The Death of Number 035 - Wildcat (7)

"I called out, I shouted, but you all seemed to be dead asleep, you couldn't hear me. That cat, that cat just ate me, didn't even leave a bone fragment. No, it definitely wasn't a cat! It was a monster! After it ate me, its injuries healed! It had blood on it, but no wounds at all! After it ate me completely, I felt like I was inside its stomach, it was so cramped, it hurt so much. After a while, I could move again, and I found myself shorter. I had become that cat! I had become a cat! I know now, Su Zhuoqin did it on purpose! He deliberately forced me to kill the cat, and as soon as I killed it, I would be trapped here in his place! Please, save me! Please, save me!"

Extract blood sample 03520060505.

May 5, 2006. Cat ghost not captured. Strange spirit seen in stray cat photo, half-cat, half-human.

May 7, 2006. Blood report received. Stray cat blood sample 03520060504 is Su Zhuoqin's blood. Ground blood sample 03520060505 is stray cat blood. Stray cat blood sample 03520060505 is Fei Wen's blood. Confirmed: Before April 15, the stray cat contained Kong Rongde. On May 4, the stray cat contained Su Zhuoqin. From May 5 onwards, the stray cat contained Fei Wen.

May 10, 2006. Phone recording 200605101209.mp3.

"Boss, how's it going?"

"I'm on my way back."

"Did you catch the cat's ghost?"

"No, it wasn't a ghost, it was a spirit. Its true form should be in the cat, which is why my punch had no effect."

"I see. The cat is at the agency now, we're keeping an eye on it."

"Mm. Oh, right. I saw Su Zhuoqin's ghost, in a half-cat, half-human state."

"Really? He didn't go to reincarnation, nor ascend to heaven?"

"He lost consciousness and walked right up to the stray cat's spirit, and was swallowed by it."

"No way? When Fei Wen saw the ghost float out, he should have still been normal. And Kong Rongde's ghost, the thing we saw at Fei Wen's place that day should have been Kong Rongde's ghost. Wasn't he conscious? He even attacked Fei Wen!"

"It must have gradually lost its self-awareness after leaving the stray cat's body. In any case, you guys keep an eye on that stray cat for now."

"Mm, don't worry."

May 11, 2006. Communication with client. Audio file 03520060511.wav.

"Mr. Fei, based on the information we have, there is no possibility of your survival."

Tap tap tap tap tap tap...

"What did it write?"

"'Save me.'"

"I'm very sorry, you are already dead. You died on May 5th. We cannot bring you back to life. Now, someone from our agency will kill your current cat body to free your soul."

Tap tap tap tap tap tap...

"It still says 'Save me'. Boss?"

"This is the best way to save you. Do you want to be swallowed by the cat's ghost?"

Meow! Meow-ow! Meow meow meow!

"A Miao, hold it down."

"Got it."

Meow!!! Meow--!

Hoo--

Bang! Bang bang!

Aoww!

Crash!

Splat!

"It ran that way!"

"Hey! Idiot, what are you doing!"

"Damn it! This thing's strength suddenly became immense!"

"A Ye, are you alright?"

Crack! Bang!

"Hoo... Hoo... It's dead now, right, boss?"

"It's dead. Burn it."

May 11, 2006. Burned the stray cat's corpse. Investigation concluded.

February 3, 2007. Missing person case discovered: a young female white-collar worker. Large amounts of cat blood found in the missing person's home. Neighbors reported the missing person had a history of animal abuse.

Attachment: News report.

February 8, 2007. Investigation revealed 14 similar cases among national missing person records, dating back to 1978.

Attachment: Case files and news report photocopies.

February 10, 2007. Investigation concluded. Case result: Suspected birth of a new supernatural species. Unable to determine the origin of this special type of stray cat. Case classified as "Unresolved." Keywords set: "Animal Abuse." In case of related incidents, directly compare blood samples, analyze cat meow audio, and deal with the stray cat.

"Meow!"

I nearly jumped out of my seat. Looking up, I saw Guo Yujie watching cute cat videos with a lovesick expression. I let out a breath and closed the music player.

The cat cries were truly chilling, utterly shrill. They were meant to be cries of death, but what I heard sounded more like the screams of cats being harmed. Fei Wen and the others should have reveled in that sound, but who would have thought those cries would become their death knell! I wonder if any of the stray cats on the street now have the soul of an abuser trapped within them?

"Meow meow!"

"Did you get in touch with Old Man Wang's daughter?" I couldn't stand the incessant meowing from Guo Yujie's phone and patted her shoulder.

"I did. She's taking leave and will come over. Then she can chat with those two psychologists." Guo Yujie paused the video and stretched, her arms extending to reveal her waistline. Her long legs were straight and slender, a very pleasing sight.

I only glanced a couple more times before Guo Yujie brought her hand down and smacked my head, making me cry out in pain and clutch my head.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry." Guo Yujie apologized sincerely, but I flinched away when she reached out to rub my head.

"Ahem, what are you two doing?" A steady voice sounded from the doorway.

Guo Yujie and I looked up to see our old leader standing at the door, with a young and beautiful girl behind him.

"Old Leader." I scrambled up from the ground, disheveled.

Guo Yujie, the culprit, grinned and stood up from her seat, walking towards the old leader. She even stepped on me.

This woman! I gritted my teeth, holding back the pain and gasping for air. I was also a little relieved that Guo Yujie was always a tomboy and didn't wear high heels, otherwise, she would have crippled me.

Thinking of this, I glanced at the young girl. Not only was she beautiful, but she also had a very feminine aura. She wore a blue dress, and sheer stockings encased her legs. On her feet were a pair of black high heels. Looking at her upper body, her long, curly hair cascaded down, obscuring the curves of her chest. She wore light makeup, giving her a delicate and refined look. Her slightly raised chin and haughty gaze perfectly matched her appearance and demeanor, but she seemed out of place in our demolition office.

Guo Yujie didn't seem to notice the girl's distant and indifferent attitude. She greeted the old leader with a smile and then took the initiative to strike up a conversation with the newcomer.

"This is Chen Xiaoqiu. She'll be joining your team starting tomorrow," the old leader said.

Guo Yujie immediately welcomed her. "That's great! Can I call you Xiao Qiu from now on? Qiu from autumn? You can call me Xiao Yu or Xiao Jie."

"It's Qiu from hills, Chen from ear and east, Xiao from dawn, Qiu from hills," Chen Xiaoqiu replied.

Guo Yujie blinked, clearly surprised that such a beautiful girl would use such characters.

"Her father named her when he happened to see the hills in the morning, so he gave her this name," the old leader sighed, shaking his head.

As soon as I heard this, I knew that Chen Xiaoqiu was the daughter of an acquaintance of the old leader. I just couldn't understand why such a girl would join the demolition office.