There's a chat group for pets in my neighborhood.

"Please don't say that," Lu Fang could only try his best to comfort her.

Pity the parents of the world.

"You can't control your illness. Zhong Yue did this because he loves you. You are his only family and his only pillar of support. Only when you are well can he have the energy to pursue other things."

Mr. Zhong sighed deeply, and murky tears slid down his cheeks.

"He came to see me the night before last and fell asleep by my bedside." Mr. Zhong's voice choked with emotion. "His hands were so fair and clean when he was in school. They were hands that were born to hold a scalpel, but now? They're covered in calluses."

Zhong's father stretched out his withered hand and tightly grasped Lu Fang's arm.

"Xiao Lu, you two are good brothers. As your elder, I have only one request for you: please don't let Xiao Zhong continue like this. I hope he can do what he truly loves."

Lu Fang's eyes welled up with tears. He took the old man's cold hand in his own and gently comforted him, "Uncle, I can't promise you anything, but please believe me, I will do my best."

"That's good, that's good."

The old man muttered to himself, but his voice quickly faded and became barely audible.

Lu Fang waited until the old man was sound asleep before standing up to think about it. He carefully tucked the blanket around him before getting up and leaving.

Meanwhile, the sheriff was also busy.

At the home of the Three Flower Goddess, Tanuki stretched comfortably. As his body stretched, the hideous wound on his back revealed newly grown pink flesh. Although the fur had not fully grown back, the wound had almost healed.

"This medicine is really good. In the past, it would have taken at least ten days to half a month to get it." Tanuki licked his paws and skillfully sharpened them on the rough tree trunk in the yard, sighing.

"I told you long ago, having a pet hospital as a base wouldn't harm you," the sheriff retorted.

"Stop, stop." Tanuki covered his ears. "Let me tell you, this favor I owe you is something I owe that bomb disposal maniac. Besides, let's settle our business first, then we can talk about the pet hospital."

"Enough with the small talk, let's get down to business." The sheriff silently leaped down from the wall and landed steadily in front of Tanuki.

It flicked its tail, and its dark green eyes revealed a solemnity that was hard for ordinary people to detect.

While Tanuki was recovering from his injuries these past few days, the sheriff hadn't been idle.

It traveled to almost every neighborhood around Tiancheng Community and gathered a lot of firsthand information.

"Have you figured everything out?" Tanuki's eyes sharpened as well.

Seeing that the two were talking about serious matters, the Three-Flower Goddess obediently curled up in the cat bed next to her, gazing at the Tanuki Brother with a dazed look.

"We've found out, and it's no small fry." The sheriff squatted down opposite Tanuki: "The blind cat that led the pack is a Maine Coon mix, a whole size bigger than you, and extremely dangerous. Even stray dogs would avoid it."

"This guy keeps more than twenty stray cats under his command. They are all ruthless characters who have seen bloodshed. The bite on your back was from this blind Maine Coon."

"I was just careless. Give me another chance, and I'll beat it to a pulp!" Tanuki sneered. "What exactly are they trying to do?"

"The urban villages in the south of the city have been demolished. A while ago, excavators and bulldozers went in and wiped out their entire hideout. Several garbage dumps in the surrounding area were also cleaned up." The sheriff calmly analyzed the situation: "These guys are almost starving, and their eyes are all red with greed."

"I don't know who spread the word that our community is being given out canned food every day. Now the blind Maine has decided that our Tiancheng community is easy to bully and plans to forcibly take over our living situation."

Upon hearing this, Tanuki's face turned completely gloomy.

The world of stray animals is different from that of pets; it's not as warm and affectionate.

For those stray cats that are hungry and don't even have a cardboard box to shelter from the rain, the excellent conditions in Tiancheng Community are a fatal temptation.

"Can we talk?" Tanuki asked, a rare question for him.

This is clearly going to be a fierce battle, and many of its men will likely be killed or wounded. It doesn't want to see that happen.

"How can I allow others to sleep soundly beside my bed?" The sheriff shook his head decisively: "Forget about it, there's no way we can talk about it."

"The premise of the negotiations is that both sides have a way out. For them, not being able to find a new place to live means starving to death. The blind Maine's attitude from the beginning was very clear: it wanted to completely take over Tiancheng Community."

"Then let's fight!"

Tanuki suddenly stood up, its fur bristling like an enraged lion: "I've been guarding Tiancheng Residential Area for so many years, I set the rules, and I took over the territory! Now, if they want to steal my business, they'll have to see if their teeth are hard enough and their claws are sharp enough!"

"Fighting is definitely going to happen, but where and how to fight it requires careful consideration."

As Tanuki's strategist, the sheriff remained calm as he analyzed the situation.

"Have you ever thought about what would happen if twenty-odd stray cats and our brothers from Tiancheng Community suddenly started a full-scale battle in the middle of the night?"

Tanuki was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening.

The life-or-death struggle of dozens of cats, accompanied by pitiful screams, biting, and cat hair flying everywhere, would definitely wake up all the residents of Tiancheng Community.

"The reason why the people in Tiancheng Community tolerate us and are willing to feed us is because the stray animals in the community, under our control, never disturb the residents or harm anyone."

The sheriff said, word by word.

"If a large-scale brawl breaks out here, regardless of who wins or loses, the property management and residents will completely turn against each other. At that point, the police will be called, the dog catchers and cat catchers will be called, and this paradise will turn into a dead zone! There will be no winners; it will be a lose-lose situation."

Tanuki knew in his heart that the sheriff was right. If a battle really broke out in the neighborhood, it would be a matter of minutes for humans to eliminate them.

Even the fiercest cat can't withstand a cat-catching net.

"You're right, the battlefield absolutely cannot be chosen in a residential area." Tanuki took a deep breath, a resolute glint in his eyes: "Since they want this territory, then let's follow the rules of the nomadic world."

"Let's go and challenge them!"

Tanuki looked up towards the south of the city. "Two streets south of Tiancheng Residential Area, there's a long-abandoned construction site, practically deserted. We'll fight Blind Maine there, a battle for survival that will determine who prevails and who dies!"

The sheriff nodded: "This seems to be the wisest choice so far. I'll personally deliver the challenge tonight, so don't you dare sit idle either."

"The kids in Tiancheng Community are used to a peaceful life. In this life-or-death situation, none of you are allowed to let me down. You'd better give me a good lesson, you hear me!"