From Robinson Crusoe

The light rain continued to fall, and the roads became muddy and slippery due to the precipitation.

Chen Zhou walked briskly while putting on his raincoat, completely oblivious to the fact that he was getting soaked.

The native who came to deliver the message was also very nervous when he saw his chief in this state. He lowered his body and, despite his exhaustion, forced himself to lead the way for Chen Zhou.

Behind the two, Fu Lu Shou, who hadn't rested for long, wore raincoats, carried boxes containing medicine, and followed closely with Lai Fu.

……

Chen Zhou had traveled the road to the cave dwelling many times, but this time he was the most anxious.

Although the native who delivered the message said that Tiger Head had only suffered superficial injuries, Chen Zhou was still worried that the guy's wound might be infected or that he might have other diseases.

Keep in mind that Tiger Head is a cat in its prime, and it has no natural enemies in the wild. At its age, it should be impossible for it to get hurt in the kind of living environment on the island.

If it gets injured, it is highly likely that the injury is caused by a virus, bacteria, or parasite, which weakens its body and leads to a chain reaction that causes it to lose its hunting ability.

Therefore, the external injuries observed by the indigenous people may not actually be external injuries, since they do not understand animals, let alone cats.

……

It didn't take long for the group to arrive at the place where the zebra had rescued the tiger.

Hearing that this large creature, so different from other wild cats, was once the chief's pet, the natives working in the fields all put down their work and gathered around the woodland.

If zebras didn't have some prestige among the natives, these people would probably have gotten even closer.

It wasn't until Chen Zhou arrived that the onlookers cleared a path for their leader to enter.

Without giving the zebra that was taking care of Tiger Head much attention, Chen Zhou squatted down next to Tiger Head and immediately checked on Tiger Head's condition.

……

The rain soaked the tiger's beautiful fur, and the tiger-striped patterns were smeared with messy hair, broken branches, blood, and mud.

A sailor suit, which looks like a zebra's, is laid out under the tiger's head.

Although it was injured, it was not in a bad mood. It curled up on its clothes, its ears flat on top of its head, ignoring the pain and showing off to the people around it.

Looking at the tiger's bright eyes, you would never guess that it has many bleeding wounds on its body.

Wagging its tail and breathing at the group of enormous creatures around it, Tiger Head calmed down a little when it saw Chen Zhou.

……

Chen Zhou tentatively reached out and carefully touched Tiger Head's head with his fingertips.

This guy is extremely tense right now. If he were to suddenly show any affection, he would likely be attacked. Besides, he and Tiger Head haven't seen each other for a long time, and Tiger Head might have even forgotten about him.

At first, Hu Tou was somewhat resistant to Chen Zhou's actions.

But when it smelled Chen Zhou's scent, it seemed to recognize the person who had taken care of it since it was still a baby, and its tail immediately stopped wagging.

The two ears, which had been almost flat on its head, straightened up again, and the tiger's wary eyes looked particularly aggrieved. It looked at Chen Zhou and let out a pitiful meow.

Then, Tiger Head rubbed his cheek against Chen Zhou's hand, trying to get up from the sailor uniform spread on the ground and get closer.

The numerous wounds covering its body meant that every step it took was painful.

However, this cat, who roams the woods, never takes minor injuries or pains to heart.

Since its injury, it has felt fear again, something it hadn't experienced in a long time, and Chen Zhou is the only creature that can give it a sense of security. It wants to go back to the cave.

……

No matter how worried or anxious Chen Zhou was before he set off.

No matter how many times he had complained in his heart that Tiger Head was not friendly, that he insisted on staying here and got injured, he still brainwashed himself and convinced himself that Tiger Head had "brought it upon himself".

When Tiger Head cried out sweetly and rubbed against Chen Zhou's hand, he felt his heart melt.

After glancing at the canopy of trees that could only provide some shelter from the rain, and then at the tiger's head with its messy fur and completely obscured injuries, Chen Zhou decided to move the tiger to a dry place before treating it.

Judging from Tiger Head's mental state, this guy most likely only suffered superficial injuries.

Therefore, Chen Zhou was not overly cautious, picked up the tiger's head, and walked towards the cave.

Having not seen each other much for nearly three months and not had any close contact for nearly six months, Chen Zhou felt that Tiger Head was still as heavy as before.

Afraid of aggravating Tiger Head's wounds, he did not touch Tiger Head's spine.

But just by feeling it, he could conclude that Tiger Head had been eating well and sleeping soundly lately, and had no other ailments besides external injuries.

