Chapter 65 - 23: Wildcat (Part 2)
The little gray cat naturally couldn’t understand what was being said, feeling uncomfortable being grabbed, it flailed its limbs and struggled intensely.
Helplessly, Chen Zhou had to let go.
As soon as its limbs touched the ground, the little gray cat quickly jumped away, grabbing the rough exterior of the wooden box and returned to its old den.
To this, Chen Zhou only hoped it would remember this lesson and not make the same mistake again.
Otherwise, next time he would have to resort to more severe measures.
He spent almost the whole day staying in the tent, avoiding the rain.
When busyness becomes the main tone of life, suddenly having free time left Chen Zhou feeling somewhat at a loss, only knowing to add coal to the fire, or flip through the book Robinson Crusoe, teasing Lai Fu.
Late at night, he braved the heavy rain to inspect all the shelters, emptied the accumulated water from the containers, and only after ensuring everything was fine did he sleep peacefully.
......
October 26th.
Just as dawn was breaking, Chen Zhou heard Lai Fu’s excited barking.
Impatiently, he pulled the blanket over his head, wanting to lie down a little longer.
Amidst the rough barking, he faintly heard a shrill and warning cry of a cat.
Sleepily, Chen Zhou got up and glanced at the wooden box beside him.
The little gray cat, having eaten until its belly was round, lay at the bottom of the box, ears perked up, and listened alertly to the distant noises.
"What’s going on? It’s not you crying, then whom is Lai Fu barking at?"
Remembering there were still many wild cats on the island, whose fighting abilities are not comparable to the little gray cat.
Worried about Lai Fu’s safety, Chen Zhou hurriedly put on his coat, preloaded a lead bullet into the matchlock gun, took the flint and other tools, and left the tent.
After consuming the layers for a day and night, the heavy clouds finally dispersed, leaving only a few wisps blown apart by the wind.
The long-lost stars reappeared in the sky, the forest filled with the fresh air after the rain.
Birds chirped, butterflies fluttered.
Crystal water droplets slid off the leaf tips.
The oppressive atmosphere cleared away, and life was thriving everywhere.
Breathing deeply, feeling the breath of nature, Chen Zhou raised the matchlock gun and walked in the direction of Lai Fu’s barking.
Having almost rested for two days, his sore body felt somewhat relieved.
Muscle fibers endured labor intensity beyond their load, causing minor tears and damage.
As energy intake continued, the muscle fibers gradually healed, allowing Chen Zhou to adapt to increasing labor intensity, improving his strength and endurance.
What originally felt exceptionally heavy now bore no burden.
Step lively, threading through the forested pools.
From a distance, Chen Zhou saw Lai Fu.
It was guarding beneath a tree, eyes wide open, head held high, barking towards the canopy.
Closer inspection revealed a wound on Lai Fu’s ear, tearing the fur, nearly penetrating the entire earlobe, now bleeding, staining its front shoulder with frequent head shakes.
"Damn it!"
Seeing Lai Fu injured, a surge of anger immediately flooded Chen Zhou’s mind.
Even a dog deserves respect; as the island’s sole human, he couldn’t accept his pet being harmed.
Frantically, he grabbed the flint and ignition bottle, planning to ignite the matchlock, then pour the ignition powder into the gunpowder pool.
The cumbersome ignition steps didn’t dissipate his anger or calm him, instead igniting further impatience, wishing to turn the matchlock gun into rocket artillery instantly, fiercely blasting the creature in the tree—regardless of what it was.
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
After several strikes of the flint, finally igniting the matchlock, but before aiming and pulling the trigger, a gust of wind coursed through the forest, blowing away the ignition powder from the gunpowder pool, leaving Chen Zhou even angrier.
"This damn thing, what a shitty gun!"
In practice, Chen Zhou found the matchlock gun truly a divine artifact for treating low blood pressure.
Luckily, his first combat encounter was with such a shy, weak enemy hiding in the trees; had he relied on the matchlock gun against the indigenous people, he might have long been skewered over the fire.
Striving to maintain patience, steadying his hands, Chen Zhou unscrewed the ignition bottle while moving directly beneath the tree, attempting to ascertain the precise location of the culprit, then give a solid shot.
His gaze piercing the rain-cleansed foliage, near the treetop, he noticed a familiar face.
With drenching brown-gray fur, eyes slightly green, pupils narrowed into vertical lines.
Wet, its size slightly contracted, gripping the trunk with four claws, tail swelling into a short bar, loudly howling.
"Isn’t this the wild cat that startled me on the second morning after landing?"
Chen Zhou vividly recalled the bird-hunting wild cat, glancing sideways at Lai Fu.
Its ear still dripping blood; seeing its master, it retracted its fierce facade, pitifully wagging its tail, squeezing a few whimpers from its throat, as if complaining.
"Don’t be afraid, I’ll stand up for you."
Already harboring a grudge against the wild cat, now recent and past grievances layered together, making their encounter all the more infuriating.
Finally finished filling the ignition, holding the gun body, utilizing the iron bump at the front end to aim.
Breathing held, Chen Zhou transformed as a sniper, placing the rudimentary crosshairs on the wild cat’s head.
Pulling the trigger—
Bang!
A loud noise, startling countless birds to flight.
The hot lead bullet burst from the barrel, shattering all leaves along the way, hitting the base of the wild cat’s tail.
Smoke scoured, Chen Zhou’s eardrums thundered as if struck by hammers, buzzing in a ringing roar.
Meeeooow~
The wild cat’s rear was scorched by the grazing lead bullet, seemingly set aflame, with intense stinging pain swiftly shooting up to the crown of its head.