Strange Life of a Cat

It was hard to see the color of the animal standing over the body, but the pattern on its fur was somewhat visible.

The animal had colorings similar to Fatty. Zheng Tan could only see its backside but the stripes were apparent. Unlike Fatty, this animal had spots as well.

Was this a cat?

It walked and moved like a cat, but was much larger. It seemed closer to a dog in size, with thick fur. The proportion of its body was cat-like though.

The cat stepped on the man’s chest. Its large ears twitched while it watched silently. Its tail swayed slowly from side to side as it waited. The cold moonlight added a sense of wickedness to the cat. It was taking its time.

Suddenly–

The cat raised its paw, then attacked again.

Blood sprayed out forming a line on the ground. The man on the ground was motionless.

Zheng Tan and Ye Hao shuddered.

The man was already dead, yet the cat scratched him again regardless.

After this attack, the cat turned to Zheng Tan, who could feel his heart beating rapidly in his chest. He now knew why people jumped when they looked into his eyes at nights. It was scary, really scary. Not to mention this cat just killed someone. Not a rat, not a grasshopper, it killed a real human being.

Zheng Tan had seen people killing cats and dogs, but a cat killing humans was a first.

Yes. This was a cat. Zheng Tan was sure when it turned to look at him.

Before he could do anything, Nougat was already limping quickly toward the cat. He seemed excited.

Li Yuanba had taught Nougat about recognizing threats. It was clear from earlier he had taken her lessons to heart, which was why his actions now puzzled Zheng Tan. He watched the kitten nervously.

Ye Hao pressed the wound on his stomach and leaned on the pile of garbage. The hand behind his back held his knife. The cat that appeared suddenly shocked him. No matter what, Ye Hao decided to be cautious. He always felt cats were capricious. They were loving one moment and hostile the next. The man-killing cat in front of him was not to be taken lightly.

Zheng Tan had missed how the cat attacked because he had been trying to drag Nougat behind the pile of bricks. Ye Hao, however, saw everything. It had amazing athleticism and reflexes, and was smart too.

When he had just positioned himself behind the pile of garbage, the cat took the chance to scratch the gunman on the wrist while he was aiming at Ye Hao. Though he didn’t drop the gun immediately, he couldn’t aim quite as well anymore.

Before the man could switch hands, the cat attacked again, this time at the neck. It had attacked from behind. When the man reached behind his neck, the cat jumped up and scratched at his eyes. Then it was the throat. It scratched again, then again, then again, until the man wasn’t breathing.

The grass still showed traces of the cat’s earlier movements. It was difficult to believe a cat could do all this. What breed was this cat? Ye Hao had thought the cat Wei Ling brought was already weird enough, but this cat was far worse.

Zheng Tan and Ye Hao watched with differing thoughts as Nougat limped toward the large cat. It turned around to face him, its paws still drenched in blood. Seeing Nougat, the look in its eyes softened and it greeted him.

Nougat happily rubbed his head on the cat’s side while purring incessantly. The cat lowered its head and started licking Nougat’s fur.

Zheng Tan watched the two, then suddenly remembered Li Yuanba. He had wondered before who had managed to impregnate the catzilla. Could this cat be the one?

Nougat seemed much smaller standing next to this cat, but he wasn’t done growing. It was unlikely he would ever become quite this large, but he would probably grow to be larger than most cats.

If Zheng Tan was right, it explained a lot. Nougat had been large even at birth. He was also stronger, smarter, and had thicker fur than most house cats.

Judging by Nougat’s behavior, this was not the first time he met this cat. They had met before, most likely more than once. Could this be the reason Li Yuanba took Nougat out all the time? Were they wandering the streets so Nougat could meet his dad?

Zheng Tan wondered where this cat lived or hid.

The cat had a trace of the stray cat look in its eyes, but not exactly the same.

Zheng Tan examined the large cat, noticing it had long fur that didn’t show any signs of brushing. The fur should be sleeker if someone was taking care of it. Even if cats licked and cleaned their own furs, it was still different than being cleaned by a human. Then there was the problem of its temper. Zheng Tan doubted many wanted a pet like this.

Actually, if they hadn’t just witnessed the cat killing a person, it would have left them with an alright first impression. It didn’t look quite as intimidating as Li Yuanba, it was just serious. Without the killer look in its eyes, it could almost pass off as an extraordinarily large forest cat.

The cat was vigilant even as it licked Nougat’s fur. When Ye Hao’s phone buzzed, it looked up but didn’t do anything.

“Hello.”

It was Baozi, they were close by and called to get an update on Ye Hao’s location as well as the situation.

Zheng Tan noticed the cat peering at Ye Hao as he talked on the phone. There was a look that Zheng Tan couldn’t quite decipher in its eyes. Zheng Tan was sure, however, that this cat wasn’t like him. This was a real cat in both body and soul. It was special, but not human, unlike him.

Zheng Tan wondered what the cat was thinking.

Soon after Ye hao hung up, Baozi arrived.

He came with three cars which were parked a distance away. The men came through the collapsed wall.

Baozi saw the man on the ground and immediately noticed there was something off with the wounds. He looked towards Ye Hao who offered no explanation. “There are two more inside. Take care of the bodies.”

“Right away.” Baozi wasn’t one to ask questions. He quickly conveyed the boss’s orders.

With the arrival of people, the cat stayed by Nougat’s side. Neither left. It was clear its guard was up.

Zheng Tan jumped on the pile of brick and watched Ye Hao command his men.

A doctor-like man quickly bandaged Ye Hao’s wounds, then helped him into the car. It was hard to properly tend to the wound here.

Ye Hao nodded but didn’t leave immediately. Rather he looked at Nougat, who was being carried over by his father.

The large cat picked Nougat up in his mouth by the neck. Zheng Tan had heard that this was alright for kittens but would be uncomfortable for large cats and would cause strong opposition. However, Nougat was being an obedient boy. They really were father and son, Zheng Tan thought to himself.

The cat carried Nougat to Ye Hao. It looked at Ye Hao, then at the doctor.

Ye Hao and the cat stared each other down. Eventually, he relented. “Have a look at the kitten’s wounds later, will you?”

The doctor wanted to object as he wasn’t a vet. However, he didn’t want to upset Ye Hao and acquiesced.

Before Ye Hao could say anything else, the cat saw him leaving and followed with Nougat still in his mouth.

Ye Hao got into a modified MPV. The cat quickly got on and took a seat. Ye Hao rolled his eyes.

He thought for a second, then said to Zheng Tan, “Charcoal, why don’t you come along with us?”

Zheng Tan twitched his ears. He could tell Ye Hao somewhat feared the large cat and felt it better if he was there.

Zheng Tan shared a bond with the large cat called Nougat. Ye Hao knew Zheng Tan was with Nougat, so he wanted Zheng Tan in the car. He gave Wei Ling a call. He hadn’t wanted to involve Wei Ling before, but now that the cat was involved, he needed Wei Ling’s help.

Zheng Tan was curious. He could tell the large cat was still vigilant, but it had lost the murderous look in its eyes. He wanted to come along to see what it was up to. He needed Wei Ling to notify the Jiaos.

Ye Hao’s entourage left. The abandoned construction site had been cleaned and showed no signs of the fights that had happened.

Inside the car, Nougat leaned against the large cat. The air-conditioning was making him uncomfortable so he snuggled closer to his dad. The large car licked his fur while keeping an eye on Ye Hao.

Ye Hao, who was being tended to by the doctor, was starting to feel uncomfortable. The cat wasn’t looking at him with malice, but it still made him feel odd.

Zheng Tan thought the cat was planning something. Li Yuanba was smart and so was Nougat. This one definitely wasn’t a dummy.