To make up for not being able to spend time with his parents, Jack Young slipped into the rhythm of domestic life.
Being a stay-at-home heartthrob isn't easy—you've got to master the art of cooking first.
Every day, he took charge in the kitchen, flipping pans, chopping veggies, filleting fish, and dicing meat. Pots and pans danced in his hands like a flawless performance. Jack totally took over the kitchen—never mind the taste, the visual spectacle was out of this world. It felt like a master chef from Yangquan Restaurant was putting on a full Manchu-Han banquet, and if he felt like it, he could carve a whole set of Eighteen Arhats out of boiled eggs—each one with perfect form and plenty of punch.
In the end, The Queen stashed the whole set of egg sculptures in the fridge, unable to bring herself to eat such epic boiled eggs. Jack thought, if someone ever learned martial arts just by looking at his eggs, that would be hilarious.
Next up, he took charge of cleaning duties around the house.
Jack rolled up his sleeves, tied on a headscarf, and got to work—duster in one hand, Cang Cang in the other. With Cang Cang around, there were never any cockroaches in the house. Jack gave it a new job: squeeze into all those hard-to-reach corners and clean up the dust. Since hamsters love running anyway, why not let it show off its value while exercising?
How? Let it figure it out! Worst case, it could just use its fur to mop up the dust. So this poor white hamster spent the whole day looking like an automatic dust rag—when it got dirty, it would just jump into the water bowl for a swim, then come out and start running again.
Speaking of running wheels, according to Susan Morrow, Cang Cang had already worn out several wheels. As a hamster, it's born to run and dream of wandering. But as a bio-beast, it's got crazy stamina. Before Jill Young left, she ordered it to protect Jack's parents, so it didn't dare run off and just kept sprinting around the house.
So Jack called up Bobby Brooks and decided to order a custom generator. From now on, Cang Cang could just run on the generator—Susan Morrow, with her thrifty ways, would love it. Until the generator arrived, the hamster's wheel would just have to double as a wind-and-fire wheel for now.
Finally, he took on the role of family health doctor.
Jill Young had tried before—feeding refined meat to their parents didn't make them any stronger. But Jack Young wanted to give it another shot, since he understood internal boxing and could guide life energy. Maybe it would work? Jack even got his parents to try out some internal energy exercises, sitting cross-legged on the bed, hands on their backs, just like in those TV dramas. The result? Not much happened.
Jack's parents had all the right organs and meridians—nothing missing. After a round of life energy and Bright Jade Technique, there was some effect, but it was like water without a source: it faded away quickly.
Jack was out of ideas.
Besides being a domestic idol, he sometimes moonlighted with side gigs—like checking out the site of the old alien battle.
Criminal psychology says crooks like to revisit the crime scene to check things out—totally true, since Jack wanted to see for himself. Sometimes, you can tell a lot from just one spot.
This time, he didn't sneak out at night. He picked a clear day, climbed up high, and from several blocks away could see the site. The factory where the Alien Queen fought had been bulldozed and demolished—no trace left. Jack quietly asked around and learned the military had investigated, sealed off the place, and checked it for a long time.
A fellow townsman ranted to Jack: 'Everyone says they found poison gas and germ bombs left by the Japanese under the factory. The army brought in bio-experts to clean it up—a ton of people worked there for ages, always in hazmat suits. No wonder folks kept disappearing—turns out it was the Japanese's fault! They should be soaked in their own poison!'
Another guy chimed in, pointing at the lake: 'Over a month ago, something toxic definitely leaked into the water. Tons of fish died—now nobody dares eat the fish!'
Toxic leak? Well, alien acid blood really is deadly stuff. The official explanation was 'biochemical,' which kind of works.
Jack asked, 'Such a big deal—didn't they report it on TV?'
The two locals exchanged glances and shook their heads: 'Didn't see anything on TV. There were reporters from Jiping TV station taking photos and interviewing, but then they stopped coming.'
So that's how it was. Jack Young understood, thanked them, and left. The two locals scratched their heads, vaguely remembering they'd just talked to someone, but couldn't recall who or what about. Like a dream—once you wake up, the traces vanish.
