In a distant galaxy, on the Zhuo Tiger Clan's main base planet, Zhuo Tiger Star, a violent uprising was breaking out. The Zhuo Tiger Clan was one of the most powerful beastmen tribes in the interstellar world, known for their formidable physical strength and extraordinary abilities.
Their way of survival was also cruel, believing only the strong deserved to live while the weak had no right to exist.
Currently, the strongest couple in the clan stood guarding their only child, eyes locked on the group approaching them. Both were 3S-level powerful beastmen, and Kael's bloodshot eyes stared at them as he rasped, "You are forcing me."
Lyra held Orin in her arms, her gaze cold toward the people in front of her. But when she looked down, her expression turned gentle like flowing water, "Baby, don't be afraid, Mommy and Daddy will protect you."
Elder Drax said coldly, "Born without clan markings, body fully awakened, and possessing innate powerful abilities, he is exactly the traitor our ancestors warned about." "Throughout history, such beings brought massive damage to the Zhuo Tiger Clan, so Orin must die."
"Nonsense!" Kael roared in fury. How could he not understand what these so-called traitors really were?
Those born without clan markings and who possessed powers from birth were always the strongest of their generation, and since their clan worshipped strength, the ruling powers would never allow such individuals to live.
"Orin must die!" Seeing Kael and Lyra shielding the child so tightly, Drax realized this would not be easy. If they really protected him to the death, it would be impossible to kill the cub.
It would be better to eliminate them all. That was his vicious thought.
"If you insist on protecting him, that means you are traitors." "As Elder, I declare you exiled from the Zhuo Tiger Clan." "Guard team, kill all three of them immediately." Drax labeled them as traitors and ordered their execution.
The battle broke out instantly. Kael attacked first, letting out a thunderous tiger's roar that shook everyone to the ground.
The 3S-level pressure was too much for most to handle, and using the brief moment of disruption, Lyra summoned her mech and, under Kael's cover, quickly launched into the sky.
Though powerful, they couldn't fight the entire clan. They could only run.
Orin clung tightly to Lyra, his big tiger eyes filled with fear as his small body trembled. "They're chasing too closely. We won't get away!" Kael said bitterly.
Over a hundred mechs were in pursuit, clearly leaving them no way out. "Put Orin in the escape pod." "Head toward that dead zone and wait for the right moment to send him off." Lyra quickly made the decision.
"Baby, you must live well and grow up happily." Lyra touched Orin's little head, unable to stop her tears from falling.
"Roar, Daddy, Mommy, I don't want to leave you." Orin cried uncontrollably. Seeing her son like this tore Lyra's heart apart.
"Be good, Orin. As long as you're safe, Daddy and Mommy will find you someday." "Really?" Orin asked through a blur of tears.
"Really, Mommy wouldn't lie to you." Lyra said gently, then softly patted his head. Orin immediately fell into a deep sleep.
Lyra gave him one last longing glance before placing him inside the escape pod. As the mech passed behind an asteroid, she used it as cover, launching the pod into the vast universe.
"Let's go. We'll see if we can survive." With their son safely sent away, Kael said grimly, "Even if we die, we'll take a few with us."
A fierce battle erupted in the cosmos. Their two mechs shot straight toward the death zone without hesitation, and after a brief pause, the hundreds of pursuing mechs followed them in.
The escape pod drifted aimlessly through the endless universe. At the very last moment before its energy ran out, it crash-landed on the planet where Minara lived, coming to rest silently atop a trash heap.
Red lights blinked twice before it completely shut down.
Orin slowly woke up and looked around the unfamiliar surroundings. With no Mommy or Daddy in sight, tears welled up in his eyes uncontrollably.
Before he could think further, a trash processor flew over and began to work. A cold mechanical claw grabbed the escape pod and threw it into the recycling bin, and Orin quickly jumped out.
He looked back once at the escape pod, now completely buried in garbage. Swishing his tail, he ran away.
He hadn't gone far when a loud thunderclap rumbled in the gloomy sky. Orin flinched, staring up in panic, but there was nothing to see, only rain pouring down like beans.
Soon he was soaked like a drowned tiger. The rain soaked through his fur, making him look even smaller.
He quickly ran under shelter, curled into a pitiful little ball and gently licked his wet fur. "Daddy, Mommy, where are you?" he thought drowsily as he slowly closed his eyes.
At the Love and Kindness Orphanage, Tunoo was especially lively today. Jumping up and down from early morning, full of excitement.
"Meow!" Twix lazily curled up, burying its head between its paws, and covered itself with its large tail, trying to go back to sleep.
"Stop making noise." Trevor pressed Tunoo down with a paw, as Twix was still sleeping.
Tunoo held its head pitifully, tail drooping. "Today is the day to visit Grandma Mary." "I can hardly wait!"
"Are the babies awake?" There was a soft knock at the door as Minara walked in.
"Meow! Sis, I've been up for a long time!" Tunoo let out a fierce meow and leapt into Minara's arms, tail wagging happily.
A cat weighing over ten pounds launching at you at unknown speed. Question, how much strength do you need to handle that heavy love?
Minara caught Tunoo with a smile but unconsciously took two steps back. Her arms went numb and she took a deep breath, saying, "Tunoo, don't pounce like that anymore, okay?"
"Meow? Why? Sis doesn't like pouncing?" Tunoo placed its front paws on Minara's shoulders, tilting its head with a puzzled meow.
How was Minara supposed to explain that her body was too delicate to handle such weight?
After thinking for a moment, she could only say with teary eyes, "Tunoo, you've grown too big." "Sis can't catch you anymore."
Trevor looked at Minara and tilted his head. "Meow?"
Twix pulled its head out from under the covers and stared blankly at her. "Meow? What did Sis just say?"
Tunoo kept its front paws on her shoulders, wearing a serious cat expression, staring at her intently.
With three cats staring at her, Minara started to panic. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"
"I forgot Sis isn't a beastman!" Tunoo nodded knowingly.
Trevor flicked his ears seriously and said, "Sis is human, not a beastman." "Humans are fragile." "Tunoo, you're not allowed to pounce on her anymore."
Tunoo jumped down gracefully, sat on the bed and nodded. "Sis, don't worry, we'll protect you from now on."
"Meow." Twix let out a soft meow, agreeing. The three cats had reached a silent agreement.
Minara was completely confused. "What did you all just agree on?"
She asked the three of them, but none answered. It left Minara feeling very puzzled.
Just before they left, Twix suddenly asked, "Sis, where's little brother?"
"He's in the room," Minara replied without thinking.
Twix tugged at her sleeve. "Let's bring him with us." "He'll be lonely if he's left alone."
"Yeah, little brother will be lonely." Tunoo nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's bring the little brother along."
By the time they left the house, it turned into one person carrying three cats and an egg.
The egg lay quietly in the basket. The man already knew he had left the research institute and had been staying in the orphanage these past few days.
Now that he was outside, he felt a bit curious. Although he couldn't see, he could still sense things.
What Minara didn't know was that just after they left, an uninvited guest arrived at the orphanage. Orin was completely filthy, and his once snow-white fur was no longer its original color.
He cautiously snuck into the orphanage, found some food in the kitchen, and immediately devoured it. He had never experienced anything like this and didn't know what to do.
He had been stumbling through the past few days trying to survive. When hunger became unbearable, he dug through garbage, but there was barely anything to eat.
Still hungry, he began sneaking into homes to steal food. As he ate, tears streamed down his face.
Mom, Dad, where are you? Orin felt deeply wronged.
In just a few days, he had become painfully thin.
...
"Hello, Granny Mary." In front of her door, the three cats politely greeted Granny Mary, who stood waiting.
Minara looked at the elegant old lady in front of her. Every movement carried a noble aura, clearly someone of status.
Granny Mary saw Minara and noticed her calm, gentle expression and clear eyes. She smiled slowly, thinking this was a good child.
"You must be Minara. Trevor has mentioned you before. You're the same age as my granddaughter, so I'll just call you Minara," Granny Mary said kindly.
Seeing Granny Mary's kindness, Minara smiled brightly. "Thank you so much, Granny Mary, for taking care of Trevor and the others."
Hearing her words, Granny Mary's smile grew deeper. "They're such adorable children. We all love them, and looking after them is no trouble at all."
"Come in, let's talk inside." Granny Mary gestured invitingly.
Several people were already sitting inside the house. When they saw Minara enter, they greeted her warmly.
These were all residents of the street and had been very curious about her. Minara felt slightly anxious.
In her previous life, her family was quite well-off, and she had met influential people. But even though these elderly folks were friendly, their presence was overwhelming.
Who are these people? Minara thought nervously.
"Trevor seems to have grown again." A slim old man smiled and waved at Trevor.
Trevor gracefully jumped over. "Hello, Grandpa Dell."
"Grandpa Dell, I've grown too," Tunoo said, clinging to his leg, refusing to be left out.
Grandpa Dell laughed heartily. "Tunoo has grown too, turning five this year."
"Grandpa Dell, is Sister Dexin here today?" Tunoo asked.
"Ah, Dexin? She's here today. She's in that room. Go play with them," Grandpa Dell replied.
When he mentioned his great-granddaughter, his eyes dimmed a bit, and his smile became slightly forced.
Hearing Dexin was here, Tunoo let out a cheerful meow and ran to another room. Trevor glanced at Minara, and she patted his head.
"Take Twix along and go play." "Meow, I'll watch over Tunoo and Twix."
Trevor flicked his tail, rubbed against her hand, and left with Twix.
Minara held the egg in her arms as Granny Mary introduced her to the others in the house. They only spoke a few sentences before they understood her personality.
Their smiles became even more genuine. It didn't take long for them to treat her like a granddaughter.
"Minara, whose egg is that in your arms?" someone asked curiously.
Minara gently stroked the egg. "I don't know. It was abandoned, so I've been raising it. It should hatch soon."
When they heard it was an abandoned egg, everyone sighed. To be left behind so young, the baby likely had a severe genetic illness.
It might not survive birth. But seeing Minara's cheerful face, no one had the heart to say it out loud.
Genetic illness was a heavy burden for every beastman.
"Alright, the kids must be hungry. Let's check on them," Granny Mary said, sensing the heavy atmosphere.
"Yes, yes, let's go see them. My great-grandchild has had a better appetite lately," another elegant old woman added.
Minara noticed the change in mood and didn't understand at first. But everything became clear when she saw the children.
The large room had a dozen young ones scattered around. At a glance, not one of them looked energetic.
They all seemed lethargic and weak. When they saw the adults enter, the children greeted them in soft voices.
Their voices were barely audible. "Grandpa's here."
"Grandma is here too. Are you hungry? Let's go eat."
"How are you feeling today?"
...
Minara and the others picked up the children and saw how small and thin they were.
"Xinxin, Grandpa's here." Grandpa Dell's voice was soft. Minara looked over and was stunned.
The little one called Xinxin was a beautiful cat, like a silver shaded breed from Earth but with even more stunning fur.
She lay quietly in Grandpa Dell's arms. Her large cat eyes were dull.
She couldn't see.
"Surprised?" Granny Mary appeared beside Minara and asked sadly.
Minara was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I am. Can you tell me what's wrong with these children?"
"You don't know?" Granny Mary asked in surprise, then recalled Minara was human. "Ah, you're human, so it's normal you don't know about beastmen."
"Beastman infants have the highest mortality rate in the galaxy. Thirty percent don't survive each year."
Her tone carried deep sorrow. "It's congenital genetic illness. Many babies are born with it. So far, there is no cure."
Minara was shocked when she heard that number. Thirty percent was terrifying.
"These children were abandoned, but we old folks had some money. We decided to raise them ourselves."
"We just want them to live out the rest of their short lives in comfort." Minara's heart grew heavy.
She never expected genetic illness to have such a huge impact on beastmen. She had thought only a few babies were affected.