!"