Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The chanting was firm with energy, just like the first church bell in the morning. It was echoing and unyielding, containing the anger of a volcano within it, like they were testifying against its evil ways with their very tears and blood.
It was shocked. It was usually the one doing the shocking, and yet it had been shocked today.
The sounds were making its ears ring with their shockwaves. But that was odd. It didn’t have eardrums, so why would they ring?
It wasn’t just its ears—its entire body was ringing, like a resonance had been made.
Wait!
This wasn’t ringing, and neither was it resonance. It was trembling.
Run!
Its instinct roared at it to hurry up and get out of here, because it seemed like its predator was hiding here.
Not enemy—predator!
“Enemies” often meant that they had equal strength, and there was a chance for the battle to go either way. But “predators”… They had an absolute advantage.
An eagle wouldn’t treat a rabbit as its enemy, because the eagle was the rabbit’s predator. The moment the rabbit was faced with the eagle, it could pretty much just wait for death.
There was another word to call one’s predator, and that was “bane.”
Maybe the difference in strength and abilities weren’t great—they might even be quite be similar—but due to a special ability or characteristic on one side, they would become the predator, or the bane, of the other’s existence.
But how could this be?
Where could this predator have come from?
It had roamed and ruled the rolling desert of Egypt for thousands of years, and it had never come across its predator, nor had it imagined that it would have one.
It couldn’t understand that times had changed and its rule was already over. Trying to repeat history would only result in failure.
Even if the real Cat God were to come to earth, it would be surprised by the changes.
This world was no longer one they were familiar with!
With the end of the chanting, countless strays shot out of the thicket, silent and disciplined. They quietly surrounded the whole green area, packing the center of it with hundreds, maybe even thousands of cats.
How could this be?
Were these still the disorganized strays that had used to fight each other for territory?
It was suspicious of everything it saw in front of it.
Maybe it was hallucinating?
“Honestly, even though I look calm on the outside, I’m actually really surprised. You can actually speak, and you shouted my name… You’ve really changed a lot in such a short time.”
Zhang Zian finally opened his mouth to speak.
He was the one who had planned this with Vladimir—luring the Holy Cat statue here with strays so they could catch the mouse in the trap. When they were planning this, he hadn’t had confidence that it would work, but surprisingly, it had, and on the very first night.
He had made sufficient mental preparation for the Holy Cat statue to show up, so he wasn’t surprised, but he was surprised that it could actually speak now. If it continued to grow, it might eventually become a true elfin.
“How should we greet each other?” Zhang Zian scratched his head, chasing away the mosquitoes with branches he’d picked up. “Should we say, ‘Long time no see’? Even though I’ve never thought we’d meet again in this manner.”
The smattering of lights in the plot of land were only half lit, and some of them were off. With the help of the fuzzy moonlight, he observed the…should he say “statue,” or should he say “cat”?
Well, he observed it, anyway.
After a few months of being in the pet shop, he and the employees were both familiar with the Holy Cat statue.
It was similar to how it had looked months ago, but there were differences.
The previous statue had been black in colour, shining copper green under the lights. Even though it looked a little gloomy, it had still been an exceptional art piece.
But now there were several obvious cracks along its body and hairline cracks lining its entire self. It might have just been his imagination, but it looked as though there was dark smoke seeping out from those.
The nose ring that Old Time Tea had cut off and Zhang Zian had sent to the gold shop to recycle had showed up on its nose again, seeming to shine even brighter than it had before.
Zhang Zian spaced out for a moment, thinking that if the gold nose ring would regenerate on its own, it would be a great way to generate income…
Its purity wouldn’t reach 24K, but if it worked, then he wouldn’t need his bike anymore!
It opened its wide mouth, exhaling sharply and showing off its fangs in a threatening way, interrupting Zhang Zian’s thoughts.
The biggest difference was in its face. The previous Holy Cat statue hadn’t had eyes, only two deep-set holes. But it had eyes now, a pair of bloodred ones that showed its bloodlust and cruelty…reminding Zhang Zian of the Terminator T-800.
Its chest was flat now too—it wasn’t that it had lost G-cup-sized breasts, but the Wadjet Amulet that had previously been carved into it was missing. Even though the protective Wadjet Amulet was important and significant to it, it still wasn’t the Holy Cat statue’s.
“Look, let’s negotiate. You’re already backed into a corner, but I’m a nice guy, so would you consider surrendering?” Zhang Zian proposed, waving his stick around. “If you agree to surrender and promise to never do bad things again, maybe I can plead for you… Of course, I can’t just help you for nothing. If you are willing to help me research on how to properly use your nose ring, I’ll call it even.”
It was surprised and stuck out its tongue to lick at its nose ring, not knowing what he was planning.
But his confusion was quickly buried under all of his exploded anger.
It was a god! How could gods surrender to mere mortals?
It glared at him with its blood red eyes, straining its mouth wider and baring its copper fangs as intimidation.
“It’s no use struggling meaninglessly,” Zhang Zian said and shook his head. “Do you still not get it? You’ve been caught right in the middle of the man-cat war, and it would be easier to sleep on clouds than to escape from us. Why not just work together with me and add to the foundation of science research? Give me a Holy Cat statue, and I can crash the entire gold market!”
It couldn’t be bothered to listen to his ramblings, observing its surroundings keenly instead.
It didn’t think that it was backed into a corner at all. Even though it was surrounded by countless strays, no matter their numbers, what could they do about it?
“Where… Where is Fina Paris? Now… Which generation of Fina Paris is it?” it squeezed out using its hoarse voice. Compared to these mortals, it was more concerned about whether its enemy was here.
“Which generation? Oh, let me think. I think it’s the thirteenth?” Zhang Zian tried his best to remember. Fina’s full name was pretty unfamiliar to him since he had always addressed it with a nickname.
“It’s here? Let Fina Paris the Thirteenth come out to meet me!” it roared.
