Chapter 22: The Guardian’s Intuition and a Feline Surprise

The battle against Kuka was, in truth, rather unremarkable.

In essence, Kuka bounded about, unleashing a barrage of visually splendid skills, only to be promptly flattened by a single punch from Bai Zhi.

However, considering Kuka had willingly offered a wealth of information beforehand, Bai Zhi deviated from her usual practice of rendering opponents unconscious.

Instead, she merely restricted his movements for a brief period before tossing him back into the otherworld of Granzenias.

Consequently, as Kuka was hurled away, he still managed to bellow a classic villain’s line with full vigor: “I’ll be back!”

***

With Kuka dealt with, Bai Zhi finally exhaled in relief, stretching languidly.

“Though it took some effort, it’s finally resolved. Now, I just need to handle the witnesses, then I can…”

The words ‘go home’ caught in Bai Zhi’s throat, unable to be uttered, as a previously overlooked question suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Was Kuka, that big, clumsy oaf she had just dispatched, truly the transmigrator from Granzenias she had been searching for—the one who had arrived ‘just now’?

Judging solely by appearances, from his attire to his everyday demeanor, Kuka had perfectly disguised himself as an ‘ordinary citizen’ of San City with a rather fierce look, all before Bai Zhi had even approached him.

A transmigrator who had just arrived from another world would, by no means, have had the time or the presence of mind to craft such an impeccable disguise.

A sudden realization struck Bai Zhi: she might have made a critical error.

Perhaps Mr. Kuka had merely ‘happened’ to be passing by, only to be apprehended on the spot by her, mistaken for the transmigrator who had arrived today.

Therefore, the actual transmigrator Bai Zhi needed to find must still be lurking nearby.

Even worse, the battle that had just erupted between Bai Zhi and Kuka might have alerted the transmigrator to the danger, prompting them to flee.

If they remained within San City, Bai Zhi might still devise a plan, but if that person slipped away from the city unnoticed, Bai Zhi would likely lose all trace of them.

“Ugh—troubles truly come one after another—”

Bai Zhi kneaded her hair, a hint of vexation on her face.

Her only hope was that the transmigrator hadn’t witnessed her battle with Kuka, though the sheer scale of the commotion made that possibility rather slim.

Alternatively, perhaps the transmigrator had been so utterly terrified by Bai Zhi’s formidable strength that they would decide to surrender to her…

As this thought crossed her mind, Bai Zhi was suddenly struck by a peculiar idea.

Even though Bai Zhi herself found the idea unlikely to succeed, she decided to give it a try, reasoning that ‘there’s no harm in trying.’

Clearing her throat, Bai Zhi then called out to the empty air around her.

“Ahem! I know you’re nearby, and that you witnessed everything that just transpired.”

“Though I don’t know your name, I must make it clear: there is absolutely no way you can escape from me. So, cooperate with my work, return to your own world, and you won’t suffer any additional harm.”

“If you’ve made up your mind, then step out now.”

Bai Zhi’s voice wasn’t particularly loud, akin to chatting casually with a friend face-to-face.

After all, she felt rather embarrassed doing this; to any onlooker, she would appear to be nothing more than a chuunibyou teenager talking strange things to thin air.

Nonetheless, Bai Zhi possessed an inexplicable intuition telling her that the transmigrator who had arrived today was very likely still nearby, not having strayed too far.

Despite the lack of any concrete evidence to support this feeling, and even though her previously deployed ‘Magic Vision’ had revealed no strange entities hiding in the vicinity, Bai Zhi still chose to trust her instincts.

It was for this reason that she had conceived the idea of directly calling for a surrender; after all, if the other party truly was nearby and simply invisible to her, a bluff like this might just trick them into revealing themselves.

Bai Zhi waited silently in place, her heart filled with unease.

Time ticked by, moment by moment, and the only reply she received was the occasional evening breeze caressing her face.

‘It seems that person isn’t here; my intuition was wrong.’

A wave of disappointment washed over Bai Zhi.

In that case, she would have to broaden her search, starting with the entirety of San City, then gradually expanding to the surrounding cities until the vanished transmigrator was found.

