Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After returning from Egypt, Vladimir had been in a good mood. This is because this trip can be said to be helpful in spreading the Meow Meow Doctrine to the remote areas of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Although there is no obvious benefit to the domestic affairs of the group in China in the short term, it nevertheless can be a source for future development.
Egypt was the bridge into Africa. As a fulcrum, it could ignite the passion of Africa as a whole, as well as spread to West Asia and Southern Europe.
This was a step-by-step game. It seemed to be dull and silent. However, those who had a strategic vision could listen to the impending thunder in silence.
One couldn’t care about the gains and losses of a single game. One had to look at the big picture!
However, this so-called “single game” did not include Binhai.
Although the city was not the original birthplace of the Meow Meow Doctrine, it was nevertheless the place where it had been set up and given structure. With it being the place of growth, it will be impossible to give it up entirely.
Vladimir had already thought that the stray cats in Binhai, which had just undergone baptism, were not mature enough. When it left, they might be a little confused and encounter various problems. To be harassed by the stray dogs was at least within its calculations. After all, the city is a place rich in fresh delicious food. The dogs will definitely stay around in other to feed.
Before leaving, he had instructed them to stand their grounds and do not try to get more than what they already had. It was simply not worth the risk. However, if the pressure to retaliate is too much, they can strategically retreat. At most, they can easily take back their former positions in the future.
However, the plan could not keep up with the changes that were happening on the ground. Even Vladimir did not expect that the trip to Egypt would be so long, and there were many twists and turns throughout the trip. It even thought that it could not come back. When Vladimir could finally return to the coastal city, it found out… to its horror, everything had changed drastically.
After leaving the pet shop in the morning, he soon noticed that the stray cats on the street seemed to have lost consciousness about the Meow Meow doctrine. They failed to observe and notice the behavior of passerby’s even time one walk across their field of vision. Instead, they seemed to be constantly on edge. They also do not seem able to react to secret codes. A few of them even had injuries.
Looking deeper, it found that most of the stray cats were hanging out in the city center. That is, they instinctively thought that the downtown area was safer. Much like a group of defeated deserters, they seemed to have lost the will to fight. Now, all they know is the blindly and aimlessly run away from the battlefield.
This is not a strategic retreat but an unprecedented big defeat!
Vladimir stopped a few stray cats and wanted to ask them what happened. However, these stray cats seemed to have been beaten until they are stupid. They either turned a blind eye to his inquiry, silently walk past him or walked around looking flustered.
The unexplained big defeat caused Vladimir’s rare but chaotic response. It wandered around the green space behind the pet shop because there is the area that used to be where a lot of stray cats gather. There must be a few who can tell him what’s going on right?
Even more unexpectedly, the number of cats left in the green space is few and far between. However, there are numerous buzzing mosquitoes and various caterpillars that drops around randomly.
Vladimir had no choice but to take the few cats that he came across with him, and then piece the story together as he went along. He also started looking for his commanders, hoping that they would be safe.
He first ran to the beach and inquired from the stray cats he met on the road. Finally, he managed to find Big Orange next to a beachside shoal.
Big Orange’s body had many injuries and he was hiding in a cave covered with wild grass. He licked his own wounds, trying to ease the pain. It heard movement outside and immediately thought that the stray dogs were coming. He was not willing to give up and surrender. With a loud howl, he rushed out of the cave, ready to fight with the stray dogs outside.
“Big orange! You…”
Vladimir saw the wounds on Big Orange’s body, and his heart ached. Trembling, he said: “You… how did you become like this? Didn’t I instruct you to immediately retreat if there is a battle that you cannot win?”
When Big Orange saw that it was Vladimir, it was as if he saw his own savior. His tensed seld immediately relaxed and his footsteps lightened. He also gave in and collapsed on the ground slightly. He was caught by Vladimir and the other stray cats just in time.
Big Orange used his paws to make a few gestures and told Vladimir what happened, albeit in pieces.
The first few days after Vladimir left the city of Binhai, the life of stray cats carried on as usual. However, one day, the situation changed very suddenly. A huge number of stray dogs surrounded Big Orange and his team of stray cats. The dogs were savage looking and had big, fierce and red eyes. They seemed to be full of hatred. They quickly surrounded the stray cats.
In the face of a sudden attack by the stray dog, the stray cats were caught off guard. They were passively guarding their own territories and did not launch an attack. Everything seems to be lost.
Big Orange has always been the bravest stray cat. It can obviously run away first and no one can catch up with him. One to two stray dogs will not be able to stop or catch up to him. However, in order to assist the other stray cats and cover them while they retreat, he chooses to stay and help. It was a struggle indeed. Without carrying much about his own safety, he vigorously attacked and got into a battle with the stray mutts. He was finally successful in helping the stray cats break up the surrounding stray dogs’ forces. However, he was extremely beaten down by the saga and was covered in battle scars. He even lost a ton of cat fur.
After the stray cats were able to breakout, Big Orange was close to collapsing. Nevertheless, he strategized further. He told the cats to spread out and seek a safe haven to lay low. This is because, after the battle, almost every cat had injuries on themselves. In addition, dogs have a strong sense of smell. if the wounded cats gathered together, they can easily be sniffed out. Surely, if that is to happen, the group will once again be surrounded. When that happens, they will certainly all perish.
In order to allow the other stray cats to escape safely, he deliberately left a trail of his own urine. He chose to expose his own location to protect his comrades. He tried to lure the stray dogs to the beach.
Big Orange was already prepared to sacrifice himself. This is simply unimaginable in the past. However, he chose to do so now, and voluntarily so, because he bought into the doctrine that Vladimir spoke of. Before he knew Vladimir, he would never have done this. Now, he hopes to help the entire cat population reach a higher level of enlightenment. He had decided firmly in his heart that he will follow in the footsteps of Vladimir all the way, albeit if doing so entails great sacrifice. He is willing to put down his own ego and self, in order to help every cat reach a higher purpose.
“Big Orange…you are…too stupid!”
When Vladimir learned of the pain and suffering Big Orange had to go through, he started sobbing and was unable to speak for a while. Big Orange, upon seeing this, only had a big smile across his face. It was his way of saying that he was merely doing what he was supposed to do.
Big Orange had hidden in the cave for quite a while. In addition, he had multiple wounds on his body and had not ate for several days. These had contributed to his inability to move. He relied on the accumulated rainwater between the reefs to maintain his own life. Fortunately, it is fat and strong. Had it been another cat who had to go through what he did, that cat may not had made it through alive. Nevertheless, he was already close to his limit. Had Vladimir been later by a day or two, he may not have met an alive Big Orange, but meet his corpse instead.
Vladimir told the other stray cats to lift him up and take him away. He would not allow a badly-wounded comrade to lie here and await death. He must find a way to save him.
He thought hard on how to do this. He went in circles before realizing that perhaps only Zhang Zian could help.
As for Vladimir himself, he was going to learn the whereabouts of the other stray cat commanders.
