Chapter 85 - 82 The Truth About the Monster

Chapter 85: Chapter 82 The Truth About the Monster"You think you can?" the black cat meowed skeptically. "Yes, me," Xiao Jie said, and suddenly reached out to grab the black cat. The black cat instinctively tried to duck and dodge, but Xiao Jie’s grab was unexpectedly fast. He shot his hand out fiercely and caught the black cat by the neck, pulling it out of the bushes. What a joke, with my 22 in Agility, catching you, a mere cat, is quite easy. "Put me down, put me down, meow meow meow, I’m going to bite you." The black cat bared its teeth and flailed, but being held by the back of its neck left it with no room to struggle. After a couple of futile attempts, it resigned itself to its fate, hanging like a stuffed toy in Xiao Jie’s hand. "How’s that for strength?" Xiao Jie boasted. It was only when he had the cat in his hand that he realized this was not the common pure black kind of cat but a black tabby with very dark fur. Despite the color, the distinctive tabby patterns were still visible. Furthermore, this one was not small, probably weighing around twelve or thirteen pounds, with a lot of strength. It was completely wild when it struggled, giving off the impression of a feral beast. In the wild, this would be nothing special, but in the city, it definitely ranked as a top-tier predator. This made Xiao Jie even more curious about what kind of creature could have beaten it and scared it away from approaching. "So, how about it, my strength should be sufficient, right?" He said, still holding the cat by the neck. "Enough already, enough already. Who would have thought, you big clumsy cat, that you could be so strong? It wasn’t like this when I first saw you." Xiao Jie thought to himself, back then I was only Level 1, naturally, I was nothing. "Let’s go, hurry up and lead the way. I’ll help you take back your territory and meet that monster." He casually dropped the black cat on the ground, and it immediately started climbing towards the mountain. "This way, this way, meow. That monster is going to be in trouble. With you here, I will definitely beat it. Just wait, we’ll attack it together! Don’t run away when you see that monster, meow." Man and cat climbed the winding stone steps toward the top of Huqiu Mountain. Saying it was a mountain was a bit of a stretch; it was really just a hill. Passing through the woods, they quickly arrived at the summit. The park’s summit hosted a small plaza where, during the day, there would often be both elderly women dancing and couples strolling around, but due to the evening, it was deserted. At the end of the plaza stood a two-story, pagoda-style building designed in the ancient style, originally built for sightseeing. It had been closed down after some brats caused damage. The door to the tower was securely locked with a large iron padlock. However, the black cat didn’t head for the main entrance. Instead, it went straight to a column at the corner of the building and quickly climbed up, squeezing through the gaps in the railing to wave its paw at Xiao Jie. Xiao Jie glanced at the railing of the second floor. It was just over three meters high, no big deal. He took a running start, stepped on the column, and jumped, grabbing the protruding eaves of the second floor. He swayed a couple of times before hoisting himself up and, with a flip of his right foot over the railing, clambered onto it. Phew, piece of cake. Standing on the second-floor platform, Xiao Jie dusted off his clothes. He was somewhat startled by his own actions. Normally, he wouldn’t even think of climbing a public building, let alone vaulting over street railings. No wonder they say with great skill comes great boldness. Here I am, acting recklessly with just Level 7 strength. My apologies, my apologies. "Meow, over here. Keep it down, don’t let the monster hear us. We’re going to ambush it!" Xiao Jie followed the cat quietly to the entrance of the second floor. A faint scent of blood hung in the air, giving rise to an unsettling feeling. Xiao Jie casually pulled a broken iron railing from a pile of debris and held it in his hand. Armed, he felt somewhat more confident. Although he was uneasy, he wasn’t too nervous. After all, it seemed unlikely there could be a real monster in the city—probably just a more ferocious wild cat or wild dog. Together, man and cat burst into the entrance of the second floor. It was an open-air platform, and at this moment... An elegant beast sat crouched at the opposite window, gazing out at the night sky. Those pointed ears made Xiao Jie pause. Damn, is that—a lynx? Indeed, it was definitely a lynx, Xiao Jie had seen the shape of its ears in many animal documentaries, there was no mistaking it. The lynx before him was about the size of a large canine. But its presence was incomparable, sitting there as if surveying its kingdom like a regal monarch. At the feet of the lynx, one could also see the heads of a few pigeons and squirrels, along with some disheveled bones and bird feathers. How could there be a lynx here? Xiao Jie found it hard to believe. However, he did understand the fear of the black cat; compared to this creature, a cat would be nothing but a monster. Although tense, he didn’t feel fear, for although a lynx was a fierce beast, it was not a large one. With his current physical constitution, he even felt confident taking on a leopard. But for safety’s sake, his instinct was still to prepare for flight. Firstly, it wasn’t worth tangling with a wild beast, and secondly, such a creature was protected, so whether he killed the lynx or it killed him, nothing good would come of it. Just as he thought about retreating, the lynx spoke, "Little black cat, I didn’t expect you to dare come back! Didn’t I tell you to scram?" It slowly turned its body, a pair of golden eyes gleaming in the darkness. "So you brought some reinforcements? Hehe, ignorant fools." "Meow, I won’t be afraid of you, this is my territory!" the black cat shouted back, its body instinctively moving backward. "Oh, is that so? Then let’s see how many taels your reinforcements weigh, whether they can flee without panic. I didn’t want to eat you, but now I’ve changed my mind." It gracefully paced forward with feline steps, as elegant as the monarch of the jungle, emitting a low purring roar, its eyes flashing with the predatory glare specific to wild beasts. Intimidated by the lynx’s demeanor, the black cat turned tail and ran, jumping down from the second floor. Xiao Jie cursed inwardly at the disloyal creature, thinking they were supposed to face this together. He dared not turn his back, the sharp end of the handrail in his hands pointed at the lynx, he positioned himself in the One Cut, Two Pieces starting stance, his previously calm heart now lodged in his throat. The lynx before him exuded a dangerously lethal vibe, a fatal menace. Damn, was this creature really that formidable? Seeing the black cat escape didn’t surprise the lynx, which turned its gaze to Xiao Jie, a certain emotion in its eyes causing him to feel a chill run down his spine. Xiao Jie regretted taking the risk, but who could have expected to encounter a lynx here? Fighting was the last resort, better see if communication was possible. "Hello, may I ask if you escaped from the zoo?" Xiao Jie asked as politely as he could. The lynx abruptly stopped, looking at Xiao Jie with incredulity, making Xiao Jie think it didn’t understand what a zoo was. "A zoo is—" "I know what a zoo is, what I find odd is why a human would speak cat language?" "Human? No, no, no, I am a big clumsy cat," Xiao Jie thought to himself that this lynx was smarter than the black cat, even aware of the difference between them and humans. The lynx paused for a moment, its face revealing an elusive expression, as if angry yet also amused, "Are you trying to amuse me? I have to admit, you indeed have amused me. Maybe you’ll still be joking when I’ve eaten you." Xiao Jie suddenly realized something wasn’t quite right: why did he feel that the lynx’s voice sounded female? He snapped back to reality. Damn, this lynx was speaking human language. ———— (There was a minor error with the previous data, the calculations were off; the protagonist’s constitution should be 15, it has been corrected.)