Live Cat Appraisal: Starting with a Beast That's Got a Long Prison Record

Chapter 125 The Snow Shadow Finally Appears!

Over the next few days, this elusive highland bandit seemed to make feeding Chen Nian at a fixed location a daily task.

Sometimes it's a plump gerbil, and sometimes it's a clueless pika.

In short, they never come empty-handed.

After it happened so many times, even Chen Nian herself felt a little embarrassed.

Moreover, after feeding them several times, Chen Nian also figured out the behavioral principles of the thief.

"Perhaps it's because I was the first snow hare I accepted, that it mistakenly thought I was... well, a weakling with poor hunting skills who needed to be helped? Is that why it persisted in 'poverty alleviation'?"

Chen Nian found this both amusing and exasperating.

I never imagined I'd be taken care of by a Pallas's cat!
If my parents find out...

They would surely exclaim, "My son has finally made something of himself!"

As a top student in the nine-year compulsory education system, Chen Nian deeply understands the teachings of our ancestors:
It is impolite to come without giving anything in return!

So, when the thief reappeared furtively, with a fat field mouse still kicking its legs in its mouth, ready to carry out its 'daily relief', Chen Nian quickly called out to it.

"You thief! Wait!"

The little figure, which was about to abandon the field mouse and run away, suddenly stopped, pricked up its ears warily, and looked over with its golden vertical pupils.

"I'll treat you to something good to eat!"

Chen Nian raised her arm.

A few tiny kibble pellets traced an arc and landed precisely on the grass a few meters away from the thief.

Xiaomi once said that Xiaomi cat food is palatable to all felines, even the evil golden shaded cat can't resist it.

The thief clearly couldn't resist the kitten food either.

An unprecedented fragrance, carried by the crisp, cold winds of the plateau, entered the nostrils of the bandits.

"!!!"

Those vertical pupils, which had been contracted out of vigilance, widened into perfectly round copper bells with a 'whoosh' at a speed visible to the naked eye under the impact of the fragrance!

Meow meow meow?
The taste of shrimp is divine!
The thief, who had never smelled such a pleasant scent in his life, hesitated and stopped in his tracks.

Carefully approaching the nearest kibble, its pink little nose twitched rapidly, greedily capturing that irresistible aroma.

In the end, I couldn't resist the temptation.

She stuck out her pink little tongue and curled it up, pulling the small dark brown particle into her mouth.

quack!

The crisp sound of teeth crushing cat food was particularly clear on the quiet hillside.

In that instant, the fur on the thief's body seemed to stand on end, and his golden pupils suddenly dilated, filled with extreme shock and disbelief!

Such a wonderful thing exists in the world?!
Its little mouth was slightly open, as if it had been frozen in place.

They stood frozen in place for more than ten seconds!
On that fluffy little face, a perfect 'cat-level cosmic shock' expression was frozen.

Its gaze was fixed on Chen Nian, as if silently shouting:
people!
You eat this every day?!

You're eating so well?!
Chen Nian watched this scene with a smile.

"Hahaha!"

Chen Nian couldn't help but chuckle at its appearance, admiring the little guy's expressive face with a smile.

It wasn't until the thief came to his senses and precisely found every single cat food scattered in the grass, licking it clean without leaving a single one, that he raised his head at Chen Nian, turned around, and ran away in a flash.

Then some viewers in the live chat might ask:
"Professor Chen, I remember you mentioned the 'no-interference principle for wild animals,' right? That is, not approaching or feeding them. So, would you consider today an exception?"

"Well," Chen Nian looked at the comments and shook her head with a smile.

"Principles are important, but specific situations also need to be analyzed specifically."

"Think about it," he prompted, "What if the person who just fed the cats was replaced by our dear teacher, Lin Sen?"

After thinking about it, the cat lovers replied decisively.

"Then forget it. If it were Teacher Lin, the thief would probably think he was going to attack him and wouldn't be able to get close at all."

"Even if it smells delicious, the thief definitely wouldn't dare to eat it, for fear it might be poisonous!"

"Hahaha!"

Chen Nian laughed as she looked at the comments: "That's right! So the key points are 'object' and 'relationship'."

"Based on my speculation, the thief was probably attracted by some special aura on me, and subconsciously regarded me as one of his own, or a partner who needed to be taken care of."

