The System Mistook Me for a Cat

When Professor Mi and his team arrived at the dock, they didn’t see the houseboat.

According to the plan, the dredging vessel was scheduled to arrive early the next morning, and Chu Tingwu didn’t want to sleep next to the sludge. So, the houseboat had simply returned to drift along the river—

Chu Xiao had originally planned for everyone to take the boat back to the Chu Family home and spend the night there.

But Chu Tingwu had a different idea: “What if we went camping instead?”

Sleeping at home would mean rushing back and forth the next day, and staying at home wasn’t exactly “seclusion”—it was more like being a recluse.

So, they decided to camp at the ranch’s camping area instead. As a result, the robot was still guiding Professor Mi, while Chu Tingwu and the others were busy setting up tents before nightfall.

Professor Mi was already used to it—a client who didn’t interfere was a good client.

While the students went to collect samples, the others discussed the plan by the lakeside—

Dredging the lake wasn’t a major issue. Most scenic lakes required regular dredging.

Generally, there were two methods: dry dredging, which involved cutting off the water flow, draining the lake, and sending machinery to clean the bottom—a method rarely used nowadays—and wet dredging, which involved using a dredging vessel to scoop up the sludge and debris from the lakebed.

The small lake at the ranch was perfect for wet dredging. It was only four to six meters deep, not particularly deep, and from above, it looked like a water pocket formed by the Qishui River. If Chu Tingwu’s only requirement was to clean the sludge, they could have hired a local river maintenance company. But they brought in experts because they wanted to make better use of the lake.

Either they could make the water clearer, turning the lake into a must-see attraction where people would come to boat and admire the scenery.

Or they could give the lake more economic value, such as for aquaculture or cultivation.

This required experts to assess the situation on-site.

With the dredging vessel yet to arrive and the lakebed sludge undisturbed, it was the perfect time for an inspection.

A small boat was docked by the pier, but there was no driver.

A sign nearby read, “Temporarily Closed / No Entry Allowed.” A student asked the robot for guidance, but the robot simply spun in place without responding. Soon, however, they heard the sound of hooves approaching from behind.

One of the students turned around and saw a short-haired girl riding a white horse.

As the horse slowed to a stop, the girl, wearing a mask and a cap, dismounted. She smelled faintly of barbecue and asked, “Should I drive the boat?”

Everyone assumed she was a staff member who had finally arrived, and no one thought much of it—except for Professor Mi, who found it odd that her tone sounded more like a question than a statement.

Chu Tingwu had no prior experience driving a boat. The speedboat had been found in a corner of the lake, where it had sat for who knows how long, but it still worked after refueling.

Once aboard, she flexed her wrists, and then, opening her eyes, she saw an operating interface visible only to her—a holographic game-like control system provided by her system.

Professor Mi, initially skeptical, felt reassured when he saw her confident movements. At the group’s request, Chu Tingwu began piloting the boat in circles around the lake.

The sludge wasn’t just waste; it had other uses. Listening to the discussions behind her, Chu Tingwu felt like she was playing a farming simulation RPG, watching her in-game currency fluctuate wildly, only to soon spend a large sum on cleaning the lake.

Assuming she was a staff member, Professor Mi asked, “What specific plans does your company have for developing this lake?”

While they knew the general direction, a single word from the client could overturn the entire plan, so it was better to clarify.

Chu Tingwu replied, “To rival the world’s five great lakes, become a nationally renowned attraction, and have tourists flock here, even booking flights just to see it—”

Professor Mi’s expression went blank.

Chu Tingwu continued, “But that’s impossible. As long as it doesn’t smell too bad, cleanliness is the main priority.”

Professor Mi: ?

It didn’t smell bad at all.

He knew exactly which lakes Chu Tingwu was referring to—those with water so clear you could see the rocks at the bottom, making it feel like you were floating in mid-air. But this lake could never achieve that:

“Actually, cleanliness also implies a simple underwater environment,” he patiently explained, worried that her earlier comment wasn’t just a joke. “If you’ve ever kept fish, you’d know that in water that’s too clean, fish don’t survive long because all living things produce waste—”

Fish eat and excrete, and while small amounts of waste don’t pollute the water, over time, it accumulates into particles that cloud the water.

Plants also produce waste, whether it’s fallen leaves, duckweed, or dead underwater vegetation. Even the boat they were using would eventually contribute to pollution over time.

“Those famous clear lakes are the result of unique geological and temperature conditions. In some places, the environment acts as a natural filter, maintaining pristine conditions for hundreds or even thousands of years,” he said, pointing toward the ranch lake’s filtration system. “Lower temperatures also play a role, preventing certain microorganisms from thriving. Without them, the water remains clear.”

Chu Tingwu rubbed her chin. “So, the best we can do is install stronger filters at the inlets and outlets.”

And invest in specialized equipment to keep the water clean.

Professor Mi hesitated. “While existing filters on the market can improve water quality, the cost would be significantly higher.”

Would the client be willing to bear the additional expenses for a long-term goal that might take decades to achieve?

They discussed filtration further and moved on to aquaculture—since the goal was clear water, they’d need to cultivate plants that could help clean the lake. Economic animals were out of the question; the focus would shift from aquaculture to scenic development.

Chu Tingwu also shared another idea: utilizing the lakeside plants and rock walls to create a bouldering area.

Visitors could take a boat to the climbing site, and as they climbed, they’d see their reflections in the clear water below—a completely different experience from climbing over crash pads.

