The cages were arranged in two rows, and Bo Ge inspected the big cats on the upper row one by one. As he looked, some of the big cats reacted when someone stared at them, but Bo Ge felt like something was missing.
The lower row of big cats was mostly old and infirm. Bo Ge patiently looked at each one until, in the last cage, he spotted a motionless black big cat.
This big cat seemed to be in poor condition, with dull black fur covered in mud. Its whiskers appeared scorched and curled, and near the cat’s body, Bo Ge even noticed bloodstains.
“What happened to it?” Bo Ge couldn’t help but ask.
“It was just brought in this morning. Seems to have frightened a couple who went for a picnic in the uninhabited zone,” the shopkeeper squatted down and pulled the fur of the black big cat, causing a large tuft to come off in his hand.
“When it was brought here, it was already like this. To treat it, it would cost at least three hundred credits. It’s not worth buying anymore. I plan to euthanize it the day after tomorrow, saving it from further suffering.”
“Euthanize?” Bo Ge opened his mouth, momentarily unsure of what to say.
As if hearing the commotion, the black big cat slowly opened its eyes. Despite being extremely weak, its golden eyes still exuded a cold and naturally proud demeanor.
Euthanasia—the least accepted way for a warrior to die. Bo Ge would never let himself reach that point.
“Or… I’ll buy it.” The familiar voice sounded in front of him. The black big cat stared at the young man outside the cage, showing no immediate reaction.
“Two hundred and fifty credits,” the shopkeeper stated a price.
“At most fifty!” The young man squatted down, running his hand through the black fur. “Look, it’s shedding fur, and its whiskers are burnt. You just mentioned that treatment would cost at least three hundred credits. When you offered two hundred and fifty, doesn’t your conscience ache?”
“Fine, fifty it is, and no free shipping!” The shopkeeper raised his neck stubbornly.
Bo Ge carefully inspected the black leopard, estimating for a moment, “No free shipping means no free shipping!”
Taking a deep breath, Bo Ge waved towards the black leopard in the cage, “Mimi, come out.”
The leopard lay in the cage, wagging its tail slightly. Its round leopard ears moved weakly, indicating it couldn’t quite handle this name.
“Mimi?” The young man pointed to the group of big cat cubs in the enclosure. “If you don’t come with me, I’ll buy them.”
Ignoring the pain in its body, the black leopard smoothly crawled out of the cage.
Although this leopard was sick, it was still larger than Gugu. Bo Ge stared at the black leopard, pointing to his somewhat narrow shoulders, “Put your paws on my shoulders, one on each side.”
The leopard glanced at the young man’s slender shoulders but remained unmoved.
“I can carry you on my back.” Bo Ge was very confident in his carrying capacity, but the leopard still refused.
If the soft approach didn’t work, then Bo Ge would have to resort to the hard approach.
Gugu hugged the leopard’s waist, tried to lift it, and supported its buttocks with the other hand. In the shopkeeper’s incredulous gaze, step by step, they walked out of the pet store.
Like an ant lifting an object several times its weight, Bo Ge slowly moved outside the market, finally catching a floating car that took them to the hospital with the big cat.
Pets without registered information were not accepted by the hospital. However, the doctor was an orc, and he couldn’t refuse such a cute human’s request. So, he helped Bo Ge clean and suture the leopard’s wounds, but he couldn’t do much else.
According to the examination scan, the big cat had a kind of genetic drug in its body. It had no effect on ordinary people; only genetically edited life forms would be affected.
Bo Ge felt uncomfortable. In his previous life, humans, in their pursuit of adorable pets, didn’t hesitate to subject them to genetic defects and hereditary diseases. They even allowed them to breed closely related individuals, resulting in offspring with defects.
However, he never expected that even a thousand years later, such situations would still arise. Even as a buyer, purchasing a big cat unknowingly left him feeling guilty.
The big cat had a strong recovery ability. After lying in the hospital for half a day, it could walk a few steps. Because the doctor had shaved off a lot of fur while treating the wounds, the leopard’s body was now pitted. Following the doctor’s advice, Bo Ge borrowed a razor and helped the leopard shave its fur.
The big cat was very uncomfortable with the idea of being shaved. During the process, it repeatedly pressed Bo Ge’s hand holding the razor. Bo Ge, with his skillful use of the smart razor, took the opportunity to identify the leopard’s gender.
Two large testicles were impossible to ignore.
After shaving the cat’s fur, leaving only the fur on its head and paws, the bald cat stared quietly at the ceiling, its heart as calm as still water.
Bo Ge spent over three hundred credits and finally brought the bald cat back home. The house was neatly organized, and Xiaodu was recharging. To prevent the newly shaved cat from feeling sad, Bo Ge blurred the mirrors and draped his own cloak over the cat.
The teenager was considerate. The leopard sniffed the black cloak draped over him, detecting a hint of elf fragrance, though there were no traces of elves in the room.
Bo Ge started buying cat food, canned food, and various nutritional supplements for the big cat on the star network. When preparing to purchase a cat litter box, Bo Ge needed to measure the cat’s behind. The big cat, seemingly prophetic, confidently walked towards the bathroom, and soon, Bo Ge heard the sound of flushing.
Sighing deeply, Bo Ge removed cat litter and a litter box from the shopping list. Not being able to buy a litter box was indeed a great disappointment.
Can someone be considered an authentic poop scooper if they don’t need to scoop poop?
The recovery potion needed to be sprayed every six hours. Bo Ge, seeing the big cat asleep, carefully pulled aside the cloak covering it and sprayed the medicine on the wounds. The big cat woke up suddenly and almost bit Bo Ge’s head off.
With saliva dripping down, Bo Ge opened a can of cat food for the big cat. The big cat lowered its head, glanced at the can, and quickly looked away.
A 1-kilogram can of cat food cost 50 credits, more expensive than the dumplings Bo Ge ate. Bo Ge held the can and eagerly looked at the leopard. The big cat reluctantly swallowed a bite but quickly regurgitated it.
Bo Ge couldn’t resist tasting a bit of the big cat’s canned food. The strong fishy smell almost overwhelmed him. After carefully inspecting the can, Bo Ge realized it was close to expiration. Although still edible, the taste was noticeably disagreeable.
“Well, you can’t be hungry all the time. Do you need to eat something?” Bo Ge opened the light brain, searching and tentatively asking the big cat, “Do you eat fresh meat?”
The big cat glanced faintly at the young man and lowered its head to lick its wounds.
“How about cat food, then?” Bo Ge ruled out options one by one.
The big cat, completely absorbed in licking its wounds, seemed to ignore the young man’s words.
“I almost forgot, you’re a big cat, not a beastman. You don’t understand human language.” Bo Ge realized the crucial issue and quickly ordered a plush toy resembling a black cat on the star network for instructional purposes.
“Young master,” Xiaodu approached after completing its recharge. Upon seeing the leopard, it paused for three seconds, then calmly took a step back.
“This is Mimi,” Bo Ge introduced the big cat to Xiaodu. “I bought it from the Free Trade Market, and from now on, it’s a part of our family.”
—–
Author’s note: Thanks to the little angels who provided nourishing support: Mingwan Buling with 40 bottles, Yueliang Zhaoxixiang with 9 bottles, and Yuan with 1 bottle.
Today’s reward: Do the three little angels want transparent cat litter boxes? Gugu says group buying is cheaper!
