Chapter 63 Labor Pains

Chapter 63: Throes of Pain

...Really... ugly?

...Really ugly?

Imuir stood as still as a statue, the fur on his tail instantly standing on end, then completely stiffening.

He maintained his posture of looking down at his abdomen, frozen in place. If this were a comic or anime, you'd likely see the visual effects of petrification and cracking.

"..."

The Grand Duke of Ilyria took great pride in his beauty. Throughout his journey to this day, countless people had hurled all sorts of vile insults at him—scoundrel, bitch, wishing him a horrible death, and so on. But this was the first time someone had called him ugly.

The little cat remained frozen for too long, catching Bai Yu's attention. He put away the medical equipment into a drawer and casually asked, "Hmm? Do you realize I called you ugly? Can you actually understand human speech?"

Talking to pets is a common habit among pet doctors, and Bai Yu was no different.

Imuir: "!"

He dared not let the doctor notice his abnormality. He lifted his tail to hide the bald patch on his belly, pretending nothing was amiss, and leaped off the examination table.

The doctor shook his head slightly and continued reading.

He was still engrossed in 'The Poetry of Kessolier,' flipping through its pages repeatedly, nearly wearing them out.

Imuir lingered in the clinic area on the first floor for some time. Noticing the doctor quietly reading and ignoring him, he clattered up the stairs.

Because of the traumatic experience on the first day, Imuir had a strong dislike for the first floor. He much preferred the doctor's sunny bedroom on the second floor over the cold examination table.

Bai Yu sat in a recliner, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise as the kitten scampered around, commenting, "Short legs, yet you run pretty fast."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Imuir nearly slipped on the stairs. He steadied himself, rubbed his face with his front paws, and cursed under his breath, "Damn doctor!"

If he weren't under someone else's roof, he would have killed the doctor a hundred times over by now!

*

As dusk fell, the doctor concluded his reading for the day.

Bai Yu laid the book open on the desk, flipping to the marked page, and asked 66, "System, can you record and archive all these annotations?"

66: "Of course."

The system hovered over the book pages, and within moments, the entire book's contents were recorded in the database.

Bai Yu stood up, grabbed a gray trench coat from the hanger, adjusted his badge, donned a wide-brimmed hat, and wrapped a matching wool scarf around his neck. He took a moment to examine himself in the mirror.

His reflection was scholarly and refined, embodying the quintessential Iberian doctor.

Bai Yu stepped out the door, guided by the system's prompts. He lowered the brim of his hat, half-covering his eyes, turned at the intersection before the market, and merged into the crowd dispersing from the market.

Then, Bai Yu followed the crowd through the bustling main streets of Ilyria, through sparsely populated alleys, through overgrown crossroads, and finally stopped in front of a dilapidated church.

Today was Saturday, the day of the gathering the beautiful woman had mentioned.

66 flipped through the plot repeatedly, "What kind of organization was the original owner involved in?"

Bai Yu said, "It doesn't seem like a good one."

The church is of typical Gothic style, with spires and rose windows, but all the windows are covered with black cloth, as if guarding some secret. Only the main door is wide open, dark and ominous.

Bai Yu stepped inside, but before he could take in the interior, his eyes were covered with a strip of cloth.

With his vision obscured by the black cloth, Bai Yu paused for a moment but quickly regained his composure. He stood calmly, arms crossed, as if he had done this a thousand times before.

Then, something pressed against his head. From its shape and size, it was likely a gun, with a large enough caliber to blow a person's brain apart like a watermelon at such close range.

Someone nearby whispered a confirmation: "Alias?"

Bai Yu: "Raven."

"Address?"

"335 Sik Street."

"Occupation."

"Doctor."

In front of Bai Yu, three or four people were undergoing the same interrogation process, being asked for their aliases, addresses, and occupations. This seemed to be the entry protocol.

Bai Yu answered fluently, and the gunman relaxed slightly: "Sir, may we burn as torches."

"..."

"May we burn as torches" was clearly an incomplete sentence, with a second half that Bai Yu needed to respond to.

"Hmm?" The gun pressed tighter against his forehead, and the person leaned closer, repeating ambiguously: "Mr. Raven?"

Still silence.

"Alright, sir, I hope you're just joking with me. I'll give you three more seconds, three, two..."

The trigger pressed against his fingertip, and Bai Yu heard the sound of the gun being cocked.

He smiled: "Sorry, I was distracted just now. Illuminate the path to come."

The man sighed in relief.

The gun was lowered.

"Sorry, sir. The Duke recently fell into the water, and Illyria has been in chaos. We must remain vigilant."

The man turned around and handed over a staff. He held one end of the staff and gestured for Bai Yu to hold the other: "Mr. Raven of 335 Sik Street, please follow me. There are new orders to be announced today."

Bai Yu took the staff and stepped confidently into the darkness.

66 hovered beside Bai Yu, holding its breath.

On its screen, the coded phrase "May we burn as torches, illuminate the path to come" was prominently displayed.

This phrase was clearly a staple of the organization's code, and Bai Yu's encrypted readings likely held the second half.

66 was the world's most sophisticated computer, but without a reference text, it was just as stumped.

Fortunately, the man provided the reference text directly.

"May we burn as torches" was one part of the code, and 66 also recorded the previous responses. With its immense computational power, the system cracked Illyria's encryption methods in an instant.

"Oh my god." A huge sweating emoji popped up on 66's small screen as it wiped sweat in mid-air. "I need to file a complaint when I get back. Such a high-difficulty world, and there's no original text to refer to? Who drew the lots for this assignment? Trying to get us killed?"

It's just a small NPC role-playing system for tragic stories—how did it end up in a spy survival mode?

Luckily, it's Bai Yu this time; if it were Xie Mou or Lin Mou who got the script, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Bai Yu remained noncommittal.

He was led to the center of the church, where the guide removed the black cloth for him and invited him to take a seat.

Beside him was the beautiful lady who had spoken to him on the street. The lady, wearing an elaborate lace-trimmed long dress and holding a feather fan, looked Bai Yu up and down and smiled. "Raven, it's been a while."

"Been a while," Bai Yu replied.

They exchanged a few polite words, then the empty seat to Bai Yu's right was filled by a man with a scarred face, bulging muscles, looking like a brute who relies on brute force.

The lady greeted him. "Hammerhead Shark, it's been a while."

Bai Yu silently noted his code name.

Hammerhead Shark sat down next to Bai Yu, seemingly familiar with the original host, and casually said, "There's some good stuff at the tavern on Sunday, are you coming?"

Before Bai Yu could speak, the lady covered her lips and laughed. "Where did you find those pretty boys and girls this time? No matter what they look like, you always say it's good stuff?"

Hammerhead Shark sighed. "They came from the Duke's mansion. Heard they're a bit different from ordinary people, have some peculiarities, wanted to see for myself."

The lady asked, "Different from ordinary people? Could they have an extra cat tail?"

Hammerhead Shark shrugged. "I don't know, just heard about it, just rumors."

While they were talking, a waiter brought water and placed it beside them. The lady and Hammerhead Shark both took sips, but 66 warned, "Host, don't drink it."

His screen displayed the liquid analysis result: chronic addictive poison.

Bai Yu picked up the cup, took a sip, and under the cover of his trench coat, poured it into his sleeve. The lining of his trench coat was waterproof, and then he naturally lowered his arm, letting the water drip from his fingertips.

Subsequently, slips of paper were passed down, detailing the orders of the meeting. Bai Yu looked at the one in his hand; there were only two.

First: Search for the whereabouts of Grand Duke Imuir, strictly inspect all clinics, and do not harbor people of unknown origin.

Second: Hunt and kill stray cats of unknown origin.

Bai Yu folded the paper and put it in his coat pocket.

Hammerhead Shark was puzzled. "Searching for the Grand Duke is understandable, but what's with hunting stray cats?"

The lady said, "Maybe the boss got scratched by some cat."