This wasn’t too difficult, but if Chu Tingwu wanted to incorporate vines into the climbing experience, they’d need to study the lakeside vegetation and possibly replace some plants.

Still, he wondered, “Will there really be enough climbing enthusiasts to justify this?”

Investing time and money to turn the lakeside into a bouldering spot was a great gimmick, but how many professional climbers would actually come?

After completing the initial inspection, Chu Tingwu ferried everyone back to the shore. Raphael was still pacing near the dock, even without a tether.

Everyone admired the clean, handsome white horse, and Chu Tingwu mounted it effortlessly. The others got into their cars.

The sun had fully set, and the streetlights had come on, but they still needed to return to the dormitory area to rest.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

As they bid Chu Tingwu goodbye and watched her ride off, someone suddenly realized, “Wait, we never asked for her name.”

She truly came and went like the wind, leaving no room for small talk.

Back in the car, the researchers exchanged a few more messages with the client, confirming that the goal was a scenic lake with a lakeside bouldering area integrated with plants—turns out, the unnamed staff member hadn’t misled them.

The sightseeing vehicle was great in every way, except for being a bit slow. It moved at a steady pace, and as it rounded another slope, someone noticed the tent hidden beneath the starry sky. In the darkness, only the shadow of the tent could be seen under the streetlights, but it was surprisingly large—big enough to be a one-bedroom, one-living-room setup.

The vehicle continued forward, and the next moment—

The lights inside the tent lit up, illuminating it brightly. Nearby, a horse pawed the ground a couple of times and began circling the tent.

The light from the ground made the moonlight in the sky seem less prominent.

-

Chu Tingwu had a translucent pink-purple kitten perched on her head as she grilled food.

Three-Five-Five sat solemnly across from her, looking up at the kitten, then at Chu Tingwu, and then back at the kitten.

—Since it was impossible to install AR projection equipment across the entire ranch area to ensure the cats could follow players at all times, the initial equipment for the "beta test" was mainly concentrated in areas where most humans would gather and linger.

This, of course, included the camping area.

Aside from Chu Tingwu, who was busy grilling, the other three had already been lured away by the cats, gradually losing focus.

Zhou Qiang and Chu Xiao were in a heated competition, both waiting until the last second to answer questions. While the cats rolled around in the grass, Shao Lingwu simply crouched there, playing with a kitten.

Chu Tingwu: "Are you guys planning to have Three-Five-Five help me out?"

Three-Five-Five extended a paw, but of course, it was just a paw.

After finishing the grilling, Three-Five-Five moved from across the fire to Chu Tingwu's side and actually reached out a paw to bat at the "kitten" on her head. The kitten dodged immediately.

Three-Five-Five: "Meow?"

Three-Five-Five was familiar with cats on TV and in mirrors, but this one was different—it moved when she did.

How could something look like a cat, move like a cat, and sound like a cat, but not smell like one at all?

Chu Tingwu: "=="

Yeah, and how could there be something that speaks cat language, moves like a cat, smells like a cat, but looks like a human?

She turned off the display of the in-game kitten, and only then did Three-Five-Five seem to lose interest. But she didn’t exit the game because soon… it would be time for the second beta season’s city representative match: Jin City vs. Fallen Phoenix City.

Unlike the grand spectacle of the beta test, the second beta matches would only be displayed at the corresponding offline PK venues in the respective cities, with live online streaming and professional commentators—

Since four cities would be holding matches simultaneously, from 6 PM to 10:30 PM on Saturday, there would be three rounds in total.

Only the cities that made it to the finals would have the same grand setup as the beta test, with offline matches.

Chu Tingwu opened her tablet, and the three of them leaned over to take a look, then turned to her.

Originally, they had planned to be offline supporters. In these online matches, many players brought their whole families, or even friends who were good at the game and knowledgeable about the subject, to help with answering questions.

That had been their plan too…

But Chu Tingwu’s ranking was outside the top 3,000.

How could she not even bother to level up!

Chu Tingwu: "...Are your rankings any higher than mine?"

These guys were just like her, barely keeping their digital kittens alive, stuck in the ranch and only able to play online matches. But this game was only fun when combining online and offline play—after all, it was a nurturing game, and feeding was a key part of it. Offline, randomly finding resources had a gambling-like thrill, but according to the game’s algorithm, the resource spawn rate was tied to human traffic.

...And the current human traffic at the ranch was practically zero.

Zhou ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‍Qiang poked Chu Tingwu: "What if..."

Chu Tingwu shook her head: Even though she was the boss, she couldn’t give herself special treatment.

Zhou Qiang’s expression didn’t change: "I mean, haven’t we discovered a bug in the game design? Players living in remote areas want to have fun too."

Are there no players in Antarctica... oh wait, they could check the backend data, and indeed, there were none.

This was definitely the marketing department’s fault!

Chu Tingwu sighed: "Fine."

She got it.

-

The next day, players woke up to find that *Cats Can’t Learn* had been updated again.

[We have changed the setting "Resource spawn rate is proportional to population density" to "Resource spawn rate is proportional to mammal density." We hope you enjoy the game!]

Players: "Did they just rephrase it?"

Humans are mammals, so why emphasize that?

At Shanwan Ranch, the vet asked the equestrian coach:

"Have you noticed... the boss and her team showing up more often lately?"

Why are they all hanging around the cows and sheep so much?