After Raising Monsters, I Was Loved by Everyone in the Wasteland – CH3

Chapter 3

Fortunately, the soundproofing in the building was good; despite all the commotion, the neighbors weren’t disturbed enough to call property management.

After calming Xiao Hei down, Wen Xin began to examine its body.

Transforming from a black cat furball into a giant monster, its body was no longer burning hot but chillingly cold—perhaps an extreme reaction.

Under such circumstances, medication clearly couldn’t be used carelessly.

Wen Xin had previously saved the pet doctor’s phone number, but he knew that if he described the current situation, people would likely question his sanity.

Feeling the trembling scales on Xiao Hei, he retrieved a space heater from the cabinet.

Warm light shone upon them, instantly dispelling the cold of the rainy night.

In Xiao Hei’s pain-filled eyes, a hint of confusion appeared.

It seemed to have never experienced such warmth before. Its most profound memories were of cold, solid alloy walls imprisoning it like a cage—sealed tight from all directions, electrified with high voltage. A single touch would cause it to lose consciousness, the pain making its scales stand on end.

After a moment of silence, the monster lifted its large head, looking up at Wen Xin’s smooth jawline.

It inadvertently captured the gentleness emanating from him, causing it to become slightly entranced.

Besides the abnormal body temperature, Xiao Hei also had many wounds of varying sizes.

Without the thick fur to cover them, the numerous scars were exposed. Some had scabbed over, while others were still raw and bloody from repeated friction.

Wen Xin’s gaze darkened further.

Among those gruesome scars, he noticed marks left by shoe heels grinding into flesh and burns from electric shocks.

“What on earth have you been through…” he couldn’t help but murmur.

Xiao Hei didn’t respond.

At first, it was a bit awkward with Wen Xin’s touch, but before long, it began to enjoy his gentle soothing, almost sighing as it emitted low, hoarse purring sounds.

It was just like a big black cat being petted into contentment.

Seeing it like this, the seriousness in Wen Xin’s eyes softened.

He gave up probing into Xiao Hei’s seemingly tragic past. His comforting hands moved over the massive, powerful body as he gently coaxed, “Good boy.”

Once again, these words made the monster relax involuntarily.

Even though its appearance remained cold and fierce, it cooperated by lifting its paws and body according to his guidance.

Scabbed wounds were one thing, but those still bleeding couldn’t be left untreated.

Wen Xin brought warm water, dampened a towel, and cleaned the dirt around Xiao Hei’s wounds. Then he took out some ointment, applying a small amount to observe the reaction.

After waiting a while to ensure the bleeding stopped and there were no adverse effects, he continued.

As for the wound on its abdomen, Xiao Hei refused to let him touch it. Seeing that the wound had already begun to heal, Wen Xin didn’t insist.

Even so, dealing with injuries on such a massive body turned a simple task into hard labor. Wen Xin estimated that among land animals, only an adult elephant could rival Xiao Hei’s size.

Inevitably, he thought about the issue of food consumption… The bag of cat food and canned food he thought was ample probably wouldn’t even fill the gap between Xiao Hei’s teeth.

Until the latter half of the night, Wen Xin didn’t stop.

Throughout the process, the monster tilted its head for a long time, quietly watching him apply medicine to its wounds.

By the end, Wen Xin was drenched in sweat. He wrapped his bandaged arm with plastic wrap and, fighting exhaustion, headed to the bathroom.

When he returned to the room after showering, Xiao Hei seemed to have alleviated its pain; its body was no longer trembling.

It swung its thick tail in front, crossed its two forelimbs, curled its entire body into a rounded shape, and closed its eyes—it looked like it was going to sleep.

Wen Xin softly said, “Good night,” turned off the light, and then got into bed.

As his sore and weary body touched the soft bed, he instantly relaxed.

However, the comfort he felt couldn’t ease his chaotic thoughts.

With his eyes closed, Wen Xin half-consciously pondered what to do next.

He suddenly heard some rustling sounds, and then felt a cold, hard touch like scales near his elbow.

Wen Xin immediately opened his eyes.

He turned his head slightly and saw Xiao Hei quietly resting its large head beside the bed. Upon being discovered, it lifted its round eyes to gaze at him; even in the dim room, the golden color was unmistakable.

