Chapter 30: Chapter 30: An Extraordinary Man, an Extraordinary Cat: Just a Basic Operation

What’s going on?

"Great Demon"?

Where did a "Great Demon" come from?

Yang Qi stopped, scanned his surroundings, and listened for any sounds.

There was no rustling in the grass, nor the crunch of dry leaves and twigs.

’Where is the Great Demon?’

"What’s wrong, Yang Qi?" Zhang Zhi, who had been quiet for most of the journey, asked when he saw Yang Qi stop and look around.

"Nothing," Yang Qi said, resuming his pace.

"Ouch!"

Chen Ze, who was walking ahead, suddenly cried out, "Who hit me?"

"There’s no one..." Wang Gu started to reply instinctively, but before he could finish, a hard shell hit him on the head. He froze, looked up into the tree, and exclaimed, "That’s a huge squirrel!"

Hearing this, everyone subconsciously looked up at the large tree by the path.

Sure enough, perched on a thick, horizontal branch was a large, chubby squirrel with glossy fur.

It was happily munching on a chestnut held between its front paws. Amusingly, as it ate, it was also tossing the chewed shells down at the group below.

As it tossed the shells, its little eyes seemed to hold a hint of provocation.

"Hey, you little thing, you’re trying to pick a fight, aren’t you?" Chen Ze said, half-laughing and half-annoyed as he pointed at the squirrel in the tree.

"Interesting. Not only is it not afraid of people, it even knows to throw shells at them," Li Rui remarked, finding it novel as he brushed the fragments off his shoulder.

"This area is probably close to human activity. It’s likely seen plenty of hikers and knows that people generally won’t harm it, which is why it’s so bold," He Shengnan analyzed in a professional tone.

’This is the "Great Demon" the system warned me about?’

Yang Qi was amused. Seeing the squirrel’s arrogant display, he suddenly felt playful.

He patted Xiaojiu, who was perched on his shoulder, pointed at the big squirrel in the tree, and gave a command.

"Xiaojiu, go get it for me!"

Hearing this, Qiao Fei instinctively interjected, "Cats can catch mice, but in a tree..."

Her words trailed off as her beautiful eyes widened in an instant.

The moment Xiaojiu heard Yang Qi’s command, its formerly lazy body tensed up and shot forward like a black spring.

The leap carried it more than two meters off the ground, and it landed lightly and precisely on a low-hanging branch of the large tree by the path!

In the next instant, it dug in with all four paws and shot up the tree like a black bolt of lightning. With a series of whooshes, it then darted forward along the interwoven branches.

Its movements were impossibly fluid, and in the blink of an eye, it had reached the tree where the large squirrel was perched!

The big squirrel was happily tossing its shells when it suddenly saw a black shadow pouncing toward it with incredible speed. It froze in fright for a moment, dropping the remaining half of the chestnut from its paws.

The next moment, its survival instinct kicked in. It let out a shriek, twisted around, and began a desperate flight through the crisscrossing branches, nimbly leaping from one tree to another.

However, Xiaojiu—its intelligence awakened, nourished by Spirit Rice, and enhanced by the "Spirit Awakening Technique"—was no longer the cat it once was.

Like a black phantom in the woods, it gave relentless chase, also leaping through the dense branches as if flying. Its speed was even a notch faster than the squirrel, an animal renowned for its agility!

The two figures, one black and one gray, flickered rapidly in everyone’s vision before disappearing into the dense foliage after just a few moments, leaving only the rustling sound of swaying branches.

This scene left everyone, including the knowledgeable Professor Tang Ji and the composed Deng Lei, completely dumbfounded. For a long while, no one spoke a word.

"Is... Is that still a cat?"

Wang Gu’s eyes were wide as he unconsciously murmured the words.

"That’s a cat, all right. Brother Qi’s cat!"

Chen Ze was the first to snap out of it, declaring with vicarious pride, "An amazing guy raises an amazing cat! Just standard procedure, nothing to get hyped about!"

At his words, everyone’s gaze snapped from the forest to Yang Qi, their eyes filled with astonishment.

Tang Ji couldn’t help but speak up. "Xiao Yang, your cat’s reaction speed, jumping ability, and mobility in complex terrain are all outstanding. They far exceed that of an ordinary housecat, and are even superior to many wild felines."

"After we get out of the mountains, would it be possible to arrange a detailed physiological and behavioral test for it? This is of great research value."

"No problem, Professor Tang," Yang Qi agreed readily.

Deng Lei stared in the direction Xiaojiu had disappeared, his eyes glinting. His earlier doubts about bringing a cat into the mountains had completely vanished, and he turned to apologize sincerely to Yang Qi.

