Zheng Tan approached the source of the noise and along the way, he saw signs of dragging and struggle, as well as a cellphone and a very ladylike shoulder bag lying aside.
There was still a strong, pungent odor in the air. Zheng Tan sniffed and followed the scent in a sweep below, where he spotted a keychain in the bushes with a little tube on it—apparently something like pepper spray.
The girl was pretty well-prepared, but Zheng Tan didn't hear any screams, which meant the man hadn't been hit?
That either meant the girl hadn't sprayed the target, or... the man was probably a repeat offender with precautions in place.
Traversing the trees was much faster, as Zheng Tan didn't need to detour or avoid the uneven ground.
The man stopped under a large tree, already some distance from the path. Even if a noise were made, no one would hear.
Click!
Zheng Tan turned toward the sound and caught a fleeting glimpse of a metallic reflection.
Fuck! This pervert actually carried fetish handcuffs with him! How twisted can you get! Zheng Tan cursed in his mind.
The man shackled the girl's hands with the handcuffs and then pulled a small roll of duct tape from his pocket, the start of which was stuck to paper for easy tearing.
Removing his hand from the girl's mouth and before she could make a sound, the tape sealed her lips, leaving her only able to emit weak sounds through her nose.
Zheng Tan took note that the man wore gloves and a hat that only revealed his eyes and mouth, like some bank robber.
Indeed, a well-prepared habitual offender.
Zheng Tan silently climbed onto the tree, reached its top, and targeted a branch below him before leaping.
Bang!
The branch swung down sharply along with the leaves on it, causing many to fall with the motion.
The sweeping sound of the branches was particularly clear in the quiet environment.
The man, with his hat on, held down the girl below and was unbuckling his belt, ready to proceed, but the noise above startled him.
He glanced upward cautiously. The light was too dim to see anything but the moving branches under the not-so-bright moonlight.
But there was no wind at that moment, and all the surrounding branches were still. The swaying branch above him was like a ghost, beckoning to him.
A bird? The man wondered.
At night, birds went back to their nests to rest, especially in the dead of winter, and at night too. How could there be birds out? Could there be a nest in this tree? Or perhaps, some other animal?
The man held down the struggling girl below and listened to the surrounding sounds.
There seemed to be noises... but they didn't sound human.
Shaking off the doubts in his mind, the man turned back to continue unbuckling his belt, but then a loud thud came from above, louder than the last. He would have ignored it, but the cracking noises above forced him to suppress his lust, as a branch as thick as a child's arm fell down, bringing some unshed leaves with it and hitting him in the face as he looked up.
"Ah!"
The man let out a cry of pain; not only was his face stung by the blow from the branches, but the leaves had also swept across his eyes.
The girl who was pinned to the ground took advantage of this gap to get up and tried to stumble away, but just after taking two steps, the man grabbed her ankle. She was unable to kick herself free, as she was already exhausted.
"Awoo—"
An odd howl caused both their actions to momentarily freeze.
The cry was somewhat indistinguishable as to what kind of animal it might be.
A wolf? Definitely not around here, considering it's on campus. A stray dog? That was possible.
The man pulled a foldable knife from his pocket, its blade reflecting a cold light in the moonlight.
Zheng Tan hid behind a tree. He had never intended to charge in headfirst. It would have been okay when he was human, but now, as a cat, he knew he would be at a serious disadvantage in a real fight. Moreover, he sensed that since the assailant was prepared, he would surely have a knife. Rushing in carelessly, revealing himself, might not only fail to save the girl but could cost him his own life as well.
Ssss ssss ssss ssss—
Sounds began to emerge from the thick underbrush of the surrounding woods, making the man's nerves tense even further.
Just don't let it be stray dogs; he had heard that some hungry stray dogs would eat humans. He might stand a chance against one stray dog, but facing a pack, he would consider escaping unharmed a stroke of luck.
The hissing grew closer, and the man kept his hand pressing down the person beneath him while clutching the knife with the other, alert to the direction from which the sounds were coming.
At that moment, the man suddenly felt a force striking his arm from the side. His arm went numb, the knife fell, and he himself was sent flying over a meter away by the force.
