Da Zhuang

Although it was angry, the tabby hesitated for a moment before continuing to run after the mice.

When it came back, its mouth was full of mice. After making two trips and neatly arranging more than a dozen mice on the terrace,

it looked at the completely empty table.

It let out a sigh, then went to catch another mouthful of mice.

It placed them on the ground, then squatted in the shade and waited for something tasty to eat.

After waiting for a long time, the mice began to stink. In this hot weather, it had only taken one morning.

The tabby cat finally confirmed that the human really was not going to change its food.

It angrily used its paws to scratch rows of claw marks into the ground.

Finally, it let out a meow and left in a huff.

Hmph, fine, I won't eat it. It's not like I can't catch mice.

But in the days that followed, Jiang You guarded her food strictly, determined not to leave anything edible outside.

No matter what it was, once she finished eating, she put all the leftovers into her space.

Thus, whenever she ate strawberries, the tabby cat stood at the other end of the terrace and gnawed on mice.

Whenever she drank fish soup, the tabby cat stood at the other end of the terrace and gnawed on mice.

Whenever she ate grilled squid, the tabby cat gnawed on mice.

Finally, one time, while she was holding a plate of strawberries and eating to her heart's content,

the tabby cat gnawing on a mouse could no longer hold back its ferocity. It tossed the mouse from its mouth, bared its claws and sharp fangs, and charged at Jiang You.

"Meow!!!"

In the blink of an eye, just as its claws were about to touch Jiang You, she somehow produced a stick from nowhere and struck out with it.

After mutating, the tabby cat's claws had become razor-sharp. If that swipe had really touched Jiang You's flesh,

it would have torn off at least a piece of skin.

So Jiang You showed no mercy either.

The tabby cat howled savagely, fur flying everywhere, while Jiang You swung the stick with fierce force.

"You still want to steal my food?!"

"If you want to be a bandit, you'd better be prepared to get beaten."

The battle came quickly and ended just as quickly.

A minute later, the tabby cat, its head covered in bumps, quickly retreated to the other end of the terrace and faced Jiang You down.

The tabby cat bared its teeth. "Meow!!!"

Jiang You rolled up her sleeves. "Oh, you're pretty stubborn. Come on, try again.

You want to steal my things? Let's see if you have what it takes!"

After that, whenever the tabby cat saw Jiang You eating fruit from her space, it ambushed her and tried to steal it.

But every time, it ended up with its head covered in bumps.

After battling Jiang You through forty-nine rounds, the tabby cat finally realized in despair that it could not beat the human in front of it.

This human was also ruthless, showing no mercy to either cats or beautiful females.

But the key point was that the fruit in her hands was so addictive.

That damn, enchanting flavor was simply too intoxicating for a cat.

Its eyes remained fixed on Jiang You as she put a small tomato into her mouth and bit into it. The fragrance that escaped was indeed damn sweet!

Jiang You had experience when it came to taming cats.

All that coaxing and emotional persuasion was fake.

Deep down, all fierce animals were proud. Trying to please them blindly would only make them think you were their subordinate.

They would come to see themselves as the master.

Only by defeating them and making them acknowledge from the bottom of their hearts that you were stronger could you make them obey sincerely.

Once they recognized who was stronger and who was weaker, they would submit to you.

After that, the process was simple.

In short, there was only one core principle—forceful petting!

If it tried to run, catch it and pet it!

If it resisted, pin it down and pet it!

Pet it until it grew impatient but could not resist. Over time, it would get used to it.

She had once tamed a Northeast Golden Gradient in exactly this way (commonly known as a Northeast Tiger).

If that tiger had not been dragging its whole family around and eating too much to raise, she would have wanted to take it with her.

The tabby cat drooled with hunger. Seeing Jiang You grilling squid and eating strawberries one after another,

it wanted to pounce over and steal them, but remembering how miserably it had been beaten, it did not dare approach. It could only scratch the ground continuously with its paws.

A trace of urgency showed on its unruly, ugly face.

"Meow!!!!"

I've already admitted defeat, so why aren't you giving me any food!!

I don't like those cat treats or canned foods. I want fish!

Meat!!!

Fruit!!

Give me some, quick!!!

Looking at the tabby cat bristling with fury, Jiang You said, "Cuihua, if you refuse to take a bath, there's no way I'll give you anything to eat. If you follow me as my underling, you have to listen.

"I don't keep pets. I only keep food.

