The Cat Who Farms in the Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland – CH23

Chapter 23 – Becoming a Cat

After eating the sweet canned food before falling asleep, Xia Lu Nong had a smile on his lips, slightly curled upwards, revealing a hint of childishness under his long eyelashes.

Xia Huo Qu took advantage of the candlelight to write a few notes in his diary. After finishing, he carefully tucked the paper and pen into a prepared compartment, turned back to look at his sleeping brother, and pulled the thin blanket up to his chin.

Yan Xi Nian opened another blanket beside him and whispered to Xia Huo Qu, “Go to sleep.”

“You sleep first,” Xia Huo Qu pushed the blanket toward him. “I’ll go keep watch.”

“You sleep; I’ll go watch them. I’ll wake you up later,” Yan Xi Nian insisted. “You sleep for six hours, and I’ll take over after that.”

Xia Huo Qu checked his watch in the backpack; it was already 8:30. “I’ll sleep for five hours and wake you at 1:30. You sleep for five hours too.”

Yan Xi Nian nodded. “That works.”

He handed the blanket to Xia Huo Qu, patted his shoulder, then ducked out of the truck to join Old Liu in night watching.

Xia Huo Qu wrapped himself tightly in the blanket that still smelled like him, nestled against his brother, and soon fell asleep.

In the wild, every minute of sleep was precious.

At 1:20 AM, Xia Huo Qu woke up due to his strong biological clock.

He took a couple of sips of water, neatly folded the blanket he was wrapped in, and stepped outside into the night chill to find Yan Xi Nian.

He had a certain degree of night vision and spotted the person on the roof of the truck immediately.

They switched shifts, and Old Liu came over to relieve his subordinates, staying with Xia Huo Qu for the second half of the night.

Yan Xi Nian returned, bringing with him a chill, wrapped himself in the blanket that still carried a bit of Xia Huo Qu’s warmth, and lay down beside Xia Lu Nong.

Xia Lu Nong seemed to subconsciously know that the person next to him wasn’t his brother; he wriggled like a big worm, shifting about 30-40 centimeters away before settling back into a steady sleep.

Seeing this, Yan Xi Nian couldn’t help but smile, his face showing a hint of amusement.

Not to mention anything else, just this keen sense was a good sign.

Xia Lu Nong slept until almost dawn, waking up during the darkest part of the night due to a commotion.

When Xia Lu Nong was first awoken in the middle of the night, he sat up, startled by the chaotic noise in the truck. He vaguely heard Old Liu shouting, “…Abandon the vehicle… Run… Beast forms!”

Xia Lu Nong had no idea what was happening, only knowing that something was wrong.

Panicking, he stuffed his belongings into his backpack, quickly slinging it over his back and getting ready to put on his shoes.

Yan Xi Nian tossed off the blanket, quickly stripped off his clothes, leaving only his underwear, and said, “Just grab a can and some water from the bag. Don’t take too much; it’s heavy!”

Xia Lu Nong quickly nodded and pulled out miscellaneous items from his backpack, finally leaving just one can of yellow peaches, two bottles of water, and a small bag of salt. He grabbed Yan Xi Nian’s and his brother’s clothes and quickly stuffed them into the backpack, then tied the straps around his chest.

The others in the truck also hurriedly stripped down and transformed into their beast forms to run outside.

It was only then that Xia Lu Nong realized that, aside from him, everyone else had transformed, and their beast forms were quite ordinary.

He glanced around and recognized a large rooster, two big dogs, two foxes, and a donkey; the remaining beast forms were moving too fast for him to see clearly.

He barely took a glance before continuing to put on his shoes and organize his backpack, pulling aside the canvas covering the truck bed to get out.

The whole sequence of actions took no more than six or seven seconds.

As he poked his head out, a huge tiger head stretched in, opening its bloody maw and swiftly snatching him out.

After experiencing the tiger’s mouth for the second time, Xia Lu Nong was much calmer. He turned his eyes to look outside and saw that his brother had transformed into a silver-white giant wolf, standing majestically on the roof of the car, surveying the surroundings with an imposing presence, his fur seemingly glowing in the light of the fire.

Old Liu was still in human form, standing beside Xia Huo Qu, cupping his hands around his mouth like a trumpet and shouting hoarsely, “… Run! Don’t worry about the supplies, run to the town! There are snakes behind us!”

Xia Lu Nong turned his head again and saw various small animals forming a line, frantically running away with all their might.

In an instant, the sounds of footsteps, shouts, and hissing filled his ears.

Yan Xi Nian was running quite calmly.

He was large and took long strides, quickly making it to the front of the group, becoming the leading tiger.

