Chapter 134: Late Autumn
As Kong Zhi lifted him, Xia the cat realized just how much he had grown.
Before, his entire cat form could curl up in Kong Zhi’s arms, but now, he could easily rest his head on Kong Zhi’s shoulder.
They shared a glance, and Kong Zhi, smiling, carried him to the bathroom.
In front of the mirror, the reflection made it clear.
Xia the cat looked up, and the majestic forest cat in the mirror stared back, its emerald eyes full of a newfound dignity.
Xia the cat instinctively stretched out his neck to peer at the cat in the mirror.
The forest cat in the mirror did the same, looking back at him, as large as a small tiger.
“Meow.” He now understood just how big he had become.
Xia the cat retracted his head and looked up at Kong Zhi with his little head held high.
Kong Zhi, meeting his gaze, bent down and kissed the top of his head.
Xia the cat’s fur flattened slightly where he had been kissed, and he looked up in confusion.
Kong Zhi, with a smile in his eyes, rubbed Xia the cat’s soft furry belly and gave him another kiss.
“Meow.” Xia the cat patted Kong Zhi’s face with his plush paw, signaling him to let him down.
Kong Zhi, amused, squeezed Xia the cat’s squishy paw pads. Before Xia the cat could protest further, he scooped him up again and took a big sniff of his soft fluffy belly.
“Meow!” Xia the cat’s belly tickled from the warm breath. He wrapped his paws around Kong Zhi’s head in protest.
Kong Zhi took another playful sniff and even rubbed his face against Xia the cat’s belly.
“What are you two doing?” Xia Huo Qu’s voice came from outside the door.
Kong Zhi, unbothered, lifted his head and nodded toward Xia Huo Qu.
Xia Huo Qu peeked in and, seeing Xia the cat, asked, “Has Xia Nong gotten bigger again in his beast form?”
Xia the cat stretched out his paws as far as he could, “Meow!”
Kong Zhi nodded. “Yes, he’s grown a lot. He must weigh over 30 pounds now.”
Xia Huo Qu reached out to take Xia the cat. “Let me see.”
Kong Zhi handed him over.
Xia the cat’s fur was long and soft, incredibly pleasant to touch. Xia Huo Qu couldn’t resist stroking him a few times and even gave his head a gentle rub.
Before Xia the cat could protest, Xia Huo Qu lifted him slightly, weighing him. “He’s definitely over 30 pounds—big enough to be classified as a small wild animal.”
Xia the cat’s eyes lit up as he looked up at his brother.
His brother met his gaze and said, “Being as heavy as a small wild animal doesn’t mean much. You’re a house cat—don’t try to act tough outside, especially not by chasing wild animals.”
“Meow.” Xia the cat’s tail drooped, and his whole body seemed to deflate with disappointment.
Although his body had grown, his abilities hadn’t improved much.
The entire morning passed, and he still couldn’t return to human form.
When Yan Xi Nian returned and saw how big Xia the cat had grown, he was also surprised. He took the opportunity to stroke the cat for a while, content to simply pet his back, looking completely satisfied with his fill of feline affection.
Xia the cat lay on the sofa, his head resting on his paws, looking utterly dejected.
He still couldn’t change back to his human form. Who knew how long this would last? Meanwhile, the others didn’t seem to care—they were too busy enjoying petting him.
It was enough to make a cat furious, meow.
None of them noticed Xia the cat’s little bout of sadness as they focused on observing the bamboo tubes.
They discovered that the water they had poured in the day before had almost no change in temperature, and the leftovers stored in plastic bags inside still retained some warmth—quite amazing.
Yan Xi Nian rubbed his chin and said, “This bamboo tube seems to have not only a storage function but also a preservation function. The only question is, how long can it keep things fresh?”
“We’ll find out in a couple of days,” Xia Huo Qu replied. “How did the wooden stand you ordered this morning turn out?”
“Old Luo has already taken the order. He said it’ll be ready by tomorrow.”
The single bamboo tubes were too easy to tip over, so they had specially ordered wooden stands to hold the tubes, similar to the ones used to hold beer bottles, placing several in a row. Once set up, they would close the lids.
This way, even if the truck hit bumps along the road, the bamboo tubes shouldn’t fall over.
Yan Xi Nian said, “Let’s observe for a couple of more days. With these bamboo tubes, we can carry much more stuff, so we should plan carefully for what we need to bring.”
After saying this, he walked over to pet Xia the cat, smiling. “Don’t be upset; you’re the hero this time.”
Xia the cat, lying with his head on his paws, ignored Yan Xi Nian.
No matter how much they praised him, he just couldn’t cheer up.
As a cat, there was so little he could do, and he was pretty much excluded from all the preparations.
With their departure imminent, everyone was busy, except for Xia the cat.
Xia the cat, feeling like a useless cat, could only play on his phone.
He didn’t know if all cats had different eyesight from humans, or if it was just him in his cat form.
As a cat, his color vision was a bit broader. For example, while most people saw the table as a worn-out yellow wood, he could distinctly see natural wood colors, browns, blacks, and other subtle shades.
This difference didn’t affect his daily life much. But if he couldn’t turn back into a human and could only play on his phone all day as a cat, his eyes would get tired quickly.
Feeling gloomy, Xia the cat lay down on the couch for a nap.
As a cat, there wasn’t much he could do.
That day, bored of sleeping, Xia the cat jumped down and went out to find Xia Hua Jiao.
