Chapter 223: Chapter 219: Stand By Chapter 223: Chapter 219: Stand By Ermao might not be sure whether the poop was human’s or a dog’s, and even if it was from a dog, it wasn’t necessarily from Black Gold. He was just guessing it might be Black Gold’s.

But Zheng Tan was quite certain that it was indeed from Black Gold, yet he didn’t understand why. Cats usually have this habit of burying their poop, especially the wild ones which tend to do it better. He had heard that this seemed to be an instinctive behavior of cats—except for himself.

About this behavior, people have many speculations, one of which is that as solitary hunters, cats try to hide their traces as much as possible. Even though they have been brought into human society now, they still retain their wild habits and instincts.

And as for dogs, which typically just do their business and leave, would they really take the trouble to bury their poop?

Could this have been one of Black Gold’s past training exercises?

The trainer must have had a tough time during the training sessions.

As Zheng Tan was thinking, his ears twitched towards a direction, then he jumped onto a nearby large tree and climbed higher to look in that direction.

Behind a densely grown yet leafless thicket some hundred meters away, a pair of dog ears appeared. The small area of thicket was surrounded by numerous dry plants, and the nearby dense dead grass had been burned, so the yellow of the dry grass and the charred blackness made Black Gold’s figure not very noticeable, especially to human eyes.

At this moment, those dog ears were turning, mindful of the surroundings, suggesting it had already noticed the movement from Ermao’s side and was cautiously moving in this direction.

He is truly “professionally trained,” Zheng Tan thought to himself.

Noticing Zheng Tan’s reaction, Ermao immediately became alert and was about to hide when he suddenly paused and looked toward the cat in the tree, whose expression didn’t seem like seeing a stranger or anything extremely threatening but more like seeing a familiar person or thing.

Could it be…

Although feeling that there might not be a threat, Ermao still acted cautiously, hiding himself and looking in the direction Zheng Tan was facing.

Soon, Ermao spotted Black Gold.

However, Black Gold still seemed hesitant to approach Ermao; after all, it wasn’t easy for it to accept strangers, even though it had seen Ermao a few times before but was still not close. Senior Hetao also took a few months to gradually start getting closer to Black Gold.

Seeing Black Gold, Ermao was very happy, but unfortunately, Black Gold couldn’t talk. Ermao asked a few questions but didn’t see much response from Black Gold. However, when Ermao mentioned Senior Hetao, Black Gold reacted slightly upon hearing the familiar name, then looked in a certain direction.

Looking down the concrete road, one could not see the end, and there wasn’t a single car in sight.

But from Black Gold’s reaction, Ermao could deduce the possible location those people and Senior Hetao might have gone to. It seemed like Senior Hetao had to leave first, unable to take Black Gold with him, and had Black Gold wait here. Coupling this with the newly received messages, Ermao speculated a place and decided to drive there to check it out.

Ermao had Zheng Tan and Black Gold wait there, he went to bring the car over. It wasn’t too far from where the car was parked, and he could already roughly map out the route in his mind.

Zheng Tan, feeling too lazy to walk, was willing to wait here.

As Ermao left, Zheng Tan lay on the tree looking at the road, estimating the time, wondering when Ermao would arrive, and if Ermao got lost whether he would have to experience another period of wandering life.

Just thinking about it made him feel miserable.

Zheng Tan’s whiskers trembled; he really didn’t want to wander, especially since he was now hungry. What could he possibly eat around here? Field mice?

After all, not being a real cat, Zheng Tan was still more eager to finish up and return.

Looking down at Black Gold nestled in the grass, even though most of the grass here was already dry and yellow, Black Gold would still choose places with some bushes or plenty of trees for better concealment and wouldn’t stay in open areas for long, even choosing hidden spots for burying its poop. Maybe its efforts weren’t perfect, but for a dog, they were already quite commendable.

If Senior Hetao never came back, or if Black Gold didn’t run into them, would this dog keep waiting here? Zheng Tan thought it’s quite likely.

About half an hour later, Ermao arrived in the car, got out, opened the back door, and signaled for Black Gold to get in, but Black Gold just stood there, looked at Ermao, and didn’t move.

Zheng Tan jumped into the car first and rummaged through the food Ermao had left in the car; there was his own ration too. After all, he needed to fill his stomach before getting on with work.

Not sure if it was because of Ermao’s efforts, Black Gold glanced at Zheng Tan lying on the seat eating, tilted its head looking puzzled and uncertain, but eventually got into the car.

Zheng Tan initially thought it was the food that lured the dog into the car, but after getting in, Black Gold didn’t go for Zheng Tan’s food, even though Zheng Tan generously offered it right to its mouth, it wouldn’t eat.

“When Black Gold was with Senior Hetao, it only ate the food fed by Senior Hetao. It didn’t eat anything given by others. Senior Hetao’s wife and kids are still in the process of bonding with this dog. Although it has become slightly more familiar with them, feeding it hasn’t yet been successful,” Ermao said, looking at the back through the rearview mirror.

Zheng Tan looked at the dog next to him drooling from the smell of the food and felt quite impressed that it was holding back from eating despite being very hungry. If it were Sahara, he probably would have snatched it and run off.

The car drove for about an hour, Zheng Tan dozed off for a bit, and when he woke up, he looked out the window and saw the nearby mountains. There were many mountains around here.

Ermao was headed for a place located on a mountain, and the route was not suitable for driving; nor did he ask the residents living at the foothill to keep an eye out, so he found a spot to park himself.