Anticipating a sudden and significant increase in her workload over the coming period, Bai Zhi instinctively let out a long sigh.

“If I do this alone, I’ll be exhausted to death. Maybe I should drag Lin and Rena along to help… but they still need to protect Xia Ranxin…”

“Or, next time I catch a transmigrator, I’ll just demand they help me investigate! That would also be a good way to look into the ‘Thirteen-Person Council’…

“But how… how can I make them willingly help? I can’t exactly hold a knife to their neck, can I…”

“Eh? Wait! I actually can…”

Bai Zhi’s thoughts were slowly veering into dangerous territory when, at that very moment, she heard a voice emanate from behind her.

It was a voice that was slightly low-pitched, yet imbued with a captivating, almost flirtatious quality, like that of an older sister.

“Oh my~ Little girl, you truly are kind-hearted! Since you’ve already said so much, what choice do I have but to surrender?”

Despite the words of ‘surrender,’ the speaker’s tone held a mischievous undertone, as if deliberately teasing Bai Zhi.

“!?”

With a mix of surprise and delight, Bai Zhi swiftly spun around, only to find no one in sight.

“Honestly, where are you looking? I’m right here, meow~”

Hearing that slightly cloying tone, Bai Zhi couldn’t help but shiver, not from fear, but from an instinctive sense of discomfort.

She lowered her gaze toward the source of the sound, finally locating the speaker.

It was a cat.

A beautiful black cat, elegant in posture, plump in form, and with a charming smile, sat demurely on the ground, its gaze playfully teasing a bewildered Bai Zhi.

This was precisely the same cat Bai Zhi had first encountered earlier.

“You… you’re a cat?!” Bai Zhi asked, a hint of hesitation in her voice.

On one hand, while Bai Zhi had encountered numerous bizarre transmigrators, this was her first time seeing one manifest as a cat.

On the other hand, Bai Zhi suddenly recalled the earlier incident when she had been ‘petting the cat.’

A shiver of revulsion abruptly ran down her spine.

“Oh my~ Have you forgotten me so quickly?” The black cat looked at Bai Zhi with displeasure, speaking in a somewhat flirtatious manner. “You were just petting and holding me earlier, and now you’re pretending not to know me? How rude!”

“Ugh… you really are that cat…”

Bai Zhi covered her face in agony, feeling as though a cherished illusion had shattered.

“Is there any need to be so disappointed? I take great care of myself, you know; I should feel quite pleasant to the touch.”

“You do feel quite good to the touch… ahem, but that’s not the point!”

Bai Zhi, consumed by indignation and despair, extended a trembling finger towards the black cat.

“Alright, reveal your true form! What exactly are you?!”

“Hmm, what on earth are you talking about?” The black cat looked at Bai Zhi with an expression one might reserve for a simpleton. “I’ve been like this since birth; where would I get a ‘true form’?”

“So… you didn’t specifically disguise yourself as a cat? You were genuinely a cat to begin with?” Bai Zhi asked, a note of surprise in her voice.

The black cat nodded, answering with a calm tone.

“Of course. In the fantasy world of Granzenias, this is quite common! But judging by your rather outlandish reaction, it seems nothing of the sort exists in this world.”

“In that case, I shall forgive your rudeness, meow… Hmm, meow?!”

The black cat’s words were cut short as Bai Zhi scooped her up entirely, cradling her and rubbing her vigorously.

“Ugh—thank goodness! I was worried I’d accidentally petted something strange just now and was on the verge of developing a psychological complex! But if you were a cat all along, then it’s fine!”

“Oh, oh! Your mood changes remarkably fast, meow… By the way, could you please not rub my head so hard? Even cats can feel pain!”

After struggling free from Bai Zhi’s embrace with a disgruntled expression, the black cat meticulously smoothed her ruffled fur, then reverted to her initial elegant and dignified posture.

“In any case, let’s begin with introductions.”

“My name is Bastet, a humble magic teacher from Seledet, who, by a twist of fate, stumbled into this world.”

With a smile, she looked at Bai Zhi.

“You, the ‘Guardian’ of another world… I find you quite fascinating!”