"Keeper Yang, it seems I misjudged. Your cat might actually be a huge help."

"It’s fine, it’s fine. You were just doing your job, Captain Deng," Yang Qi said with a smile and a wave of his hand.

"So, will the cat come back? It won’t get lost, will it?" Qiao Fei asked, a little worried.

She no longer had any doubts about the black cat’s miraculous abilities.

"It’ll come back," Yang Qi said confidently. "Everyone just keep moving forward. Xiaojiu can find me."

Yang Qi had known for a long time that Xiaojiu could practically fly through the trees.

The small villa he lived in was near a hill. Although the hill in the Zoo was just a small, man-made mound, Xiaojiu would often sneak in during the day to climb trees, burrow through shrubs, and chase birds and butterflies. It had long since honed its skills.

Coupled with the enhancement from the Spirit Awakening Technique and the nourishment of Spirit Rice, Xiaojiu’s current physical condition far surpassed that of an ordinary cat.

This was the real reason Yang Qi was confident in letting it act alone.

...

Half-believing and half-doubting, the group continued along the mountain path.

Sure enough, less than five minutes later, a faint rustling came from the bushes nearby.

The next moment, a black shadow flashed by. Xiaojiu, with the fat squirrel in its mouth, leaped deftly from a tree and landed lightly in front of Yang Qi. It then placed the trembling, but clearly still alive, squirrel on the ground.

Then, with a light push from its hind legs, it easily leaped back onto Yang Qi’s shoulder, sat down, and began to leisurely lick its paws.

"It really came back," He Shengnan said in surprise.

Her gaze, fixed on Xiaojiu, was filled with wonder.

"Heh, scared now, are you? Weren’t you pretty arrogant earlier?" Chen Ze said gleefully, looking at the big squirrel curled into a trembling ball.

"Good job, Xiaojiu."

Yang Qi praised it, scratching under its chin.

Xiaojiu closed its eyes in comfort and let out a "meow" in response.

[A piece of cake.]

"..."

Yang Qi bent down and picked up the big squirrel. It felt heavy in his hands. He stroked its fur, which was smooth and sleek.

It was clearly well-nourished and living quite comfortably in the mountains.

"Remember this for next time: don’t just throw things at people, got it?"

Yang Qi admonished it, stroking the big squirrel’s head.

The big squirrel blinked its eyes blankly.

Yang Qi’s aura made it feel relaxed and safe, and it stopped trembling.

"In short, don’t throw things anymore."

After speaking, Yang Qi raised his hand and gently tossed the big squirrel toward a nearby tree.

The moment the big squirrel touched the branch, it was as if it had been reborn. It immediately scrambled away on all fours and shot into the dense canopy without a backward glance, vanishing in an instant.

"I thought you were going to keep it as an extra dish for lunch or dinner," Wang Gu joked, watching the squirrel flee.

Chen Ze snuck a glance at Tang Ji, who was walking ahead and hadn’t commented on the matter, then chimed in in a low voice.

"That’s not a bad idea. A squirrel that fat must have a lot of meat on it."

"Hey! And you call yourselves animal conservationists and researchers?" Qiao Fei shot them an irritated glare upon hearing this.

"Hehe, just kidding, just kidding." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Chen Ze gave a dry laugh, and Wang Gu tactfully shut his mouth, not pursuing the topic any further.

Yang Qi just smiled and didn’t join the conversation.

The group continued onward, following the rugged mountain path over two densely vegetated peaks until they reached a relatively open mountainside.

"WOOF WOOF! WOOF~"

A series of loud, vigorous barks suddenly echoed from the mountain forest to their side.

Along with the barks, two large, powerfully built dogs with well-defined muscles—one yellow, one black—shot out of the woods like two arrows.

"It’s Dahuang and Big Black!"

Qiao Fei said, stopping in her tracks and waving at the two approaching dogs.

Li Rui and Wang Xiaochao also clearly recognized them, and they too waved with smiles.

The two big dogs slowed slightly as they reached the group, their wary and alert eyes sweeping over the people.

They recognized the four familiar forest police officers—Qiao Fei, Li Rui, Wang Xiaochao, and Deng Lei—and gave their tails a slight wag.

Qiao Fei happily crouched down, ready to welcome their affection.

But the two big dogs merely glanced at her, sniffed the air, and then sharply turned. They purposefully bypassed Qiao Fei and ran straight to Yang Qi, circling around him.

As they circled, they affectionately nuzzled their heads and bodies against Yang Qi’s thighs and pant legs, their tails wagging furiously, letting out low, friendly whines.

[Tamed "Mountain Guardian Spirit Dog" detected. Host may be able to abduct it back to the sect for contribution points.]