Hammerhead Shark shrugged. "Maybe he's missing a cat fur scarf."

They each put away their papers, tied the black cloth again, and were led away.

The moon was high in the sky, and by the time Bai Yu crossed most of the city to return to the clinic, it was already midnight.

*

This world was more dangerous than he had imagined, but fortunately, Bai Yu was not a native, and the system also had protective measures. Throughout the meeting, 66 was cursing, saying he would file a complaint when he got back, and assured that if death occurred due to the novel being banned, he would switch Bai Yu to another book.

Despite this, Bai Yu did not want to experience the taste of death. He planned to have 66 decipher other marks on the book tomorrow and then make further plans.

As for tonight, it's late, and time to sleep.

Bai Yu walked up to the second floor, pushed open the door to the bedroom, and stepped inside quietly.

By now, Tuanzi should be asleep.

Worried the light might wake the sleeping kitten, he didn't turn on the lights. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed and gently felt around beneath the blanket to locate the kitten.

He had to be careful not to roll onto the kitten when he got into bed.

But when his fingers touched Tuanzi, he paused involuntarily.

The kitten wasn't asleep. He was hiding deep beneath the blanket, curled up in an unusual position, apparently shivering.

This shivering wasn't due to cold or fear but rather a rhythmic muscle twitch, pathological.

The blanket was cold, and without Bai Yu's body heat, the kitten found it hard to warm the bed. Imuir felt Bai Yu's touch and couldn't help but nuzzle into Bai Yu's palm.

Warm.

Bai Yu hesitated, then reached for the light switch.

He gently exposed Tuanzi on the bed.

Imuir slightly opened his eyes, glanced at Bai Yu, and quickly buried his face again.

—He hoped Bai Yu would go to sleep quickly and leave him alone.

He didn't have the energy to play the obedient pet role with Bai Yu today. He had been in pain for almost four hours since the evening.

The transformation period always brought a few difficult days, much like how the ladies of Illyria had their low-energy days. Imuir was used to it.

The significant difference between human and feline skeletons caused frequent transformations to press heavily on the body, causing tearing pain. The joints inevitably itched and ached, unavoidable in Imuir's past experiences, every transformation period brought this pain, lasting from a day to five or six days.

But even though he was used to it, it still hurt.

Imuir tried to find humor in the pain: "At least it's almost over."

The worst pain usually came at the end of the transformation period. Once he got through this, he would soon return to human form.

The Duke buried his face in the pillow, brooding: "When I get back, I'll tear down the doctor's clinic and drag him to the Duke's mansion."

But what would he do once he got him there? Imuir hadn't thought that far. He might lock the doctor in a cell, and on the day of imprisonment, the Duke would dress up extravagantly, making sure this unsophisticated country doctor saw clearly, then humiliate him from a position of power, questioning whether the noble Duke of Illyria was beautiful or ugly.

With these wild and fanciful thoughts, the pain eased slightly.

Beside Imuir, Bai Yu watched carefully.

This world didn't have the comprehensive equipment of the pet hospitals from his previous life, so he couldn't perform a full diagnostic analysis on the kitten. But based on Tuanzi's symptoms, it was likely muscle or bone pain.

The kitten's breathing was shallow, his body trembling slightly, muscles twitching, in an odd posture. His fluffy tail hung limply, dragging on the bed.

Bai Yu gently picked up Tuanzi and placed him on his lap.

Imuir paused but didn't struggle, obediently lying on the doctor's lap. His fluffy platinum tail had nowhere to go, hanging over the edge of the thigh.

Though it was improper, the Duke was too weak to care. In this state, no matter what the doctor did, he couldn't resist.

Imuir only hoped that Bai Yu's previous care wasn't a facade and that he wouldn't torment him during his most painful moments.

Bai Yu helped him into a sitting position, gently massaging and observing the kitten's reactions to determine where exactly he was in pain.

"..."

The warmth of the doctor's thigh, combined with the blanket, created a cozy space. His fingers gently worked their way from top to bottom, careful not to cause pain, pressing at the base of the fur, which felt quite comfortable.