Zheng Tan had been waiting for just this opportunity, having even calculated the angle and point of collision. He waited until the noise made by the other cats drew the man's attention before striking successfully.
The location was on a slope, and the man rolled down the incline after landing.
Chasing after him, Zheng Tan saw that the man probably had twisted his ankle, limping swiftly away, likely thinking that someone was coming and had discovered his deed, prompting him to flee.
The man would never have guessed that what had sent him flying and tumbling down the slope was a cat, not a stray dog or another person.
Because the girl was still there, Zheng Tan did not pursue further; however, if he encountered that man again, he was sure he could recognize him. A cat's nose is sensitive, and even if the man changed hats, Zheng Tan could still pick him out from a crowd.
As Zheng Tan walked back up the slope, he spotted a coat tossed in the bushes, exuding the same perfume scent as the one on the girl.
The girl seemed to have just attended some sort of party, dressed in a long gown, with a woolen overcoat that had been pulled off and discarded during the earlier struggle.
A gust of wind blew, and Zheng Tan felt the chill in the air. Thinking it over, he went over to pick up the woolen coat with his teeth and dragged it up the slope.
When he saw the girl, she was holding the fallen knife, warily looking around. The moment Zheng Tan appeared with the woolen coat in his mouth, the girl immediately prepared to attack with the knife. However, with the help of the faint moonlight, she did not see any person. Her gaze shifted downward, and with difficulty, she noticed her fallen coat, and then the cat next to it, which was hard to spot in the night.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh—
One cat after another sprang out from the bushes. When they had first arrived and seen a human there, they did not immediately show themselves. It was only after Zheng Tan appeared that they came out. Taking the lead was the sheriff, who immediately leaped out from the bushes when Zheng Tan showed up and even let out a "meow" before jumping up to pat down a falling leaf and play with it.
However, no one was in the mood to watch the sheriff's performance just then.
As the girl saw each cat appear, she felt a peculiar sense of reassurance. She listened carefully to her surroundings and noticed that no one seemed to be approaching.
```
After relaxing, the girl collapsed onto the ground, curling up her legs, hands still clutching the knife, but now trembling slightly.
Zheng Tan paused, dragging over the woolen coat and placing it beside the girl's feet.
What should he say at this moment? "Lean on my shoulder"? Bullshit, how could one lean on a cat's shoulder?!
While Zheng Tan was pondering, a pair of hands reached over and scooped him up.
The girl hugged Zheng Tan to her chest, her chin resting on his back, her body still shaking, while the knife was set aside. The slightly higher temperature of the cat's body made her feel much of the chill dissipate, and her stiff, weary limbs began to recover slowly.
The way the girl was holding him made Zheng Tan quite uncomfortable, his ribs aching from being pressed against her knee bones. But she held onto Zheng Tan tightly, like clutching a lifeline.
Zheng Tan couldn't see the girl's eyes, but he felt the iciness of her hands and the trembling fear that had not yet subsided.
The girl was hugging him too firmly, and Zheng Tan couldn't help it; he flicked his tail on her arm, signaling her to loosen up.
The girl didn't react.
He flicked again.
Still no reaction.
Zheng Tan stopped flicking, as it was useless, and instead slowly moved his tail from the girl's wrist to her elbow, then up to her arm.
Zheng Tan wouldn't admit he was taking the chance to cop a feel.
The girl also wouldn't have thought that the cat she was holding had thoughts running toward indecent directions.
Her breathing was still uneven, her mouth remained shut ever since the tape was torn off, and the breath from her nose tickled Zheng Tan's ears, but all he could do was twitch them. Every time the girl exhaled, Zheng Tan would twitch his ears twice.
When Zheng Tan came over, he'd hidden his tag around a tree, so at this moment, the girl had no way of knowing whose cat she was cuddling.
The wind stirred, sending twirling leaves falling from the sky, and some of the leaves on the ground slid along with the wind. The wintry evening forest carried a desolation and eeriness. However, the melancholy and eeriness were diluted somewhat by the presence of a few cats.
The evening breeze ruffled the girl's messy, permed long hair, and in the arms of Zheng Tan, he felt this scene should have been quite touching.
