Chapter 171: Kara Wants to Score, a Catlike Woman
Halfway up the snowy mountain.
Clear melted ice water trickled down along the slope, forming a narrow stream. A beautiful girl sat on a flat boulder beside it, pulling off her dark red thigh-high boots. She didn't even flinch at the icy water washing over her bare feet.
Only then did Xi Nian recall what exactly he had done last night.
He looked at Kara's radiant young face, her soft smile as sweet as ever. Her Supergirl suit, with its signature red cape, was slightly rumpled now, marked with faint creases and even visible handprints. Her platinum-blond hair spilled loosely over her shoulders, glowing faintly under the sunlight. Her long, shapely legs were half-submerged in the stream, and with her small hands she scooped the water, letting it cascade down along her smooth, ivory-like thighs.
Those delicate hands that could shatter mountains, acting so gentle and playful, gave Xi Nian a dizzying sense of contrast.
And another thing—
Though her outward appearance hadn't changed since yesterday morning, her demeanor had shifted subtly. Kara now carried a faintly mature, alluring charm.
Especially watching her wash her legs with a troubled look, Xi Nian once again felt a restless urge rising in him.
Who could resist this?
Before, when he hadn't tasted it, he could manage. But after last night's first release of instinct, there was no going back for the young man.
Still, Xi Nian knew that if he touched Kara again right now, he'd instantly revert into the same uncontrollable Superman state as last night. And it was already nearly noon on Sunday—tonight he still had to attend Gwen's family banquet for her coming-of-age celebration.
"Xi Nian, it won't wash off…" Kara muttered helplessly, her feet kicking up splashes as she sighed. "I should just go home and take a proper bath."
Just that one simple line—
Nearly made the fragile dam of Xi Nian's self-control collapse completely.
He took a deep breath and forced himself to endure. "My fault. I should've taken precautions yesterday."
"I brought some. But even if we did… would they have worked?" Kara pulled two small square packages from a hidden pocket sewn into her suit's waistband, waved them, then tucked them back away.
"…You're right." Xi Nian gave a wry smile.
With how things had gone yesterday, no amount of protection would've held up.
"Besides," Kara said, her hand resting gently on her abdomen, her tone unexpectedly straightforward, "if we used them, wouldn't that just be a waste…"
She had come to Earth to experience human life, to blend into society.
But for Kara, if there was a chance to strengthen the Kryptonian bloodline, to nurture a child born of love—nothing could take higher priority.
"Kara," Xi Nian said seriously, "if you keep talking like this… you might want to take a day or two off school."
"Ah, my bad!" Kara stuck out her pink tongue playfully, her bright eyes blinking nervously, nose twitching with unease.
Last night, at one terrifying moment—Kara Zor-El, the girl from Krypton, had truly thought she was going to die.
Or at least, break beyond repair.
For now, she had no intention of going through that again. Thrilling as it was, no one could gamble with their life every single night.
…
Kara carried Xi Nian back, landing on the rooftop of his house. As soon as she set him down, she gave him one last regretful glance before flying back toward her foster parents' home on the outskirts of Washington. She wanted to leave a last kiss but the effect would be too much.
Xi Nian rode the elevator down, opened the door, and stepped into an empty apartment.
As expected.
Even though it was Sunday, Diana would still be busy at the law firm where she was a partner, and Wanda would either be studying at school for her butler training, or training in magic with the Ancient One.
In this household, the only one truly idle was always Xi Nian.
Well—him, and a few others.
"Xiao Huang, Venom… you two are even lazier than me. Just lying around the house every day."
Xi Nian walked into the living room and reached out to ruffle the little figure curled in the corner of the sofa—Xiao Huang.
Once, she would've at least meowed when he came home. Now she was too lazy to even open her eyes.
The little Flerken cub didn't resist at all, only squinting comfortably as Xi Nian rubbed her.
After several months, she hadn't grown much. Her four paws tucked neatly as she rolled over, exposing her soft, furry belly.
Without hesitation, Xi Nian stroked her warm little stomach.
But then—
Xiao Huang's tail suddenly twisted up on its own. Dark liquid oozed out like ink, stretching into a tendril. The tip morphed into the head of a snarling black creature.
The shadowy head's eyes glowed pale, locking onto Xi Nian with a chilling stare. Rows of jagged fangs parted as it spoke in a raspy, sinister voice. "Your body feels… different than before."
"There have been some changes. It's harder now."
Xi Nian nodded, pressing a hand against his steel-like abs hidden under his shirt. He wasn't surprised Venom had shown itself.
Ever since revealing itself during the confrontation with Diana, the symbiote living in Xiao Huang had occasionally made appearances like this.
"What a pity…"
Venom let out a low sigh before melting back into black fluid, retreating entirely into Xiao Huang's body.
What it lamented was simple—
This human boy was the perfect host for it. No one else came close.
But if Venom bonded with Xi Nian, the Master of Affection would instantly trigger, granting Xi Nian the symbiote's physiology himself. And once Xi Nian became a symbiote, his body would ironically no longer be compatible for Venom to inhabit. He'd be forced to seek another host, losing much of his true strength.
