Chapter 147: Unleashing the Claws
Xiong Tai was feeling smug. “This time, I’ve got something really good—your boss will definitely love it.”
With that, he pulled out a tattered burlap sack.
Ma Dapao scratched his head. “What the hell are you doing…? Seriously, I’ve had enough. I’m super busy right now. Can’t you come back in a few days when things calm down?”
He quickly called over Xiao Zhang from the front desk to deal with Xiong Tai and then hurried off to Taoyang.
Just moments ago, Supervisor Qi had called him, saying that Black Sesame had been seen sleeping on the trash bin behind the mountain the night before. After 10 p.m., it disappeared—so it must have gone missing during that time.
Xiong Tai didn’t even get a chance to open the sack before Ma Dapao rushed off. Frustrated, he threw the bag on the ground.
Inside, Black Sesame struggled a little, unable to make a sound due to the “cage” restraining it.
Xiao Zhang finally realized that whatever was in the bag was alive. She was about to ask about it when Xiong Tai shoved her aside.
“Get lost! You people at Panliu Mountain really don’t treat me like a human being. I keep offering my help, and you keep ignoring me. Fine! I won’t give this away anymore—I’ll just find some random rich lady to take it and trade it for some booze!”
Fuming, Xiong Tai slung the sack over his shoulder and hitched a ride on a truck back to Old Station. There, he ran into Qu Jingwen and Lian Sha, who had just been looking for him and were about to leave.
Still in a foul mood, Xiong Tai didn’t even greet them. He shoved the sack into Qu Jingwen’s hands.
“Miss Qu, here, take this cat. If you like it, just give me a bottle of liquor.”
Qu Jingwen was stunned for a moment. She opened the sack and saw a black cat staring up at her with wide, watery eyes, unable to move. It looked small and pitiful.
Its paw pads were still pink, its nose soft and delicate. It seemed no more than four or five months old, completely harmless.
Qu Jingwen was instantly captivated. Even Lian Sha, who usually showed no interest in worldly matters, glanced over.
Qu Jingwen quickly tightened the sack to keep Lian Sha from getting a better look. Then she looked up at Xiong Tai.
“Where did you get this?”
Xiong Tai replied, “It’s a stray. Miss Qu, if you want it, take it. Just give me a bottle of liquor—don’t ask anything else.”
Qu Jingwen immediately said, “Fine, you can pick up your liquor at my place tomorrow. But first, let the cat go—it looks like it’s suffering.”
As she spoke, she loosened the opening of the sack.
Xiong Tai’s mood suddenly brightened. “Alright, but be careful—it’s really fierce—”
Before he could finish his sentence, Black Sesame shot out of the sack, claws bared.
In an instant, it slashed a deep wound across Xiong Tai’s face, sending blood splattering everywhere.
Xiong Tai let out a shriek, clutching his bleeding eye and nose.
But before he could react, Black Sesame darted into his pocket, snatched the glowing green crystal core, and bolted away.
Within seconds, it had vanished into the crowd.
Qu Jingwen stood there, holding the now-empty sack, completely dumbfounded.
Lian Sha, however, glanced curiously in the direction where the cat had escaped.
That cat was fast—far too fast for an ordinary feline.
Xiong Tai was still howling in pain, cursing the “damn beast” and calling it all sorts of names.
Lian Sha, expressionless, parted her red lips and began to hum a soft, mesmerizing tune.
Qu Jingwen couldn’t hear it, but she could see Xiong Tai gradually calm down, his hands dropping from his face.
His eyelid had been split in two by the cat’s claws, flipped outward, leaving a gruesome, bloody mess.
Qu Jingwen felt a chill run down her spine. That adorable little cat had been so vicious…
So it really was a stray—no one could possibly tame such a wild creature. One wrong move and you’d end up seriously injured… or even blind.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment. If only she could have kept it.
Xiong Tai’s remaining good eye slowly lost focus. He stared at Lian Sha, murmuring in a daze, “Goddess…”
Qu Jingwen scoffed. Goddess, my ass. What kind of “goddess” warms men’s beds?
Within moments, Xiong Tai was completely entranced, following Lian Sha like a soulless puppet to meet Tan Yong.
“Boss, Director Qi, these four kids saw Black Sesame at the landfill behind the mountain on the afternoon it went missing. Maybe you and Director Qi should ask them some questions?”
Su Tao rubbed her sore, tired eyes. In front of her stood a group of raggedly dressed children—the oldest barely twelve, the youngest no more than eight or nine.
They huddled together, gazing at the luxurious room with a mix of awe and anxiety.
Su Tao felt a pang of sympathy. She turned to Lin Fangzhi. “Fangzhi, get some candy and water for the kids.”
Then, she gently invited them to sit on the plush sofa, patiently reassuring them.
Lin Fangzhi handed each child a small bag of milk candies and a bottle of mineral water.
The children’s eyes widened as they stared at the treats, saliva pooling in their mouths. They wanted to take them, but they didn’t dare.
Su Tao smiled warmly. “It’s okay—take them. I just need to ask you a few questions, and then Uncle Ma will take you home.”
The children, seeing that Su Tao was young, beautiful, and kind, felt much less fearful. However, they still looked toward the oldest child for guidance. When he nodded, they carefully accepted the candies and water, but instead of eating them immediately, they clutched them tightly in their arms.
Su Tao quickly realized that this twelve-year-old boy might be the leader of the group. Smiling, she asked,
“What’s your name?”
“My name is Zheng Xing. Big sister, is that black cat yours?”
Su Tao’s eyes turned a little red. “Yes, I raised it. It’s my family. Can you tell me about the last time you saw it?”
Zheng Xing was shocked that such a gentle and beautiful young woman actually owned such a fierce cat.
Instantly, he took Su Tao much more seriously, speaking carefully and respectfully. He not only described what had happened that day but also mentioned someone who had once tried to kill the black cat for its meat—only to end up getting scratched.
Su Tao was completely stunned.
Her beloved cat, whom she had raised since it was a kitten, had nearly blinded someone? It had even gained a reputation as a menace at the foot of Panliu Mountain?
The Black Sesame she remembered was mischievous, wild, and independent—but was it really this fierce?
Zheng Xing secretly observed Su Tao’s expression, then cautiously asked, “Big sister, you didn’t know?”
Su Tao rubbed her forehead. “I was careless. And then?”
Zheng Xing, thinking carefully, spoke clearly as he recalled the events:
“Apart from the people I mentioned earlier, I think Xiong Tai is the most suspicious. Big sister, do you know him? He’s an ability user. An ordinary person probably wouldn’t be able to catch your cat—it’s too fast. But with Xiong Tai’s abilities, catching people or animals is pretty easy.”
“Also, that day, I saw him trying to get close to the cat. After I warned him, he backed off. I need to apologize for something, though—I thought the cat was too wild and aggressive to have an owner. So when Xiong Tai asked, I told him it was probably a stray. I’m sorry, big sister. That might have made him feel free to take it.”
