Chapter 248: Chapter 241: Date with a Girl Chapter 248: Chapter 241: Date with a Girl Zheng Tan returned to the base, and all night he pondered what was really going on with that cat.

According to the onlookers, the homeowner would open the windows during the day to air out the place and lock them at night, especially since there were many specimens crafted without standardized procedures. Not only was the smell strong if the door remained closed for too long, but many of the gases were also harmful.

When Zheng Tan had climbed up to the windowsill, he had noticed that the homeowner’s windows weren’t the ordinary type that shattered easily. Mr. Jiao had also mentioned that wild cats usually roamed in the early mornings and evenings, so the cat probably chose to visit right before the homeowner closed the windows and doors for the night, a time when it wouldn’t move around during the day.

People speculated various theories, but no one mentioned the cat itself.

Nobody knew what had really happened in that room, but Zheng Tan intuitively felt it had something to do with the cat, although he didn’t know how the cat managed it. Theoretically, most wild animals are afraid of fire, but was this cat not?

Zheng Tan couldn’t figure it out.

The next day, Zheng Tan still followed the intern team. The team discussed yesterday’s fire accident at a household, which was eventually deemed an accident for various plausible reasons, but Zheng Tan was skeptical. The accident was too coincidental.

Halfway through their walk, Zheng Tan caught a familiar scent. He looked around, seeing only a forest and weedy fields. Even if small animals were hiding out there, they wouldn’t be noticed by the people here unless they moved.

The sun was overhead, and they hadn’t reached the truly wild areas yet. They hadn’t even seen a single mouse among the wild mammals.

But…

Zheng Tan recognized the scent in the air again; it really was that cat.

Logically, with that cat’s survival skills in the wild, it shouldn’t have been so close to the intern team.

The people nearby showed no unusual reactions, and they walked past that spot, gradually moving away. Not too far ahead, the leader asked everyone to stop and take a rest.

Zheng Tan didn’t stay behind; he ran back.

“Heitan, don’t run off,” Jiao Ma said.

“He’s probably going to take a dump, right?” Jiao Yuan suggested.

The people around looked enlightened and didn’t pay much mind, including the members of the Jiao family. However, Mr. Jiao frowned and glanced in the direction Zheng Tan had left. There’s no need to run back just to take a dump. What has that guy discovered this time?

Zheng Tan ran back to the spot and began tracking the scent.

Even though Zheng Tan was careful to step lightly, the dense undergrowth still made a subtle rustling sound, which should have been noticeable to any animal with sensitive hearing.

Zheng Tan continued carefully, his ears perked, paying close attention to the surroundings. Out here, he dared not take any chances.

The wind direction shifted slightly, mixing a faint smell of blood into the air.

As Zheng Tan approached, a low warning growl came from behind some bushes.

It was indeed that cat, but he had no idea what had happened to it. Such a warning sign was telling Zheng Tan that any further approach would be met with hostility.

Zheng Tan stopped, looked at his feet, grabbed a small clump of earth, and threw it toward the bushes.

The other side startled, and the warning growl grew louder.

Zheng Tan had good hearing. When the clump of earth hit the bushes, he also heard the sound of a chain.

During the meeting on the night they arrived at the base, the person on stage had mentioned that there might still be some animal traps left on the mountain, like iron clamps, and everyone should be careful, especially avoiding areas with dense underbrush as there had been accidents in the past.

Even knowing that the other party was trapped, Zheng Tan remained cautious. He changed his approach direction, moving closer while paying attention to the cat’s movements.

Soon, Zheng Tan saw what was going on there.

The cat had a not-so-large iron trap clamped on its leg. The setup of the trap was not very clever. A thin chain was visible wrapped around a nearby tree, unlike the types nailed to the ground that Zheng Tan had seen before. The area was not heavily covered in grass, and the cat, dragging the trap, had hidden in the bushes. Because the chain was not long, it could only hide half its body in the underbrush. The cat had concealed itself well, but the trap hindered it, exposing its conspicuous colors.

From a short distance, Zheng Tan observed the cat. It was a red striped cat, with a pattern similar to the tabby Da Pang, yet with slightly thicker fur and a larger body. Seeing this cat, Zheng Tan immediately thought of the melanistic animals Mr. Jiao once discussed with several teachers, but he wasn’t sure. After all, this place had too many peculiar species. It might just be a special breed of cat. Zheng Tan knew his luck had been good since becoming a cat but only occasionally. He wasn’t sure he had really encountered the melanistic animal Mr. Jiao mentioned, one even a red mouse would be treated like a panda.

However… Zheng Tan had thought yesterday that this cat was quite intelligent, but now he was having doubts. This crude trap looked like something a mountain child would set. How did such a “battle-hardened” cat fall into it?

The clamp on the cat’s hind leg looked new and wasn’t very large..md From what Zheng Tan had gathered eavesdropping around the base, these were just toys children used to try catching rabbits and weasels. Real hunters in the mountains wouldn’t rely on such small devices. Moreover, many local villagers had been notified not to set these kinds of traps in certain areas, as there had been incidents before where a large clamp had nearly broken someone’s leg.