Imuir nuzzled closer into the doctor's embrace.

The gentle pressure didn't provoke any reaction, suggesting it wasn't a bone-related issue like spurs. Bai Yu pressed a bit harder on the muscles.

Imuir nuzzled again.

The doctor's skilled technique was like giving a cat a massage or spa treatment. The warmth and the massage helped alleviate some of the muscle soreness.

Bai Yu breathed a sigh of relief. The positive response to the massage indicated that the issue wasn't with the bones but likely just the muscles.

He mentally went over cases of muscle issues in cats but didn't find anything similar. He gently rubbed the kitten's ears and asked, "Feeling any better?"

Imuir swished his tail.

His soft tail brushed against the doctor's cheek, interfering with the massage, so it was gently held down.

Imuir opened his eyes to look at his tail, allowing the doctor to move it aside.

The kitten was tiny, his soft fur like cotton. Bai Yu could feel all of it with just a few strokes, gently kneading the kitten like a soft puff.

With the doctor's rhythmic movements, Imuir finally began to feel drowsy.

The temperature inside the blanket was just right, and though he didn't want to admit it, the doctor's thigh was quite comfortable.

Just then, Imuir heard Bai Yu muttering to himself.

The doctor seemed to be recalling cases, deep in thought: "...sudden onset, muscle spasms, irregular pain, massage can alleviate it, no other symptoms... could it be a genetic disease?"

Genetic diseases in cats are not uncommon, such as the Scottish Fold, which has severe genetic issues. As a pet doctor, Bai Yu's first thought when dealing with a cat that might have genetic issues was, "—Should we neuter it?"

Imuir hesitated.

Though he didn't fully grasp the term, it clearly didn't sound good.

Then, the doctor's hand moved downward, resting on the kitten's backside.

Imuir froze.

Although the kitten had just been injured and couldn't be neutered yet, it was still wise to plan ahead.

So, the hand continued its exploration, stopping at the little bell.

Gently gauging its size.

Imuir: "!!!"

The duke's face flushed; if he were in human form, his face would already be red.

He immediately grasped what neutering meant.

Damn doctor, how dare he think of doing such a perverse thing to him!

For a moment, Imuir even forgot the pain of his transformation. He was shocked and uncertain, leaping up from Bai Yu's thigh, and when Bai Yu instinctively reached out to catch him, he extended his claws—

The claws grazed the flesh, leaving a shallow scratch.

"..."

Imuir landed near the bedside, staring blankly at the doctor's hand.

The doctor's fingers were distinct and slender, with a faint red wound etched into the skin, like a crack on a piece of jade.

The doctor... was injured?

What had he done?

Imuir still remembered his current role, a docile pet, and a docile pet should not lash out towards its owner.

His body, having just stopped trembling, stiffened once more.

In a flash, Imuir thought of many things. He thought of the doctor's warning to "be good," of the cats at the tea party that had their claws removed, and even of the innumerable youths who had died in the basement of the Duke's mansion. In that moment, his teeth clenched involuntarily.

...It shouldn't be. He shouldn't have acted out towards the doctor while living under someone else's roof.

A pet that is not docile enough must either be trained or die.

Bai Yu noticed the unease in the kitten. Those azure eyes were filled with fear, as if trapped in some nightmare. He gently reached out and lifted the kitten once more.

The scratch on his hand didn't hurt. After all, how much damage could a kitten's claws do? It was shallower than any scratch Bai Yu had received from any cat in his previous life.

Yet Imuir was terrified.

His body craved the warmth of the doctor's palm, yet his heart dreaded the doctor's anger. So he desperately tried to recall how to earn forgiveness.

As a pet, how could one earn forgiveness?

Imuir seemed to think of something.

He obediently stayed in Bai Yu's hand, extended his pink tongue, and licked the wound with a pleading gesture.

Bai Yu hesitated, then noticed Imuir tilting his head, his gaze filled with guilt.

"Meow~"