With Xia Lu Nong in his mouth, he couldn’t open his mouth to speak but let out a muffled roar through his nostrils, changing direction and running along the path filled with grass and vines towards the depths of Zhangshu County.

Xia Lu Nong was jolted by his muffled roar, feeling dizzy. Behind him, various animals seemed to have found their leader and quickly adjusted their pace to follow behind him, forming a more orderly line.

Everyone spread their feet and ran fast.

Xia Lu Nong looked up at the roof of the car. He didn’t know when Old Liu had transformed into a kangaroo, hopping and bouncing in front of his brother, occasionally turning his head to look around.

His brother was bringing up the rear, keeping watch.

The group rushed deeper into the small town.

The sky gradually brightened, quickly shifting from a faint shadow of objects to a dim light in just about ten minutes.

Xia Lu Nong realized at that moment that behind the entire group, there was actually a horde of snakes chasing them.

Having lived for nearly twenty years, it was his first time seeing so many snakes writhing behind them, densely packed like rolling waves.

If they slowed down just a little, they would be engulfed by the snake tide.

He felt a jolt run through him, and goosebumps broke out all over his body.

“Woah woah woah—”

Just as Xia Lu Nong was stunned, a large rooster in the group seemed to have exhausted all its strength, slowing down, lagging behind the yellow weasel by a full six or seven meters.

The big rooster flapped its wings desperately and took to the air, squawking as it flew, trying to catch up with its companion ahead.

Xia Lu Nong saw clearly that several feathers fell off where it flew by; it was truly risking everything to move forward.

Just as Xia Lu Nong worried for the rooster, his brother let out a “roar” and leaped forward on all fours, directly grabbing the rooster by its wing and continuing to run ahead.

Seeing Xia Huo Qu take action, Old Liu also dashed forward.

Xia Lu Nong was steadily held in his brother’s mouth, not feeling any danger at the moment, but the scene was so stimulating that the goosebumps still hadn’t subsided.

They ran from dawn until it was light, with fewer and fewer snakes following behind, until they eventually vanished completely.

Once Xia Huo Qu was sure it was safe, he dropped the rooster and roared. The animal troop seemed to have their strength drained, barely taking another step, immediately collapsing and panting heavily.

Xia Lu Nong was also let down.

Having been carried all the way, he wasn’t tired; he was just still feeling uneasy, unable to shake off the lingering fear.

As he stepped on the ground, he deliberately ran a couple of steps forward to find a sparse area of grass and trees, ensuring that no snakes would suddenly appear around him.

His brother approached on all fours, his massive form light and agile, as if he were a cloud.

Only then did Xia Lu Nong slightly come to his senses. He reached out to touch his brother’s long fur, pulling the backpack to the front and proudly saying, “Brother, I brought you some clothes.”

Xia Huo Qu looked at him with his gray-blue wolf eyes, suddenly extending his tongue to lick his arm, silently comforting him.

Xia Lu Nong then realized that the goosebumps on his arm were still there, not diminishing at all.

He hugged his brother with a pale face, burying his face in his brother’s long fur.

The earlier image of snakes all around had been so shocking; this nightmare-like scene had really materialized in reality.

Xia Huo Qu quietly allowed him to hold on.

Once Yan Xi Nian confirmed that the area was safe, he opened the backpack and quickly pulled out clothes, shoes, and socks to put on.

Xia Lu Nong noticed the movement, raised his head, and saw that Yan Xi Nian had already put on most of his clothes before letting go of his brother.

Xia Huo Qu transformed back into human form, ruffled Xia Lu Nong’s hair, and then put on his clothes.

Xia Lu Nong didn’t want to watch his brother get dressed, so he shifted his gaze elsewhere and saw that most of the animals in the group had returned to human form, either pulling off their pants from their backs or from under their necks, hurriedly putting them on.

As for shoes, there were none, so they had to walk forward barefoot.

Old Liu clapped his hands, counted the heads, and his voice was full of exhaustion. “Let’s head back; the snake tide should have receded by now. We were careless this time, but luckily everyone is fine.”

Someone in the group shouted, “Brother Liu, it’s not your fault; the intel didn’t say there were snakes here either.”

“Exactly. Thank you, Captain Yan and Vice Captain Xia, for today.”

The survivors seemed to be relatively unscathed by the ordeal, exchanging a few words before pulling each other along as they trudged back, each taking their own uneven steps.

As they walked down the road, their eyes were still scanning for anything they might pick up or clues they could gather.

Only Xia Lu Nong felt his legs still weak, stuck between his two brothers, walking forward like a wandering soul.

They had been running for a little over an hour; it would take even longer to return.

