Chapter 3
What does it feel like to watch a living human magically transform right before your eyes?
Yu Tianwei stared blankly at the bag of instant noodles lying on the floor. It took her several long moments to snap out of the daze.
“Yu Xiaoyuan?”
She clearly remembered that he had been startled by her sudden entrance. He dropped the noodles, and then—poof! The boy in the chair vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a small, fluffy creature.
Did it just squeak and scramble straight under the bed?
Frowning with disbelief, Tianwei walked slowly toward the bed and crouched down. Sure enough, hiding beneath the frame was a round, chubby little hamster. When it saw her face peeking under, it let out a panicked squeak and instantly spun around, turning its back to her.
The little creature was milk-tea-colored, with a soft pink nose and matching tiny paws. Its eyes were round and dark, noticeably large for a hamster’s proportions.
Or was it?
Tianwei couldn’t wrap her head around it. This defied every law of science. She only recalled hearing similar tales in childhood fairy tales—stories where a fox spirit married a scholar, only for the scholar to come home one day and find his wife curled up in a fox pelt. But Tianwei had graduated from college a year or two ago! She was no longer the gullible child who begged for bedtime stories.
So… how on earth was this possible?
She scanned the spacious private room once more. There was truly not a single trace of Yu Xiaoyuan. Yet she knew she had stepped in just ahead of him; she had seen him haul in bags of food and spend quite a while organizing all those snacks.
Refusing to give up—and not caring in the least that the hospital floor might be dirty—Tianwei sat cross-legged on the tiles. She ducked her head, peering straight under the bed frame to spy on the little hamster!
Meanwhile, hearing absolute silence from the outside world, the hamster cautiously twisted his head around, hoping to see what was going on.
Who could have guessed that the second he turned around, he would come face-to-face with his cousin’s enlarged, looming features!
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!!”
The little hamster was so frightened that he kicked his hind legs in a frenzy, leaped into the air, and landed flat on his back.
Aaaah! He was scared half to death!
Scrambling in sheer panic, the hamster pawed frantically with his front limbs, swung around, and tried to burrow even deeper under the bed. Unfortunately, his bottom was exceedingly plump. He ended up wedged tightly between the bed frame and the wall, his tiny tail pressed flat against his rear.
Watching him, Tianwei couldn’t help but think: He really is adorable, especially with all that chub.
Curious, she reached out and gently poked the fluffy behind.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”
Don’t poke! Stop poking the little hamster!
He reached back with a tiny paw to swat her hand away, his mind tumbling into pure chaos. On his very first day in this world, after working so hard to hoard food, his cousin had caught him red-handed!
What was he supposed to do now? Was he doomed?
Panic seized him. Did humans inherently despise little monsters? If she discovered he wasn’t human at all, would she turn him into roasted mouse on a stick? Or would she simply toss him out the window to feed the stray cats?
The calico cats roaming outside were terrifyingly fierce. Back when he worked part-time as a spirit beast, he had run into those feral hunters, and even as a monster, he had barely managed to fend them off!
Tianwei, however, noticed that although the little creature squeaked and squirmed frantically, he didn’t show a single trace of aggression. Furthermore, this milk-tea-colored furball was almost certainly her own little brother. Unable to resist any longer, she reached under, wrapped her fingers around his plump body, and scooped him right up!
“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”
Cradled in his cousin’s open palm with his pinkish-white belly exposed, the hamster was frozen in absolute terror. His four tiny paws flailed in the air, his pink nose twitched violently, and his rounded ears flattened completely against his skull. Plump and springy, he bounced around so much that Tianwei could barely keep a steady grip on him.
I’ve been captured! What now? Am I going to be eaten?
His dark, glossy eyes instantly welled up with tears, and his little nose quivered with utter grievance.
“little hamster? Little Taro Ball?”
‘Little Taro Ball’ was Yu Xiaoyuan’s affectionate family nickname, derived from a playful rearrangement of his name. Holding the trembling hamster, Tianwei still felt a trace of hesitation. With a finger from her other hand, she gently prodded his belly. It was so small, yet delightfully soft!
The little hamster was trembling so hard his paws rattled. He stared at her without blinking, his tiny pink tongue darting out to lick his lips in nervous apprehension.
Tianwei’s heart melted into a warm puddle. Even if her brother had somehow mutated, he was still her precious younger brother. He was so frightened he didn’t even know how to put up a fight.
He really was far too soft-hearted. When she went to the police station earlier, she learned that those scumbags had been harassing him for days. Today, the confrontation had escalated into dangerous threats, forcing her gentle, mild brother to finally push back just a little.
A wave of fierce protectiveness washed over her. She lifted the hamster to her cheek and rubbed against him. He was so fluffy and warm, like a soft powder puff.
“Yu Xiaoyuan, no matter what you turn into, you will always be my little brother, understand?” Tianwei said with complete sincerity. As she spoke, she gently tapped his pink nose with her fingertip.
The hamster stopped trembling at once. His dark eyes sparkled as he looked up at her, the heavy stone pressing on his chest finally falling away.
Promptly, he rubbed his cheeks with his front paws. With a tiny tug, he pulled a lovely pink flower from his mouth and presented it to his sister.
“Squeak, squeak~” For you, Sister~
“Aww, fluffy really is the best!” Tianwei squealed, completely captivated. “Back then, my dad—your uncle—wouldn’t let me keep a hamster no matter how much I begged. He definitely never imagined that his precious nephew would grant my wish all these years later!”
She buried her face into the hamster’s soft belly, rubbing him affectionately. Even though the little creature tried his hardest to shove her face away with all four paws, his protests were futile, leaving him to squeak in playful frustration.
After a moment, Tianwei sat up straight again, crossing her legs with a solemn expression. “Little Yuan, did you awaken a dormant demonic beast bloodline in our family? Don’t worry, your sister has read plenty of web novels—my mind is totally open! But if you inherited a mouse demon lineage and turned into a hamster, will I turn into some kind of hamster too?”
She wrinkled her nose, looking distressed. “My childhood dream was to be a graceful cat. If I really have to become a hamster…” She peered down at her brother with a pained grimace. “Well, I suppose it’s not the end of the world. As long as I don’t turn into one of those filthy sewer rats, I can accept it.”
Listening to her imaginative rambling, the little hamster stood up on his hind tiptoes and clamped both paws over her mouth. “Squeak, squeak, squeak!” No, absolutely not!
Realizing squeaks wouldn’t get the point across, he quickly switched gears. His dark, beady eyes rolled as his tiny brain raced at full speed, searching for the most believable cover story.
Aha! That’s it!
“Sister, when that little bastard shoved me, a wave of memories from the future suddenly flooded my mind.” Standing proudly in her palm, the fluffy hamster began weaving a completely serious tale of fiction. “The apocalypse will arrive in just over two weeks. You’ll be trapped here in town, Uncle will be stranded on a business trip far away, and my classmates will force me to go on a trip with them.
“Along the way, countless people will turn into zombies. In the end, ninety percent of humanity will be infected. Society will collapse in an instant, followed by the Seven Catastrophes: blizzards, scorching heatwaves, torrential rainstorms, catastrophic floods, devastating earthquakes, and seven days of total, pitch-black darkness where humans are blind while zombies hunt freely. The final stage is zombie evolution.”
Tianwei gasped, her heart leaping into her throat. “So all those apocalyptic disaster movies are real?”
“Every bit of them, and reality is far worse. During the upheaval, humans who survive severe fevers have a chance to awaken superpowers, while others turn into the undead. That’s how I gained my Beast Transformation ability!” The little hamster puffed out his chest proudly. “And since hamsters naturally have cheek pouches for storage, I effectively gained two powers at once!”