The car had been modified, so Ermao was not worried about it being stolen. Even if it were stolen, compared to what Senior Hetao was facing, losing the car wouldn’t matter much.

After alighting from the car, Black Gold followed Ermao for a while before starting to sniff around. It clearly detected a familiar scent, which might not necessarily belong to Senior Hetao; there were others as well.

Upon seeing a mark left on a tree, Ermao felt a bit more relieved. Like before, he cautiously moved forward following the markings. Black Gold was a bit ahead, and while Ermao followed the trail, he also watched the route Black Gold was taking.

As for Zheng Tan, all tasks had been taken over by the duo ahead, and he just needed to follow.

It was winter now, and many of the mountain’s trees had shed their leaves, yet some evergreens remained, so it didn’t look completely barren. While following Ermao uphill, Zheng Tan still had the mood to look around at other areas.

After walking for a while, Ermao suddenly stopped and called to Black Gold, stopping it from moving forward because he noticed a subtle additional mark on one of the symbols, indicating that there might be surveillance devices ahead.

Ermao checked his phone only to find no signal. If there were surveillance devices ahead, he might be fine, but the situation for the dog and cat was uncertain, with a high potential for exposure.

After some thought, Ermao told both Black Gold and Zheng Tan to stay put and not run ahead, especially Black Gold. Ermao explained for quite a while, unsure how much the dog could understand or absorb. However, when Ermao walked a few steps forward and looked back, he found that Black Gold had already moved toward some bushes to hide.

It seems some of the words did sink in.

No matter how much Black Gold understood, Ermao just needed it to not follow him and stay put.

Zheng Tan climbed a tree that still had green leaves, feeling safer up there. Given the season, there were fewer insects and snakes, so Zheng Tan was not worried about those.

After Ermao left, Zheng Tan stayed on the tree. It was very quiet around him, and Black Gold didn’t make much noise either. The clear sound of birds chirping emphasized a desolate feel to the place. It had no trace of human presence.

Zheng Tan lay on a branch. With Black Gold on guard below, and the unlikelihood that anyone would particularly notice a cat hiding in a tree, Zheng Tan was much safer than Black Gold.

Suddenly, Zheng Tan’s ears twitched, and he opened his eyes to look in one direction. Black Gold, hidden behind the bushes, had also heard something but remained quietly in its spot.

Zheng Tan had a higher vantage point, and thus a clearer view than Black Gold.

It was a field mouse, probably out looking for food in the winter due to a lack of provisions. Zheng Tan wasn’t interested in eating it, nor was he in the mood to chase mice for fun, so he simply ignored it and let the mouse go.

However, as the mouse gradually approached, its boldness suggested it hadn’t encountered many predators around here, but upon nearing the area, it probably smelled something because it suddenly stopped and looked around cautiously.

Whoosh!

Zheng Tan saw Black Gold burst out from the bushes, rapidly charging toward the mouse. From the way it captured the mouse, Zheng Tan could tell this wasn’t the first time the dog had done this; it had probably caught mice at home before.

The mouse didn’t escape from Black Gold’s clutches. Zheng Tan only heard it squeak briefly before the noise abruptly stopped. By the time he looked again, Black Gold was already coming back, laying in the dry grass and starting to eat. It paused intermittently, alertly scanning its surrounds with pricked ears, making sure no one was approaching before continuing to eat.

Listening to Black Gold chewing on the mouse, Zheng Tan felt impressed; this dog truly had skills, or rather, its former trainer had skills. Meanwhile, this also showed that the dog had experienced hardships, likely having undertaken tasks with soldiers. He had heard Wei Leng talk about it before, about times when they had no food on missions and had to scavenge locally. As for what they scavenged, the variety included animals like field mice and snakes.

They should really let some of those dogs who waste their food take a look. During Zheng Tan’s time at the Pet Center, he had seen several instances where dogs licked at one kibble and knocked another aside, leaving the food scattered on the ground to be swept up and thrown away by the staff afterward. The dog owners thought nothing of it, and Zheng Tan hadn’t seen it as a big deal at the time either. But now, comparing the two, he suddenly felt that it was indeed better to be frugal.

After finishing its meal, Black Gold went back behind the previous bushes. Zheng Tan looked and saw not much blood on Black Gold; it was licking around its mouth, and probably the blood would be gone soon.

Zheng Tan wondered when Ermao and Senior Hetao would finish their business as he lay in the tree. It was good that he had eaten some more in the car before arriving, so he wasn’t hungry, but if he had to endure a few more days like this, Zheng Tan wondered if he would end up eating field mice like Black Gold.

Just then, Zheng Tan tensed and looked toward the path uphill—someone was approaching. Not an animal, but a person!

Black Gold had heard it too and stopped licking its mouth, attentively facing the direction of the sound.

Soon, Zheng Tan saw the newcomers, two strangers with a noticeable accent, not seeming like locals. He had overheard some locals chatting before, and their accents differed from these men’s.

The two men were walking a route that was still some distance from where Zheng Tan was located. As they descended the mountain, one of them was speaking into a walkie-talkie. From their conversation, Zheng Tan gathered they were headed to a base near the foothill.

After thinking it over, Zheng Tan climbed down from the tree and stealthily followed them.

Black Gold, hiding behind the bushes, was puzzled.

Weren’t they supposed to stay put? Why had the cat run off? Should it follow the cat or continue to stay put? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it or leave a monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep