Chapter 258: Red-haired Mouse

Zheng Tan had stayed there for a day, but he couldn't stay put, because none of those cats had any intention of leaving this area; even if a cat went out, Zheng Tan didn't dare to follow blindly, for he had no idea whether the direction the other cat took was the way back to his home. And the red-spotted cat that had brought him over, after returning, kept lingering in the nearby area; last night when it ran out, Zheng Tan had eagerly followed, only to discover it was just foraging, with no intention of heading farther out at all.

Zheng Tan perched on a tree branch, pondering how to get back. When he came to the internship base, he hadn't brought a collar, nor any signal tracker or the like; even if he had, it might be useless, as the team leader teacher said, members of the field survey team had noted in their records that in this mountain forest region around Border Mountain City many places simply cannot detect a signal, and compasses don't work either—probably due to the geology and magnetic field. That's also one of the reasons why this vast mountain forest area has never been fully claimed by people.

Zheng Tan was anxious to leave, partly because he feared the Jiao Family would worry, and partly because he felt unsafe staying here…

The cats gathered here aren't many in number, but females make up the majority, and each one is remarkably sturdy—every single one is at least a size larger than Zheng Tan; even the smallest, presumably not yet adult, is still a bit bigger than him, with a slightly ferocious temperament. Frankly, Zheng Tan couldn't accept whatever might happen with a cat like that, and even if he could, it wouldn't be a pleasant experience.

Just thinking about it makes him shudder three times.

As he thought, a sound came from beneath the tree. Over there, several cats were fighting again over a mouse.

Upon arriving here, Zheng Tan saw not only the leader cat with entirely crimson-red fur, but also a red-haired wild boar and red-haired mice; the several cats were fighting over exactly that kind of red-haired mouse. Yesterday a red-haired mouse nearly twenty centimeters long was snatched by the leader cat and taken up a tree for dinner. Later, a few more tiny red-haired mice caught by those cats appeared—likely the young of that large mouse—indicating the leader cat had dug out a mouse nest.

The small red-haired mice were treated like delicacies by the cats, who would even fight over a single tiny mouse. Yesterday the red-spotted cat brawled with another cat, and after winning it immediately devoured the little red-haired mouse, fearing that otherwise another cat might snatch it away.

From yesterday until now, Zheng Tan had eaten a few fruits, a bird egg, and a fish he caught in a stream. The fruits were ones he'd seen a cat nibble twice; seeing they weren't poisonous, he ate several from that tree—they were passable. The bird egg came from when those cats were catching birds; an egg that fell into the brush was ignored by the cats, so Zheng Tan scooped it up. To the cats, bird eggs were merely toys—something to bat around idly as a ball—and they had no interest in eating them.

Regarding his experience eating fish, Zheng Tan thought perhaps it was cats' innate tolerance for fishiness; while eating, he found it somewhat hard to swallow, but after finishing he didn't feel nauseous or vomit. He hadn't eaten the entrails or the fish head, which he truly couldn't bring himself to swallow. After catching a fish, Zheng Tan used his claws to gut it, rinsing the entrails away with stream water several times; the stream water was very clear. As for parasites and microorganisms, he couldn't possibly worry about them now—he had more pressing needs, namely filling his stomach first. Those cats also eat the fish and drink the water here and remain healthy and robust, so Zheng Tan believes he should be able to tolerate it as well.

Watching the sun rise and then begin to fall, Zheng Tan steeled himself, deciding to give it a try—even if he couldn't return to the base, this forest wasn't the Amazon; if he walked in one direction, being a bit careful, he ought to be able to get out. At worst he'd spend ten days, half a month, or even a few months wandering; as long as he could get back, that would be fine. Waiting here, he didn't know when those cats would ever go far afield; if they never did, would he really be stuck here forever?

After making up his mind, Zheng Tan climbed down from the tree, looked around, and saw a few cats playing; the red-spotted cat was curled up asleep on a tree, while the leader cat gazed at a bird flying overhead, flicked its lips, apparently thinking about where to forage that night.

Should he greet them? Zheng Tan snorted inwardly—language barrier—so he just gave a "p" greeting.

He remembered that when he came, he seemed to have come from that direction, where there was a stream and he'd seen a large wild boar; so he decided to follow the stream. After confirming the direction, Zheng Tan lifted his foot and headed that way.

As he walked, Zheng Tan felt the leader cat watching him, neither stopping him nor making any other move.

After walking about fifty meters, Zheng Tan heard a call from behind—it was the red-spotted cat, which had already come down from the tree and was running toward him, perhaps realizing he wanted to leave and coming to stop and detain him; but before it could get close, the leader cat leapt down and slapped it away, preventing the red-spotted cat from approaching.

The red-spotted cat pressed its ears back, seeming displeased; it thought Zheng Tan was a decent cat and would make a good companion, so it had brought him back—how could he leave?

Having confirmed the red-spotted cat wouldn't come over, the leader cat walked toward Zheng Tan; its larger build put some pressure on him, but Zheng Tan sensed no malice or threat.

As the leader cat passed beside Zheng Tan, it paused, glanced at him, then continued on, went a short distance, then turned back to look at Zheng Tan again.

Zheng Tan's heart jumped—this was clearly a signal to lead the way! He hurried to follow, took two steps, then stopped and looked back; the red-spotted cat remained where it stood, indeed not having followed, but kept watching him.

If it were a cat living in this forest, staying here would indeed be fine, but Zheng Tan's aspirations lie elsewhere, and he isn't truly a cat; he actually still wanted to build a more comfortable rain‑proof shelter for the red‑spotted cat, but then realized that making it would be conspicuous—if anyone came here they'd notice—and with his abilities he couldn't craft something too hidden. Since these cats live well here, they must have their own survival skills, so Zheng Tan decided not to meddle further.

If he could leave smoothly, he probably wouldn't come back here anyway. Zheng Tan thought.

After one last glance that way, Zheng Tan lifted his foot and fell in behind the cat ahead.

What Zheng Tan imagined didn't quite match reality. The leader cat led him through places he didn't recognize, different from what he remembered from yesterday; en route the cat caught a red-haired mouse, likely from the same litter as the earlier tiny red-haired mice, though he hadn't expected to run into it with this big cat.

The red-haired mouse's tail was pinned under the leader cat's paw; compared to the cat's paw, the mouse was utterly insignificant.

Zheng Tan watched, and the leader cat seemed to think even this tiny red-haired mouse wasn't worth a glance; today, while the cats were squabbling over the small red-haired mice, this big cat couldn't even be bothered to glance at it.

The two cats' paws batted the red-haired mouse around for a moment; the leader cat lost interest and shoved the half‑dead mouse toward Zheng Tan.

Zheng Tan lowered his head to look at the mouse rolling to his paws—on the ground, belly up, only breathing, no other movement, as if about to breathe its last. He hadn't eaten snake or fish before, but he had never eaten a mouse. He could kill, could strike with his claws, but couldn't bring himself to eat it.

The leader cat kept walking ahead. Zheng Tan ignored the mouse lying on the ground, intending to follow, but didn't expect that when the leader cat saw Zheng Tan not moving the mouse, it would turn back and shove the mouse toward his feet.

Is this meaning "no mouse, no guidance"?

But Zheng Tan truly doesn't want to eat this—at least for now he can't bring himself to put it in his mouth.

The two cats just stood there, locked in a standoff.

Zheng Tan felt helpless—surely they wouldn't keep glaring at each other forever? Yet the cat before him wore a look of "you don't know what's good for you."

What should he do?

Zheng Tan glanced around, his eyes landing on a vine plant; he pulled off a section of vine, stripped off its leaves, then used that piece to bind the red‑haired mouse on the ground, the extra bit of vine he held in his mouth. Having done that, he lifted his chin toward the cat in front of him: "Will this work?"

The leader cat looked at Zheng Tan, then at the mouse bound like a silkworm cocoon, gave him a disparaging glance, and stepped forward.

Being looked down on doesn't matter; as long as it shows the way, anyway, later we'll each go our separate paths—out of sight, out of mind. Zheng Tan thought.

However, after continuing to follow for a while, seeing the leader cat snack on several unidentified insects along the way, Zheng Tan grew increasingly doubtful: could this big cat actually be out here foraging?

Since there was no better option for the moment, Zheng Tan kept following it; worst case, he'd wait until the cat finished foraging and then trail it back to the forest. The mouse, bound like a silkworm cocoon, was flung back and forth with Zheng Tan's running; Zheng Tan also didn't bother to worry about its fate—having been toyed with by the leader cat into that state, it would probably die soon anyway, and since he had no intention of eating the red‑haired mouse, he could just toss it away later.

About half an hour later, Zheng Tan jumped up a tree, climbed to a high spot, looked at the setting sun, felt his sense of direction—which had been lost for a day and a night—return, and his mood lightened at once. This wasn't the place he had come through; he was slightly off, but not far, and Zheng Tan felt he could find his way back.

After bringing Zheng Tan here, the leader cat turned and went back, perhaps knowing that cats like them cannot wander far, let alone appear in human living areas, so it must stay in this region, a zone where no humans have entered. As for the red‑spotted cat, showing up at the base was probably just a fluke.

Ordinary appearance brings an ordinary way of life; extraordinary appearance brings an extraordinary way of life. Zheng Tan cannot adapt to their lifestyle, nor can they adapt to the life he wishes for.

Gazing at the endless mountains under twilight, Zheng Tan drew a deep breath, ready to march all night toward the base; as for that already half‑dead red‑haired mouse…

Huh?!

Zheng Tan lowered his head and saw that the mouse he had trussed up like a mummy was energetically gnawing at the vine; with a twitch of its two incisors it split the vine open— the vine was far thicker than the mouse's teeth, and though Zheng Tan had thought the vine quite sturdy, the red‑haired mouse chewed through it as easily as biting tofu, and it looked like it would soon snap the vine in two.

Just moments ago it had been motionless, and in the blink of an eye it was like this.

Sensing Zheng Tan's gaze, the mouse, having pushed half its head out of the vine, bared its two tiny white teeth at him in a fierce snarl.

Zheng Tan now understood: the red‑haired mouse bares its teeth depending on the opponent—if the leader cat were present, it would only dare to play dead.

Zheng Tan stared at the mouse flashing a murderous glint, narrowed his eyes. (To be continued…)

ps: (5.16)