Chapter 504 - 37: Something Fishy (2)
As he walked towards the cave dwelling, Chen Zhou’s mind was racing.
Whether judging by intuition or logic, he felt something peculiar about this matter.
But Chen Zhou didn’t make a fuss.
He wanted to first see what the exact shape of Tiger Head’s wound was, how it might have been caused, observe the reactions of the natives, and finally draw a conclusion.
...
Even if abandoned, the emptied cave dwelling did not allow natives to enter.
Even on such a rainy day, when the natives rested, they were not allowed to step into the yard but could only take shelter in the few shabby wooden huts around the gallows.
As for the new house of Saturday and Sunday, since they lived most of the time in the factory and rarely handled matters on this side of the cave dwelling, it remained in a semi-finished state until now.
...
The stove and fire wall inside the cave dwelling had not been dismantled, and some dry firewood had been left in the house.
With a command from Chen Zhou, Chen Fu, Chen Shou, and Chen Lu immediately started a fire, and the dim kitchen gradually brightened as the fire grew.
Opening the box containing the medicines, he took out alcohol, iodine, hydrogen peroxide, and cotton swabs for disinfection. Before treating Tiger Head’s wound, Chen Zhou first used tweezers to remove dry branches and leaves caught in Tiger Head’s fur.
Having been accustomed to the white walls and bright lights of the factory, Chen Zhou felt quite uncomfortable back in the cave dwelling.
Squinting his eyes, he plucked the majority of the removable twigs and leaves little by little, leaving only the "stubborn ones" close to the bloody wound.
Wiping a fine layer of sweat from his forehead, whether from the heat of the fire or tension, Chen Zhou took out a pair of scissors again.
After cutting away parts entangled with fur that couldn’t be removed with tweezers, the extent of Tiger Head’s injuries finally became clear.
...
After finishing with the fur, Chen Shou happened to bring over some clean water.
After washing the wound slightly and seeing the injuries, Chen Zhou had a clear idea in his mind.
Tiger Head’s injuries were undeniably caused by someone, and with relatively thin branches.
More importantly, the person who hit Tiger Head probably knew not to go too far since the injuries were all concentrated on the hind legs and front shoulders, with the more fatal head area unscathed.
If a native had acted unknowingly, they wouldn’t have deliberately avoided the lethal spots.
However, guessing that the assailant acted knowing that Tiger Head was his pet only made him angrier.
Still, the incident happened suddenly, and coupled with the rain, it’s likely difficult to find the culprit immediately.
Moreover, Chen Zhou couldn’t understand why a native would harm a cat, so he had to suppress his anger and continue treating Tiger Head’s wounds.
...
Cats have a much lower sensitivity to pain than humans.
Even so, when hydrogen peroxide was applied to the wound with a cotton swab, it was extremely painful.
During the wound treatment, Tiger Head repeatedly yowled due to the sting of the hydrogen peroxide, and it instinctively acted out because of the pain.
However, Tiger Head kept a clear head. It was apparent that it was aware of Chen Zhou’s helpful actions, and even if it showed its claws, it would quietly retract them, doing its utmost to keep its body stable to facilitate the application of medicine.
Its cries just became increasingly pitiful.
...
By the time Chen Zhou finished applying medicine to Tiger Head, it was already dark.
Tiger Head, having been tormented by pain for almost a day, was now utterly drained of energy.
The flames in the hearth blazed fiercely; with the doors and windows tightly shut, the kitchen felt particularly stuffy.
Throwing the used cotton swabs into the fire, Chen Zhou felt that his eyes were exceptionally tired.
Looking at the drooping Tiger Head lying on the ground, he reached out to gently stroke its fluffy head.
"Good boy."
In response, Tiger Head let out a soft "meow~".
...
The rain outside had somewhat subsided, and the natives had long been sent home to rest.
Estimating that it would take at least a month for Tiger Head’s injuries to heal, Chen Zhou took it straight back to the factory.
He entrusted Tiger Head to Chen Fu, Chen Shou, and Chen Lu, ordering them to keep a close eye on Tiger Head and prevent it from licking its wounds until it slept.