The stuff from the Lotus Treasure Mirror's sonic arts chapter was really useful! With thirty-five years of cultivation, the Lotus Treasure Mirror, and strong mental power, Jack could moonlight as a hypnotist. But sonic arts aren't true hypnosis—they stir emotions, not control minds. If the two locals hadn't let their guard down, it wouldn't have worked.
Time to check in on Lu Yide. He's the only Chosen One Jack Young has solid info on, so Jack decided to pay a visit. Lu Yide's veterinary clinic was on a pretty busy street and fairly large. When Jack walked in, a cute receptionist greeted him enthusiastically: 'Sir, are you here for your pet?'
'Yeah, my hamster's sick.' Jack Young pulled Cang Cang out of his pocket—gotta have a cover story at the vet: 'We've seen a bunch of doctors, but none could fix it. I heard Dr. Lu is the best, so I came to check it out.'
'Please fill out a registration form. When it's Cang Cang's turn, the doctor will see it. If you want to stay with your pet, please wait patiently.' The receptionist explained, then couldn't help but gush over the hamster. Cang Cang was adorable—round little eyes, clever and cute. She couldn't resist picking it up: 'What breed is this? I've never seen one so smart! Where's it sick? It looks healthy.'
'It...' Wait, I have to make an appointment and wait? I've got dinner to cook at home—who has time to wait around? Jack shot Cang Cang a look, hoping the little guy would get the hint: 'It has a rare condition—if a stranger touches it, it'll drop dead.'
'Huh?' The receptionist was instantly alarmed. Under her incredulous stare, Cang Cang suddenly collapsed—nose crooked, eyes rolled, twitching all over, tongue hanging out. If it could talk, it would've wailed, 'My poor back! My kneecaps!'—totally over-the-top acting.
'Eh?!' The receptionist held Cang Cang, totally flustered—didn't know whether to sit, stand, hold, or let go. Her eyes were full of panic.
Jack Young's voice floated over, totally calm, but his words made the receptionist's hair stand on end: 'This dead hamster is crazy expensive—it can sing, dance, and do math. TV stations have interviewed it. If anything happens, that's a huge loss...' The way he said it was textbook scammer talk!
'No, no, no—don't die!' Seeing Cang Cang look like it was about to kick the bucket, the receptionist shouted, 'Dr. Lu, help!' and dashed into the back room.
Jack strolled in behind her, hearing the chaos in the clinic. Just from the sounds, he could picture the scene: Lu Yide put down the mastiff he was treating, hurriedly set Cang Cang on the table, and started checking its vitals. 'This?' Lu Yide exclaimed, 'This hamster...' Clearly, he'd noticed something special about Cang Cang.
Before Lu Yide could finish, Jack Young pushed open the door and walked into the clinic.
A month in Earth time, over half a year subjectively, and Lu Yide hadn't changed much—just gained a little weight, thanks to all the Purified Liquid Jill Young gave him to keep him alive. With all that life energy, no wonder he got chubby. The biggest change was that his old cocky 'I'm awesome!' vibe was gone, replaced by the steadiness you'd expect at his age.
Seeing Jack Young, Lu Yide froze, then seemed to get it. He told the receptionist, 'This must be the owner, right? I'll talk to him—you head out. And don't let anyone else in.'
'Oh, got it,' the receptionist replied, a little aggrieved, and closed the door behind her.
'Don't blame her—I was just messing with her. This hamster isn't sick at all; I just didn't want to wait.' As soon as Jack said this, Cang Cang sprang up, full of energy, and strutted over to the mastiff, chittering away. Jack wandered around the room, checking for bugs or cameras, and casually said, 'My hamster's way too smart—heard Dr. Lu can really communicate with animals, so I wanted to see for myself.'
'How can people talk to animals? We don't even speak the same language—you must be joking.' Lu Yide looked uneasy. 'So, what brings you here?'
Relax, I'm just here on someone's behalf to check on you.' Not finding any bugs or weird people around, Jack Young finally sat down and smiled: 'Glad you're okay and healed up—I've got nothing else.'
'Injured?' Lu Yide's eyes widened and he instinctively clutched his chest. Not many people knew about that injury. He studied Jack Young, hesitating: 'Brother, you look a lot like someone I know...'