When night came, Zhao Yao used his illusion to trick the cats into entering the extradimensional belly. However, he was not able to complete the first of his chain missions.
Evidently, the population for cat nation was calculated based on permanent residents and not one-off visitors. Hence, instead of completing his mission, his cat population had dropped to 8/10 with the departure of the Pallas"s cat.
"Hmph, why is the Pallas"s cat included in the cat population? The population size will also be affected when the cat leaves the belly."
After rounds of experimenting and a.n.a.lyzing, Zhao Yao finally concluded that a minimum stay was required for the cats to be included in the census.
He had considered bringing the cats in his café into the belly. However, he gave up the thought as he realized that it would be a bad idea for them to stay permanently with Ares and friends.
On the second day, the Pallas" cat stood obediently at the doorstep with his face covered in bruises. Zhao Yao waved his hand in the air and the Pallas"s cat complied accordingly, obediently entering Zhao Yao"s cat bag. Things went smoothly as Zhao Yao brought him all the way to Starry Starry Pet Hospital and into Dr. Liu"s office.
Throughout the journey, the Pallas" cat tried to convince Zhao Yao to release him into the wilderness instead of returning him to the hospital. Pleas were followed by verbal tirades.
Once inside her office, Zhao Yao carefully placed the cat bag on the table and unzipped the bag, revealing the Pallas"s cat. Zhao Yao said, "Fortunately, I"ve managed to return the cat back to you unscathed. However, I have one suggestion for you: do not coop him in a cage all day."
Her lips parted when she noticed the cat. She did not expect Zhao Yao to be able to find and return her the cat. Upon hearing Zhao Yao"s words, she could not help but lowered her head in embarra.s.sment, "I"m sorry. I also do not wish to coop him inside the cage all day. However, he has done some bad things which … which terrifies me."
"I understand," Zhao Yao could only nod his head as he was at a loss for words.
Dr. Liu continued explaining, "Two months ago, one of my customers left him at my pet hospital. However, I was afraid that he might startle the other cats and hence decided to bring him back to my apartment.
But I did not expect this cat to have such a foul temper. He ripped apart the furniture at my house and made a mess. I was always a victim during his mini rampages."
She rolled up her sleeves to reveal a series of scars.
The Pallas"s cat craned his neck out of the cat bag and retorted, "Bulls.h.i.+t! Slander! She is blatantly lying!"
Zhao Yao immediately pressed his head and squeezed him back into the cat bag. Zhao Yao empathized with her predicament and understood how dangerous this cat was as compared to a normal domestic cat. It was extremely difficult for a woman like Dr. Liu to take care of him.
"Initially, I could still put up with his violent behavior but he has grown stranger and stranger over the past month," Dr. Liu continued, "In the middle of the night, he would stand at the side of my bed and stare at me as if I"m a plate of raw meat."
"I was just trying to protect her," The Pallas"s cat once again jerked his head out of the cat bag and shouted.
"Sometimes he even has a mysterious smile on his face when he stares at me. It is the kind of smile that you can only find in a horror movie."
"It is just a normal smile! The most harmless and cheerful smile!"
"Previously, when I switched on my phone, I realized that someone had tried to access my phone and the photo of the culprit was taken. Do you want to guess who"s behind it?"
"I accidentally tapped on her phone, I"ve already said it was an accident!"
Zhao Yao twirled a finger next to his temple and commented, "I truly understand what you"re experiencing." He understood that not everyone could adapt to living alongside a cat with human-like intelligence.
Some owners would be over the moon if they could communicate with their pets. However, some would find this phenomenon weird and might even develop fear towards them.
That"s because they only wanted a simple pet, a pet that would bask in their love for them. They did not want a pet that shared similar intelligence with them and had razor-sharp teeth and claws.
Zhao Yao continued, "I understand. This was why you decided to put him inside the pet hospital and restrained him inside a cage, with a cloth draping over it."
"I was left with no choice. The customer originally said that he would only be here for two days. In the end, I"ve been taking care of him for the past month," She simmered with anger as she complained, "I"ve really been exploited by my customer. I"m going to demand a compensation when I see her."
