Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The stray cats present quietly listened to Vladimir’s speech, and didn’t even respond when it paused. They didn’t understand that it paused for them to give their applause.
But looking at their soft paw pads, there probably wouldn’t even have been any sound even if they were to give applause. It made Vladimir envious of Zhang Zian’s two clever followers. Whether or not it was the right timing, they always shouted “666…”
“Okay, now everyone can introduce themselves,” said Vladimir.
There were a dozen stray cats––some from the eastern part of the city, some from the western suburbs, and the rest were from the surrounding suburbs. The one that came the furthest ran for several hours before it arrived. They were the leaders of each large-scale Meow Meow branch organization, and they were there as the representative for their own respective region to participate in the historic event.
Although that was what Vladimir had said, there was actually no need for them to introduce themselves; they all remembered each other’s scent and characteristics.
A gray cat stood up first; it was the leader for the area they were in.
Next, an orange tabby with a brutish-look stood up and raised its paw to point to the east. There were still grains of sand stuck on its paw. It was trying to to say that it was the representative for the coastal region.
Then, a beautiful, short-haired, white cat stood up and pointed to the west. It drew a mountain with its paw, meaning to say that they were the visitors from Mt. Hidden Fog.
A cat with folded ears stood up next. It seemed to have inherited the genes of the folded ear, and the scent from its body was very complicated. It pointed to the south, indicating that it was often roaming around the vicinity of the dog market.
There was also a black cat that had a missing tip on one side of its ear, which seemed to have been cut off by a sharp tool. It was a stray cat that had been sterilized by animal protection organizations. It looked up at a bat flying through the night sky, indicating that it was from the north––the Phoenix House region.
The other stray cats also took turns introducing themselves.
Vladimir was very satisfied to have such a broad base of foundation in their very first meeting. They had covered almost all the important areas of Binhai City. The meeting gave Vladimir confidence in their future prospects.
Vladimir had done similar things in the capital, but the capital was too big, and the environment too complicated. It took Vladimir a lot of effort just to bring the stray cats in Chaoyang District together. So, to bring together all the stray cats in the whole of Binhai City so easily was unthinkable. Even objective conditions didn’t allow it.
Sure enough, it was best not to ignite the Meow Meow’s flame in big cities. Medium-sized cities like Binhai City were the best. They could attack and retreat with ease. In dangerous times, everyone could easily disperse and take refuge in the suburbs or countryside to preserve their living force in order to make a comeback. Of course, Vladimir didn’t think that the situation would be that bad, but it was one of its backup plans.
“Okay, so everyone has already introduced themselves. Now let’s talk about the recent cat abuse incidents. Who will speak first? Everyone can participate,” Vladimir said.
Before Vladimir’s voice died away, the brutish-looking orange cat started to excitedly wave its two front paws around. It pounced forward occasionally, and then sometimes fell to the ground and acted like it was in great pain.
“Well, it seems that the stray cats by the beach have already launched a fruitful counterattack against the cat abusers. Big Orange has done very well! But pay attention to the ways of combat. For less drastic cat abusers, you may wish to use an approach like our urine attack.” Vladimir praised it and made suggestions for improvement.
The orange tabby proudly retreated to the side.
Then the shorthair, white cat stood up gracefully and shook its head gloomily, indicating that the cat abuse situation in Mt. Hidden Fog was quite serious. Due to the complicated terrain, they had met with temporary setbacks in unity and contact with the other stray cats.
“Little White has worked very hard! It just needs to be determined. Do not be afraid of sacrifices. You must overcome all difficulties to fight for victory!” Vladimir encouraged. It wanted it to try its best to overcome the difficulties.
The grayish-white, soft-eared cat didn’t elaborate on the difficulties it faced, but firmly swung its paw, indicating that it had the confidence to overcome the difficulties. But it bent down again and started to imitate a dog sniffing, then pretended to be horrified. It clamped its tail between its two hind legs.
“Hm? Softy is saying that, in addition to the stray cats in the vicinity of the dog market, there are also many stray dogs that have escaped? And the situation of these stray dogs are even worse than the stray cats. Not only do they have to face dog hunters, but they’re also frequently caught and stewed into dog meat stew.” Vladimir pondered for a moment. “This is very useful information. You might be able to try and establish a cat and dog, anti-abuse, united front. After all, there’s the saying, ‘The enemy’s enemy is a friend.’”
Before the other stray cats had the time to express their feelings, the brutish-looking orange tabby suddenly stood up excitedly, waving its claws indiscriminately with an indignant look. The other stray cats on both sides quickly moved away to avoid being accidentally injured.
Vladimir frowned. “Big Orange is saying that stray dogs are abhorrent. They always occupy the stray cat’s territory and food, and also bully stray cats all the time.”
The orange tabby nodded. It was still filled with anger.
