Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Vladimir smiled and looked at the stray cats that had been reborn. Before then, they had all been muddling their way through life. Each and every day, they would eat then sleep, or sleep then eat. But under the threat of cat abusers and vicious dogs, they lived each day in fear. They did not know why they lived or why they died, but they now had a new goal: to fight for the liberation of stray cats!
Vladimir taught them some skills for fighting, and from there, they led the stray cats under them to conduct some preliminary practical exercises. For example, Big Orange led the stray cats in the effort to drive off the crowds around the whale carcass. All of the drills were relatively small, and each time, there were only twenty or thirty stray cats––at most forty or fifty. They were the elite stray cats from various parts of Binhai City, and practicing drills allowed them to have experience. With such experiences, they were then able to teach other cats who didn’t have the chance to participate in the drill. Vladimir wanted both the experienced and inexperienced stray cats to know how to “pass, help, and carry.”
The assault on the stray dogs near the dog market was the first large-scale exercise, and it was hundreds of stray cats were expected to participate.
Cats were born with no team awareness and were used to fighting alone, so organizing hundreds of stray cats to fight together was not going to be easy. It needed to be carefully planned, otherwise it might form infighting amongst the stray cats.
After careful consideration, Vladimir decided to divide the hundreds of cats into three groups. The first two groups were to close in from the left and right and encircle the dogs, while the last group would be a mobile unit that would standby to reinforce the first two groups.
The attack on the stray dogs in the dog market had been decided. Vladimir observed the position of the moon and noticed that it was already in the middle of the sky; it was midnight. Most families in the community had already turned off their lights and gone to bed, and the sound of the security officer snoring could also be heard from downstairs.
In order to save time, Vladimir brought up another topic. “Are there any new discoveries from our Meow Meow intelligence department about the Holy Cat Statue?”
Placing the Holy Cat Statue at the end wasn’t because Vladimir found it to be important. On the contrary, it thought the Holy Cat Statue was a minor problem––just a small hiccup on the stray cat army’s path to sweeping the world.
The strength of a single cat was very weak, but thousands of cats together was a powerful force that no one could ignore.
Compared to people, cat’s were more flexible. They could access the high ground that humans couldn’t; they could go through holes that humans couldn’t; and if they were to openly walk the streets, tracking or stalking someone, they were not going to attract any attention. They were the best scouts, 24 hours a day. An adult stray cat’s ability to stalk someone was comparable to the best human agents. To have countless cats working together was the best intelligence organization in the world!
Again, Big Orange was the one who stood up first. Its eyes were wide open with anger, then with its two front paws, it scratched and clawed left and right. It indicated that the Seaside Intelligence Branch had found the bodies of several stray cats that were mistreated and killed. It was currently suspected to be a work of the humans that were controlled by the Holy Cat Statue, but the location of the bodies were quite scattered, so they couldn’t find any pattern.
The shorthaired white cat also gestured, expressing that they had found a cat body that had fallen to its death under the cliff of Mt. Hidden Fog. It wasn’t clear whether it was by accident, or if it was thrown off the cliff.
The other stray cat representatives also added that stray cats that had been mistreated to varying degrees were found in the areas under their jurisdiction.
The black cat with a missing piece of its ear hesitated for a moment, then it raised its paw over its head to indicate a high position. It meant to say that a stray cat in its jurisdiction had found a cat abuser’s home by tracking the cat abuser, and was now inquiring on how they should be dealt with.
Vladimir sorted out what it meant. There were currently two situations when it came to cat abusers: One was those that were affected by the Holy Cat Statue, and two was those that abused cats on their own accord. For the former, stray cats could still tolerate them, but for the latter, after having their meow wisdom opened, they were less tolerable of them.
“All of you only have to believe that the unjust are doomed to destruction! Where there is oppression, there is resistance!” Vladimir said with confidence. “Qu Yuan composed the poem Li Sao. With that, he wielded a knife that took lives! Stray cats don’t exist just to be bullied, and we will never submit to such humiliation! Never will we jump into the surging waters!”
Vladimir swept its gaze across the faces of all the stray cats that were present, then firmly swung its paws and said, “If the humans don’t think about repentance, we will replace them!”
The stray cats gathered were all shocked––even Big Orange, who wasn’t afraid of anything, was completely dumbfounded. In their minds, fighting with stray dogs was a daily thing, and fighting with the Holy Cat Statue was a challenge. But… they had never thought about fighting with humans. Vladimir voiced such lofty aspirations… Human beings were nothing in its eyes.
Vladimir understood their concerns. After all, although they were stray cats, their ancestors were once pet cats. Their ancestors had once been intimate with humans, but they were abandoned for various reasons, only to become stray cats in the end. The complex feelings of human dependence and fear were still engraved in them, so they were not as unruly as natural, wild cats.