This raised a question in Chen Zhou's mind—

Since Tiger Head is in good health, how did it suffer such a serious injury?
It's important to know that on this island, apart from the two cows that were sent as a mysterious reward, the giant python that Sunday personally killed, the goat, and Laifu, Tiger Head is basically already at the top of the food chain.

Even if attacked by their own kind, it would be difficult to hurt Tiger's head, not to mention that this season is not the time when cats fight over mates.

The only ones capable of harming a tiger's head are humans, but the natives have all received orders not to harm tiger heads. They've even seen pictures of tiger heads; there's no way they wouldn't recognize it...

Thinking about this, Chen Zhou suddenly realized a problem—

The newly arrived natives on the island seem to have never received this order, which means they may be the culprits who harmed Tiger Head.

However, the new natives usually behave very well and are led by the old natives, so why would they suddenly set their sights on a cat that is difficult to catch and moves around so high?
As Chen Zhou walked towards the cave dwelling, his mind raced.

Whether judging by intuition or by logic, he felt there was something fishy about the matter.

But Chen Zhou did not make a fuss.

He wanted to first examine the exact shape of the tiger's wound, how it might have been caused, then observe the reactions of the various natives before drawing any conclusions.

……

Even if the emptied cave dwellings are abandoned, the indigenous people are not allowed to enter them.

Even on rainy days like this, the natives were not allowed to step into the courtyard when they rested; they could only take shelter from the rain in the few simple wooden huts around the gallows.

As for the new house on Saturdays and Sundays, since the two of them spend most of their time living in the factory and rarely deal with matters in the cave dwelling, it is still in a semi-finished state.

……

The stove and fire wall inside the cave dwelling have not been removed, and some dry firewood has been left inside.

At Chen Zhou's command, Fu Lu Shou and the other two immediately started a fire, and the dim kitchen gradually became brighter as the fire grew stronger.

After opening the box containing the medicine, Chen Zhou took out the alcohol, iodine, hydrogen peroxide, and cotton swabs used for disinfection. Before starting to treat Tiger Head's wounds, Chen Zhou first used tweezers to remove the dead branches and leaves stuck between Tiger Head's fur.

Having grown accustomed to the factory's pristine white walls and bright lighting, Chen Zhou found it quite difficult to adjust back to his cave dwelling.

Squinting, he carefully removed most of the branches and leaves that could be picked, leaving only the "stubborn ones" right next to the bloody wounds.

Wiping the fine sweat from his forehead, which he couldn't tell was from the heat of the fire or from nervousness, Chen Zhou took out the scissors again.

After cutting away the parts that were tangled with fur and couldn't be removed with tweezers, the condition of Tiger Head's injuries finally became clear.

……

Just as Chen Shou finished cleaning the hair, he brought over some clean water.

After cleaning the wound and seeing the extent of the injury, Chen Zhou already had a good idea of ​​what was going on.

Tiger Head's injuries were definitely inflicted by someone, specifically by whipping it with a thin twig. More importantly, those who attacked Tiger Head likely knew not to go too far, as all of Tiger Head's injuries were concentrated on its hind legs and front shoulders, while its more fatal head remained unscathed.

If the natives acted without their knowledge, it's impossible for them to deliberately avoid vulnerable areas.

However, the fact that the perpetrator knew that Tiger Head was his pet only made him angrier.

But this happened suddenly, and it was raining, so it's unlikely that the culprit will be found anytime soon.

Chen Zhou couldn't understand why the natives would attack a cat, so he had no choice but to suppress his anger and continue treating the tiger's head wound.

……

Cats are much less sensitive to pain than humans.

Even so, it was extremely painful when hydrogen peroxide was applied to the wound little by little with a cotton swab.

During the wound treatment, Tiger Head repeatedly meowed due to the irritation from the hydrogen peroxide, and also exhibited subconscious aggressive behavior due to pain.

However, Tiger Head was very clear-headed. It could clearly realize that what Chen Zhou was doing was beneficial to it. Even if it showed its claws, it would silently retract them and try to keep its body stable so that it could apply the medicine.

The cries just grew more and more aggrieved.

……

By the time Chen Zhou finished applying the medicine to Hu's head, it was already dark.

Tiger Head was injured and had been in pain for almost a day, so he was now completely exhausted.

The flames roared inside the stove, and with the doors and windows tightly shut, the kitchen felt exceptionally stuffy.

After throwing the used cotton swabs into the fire, Chen Zhou felt his eyes were also very tired.

Looking at the listless tiger head lying on the ground, he reached out and gently stroked its fluffy head.

"Good boy."

Tiger Head's response was—"Meow~"

……

The rain outside had subsided slightly, and the indigenous people had already been sent home to rest.