Only Xia Lu Nong had brought water and canned food, sharing the canned food and salty water with his two brothers to replenish their energy. The others were both hungry and thirsty.

In this situation, no one had the energy to gather supplies; they only wanted to return to the base as quickly as possible to refuel.

Xia Lu Nong hadn’t fully recovered yet, his legs still weak, and he walked slower than everyone who had just fled. Feeling ashamed, he didn’t look at anything along the way and simply focused on moving forward.

“Ha! There’s a snake!”

Someone in the team shouted, their voice sharp and high. Xia Lu Nong instinctively looked forward.

He saw Zhao Chang Jian in front of his brother holding a limp snake, green on the back and white on the belly.

The snake wasn’t dead yet; its long, slender body coiled around Zhao Chang Jian’s wrist, writhing wildly. The white belly and green back twisted together, and its two long, sharp fangs were bared, sending chills down Xia Lu Nong’s spine.

In that moment, his mind went blank.

Behind him, Yan Xi Nian sensed something was wrong and gently pushed him, “Xiao Nong?”

Xia Lu Nong let out an “Aoo—” and jumped three feet high. As he landed, his clothes felt soft, and his backpack fell to the ground with a “thud.”

Xia Huo Qu’s face changed drastically.

The scream and the sound of the backpack hitting the ground drew everyone’s attention. Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian simultaneously reached out to rummage through the pile of clothes, both feeling a warm body nestled inside.

They exchanged glances, a sense of unease rising in both their hearts.

Yan Xi Nian picked up the backpack and set it aside.

There was a small bulge on the clothes. Xia Huo Qu gently lifted the T-shirt to reveal a fluffy little creature inside.

It was a kitten.

With a silver-gray back, round face, green eyes, and a pink nose, it was a sweet little long-haired kitten.

But the kitten seemed stunned, curled up between the clothes, not moving at all.

Xia Huo Qu carefully cradled the kitten. It looked no more than two months old, and he could easily hold it securely in his hands.

“Xiao Nong?” Xia Huo Qu’s deep voice sounded above the kitten’s head.

The kitten finally seemed to come to its senses, instinctively looking up. Its big green eyes sparkled, and it let out a sweet and soft “Meow!”

“Meow, meow, meow!!!” Xia Lu Nong instantly realized what had happened, opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out were cat sounds.

He looked up at his brother, and even from this awkward angle, his brother still looked handsome, but he was too big, too intimidating for a cat.

“Meow, meow, meow!” Xia Lu Nong clawed desperately at his brother.

This script is all wrong! Even if he had transformed, shouldn’t he have turned into a little wolf?!

They were full-blooded brothers!

How did he become a cat?!

Xia Lu Nong meowed loudly, his voice still sweet.

He stretched out his paws to scratch at his brother, but his brother’s hand was unmarked, while his claws were a bit hurt, with a tiny drop of blood at the tips.

His brother gently held his front paws, lifting him up and rubbing his head, soothingly saying, “I know, it’s okay. Don’t be nervous. We’ll go back and see Dr. Ou.”

Old Liu leaned over, “What happened? Xiao Nong transformed? What did he transform into…”

Before Old Liu could finish, he caught sight of the soft little furball in Xia Huo Qu’s hand. He swallowed the rest of his words, astonishment filling his face.

He hadn’t expected that Xia Lu Nong’s beast form would be a cat, a kitten at that.

Old Liu’s approach was quite the psychological shock for Xia Lu Nong.

Mainly, the way he loomed over him made Old Liu seem very strange, with the asymmetry of his face amplified, making him appear almost inhuman.

Xia Lu Nong shrank back in fright, scratching at his brother’s hand a few times before trying to climb onto his brother’s back.

Old Liu saw this and quickly stepped back a few paces.

Xia Huo Qu gently pressed down on the little cat, saying, “It’s fine. He’s just a bit overwhelmed. He’ll be alright in a bit.”

“Hey.” Old Liu replied, stepping back a little more and comforting Xia Lu Nong, “Don’t be afraid, Xiao Nong. Everyone feels a bit disoriented when they first transform. You’ll get used to it.”

“Meow.” Xia Lu Nong finally reacted, letting out a dejected little meow. His soft meow trailed off halfway as he realized, in humiliation, to close his mouth.

Old Liu chuckled and took a few steps forward, returning to his original position.

Xia Huo Qu gently scratched his little brother’s chin and petted his head.

Xia Lu Nong was comforted by the petting, stifling a sound, but his stomach began to rumble, betraying his feelings.

