Chapter 39 – Up to the Sky
Kong Zhi, the strongest among them, could fly the highest.
Yan Xi Nian asked him to fly up and check the situation, while the others temporarily returned to human form to rest on the ground.
Kong Zhi nodded and, without saying a word, prepared to take off.
Xia Lu Nong crouched on the ground, watching enviously as Kong Zhi soared into the sky. He let out a soft “Meow,” wishing he could go up and see what was happening too.
Sitting on the ground, Xia Huo Qu reached out and stroked him from head to tail.
The cat sprawled out on the ground, tail flicking, while his emerald-green eyes remained fixed on Kong Zhi, watching as he flew away.
Xia Huo Qu noticed his brother’s gaze and said, “If you really want to fly, once we’re back at the base, you can ask Luo Cong Xin to take you for a ride.”
“Meow.” Xia Lu Nong glanced at his brother, then turned his attention back to Kong Zhi.
He didn’t just want to fly—he was also worried.
Up in the sky, Kong Zhi had flown several dozen meters high. He glanced down and saw the cat’s envious face staring up at him.
Kong Zhi paused, then flapped his wings and descended back to the ground.
The wind from his wings blew everyone around, forcing them to turn their heads away to avoid the sand and debris stirred up.
Zhang Shi Hai squinted, spat, and asked, “Why are you back already?”
The giant eagle fixed its gaze on Xia Lu Nong, who was curled up on the ground, and nodded its head, clearly indicating its intentions.
Yan Xi Nian looked at the eagle and then at the little cat. “Kong Zhi, do you want to take Xia Lu Nong up with you?”
The eagle tilted its head slightly, its yellow eyes calm. “Caw.”
Xia Lu Nong, surprised that Kong Zhi was willing to take him, immediately perked up. His short legs scrambled as he ran over to the giant eagle and let out an eager “Meow.”
He was willing!
They exchanged a knowing look, understanding each other without words.
Xia Huo Qu picked the cat up by the scruff and held him in front. “Kong Zhi, you fly so high, I’m afraid Xia Lu Nong might not be able to handle it.”
“Meow—” Xia Lu Nong rubbed against his brother’s leg, acting all cute, then lay on his side to show off his fluffy body. He wasn’t cold and could handle it just fine.
Kong Zhi watched the brothers for a moment, then stood on one leg and used his talons to write in the dirt: “If he can’t handle it, I’ll bring him back down.”
For the past few days, Xia Lu Nong had been using paper and pen to communicate, but he had completely forgotten that he could write with his claws in a pinch. Seeing Kong Zhi do this left him stunned.
Xia Huo Qu pondered for a moment.
Kong Zhi looked at him and continued writing: “Prediction, check.”
Xia Lu Nong had predicted two major earthquakes and one tsunami in a row. Everyone respected his ability.
Seeing Kong Zhi’s message, the group agreed that bringing Xia Lu Nong up might give them peace of mind.
If he could predict something else, it could be crucial.
Zhang Shi Hai cautiously suggested, “How about letting the little guy go up? Kong Zhi is reliable. Yesterday, despite the heavy rain and darkness, he carried three kids without any problems. He should be able to handle Xia Lu Nong just fine.”
Everyone knew about Kong Zhi’s strength and responsibility.
Without that reliability, Zhang Shi Hai wouldn’t have spoken up.
After a brief consideration, Xia Huo Qu agreed. He said to Kong Zhi, “I’ll leave Xia Lu Nong in your care.”
Yan Xi Nian also chimed in seriously, “If there’s any discomfort during the flight, come down right away. We can always take our time.”
The giant eagle nodded in agreement. Then, he bent down and gently picked Xia Lu Nong up in his beak, taking a few running steps before soaring into the sky.
Kong Zhi held Xia Lu Nong securely, and even at high speeds, there was no sense of danger or fear of falling.
It felt amazing. Xia Lu Nong happily tilted his head and let out a joyful “Meow” to the giant eagle.
On the ground, Xia Huo Qu felt reassured when he saw that Kong Zhi had carefully picked up the entire cat, rather than just grabbing him by the scruff. He was confident this young man knew what he was doing.
Yan Xinian patted Xia Huo Qu on the shoulder, and together they looked up.
Xia Lu Nong was being carried higher and higher, and his field of vision grew wider.
The feeling was completely different from looking down through a plane window. Up here, the wind was strong but silent, and the view was vast. He could look anywhere without obstruction, almost a full 360 degrees.
Looking down, Xia Lu Nong could see the mountains, rocks, grass, roads, rivers—all laid out beneath him.
This sense of control filled him with a strong sense of security. Now that he could see everything, at least he didn’t have to worry about landslides ahead or wild animals behind. They could simply move forward according to the plan.
They flew higher and higher.
Xia Lu Nong saw more and more.
He soon noticed that the sea had stopped just two mountains away from where they had stopped to rest. That area had once been a plain, but it was now completely submerged.
