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

Chapter 174 The Wild Kitten Jumped Out!
Time always flies when you're fishing.

Before we knew it, the setting sun had painted the clouds on the horizon and the distant snow-capped peaks with a brilliant golden-red hue, and the magnificent "Golden Mountain Sunrise" arrived as scheduled.

Chen Nian gazed at the magnificent scenery of this world.

One should feel refreshed and exclaim with delight—

“So beautiful”

If it weren't for the Air Force today.

Snapped!
Chen Nian slammed the fishing rod in her hand onto the grass.

With a resolute expression of 'solving the case,' he declared: 'You can't catch any fish in this lousy place at all!'

"Bad feng shui!"

"We'll have to find a better spot another day!!"

On the other side, Dian Dian and Xiao Hui Hui, who were burping from eating fish, were puzzled and wondered what Chen Nian was angry about.

Xia Qiyue couldn't understand why fishing was so addictive.

She looked at it all afternoon but couldn't figure out what it meant.

"Chen Nian, can I try it another day?"

"Okay, I'll pick a good spot for you then, you'll definitely catch some fish!"

Chen Nian patted her chest and assured him.

Lily stretched and stood up, glancing at Chen Nian speechlessly.

I don't know who fished all afternoon and didn't catch anything.

How dare you recommend it to others!

gone!

It bit the leash and tugged at it, indicating that it was time to go home.

Chen Nian immediately went along with it.

"Okay, I was originally planning not to go back until I caught anything, but since Lily wants to go home, I can't force her."

He deftly began packing his fishing gear.

The movement was so loud that it woke up Xue Aotian, who had been sleeping nestled against his chest.

The little guy peeked out from the edge of the pocket with his fluffy head, looking around sleepily.

嘤？
Dad, did you catch any fish?

Chen Nian lifted it out completely, held it in her arms, and then solemnly began to line it up:
"Alright, alright, the sun's gone down, let's get ready to go home!"

"Everyone, cats, count off!"

"Xue Aotian?"

The young master twisted his body in dissatisfaction, whimpering, trying to break free from Chen Nian's clutches.

"Dian Dian?"

The golden leopard cat leaped out of the bushes and stood at attention.

"Little Gray?"

The greyish-white desert cat nibbled at Chen Nian's trouser leg, indicating that it had always been there.

"Lily?"

The lynx glanced at him.

"Very good, then next up is Xia Qiyue!"

"Here~!" Xia Qiyue jumped up cooperatively and raised her hand with a grin.

Chen Nian finally looked at the live streaming phone.

The screen was already flooded with "Arrived!" comments.

"So sensible!"

"Excellent! 4 cats and 1 person were expected, 4 cats and 1 person were present, everyone is here!" Chen Nian nodded in satisfaction and waved his arm: "This Cat King declares that this team building activity has been successfully completed!"

"Go to the rescue station, go home!"

However, just as he shouldered his backpack and prepared to lead the team away, a soft and ethereal voice suddenly and gently drifted into his ears, like a barely perceptible breeze.

"What about me?"

Chen Nian froze instantly and turned around abruptly.

The stream still flows gently.

The flow did not stop just because it got dark.

Besides that, there was nothing else around.

"July," he asked hesitantly, "did you hear anything just now?"

"No!"

Xia Qiyue rubbed her arms: "Let's hurry up, the temperature drops so fast after the sun goes down, it's already getting cold!"

As she spoke, she bent down to hug Diandian, who looked the warmest, but the little guy nimbly dodged her, leaving Xia Qiyue pouting in grievance.

Forget about the other two warm cats; they won't let her near them at all.

"Okay, maybe I misheard."

Chen Nian shook her head, thinking that she might be hallucinating from being in the Air Force for too long, and continued walking forward.

He had only taken two steps when that plaintive yet ethereal voice drifted clearly into his ears again, this time as if it were right next to him!
"Don't you want me anymore?"

Chen Nian turned around abruptly!

His gaze was like lightning, quickly sweeping across the surrounding bushes, rocks, and stream surface!

Is it a prank?

Or something else?!

This desolate wilderness
Xia Qiyue, who was walking ahead, saw Chen Nian stop again and turned around in confusion: "Chen Nian? What's wrong with you now?"

Then she met Chen Nian's solemn, as if facing a formidable enemy expression.

He asked again with utmost seriousness, "You really didn't hear anything? A very, very soft sound?"

"Really, there isn't any!"

Xia Qiyue felt uneasy at his serious demeanor and nervously looked around.

At this moment, the last rays of the setting sun quickly faded.

Night fell over the wilderness with an almost oppressive speed!

The valley, which was as beautiful as a fairyland during the day, suddenly became eerie and sinister under the dim light because of this inexplicable 'sound'!

Xia Qiyue hadn't felt anything at first. But Chen Nian's question, coupled with the atmosphere, suddenly sent chills down her spine and made her scalp tingle.

"Chen Chennian, you...you...don't scare me!"

"I...I really didn't hear that!!"

Call ~
A gust of cold wind blew by, and she shivered violently, her voice trembling with tears.

"Woo!!!"

