Exploring Technology in a Wizard World-Chapter 263 - 262 Cat People Never Slaves
Chapter 263: Chapter 262 Cat People, Never Slaves!
Chapter 263 -262 Cat People, Never Slaves!
A cat meowed, and immediately all the cats started meowing incessantly, “meow, meow, meow.”
Some cats swaggered up to the girl’s feet, rubbing their heads against her shoes with a coquettish air, while others gently nibbled on her socks. The tiger-striped cat, in particular, leaped forward, eyeing Richard with a wary gaze, its body crouched as if ready to attack at any moment.
The girl’s expression changed slightly, and she looked at Richard nervously, stammering, “Uh, don’t be scared, these cats aren’t evil creatures, they… they’re all very gentle pets, they won’t attack you, nor bring you misfortune or disaster. Just now, I was startled by one of them—’Napoleon’ bumped into me. I wasn’t hurt, so… so…”
The girl was clearly at a loss for words, not sure what to say, and after an awkward pause, she blurted out, “My grandfather agreed to keep them, so, you… you can’t make me kill them.”
Done speaking, the girl stared at Richard with wide eyes.
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“Hmm?”
Richard was initially taken aback upon hearing the girl’s words but then he realized: Obviously, the girl assumed he, like most people in the current world, despised cats vehemently and would righteously or “kindly” persuade her to put the cats down, which must be why she said that.
However… he wasn’t particularly fond of cats, but he didn’t hate them either.
In his view, cats, especially docile ones, made good pets. They were quiet and not disruptive. Of course, if they could sleep almost twenty-four hours a day like Pandora, that would be perfect.
Richard thought and said to the girl, “Don’t worry, I don’t think they’re evil, and I won’t ask you to kill them. I don’t have any prejudice against cats, I treat them like any other animal, neither good nor bad.”
“Really?” The girl was slightly surprised, her already large eyes widening further, flickering and slowly filling with joy.
“Really.” Richard nodded in confirmation.
“Phew.” The girl sighed in relief and extended her hand, “My name is Heidi, nice to meet you.”
“Uh.” Richard extended his hand and gently shook hers, “Richard.”
After introducing himself, Richard didn’t want to engage further with the girl and said, “Since you’re alright, it seems I was overly concerned. I’ll go back and wait in the waiting room then.”
“Uh…” Heidi called ‘Heidi’ nodded, about to agree, when suddenly the sound of boiling water came from the kitchen.
“Ah!” The girl exclaimed, slightly annoyed, slapping her forehead, “I almost forgot, I was boiling water to make tea for my grandfather.”
“Well…” The girl turned to Richard, her tone pleading, “Since you don’t hate cats, could you please watch these cats for me for a while? Just keep an eye on them, make sure they don’t run around. Once I’ve made the tea for my grandfather, I can take over from you.”
“This…” Richard hesitated.
Heidi bowed deeply, pleading again, “Please.”
“Uh… alright.” Richard agreed.
“Thank you.” Heidi said, hearing the kitchen water continue to boil and quickly ran towards the kitchen, while Richard walked into the room full of cats.
Cats are territorial and wary creatures. As Heidi left, Richard had just entered the room when he immediately received a rather cold, even hostile reception.
Most of the cats backed into the corners, watching Richard warily. The tiger-striped cat, already hostile, arched its back, a dangerous glint in its eyes, staring fiercely at Richard as if ready to attack any moment.
Richard had anticipated this and, looking at the tiger-striped cat, he squinted and whispered softly, “Don’t provoke me, I’m just here for a moment at the request of your owner. So, just stay like this, be good. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being rude.”
The tiger-striped cat seemed to understand Richard’s words and retreated slightly, purring.
Just as Richard was inwardly relieved, thinking he could get along peacefully with a bunch of cats, the tiger-striped cat suddenly sprang forth from the floor like an arrow, claws unsheathed, fiercely swiping down.
Richard frowned involuntarily and sighed quietly, but he was not afraid.
Even pirates, demonized creatures, and bloodline seeds could be dealt with by him, so defeating a cat should be a piece of cake.
However, just defeating it wasn’t enough; he needed a proper solution.
After all, he couldn’t just kill the cat like he did with the pirates, could he?
If he really did that, then when the girl called Heidi came back, there was a fifty-fifty chance she would apologize tearfully and understand this action, and the other half of the probability would be her fiercely crying and fighting back.
And letting the cat attack at will was obviously not an option either.
Richard pursed his lips, pondering for a moment before making a decision. The next instant, the tabby cat sprang close, and Richard, with lightning speed, reached out his hand and deftly caught the tabby cat by the nape of its neck midair.
“Meow——”
The tabby cat let out a weak cry, then, as if petrified, allowed Richard to hold it by the neck, motionless in midair.
Richard brought the tabby closer and asked in a serious tone, “Are you going to keep being aggressive?”
The tabby remained motionless, but its gaze, still full of hostility, provided a silent response.
Richard felt somewhat helpless, foreseeing that once he let go of the cat, it would definitely attack again.
What should he do?
His eyes flashed, and in the next moment, Richard thought of something. He flipped his hand and took out a small iron clip from the Space Iron Ring. The clip was originally used for clamping papyrus documents, but now it seemed suitable for a different purpose.
With a soft “click,” Richard pried open the small clip and fastened it to the tabby’s nape, then he let go and placed the tabby on the ground.
Strangely enough, the previously fierce tabby landed, his body swayed, and then it simply lay down motionless. Its eyes, still glaring at Richard, were filled with indignation but also a hint of confusion—it was curious as to why its body suddenly became uncontrollable.
Richard knew the reason.
This was primarily because animals like cats, when in their infancy, have poor mobility; in order to avoid dangers, they are often carried around by their mothers by the nape of the neck.
During this transfer, the young, held in this manner, stay still and compliant, which appears to help adult cats as well. Thus, through the long process of biological evolution, cats among other animals have gradually developed this special ability—whenever the area behind their neck is clamped, their heart rate would drop, then their bodies would stiffen and become passive.
Of course, this didn’t mean that merely a gentle clasp would completely immobilize a cat; if that were the case, it would not be an advantage but a fatal flaw.
In reality, the success of immobilizing a cat and disabling its movement depended on various factors including the cat’s own willpower: cats with weak willpower, timidity, or those that haven’t been subjected to it often had a higher chance of being successfully subdued, while those with strong willpower, fierceness, or more experience had a lower chance of success.
The tabby might be fierce, but this was likely its first time experiencing this, and its willpower wasn’t necessarily strong, thus it instantly fell victim and became unable to move.
Seeing the tabby quietly lying on the ground, Richard breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved that one problem was solved. Just as he was about to relax, he sensed something and turned his head, only to see many cats in the corner staring straight at him, their looks full of malice, as if they thought their comrade had been harmed and they were ready to collaboratively come to the rescue.
“No way,” Richard said.
As soon as his words fell, numerous cats charged forward, acting like brave warriors charging at an evil giant, fearlessly marching one after another.
At that moment, the many cats seemed to be roaring or bellowing: “Beasts… Cat People, will never be slaves!”
Richard: “…”
