Reborn Cat Sheriff

Chapter 232 The Cat's Journey
Zhang Ke wasn't as free as Lin Ge; he still had many things to do here.

So he helped the old lady with some chores and declined her dinner invitation. Seeing that it was getting late, he secretly slipped some money under the old lady's pillow, then told Lin Ge that he was about to say goodbye and leave.

But Lin Ge refused and didn't go back to the hotel with Zhang Ke. The old lady's place was quite special, and he planned to stay for the night.

To be honest, the living conditions weren't great. Aside from the bed, there wasn't even a comfortable mattress in the room. Although it was fairly clean, the stench from the long-standing accumulation of waste was still quite pungent for Lin Ge.

But Lin Ge just felt very at ease!

Since becoming a cat, no matter how willful he acts, his heart remains filled with confusion and anxiety. Becoming a cat inevitably brings thoughts and feelings. Regret, complaints, and sleepless nights filled with restlessness are all unavoidable.

Only by staying at the Zhanghe Police Station and becoming a police cat, solving cases and gaining the recognition of the police officers, could he feel a little more at peace with his current identity.

But in the end, I was still unwilling to give up.

However, when he arrived at the old lady's house and saw her attitude towards life, her calm and contented attitude towards life and things, Lin Ge suddenly felt that he had nothing to be pretentious about.

In comparison, what exactly is there that I'm not satisfied with?
With no worries about food and clothing, living freely, and even being favored, no one will criticize your willful and unrestrained behavior. Isn't that good enough?

What about people?
So what if it's a cat?
What does it represent?
live!

It's not just a noun, but an attitude! What's the difference between living as a human or as a cat? Some people live worse lives than a cat, while some cats live better lives than humans...

For some reason, Lin Ge suddenly understood a lot of things.

Regret will still linger, and complaints will still arise. But after the regrets and complaints subside, it's time to live earnestly and embrace the future. A cat's life is only a short decade or so; surely it shouldn't just pass by in a daze?

"Mimi, why don't you eat more?"

The old lady prepared a bowl of vegetable porridge for Lin Ge; it was very thick and not stingy at all.

Although the bowl was placed on the ground, Lin Ge surprisingly didn't mind. He ate a few bites to give the old lady face, but he still couldn't finish it all, unlike the old cat next to him who scalded the food but still ate it all up.

Watched by the old lady, Lin Ge gave her face and licked his lips a few more times, but ultimately couldn't eat anymore.

He didn't intend to live the life of an ascetic like the old lady. Staying here was about changing his mindset, not about having to suffer hardship and torment himself in the future.

After dinner, the old lady put on her reading glasses, picked up a book, and began to read slowly.

She sat very upright, her back was hunched but her waist was straight, she didn't look like she was relaxing at all.

Just then, the old cat, who had been lazily napping all day, suddenly stirred. It first stretched out a big yawn, then meowed at the old lady, and turned to walk outside.

The old lady didn't look up, but just moistened her hand with her lips and turned the page, saying softly, "Come back early, don't stay out too late. The doctor said you're already an old man, don't stay out all night."

"Meow!"

Whether the old cat understood or not, it turned around and meowed once after the old lady finished speaking, then walked out the door with its tail held high.

Lingo didn't follow, and it even turned back to stare at Lingo.

So Lin Ge didn't hesitate any longer and obediently followed Lao Mao out the door. They didn't go far, just waited by the roadside until there were no more cars, then strolled across the street onto the sidewalk and went straight to the residential area on the other side where the incident had happened earlier that day.

It was already dark, but the neighborhood was brightly lit. However, there didn't seem to be many elderly people in the neighborhood; there wasn't even anyone dancing in the square. The small garden, which had looked quite pretty during the day, was rather eerie at night, appearing rather quiet in the dim light.

The old cat led Lingo into the small garden, then slowly jumped up the artificial hill in the center of the garden. It stumbled a bit halfway up, but fortunately managed to climb up smoothly, and then squatted down to silently watch the moon.

Lin Ge didn't know what the old cat was up to, especially since he had deliberately called him over. Surely it wasn't that the lonely old cat was looking at the moon without anyone to keep him company?
But the old cat didn't respond, and Lin Ge was at a loss. He thought about it and realized he hadn't climbed the mountain, but instead found a chair below, squatted down, and began lazily licking his paws.

A short while later, Lin Ge's ears suddenly twitched.

Looking up, I saw the old cat had moved too. It silently climbed down the artificial hill, its eyes fixed on the direction from which the sound came. The rustling sound must have been from a mouse or some other animal, moving through the grass.

Lin Ge suspected that the old cat might be malnourished from eating vegetarian food at home every day, which was why it ran out every night to catch mice for a treat.
The reason I call myself that is because I want to share the good fortune with others.
Or perhaps it feels it's getting too old and wants a young cat to help it catch mice?

Lin Ge pondered this in his mind, but he noticed that the old cat didn't patiently lie in wait like a normal cat hunting a mouse. After descending the artificial hill, it slowly walked towards the direction from which the sound came, its tail swishing back and forth as if it were in a rather...pleasant mood?
Then, a chubby little ball of flesh emerged from the grass.

It was a small creature with short arms and legs, but a round body. When it ran out, its hind legs tripped on a blade of grass, and it lurched forward, rolled, and stumbled headfirst into front of the old cat.

"Is this a hamster or a hamster?"

Lin Ge stared blankly as the little creature ran up to the predator, not only showing no fear but also blindly bumping into the old cat's legs, even burrowing under the old cat's belly.

"It'll probably be eaten any second now, right? I wonder whose pet it is, so fearless!"

Lin Ge could hardly bear to look at it.

But to his surprise, the old cat showed no hunting intent whatsoever towards the hamster's actions. It simply watched quietly as the little hamster burrowed into its belly, carving a whorl in its fur, before burying its head in the hole.

Seemingly uncomfortable, the old cat stepped back, exposing the hamster again, and then pressed its paw down on it, making it frantically scratch its limbs but unable to move.

"Pfft!"

The little hamster struggled and made strange noises, seemingly throwing a tantrum at the old cat.

The old cat didn't really hurt it; it played with the hamster for a bit and then let it go. After the cat released it, the little guy continued to run around in circles. Occasionally, it would chase the cat's tail or climb up its legs, having a great time.

It was only then that Lin Ge realized the old cat and the hamster knew each other. At least judging from their interaction, it wasn't their first meeting. However, the sight of a hamster so affectionate towards a cat, and such a kind cat, still broadened Lin Ge's horizons.

"Could he be an idiot from inbreeding?"

Muttering to himself, Lin Ge curiously let out a "whoosh" and walked towards the couple.

"Squeak!"

The little idiot only noticed Lingo then, and was so frightened that its fur became all puffed up. It was already round and plump, but now it swelled up into a ball, with all four little paws hidden in its downy fur.

The old cat ignored it, letting it tremble with fear, lower its head, turn around, and try to burrow under the old cat's belly again. The old cat stopped it with a paw, pushed it out, and made it roll twice on the ground.

"Pfft!"

The little guy was clearly very anxious, but he didn't seem to have any intention of abandoning the old cat and running away. Seeing that Lingo was getting closer and closer, he simply rolled over and lay on his back with his four paws curled up, pretending to be dead.

Lin Ge could no longer tell whether this was clever or stupid.

Standing in front of the little hamster, Lin Ge looked down at it and opened his mouth to scare it, but the little guy insisted on playing dead and didn't even open his eyes.

Even when Lin Ge tried to pry it up, it remained motionless, letting himself be flipped over, though his body did tremble slightly.

I'm still scared!

Seeing how terrified the little guy was, Lin Ge, bored, let it go and walked around to the old cat.

"You came here just to play with mice? Or are you feeling old and looking for a little creature to reminisce about your youth?"

Lin Ge asked curiously, but the old cat did not respond.

It lazily lay down, resting its head on its paws, while its other paw stretched out straight out, much like a lazy, naughty student slacking off in class. It kept its eyes half-closed, watching the hamster peek at Lin Ge, then deliberately roll over to expose its belly, determined to play dead in that position.

"Playing dead means showing your belly, right? What a stupid mouse!"

Lin Ge couldn't help but laugh.

For some reason, he suddenly found this game quite interesting. Unlike human games, the play between the cat and the hamster, though simple, seemed strangely engaging, as if this was the life of animals unrelated to humans.

"Ball? Ball?"

A young girl's voice suddenly rang out; it must be the hamster's owner. This was the first time Lin Ge had ever seen a free-roaming hamster. Did this girl take the hamster out for a walk every evening?
Upon hearing its owner's voice, the little hamster finally opened its eyes.

When it opened its eyes and saw that Lin Ge was still beside it, it was immediately startled. It rolled over and got up, then started to back away slowly and cautiously, staring at Lin Ge with its head down.

Then... a girl with two ponytails came around from the bushes.

"what!"

The girl was startled when she first saw the two cats. She was extremely worried that her pet would be eaten by the cats, and then she saw the little hamster run towards her.

The little guy rammed his head into the girl's shoe and then started frantically tearing at the shoe.

The girl quickly squatted down and held the little hamster in her palm.

Nothing of the expected close interaction happened next, and the little girl didn't seem to recognize the old cat.

With a shout of "Bad cat!", the little girl quickly left with the hamster in her arms.

After the hamster left, the old cat also stood up.

It shook its body and stretched, then walked towards the community wall. Lin Ge followed slowly, full of doubt, and saw the old cat slowly lower its body, its walking posture changing to an aggressive one.

Soon, more rustling sounds came, but this time they were accompanied by a nauseating stench.

Lin Ge looked up and saw a dirty gray rat in the corner of the wall not far away, its head down, gnawing on something. It seemed completely unaware, frantically eating without knowing that two predators were slowly approaching.

"Meow!"

The old cat suddenly let out a meow as a command to attack, and then pounced on the mouse at lightning speed.

Lin Ge also set off quickly, but instead of following behind the old cat, he observed the terrain and headed towards the other side of the wall, which was the possible escape route for the rats.

The unfortunate gray mouse was instantly terrified by the cat's voice.

It dropped what looked like a ball and turned to run without hesitation. But it ran into Lingo, who was blocking its path, so it had to turn around again and desperately flee towards the bushes to the side of the old cat.

Then... the old cat pinned it down with one paw, bit the back of its neck, and flung it away.

(End of this chapter)