Yan Xi Nian quickly rolled up the clothes on the ground and stuffed them into the backpack. He reached out two fingers to gently pet the kitten’s soft little head, glancing at a young man in the team, whispering encouragement, “Don’t be down. Being a little cat is definitely better than being a big rooster. Cats can grow up; maybe one day you’ll be as big as a tiger!”

“Meow?” The little cat tilted its head, opened its pink mouth, and curiously meowed back, showing tiny white teeth like grains of rice, confusion filling its green eyes.

Yan Xi Nian couldn’t help but pet the cat’s head again. “It’s true. If you don’t believe me, ask your brother.”

The little cat turned its head to look at its brother.

Xia Huo Qu nodded without changing his expression, “I wasn’t that big when I first transformed either.”

Only then did Xia Lu Nong start to believe a bit, looking down at his little paws, hoping to grow up soon.

He relaxed a little but soon felt sleepy.

His brother supported him and softly said, “Sleep, I’ll take you back.”

Xia Lu Nong comfortably fell asleep in his brother’s palm, letting out soft purring sounds, his slightly higher body temperature warming his brother’s hand.

Yan Xi Nian carried the backpack and quietly said, “Fortunately, we had canned food last night and this morning, which supplied some energy.”

“Yes, we were lucky.” Xia Huo Qu cradled his little, soft brother, adjusting his hold to make him more comfortable as he murmured, “I need to take him to see Dr. Ou when we get back.”

“We should head back early.”

The little cat’s ears twitched slightly, brushing against Xia Huo Qu’s palm, tickling it.

Xia Huo Qu immediately stopped speaking, pausing for a moment before saying, “Yeah, let’s go back and discuss with Old Liu.”

The two didn’t talk much along the way.

The others in the group gradually caught some small birds, snakes, and other prey along the road or found useful items at the roadside.

The two found nothing. Xia Huo Qu kept adjusting his hold on his brother to help him sleep more soundly.

The sun had risen when they returned to the location of the truck.

Lao Liu and a few others with strong abilities or keen senses transformed back into their beast forms and went back and forth several times around the truck, sniffing out any remaining snakes and killing them. Only then did they return to the truck, get dressed in their clothes and shoes, and check their supplies.

During the snake tide last night, they had abandoned the truck and run away. The snakes had chased after them, leaving few on the truck, which meant most of their supplies were preserved. Except for a few items contaminated by snake saliva that had to be discarded, the majority remained intact.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Exhausted and hungry, they didn’t bother with gathering supplies and quickly took out food and water to fill their stomachs. Then, some gathered firewood, while others prepared their prey. They set up a barbecue grill on the spot and began to cook.

The little cat was awakened by the delicious smell. Its pink nose twitched, and its wet green eyes opened. The first thing it did was look around for its brother.

Xia Huo Qu stretched out his hand, reaching from the cat’s head down to its tail, succinctly saying, “I’m here.”

Xia Lu Nong felt relieved and meowed towards his brother.

So hungry.

Hearing the meows from the truck bed, a hand lifted the tarpaulin, and it was Yan Xi Nian peeking in.

Yan Xi Nian held up a wooden stick with a roasted bird skewered on it, saying, “For Xiao Nong.”

Xia Huo Qu looked down at the little cat, which was hardly bigger than his fist, with a doubtful expression.

Yan Xi Nian pushed the roasted bird a bit closer, “I specially didn’t add much seasoning, Xiao Nong isn’t an ordinary cat, so you don’t need to worry about his stomach.”

Xia Lu Nong looked at his brother, “Meow!”

He wanted it.

Seeing that his little brother was already nuzzling against his leg and kneading, Xia Huo Qu had no choice but to take the roasted bird from Yan Xi Nian, checking its temperature with the back of his hand before bringing it to the little cat’s mouth.

Xia Lu Nong’s stomach had been growling with hunger; as soon as the fragrant roasted bird was brought close, he opened his pink cat mouth and gobbled it up without hesitation.

The next moment, his bright green eyes filled with tears as he looked at his brother, feeling aggrieved.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Huo Qu asked as he looked down to check.

“Meow!” Xia Lu Nong opened his mouth to show his brother.

His teeth were surprisingly soft; he couldn’t bite through it!

The little cat’s face was full of accusation.

Xia Huo Qu quickly understood what was going on. He helplessly rubbed his soft fur and, after washing his hands, tore the roasted bird into shreds for him to eat.

Xia Lu Nong discovered that not only were all his teeth soft, but their positions were also wrong. The meat was chewed awkwardly in his mouth; he could only bite a little and swallow.

He looked up enviously at his brother.

Compared to the little kitten, he really wanted to become a big tiger like his brother!

–

Translator Note:

AHHH!! Finally Xia the cat had appeared!! So cutte XD