The tsunami had ended, but the sea was still roaring, with murky yellow waters littered with broken branches and debris left behind by humans before the disaster.
The water swirled violently at the base of the mountains, giving a terrifying sense of waves crashing against the shore.
Xia Lu Nong’s cat face was filled with shock.
They weren’t even close to the coast, yet the water had reached this far. He imagined the coastal areas were likely submerged beneath the sea by now.
“Meow,” Xia Lu Nong let out a soft sigh.
Kong Zhi glanced down at him.
Still holding him, Kong Zhi continued to fly upward.
Xia Lu Nong looked east and southeast—all he saw was ocean. Looking southwest, west, and northwest, he saw green mountains, ruins covered in vegetation, and a few small bases.
One of the bases was theirs, and it was the highest one, perched halfway up a mountain, surrounded by other mountains, giving a strong sense of safety.
Xia Lu Nong took a few extra glances at their base.
The buildings were mostly intact, and he could even spot the large tree in their yard.
Feeling relieved, Xia Lu Nong settled down in Kong Zhi’s mouth, no longer looking around.
Kong Zhi glanced at him again, then circled a few times in the sky before descending.
As they neared the ground, Kong Zhi glided downward at a sharp angle.
It was Xia Lu Nong’s first time experiencing such a dive with the feeling of weightlessness, but he wasn’t scared at all.
After a few minutes, they landed.
Everyone gathered around, asking about the situation.
Kong Zhi set Xia Lu Nong down, and seeing how anxious everyone was, he used his foot to draw a simple map in the dirt, marking the mountains and sea, and placing a small dot to show their current location.
Yan Xi Nian took one look and understood. “The water has reached here?”
Kong Zhi nodded.
Ba Niu, in disbelief, exclaimed, “The tsunami reached this far inland? If it happens again, how will we survive?”
Xia Lu Nong lifted his paw and wrote in the dirt: I think it’s safe now.
Although his writing was fainter, everyone could still make out the words.
Yan Xi Nian asked, “The sense of danger is completely gone?”
Xia Lu Nong nodded, then wrote: The water shouldn’t rise anymore.
There was only so much water. It had already risen this high and couldn’t go much further.
Ba Niu shook his head. “Let’s hope so.”
After carefully checking the surroundings, Yan Xi Nian sighed with relief and said to Kong Zhi and Xia Lu Nong, “Got it. Thank you both.”
The anxious feeling in his heart had disappeared.
Xia Lu Nong nodded, then wrote: I saw the base, and it’s fine.
With that, Yan Xi Nian was fully reassured, a smile appearing on his face. “Good.”
Everyone was exhausted, so they decided to rest right where they were.
Xia Lu Nong lay down next to his brother, who pulled him onto his lap. He quickly fell asleep, snuggled against his brother’s leg.
The weather was mild, neither too hot nor too cold, making it comfortable to sleep outdoors. Xia Lu Nong dozed off, purring softly.
His brother absentmindedly stroked his back.
Seemingly irritated by the constant petting, Xia Lu Nong’s tail wrapped around his brother’s hand, stopping him from moving.
Kong Zhi, now back in human form and dressed, leaned against a rock, dozing off as well. His eyes were fixed on Xia Lu Nong’s twitching tail.
Xia Lu Nong slept soundly, his little belly rising and falling as he breathed deeply.
When he woke up, he found himself in the car, lying on Kong Zhi’s lap.
Kong Zhi was gently stroking his back, staring blankly ahead, lost in thought.
Xia Lu Nong gazed at the smooth lines of Kong Zhi’s neck for a while.
As he came back to his senses, Xia Lu Nong started feeling a headache—an intense, throbbing pain, like something was drilling through his brain, making it feel swollen and tight.
He rarely got headaches, but this time it was getting worse and worse.
The pain became so unbearable that he wanted to bang his head against the car door, hoping the external pain might distract him from the internal agony.
Kong Zhi was the first to notice Xia Lu Nong’s restless movements on his lap and looked down at him.
Xia Lu Nong’s green eyes, usually so bright, were clouded with tears. Seeing Kong Zhi looking at him, he let out a pitiful “Meow.”
Kong Zhi paused, then gently supported his neck and called to Xia Huo Qu, who was driving.
Xia Huo Qu glanced over and immediately sensed something was wrong. “Xia Lu Nong, what’s wrong?”
“Meow.” Xia Lu Nong, feeling even more miserable, used his paw to write two words on Kong Zhi’s thigh: Headache.
“He says he has a headache,” Kong Zhi explained.
“A headache…” Xia Huo Qu thought for a moment. “Could it be from overusing his abilities?”
“Meow,” Xia Lu Nong replied.
“That’s probably it.” Xia Huo Qu sighed, frowning. “There’s not much we can do. Try to sleep a bit more and recover.”
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes were almost wet with tears. He knew that if he could just fall asleep, everything would be fine, but he simply couldn’t.
Thanks for the chapter! Poor kitten