Chapter 177: Chapter 177: The Roadblocker Chapter 177: Chapter 177: The Roadblocker Zheng Tan lay on the sofa, looking down from on high at the leopard cat beside the coffee table.

The leopard cat just stood there, growling continuously, but no one around dared to pull it away—it was not to be trifled with.

“Anna, take your cat away!” Qin Tao approached the girl who had brought in the leopard cat and whispered to her.

The girl named Anna frowned, “At this moment, it’s better not to touch it lightly; it’s in a rage, and besides, the trainer my parents hired said that if it behaves like this, it must have encountered something or someone that it finds challenging. I definitely can’t handle it alone.”

Anna found it odd, too; there was clearly only Tang Cai and the black cat on the sofa opposite. There was no way Tang Cai could have provoked the leopard cat into such a state; it had scratched Tang Cai in the bathroom without showing any fear. But to say it was the black cat? Not only would Anna herself not believe it, most of the people present wouldn’t either.

Qin Tao took out his cell phone, preparing to call Ms. Sha for help. He didn’t want a bloodletting incident to occur here. A cat going crazy could be as destructive as Tang Cai in a rage, especially a big cat like this one.

In a cat confrontation, it’s not about having a stronger presence, a louder voice, or a more ferocious growl.

Zheng Tan originally didn’t want to deal with this guy. With so many people present, Zheng Tan didn’t want to cause trouble. If the fellow had the sense to back down on its own, everyone could live in peace.

However, things didn’t develop as Zheng Tan had hoped. This leopard cat clearly wasn’t the type to back down easily.

To the other people in the room, the leopard cat might have sounded senselessly howling, but from its growl, Zheng Tan could discern that the cat was starting to change its mind. At first, it was purely cautious, but gradually, as some thoughts took over, it began to show signs of provocation and intent to attack, flattening its ears back, whiskers pointing upwards, opening its mouth wide to reveal its sharp teeth while growling.

Zheng Tan flicked the tip of his tail and then lifted his paw to push Tang Cai’s hand away, stretching languorously.

Tang Cai, intently watching the leopard cat and feeling her fingers pushed away, quickly extended her arm in a protective stance in front of Zheng Tan, afraid the leopard cat might suddenly charge. Although she didn’t quite understand why the leopard patterned big cat was acting this way, like the others in the room, she instinctively considered Zheng Tan to be at a disadvantage.

Zheng Tan was thankful for Tang Cai’s protective attitude, but he certainly didn’t want to be shielded by a girl in this situation. He pushed her blocking arm away with his paw. Suddenly, Zheng Tan paused his movements, sniffed with his nose, and looked at Tang Cai’s arm, seeing a claw mark on the sleeve of her motorcycle jacket. The jacket was nearly torn through, and when Tang Cai had reached out to scratch Zheng Tan’s chin earlier, it wasn’t with that arm, so she hadn’t noticed.

Moving closer and sniffing again, Zheng Tan looked towards the leopard cat that was becoming increasingly fierce. He had originally planned to give it a slap like last time, hoping it would learn its place and back off; however, Zheng Tan changed his mind on the spot.

When the leopard cat’s growl suddenly changed, Zheng Tan knew it couldn’t hold back any longer.

Almost at the moment the leopard cat pounced towards him, Zheng Tan also jumped, avoiding the leopard cat’s sharp claws and not colliding head-on, but rather struck it with his own paw.

His claws tore through fur and into flesh, meeting resistance, and the smell of blood filled the air.

Zheng Tan wasn’t into the combination tactics of holding, biting, kicking, and scratching as the sheriff and his ilk were; he preferred keeping things simple and brutal, similar to the slap he delivered last time, and now this swipe of his paw.

This time, there was no knockout blow, but blood was drawn.

When they landed, the two cats were very close to each other, and the leopard cat had a scratch running from its neck to its abdomen. Zheng Tan’s claws, harder than those of an average cat, coupled with his intent to draw blood, dug in deeper.

Short-haired cats are vulnerable in a fight; they’re easily scratched, whereas cats with long, thick fur can use their coats to lessen the impact of claws, at worst losing some fur.

Zheng Tan was ready to strike again but held back due to the size difference. Furthermore, he had intentionally avoided the other’s claws by not jumping too high, otherwise, he could have started from the big cat’s head instead of the neck. However, the leopard cat retreated quickly, sensing Zheng Tan’s intentions and hastily leaping away towards Anna. Although still growling, its aggression had lessened significantly. The will to fight doesn’t last; after the initial courage fades, the fear sets in. It had mustered the courage to charge, only to receive another swipe, and now it was scared again.

The leopard cat didn’t have dark fur like Zheng Tan’s. As blood quickly seeped from the wound, it stained the nearby fur red, and with a rather long gash, blood was already dripping onto the carpeted floor.

Qin Tao and the others watched the scene in disbelief, their jaws nearly hitting the floor. Despite the obvious size disparity, the outcome of the round was entirely contrary to what everyone expected.

Just as Anna was about to throw her wine glass at Zheng Tan, Ermao stopped her.

The door of the private room opened, with Ms. Sha leading the reinforcements Qin Tao had called for.

With so many witnesses, Zheng Tan refrained from pursuing further attacks; otherwise, he would come across as a vicious and dangerously aggressive creature. He didn’t need to create more fear among the people for the sake of the leopard cat—it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

Even so, the people still felt uneasy. Although the black cat didn’t bare its teeth or growl, its gaze alone was chilling.

Qin Tao felt a shiver down his spine.