She hurriedly and shakily walked over and grabbed Chen Nian's sleeve, looking around in horror at the increasingly dark surroundings that seemed to conceal countless unknowns.

Her tremor actually calmed Chen Nian down.

He tilted his head with a strange expression and looked at Xia Qiyue, who was trembling like a quail in fear: "Oh~~~ So you're afraid of ghosts?"

To everyone's surprise, Xia Qiyue, who is fearless, is actually afraid of these things.

Chen Nian gave a mischievous grin.

If he hadn't been unaware of the source of the sound, he would have startled Xia Qiyue with his high and low pitch.

"Hey! Let's go!" Xia Qiyue was furious and embarrassed. She grabbed Chen Nian's arm and dragged her desperately toward the rescue station. With her other hand, she frantically pulled out her phone and turned on the flash.

However, on the vast and boundless plateau wilderness, this faint light, like a firefly, did not dispel the darkness.

Instead, it made the surroundings appear even more profound, eerie, and unknown!

Waaah! Waaah!

Just then, Xue Aotian felt uncomfortable in his position and squirmed and cried out.

This vibrant voice instantly broke the silence and dispelled some of the chill in Xia Qiyue's heart.

Chen Nian listened intently for a while longer.

After confirming that the mysterious voice had not reappeared, he suppressed his doubts and, carrying a large string of "trinkets," quickened his pace back to the brightly lit rescue station.

Dian Dian disappeared somewhere along the way.

After settling Little Grey and Lily in, Chen Nian and Xia Qiyue ate a simple meal. Just as he was about to return to the room with Xue Aotian in his arms, Xia Qiyue stopped him.

"that."

Xia Qiyue's eyes darted around: "Could Aotian sleep with me tonight?"

She wanted to request the 'young master's' companionship service for tonight.

He even gave off a fierce yet adorable expression that said, "If you dare ask me why, I'll get angry with you."

Chen Nian was taken aback at first, then remembered the scene by the stream, and couldn't help but laugh and cry. She readily handed over Xue Aotian, who was yawning, along with its soft grass nest.

"Alright, I'll entrust the young master to you tonight."

Xia Qiyue was overjoyed to have found such a treasure.

He immediately hugged the warm Xue Aotian in his arms and nodded in satisfaction.

"good night!"

She was, after all, half of Xue Aotian's wet nurse, so the little guy didn't reject her. After burrowing around in the familiar grass nest for a while, he quickly fell into a deep sleep again with his little bottom sticking up.

"Good night."

Looking at the closed door, Chen Nian smiled and shook her head before returning to her own room.

Lying in bed, he could still hear the two strange yet familiar voices by the stream echoing in his mind.

"They look familiar, but I just can't remember who they are."

"Could it be Xiaomi?"

"Wait a minute, Xiaomi always appears in single quotes, but this time it's in double quotes, so it shouldn't be it."

To confirm, Chen Nian even called out "Xiao Mi" a few times.

No response was received.

He muttered to himself, "Could it really be an illusion caused by the sound of flowing water?"

dingdindi
Just then, his phone emitted a rapid warning sound due to low battery and then automatically shut down.

The device will automatically shut down when the battery is low.

"Uh..." interrupted, Chen Nian got up and charged her phone.

Since he couldn't figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it. He turned off the light, closed his eyes, and prepared to go to sleep.

On the other side, there's the Qiyuan Cattery.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen Guomin have just delivered a litter of Ragdoll kittens.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen Guomin had just finished delivering a litter of Ragdoll kittens and had taken care of everything.

After washing his hands, Mr. Chen picked up his phone: "Let's call Xiao Nian now."

The phone rang for a long time but no one answered.

Li Cuicui walked over, wiping her hands: "He's probably asleep. The child must be exhausted taking care of so many wild big cats all by himself. Let him rest well and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

"That's true." Chen Guomin put down his phone, his eyes filled with both heartache and pride.

The next morning.

While fast asleep, Chen Nian felt a tickle on the tip of her nose, as if something furry was gently brushing against it.

"Aotian, stop fooling around."

He mumbled incoherently and subconsciously raised his hand and waved.

But the result was nothing.

"Ok?"

Realizing something was wrong, Chen Nian immediately opened her eyes.

The soft morning sunlight streamed into the room through the window.

What came into his view was not Xue Aotian's snow-white fur, but an incredibly vibrant and lively emerald green!

A delicate kitten, seemingly carved from the finest jade and radiating a soft, gentle glow, sat gracefully beside his pillow, its azure eyes, like those of a starry sea, gazing at him with a hint of a smile.

At the tip of its equally emerald green, fluffy long tail was a small, exquisite golden bell that made a very subtle, clear sound when the tail was shaken.

The rocking motion blurred Chen Nian's eyes, which had just woken up.

Chen Nian's pupils suddenly contracted.

My sleepiness vanished instantly, and I cried out in surprise:
"Xiao Mi?!"

Xiaomi tilted her head, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

"Silly Chen Nian, good morning, meow~"

(P.S. This is the limit. Is there any AI expert who can help me with a more detailed implementation? I still can't get the bell on the tail working.)
(Please vote for me, for Xiaomi's sake!)

(End of this chapter)