Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
After cleaning up the store, Wang Qian and Li Kun borrowed a trolley and sent more than a dozen stray cats to Sun Xiaomeng’s pet clinic. After Zhang Zian came back, they went downstairs and laid out two exquisite and heavy suitcases. They then went outside the store and put them in the Wuling Hong Guang MPV.
“Master, are you going to play with your drone?”
Wang Qian and Li Kun knew that the suitcase was carrying a drone and looked envious.
“Now, even an assault boat is not enough for you? It seems that you don’t just want to go to the sea. You also want to go to the skies!”
Zhang Zian glanced at them. “Why are you talking nonsense? Look after the store!”
“We also want to play with drones…” They stared at the suitcase.
“To hell with playing with drones! Just take planes!” Zhang Zian waved them off impatiently and drove them back to the store. “I have serious things to do.”
Of course, Wang Qian and Li Kun did not believe him. They whispered, “He obviously wants to play. He’s probably using it at the girls’ dormitory…”
Zhang Zian pretended that he was about to choke both of them. They hurriedly ran back into the store.
He looked up at the window on the second floor.
Vladimir, who was waiting there, pushed open the window, leaped down, and landed on the roof. He did not make any noise before entering the car from the rear window.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Zhang Zian started the car and headed south.
“You’re saying that those stray dogs came from the south of Binhai?” he asked.
“Yes. My comrades at that time ousted the stray dogs from the vicinity of the dog market to the south and expelled them to the outer suburbs. I don’t know where exactly they ended up setting up camp, but it is definitely in the south,” Vladimir said.
Zhang Zian nodded. “Well, let’s go find it.”
Vladimir had no clue what they would find. “It is unwise to go alone. Are you sure you don’t want me to call up my comrades? After all, these horrible dogs injured my tribe. They must pay!”
Zhang Zian was quiet. Calling them horrible dogs here seemed to be correct indeed!
“Don’t get excited yet. Let’s scout for now. Once we know what they are truly up to, we can make further plans,” he said. “Additionally, I don’t recommend that you get into a fight immediately. Although the stray dogs caused a lot of damage, where will the end of revenge be? In fact, the entire dispute started when some stray dogs ousted some other stray dogs. If we can, we should try to resolve the entire issue amicably… If not, both sides will suffer heavy losses.”
Yesterday, after Vladimir had described the entire incident, he’d felt that this matter was not as simple as it seemed. If the leader of a stray dogs was really an elfin, then this would be very troublesome.
Just as Vladimir would lead the stray cats to liberation, this elfin had become the leader of the stray dogs. It certainly wouldn’t sit idly by and observe the plight of the stray dogs. It was destined to clash with Vladimir’s stray cat army.
Two tigers… No, two dogs… That wasn’t right. In short, when cats and dogs fought, one would definitely be wounded.
And it was not just Vladimir and the elfin that might be injured. Hundreds of stray cats and stray dogs would be involved.
If there was a large-scale all-out battle, their rivers might be filled with corpses and blood.
Fina would not sit by and let that happen.
Although it is not clear what Famous thought, it was a dog, after all. How could it bear watching its own kind die?
Besides, if there was such a large-scale cat-and-dog fight, it would certainly alarm humans. How they would react to the situation was difficult to predict.
In short, too many parties would be involved in this conflict. It would likely lead to a serious chain reaction.
Thus, if possible, the two sides should take a step back and aim for a peaceful resolution. That would be the best.
Vladimir knew that Zhang Zian’s concerns were valid. However, he could not take this attack on his kind lying down. In addition, a peace process required both parties to agree and adhere to it. The willingness of the other party to make peace was unknown.
Unexpected major setbacks and unknown opponents made it anxious. It had lost its calm composure that it had been known for in the past.
“Right. As you said before, the stray cats have withdrawn from the greenspace. Why is this so?” The conversation from earlier was unresolved, but he changed the subject anyway.
Vladimir was stunned for a while and wondered why he’d suddenly mentioned this. Although it was a pity to give up their base, this was not the focal point for him right now.
Nevertheless, he thought about it and replied, “I heard from the other stray cats that, after we left for Egypt, the city was bombarded with heavy torrential rains. The temperature soared, and it was hot and humid. The grass in the greenspace grew to over a foot high overnight.”
This was not surprising. After all, the city’s soil had not been cultivated by crops and was moistened by domestic sewage all day. It was rich in organic matter, which provided sufficient nutrients for the growth of vegetation.
Vladimir continued, “I don’t know when it started, but there were suddenly many caterpillars in the greenspace. Many of them seemed to be poisonous. When my comrades walked through the grass, they’d often get these creatures caught in their fur. Sometimes, a cat could have dozens of caterpillars on its body. This made it very painful for them. I heard that some of them were stung to death. Non-combat deaths… What I most hope won’t happen had happened. Because of this and the increasing number of mosquitoes, the cats felt very uncomfortable. After collective deliberation, some stayed behind, though only at the edge of the space to prevent the enemy from occupying it. Others had completely withdrawn from the greenspace.”
It added, “However, this is only a temporary retreat. When the harvest is over, we will go back.”
Zhang Zian said nothing.
He listened while driving and frowned slightly. He hadn’t expected the caterpillars in the green space to be so abundant. If this were true, his plan to plant mint in the space may face strong hindrance. Some caterpillars, such as the Looper, would eat mint leaves. Growing mint in the area would be the equivalent of feeding them.
“Why ask this?” Vladimir asked.
“Nothing. I just think that if the caterpillars are so rampant, they will cause some inconvenience to daily life,” he said. “Walking on the road and suddenly having a caterpillar fall on you… How disgusting.”
Vladimir did not care. It only thought about how to fight against the stray dogs.
“Look! That dog is sneaky! It must be a horrible dog! Keep up with it!” It suddenly saw a stray dog trotting into the alley and shouted indignantly.
Zhang Zian said, “Forget it. The alley is too narrow, and our car won’t be able to turn around when we drive in. If there is a car on the opposite side, we will be blocked.”
Vladimir had to give up the pursuit, though he was full of regret.
It was the afternoon of a workday. The peak traveling period had long since passed, and there were not many cars on the road.
The Wuling Hong Guang MPV drove south smoothly. The buildings on both sides of the roads became lower and lower. They also started to look rather derelict. They had arrived in the suburbs.
