After a thorough round of stretching, Rice Cake felt blissfully relaxed. The soreness and tension in her tiny body were gone, her hind legs being the only exception. They still hurt, but the pain had become bearable.
She bounced around, leaping and jumping through the tightest s.p.a.ces between the cardboard boxes stacked near her. She was in a much better condition now than before her long, thunderous sleep.
She let out a few meows gleefully and was surprised when she saw that they produced visible ripples in the air.
This was a moment of epiphany for Rice Cake. She had never been quite able to control her powers. Now, free from the pain caused by her osteodystrophy, she found that she could rein in the impact of her vibrations.
She also realized that she could not unleash her full powers voluntarily. That, unfortunately, only came when she was in excruciating pain.
Zhao Yao"s eyes lit up in understanding as he observed Rice Cake darting around. His thoughts clicked into place as he put two and two together.
"She was healing herself as she slept. That"s why she was out cold for so long," he thought.
"Her vibrations must"ve resonated with the frequency of the Celestial Beats to produce some kind of healing energy. The energy grows stronger when she produces stronger vibrations. That"s why she was snoring like a buzz saw last night. I wonder if she"s fully recovered."
Much later, Zhao Yao would take Rice Cake to the animal hospital to run multiple tests. The results would reveal that her self-healing was successful in preventing her condition from worsening.
However, the damage that was already done could not be reversed. She would have to bask in the Celestial Beats to recuperate.
At present, Zhao Yao felt that it was safe to release Rice Cake back into the real world.
The Scottish fold had barely gotten used to the transformations in her body when a flash of light pierced the air before her. In the next second, she had fallen out of Zhao Yao"s mouth and landed in his arms.
In the glow of the Celestial Beats in the cafe, every last trace of pain was erased. Her eyelids grew heavy as she relaxed, finally at ease.
Zhao Yao scratched the top of her head gently.
"You feel much better now, don"t you? Do you know that you created a ruckus last night?"
Rice Cake did not respond. Instead, she started kneading him on the chest.
Kneading was a cat"s way to show that they were feeling happy and content. This was a habit they picked up as kittens, when they would knead their mother to stimulate milk production. Even as adults, they a.s.sociated this action with the comfort of nursing.
The instant that Rice Cake had appeared, Elizabeth, Roly Poly, and Dustball had noticed. They wrinkled their noses when they noticed a new scent in the air, then whipped their heads around in unison.
Three pairs of bloodshot eyes were cast firmly on her.
Dust Ball revealed her sharp teeth before emitting a short, sharp hiss.
"It"s that b.i.t.c.h again. Why has Zhao Yao released her? Look at how she"s kneading him! Such a calculated move."
Elizabeth laughed dryly. "Well, it is the fate of us old cats to be neglected when a new one joins the family. That"s how humans are. To them, new is always better. I"ve seen this too many times before."
"My darlings," Matcha interjected, placing his white paws on his chest, "There"s no need to pay her any mind. Being the subject of Zhao Yao"s affections is not altogether a good thing. It lands you in the undesirable position of becoming a public enemy."
Inexplicably, he was speaking with a British accent.
Elizabeth rolled her eyes at him.
"You"ve been leeching off the five seasons of Downton Abbey that I"ve downloaded to my phone, haven"t you?" she asked in a surly tone.
"My dear, how could you accuse me of such a thing? We are sisters bound by blood. I would never do such a thing," Matcha responded in a high-pitched voice.
Elizabeth"s face remained frozen and emotionless. "Is that so? With that accent of yours, you must have gone through a couple seasons at least."
Neither of them paid any attention to Roly Poly, but he decided to join the conversation anyway.
"Bound by blood? That is a luxury we cannot afford. Relations.h.i.+ps are fleeting. Here, everything may seem golden one minute, but it turns quickly into ashes the next," he said with dramatic flair.
"So you"ve been watching Downton Abbey off my phone too!" Elizabeth glared.
Away from the supercats" squabble, Zhao Yao was still rubbing Rice Cake"s head while he talked to her gently.
