The Cat's Law

Lin Xue continued searching along the corridor and soon found more arrow holes.

They were scattered across the walls, floor, and windows. Judging by their condition, the hooded figure had been shooting as he pursued his target.

But what puzzled Lin Xue most was that, despite all those holes, she had not found a single arrow.

That made no sense!

Only two or three minutes had passed between the hooded figure taking action and Little Hai's group coming upstairs.

In such a short time, with the hooded figure busy hunting that "ghost," he could not possibly have cleared away every arrow along his route... unless the arrows could dissolve on their own without needing to be retrieved?

Lin Xue quickly shook her head.

That idea was even more far-fetched. As far as she knew, even the most advanced materials laboratories had yet to develop a material that could decompose automatically while still withstanding the force of being fired.

After completing another circuit and returning to the stairwell, Lin Xue suddenly froze.

In the glow of a distant searchlight, she thought she saw something on the ground reflect a glint of light!

Lin Xue walked over and searched the area carefully. Finally, she brushed aside a pile of rubble in the corner and picked out a plastic tag no bigger than a fingernail.

"Cat teaser ¥3.00"

The text appeared to be a product label from some supermarket or shop.

Judging by the traces at the scene, the hooded figure had fought here, and this tag had fallen off him during the struggle.

A strand of what appeared to be animal fur was still caught on the edge of the tag.

"This length and texture... it should be cat fur. Black on top, white underneath... an American Shorthair?"

Drawing on her extensive knowledge of zoology, Lin Xue quickly identified the source of the fur.

A pet supply tag, an American Shorthair, and a dose of veterinary anesthetic...

Those were all the clues she could find at the scene. Still, the kind of place that would have all three was already fairly obvious.

Lin Xue took out her phone and dialed a number.

"Miss? The car is ready. Would you like me to pick you up right away?" a woman asked over the phone.

"Bring the car over. I'll be leaving shortly... also, look into something for me."

"What is it?"

"I want information on every pet shop in K City!"

Mu You had no idea someone was already following his trail.

After leaving the lumber mill, he headed straight for the road outside, intending to get a taxi home.

But it was the middle of the night, and in such a remote suburb, finding a taxi was about as likely as winning the lottery jackpot. Mu You waited a while without seeing so much as a taillight, then gave up and jogged home.

A distance of over twenty kilometers would have been unthinkable for him before.

Now, though, the whole trip took only an hour, and he still had energy to spare.

It was already two in the morning when he returned to the pet shop.

Mu You took a cool shower, then opened the refrigerator and pulled out a chilled bottle of cola. He gulped down half of it before his overheated body finally cooled.

By then, the American Shorthair had climbed out of the backpack on her own and was wandering curiously around the shop, inspecting her future home.

"So this is your house?"

"It's pretty big..."

"I didn't expect you to keep so many familiars. Are you a familiar dealer?"

"These familiars are too weak. I could beat all of them with one paw!"

The American Shorthair kept chattering as she rubbed herself against everything in the room, leaving her scent behind.

The little animals in the cages seemed rather afraid of her. Whenever she approached, they shrank silently into the corners, not daring to move.

"Come to think of it, we haven't introduced ourselves yet."

Watching the little animals' reactions with curiosity, Mu You said to the American Shorthair, "I'm Mu You, the owner of this pet shop. What's your name?"

The American Shorthair paused her inspection and leaped onto the desk, flicking her tail. "My name is Chris Fua Swinburne Joseph... Ferguson Ken Sphinx."

She rattled off a long string of at least a dozen names, leaving Mu You completely bewildered.

"What?" Mu You asked.

He had only wanted a name. Who knew that would unleash such a long string of words?

"My name is Chris Fua Swinburne..."

The American Shorthair was about to repeat the whole introduction without the slightest reluctance, but Mu You hurriedly raised a hand to stop her. "Hold it!"

"Do all creatures from the Star Spirit World have names that long?" Mu You gave her an odd look.

"The first seven are my master's name and family lineage, meow. The next eight are my own lineage. Only the last one is my name. My master usually calls me Sphinx!" the American Shorthair said.

"Still too long..."

Mu You shook his head and glanced down at the empty drink bottle in his hand. "From now on, your name is Cola!"

"Cola... what's that, meow?"

"Cola is also called 'happy juice.' It's a treat nobody can resist," Mu You said.

"Meow! Speaking of treats, that reminds me-where's the food? Hurry up and get me something to eat! I'm starving!" the American Shorthair yowled incessantly.

Mu You got up with a sigh and walked over to the storage cabinet by the shelves. He took out a half-finished bag of cat food, found an empty feeding bowl the cats and dogs had used, and filled it to the brim. "Here. Dig in."

The American Shorthair approached skeptically and circled the bowl a few times before looking up in disgust. "You expect me to eat this? How am I supposed to eat something so dry?"

"Then what do you want?"

"I want slime worms!"

"Damn, your tastes are that nasty? You actually eat slime?" Mu You looked at her in disgust.

"Not slime-slime worms! They're a kind of worm native to the forests of the Star Spirit World. They're nutritious, deliciously slippery, and can even increase magical power. They're excellent feed for familiars!" Cola flicked her tail and kept meowing. "I grew up eating slime worms. Low-grade feed like that gives me diarrhea!"

"You said it yourself. Those worms are native to your Star Spirit World. This is Earth. Where am I supposed to find them?" Mu You rolled his eyes and pushed the bowl toward her. "Anyway, this is the only food I have. Are you eating it or not?"

"No!"

Cola sprang up as well, refusing to back down. "I would rather starve to death-die out in the street-than eat a single bite of this garbage!"

"Then go hungry!"

Mu You curled his lip, ignored her, and headed upstairs to bed.

As a pet shop owner, he knew all too well that picky eating was a habit he could never indulge. The moment it appeared, it had to be dealt with!

"Oh, right. The litter box is over there. Do your business in it. And don't bully the little animals in the shop. If I find an animal missing from any cage tomorrow morning, I'll stew you!" Before entering his room, Mu You remembered to turn back and offer that friendly "reminder."

"Pah! You jerk! That's not what you said when you brought me here..."

Only after Mu You disappeared upstairs did Cola let out a couple of angry yowls to vent her frustration.

Turning back, she looked at the bowl full of dark pellets and swallowed, her mouth watering uncontrollably. She hurriedly reaffirmed her resolve. No, no. Someone of my standing, Sphinx, can't eat something like this... but it smells so good. Why does it smell this good, meow... I really want some...

With ravenous hunger raging in her belly, Cola finally gave in. She reached out a paw, hooked a piece of cat food out of the bowl, and held it between both paws to give it a lick.

"Meow?" Cola's eyes suddenly went wide.

Then she began wolfing it down like mad!

"Meow, it's so good! How can anything taste this good, meow..."