He usually didn’t leave the house when he was in cat form, mostly because the ground outside was muddy.
His paws would easily get dirty, and so would his fur. Unlike other cats, he didn’t lick his fur clean, and he was especially afraid of water—taking a bath and getting his fur dirty really bothered him.
Xia the cat ventured out into the muddy yard.
Xia Hua Jiao was still there, and it seemed to be awake today. Upon seeing Xia the cat, it curiously shook its branches.
Recently, Xia Hua Jiao had grown quite a lot. From Xia the cat’s perspective, the pepper tree looked enormous.
Looking at it made Xia the cat’s fur stand on end.
“Whoosh.”
Xia Hua Jiao uprooted itself and hopped over, curious, trying to poke Xia the cat with its branches.
Seeing this giant, Xia the cat, worried that it might be too rough, quickly ran away.
The faster he ran, the more intrigued Xia Hua Jiao became, eagerly pursuing him throughout the yard.
This bear-like plant had an astonishing amount of energy!
After being chased around for quite a while, Xia the cat, unable to compete with the pepper tree, ran back into the house.
By then, his fur was completely dirty.
That evening, Kong Zhi had to clean him up with a damp towel, asking, “What did you do today? How did you get so dirty?”
“Meow,” Xia the cat lay on the bed, flicking his tail, not wanting to talk to him at all.
Kong Zhi chuckled, kissed his furry head, and continued cleaning his paws.
Amid Xia the cat’s sulking, they soon finished preparing to leave.
The four of them had originally planned to take two trucks, but given Xia the cat’s current state, he was in no condition to drive.
Moreover, with the bamboo storage tubes, they could fit everything into one truck, so they decided to take just one vehicle. This way, they could look out for each other if anything happened.
Xia the cat didn’t know when he would turn back into a human.
But since his role in the group wasn’t that of a fighter, going on this trip as a cat wouldn’t be too much of an issue.
Before setting off, they entrusted all household and field responsibilities to Liao Cheng. As for the pigs, cows, and other livestock, they were left in the care of Zheng Lin Guang and He Shu Hui.
This trip could last ten days to two weeks, or they might not return until next year, so they informed the base to be prepared for their absence.
With everything in order, they set out one chilly autumn morning, driving off in the cold air.
“We’re off,” Yan Xi Nian said from the driver’s seat to the two men and the cat. “From today on, we’ll be on the road for five or six days. With all these mutated plants and animals, things are getting crazier out there, so you guys should get some sleep now to save your energy for whatever we might encounter later.”
“Meow,” Xia the cat responded first, curling up on Kong Zhi’s lap, ready to nap.
Xia Huo Qu and Kong Zhi both petted his back.
The trip seemed to go smoothly at first. For two days straight, they didn’t run into any trouble.
During the day, they drove, and at night, they found a place to rest.
As for food, they had brought various sauces and vegetables, and wherever they stopped, they would set up a pot and cook a lively meal. So food wasn’t much of a problem either.
On the third day, though, they ran into some trouble.
It started to snow.
Xia the cat was fine—his thick fur kept him warm, and even in the snow, he didn’t feel cold at all.
The others, however, had to bundle up in several layers, becoming bulky and less nimble.
More importantly, if they needed to shift into beast form suddenly, shedding all those clothes would be a hassle.
The cold wasn’t a major issue; they had enough clothing to stay warm during the day and night. The real problem was that once it snowed and froze over, the roads became slippery.
Their truck was moving cautiously along the road, but even with care, it still slipped several times.
At one point, they nearly crashed into a tree.
Xia Huo Qu looked at the snowy landscape outside and frowned, “This weather is too dangerous for driving. We need to stop and take a break, wait for the snow to stop or the ice to melt before continuing.”
Yan Xi Nian replied, “Let me check the map—the next stop is just over ten kilometers away. Let’s head there and then rest.”
Everyone, including the cat, had no objections.
So, they carefully set off again in the moderate snowfall, inching their way forward.
With the snow, the world outside turned completely white.
The wind howled outside, but they were relatively comfortable inside the truck, though they had to occasionally turn on the heater. Otherwise, it was too cold—so cold that their fingers would freeze up, making it difficult to react while driving.
Yan Xi Nian estimated their fuel level and said, “We might not have enough fuel to get there. We need to find a place to refill.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “Isn’t the place we’re stopping a small town? There should be a gas station nearby. If it hasn’t already been looted, we should be able to get a good amount of fuel.”
With the chaos outside and few people daring to go out to gather supplies, especially with no major base nearby, they figured the town’s gas station would still have fuel.
They drove on and arrived at the small town before dark.
The gas station was easy to spot, located right at the crossroads just outside the town.
Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu went to get fuel, while Kong Zhi and Xia the cat stayed in the truck to keep watch.
At the abandoned gas station, Yan Xi Nian looked at the bamboo tube in his hand, then glanced back at the truck, marveling once again, “Xiao Nong’s ability is really incredible. Having him with us makes everything on the road ten times easier.”
In the past, whenever they found oil or diesel, they had to fill it up in plastic bottles and carefully stack them in the truck, which took up a lot of space.
But now, with the bamboo tube, they could load up half the gas station’s supply in just one tube.
Xia Huo Qu kept watch nearby, urging, “Hurry up, get as much as you can.”
“Got it.” Yan Xi Nian finished loading up and estimated the amount. “We’re good this time. We have more than enough fuel for the entire trip.”