Moved, he placed his hand on its head.

Wen Xin’s palm was of normal adult size, but against the monster’s huge head, it seemed small.

The black furball, which usually liked to look down on people from high places, didn’t dodge. It stiffened for a moment, then relaxed.

Seeing Xiao Hei like this, it would be a lie to say he wasn’t touched.

Wen Xin propped himself up, leaned his face against Xiao Hei’s big head, and stroked its scales, softly murmuring, “Good Xiao Hei.”

The monster’s body tensed up.

Partly because it had never been so close to anyone, not even any other creature.

Partly because it was acutely aware of the difference between itself and humans, afraid that its powerful strength might accidentally harm him.

Wen Xin was truly exhausted and fell asleep shortly after.

Outside, heavy rain poured, and strong winds blew, shaking the branches.

Inside, with the space heater on, it was warm, quiet, and cozy.

In a hazy state of consciousness, Wen Xin felt as if he were resting on a moving boulder, which tried several times to escape from under him. When he clung tightly, it would emit dissatisfied low growls.

But the “stone” didn’t forcefully push him away.

So Wen Xin reached out, gently patting and soothing the big stone, until its hard shell began to soften, turning into a fluffy cloud that held him up.

He couldn’t help but laugh softly, mimicking how Tang Qi treated his kitten Huan Huan, and rewarded the now-softened “stone” with a light kiss.

After that, Wen Xin fell into a deep sleep, unaware that the monster Xiao Hei was petrified by his sudden action, remaining stiff and motionless for half the night.

*

The next day, the weather cleared. Morning sunlight bathed the earth, and the air felt fresher.

People gradually took to the rain-damp streets, and flocks of small animals came out to play. Sparrows perched on branches, lazily shaking their fluffy feathers.

Around ten o’clock, Tang Qi guessed that Wen Xin was awake and came to visit with a fruit basket.

When the door opened, a drowsy and haggard face appeared.

Tang Qi blurted out, “Didn’t you sleep well?”

Having been up half the night, Wen Xin had slept barely three hours. He nodded at Tang Qi’s words.

Seeing this, Tang Qi didn’t want to disturb him for long. He handed over the fruit basket and prepared to leave.

Before leaving, he brought up the incident of his kitten Huan Huan climbing out the window the previous day, gritting his teeth in frustration.

“I checked the surveillance when I got back. It wasn’t me or my mom—it was Huan Huan herself who opened the window. I had even locked the latch, but she’s smart enough to pry it open with her paws!”

As he spoke, Tang Qi was both exasperated and amused. “This little troublemaker! I guess she saw me open the window a few times and secretly learned how to do it herself.”

“I ordered some window-sealing materials online. As soon as the package arrives, I’ll seal the windows and see how she tries to escape then.”

Hearing this, Wen Xin’s expression shifted.

If he remembered correctly, last night when he returned to the bedroom with the medicine, Xiao Hei had also been staggering toward the window, trying to leave.

He hesitated before speaking, “Could you send me the link for the window-sealing materials you bought?”

Tang Qi perked up instantly. “You have a cat too?”

No one would bother with the windows for no reason; only households with pets or small children would consider sealing them.

Tang Qi had visited Wen Xin’s home the day before—it was quiet and empty, not like a second person was living there. Compared to being married with kids, it was more likely that he had a pet.

As a fellow pet owner, Tang Qi had no other thoughts. He regarded Wen Xin as a new friend and was simply happy to share a common interest.

Wen Xin’s thoughts drifted back to a few minutes ago.

When Tang Qi knocked on the door that morning, Xiao Hei had already reverted to its furball form. Almost as soon as he woke up and moved his arm, it had darted out from under his palm, moving so fast it left afterimages.

Now, whenever he turned around, he could see the black furball lying atop the cabinet, half its face hidden, revealing a pair of golden eyes silently watching him.

Thinking of this scene, Wen Xin couldn’t help but smile and nod, “Something like that.”

Tang Qi was curious about what kind of pet Wen Xin had adopted, but seeing the dark circles under his eyes and how he was so tired his eyelids were trembling, he decided against chatting further.