It was just a pity that before Zheng Tan could get too sentimental, he saw the sheriff come running over, lifting a paw to start playing with the girl's hair. Then, maybe suddenly feeling an itch in his bottom, the sheriff squatted on the ground, bending over to start licking himself.
Damn it, this idiot!
Seriously ruining the mood!
Not inviting you next time!
Meanwhile, not far away, a cat was teasing Da Pang who was squatting there, only to be pressed down by an impatient Da Pang with an imposing "Mount Tai's pressure," eliciting a sorrowful yelp from the teasing cat.
Another cat had been playing and chasing around with others but was distracted by that yelp, not watching where it was going and directly ran into a tree. After hitting the tree, it pretended nothing happened and started rolling on the ground.
Zheng Tan wanted to cover his face in embarrassment, goddammit!
However, because of these cats' ridiculous behaviors, the girl gradually relaxed, no longer tense, and her trembling subsided quite a bit.
```
Although being held in such an awkward position wasn't very comfortable, Zheng Tan really enjoyed the feeling of being trusted and relied upon, and felt a hint of regret when he was let go.
"Thank you, really... very... thankful..."
The girl's voice still shook slightly, but from her tone, it was clear that her mood had improved a lot.
After waiting for a while, the girl stood up, holding the knife, and cautiously moved down the slope.
Zheng Tan led the way in front of her, and along the way, he also helped her drag her dropped purse over.
The girl took out her cell phone from the bag and made a call.
Zheng Tan had thought she would either call the police or ask for a roommate or someone to escort her, but what he heard didn't sound like it.
After hanging up the phone, the girl walked onto the road and stopped under the streetlight at the corner.
The flickering light from the faulty street lamp shone intermittently, and because of the location, the school didn't repair these lights very often.
Several cats scurried back and forth in the nearby woods, and due to the lighting and viewing angle, with just a slight lift of her head, the girl could see several pairs of glowing eyes in the darkness. Normally, she would find this scene terrifying, thinking those cats were evil. But now, she felt more at ease with these eyes than with the street lamp.
Zheng Tan stayed by the girl's side, planning to leave after the person she had called arrived.
Since Zheng Tan hadn't left, the sheriff and Da Pang didn't stray far either, and seeing these three cats staying put, the other cats also stayed in the area.
Ten minutes later, a Range Rover arrived with two men and a woman inside, all of whom treated the girl with respect, though they didn't say much.
After the girl got into the car and looked out the window, the black cat that had been crouched there was gone, and there were no more cats visible in the woods.
...
Zheng Tan didn't pay too much attention to the incident that night. He went back, took a bath, and Mr. Jiao helped him dry his fur. Then he crawled into Gu Youzi's cozy bed. On regular days, he still just ate, slept, jogged, and wandered around.
This afternoon, Zheng Tan was lying on a small chair in Mr. Jiao's office, dozing off, while Mr. Jiao was busy grading a student's paper when suddenly Mr. Jiao's cell phone rang.
"Hello... Yuanzi, what's up..."
Zheng Tan's ears twitched, but he didn't open his eyes, listening to Mr. Jiao's conversation with Yuan Zhiyi. However, the phone's volume was low, and with an engineering vehicle passing by outside making a rumbling noise—there was construction work expanding the Life Science Building—Zheng Tan could only guess the topic from Mr. Jiao's responses.
Professor Jiao listened to Yuan Zhiyi's words on the phone, and his expression gradually turned bizarre. "I don't even know anyone from Changwei Group, you know that. I've been tied up with a project recently, barely having enough time to get home every day, how could I possibly get to know such big shots?"
Yuan Zhiyi said something else, and one sentence made Mr. Jiao's face change color, and the corner of his mouth twitched, "Changwei Group's chairman gave you a business card with a cat on it? A black cat?"
As he spoke the latter part of the sentence, Professor Jiao's voice rose in pitch, seemingly in disbelief.
"Okay, I think I might have guessed a possibility. I'll tell you once it's confirmed."
After finishing the call, Professor Jiao tossed the phone onto the desk and flapped the newspaper above Zheng Tan's head vigorously.
"Heitan, have you been up to something again?!"