Staring at the strand of orange fur in his hand, Min falls deep in thought.

  He hadn't pulled hard, and Xi P hadn't yelped in pain. Just a light touch, yet his hand is covered in it. This is definitely not a good sign.

  'Could it be entering its shedding season?!'

  Though the idea of an alien going through a shedding season sounds absurd, who's to can say it can't happen? Ultimately, it is about adapting to different temperatures. Even though Min has never owned a dog, judging by the rooms of his friends who own dogs... a dog or similar animal in shedding season could wreak devastating damage on home furnishings, especially carpets. Even if Xi P doesn't shake its fur everywhere, cleaning up would still be a lot of work.

  Moreover, Min briefly imagines Xi P completely bald, and for some reason, this thought sends a sudden chill down his spine.

  But worrying about it now is pointless. He is busy in the morning. While the shedding issue definitely needs addressing, that will have to wait until after work. Before leaving, Min can only remind Xi P, doing his best to explain that it is shedding and asking it not to leave hair on the floor. He isn't sure if it understands.

  ***

  After a morning of work comes the time for lunch.

  In the break room, Min is wrestling with an unusually tough pie when Team Leader Clyde comes in and sits down next to him. Naturally, they begin chatting over their meals.

  The topic quickly shifts from the quality of the pie to the morning's work. After Min assures Clyde everything is fine, they return to casual chatter. Perhaps the secret of harbouring an alien at home, which he cannot reveal, is weighing heavily on Min. In the heat of the moment, he blurts out to the team leader: "Have you seen Zootopia?"

  "Yeah, I have. What about it?"

  "Well, how to put it... It feels like, even though Disney put a lot of thought into showcasing the individual traits of the animals, the society as a whole still feels very human-like. The characters' philosophies on life are pretty similar to ours too. Think of it as... as a society made up of aliens who share many physiological similarities with us. Do you think in reality, they'd develop philosophical views similar to ours?"

  The moment the words leave his mouth, Min regrets them. What a stupid question to ask! Setting aside whether Clyde might pick up on the implications of this sudden query, seriously answering it would require human civilisation to develop for another few decades or even centuries. He should have held back and waited to ask Xi P later.

  Fortunately, perhaps because he is having lunch and not fully focused, Clyde doesn't seem the least bit surprised. He simply plays along: "You mean, hmm, *chewing*, which aspect of philosophy?"

  "Uh, philosophy concerning the individual, the self, the definition of intelligent beings — that sort of thing?"

  "Hmm, from a scientific... um... perspective, this chance should be pretty minimal... Hmm... Delicious... Too many factors influence philosophy. Think about it — so many bizarre philosophies have emerged throughout history, all proposed by humans with vastly different life experiences. *chewing sound* Take Zootopia's setting: physiologically similar, sure — all mammals. But what if the rabbits reproduced as rapidly as real rabbits? Their definitions of the individual and self would be utterly different. A gap of that magnitude alone is enough... *munching*... to produce logic we can scarcely comprehend. Perhaps some foundational underlying logic would still hold true... Have you ever heard the term 'metaphilosophy'...? *swallows*... Why did you even ask this question?"

  This isn't the answer Min hoped for, but at least it isn't the worst possibility. Secretly sighing in relief, Min replies: "Honestly, I don't know either. Maybe it's because Zootopia is playing at the cinema again today. Or maybe it's just because the weather's been clear lately and I've been staring at the stars too much."

  It is a terrible excuse. Min knows it, especially since he hasn't even seen the movie himself.

  ***

  Strangely, Xi P doesn't come to open the door when Min gets home. After waiting at the entrance for a while, filled with uncertainty, Min has no choice but to take out his key and unlock the door himself, silently hopes that nothing has gone wrong inside.

  "This is..."

  Perhaps the team leader's response at lunch left too deep an impression. Before opening the door, Min's mind is filled with all sorts of terrifying scenarios: Xi P, with its uniquely non-human philosophy, doing something utterly mind-boggling. But when the door swings open, Xi P looks perfectly fine. The floor isn't covered in fur either — it is just as clean as when he'd left.

  Admittedly, Xi P is indeed engaged in something astonishing and unexpected — only... it is nothing like Min imagined.

  It stands in the centre of the living room, holding two objects that look like remote controls. A VR headset-like device is strapped to its head and it is waving its arms around and humming an unknown tune under its breath.

  "↑↑→↑↓~"

  Notably, the top of the VR headset features two soft, protruding pads. Their shape clearly indicates that Xi P's ears are tucked inside. It somewhat resembles the fox-eared VR headsets favoured by otaku, though in this case, there are indeed "fox" ears involved.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  In theory, Xi P's current appearance should be pretty cool — wearing a visibly high-tech helmet, dressed in futuristic attire, and being an alien to top it off. However, this cool image is completely ruined by something else entirely — the plastic bags tied to its body.

  One on each hand and foot, they flap noisily with every dance move. Their purpose is obvious — collecting shed fur — but this method is just... a bit too... unbecoming for it.

  Xi P seems completely unaware of Min's arrival, suggesting that layer of soft material, though thin, provides excellent soundproofing. More likely, though, it's due to the blasting music. Watching it dance like this, Min begins to wonder if it's playing a next-gen rhythm game.

  'Even if your technology isn't exactly mind-blowing, couldn't you aliens be a bit more discreet? Couldn't you play something — ah, never mind. If you must play rhythm games, so be it. Among 'games aliens enjoy,' this is probably the least harmful kind,' he thinks.

  He pushes aside the absurd notion of a top-tier alien predator treating humans as playthings to hunt. Shifting his gaze slightly, Min quickly spots an electronic device. It looks unmistakably like a tablet, displaying some graphics. Though he cannot decipher their meaning, he notices a fox-like creature in the bottom left corner, slowly flashing and performing dance moves. Both reason and intuition tell Min: Xi P is actually playing a dance rhythm game.

  "So this is the real deal Alienware — what an eye-opener." he murmurs in awe as he creeps closer to pick up the tablet for inspection.

  It is roughly 3 centimetres thick. Its design lacks flashy tech aesthetics — no RGB lighting, several noticeable scratches, and a spiderweb crack across the screen. The resolution is unclear, but undoubtedly high. Several trapezoidal ports are visible on the side, one of which is plugged by a tiny USB-like device. And...

  The outline of the VR headset that Xi P is currently wearing is visible on that device. Beside it, a line of alien text is inscribed. Clearly, this is the headset's signal transmitter.

  A mischievous thought struck him. Min pulls the transmitter out without hesitation....

  "Signal lost. Please keep device within signal range. Auto-reconnect: 3..."

  Just as Xi P jumps with gusto, the screen freezes and a lost connection alert appears. After multiple failed attempts to reconnect, and after adjusting the settings and tapping the helmet, Xi P reluctantly removes the helmet.

  Before he has even opened his eyes again, he realises that the door is open and sunlight is streaming in. The intense glare makes him squint uncomfortably. Peering through narrowed lids, he sees a figure standing beside his computer and waving at him.

  Alright, Min is back.

  ***

  Fortunately, Xi P isn't attempting a new record, so it quickly accepts the interruption. After greeting Min, it hands him the helmet and gestures for him to try it on.

  Xi P's magnanimity actually makes Min feel a bit embarrassed. Nevertheless, driven by his curiosity about alien technology, he thanks it and accepts the helmet.

  The helmet's structure is unexpectedly flexible. Despite their different head shapes, Min manages to fit it on. It secures firmly, though a little tightly. Still, just getting it on is good enough; he can't ask for more.

  Xi P presses a button on the side of the helmet and reinserts the signal transmitter. 'The brightness is a bit low' is Min's immediate reaction. The display seems to show an empty space with text on the walls, but it is too distant and dim to make out. The image also appears unfocused, causing slight discomfort.

  Fortunately, Xi P quickly realises that the brightness requirements differ between species and adjusts it to the maximum setting. The view improves significantly, making the wall inscriptions clear, though still incomprehensible...

  Xi P hadn't intended for Min to operate it himself anyway. It selects a VR video and clicks play.

  Instantly, the scene before Min's eyes transforms. A vast starry expanse stretches out before him. Min hurriedly looks down, only to finds himself seemingly suspended in empty space. Countless stars surround him, stretching endlessly into the distance. Despite knowing this is merely a projected image, he can't help but feel profoundly moved. This is his very first experience with VR equipment — and it was made by aliens!

  This alien-made device is far superior to the products of those Alienware. Though he doesn't have Alienware at home, he has alien — who needs the other aliens anyway? (Note 1)

  Note 1: In Chinese, the brand Alienware is literally just "alien".

  Then, a blue-green planet leaps into Min's field of vision. Its atmosphere has a faint blue tint and its coastlines are completely different. Indistinct and incomprehensible whispering sounds reach his ears. Turning his neck left and right changes his view, but beyond a single large star and the vast expanse of stars, there is nothing else.

  Then, the view suddenly zooms out from the vicinity of the planet to its star system, then to neighbouring star systems, then to the Milky Way, then to galaxy clusters and superclusters, and finally to the 'Cosmic Fence' (see Note 2). These breathtaking vistas unfold before Min one after another. Ultimately, the image vanishes abruptly. After displaying several logos, the initial blank space reappears. Yet the VR video, reminiscent of 'The Size of the Universe', still reverberates within him. Although he had seen similar content before, experiencing it with VR technology is an undeniably novel sensation.

  Note 2: A fence-like cosmic structure formed on an ultra-large scale.

  But it isn't over yet. After the video has finished playing, Xi P's jaw snaps open and shut rapidly, emitting its distinctive chuckle, before opening another VR video file.

  Min's vision first settles on an alien city. Vehicles of all shapes and sizes, sporting sci-fi designs, zip around the streets. Fox-like creatures resembling Xi P bustle about the sidewalks, and ultra-light personal transporters are everywhere. The streets appear exceptionally clean and orderly. Overhead, light rail tracks criss-cross the sky, while creatively designed skyscrapers dot the landscape. Min can't help but stare in awe — it is nothing short of a dream city!

  Suddenly, with an eerie, faint sound, the clouds rip apart, and a beam of blindingly bright light pierces through. Countless massive spacecraft descend from the sky. Upon landing, their doors clang open, releasing billowing white smoke...

  What follows is a clichéd alien invasion sci-fi scenario: a horde of slime-covered, unspeakably grotesque creatures burst from the ships, tentacles flailing as they slaughter the surrounding populace. The scene is bloody and violent, making Min grimace.

  'Come to think of it, I'm an alien to them too... But humans must look way better than these tentacle monsters to them... Definitely.'

  Suddenly, one of the invading aliens turn what seems to be its head towards Min. Min's whole body tenses up, he has a rough idea of what's about to happen...

  After staring at Min for two seconds, it suddenly lunges at him!

  "Ah!"

  He yanks off his helmet and sits panting on the ground. The graphics aren't just terrifyingly high-quality — they feel utterly immersive. This is especially true when it pounces in front of him at the end — the helmet vibrates and flashes orange-red. The effect rivals that of a horror movie — and it was in VR!

  Min realises: Xi P wasn't unwilling to retaliate. It just prefers a more indirect — and civilised — method of revenge... probably.