He took out his phone and said enthusiastically, “Alright, let’s exchange contact info first. I’ll send you the link when I get back.”

Tang Qi mentioned that the window-sealing materials would take about four days to arrive—a kind of protruding thick wire mesh, sturdy in material, with a smooth and rounded texture. It wouldn’t hurt the cat’s paws and could also prevent theft.

Wen Xin paid for expedited shipping; the package arrived in about two days.

By then, the half-crushed table and the shredded cat bed in the bedroom had been cleared out. Wen Xin had bought a new large cat bed, but Xiao Hei refused to use it.

The black furball seemed to have made the top of the cabinet its temporary shelter. Now, it lay there, its golden eyes shimmering, silently watching him hammering away by the window.

When Wen Xin didn’t speak, it maintained its aloof demeanor—not approaching voluntarily, nor allowing him to hold it—as if the monster that had leaned against his bed on the rainy night was just an illusion.

But both the person and the pet knew it wasn’t fake, because every night, Xiao Hei still couldn’t control its transformation.

Whenever that happened, no matter how busy he was, Wen Xin would stop to accompany it, until Xiao Hei calmed down a bit. Then he would gently hold it, soothing its pain-wracked body.

He had asked Xiao Hei about the reason for its transformation, hoping to find a way to alleviate its suffering. But the other either ignored him or escaped by jumping onto the cabinet.

After several attempts, Wen Xin recognized the deep-seated resentment and lingering pain buried in the black furball’s heart.

This resentment and pain weren’t directed at him. With a bit of speculation, it was likely related to the cause of its transformation.

If past experiences were too painful to recall, no one would want to revisit them.

Since then, Wen Xin hadn’t pressed Xiao Hei further.

He installed the window guards in the bedroom, as well as in the guest room and on the balcony.

Exhaling deeply, Wen Xin moved the remaining materials to another spot.

Xiao Hei watched as Wen Xin got sweaty and out of breath from such a small amount of activity, instantly refreshing its perception of human frailty, its expression indescribable.

There were too many materials; he had to move them on several trips. Wen Xin started to pant.

Unable to bear it, Xiao Hei jumped down from the cabinet and walked over to him.

“Meow?” Do you think this wire mesh can stop me?

Having lived in human society for a while, it was used to disguising itself as a cat and had gotten used to meowing.

After spending two days together, Wen Xin and Xiao Hei developed some nonverbal understanding despite the language barrier. Just by pausing and looking at the furball for a moment, he could roughly guess its meaning.

“I’m not trying to block you. If you want to go out, I’ll open the door for you.”

Since coming to the neighborhood, Xiao Hei had never eaten a human or harmed anyone. At most, it was a bit solitary. Wen Xin felt relatively at ease letting it go out.

Most importantly, it had its own consciousness and independent personality—no house could confine that.

Xiao Hei tilted its head toward the wire mesh. “Meow.” Then what’s this for?

Wen Xin replied, “To prevent falls.”

Xiao Hei twitched the corner of its mouth, thinking Wen Xin wasn’t telling the truth.

But Wen Xin looked down calmly, meeting its gaze. “Even if you’re big, it would still hurt if you fall.”

Xiao Hei was momentarily stunned.

Wen Xin patted its fluffy little head, glanced at the time, and got up to prepare dinner.

“What would you like to eat today? How about fried eggs?”

Xiao Hei wasn’t really a cat. It was okay with canned cat food but wouldn’t touch dry cat food.

After a few meals, Wen Xin realized it only ate meat.

Xiao Hei’s ears twitched.

Looking back at Wen Xin’s tall figure busy in the kitchen, it walked into the bedroom, extended its tail to coil around the remaining materials, and moved them to where they needed to be installed.

After silently completing this, it returned to the kitchen doorway, once again watching intently for a long time.

*

After several days of peaceful coexistence, Xiao Hei, who was napping on top of the cabinet, suddenly sensed a strange and dangerous aura within less than ten miles.

Humans couldn’t perceive this aura, but it was all too familiar to it—it was the aura of its own kind.

Not a coincidence, nor a passerby.

The other was steadily approaching.

In an instant, Xiao Hei opened its eyes, which were filled with fierce, cold light.