"From now on, you"ve got to be a good girl, alright?" he started, "I don"t want any more trouble from you. For starters, you"ve got to stop unleas.h.i.+ng your powers whenever you like. I"ll lock you up again if you do that."
An involuntary tremble ran down Rice Cake"s spine as she remembered how dark and lonely the extradimensional belly had been. She absolutely hated spending time there.
Zhao Yao heaved a sigh of relief when she did not retaliate against his threat. He could finally spend some time relaxing and playing his games in his usual corner in the cafe. He left Rice Cake on the ground by his feet as he started a new match.
The Scottish fold started grooming herself as she glanced around the cafe, her gaze eventually falling on Elizabeth and the rest of the cats.
"Now that my condition has been stabilized, I can start using my powers to their full potential," she thought to herself.
"I"ve experienced nothing but pain since I was a kitten. This pain has fueled me. It has transformed me from something ordinary to a G.o.d among cats. Humans have abandoned, abused, and humiliated us cats for too long. Whatever pain they have inflicted on us, I will inflict on them tenfold. They will feel my wrath!"
Rice Cake scanned the group of cats that were huddled together. "For a start, I can accept these guys as my disciples."
As she had spent most of her short time here asleep, she had hardly interacted with them and was clueless about what they were like. Hence, she could only judge them based on their size.
"The fattest one should their leader. That ragdoll seems quite strong too. They won"t be easy targets," she a.n.a.lyzed.
She could feel a vein throbbing by her temple when she spotted Matcha"s artificially folded ears, "This one is just trash."
Her eyes eventually fell on Dust Ball.
"Ah, this little guy should be the weakest link. I"ll start with you."
The formulation of Rice Cake"s grand plan to recruit Dust Ball was interrupted by a loud squeal from behind.
"Oh em gee!" Coco Sun shrieked in excitement, picking up Rice Cake without hesitation.
She was dressed in a maid costume today.
"Bossman, when did the cafe get another adorable Scottish fold?" she demanded.
Zhao Yao looked up at Coco. He studied her costume appreciatively.
"Nice outfit. Did the Cosplay Club take part in another event today?" he asked, then turned to the unwilling cat that was in her arms, "We picked this one off the streets a few days ago. Speaking of, you haven"t been here for a while, have you?"
Rich kids like Coco were his lifeline. He had to make sure that they were going to keep patronizing the cafe.
"What?! Picked off the streets? A beautiful Scottish fold like this? I don"t believe that," she said, stroking Rice Cake"s head, "Aww, she"s really cute! Is she up for sale?"
"Nope," Zhao Yao shook his head, "Stop tempting me with money. I"m not selling the cats, no matter the offer."
He glanced at Rice Cake, who was glaring at Coco with her mouth open, a neat row of sharp teeth on display.
"Be careful with this one. She can be quite aggressive," he warned.
The moment those words left Zhao Yao"s lips, Rice Cake bit Coco"s hand, a ferocious expression settled on her face.
Instead of shock or fear, Coco simply laughed it off.
"It"s fine. She"s just playing. See? She didn"t hurt me."
Zhao Yao quickly turned his face away so his eyes could emit a faint red glow without Coco seeing. He chided Rice Cake as he took control of her body.
"Have you gone mad? How can you just attack someone like that!"
"I hate it when humans hold me in their filthy arms! I can work in this cafe, but on one condition - my body is not up for grabs! No touching is allowed," she retorted.
Zhao Yao pursed his lips.
"I"m sorry," he said to Coco, "You can"t carry this one. She"ll bite when she"s picked up."
"But she was doing alright just now!" Coco frowned, disappointed.
Zhao Yao motioned towards Rice Cake, who was baring her teeth at the girl. "She really will take a chunk out of your hand if you keep holding her."
Coco nodded with a sigh. As a cat lover, she understood that some cats did not like being picked up.
To prevent more violent episodes, Zhao Yao then stuck a big post-it on Rice Cake"s neck. The words "Do not hug or carry" were written on it in capital letters.
Once he was done, his phone started ringing.
It was Inspector Ho.