Chapter 66 - 23: Wildcat (Part 3)
The lower half of its tail was nailed to the tree. The terrifying gunshot left the wildcat both startled and in pain, causing it to crazily leap more than a meter up, clinging onto the swaying tree branch, disregarding the man and dog waiting below, and leapt towards the nearby treetop.
If its tail was still intact, helping it balance in the air, it might have had a chance to complete this difficult maneuver.
But at this moment, it had ultimately lost an essential part of its body.
Its airborne body traced a graceful arc in the sky.
More than a meter away from the adjacent treetop, it fell stiffly, crashing onto the leafless forest ground with a heavy thud, bounced a couple of times, and yet it didn’t perish, still struggling to rise again.
Woof!
Lai Fu, experienced with life at sea, found the gunshot nothing unusual. Seeing the wildcat land, it charged fiercely forward, biting its neck tightly, shaking its head wildly.
The wildcat swung back and forth like a rag doll in Lai Fu’s mouth.
Chen Zhou’s hearing slightly recovered, faintly hearing the sound of bones snapping, and saw Lai Fu excitedly running towards him, dropping the wildcat onto the ground.
Shot once, dropped from over ten meters high, and then torn by such a big dog as Lai Fu, even a cat with nine lives couldn’t withstand such abuse.
Blood flowed from its mouth and nose, the wildcat’s gray-brown fur was matted with some dog saliva.
Soggy and limp, it was motionless.
"Well done, Lai Fu!"
Holding the still-smoking matchlock gun, Chen Zhou walked over to the wildcat’s corpse but didn’t inspect the dead cat, instead lifting Lai Fu’s ear to check the injury.
The scratch from the cat was more severe than he expected, the sharp claws had pierced through the entire ear, and light even shone through from outside.
Fortunately, the cat’s claws were small; although it was a piercing wound, the damage area was not large, nor did it hit any vital areas.
The bleeding had slowed, and he expected it to stop after a while.
He stroked Lai Fu’s head and chest to calm it.
Seeing Lai Fu was neither terrified nor agitated by the injury, Chen Zhou felt comforted, and only then did he use the gun barrel to prod the wildcat’s body.
Unlike its initial arrogance, the wildcat had not only lost its life, but also its tail and its beautiful fur, making Chen Zhou feel a sense of pity.
"Alas."
Grabbing the cat by the scruff, he looked it over, saw the wounds on its neck and back, and sighed.
"I originally wanted to skin a whole cat pelt to make a mat, but now I can only practice my skills."
"Let’s go, Lai Fu, let’s go back and stew some cat meat. I’ll get some salt first."
Calling Lai Fu, Chen Zhou walked towards the tent.
He had heard since childhood that cat meat is sour, but had never tried it, and now he genuinely wanted to taste what the wildcat on this island was like.
He didn’t dare to randomly eat the strange sea fish and crabs for fear of poisoning, but surely cat meat wouldn’t be poisonous, at worst just taste bad.
The preserved meat on the ship was truly unpalatable. From the start of the challenge until now, Chen Zhou hadn’t touched any meat for more than twenty days.
As the seasoned workers in the factory said, "Three days without meat makes your eyes stop shining."
With this "abstinence" nearing a month, his eyeballs might rust shut.
With almost all the urgent work completed, and for his own health, balanced nutrition, and culinary desires, Chen Zhou had been contemplating improving his diet.
The first day of transforming into a carnivore, whether it would have a good start, depended entirely on this wildcat.
Praying the taste wouldn’t be terrible, Chen Zhou took out a wooden box containing salt, sugar, and tea, ready to light a bonfire and showcase his culinary skills.