Although Vladimir valued the orange tabby very much, it couldn’t agree with its opinion, so it said in a grave tone, “Although there are frequent conflicts between stray cats and stray dogs because of the fight for land, we’re currently being confronted by a formidable enemy. We should abandon the past and unite all forces that can be united. For those that are not neutral, we can strive for neutrality, and for reactionaries, they can be split up and exploited… When I say this, I don’t mean for all of you to submit to the humiliation of stray dogs, but to negotiate with them in a reasonable way in exchange for their cooperation. Unity and combat are not conflicting, nor are they mutually incompatible. If you strive to unite during struggles, you will unite and survive; if you strive to unite by making concessions, you will unite and perish. Do you all understand?”
When Vladimir was speaking, the restless yellow and white kitten started to run around, but was immediately caught by Vladimir by the hair on the back of its neck and brought back.
Vladimir’s far-sighted views opened the stray cats eyes to an entirely new world. Before that, they had regarded stray dogs as their mortal enemy, and Vladimir’s statement made them think for the first time about the possibility of stray dogs as their allies.
If they were to look at the bigger picture, the conflict between the stray cats and dogs could actually be regarded as the internal conflict between stray animals. Although friction was constant, it didn’t really affect their survival in the end––especially not in the face of greater external conflicts, such as animal abusers. The internal conflict between stray animals could temporarily reach a compromise, but there was no possibility of compromise for the conflict with the animal abusers. It was kill or be killed.
The stray cats present were still trying to digest its proposal, and the more they thought about it, the more they felt enlightened. Although they weren’t aware of it themselves, their ignorant minds began to thaw slowly like a frozen lake under the spring breeze.
Vladimir didn’t rush them. Instead, it gave them plenty of time to think, and smiled as it watched them ponder.
Meow wisdom had opened! To regain the rights of meow, one must first spread the meow wisdom. Without any meow wisdom, how could they speak about rights?
The yellow and white kitten couldn’t understand the profound dialogue between them. It smelled the scent of instant noodles coming from the security room, so it repeatedly tried to climb down from the top of the building, only to be brought back by Vladimir every single time.
Under the twinkling lights of the community, many families had already gone to sleep. For most people who were used to modern life, however, there was still a long time before bedtime. Soap operas were still being broadcasted; people had yet to increase their rank in their mobile games; children were not done with their homework; many older couples were still fighting in a cold war; and young couples were still in a fierce battle. It was still too early to sleep.
Vladimir looked up at the sky, and the stars were not separate entities. They were directly connected to each other in the form of a net.
At dawn, when all the stars connected and the eastern morning star rose, it was the signal of the start of the Meow Meow’s flame.
Of course, the night was still young, and there was still a long time before the rise of the morning star. The stars had also only just begun to connect, covering only a small area above Binhai City. Covering the whole country, or even the world, required much patience and waiting.
They could afford to wait because nighttime had originally belonged to stray cats.
On a sudden impulse, Vladimir recited out loud, “With the chains in my hands today, when shall the black dragon be bound?”
The stray cats present slowly came back to their senses. At that moment, their eyes were a little more lively and vibrant than they were earlier. The eyes were the window to the soul, which proved that their hearts and thoughts had also been thoroughly baptized.
“Big Orange, how do you feel?” asked Vladimir.
The brutish-looking orange tabby was the last one to regain its senses. It was originally not good at thinking; it was good at solving problems with tonnage, even if it was against a stray dog that was several times larger than it. As a result of that, Vladimir had criticized it several times. Although Vladimir advocated for fighting, it didn’t support brainless battles. It was necessary to pay attention to the strategy, and exchange the smallest loss for the greatest victory.
The orange tabby swung its front paw hard, expressing that it hadn’t forgiven the stray dogs, but it understood that the bigger picture was more important. It was willing to cooperate with the stray dogs for a limited time, and after they solved the bigger conflict, then it’d settle the business with the stray dogs.
“You don’t have to wait that long,” Vladimir said with a smile. “When Sunday comes, I plan to organize a sudden attack on the stray dogs near the dog market.”
The stray cats were all stunned. Didn’t Vladimir just emphasize the need to unite and cooperate with stray dogs? Why were they picking a fight with the stray dogs again?
Vladimir guessed that they had only understood the shallow meaning of its previous words, so it explained. “When two sides cooperate, they must always pay attention to the primary and secondary commander. Who shall take on the role as leader for the cooperation between cats and dogs? Of course, the stray cats must firmly grasp the dominant rights! In order to gain dominance, it’s necessary to let the stray dogs know how good we are. So first, we hurt them, then we talk about cooperation. This way, we can take the lead in the negotiations.”
The stray cats then understood everything. They were completely impressed! The orange tabby was eager to get in on the action. It was ready for a fight!