Upon observing the cat again, Zheng Tan had initially missed its half-curled whiskers due to the distracting bright red fur. From his own experiences, Zheng Tan suspected it was related to last night’s fire. Otherwise, how could its whiskers have been burned like that?

Zheng Tan speculated that perhaps the cat had never had its whiskers burnt before. Shocked by the sudden burn, it might have lost some sensitivity and toppled into a ditch while passing by.

Regardless, it was a fact that the fellow was trapped.

The cat stared intensely at Zheng Tan. Every time he moved a step closer, it would roar a few times, probably because it was trapped and trusted nobody, remaining alert to everyone. This attitude was quite different from the indifferent yet not distant demeanor it had shown a few days earlier when it had seen Zheng Tan.

Looking at the iron trap on the cat’s leg, although small, it was made of very sturdy quality. Sometimes, too good a quality could also be a trouble.

Zheng Tan actually wanted to try and pry the trap open, but as he approached, he hadn’t even reached out his paw when a claw came swinging at him. Had Zheng Tan not retreated quickly, he would definitely have been scratched.

Indeed, cats in the wild are quick-tempered and turn hostile without recognition.

Apparently, this cat had been stuck there for quite a while and was somewhat exhausted. After several attempts by Zheng Tan, the cat’s movements slowed slightly. Just as Zheng Tan was about to relax, he was nearly scratched by its claws. Irritated, Zheng Tan slapped it back in return.

Probably unable to endure any longer after receiving a slap from Zheng Tan, the cat lay down on the ground, yet its eyes were still fixed intently on Zheng Tan.

Zheng Tan was prepared to try one last time; if it didn’t allow him to touch, he would just leave it there.

When Zheng Tan’s paw touched the iron frame, the cat’s leg shrank a little, but it didn’t swipe its claws at him as before. Although it still stared at Zheng Tan, the threat in its eyes was much less.

Only now do you realize I mean well? Zheng Tan cursed inwardly. This guy probably resented everyone after getting trapped, and now that it realized he was trying to help, it didn’t swipe its claws.

Although it was just a toy for the village children, it still took some effort for Zheng Tan to deal with. This trap was different from the rat traps he had seen back at the Jiao family’s old home.

After prying open the iron trap, the cat quickly moved its leg away from the trap, roared loudly a few times without tending to its wounds first. Its roar was different from a regular house cat’s, not as sharp and not as domineering as larger feline creatures, but it was still full of vigor.

Looking at the situation, Zheng Tan suddenly felt this guy resembled a young man who, after being duped once in society, vented his frustrations.

The Jiao family was already calling for Zheng Tan, probably because he had been ‘away’ too long and they heard a sound that resembled a wild beast, prompting their concern.

Zheng Tan examined the cat’s wound; it had been bleeding earlier, but now it looked better. Judging by its movements, it seemed not too serious, at least its bones weren’t broken.

Feeling that it wasn’t a big deal, Zheng Tan ran off to where the training team was resting. Seeing Zheng Tan return, the team continued their journey. After hearing a roar earlier, the leading teacher suspected some wild animal was nearby, which made them apprehensive about staying there any longer.

“Did Heitan just fight with a wild animal?” Jiao Yuan asked while walking.

“That’s unlikely, our cat is no sheriff and isn’t that combative,” Jiao Ma responded.

Although it seemed improbable for him to engage in a fight, for safety reasons, Zheng Tan was picked up by the four members of the Jiao family to check him over.

“There’s blood on its paw,” Little Youzi noticed a suspicious stain while wiping Zheng Tan’s paw with a wet tissue.

Everyone anxiously examined Zheng Tan’s paw for a long time but found no wounds, and everything seemed normal as he moved.

“It probably bullied some animal again,” Little Youzi said.

“Could our cat bully a wild beast?” Jiao Ma was skeptical. She felt that wild animals were fierce, and even a wild cat was a beast, not merely a cat. Compared to house cats, wild beasts were definitely more ferocious.

However, seeing that their own cat wasn’t injured, they didn’t say much more.

But the Jiao family might have been relieved a bit too soon.

That night, none of the four went out; they stayed in the room discussing the gains of the last few days. Just as Zheng Tan was about to jump out the window, which the Jiao family had grown accustomed to him doing for a couple of hours each day and were even ready to remind him of something, they heard a sound outside, similar to a cat’s howl. Although slightly different, it was still identifiable as a cat’s—there were a few cats in Chuhua City whose cries stood out from the rest.

Others might not have distinguished it, but Zheng Tan could. It was that Red Striped Cat. The cries of a cat varied greatly depending on the mood and situation.

Even though they didn’t speak the same language, Zheng Tan felt that the cat was calling for him, so he lifted his foot, hopped out the window, and left.

“Heitan probably went out on a date?” Jiao Yuan snickered.

“Stop talking nonsense, go read your book!” Jiao Ma lightly slapped Jiao Yuan and scolded.

Even after having a cat for so long, it was impossible to determine from a single meow whether the sound was made by a male or female cat. However, the Jiao family preferred to believe their cat had gone out to meet a girl. What they didn’t know was that when their cat “met a girl,” it tended to be gone for several days. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote, recommend, and give monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep