Dark gray clouds hung low over Kisaragi Station World. There wasn't a single ray of sunlight anywhere. The world was just murky, foggy and gray. The was no sign of the sun even after a very long time. The infrastructures left behind by humanity lay silent in the vast, dead silence. Only the occasional sound of explosions reminded the survivors that this wasn't a ghost town.
Various buildings, streets, and districts slid past the windows of a whistling train. The chugging sound of the train continued echoing in the empty surroundings long after the train had disappeared into the scenery.
A single glimpse of the yellow, dismal looking train was sufficient to make a lasting impression. However, the train that just left Fuxi Station was a little different than usual. There were actually two posthumans waiting for the train in Fuxi Station. However, when the train stopped as they watched expectantly, a face peeked out from the first carriage. An unruly teenage boy stuck his chin at them and shouted, "Sorry, wait for the next train."
He spoke in an audacious manner; it was as if he owned the train.
Even though he seemed very unreasonable, his particular behavior and remark made it obvious that trying to board the train would spell unnecessary conflict. In the end, the two posthumans took a step back without saying a word. They watched as the train doors closed once again, then, the train pulled away from the station and out of their sight.
"I didn't expect that humans are so vengeful," the cat laughed wrily, feeling aggrieved. "How would I know that there was a penalty for demolishing that building and that their lives would immediately fall to one? Besides, even though their lives fell to one, they didn't die. Wasn't that their main goal originally? They have zero manners and don't know how to be grateful at all! Don't you guys think I'm right?" the cat said with an indignant voice.
Naturally, the siblings nodded their heads profusely but Lin Sanjiu found it quite funny.
"You're conceited," she chided as she laughed. "You even went back to see the condition of the hospital… But, things turned out well. Since that is the case, you just have to accept your fate and come with us."
Meowie Hu immediately lay on his tummy and placed his head on his front paw. He blinked his emerald eyes showing disinterest in what Lin Sanjiu had said.
"Didn't you say that my body would continue changing?" while she said this, Lin Sanjiu looked down at her long legs unconsciously. "If the cells are not only going to make me tall, I sure there are many changes in my body that you could examine and research."
Meowie Hu yawned. "You aren't really that fun. I have to be too careful when dealing with living humans…" he said lazily through his row of sharp, pointy teeth.
Lin Sanjiu felt that she was wasting too much effort to keep this little fellow around. She thought for a bit and continued, "I heard that there are lots of delicious cuisines in Red Nautilus. In addition, the next time we kill someone, we will definitely give you that corpse."
Meowie Hu looked up. After some time, he finally spoke to the siblings reluctantly, "How do you use that thing? Give it to me."
Rena passed their last nameless visa to the cat hurriedly, "You can just write your own name on the visa and you will be sent to that destination. It's very easy! But, how long have you been in Kisaragi Station?"
The cat doctor's existence was very unique. They really couldn't tell if he could travel through the different worlds.
"I am two years old this year," the cat said with an inexplicable pride, "But, it has only been slightly more than a year since I became a doctor."
The three humans immediately stared at him.
"One year and…?" Rena was writing the cat's name on his behalf and paused midway. He had only written: "Meowie H—".
"And one or two months, I suppose," the cat said with a crooked head after some contemplation. "Cough, it has been such a long time. Who would remember…"
Reno leaped up at once. "Write it quickly! Write quickly!" he urged his sister. Lin Sanjiu and Rena were instantly aware of the situation as well. The cat doctor had been in Kisaragi Staton for almost 14 months. If his existence allowed him to be transferred to another world, he might be leaving soon. To ensure that he would be sent to the right place, they knew that they would have to complete his visa quickly and secure it on his body.
After completing his visa, they found a thin string and secured the visa around Meowie Hu's neck. Though the cat did not really like the arrangement, finally he did bear with it.
"From the looks of things, Dr. Hu would be the first to leave. I will repeat what I had told Jiu once more—" Rena looked at the cat with a serious expression and turned to Lin Sanjiu as if to signal her to listen up. "Every single world in the Twelve Worlds Centrum, including Red Nautilus, is divided and controlled by various big and small factions. The distribution of the territories is very complicated. Unfortunately, when you are sent to a particular world, you would spawn in a random location. We have no way of predicting where you would appear so don't bring up our names recklessly. Secondly, we need to find a good meetup spot."
Meetup spots are locations in worlds that are classified as no man's land. Due to the disputes between the various factions and organizations, over time, these territories became good places to remain hidden and also for people to meet up.
Although this information sounded pretty normal, Lin Sanjiu was simply speechless when she heard what Rena said next.
"Once you arrive at Red Nautilus, the residents would recognize at first sight that you guys aren't the native inhabitants of the Twelve Worlds Centrum, so…" Rena stressed each of her words, "if you meet anyone who strikes up a conversation with you, don't even care about them. They would offer you a place to stay, exchange money or even offer to give you a tour of the place. Just ignore them but don't offend them. Just act like you don't see them and just walk away."
Rena's advice sounded rather familiar to Lin Sanjiu. In the past, she had read something like that in various travel guides…
The cat doctor didn't seem to find that weird, he just nodded solemnly.
"Oh! But if you see a stall selling maps, you can have a look," Reno added. As he said that, he took something out, "You won't have money when you first arrive. Take these. You can buy two maps with this. If you are hungry, you can even get a bun with the remaining money—"
Lin Sanjiu stared wide-eyed at the thing that was placed in her hand. There were three long deep red crystals in the palm of her hand. The crystals had been neatly carved and were well-polished.
"But, aren't the worlds that form the Twelve Worlds Centrum also apocalyptic worlds?
Before Reno finished his sentence, he stood stunned in the same spot.
The spot where the cat doctor was previously still felt a little warm.