“What are you afraid of? The thorough meow meow doctrine believer is courageous enough to fight against the heavens and earth! The fight with the heavens is endless fun; the fight with the earth is endless fun; the fight with humans is even more so!” Vladimir encouraged them.
The wild nature in Big Orange was stimulated. It let out a piercing scream and slammed its chest with its paws like an orangutan, indicating that wherever Vladimir went, it would follow!
Under Big Orange’s influence, the other stray cats had their hearts set aflame. Vladimir’s lofty words and aspirations had inspired their pride for the meow family, and for the first time since their birth, they felt that they could be equal to humans. The status of stray cats had a never before seen improvement!
The stray cats exploded into a frenetic cheer, and even the two security guards that were dead asleep in the security room were briefly awakened. They just rubbed their eyes and went back to sleep.
Vladimir stood up to face them. It was full of lofty sentiments and excitement.
At that moment, the yellow and white kitten hugged its tail and played around in a restless manner, trying to digest the food it had eaten. The yellow and white kitten had eaten three cans of cat food that evening. That might have been the first time it had eaten that much since its birth––even its stomach was bloated.
Vladimir looked at it, satisfied; it touched a tender part in its heart. It thought of Liu Wenying, the girl they had met that evening who was allergic to cats, and also of Zhang Zian.
Vladimir admitted that most humans were good people. They were silent, but nevertheless good… However, the small number of cat abusers were like rat waste, spoiling the whole pot of soup.
When their cheers subsided a little, Vladimir eased its tone and said, “Of course, our short-term goal is still the cat abusers and the Holy Cat Statue. As for the humans, we can give them some time to reform themselves, but only a limited time. We can’t delay it indefinitely!”
Although Vladimir had repeatedly stressed for the stray cat representatives to work with their collective wisdom and concerted efforts to avoid becoming an ultimate ruler, they couldn’t worship Vladimir any more than they already were. They all felt that no matter how much they brainstormed, they could never be compared to Vladimir, who was always in complete control of any situation. So, they simply gave up on the strategic direction, and focused solely on how to effectively implement the guidelines it had set.
Vladimir vaguely felt that it might be a hidden danger for the stray cat’s progression, because it clearly knew that it wasn’t a god; it was just an ordinary cat. Vladimir made mistakes, too, and once it made a mistake, it would lead the stray cats in the wrong direction. However, there were no other options at the moment. They were temporarily limited by intelligence, and could not communicate as equals with it. It could only carry all the responsibilities alone.
The black cat with a missing piece of its ear hesitated before it made a request. The black cat and the other stray cats that had been sterilized by animal protection organizations weren’t really fond of fights, but they also wanted to contribute to the liberation of stray cats. It asked if they could stay behind and be responsible for taking care of the injured cats that had retreated from the battlefield, since the battle with the stray dogs would inevitably lead to stray cats being injured.
Thinking about it, Vladimir knew that what it said was true, so it granted the black cat’s request and allowed it to select the right members and form a meow meow medical team.
Vladimir looked at the sky again. It was already late, so it asked if the other representatives had any other things to report.
Big Orange was eager to bring Vladimir to the seaside to review its troop of stray cats. Vladimir was hesitant. It really wanted to see the elite stray cat troops led by Big Orange, but…
“Forget it. It’s very late, and all of you still have a long ways to travel to your respective branch bases, so we’ll stop here today. Dismissed. After all of you arrive home, remember to rest and actively prepare for the attack on the dog market,” Vladimir instructed.
“This was a triumphant conference––a united conference! As for the location of the next meeting…” Vladimir looked around, and noticed that people were still coming and going, even that late at night. There were many people getting off work late or going for their night shift, so it was not a good venue for them to gather at.
“The next meeting shall be scheduled at Zhonghua Road. There’s a green space there, and many of our compatriots seem to gather there already.”
The other stray cats were somewhat disappointed; they didn’t understand why Vladimir was going back so early. Previously, they’d fought together until dawn. However, since it had spoken, they would definitely follow its instructions and disperse in all directions.
Soon, it was only Vladimir and the yellow and white kitten left on the roof.
Vladimir wanted to let one of the stray cats take the yellow and white kitten away, but it had forgotten to mention it earlier, so it had no other option but to keep it with it.
“Little devil, what can I do with you?” Vladimir shook its head. “Forget it. You can come home with me today.”
The yellow and white kitten had an indifferent look on its face. It was almost done with digesting its food. It stood up and trotted around in a random manner.
Vladimir looked at the back view of the stray cats that had gradually disappeared. It said, “Although I really want to follow all of you, I already promised Zhang Zian I’d return home. A cat is only as good as its words, and after all… I’m no longer a stray cat.”
The yellow and white kitten didn’t understand what Vladimir said. It just nudged Vladimir with its head, urging it to go.
“Okay then, let’s go back. Should we go back the same way? Or should we look for a new way home?” It identified which that they were going to go in. “Let’s find a new way back. Taking the road that our predecessors have walked on is boring, isn’t it?”
