I am now beginning to believe this story. The cat mentioned that stone was called the Life Stone—a name it must have chosen itself. But animals possess a peculiar intuition; both it and the giant rat must have sensed the stone’s abnormal power, which explains why they fought so fiercely.

Recalling the giant python, it must have mutated due to the influence of the green energy stone. That anomalous blood and its cells were subsequently transferred to me. This explains why I could leap so high in the cave and why the plants that pierced my foot couldn't break my sole. Furthermore, my strength suddenly became immense, capable of intimidating fierce hounds just by glaring at them, and I can swim unimpeded underwater without breathing... Even the dead cat’s ability to communicate mentally with me are all manifestations of the mysterious power emanating from the red and green Life Stones.

“I am not a dead cat! My name is Peach Blossom!” the cat’s voice suddenly popped into my head.

“You’re reading my thoughts!” the boy and Little Raindrop shrieked simultaneously. “This cat can send focused, synchronized brainwave signals!”

Peach Blossom the cat was equally astonished, turning to Little Raindrop, “How did you intercept my signal?!”

Little Raindrop glanced at me proudly. “Don’t forget, I’m a **Robot. My mother didn’t cut corners when building this body; it’s equipped with countless functions. But how can you emit human brainwave signals, and furthermore, how can you restrict the reception direction?”

Peach Blossom sighed. “To be honest, I am a product nurtured under the influence of that red energy stone. To some extent, I have absorbed some of its mysterious power, which caused this aberration. In fact, many species around Peach Blossom Village have experienced similar mutations; I was just luckier.”

Hearing Peach Blossom say this put me somewhat at ease, and many mysteries suddenly seemed solved: the Peach Blossom villagers all possessing unique abilities, the giant mutated rat, the strange-looking supernatural photos, the ancient peach tree, the strange and terrifying dreams, the bizarre hallucinations... perhaps even the heavy rainstorms were connected to that red energy stone.

Little Raindrop said, “My father spent relatively little time researching the energy stones because he was busy preparing to deal with potential pursuit by the Earth Federation Military Police. He focused most of his energy on power conversion and spacetime travel, leaving research on other functions virtually untouched. Back then, for safety, not only did the Hope have radiation shielding, but my father also designed a portable protection device for the energy stone to prevent the leakage of mysterious energy from affecting human health. It’s possible that the explosion when the Hope entered the atmosphere damaged the protection devices of both stones, which is why they affected the surrounding species.”

I said to Little Raindrop, “When I found the green one, it had no protection device, and the result was the mutation that spawned the giant python. The protection device for the red stone was completely shattered when I happened to grab it. Perhaps I couldn't handle the energy it transmitted, and I passed out. When I woke up, I was here.”

Peach Blossom the cat added, “I saw you collapse on the shore, so I bravely jumped into the water to save you. The moment I grabbed your leg, there was a crackling noise all around me. When I regained consciousness, you nearly strangled me to death.”

Little Raindrop grew very fond of Peach Blossom. She hugged the cat and asked me, “Brother, why did you try to choke her? She’s very cute and can communicate. I have a slight idea why you all managed to get here—it might be that the three energy stones influence each other. When all three sense a signal simultaneously, they automatically gather. Although I’ve researched this yellow stone for hundreds of years, I’ve made no progress at all. This task will be up to you from now on, Brother.”

I shot the cat a glare. This little fellow certainly found a powerful backer. But should I be grateful to it? If it hadn't urged me to dive into the water to find the energy stone, would I have become a cheap older brother?

Peach Blossom said to Little Raindrop, “Sister Little Raindrop, you are the kindest to me. I’ll follow you from now on.”

“That’s fine! I’ll discuss it with Brother. What is your name?” Little Raindrop asked.

“My name is Peach Blossom,” the cat chirped sweetly, nestling into Little Raindrop’s embrace, deliberately rubbing against her. Even worse, it looked at me triumphantly.

In a huff, I interrupted the cat’s introduction and complained to Little Raindrop, “Actually, its real name is Peach. I, its former boss, gave it this name. We depend on each other and consider ourselves kin. This life, it cannot leave me, and I cannot leave it. We were hoping to cultivate together someday and ascend to immortality. Little Sister Little Raindrop, please don’t steal my beloved.” As long as this cat stayed by my side, I’d find a way to slowly deal with it. But the previous question remained unanswered: should I be grateful or resentful toward it?

The cat said, “Enough, let’s not have arguments between brothers. I accept the name. Since you’ve agreed to take me as a junior brother, I won’t pester your little sister anymore. Once we brothers join forces, no one will stand against us as we conquer the world, woo all the girls, and amass mountains of gold and jewels…”

Little Raindrop seemed unconcerned about the matter. “Anyway, I’ll be following Brother, and you’ll be following Brother too, so we’ll still be together.”

I waved my hands anxiously. “No, don’t follow me.” It wasn’t that I didn't want such a wonderful sister; it was just that I couldn't explain this situation to others. A sister who is 398 years old in ten million years into the future? Who would believe that? They’d lock me up as insane.