That contradiction was what Venom regretted most.
…
"By the way," Venom suddenly spoke again, forming a jagged mouth on Xiao Huang's back. "Recently, I've sensed another of my kind."
"…Another symbiote?"
Xi Nian's hand froze mid-pet.
Venom's kind—alien symbiotes.
"You're certain?" Xi Nian asked with a frown.
"Certain. Definitely one of us." Venom's voice was grim.
"Where?"
"Not sure. I only caught faint signals. But the general area… New York City."
That answer was hardly satisfying.
"New York, huh…" Xi Nian muttered. "Didn't you say only three symbiotes came to Earth with you?"
He remembered them clearly—his first true battle.
Two had been exiled into Xiao Huang's pocket dimension, where they had surely died without hosts. The third had been burned alive inside the spaceship.
"Wait a second." Xi Nian's eyes narrowed. "How do symbiotes reproduce?"
"By splitting from ourselves. But birthing an offspring means death for the parent. So we only do it at the very end of life…" Venom suddenly froze. "You mean… Riot, when it was burned alive—it spawned a child?"
"Very possible."
Xi Nian's expression darkened. "And if that's true, then its offspring will be stronger. Or worse—not vulnerable to fire."
…
Even knowing another symbiote was lurking in New York, Xi Nian didn't plan to act. If it chose to hide, finding it would be like searching for a needle in the ocean.
For now, he set it aside.
"Jarro, you probably have something to report too."
Xi Nian glanced at the balcony. At his words, the lone eye of a colorful starfish floating in a glass tank slowly opened.
Jarro sent its voice into his mind. "Two matters."
"First: I've located S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. It's in Manhattan, on one of the city's central islands."
"Well done." Xi Nian nodded. "Surround the building quietly. See if you can infiltrate inside. I need to know if there's a silver-haired boy around thirteen in there. And log anything unusual you find."
"Their security is tight, but compared to advanced civilizations, still primitive. I'll finish it quick." Kanro's tone was confident.
At its will—
Across New York, hundreds of tiny, translucent, jellyfish-like organisms hidden in people, pets, cars, and buildings began converging toward S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
The net was closing in.
…
"And the second matter?" Xi Nian asked curiously. The first he had guessed. The second was a mystery.
"Two nights ago, you told me to attach a jellyfish clone to a certain white youth, to monitor him," Kanro reminded.
"I remember. Yes."
Xi Nian's eyes grew cold. "He went home? Good. Then we can confiscate the tools he planned to use for his crimes—"
"He's dead." Jarro's mental voice cut him off.
"…What?" Xi Nian froze. "When? How?"
"Last night. In his New York home."
As Jarro relayed the data, images poured into Xi Nian's mind.
He saw everything in sharp clarity, as though watching a VR movie from a god's-eye view.
A lavish bedroom, sealed windows and doors. Inside, the white youth—the same scum who had tried to assault a girl days ago.
Dressed in designer clothes, face twisted in drunken rage, bloodshot eyes wild. He raged as he smashed furniture. "Damn bitch! How dare she resist! Next time, I'll make her my toy! Make her beg me, call me master, swallow—"
"And those two nosy bastards too!"
He hurled a lamp worth thousands to the floor, panting with fury.
He was about to summon his maid to clean, intending to vent himself on her, when—
Crash!
The window flew open. Cold night wind rushed in.
Silver moonlight poured through, casting a long, sinuous shadow… like a cat's tail swaying.
Xi Nian's perspective revealed it clearly before the drunk could—
A woman.
A catlike woman.
Silver hair whipped in the moonlight. A black half-mask concealed her face, leaving only red lips and sharp, cold eyes.
She wore a skintight black leather catsuit, her mature body curved in perfect silhouette as she crouched on the windowsill like a prowling cat.
Her hands, transformed into massive feline claws, gleamed with cold light. Cat ears and a tail twitched atop her head and behind her waist. Beautiful yet uncanny, a predator in human form.
"You are—"
The youth turned, startled. His eyes flickered with both shock and lust.
But before he could finish—
The black cat-woman leapt.
With inhuman speed, she slashed her claws across his throat.
Scarlet blood sprayed the room.
She pivoted gracefully aside, avoiding the splatter.
The youth clutched his neck, eyes wide with terror. He opened his mouth but no sound came. Then he collapsed, lifeless.
The cat-woman didn't spare him a glance. She tore open drawers and safes with her claws, stuffing cash and gold into a bag.
Then, as she turned to leave—she paused. Her sharp eyes darted to the table.
She bent down, pinching up a tiny translucent jellyfish. With a squeeze, it shattered.
…
The memory ended.
Xi Nian remained stunned. Even with her face hidden, that silhouette—the catlike woman's figure—reminded him strongly of someone from his past.
(A/N: yeah, I know Black Cat normally doesn't have a tail. But come on, what kind of catgirl has no tail? Of course she has one!)
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