The Cat Who Hated Dogs

"Against lightning enemies, Energy Release skills are your best bet. Otherwise, lightning is one of the elements most likely to hurt you when you attack."

Lu Ran recalled the tips about elements in the Basic Beast Taming Manual. That alone showed how troublesome lightning could be.

After all, Energy Release skills wasted too much energy and were hard to land, so the vast majority of supernatural creatures fought at close range.

That gave lightning, with its pronounced ability to punish attackers, a considerable advantage.

If General Ha's role is heavy damage, then if I contract Sudden Death King later, I could build him around damage reflection, focusing on defense.

Lu Ran mulled it over. Since the little guy wanted ultimate defense, he might as well put everything into it.

He could soak up attacks for General Ha without lacking damage himself. If he managed to paralyze an opponent, that would even add some crowd control.

After using Super Beast Mimicry on him, Lu Ran's own ability to take a beating would go through the roof, too. He would never have to worry about getting hurt again.

"Hey."

"Hey, human up ahead."

Lu Ran had reached the hallway off the lobby and was about to return to the reception room when an imperious female voice suddenly stopped him short.

He quickly looked around, but there was nobody nearby.

"Look down." The voice came again, and Lu Ran lowered his gaze.

A large white cat, soft as a plush toy, with silky fur and an extraordinary air about her, was looking up at him with sapphire-blue eyes.

Lu Ran: ?

"What?! A talking cat!" After two seconds of silence, Lu Ran stared at the cat in shock.

Th-th-this cat... had actually spoken just now?! He was certain it hadn't been Telepathy or anything like that!

What was going on?!

Although he knew supernatural life would eventually come in all sorts of strange forms, this was Lu Ran's first time seeing a talking cat. It was a truly novel experience.

"What's so strange about talking?" The ragdoll cat curled her lip. "Kid, you're the one who discovered the Necromancer, right?"

Lu Ran: ???

"Who are you?" Lu Ran had spent more than two years communicating with stray cats through Telepathy, but he had never encountered one this uncanny.

"Me? I'm the help the Jinling authorities brought in to catch the Necromancer. What a pain. I come out for a vacation and still have to work." The ragdoll sounded disgruntled and thoroughly unwilling.

That only confused Lu Ran further.

Good grief. Uncle Zhao Chen did say they'd bring in powerful outside help to catch that Necromancer as quickly as possible...

But he never said that help would be a cat.

Was she some powerful Beast Tamer's pet beast? Why was she acting alone, without her Beast Tamer...

Forget it. Never mind.

"Yes, I discovered him..." Lu Ran replied.

Unexpectedly, after Lu Ran finished speaking, the strange cat didn't ask much about the case. Instead, her pink nose wrinkled slightly.

"You... smell rather strongly of dog."

"You've contracted a canine pet beast, haven't you? And your beast-taming skill must be the kind that lets you obtain its power... What an awful smell."

"Why couldn't you contract a cute cat?" she demanded.

She was probably some big shot, so Lu Ran hardly dared argue. One sniff had been enough to detect the dog's scent on him. Wasn't her nose even better than a dog's?

"Ahem. The cats where I come from are pretty formidable. Not just anyone can contract them. When I was little, for example, I personally saw a black cat pull a gun from his pocket and shoot a mouse dead. It caused quite a stir back then, even made it onto TV. Contracting one would probably backfire."

The ragdoll cat: ?

"You think I haven't watched Black Cat Detective?!" The ragdoll glared at Lu Ran.

"Oh, you've seen it..." Lu Ran smiled awkwardly. This cat really was interesting. That was an old show; anyone who had watched it was getting on in years.

"But back to the point." The ragdoll gave Lu Ran a mocking look. "Your talent isn't bad."

"You're a psychic, aren't you? You should have the ability to communicate telepathically with other species. Am I right?"

Silence. Dead silence.

Lu Ran's expression changed as his gaze settled on the ragdoll.

He... had absolutely never displayed any special ability in front of this cat. How did she know?

The Telepathy he had acquired two years ago had always been Lu Ran's secret, second only to the Divine Deer Pendant in importance. Although he had figured it would probably be exposed someday, he hadn't expected it to happen so soon.

"Don't be so nervous. It's just a little psychic ability. I know a few people whose powers are much more impressive than yours." Seeing that she had startled Lu Ran, the ragdoll smiled triumphantly.

Now the kid knew what happened when he made fun of her, didn't he?

"You mean there are other people besides me with similar psychic abilities?" Rather than deny it, Lu Ran asked seriously.

"Of course. Among the thirteen Beast Tamers still active on the front lines in Xia Country, there's a girl with psychic powers. She was born with the ability to freely manipulate psychokinesis. Even before becoming a Beast Tamer, her own power was already comparable to a level 10 supernatural creature's. Much stronger than you, isn't she?" The ragdoll wore an expression that said he wasn't anything special.

Lu Ran was speechless.

Psychics... so he really wasn't the only one!

And this person seemed even more outrageous. Apparently, she had acquired her powers over a decade ago, perhaps even decades ago-and hers were offensive abilities!

Comparable to a level 10 supernatural creature? Wouldn't she steamroll the Novice Secret Realm?! Getting an SSS rating would be as easy as drinking water!

"Is her name Gu Qingyi?" Lu Ran suddenly asked.

A woman, a First-Generation Beast Tamer... that name quickly came to Lu Ran's mind.

The ragdoll looked at Lu Ran in surprise. "You even know Gu Qingyi? Though it seems you don't know much about her. I'm talking about someone else, not Gu Qingyi. Little Qingyi is better at research than she is, but when it comes to combat, that old man is probably the only person in the country who can reliably beat her."

So it wasn't her...

This cat really knew a lot.

Lu Ran wondered whose pet beast she was. Could she belong to one of those First Generation big shots, too?

As he looked at the ragdoll, she suddenly began to seem increasingly familiar.

It felt as though he had seen her somewhere before.

"Who exactly are you... and how do you know so much?" Lu Ran asked.

"No harm in telling you. Have you heard of the Cat-Eared Maid Café? That's my business. We specialize in selling all kinds of intelligence!" The ragdoll yawned. "One look tells me you're a newcomer without much backing. If you need information in the future, you can buy it from my business. It'll save you plenty of detours."

Lu Ran was stunned: !!!

He knew it. He must have seen this cat somewhere before.

Lu Ran remembered. There had been a cat statue in the Cat-Eared Maid Café Little White Dragon had taken him to, and its bearing had been very similar to this cat's!

"You're the owner of the Cat-Eared Maid Café? But I heard the owner was a second-generation Beast Tamer!" Lu Ran asked. "Are you her pet beast?"

"You could say that," the ragdoll said. "But you need to understand who's in charge."

What did that mean... she was the boss, and the Beast Tamer was her underling?

Lu Ran didn't press further, because just then a ringtone sounded. Only then did he notice the ragdoll's tail...

She had originally had only one tail, but a second one suddenly materialized, curled around a miniature phone.

The next moment.

An invisible psychic force floated the phone up to the ragdoll's ear, and the extra tail vanished.

"I'm already at the Beast Taming Tower, and I've seen the person you said discovered him. Just come straight over."

With that, she hung up.

"Though it's nothing special, psychics are still rare. Want to come broaden your horizons and see a Necromancer in person?" The ragdoll looked up at Lu Ran. "The soul of a psychic like you is rich and delicious. Swallowing it could let them jump several levels. You're a Necromancer's favorite."

"So that you can escape safely if one ever targets you, I suggest you familiarize yourself with their fighting style firsthand."

"Ah, what a kind kitty I am." The ragdoll basked in her own goodness.

Lu Ran's stomach hurt. So, in a Necromancer's eyes, I'm a nutritious meal? Wait, you wicked cat-you're not planning to use me as bait, are you?!

He didn't doubt the truth of her words. After all, Little White Dragon had said the Cat-Eared Maid Café was Xia Country's second-largest intelligence hub.

"All right... sorry for the trouble..." Lu Ran immediately agreed. This cat was definitely extraordinary. With her leading the way, the Necromancer probably wouldn't be able to cause much trouble. Watching from the sidelines would be good for him, too.

While they were talking, Zhao Chen hurried over. Seeing that the ragdoll and Lu Ran had already met, he immediately said, "Lu Ran, this is Manager Ying, one of the founders of the Cat-Eared Maid Café. She's an extremely powerful supernatural being, and the outside help we brought in!"

"We've already met," Lu Ran said.

"Good. Manager Ying, how should we find that Necromancer?" Zhao Chen asked the ragdoll.

"Easy," the ragdoll said. "Take me to the crime scene. I'll use a Time-Type Skill to reconstruct what happened, and we'll find him soon."

"Once we find him, I'll use a Spatial Skill to seal off the area around him. He won't escape even if he grows wings!" The cat licked her lips.

Beside her, Zhao Chen and Lu Ran broke out in a sweat as they listened. Good grief-time skills and spatial skills... As expected of Xia Country's biggest information broker, she really had some tricks up her sleeve.