BXBX NOVEL Chapter 228: Building Trust
"It looks like the battle with Liang Yue took a toll on it," Zhang Yi remarked.
The fight between Huahua and Liang Yue had drained both of them significantly. Liang Yue’s sword, Loong Roar, had left several wounds on the cat. This likely prompted Huahua to follow Zhang Yi and Yang Xinxin here, seeking the only human it trusted.
Zhang Yi saw an opportunity to tame the cat. "Let’s go feed the cat," he told Yang Xinxin. He equipped himself and helped Yang Xinxin put on a thick coat before leaving the shelter.
"Meow—" Huahua uttered a cautious cry upon seeing Zhang Yi but showed no aggressive behavior. Its gaze held wariness and fatigue.
Sitting in her wheelchair, Yang Xinxin waved at Huahua. "Huahua, don’t be afraid! Come to your sister."
However, Huahua only watched her, occasionally glancing at Zhang Yi, and whimpered softly, not approaching. Clearly, some caution was still harbored towards Zhang Yi, especially after their earlier conflict at Tianqing Academy.
Zhang Yi smiled and opened his spatial gate. "Whoosh—" A mountain of cat treats, dried fish, and bags of cat food poured out.
"Come on, Huahua! Have some food! The outside world is too harsh. If you agree to be my pet, I’ll ensure you’re well-fed and sheltered," Zhang Yi coaxed.Huahua stared intensely at the pile of food. Zhang Yi even noticed its throat move in anticipation, a good sign. However, Huahua remained cautious, backing away a few steps while watching Zhang Yi and the food.
"Meow—" Huahua’s cry became a mix of challenge and skepticism, as if to say: Do you think you can tame me with just this?
From her wheelchair, Yang Xinxin smiled. "Brother, Huahua is a stray cat, highly vigilant. It took me over a month to build trust with it initially."
Zhang Yi rubbed his face and smiled. "Over a month? I don’t mind, but I’m worried it might attack the village across the river where Fatty Xu lives."
While he didn’t care about the villagers’ lives, he valued Fatty Xu as a loyal subordinate. Any trouble caused by Huahua might strain their relationship.
Turning to Huahua, Zhang Yi said, "Hey, Huahua, I know you don’t trust me yet, but I can provide food for you. However, you must promise not to attack the villagers across the river. Can you agree to that?"
He pointed towards the southern village. Believing in Huahua’s intelligence, Zhang Yi was relieved to see Huahua look in the direction he pointed and then at the pile of food, nodding slowly.
"Meow—" It was a sign of agreement.
"Alright, that’s settled then!" Zhang Yi knew building trust with a stray cat required patience, especially one as intelligent as Huahua. He had plenty of pet snacks and could afford to feed Huahua gradually.
However, he noted, "Such a big cat has a huge appetite. I’ll need to find more food for it."
As Zhang Yi wheeled Yang Xinxin back inside, they heard excited cries from the women inside. Turning back, Zhang Yi saw Huahua had disappeared.
"Zhang Yi, look!" Zhou Ke’er exclaimed, pointing to the pile of cat food.
Zhang Yi looked closely and couldn’t help but exclaim, "Whoa!"
The enormous mutant cat had shrunk to the size of a normal tabby cat. The women, who hadn’t seen a cat in a long time, were now gushing over the adorable sight through the window.
"It can change its size?" Zhang Yi was surprised and delighted.
This ability meant Huahua’s feeding requirements would be significantly reduced. Lu Keran laughed, "Of course, big brother, your biology knowledge seems lacking!"
"If it always stayed big, those at Tianqing Academy wouldn’t have been able to feed it enough."
Yang Xinxin added, "I suspected as much. Its sudden appearances and disappearances, without causing a commotion, suggested this. Even Liang Yue, a martial arts master, couldn’t detect it."
"Given its food intake, its size-changing ability makes sense."
Zhang Yi relaxed, smiling, "That makes things easier! Feeding a tabby cat is much simpler."
Yang Xinxin, frowning, pointed out, "Huahua is injured!"
Zhang Yi noticed the fresh bloodstains on Huahua, likely from Liang Yue’s sword, Loong Roar. Though the blood had frozen, indicating recent wounds, Huahua didn’t seem bothered while eating.
"I’ll provide some medicine for its recovery tomorrow," Zhang Yi thought, knowing not to approach while it was eating. Stray cats might perceive it as a threat and attack.
He preferred handling this himself to build trust with Huahua, rather than having Yang Xinxin intervene.
That night, Yang Xinxin and Lu Keran shared a spacious room. Decorated in warm pink and yellow tones, the room had an 80-square-meter floor area, a huge double bed with cloud-like soft bedding, and warm velvet covers, as the room temperature was high enough to not need thick blankets.
The room was neatly arranged with a wardrobe, dressing table, and desk, and even had some cute oversized plush toys in the corner, making it a princess-like bedroom.
Yang Xinxin wore white silk pajamas, her long, silky hair falling like satin behind her. She sat on the bed with a happy smile. Lu Keran, in green pajamas, sat cross-legged on the bed, chatting happily.
Having been through the apocalypse, they hadn’t slept soundly in a long time. Lu Keran exclaimed, "Xinxin, pinch me! This feels like a dream!"
"Just this morning, we were starving and freezing under the snow, and now we’re in such a comfortable room!"
Yang Xinxin smiled gently. "Isn’t this wonderful? We owe it all to Brother Zhang Yi."
Mentioning Zhang Yi, she hugged a pillow, her face showing an uncontrollable smile. Zhang Yi’s calm, rational, and strong image was deeply imprinted in her mind.
Lu Keran also admired, "Yes, Brother Zhang Yi is incredible! To create such a haven in the apocalypse."
She raised her fist with determination, "I’ve decided to work hard and not disappoint Brother Zhang Yi’s kindness!"
Yang Xinxin curiously asked, "What did he ask you to do?"
Lu Keran explained, "He asked me to familiarize myself with and modify some equipment. Besides repairing equipment, I’ll likely make weapons too."
Yang Xinxin smiled, "Weapons aren’t easy to make, right?"
Lu Keran nodded, "Yes. Simple firearms are manageable, but complex ones need specialized equipment and molds. Even then, the precision might be off."
Yang Xinxin suggested, "Brother probably doesn’t lack simple firearms. Bullets and bombs might be more useful to him."
Lu Keran realized, "You’re right!"
Making high-end firearms was challenging, but bullets and explosives were easier. Even basic demolition experts could create makeshift bombs. For a professional like Lu Keran, making more powerful, stable bombs was no problem.
"I’ll discuss it with Brother tomorrow!" Lu Keran said happily, determined to repay Zhang Yi’s kindness.
The next morning, Lu Keran eagerly approached Zhang Yi with her ideas. Zhang Yi was intrigued, considering his traps too simple to handle stronger enemies. More landmines and explosives would be ideal.
"Great! Make a batch of those. Be careful, and let me know what materials you need," Zhang Yi said.
Lu Keran confidently patted her chest, "Leave it to me, big brother!"
Zhang Yi’s eyes momentarily glanced at her chest, slightly worried for her future children. "Work hard, I have high hopes for you!" he encouraged, patting her shoulder.