Chapter 265: A Cat in Heat
Su Tao’s mind was racing with calculations. She even asked Ma Dapao to buy two more seven-seater business vans. With her own RV included, that would be enough for all 13 people to travel comfortably.
It looked like she’d have to build a large underground garage for Taoyang when they got back.
That night, she secured the training ground that Xu Qi had mentioned.
It cost her 14 crystal cores—exactly the amount she had saved up.
The remaining 84 crystal cores were the ones Shi Zijin had brought back.
According to Old Mei’s plan, he recommended that she first acquire the remaining 7,200 square meters of land belonging to the maternity and child hospital.
There was an elementary school and a comprehensive school there—the same type of school that Shi Ziyue and the Sheng sisters attended.
All the students were under 18.
Su Tao didn’t even hesitate. Without so much as a frown, she spent 72 crystal cores to bring that land under Taoyang’s control.
She didn’t feel the slightest bit of regret.
These crystal cores were earned through the blood and sweat of Shi Zijin and his team as they hunted. It was only right to reinvest them into the home he had sworn to protect.
However, when it came time to build the protective shield, she hesitated.
Building a full protective shield for the entire 7,200 square meters would cost her 7.2 million Federation credits.
After buying the cars, her total assets were just over 7.4 million.
If she went through with it, she’d practically be bankrupt.
She couldn’t bear to do it.
Besides, she still wanted to buy some useful items at the trade fair or auction in Xindu.
So, Su Tao stood outside Shi Zijin’s room, sighing dramatically.
The next morning, as Shi Zijin stepped out of his room, he saw the young lady standing there, hands behind her back, gazing at the sky with a sorrowful expression.
“Ahhh—”
Shi Zijin leaned against the doorframe, listening to her sighs without asking.
Su Tao sighed louder each time:
“I’m struggling so much.”
“It’s so hard for me.”
“I’m so poor.”
*
After three dramatic sighs, she noticed he still wasn’t reacting and glared at him.
Shi Zijin suppressed a smile and remained silent.
Su Tao shamelessly jumped in front of him, stretching out her small hand.
“I’ve already acquired the remaining land of the maternity and child hospital, so you guys need to invest a little. I don’t have the money to build the protective shield. And look—the elementary school building is falling apart and needs to be rebuilt. The dormitory at the comprehensive school is ancient and deteriorating. Everything needs money!”
Shi Zijin’s eyes curved with amusement. “Alright. How much do you need?”
Su Tao thought for a moment. “A conservative estimate—10 million Federation credits.”
“Got it. I’ll apply for it.”
Su Tao flashed a bright, toothy grin. “Major Shi is truly compassionate.”
Shi Zijin teased her, “Why do I feel like you’re always short on money? It’s been half a year, and your finances are still tight?”
Su Tao sighed. “Because I have a conscience. I don’t exploit people. I don’t earn much, but I spend a lot.”
Shi Zijin had to admit, she had a point.
She could easily double the rent, and people would still fight to lease her properties.
And her supplies—she could mark them up three or four times, and they’d still sell out instantly.
But she didn’t.
She was doing her best to make sure ordinary people could afford decent housing and food.
After a brief pause, Shi Zijin suddenly sent Su Tao a message containing an account number and password.
Su Tao stared at the notification, confused.
Shi Zijin explained, “It’s my personal savings. There’s about 13 million in there. If you need it, you can use it anytime.”
Su Tao was stunned. Then she quickly refused, “No, no, no. I can earn my own money. It’s just a matter of time. You should keep that for yourself. Even if you don’t use it, save it for Ziyue.”
Shi Zijin looked down at her and suddenly said, “In the end, it’ll be yours to manage anyway.”
Su Tao blinked but didn’t respond.
“You don’t need to worry about Ziyue. She gets subsidies from her training with her mentor, and she’s saved up quite a bit herself. After graduation, she’ll be in the military, so she won’t have many expenses. She doesn’t need my savings. Just think of it as you holding onto it for me.”
Suddenly, that string of numbers and password felt much heavier.
She didn’t refuse again, but she wasn’t actually planning to use it.
She wasn’t stupid.
Since coming back, Shi Zijin had become noticeably more proactive with her—even entrusting his personal finances to her.
Shi Zijin smiled and ruffled her hair. “Don’t space out. Someone’s bringing Black Sesame over soon. Go check it out.”
Su Tao’s eyes lit up. Sure enough, within half an hour, a squad captain from the Pioneer Army personally drove Black Sesame to Taoyang.
As soon as Black Sesame spotted Su Tao, it leaped from the vehicle and pounced into her arms.
She held it tightly, rubbing its small head for a long time. It felt stronger, bigger—much healthier than White Sesame, the little chubby one.
Shi Zijin exchanged a few words of thanks with the squad captain.
The squad captain saluted and solemnly said it was the least they could do. Black Sesame had helped them evade multiple zombie attacks, even saved a lieutenant and two majors, and had taken down bandits and seized supplies. It had officially earned a first-class merit award—a legitimate special operations cat.
Su Tao was stunned. “Seriously?”
The squad captain nodded. “Yes. We don’t even know how it does it, but it suddenly starts circling us, meowing non-stop. When I tried to pet it, it clung to me and led me south. Not long after we left, zombies appeared right where we had been. If we hadn’t evacuated in time, we would’ve been caught in a fight.”
He then retrieved a box from the vehicle, inside which was a military merit medal.
Su Tao, still cradling Black Sesame, was left speechless in shock.
Her little furball had been away from home for less than six months and had already become a hero.
Letting it leave her side had been the right decision.
It was destined for more than just staying within the confines of Taoyang.
The squad captain hesitated, then asked, “Boss Su, if we need to, could we request Black Sesame to accompany us on missions again?”
Su Tao gently stroked Black Sesame’s head, feeling proud.
“As long as it’s willing, I have no objections.”
The squad captain was overjoyed. With Black Sesame scouting ahead, they could drastically reduce zombie encounters, avoid unnecessary battles, minimize casualties, and improve marching speed.
“But this month, it’s coming with us to Xindu,” Su Tao added.
The squad captain was slightly disappointed but quickly understood. After all, Su Tao was Black Sesame’s true owner. They were just borrowing a cat to help with their work.
Back home, White Sesame, that silly fluffball, acted like it didn’t even recognize its brother. It was so startled that it darted under Xuedao’s belly.
Xuedao simply lifted an eyelid, glanced at Black Sesame, yawned, and went back to sleep.
Meanwhile, Black Sesame strutted around the room like a king inspecting his territory before finally settling down—right on White Sesame’s favorite cushion.
White Sesame was furious but didn’t dare say anything. It sulked, circling around Su Tao while grumbling, clearly hoping she’d step in and seek justice on its behalf.
Su Tao selectively ignored everything.
Qiu Yin, who had come over for a visit, was instantly enamored with Black Sesame. However, she was also a little wary of the smart and proud little cat. After some effort, she finally got familiar with it and tentatively reached out to pet and pat it. Surprisingly, Black Sesame didn’t resist at all; in fact, it seemed to enjoy it—especially when she patted its backside.
As Qiu Yin kept patting, she started to feel something was off. She noticed the way Black Sesame was raising its little butt and paused for a moment before asking,
“How old is it?”
Su Tao thought for a second. “About seven or eight months, I think.”
Qiu Yin’s expression turned a bit complicated. She had grown up with cats and knew a little about them.
At this age… it was probably going into heat.