Late at night, sitting behind the desk in his office, Chen Zhou recalled all the details before and after that day’s events, searching for suspicious individuals.
...
The zebra, who had a bad record before, was both the one who found and saved Tiger Head, and the person closest to Tiger Head when Chen Zhou arrived at the scene, naturally becoming the prime suspect.
Moreover, Chen Zhou remembered something important—
When the factory was completed, he initially planned to take Tiger Head along with the other cats, but Tiger Head had become accustomed to living in that woodland and refused to leave with him no matter what.
Helplessly, he could only draw a portrait of Tiger Head for the natives to see and instruct them not to harm this cat.
In addition, he specifically mentioned that if the cat was found injured, immediate rescue and bringing it to him would be rewarded.
"Could the zebra have acted for the sake of this reward?"
Considering the zebra’s character, Chen Zhou had difficulty judging.
...
The zebra indeed tended to flatter the powerful and bully the weak, but in terms of attitude towards various supplies, it has always shown a lack of greed.
Moreover, the zebra was an "old hand" on the island and was not a fool.
No matter how mischievous, he should know that high-end supplies on the island would never be rewarded to them.
As for those ordinary supplies, like food, chocolate, pottery, wooden furniture, and red sugar condiments, they weren’t hard for the zebra to procure.
Even discarding the zebra’s prestige and status among the natives, he’s a skilled carpenter who decides whether to accept other natives’ commissions based on his mood.
He can trade his craftsmanship for whatever he wants without having to go through such risky efforts.
...
Moreover, Chen Zhou believed that the earliest batch of captured natives was somewhat afraid of him.
After all, those natives had seen him shoot a companion to death, and had endured his torture and intimidation, sleeping on wooden planks for a while before slowly shaking off their inner fears and being able to interact normally with him.
The second batch of natives was kidnapped to the island overnight by Sunday and his two companions.
These people only knew him as the "Leader", without having seen this "Leader’s" ruthless side, and probably harbor little awe.
Seeing him staying in the factory all day long, they might even think he’s a lazy or foolish leader.
In this way, it’s also possible to think of hoodwinking some rewards from a leader with low presence.
Just that if the newly joined natives were greedy for rewards, why was the zebra the one to discover and rescue Tiger Head and not the perpetrator?
"That person was chasing Tiger Head when the zebra happened to pass by; knowing the punishment would be severe once discovered, the person fled..."
Chen Zhou found a possibility.
...
Spinning the pen, he glanced at his watch, it was already 11:40 PM.
Chen Zhou jotted down his suspicions on paper, then blew out the oil lamp and went downstairs to check on Tiger Head.
After having his injury controlled, Tiger Head had eaten something and even did its business in the specially prepared oversized litter box, now peacefully sleeping in a nest made from old blankets.
According to Chen Fu and Chen Shou, after waking, Tiger Head had tried multiple times to lick its wounds, but they stopped it each time.
The three had arranged their work schedule themselves.
Chen Fu would take the first shift, Chen Lu the second, and Chen Shou the third, ensuring 24-hour strict monitoring of Tiger Head to prevent any chance of it licking its wounds.
When explaining the plan, the still-awake Chen Fu and Chen Shou were brimming with pride, their proud expressions amusing even the somber Chen Zhou into laughter.
"Don’t you know how to be flexible, like designing a tool to stop it from licking its fur?"
At Chen Zhou’s question, Chen Fu and Chen Shou appeared puzzled, not knowing how to design such a tool.
"Bring the pen and clay board."
Taking the white clay board and charcoal pen handed over by them, Chen Zhou sketched an Elizabethan collar on the board.
This thing is formally called a pet protective anti-scratch collar, like a lampshade. Worn around a cat or dog’s neck, it prevents them from scratching, biting their wounds, licking the medicine, or affecting wound healing.
Handing over the simple design of the Elizabethan collar to Chen Fu and explaining its working principle, Chen Zhou gave one last instruction.
"Tomorrow, find someone good at weaving with vines and have them make an Elizabethan collar. Tonight, just leave one person on duty.
You guys think I don’t know you?
Don’t think of using it as an excuse to avoid doing your homework."