“When it saw that I came back empty-handed and exhausted every time I went hunting, it probably worried that I would starve to death, which is why it provided me with those prey that were like a lifesaver.”

He paused, then used a more relatable metaphor.

"It's a bit like the cats of cat lovers. When they see you 'going out hunting' every day and 'coming back empty-handed' and exhausted, they will come over to rub against you, comfort you, and may even bring you their toys."

"That's the principle." "It's just that the thieves express their concern in a more 'hardcore' way—they directly deliver real prey."

Chen Nian shrugged, a hint of smugness in her expression.

"Of course, this only applies to me."

"The thief will be extremely wary of other unfamiliar or unacknowledged humans. Let alone feeding them, it will be impossible for him to even get close."

After being fed for the past two days, Chen Nian finally came to her senses.

The unusual closeness and continuous feeding by the thief are most likely related to his passive effect of 'Best's Body'.

This indescribable, cat-loving charm cannot be hidden.

He simply admitted it openly.

After all, the world is so big and full of wonders.

I, Chen, am born with a natural affinity for cats!

That seems reasonable, right?

That's why cat lovers are so envious they don't know what the world is like.

"Ahhh! I'm so jealous! If I had half of Teacher Chen's cat-loving ability, my house would probably be overflowing with cats by now, and there wouldn't even be room to stand!"

"I can't even imagine! I absolutely can't imagine! If Teacher Chen were to take a walk around the city, wouldn't the stray cats on the street and the aloof cats in the shops line up to beg for his attention? Tsk."

"Waaaaah, it's so frustrating to compare myself to others! Teacher Chen, please share some of my cat-attracting good luck with me!"

Seeing the screen filled with envious comments, Chen Nian burst into laughter.

On this remote snow line, being able to chat so easily with fellow cat lovers from all over the world and share their adventures was a rare and precious pleasure of his trip.

However, just when Chen Nian thought this strange 'feeding-returning-gift' pattern would continue...

The thief has vanished!
For an entire day, that familiar small, gray-brown figure that had been peeking out from behind the rocks in the distance never appeared again.

Having grown accustomed to being silently 'protected' by this little guy, Chen Nian suddenly felt empty inside, as if a small piece was missing.

"Is nothing going to happen?"

Worry, like tiny vines, quietly creeps around my heart.

Chen Nian thought to herself.

But I managed to resist the urge to search for it.

Yesterday's feeding of the cat was already the limit of interaction based on a special 'relationship'. If we were to intervene further rashly, it could not only disrupt the delicate balance but also violate the basic principle of respecting the independence of wild animals.

"He probably just went to visit friends on the next mountain."

While comforting herself, Chen Nian forced herself to focus her attention on the screen in front of her.

He carefully maneuvered the drone towards a previously unpatrolled, more rugged mountain valley.

The drone's camera smoothly swept across the jagged rocks and sparse vegetation.

suddenly!

A gray-white shadow, almost blending into the rock, flashed past the edge of the lens!

Chen Nian felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

Suddenly, I missed a beat!
He suddenly held his breath, his eyes widening instantly, almost touching the screen!
"Could it be."

His fingers trembled slightly with excitement.

With the fastest speed and the gentlest movements, I controlled the drone to fly back slowly, adjusting the focus and angle, afraid of disturbing that fleeting glimpse of its existence.

The camera carefully probed deep into the mountain valley.

When the image finally focused clearly on that huge, sun-warmed rock platform—

Time seems to have stopped!
A slender snow leopard was lying there lazily!
Its gray-white fur, dotted with black hollow rose spots, seemed to shimmer with silver light under the intense highland sun, and its long tail, coiled at its side, was almost longer than its body!
Chen Nian's facial muscles twitched slightly due to extreme excitement.

Ultimately, it transformed into an incomparably radiant smile, one that seemed capable of melting ice and snow.

He took a deep breath, then grabbed the walkie-talkie from his waist, his fingers turning slightly white from the force.

The voice, almost cracking with excitement, trembled uncontrollably with ecstasy, and instantly pierced the silent hillside.

The sound echoed across the vast plateau:

"Qiyue!!!"

"I—found—a—snow—leopard—!!!!!"

(Snow leopard mother and cub~ Guess what happens next~)

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　　love you~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)