Little Raindrop started to cry. “Don’t you want me anymore, Brother? Dad and Mom abandoned me, and now you don’t want me. And I know nothing about this world from ten million years ago. Can you bear to watch me live alone and miserable underground?”

I truly couldn't bear it. Having a sister like this wouldn't be so bad, hehe. A **Robot sister—the only one on the entire Earth, perhaps.

“Little Raindrop, I actually really want a sister like you, but I’m afraid my abilities aren't enough to protect you. If that happens, I, as your older brother, would lose all face.”

Little Raindrop smiled and addressed the air, “Xiao Hui, bring up the Physical Fitness Assessment Device. I need to check Brother’s body to see how we can help him.”

Suddenly, a massive instrument slowly rose from the previously empty floor. Xiao Hui’s soft female voice sounded again: “Welcome, Brother. I am the intelligent computer Sage One, also Miss’s sister, Xiao Hui. We have been constantly by her side for nearly four hundred years, waiting beneath this yellow sand for your arrival. Today is the happiest day since I became self-aware. Let me first introduce Brother to the human physical fitness grading system used by the Earth Federation ten million years in the future.”

“Following the principle of high, medium, and low grading, normal people and some who have undergone basic enhanced training are classified as Low Grade, which is further divided into A, B, and C levels. For example, a normal Earth female usually registers at Level C; a normal Earth male usually registers at Level B; and people who have undergone partial reinforcement training are mostly Level C.”

“Those who have received reinforcement training, undergone physical enhancement modifications, or possess certain unique physical traits are classified as Medium Grade, subdivided into A and B. Most Federation soldiers who have undergone reinforcement training are Medium B; cyborgs equipped with auxiliary mechanical devices or individuals with special abilities are mostly Medium A.”

“Federation Special Forces, prohibited fully intelligent biorobots, humans who have undergone prohibited biological modifications, and individuals possessing super-strong special abilities are classified as High Grade, subdivided into A, B, C, D, and E levels. The specific classification depends on the readings obtained from the test.”

“Don't underestimate this Physical Fitness Assessment Device. It is the crystallization of fifty years of hard work by Miss and me. By comprehensively testing the human body’s muscles, bones, and nervous system, its accuracy in deriving values is as high as ninety-nine point nine nine nine nine percent.”

I was astonished. “Fifty years of research to develop this? Do you mean that even this kind of machine doesn't exist ten million years in the future?”

Little Raindrop quickly interjected, “Brother, you don’t understand the situation. Technology in the Earth Federation ten million years from now is terrifyingly advanced. Although I was only sixteen at that time, I had attended school for seven or eight years and have a solid understanding of the civilization’s level of development then.”

“However, when Mom and Dad built this spaceship, they did so in complete secrecy, and the Earth Federation strictly controlled the procurement of materials for its construction. Thus, aside from the super-strong power system and spacetime travel capabilities, this spaceship does not contain any other objects representative of Federation technology.”

“As for Xiao Hui, she was originally the ship’s intelligent navigation system. The explosion upon entering Earth’s atmosphere nearly destroyed her. Even with my three hundred years of continuous repair efforts, her current capability is less than one-tenth of what it was originally.”

“When our whole family fled, we considered how we would survive in ancient Earth, so the ship carried manufacturing data for some technological products. Unfortunately, most of it was lost in the explosion, and most of what remained couldn’t be decompressed and read due to damage to the optical storage unit. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have needed to spend fifty years developing a physical fitness assessment device that is quite common in the Federation. Brother, it’s all my fault. If I had studied harder in school back then and memorized all the knowledge, this wouldn't have happened.”

I sat on the assessment device and told Little Raindrop, “It’s not your fault. I studied for twelve years, and now I can’t even cook a decent meal, let alone build computers, planes, ships, or artillery.”

“Physical fitness test concluded. Congratulations, Brother, you are High D Grade. Judging by the information Miss previously shared about the Earth Federation, this level is already extremely rare. Therefore, you are fully capable of protecting Miss.”

“That’s right, Brother,” Little Raindrop nodded. “In my memory, no more than ten individuals in the Earth Federation ever surpassed High C level, and only two ever tested above High B. As for High A level, no one had passed the test by the time I left.”

Wow! It seems Peach Blossom wasn't lying. We are superhuman and supercat; we will dominate Earth and the cosmos, unrivaled! Hah, isn't this exactly what I dreamed of as a child? Could this really be coming true one day?

Xiao Hui’s soft female voice suddenly chimed in again: “No, wait a moment, Miss, please look. Brother’s readings are unstable. Sometimes it’s High D, but sometimes it drops to Low C, and now it has jumped to Medium B.”

It’s over. My dream was shattered with a loud crash. I stared nervously at Little Raindrop. She checked the instrument and told me, “Brother, don’t worry. I’ll run a comprehensive examination on you. Come with me.”

After fiddling for an entire morning, switching through several advanced instruments, Little Raindrop finally concluded: my body had been catalyzed and mutated by two energy stones successively. This instability was caused by two factors: first, the evolutionary mutation process was not yet complete; second, the forces from the two stones were influencing each other, resulting in poor stability. However, Little Raindrop added that there was no need to worry too much; this situation would gradually improve over time.