Tianwei glanced at the mountain of snacks covering the table, then down at the talking furball in her hands. Overcome by his sheer cuteness, she couldn’t resist giving him another gentle squeeze.
The hamster let out a startled “eep,” squirming free from her hands to jump straight onto the table.
Right before her eyes, he marched up to a pack of instant noodles. Gulp! Down the hatch it went.
He rubbed his cheeks, waddled over to a pineapple bun, and—chomp! The bun vanished into thin air!
Tianwei’s eyes went wide with shock. She scrambled forward, gently cupping his plump cheeks. “It’s gone? It really just disappeared?!”
“Yup!” The fluffy hamster nodded vigorously. He picked up a long hot dog sausage and stuffed it into his mouth. The sausage, which was nearly twice his height, slipped inside and vanished completely.
Tianwei gently pried his mouth open, peering inside with great curiosity. Aside from the two long incisors, a few tiny teeth, and a small pink tongue, he looked entirely like an ordinary household pet.
“Impressive. Not a single cavity,” she praised automatically.
“Squeak, squeak.” Th-thank you for the compliment, Sister.
A bit bashful, the hamster rubbed his ears and gave her a sheepish grin.
Tianwei pulled up a chair and watched the show. The little hamster scurried to another pineapple bun, opened wide, and swallowed it whole. Then he trotted to the next one—glup!—and that bun was history too.
Enthralled, Tianwei began clapping and cheering, “Bravo! My little brother is amazing!”
Seeing his sister’s flushed, excited face, the little hamster felt an immense rush of pride. He kicked into overdrive, vacuuming up the snacks like a hungry snake in an arcade game. One bite, two bites, three bites!
In no time at all, the entire tabletop was picked clean; every single treat had vanished into his cheek pouches.
Only when his newly bought hoard was safely tucked into his spatial realm did the little hamster plop down on the floor. He patted his cheeks in pure contentment.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak~”
His space was no longer desolate and sad, occupied by only two pathetic bags of cucumber chips. He was thrilled!
Looking up at his sister, the hamster’s eyes sparkled like bright stars. Tianwei couldn’t help scooping him up for another warm hug. “Little Yuan, you truly are the best little hamster in the whole wide world!”
Bang!
Before she could finish her sentence, the door was violently thrown open. The head nurse stormed in, glaring fiercely. “Excuse me, miss! Patients in the adjoining rooms have filed complaints saying you’re making too much noise and keeping them awake!”
Her sharp gaze swept across the room and locked onto the fluffy hamster cupped in Tianwei’s hands. Her temper flared even higher. “Did you actually bring a hamster into a sterile hospital room?!”
“Ah, sorry, so sorry! Please don’t be angry!” Clasping the hamster tightly against her chest, Tianwei grabbed her handbag and made a hasty retreat toward the door. “We’re leaving right now, heading out immediately! I’ll come back tomorrow to sign the discharge papers. Thank you so much for your hard work!”
Displaying lightning-fast reflexes, Tianwei took the full blame on her brother’s behalf and bolted straight for the underground parking lot.
Downstairs, a cool early-summer breeze ruffled her hair. Looking at the bewildered little hamster staring blankly up from her palms, Tianwei finally couldn’t hold it in anymore. She burst out laughing.
“Oh, good grief, Little Taro Ball… how on earth am I going to tell your uncle tomorrow that you got bullied by those deadbeats and turned into a pocket-sized hamster?”
She watched as he bashfully washed his whiskers with his front paws. He was so utterly endearing that she yearned to squeeze him again, but her conscience as an older sister kicked in.
Leaning down, she asked gently, “Hey, brother… do you eat actual hamster food? I happen to have a bag in the car.”
She reached toward a stylish pink bag sitting on the back seat.
“Squeak?”
Hamster confused.jpg
“Squeak, squeak, squeak?!”
Wait, did she say Uncle is arriving tomorrow?!
That soon?! The little hamster hasn’t even figured out how to break the news to Uncle yet!
Hamster panicking.jpg