When the people brought by Ms. Sha separated the two cats, Zheng Tan withdrew his aggressive posture, crouched in place looking very docile, and stayed that way until Anna took the leopard cat away. Only then did Zheng Tan jump onto the sofa, lying down beside Tang Cai.

Ermao picked up Zheng Tan to inspect him. Zheng Tan’s fur was too dark to reveal any wounds even if they were there. After checking, both Ermao and Tang Cai found no injuries, except for the paw stained with blood. Tang Cai got someone to bring a warm, damp towel to clean Zheng Tan’s paw.

Zheng Tan let Tang Cai grip his paw and wipe off the blood, his mind preoccupied with something else. During the fight, he had sensed something peculiar but couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

“Looks like you didn’t come off worse,” Ermao concluded.

Qin Tao stood a meter away from Ermao and Tang Cai, not sharing their courage. He had observed the wounds on the Leopard Cat from close range. What if, he thought, the Black Cat’s paws had been bigger, its claws longer? Would it have been possible for it to gut someone on the spot?

Seeing that Zheng Tan wasn’t injured, Ermao felt relieved and also grateful that he hadn’t brought Heimi along. Heimi, although ferocious in spirit, wouldn’t stand a chance in combat compared to these two.

This was the first time Ermao realized that Zheng Tan’s fighting abilities were unlike those of a regular cat. It seemed he would have to keep his own Black Coal farther away from now on.

“Aren’t you afraid of it?” Ermao asked Tang Cai, who was cleaning Zheng Tan’s paw.

“Not at all, it was avenging me,” Tang Cai said with a smile. The smile was softer and lacked the usual wild arrogance of her everyday demeanor.

Ermao didn’t say anything further as Qin Tao called him again. They had joined the birthday gathering to have fun, and Qin Tao didn’t want the occasion spoiled by a catfight. Besides, to everyone else there, cats were just cats, something to watch for entertainment. The incident might have been unforeseen, but it didn’t merit too much attention afterwards since they had their own agendas to pursue.

After Ermao was led away, a girl hesitated before approaching. She was a relative of Tang Cai and was currently interning at her dad’s company. Perhaps it was Zheng Tan’s seemingly docile appearance, which posed no threat, that allowed her to sit down on a sofa a seat away.

Tang Cai enjoyed talking about cats, and it was clear the girl knew about Tang Cai’s interest as she kept the conversation focused on feline topics.

When they got to the topic of Anna’s cat being trained to use the toilet, Tang Cai suddenly asked, “Was her cat specifically trained by someone?”

The girl was pleased to see Tang Cai’s interest, as currying favor might smooth her own path at the company once she was hired permanently.

“I heard the cat was a New Year’s gift from a relative in Anna’s family. However, such big cats might be temperamental. Anna’s parents spent a lot on training to make it a pet, not a fighter for the ring. If it were too unruly, Anna wouldn’t dare bring it over. Oh, and toilet training was part of that package.”

“So, you’re saying it wouldn’t attack people on its own?” Tang Cai said, her head slightly tilted down, making it difficult for those around her to see her eyes.

“Yeah, otherwise Anna’s parents wouldn’t let her keep such a big cat by her side all the time. Who would she cry to if it scratched her face and ruined her looks?” the girl answered.

If it wasn’t allowed to claw at people, why then did the big cat reach out its paw towards her in the restroom? Was it possible without Anna leading it? Tang Cai looked at the scratch marks on her sleeve, silent.

Others might not have seen Tang Cai’s eyes, but Zheng Tan noticed the rage brewing within her. If it weren’t for his presence, her temper would probably have flared up again.

Zheng Tan also suddenly recalled where the odd feeling during the fight had come from. The Leopard Cat seemed much tamer than before—had it been due to training? Had their wildness been dulled? A more spirited animal would become fiercer after taking a wound.

Of course, that was just Zheng Tan’s speculation. He didn’t really know the specifics.

The gathering ended that evening, and Ermao left with Zheng Tan, Tang Cai looking reluctantly on. Ermao had Qin Tao save two pieces of cake to take back for the kids at the Jiao family. But Ermao didn’t breathe a word about the fight or the cat’s injury, knowing that if he did, they wouldn’t be able to “invite” Zheng Tan out again. Besides, even if those at the party saw Zheng Tan later, they might not recognize him.

On Sunday, Tang Cai invited them to dinner—just Qin Tao and Ermao, the latter mainly to bring Zheng Tan along. It was merely a dinner at a private kitchen restaurant they frequented. Afterward, Ermao suggested going to Night Building for fun and invited a few people they had just met the day before who seemed like good company. Zheng Tan decided not to join in, preferring not to disturb Jiao Ma with a late return.

Zheng Tan was dropped off at the school gate and didn’t linger. He jogged straight back to the East District courtyard.

At this time, there weren’t many people on the roads around the East District courtyard—that would change in half an hour when late-night class attendees and faculty working overtime would return.

As Zheng Tan ran, he slowed down as he approached the courtyard.

Three unfamiliar cats sat on the road ahead, blocking the way.

Zheng Tan had never seen these cats in the area before; they were complete strangers.

As Zheng Tan got closer, the three cats maintained their postures, firmly seated, all staring at him. The orange streetlights elongated their shadows.

In the distance, a cat from somewhere was yowling, but the three cats just twitched their ears, seeming indifferent to the noise, as if they were simply hearing the rustling of the leaves around them; they remained firmly in place.

As Zheng Tan wondered about the identity of these three roadblock cats, a voice suddenly reached him.

“Black Coal?”

A man with a felt hat emerged from the shadows beneath a tree by the roadside. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for my recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep