Chapter 256: Meeting the Little Sister

Zheng Tan returned to the base, and all night he wondered what was going on with that cat.

According to the onlookers, the household head would open the windows for ventilation during the day and lock them at night, after all, with so many nonstandard specimens stored inside, keeping the door closed for a long time made the smell strong, and many of the gases were harmful.

When Zheng Tan had climbed onto the windowsill earlier, he had also observed that the household's window was not the ordinary type that shatters easily when struck, and Jiao Ba and the others had also said that wild cats in the mountains usually come out to move at dawn and dusk, so that cat would choose that time to slip past when the householder closed the windows, since it didn't come out during the day, that was the only chance.

People made various guesses, but no one mentioned the cat.

No one knew what had happened in that room before, but Zheng Tan intuitively felt it must be related to that cat, yet he didn't know how the cat managed it; theoretically, many wild animals fear fire, so could it be that the cat isn't afraid?

Zheng Tan couldn't figure it out.

The next day, Zheng Tan still went out with the intern team, and several team members were discussing the fire at a certain household the previous day; they finally concluded it was an accident, listing many possible causes, all of which sounded plausible, but Zheng Tan remained skeptical—such a coincidence was too convenient.

Zheng Tan still hadn't figured it out when, halfway along, he caught a familiar scent; looking around, he saw only a stretch of forest and weedy ground, and even if small animals were hiding there, as long as they stayed still, the people here wouldn't notice them.

Now the sun was high overhead, and they hadn't entered truly wild territory yet—so far, not a single wild mammal, not even a mouse, had been seen.

But…

Zheng Tan identified the scent in the air again. It was indeed that cat.

Given the cat's wilderness survival skills, it shouldn't be hanging around so close to the intern team.

The people around showed no unusual reaction; they kept walking past that spot, gradually moving away. Not having gone far, the team leader told everyone to stop and rest for a while.

Zheng Tan didn't linger there; he ran back.

"Hei Tan, don't run around," Jiao Ma said.

"It probably needs to go poop," Jiao Yuan said.

The people around looked as if they suddenly understood, so they didn't pay it any mind, including several members of the Jiao Family who thought the same. However, Jiao Ba frowned and glanced in the direction Zheng Tan had run off to. "You don't need to run back just to take a dump—what has this guy found now?"

Zheng Tan ran back to that spot and followed the scent over there.

Even if Zheng Tan deliberately lightened his steps, the surrounding weeds were too thick; walking through would produce a faint rustling sound, which a hearing-sensitive animal should be able to detect.

Zheng Tan slowly made his way over there, pricking up his ears to watch his surroundings; out in the wild, he couldn't afford to be careless. "Caution makes for a long voyage."

The wind had shifted slightly, and the air carried a hint of bloodiness.

After Zheng Tan drew near, a low warning growl came from behind the bushes.

It was definitely that cat, though he didn't know what had happened to it, and such a warning growl was telling Zheng Tan that if he kept going forward, it wouldn't hold back.

Zheng Tan stopped, glanced at his feet, picked up a small clump of earth, and threw it over there.

Over there, it startled a bit, and the warning growl grew louder.

Zheng Tan's hearing was good; when the clump of earth struck over there, he also heard the sound of a chain.

When they came to the base that evening and held a meeting in the hall, the people on stage had already told everyone that there might still be some unretrieved animal traps on the mountain, such as iron clamps and the like, urging everyone to be careful and try to avoid walking through dense weed patches, having heard that accidents had occurred before.

Although he knew the creature was tangled in a trap, Zheng Tan remained wary, changed his approach, and moved closer from another angle while also watching the cat's movements.

Soon, Zheng Tan saw the situation there.

The cat's leg had a medium-sized iron clamp attached; the trap wasn't set very cleverly, and a thin chain could be seen looped around a nearby tree, unlike the kind Zheng Tan had seen before that were nailed into the ground. Moreover, the grass in that small patch wasn't thick, and the cat was dragging the clamp while hiding in the weeds; because of the chain's length limit, it could only conceal half its body in the undergrowth. In terms of concealment, the cat did a decent job, but the trap gave it away, exposing its conspicuous coloration.

Zheng Tan observed the cat from nearby; it was a red-patterned cat, its markings similar to those of Da Pang's tabby cat, though its fur was a bit thicker and its build a bit larger. Upon seeing this cat, Zheng Tan immediately thought of the "red-transformed creature" Jiao Ba had mentioned to a few teachers, but he wasn't sure, given how many exotic species existed in this area—it might just be a special breed of cat. Zheng Tan knew his luck had been decent since turning into a cat, but it was only occasional good fortune; he couldn't be certain he had truly encountered the red-transformed creature that Jiao Ba and the others spoke of, according to which even finding a red mouse would earn panda-level treatment.

But… Zheng Tan had thought yesterday that the cat's intelligence was probably decent, but now he doubted it—such a shoddy trap looked like something mountain kids had thrown together, so how had this "battle-scarred" cat gotten itself caught?

The iron clamp on the cat's hind leg was new and not particularly large; according to what Zheng Tan had learned from wandering around the base and eavesdropping over the past few days, this was just a toy the local kids used to practice catching rabbits and weasels, whereas real hunters in the mountains wouldn't rely on such a trifle. Moreover, many villagers nearby had long been notified not to set such traps in a certain zone, and in past accidents where a leg was nearly severed, it was the large iron clamps set by hunters that were to blame.