Suddenly, Zhao Yao noticed a gigantic golden exclamation mark floating beside Dr. Liu"s face. His right eyebrow shot up and he asked concernedly, "Dr. Liu, is there anything I can do to help you?"
Dr. Liu raised her head and stared at Zhao Yao before shaking her head, "It"s okay, I can handle this on my own."
Zhao Yao"s enthusiasm did not wane as he continued asking, "Are you sure? You can always find me if you have any problems."
Dr. Liu thought about it before replying, "There is something rather troublesome but I cannot give you anything in return."
Zhao Yao immediately replied, "It"s alright, I enjoy doing things and helping others. I"m willing to do this for free."
"Could you kindly give the dogs in the hospital a bath?" Dr. Liu pleaded with her palms tightly clasped together, "The cleaning lady responsible for this had returned to her village. The dogs have not showered for weeks and the stench is unbearable."
Zhao Yao was left speechless by her request. Even though Dr. Liu had already entrusted him with a job but the mission was not reflected on his mission panel. Evidently, this was not the mission.
"Giving the dogs a bath is too simple. Do you have something even more problematic in mind?"
"Didn"t you say that you were willing to help out in any way possible?"
"I"m willing to do anything other than giving the dogs a bath."
"In that case, can you help me clean the toilet? The cleaning lady is also responsible for the cleanliness of the toilets."
Zhao Yao could not help but roll his eyes, "Other than simple sanitary things, do you have anything more troubling and challenging? Please, I would not mind if it is something dangerous."
Dr. Liu considered Zhao Yao"s words seriously before her eyes drifted towards the Pallas"s cat, "Actually, there is something that has been troubling me. The customer who left this cat with me gave me a call in the morning and asked me to deliver him back to her. However, this cat is so scary and heavy. I don"t think I can deliver him over to her alone."
Dr. Liu shook her head in disappointment and said, "Furthermore, I do not wish to do this extra job of sending her cat over after she left him here for over a month. Even though she promised me RMB 5,000, I can no longer trust her after what she did."
She curled her lips in annoyance and continued, "It would be great if you can help me deliver the cat back to her and collect the money from her."
The corners of his mouth quirked up when Zhao Yao heard Dr. Liu"s words. He thought, "Finally, a legitimate mission!"
Mission: Return the cat to his rightful owner
Objective: Return the Pallas"s cat to his owner. Additional reward would be given if you successfully collect the RMB 5,000
Reward: 100 experience points
Punishment: Nil
Naturally, Zhao Yao did not hesitate but accept the mission.
Zhao Yao quickly zipped up the cat bag and proceeded to the location provided by Dr. Liu. This was the address the owner gave Dr. Liu in the morning.
Zhao Yao entered a condominium and took a lift to the tenth floor before reaching the apartment, 1006.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
The door finally opened ajar after rounds of knocking. Zhao Yao could make out a human figure standing behind the door but could only see a pair of eyes through the tiny gap. He mustered his most courteous and patient voice, "I"m here to deliver the Pallas"s cat. Are you the owner?"
The door slowly swung open and revealed an extremely skinny and pale lady.
The most distinct feature of this young lady was not her physical appearance but rather how cool she looked and behaved. She bore an uncanny resemblance to those j.a.panese porcelain dolls.
Zhao Yao placed the bag in front of her and said, "Does it belong to you?"
Inside the bag, the Pallas"s cat was shouting at the top of his voice, "Meowhahaha, I"m finally back! Open the bag and let me out now!"
The lady glanced at Zhao Yao and nodded her head. She replied coolly, "Thanks."
Zhao Yao nodded his head and tried to broach the topic of RMB 5,000, "Dr. Liu said that …"
Bam! The lady immediately slammed the door shut in Zhao Yao"s face and did not even bother listening to what he had to say.
"That was uncalled for," Zhao Yao frowned and considered knocking on the door again.
Suddenly, the Pallas"s cat"s screams erupted from the apartment.