Chapter 306: Abuse
Su Tao felt awful as well. She quickly unzipped the bag and let Shi Zijin place the frightened mother cat inside.
The white mother cat was even more terrified, her tail puffed up like a bottle brush. She struggled and bit wildly inside the bag, as if she had gone mad.
Black Sesame meowed at her for a long time. It seemed the white cat understood a little and finally calmed down somewhat, but she still let out long, mournful cries.
Shi Zijin used an empty cardboard box to place the two stiff little kittens inside and handed it to Su Tao.
Su Tao couldn’t bear to look. “Maybe we should bury them here. The weather is hot—we can’t delay.”
Song Yuebing took the box from her. “I’ll take care of it.”
He dug a small hole next to a drainage pipe, wrapped the kittens in a towel, and gently placed them inside before covering the hole.
It was heartbreaking.
The two kittens had excellent appearances—one was even a light golden color, both long-haired.
The mother cat’s voice had grown hoarse. She could only let out low whimpering sounds from inside the bag.
Black Sesame circled the bag, hopping up and down anxiously, as if he wanted to crawl inside.
By the time they returned to the apartment, it was almost 11 PM. As soon as Su Tao unzipped the bag, the white cat leaped out and hid under the bed—both scared and aggressive.
Black Sesame immediately followed her underneath.
Su Tao took a can of cat food from Fang Zhi’s storage space, mixed it with water, and placed it on the floor. She tapped the bowl, hoping to lure the mother cat out.
Only Black Sesame emerged to lick it a couple of times, then he called softly toward the bed.
The white cat trembled and hissed but refused to come out.
With no other options, Su Tao quietly left the room and went next door to find Qian Lin.
Qian Lin handed her the well-fed kitten, now round and plump.
“After today, the worst is over,” Qian Lin said. “The bottle is working fine, but for the kitten to grow strong and stay healthy, it’s best if the mother cat nurses it.”
Holding the tiny flame-colored kitten, Su Tao felt a pang of sadness. The kitten yawned, showing its bald gums and pink little tongue—it was irresistibly cute.
Thinking of the two poor kittens who had already passed, she gently poked the kitten’s belly and sighed, “You’re our only hope now. You need to grow up healthy, okay? Once your mom calms down, we’ll bring you to her.”
Su Tao stayed outside for nearly two hours before returning to her room with the kitten.
The can of cat food she had left out was completely cleaned.
To confirm the mother cat had eaten it and not Black Sesame, Su Tao grabbed him and checked his mouth. Seeing no meat residue, she was relieved.
It seemed the white cat had eaten and drunk her fill.
Quietly, Su Tao placed a soft cat bed under the bed and gently put the sleeping kitten inside.
There were rustling sounds, followed by several long, emotional cat calls—like the joy of recovering something precious. The sound made Su Tao’s eyes well up with tears.
Throughout the night, she hardly slept. Every couple of hours, she would check under the bed, worried that the inexperienced mother cat wouldn’t know how to care for her kitten.
Thankfully, the white cat was very attentive, constantly grooming her baby.
At dawn the next day, just as Su Tao opened her eyes, the mother cat suddenly jumped onto her bed with the kitten in her mouth.
Su Tao jolted awake, sitting up in alarm. “What’s wrong?”
To be honest, she was a bit scared—the cat had been quite aggressive before.
But surprisingly, the mother cat let out a soft, sheep-like meow.
Black Sesame bounced around excitedly beside her.
Swallowing nervously, Su Tao seemed to understand and quickly got up to open a fresh can of cat food, placing it next to the cat with a bowl of water.
After eating her fill, the mother cat sprawled on Su Tao’s bed, nursing her kitten.
While grooming her baby affectionately, the mother cat meowed softly at Su Tao as if to please her.
The sound melted Su Tao’s heart. This cat was even better at acting cute than Black Sesame.
Tentatively, she reached out to pet the mother cat.
Surprisingly, the cat cooperated, rolling slightly to the side to reveal part of her belly.
That simple action made Su Tao freeze.
The lower part of the mother cat’s belly was covered in small, round scars—dense and horrifying.
Su Tao’s hair practically stood on end.
What was this?!
It clearly wasn’t a skin disease—these looked like burn marks.
Burns caused by… a cigarette?
Shocked and angry, Su Tao took a photo and sent it to Song Yuebing, the most knowledgeable person she knew.
He responded almost immediately:
“Those are cigarette burns! Someone abused her—that explains why she’s so aggressive.”
Su Tao’s suspicions were confirmed, leaving her both furious and heartbroken.
On the way to the summit meeting, Song Yuebing analyzed the situation:
“This cat was probably sold to some wealthy lady, but after being abused, her temperament changed, and she was passed around. Eventually, she somehow escaped. Judging by the photo you sent, she’s probably not even a year old. Getting pregnant this young significantly increases the chances of stillbirth.”
What a tragedy.
If the cat had been well cared for and bred at the right age, her kittens would have been healthy and valuable. Each kitten could have fetched a high price, and people would have fought over them.
Such a waste.
Su Tao wasn’t interested in profiting from the kittens. Remembering that Song Yuebing had expressed interest in buying the flame-colored kitten, she asked cautiously, “Who exactly wants to buy it?”
After some hesitation, Song Yuebing admitted, “Madam Wen, the wife of Luo Yan—the leader of the northern Qian’an Base.”
Su Tao’s expression hardened. “Would she treat a pet well? The kitten’s mother has already suffered so much. If I’m going to give it away, I need to be sure it’ll be treated with kindness.”
Song Yuebing quickly assured her that Madam Wen was kind-hearted.
But Su Tao remained skeptical. “Song, you told me we’re friends. I can see you genuinely like animals too. If this kitten ends up suffering, you’d be upset too, right?”
Song Yuebing fell silent.
Finally, he sighed. “Su, I can’t guarantee anything. In the apocalypse, people—especially the powerful—wear many masks. We can’t monitor how they treat their pets behind closed doors.”
Su Tao nodded thoughtfully. “I understand. That’s why I’d prefer to give the kitten to someone I know and trust.”
Her words were a clear rejection.
Though disappointed, Song Yuebing couldn’t argue.
He loved animals, but in the harsh reality of the apocalypse, survival and securing resources for his team came first.
If giving away a kitten could win Luo Yan’s favor and secure better opportunities in the north, it was a price he was willing to pay.
After all, in a world where human lives were so cheap, who would care about the fate of a little kitten?