It was estimated that Tiger Head's injuries would take at least a month to heal, so Chen Zhou took him directly back to the factory.

He entrusted the tiger's head to Fu Lu Shou and his two companions, ordering them to keep a close watch on it and prevent it from licking its wounds until it fell asleep.

Late at night, sitting behind the long table in his office, Chen Zhou recalled the details of the events before and after the day's incident, searching for suspicious individuals.

……

Zebra, who had a history of misconduct, was the one who discovered and rescued Tiger Head, and was also the person closest to Tiger Head when Chen Zhou arrived at the scene. Naturally, he became the first suspect.

Moreover, Chen Zhou remembered something important—

When the factory was completed, he originally intended to take Tiger Head with him along with the other cats, but Tiger Head had gotten used to living in this woodland and refused to leave with him no matter what.

Helpless, he could only draw a picture of a tiger's head for the natives to see and instruct them not to kill the cat.

In addition, he specifically instructed that if the cat was found injured, there would be a reward for timely treatment and bringing it to him.

"Would the zebra take action because of this promise and the reward?"

After pondering Zebra's character, Chen Zhou found it difficult to make a judgment.

……

It's true that Zebra is obsequious to superiors and bullies subordinates, but when it comes to various resources, he has never been that greedy.

Besides, Zebra is already a "veteran" on the island, and he's not stupid.

Even if he's a complete scoundrel, he should know that the high-quality resources on the island will never be awarded to them.

As for ordinary supplies, such as grains, chocolate, pottery, wooden furniture, and seasonings like brown sugar, they are not difficult for zebras to obtain.

Even setting aside Zebra's prestige and status among the natives, he was a skilled carpenter who would only accept commissions from other natives depending on his mood.

He can get whatever he wants by using his skills; there's no need to take the risk and expend such effort.

……

Another point is that Chen Zhou believes the original group of natives who were captured were afraid of him.

After all, those natives had witnessed him shooting their companions and had suffered his torture and intimidation. They slept on the wooden planks for a while before gradually overcoming their fear and being able to interact with him normally.

The second group of natives were kidnapped to the island by the three men on Sunday.

These people only knew him as the "leader," but they had never seen his ruthless side, so they probably didn't have much respect for him.

Seeing that he spends all his time in the factory, never leaving the premises, people might think he's a hands-off manager, or even mentally challenged.

Therefore, it's possible to swindle some rewards from this leader who has such a weak presence.

However, if the newly arrived island natives were greedy for the rewards, why was it the zebra that discovered and rescued Tiger Head, instead of the person who took action?

"The man was chasing after the tiger's head when the zebra happened to be passing by. Knowing that he would be severely punished if he was discovered, the man ran away..."

Chen Zhou found a possibility.

……

I twirled the pen, glanced at my watch, and saw it was already 11:40.

Chen Zhou wrote down his guesses on a piece of paper, then blew out the oil lamp and went downstairs to check on Tiger Head.

After its injuries were brought under control, Tiger ate something and even pooped in the extra-large litter box that was specially prepared for it. Now it is sleeping peacefully in a cat bed made of old bedding.

According to Chen Fu and Chen Shou, after Hu Tou woke up, he tried to lick his wounds several times, but they stopped him each time.

The three of them arranged their own work hours.

Chen Fu was on duty at the first post, Chen Lu at the second post, and Chen Shou at the third post, ensuring that the tiger's head was under strict monitoring 24 hours a day, so that it would not have any chance to lick its wounds.

When they finished explaining the plan, Chen Fu and Chen Shou, who were still awake, were full of pride. Their proud expressions made Chen Zhou, who was in a bad mood, laugh out loud.

"Can't you come up with a more flexible approach, like designing a small tool to stop it from licking its fur?"

Upon hearing Chen Zhou's question, Fu Shou and his companion looked completely bewildered, unsure how to design such a tool.

"Bring me the pen and clay tablet."

Taking the white clay slab and charcoal pencil handed to him by the two, Chen Zhou sketched an Elizabethan collar on the slab.

This thing is officially called a pet protective anti-scratch medication neck collar. It looks like a lampshade and is worn around the neck of cats and dogs to prevent them from scratching or biting wounds, licking medication, or affecting wound healing.

Chen Zhou handed Chen Fu a simple design drawing of the Elizabethan collar, explained how it worked, and gave him a final instruction.

"Tomorrow we'll find someone skilled in rattan weaving to make an Elizabethan collar. One person will be on duty tonight."

You think I don't know you guys?
Don't try to find excuses to avoid doing your homework. (End of Chapter)