"Don't worry. She's an apostle. Nobody would hurt her. The authorities won't harm her. Neither would this black man."
The serval was not convinced.
"Please, you've gotta save her!" she pleaded, looking up at him.
Tears were already welling in her large eyes, which shone with fear.
"Please save my mama! Save my mama, please."
The consecutive trauma to her head had slowed the cat's cognitive capabilities. She could not argue or reason with Zhao Yao. She could only repeat the same words to emphasize her point.
"Your mother?" he asked, sighing, "This woman, Zhi Yun, did she raise you?"
Elizabeth chimed in before the serval could respond.
"Zhao Yao, you have to save her."
"Yeah," Matcha added, "I'll despise you for the rest of time if you don't."
"Yes, yes, yes, I know," he said, fishing for the face mask that he had tucked into his jacket.
He just had to wait for the right time to intervene.