Observing the cat again, Zheng Tan hadn't noticed before, but its red fur had caught his eye; now he saw that half of its whiskers were curled, and judging from his own experience, this seemed related to last night's fire—otherwise, how could half its whiskers have gotten burnt like that?

Zheng Tan speculated: maybe the cat had never had its whiskers burnt before, and when it first happened, its senses weakened just a bit, so, unaccustomed, it ended up taking a tumble in a gutter as it passed by here?

No matter how you look at it, the fact is that this guy is caught in the clamp.

The cat stared fixedly at Zheng Tan; when he took a step toward it, it let out a few growls—apparently, being clamped, nobody believed it anymore, it was wary of everyone, unlike the few days ago when it had seen Zheng Tan and showed neither closeness nor distance.

Looking at the iron clamp on the cat's leg, although it wasn't big, its quality was top-notch; sometimes, when something is too well made, it becomes a hassle.

Zheng Tan actually wanted to try prying the clamp open to help, but as he approached, before he could lift his paw, a swipe came at him. If Zheng Tan hadn't pulled back quickly, he would certainly have been caught.

Indeed, a wild cat's temperament is irritable—turn on it and it won't recognize you.

It seemed the cat had also been stuck here for a while and was somewhat fatigued. After Zheng Tan tried a few times, its movements slowed a little. Just as he was beginning to relax, he almost got scratched by its paw; in frustration, he swung back and slapped it.

It seemed the cat could barely hold on; after taking Zheng Tan's slap, it lay on the ground, though its eyes remained fixed on him.

Zheng Tan prepared to try one last time; if it wouldn't let him touch it, he'd just leave it be.

When Zheng Tan's paw touched the iron frame, the cat's leg twitched, but it didn't lash out with its claw as before; although it still stared at him, the threat in its gaze had greatly diminished.

Only now did he realize, "Damn it, I'm being kind?!" he cursed inwardly. This guy, previously clamped, probably hated him along with everyone else; now that he sensed Zheng Tan wanted to help, that's why it didn't swipe at him.

Although it was just a toy made by village kids, it still took Zheng Tan some effort; this clamp differed from the anti‑rat rack his father Jiao Ba had seen back home.

After the iron clamp was pried open, the cat quickly moved its leg away, staying clear of the clamp; without even pausing to lick its wound, it let out a few loud roars—different from a house cat's meow, not as sharp, nor as imposing as a big feline's roar, but still quite forceful.

Watching this, Zheng Tan suddenly felt the cat was more like a young person who had just entered society, been screwed over once, and was now venting its anger.

Over by where the Jiao Family people were, they had already been calling for Zheng Tan, presumably because they saw he had been gone a long time while supposedly taking a dump, and then they heard something that sounded like a wild animal's cry, which made them anxious.

Zheng Tan examined the cat's wound; it had been bleeding just moments before, but now it looked better, and from its movements it didn't seem too serious—at least no bones were broken.

Feeling it was no big deal, Zheng Tan ran back to where the intern team was resting. Seeing Zheng Tan return, the team then resumed their march. Having just heard a roar, the team leader suspected a wild animal and they didn't really dare to stay any longer here.

"Did Hei Tan just go fight a wild animal?" Jiao Yuan asked as they walked.

"I doubt it; our cat isn't a constable, so it's not that eager to fight," Jiao Ma said.

Although it seemed unlikely he'd gone fighting, just to be safe, the four members of the Jiao Family picked Zheng Tan up and examined him.

"There's blood on its paws," Xiao Youzi said, noticing what looked like bloodstains while wiping Zheng Tan's paws with a damp tissue.

Several people anxiously pinched Zheng Tan's paws and examined them for a while, finding no wound, and his movements were completely normal.

"He probably bullied some other animal again," Xiao Youzi said.

"Can our cat bully a wild animal?" Jiao Ma doubted, feeling that all wild creatures are fierce; even a wild cat is a wild animal, not a pet, and compared to a house cat, a wild beast is definitely more ferocious.

But seeing that their cat really wasn't injured, they dropped the matter.

Only, the Jiao Family people had relaxed too soon.

That evening, the four members of the Jiao family didn't go out; they were chatting in the room about the gains of these few days. Zheng Tan was about to climb out the window, and the Jiao family people were already accustomed to this guy going out for a stroll two hours each day, and were about to give some advice, when they heard outside a sound similar to a cat's howl—although slightly different, it should be a cat; there are always a few cats whose calls differ from others, and this is not uncommon in Chu Hua City.

Others couldn't tell, but Zheng Tan could still hear it; this is that red-striped cat, a cat's meow is naturally varied, and the meow differs with different moods and situations.

Although they couldn't understand each other's language, Zheng Tan felt that the cat's intention was toward him, so he lifted his leg, jumped over the window sill and went out.

"Hei Tan went out on a date, right?" Jiao Yuan chuckled.

"Nonsense, look at your book!" Jiao Ma lightly slapped Jiao Yuan on the cheek and scolded.

Even though they had kept the cat for so long, it's impossible to determine from a single meow whether the caller is male or female; the Jiao family simply tended to believe their cat had gone out to meet a female. However, they didn't know that their cat's "date" would last several days. (To be continued...)

ps: (5.14)