"You want to eat my things while still putting on airs like the master of the house? Keep dreaming!"

"Meow!!!"

I'm male!!

I'll never answer to Cuihua even if I die!!!!

Jiang You was eating grilled skewers, staring blankly at the tabby cat that had suddenly started stamping its feet. She had no idea why, but the tabby cat seemed even more agitated.

It turned around, its tail held high, exposing two round lychees beneath its rump.

Seeing those two furry balls, Jiang You froze for a moment.

"So you're a male cat. Then I'll call you Da Zhuang."

"Meow!!!"

I won't answer to Da Zhuang either!!

After the squid was grilled,

"Da Zhuang, come eat some grilled fish."

"Meow~"

Ever since moving, Jiang You felt that her view had opened up considerably.

Although the top floor was very hot, which floor would not be hot in a summer with temperatures like these?

Every morning, she exercised on the terrace. At noon, she took a half-hour nap. In the afternoon, she went out to hack zombies apart, and at ten every night, she rested on time.

She enjoyed this regular routine. It made her feel very secure.

The days were long and the nights short now. It did not start getting dark until after eight in the evening, but by around four in the morning, it was already light outside.

The tabby cat ultimately could not withstand the combination of fists and treats and shamefully accepted the name Da Zhuang.

With a single glance from Jiang You, it knew that it was time for another bath.

Da Zhuang was also very busy every day, busy catching mice.

As a country cat, its favorite staple food was still mice.

Especially after the apocalypse, when mice had grown more than twice as large as before, with more meat and a chewier texture, it was even more satisfied.

Of course, the dried fish and fruit Jiang You grilled for it tasted the best, but it could only eat that kind of fruit when it behaved well.

Da Zhuang did not understand what humans liked, but the preferences of living things in this world were more or less the same.

It decided to share some of its favorite food with the new leader it had acknowledged.

It spent an entire night catching the fattest mouse in the complex. While Jiang You was asleep, it thoughtfully placed the mouse beside her pillow.

When the leader opens her eyes and sees such delicious food, she'll definitely be happy, right?

Thus, the next morning, when Jiang You opened her eyes, she saw a pair of scarlet beady eyes staring straight into hers.

It was a suffocated mouse, plump and weighing at least two pounds.

She drew a deep breath, grabbed the gun beside her pillow, and charged out the door.

"Da Zhuang, get your ass out here!!!!"

Da Zhuang, who had been waiting for dried fish, sensed that something was wrong. With a "meow," it leaped from the edge of the terrace, nimbly bounded away, and disappeared from sight.

Why is the leader so angry?

Could she be unhappy that the food isn't fresh?

Or does she think the color doesn't look good?

It angrily disappeared into some unknown alley.

Damn humans. They're such a pain!

Just like that old woman who used to tie me up and stop me from fighting the village dogs!

Thinking of the old woman who had leaned on a cane, then one day suddenly lain quietly in a box, the wrinkles on her face no longer carrying that warm, kindly expression,

Da Zhuang's mood sank.

Forget it, forget it. Human lives seem to be so fragile.

I'd better treat her well. If she dies, I won't be able to eat those delicious fruits anymore.

It doesn't matter if she doesn't like this mouse. I'll catch her one with a different pattern!

That evening, Jiang You was eating.

Da Zhuang climbed back onto the terrace.

It had at least five or six mice in its mouth. Their bare tails were still writhing, producing squeaky sounds.

It dropped the mice into a fish tank.

The fish tank was huge, over a meter tall. The water inside had long since dried up, leaving only a few fish bones.

After being thrown into the fish tank, the mice scattered in panic, trying to escape.

Da Zhuang looked at Jiang You with great arrogance.

"Meow~"

Poor human, you can choose!

You can eat whichever one you want!

At that moment, several mice were frantically scrambling around inside the fish tank, trying to climb out. But the smooth glass gave their claws nothing to grip, so they could only squeak incessantly.

Looking at the mice, Jiang You silently drew her gun again.

She had been wrong. Living alone was great. Why had she needed to get a cat too?!

"Meow!!!!"

Apparently sensing the killing intent, Da Zhuang leaped away and disappeared from sight once again.

Everyone in the city was fleeing, with danger and violence everywhere.

Yet Jiang You's life seemed completely separate from that of the other survivors.

When she had free time, she even planted some catnip on the terrace for that stupid cat, Da Zhuang.