Chapter 288: The Ominous Star Cat
The pet store in Xindu was well-decorated, quite similar to mid-tier pet shops before the apocalypse.
However, there weren’t many animals inside—just six or seven cats and three small dogs.
From Su Tao’s perspective, none of them looked as good as her own cats, Black Sesame and White Sesame. Most of the cats had sharp, gaunt faces, and their fur patterns were not particularly appealing.
Su Tao didn’t know much about breeds, but to her, they simply didn’t look good. They were all rather thin, and their energy levels seemed low—probably due to the heat.
Song Yuebing felt the same way—his face was full of disappointment.
He had expected Xindu’s pet store to offer something special, but in the end, it was no different from other places.
Ever since seeing Boss Su’s two cats and a dog, it had become much harder to find any pet that felt “right.”
On the way, Major Shi had mentioned that this was the only mid-tier pet shop in Xindu—other stores would likely be even worse.
Out of curiosity, Su Tao asked about the prices.
The store clerk, seeing that they didn’t look wealthy, responded arrogantly:
“Between 300,000 to 500,000.”
That was still within Song Yuebing’s budget.
However, he wasn’t willing to spend that much on a cat he didn’t even like.
Meanwhile, Su Tao thought about the black-and-white sesame she had picked up for free and found the prices ridiculous.
But the high cost made sense—after all, this was the apocalypse. People were struggling to find food and survive; keeping pets was a luxury.
On top of that, resources were scarce, and cats were carnivorous animals, making their upkeep extremely expensive.
Seeing Su Tao’s reaction, the store clerk rolled her eyes and sneered:
“Pets are just playthings for rich ladies to pass the time. They don’t care about the money. Besides, the cats we breed eat better than regular folks like you. We even hire professional groomers to bathe them.”
Qian Rongrong, being young, blurted out in shock:
“If they eat so well, how are they still so skinny? Are they sick?”
She actually wanted to ask, “Even with grooming, how are they still so ugly?”—but her mother’s glare stopped her.
Growing up, before coming to Xindu, she had only seen Black Sesame and White Sesame.
She assumed that all kittens in the world were healthy and cute.
Even though Black Sesame wasn’t fat, he had a sleek and athletic build—clearly a lively, healthy cat. His big, shiny eyes made him look intelligent.
And White Sesame? She was the little darling of Taoyang, fluffy and round, rolling onto her back to beg for belly rubs from anyone she met.
Nothing like the cats in this store…
The store clerk’s face darkened. “What, are you accusing us of selling sick cats? Get out! If you can’t afford them, don’t come in!”
Shi Zijin cut her off: “How many cats and dogs do you have in total? Add them all up—I’ll buy them all.”
The store clerk nearly choked. “What?”
Su Tao quickly grabbed Shi Zijin’s arm in alarm. “No way! I don’t even like a single one!”
She was already at her limit taking care of two cats.
Shi Zijin replied calmly, “Then we’ll buy them and give them away to whoever we think is suitable.”
The store clerk almost burst out laughing in contempt.
“You guys are putting on an act, huh? Can’t afford it, so you’re pretending to be generous? Just leave already and stop interfering with business!”
Song Yuebing was also getting angry. “What kind of attitude is that? Where’s your manager?”
The store clerk scoffed, “With your status? This is exactly the kind of attitude you deserve!”
From the moment they walked in, looking around with curious expressions, the clerk knew they were outsiders—bumpkins who had never seen a real pet store before.
She prided herself on her ability to judge people. Customers who couldn’t afford anything weren’t worth serving.
Qian Lin couldn’t hold back anymore and started cursing at the clerk. Qian Rongrong, worried her mother would lose the argument, jumped in and yanked the store clerk’s hair, turning the place into a chaotic mess.
When Su Tao saw her dear Rongrong getting scratched by this nasty woman, she immediately joined the fight.
Song Yuebing stood there, dumbfounded.
But just as Su Tao threw herself into the fray, Shi Zijin suddenly pulled out a gun and slammed it onto the counter.
“Total it up.”
The sound was loud and sharp—impossible to ignore. The store clerk froze in place.
What the hell?
Was he really threatening her with a gun just to make her do the math?
Was he actually serious about buying the cats?
Shi Zijin cocked the gun. “Do I need to repeat myself?”
Sensing real danger, the store clerk instinctively grabbed a calculator, her fingers trembling as she punched in the numbers.
“Th-the total is 6.3 million.”
Shi Zijin nodded, smiling coldly. “Only six million? Anyone overhearing this would think we were talking about a billion-dollar deal.”
The clerk heard the mockery in his tone and wanted to snap back, but seeing that official military-issued handgun—something an ordinary person wouldn’t have—she swallowed her anger.
Shi Zijin was actually going to pay.
Su Tao’s hair practically stood on end. “No, no way! There’s no need to waste money over some petty grudge!”
Six million could build her so many houses—this was not worth it.
It took every ounce of persuasion she had to stop Shi Zijin from going through with the purchase.
When they left the store, Shi Zijin’s face was stormy.
He didn’t care about saving face, but he couldn’t stand anyone looking down on Su Tao.
“Calm down, calm down,” Su Tao coaxed, gently rubbing his back with her small hands. Only then did the fire in his eyes slowly die down.
Not long after they left, chaos erupted in the pet store.
A wealthy-looking middle-aged woman stormed out of a car, her thick-heeled shoes clicking sharply against the pavement as she charged inside.
Her driver followed, carrying a pet carrier that was violently shaking as the cat inside went wild, crashing into the walls.
Even the driver’s hands were trembling.
What kind of insane cat was this?!
Seeing the woman enter, the store clerk’s sour mood immediately flipped into enthusiastic customer service mode.
Before she could say anything, the woman exploded:
“What kind of demon did you sell me?! Look at what it did to me! You people are shameless!”
She grabbed the pet carrier from the driver and hurled it at the clerk.
The impact sent the store clerk crashing to the ground.
The carrier door popped open, and a beautiful long-haired white cat shot out. Its belly was slightly swollen—likely pregnant.
But it moved lightning-fast, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Dazed and seeing stars, the store clerk tried to get up, but she couldn’t even chase after the cat.
That Chinchilla cat had cost the store owner a fortune—it was the best-looking cat they had ever sold!
The woman didn’t care about any “Ominous Star Cat.” Still furious, she kicked the store clerk twice.
“You tricked me! Told me this cat had a good temperament, that it just needed time to adjust! I’ve had it for over a month, and it still shreds me to pieces every time I touch it! Your boss better give me an explanation, or I’ll have this store smashed to bits!”
