Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 78: A Cat’s Speed Is Seven Times That of a Cat
The satisfied little black cat showed no signs of leaving, sitting there licking its white gloves while its fluffy tail swayed from side to side, looking quite content.
Lucas didn’t forget his duty and moved the bucket closer to start filling it with water.
Faced with the sudden appearance of a large object, the little black cat leapt onto the counter above the faucet, curiously peeking into the bucket.
Seeing that it was just a container for water, it immediately lost interest and set its sights on Lucas’s nearby shoulder.
Leaping, it landed steadily on his broad shoulder.
"Oh really?"
Lucas didn’t move, maintaining his bent-over position, with one hand resting on the tile above the faucet, letting the kitten crawl over his shoulder and back.
"Let me warn you, you can stroll around, but dare to pee on me and..."
"Hah!!!"
Before he could finish speaking, he heard a hissing sound from his back, sounding quite fierce.
Lucas froze on the spot.
Stray cats don’t have anyone to trim their claws, making them very sharp, and there’s no telling what bacteria might be on them. If scratched, a hospital visit would be the least of his worries; it could be disfiguring.
"All right, fine, I concede you’re tough..."
He could only mutter softly, afraid the little creature might swipe at him.
"Hah!!!!!!"
Despite not moving, the cat’s hissing grew increasingly cold, and he could clearly feel a stinging sensation on his skin as the sharp claws punctured through the fabric of his shirt.
The next second, he felt a sudden lightness on his back.
"Fuck!! You damn animal, get off... ah!!!!"
Someone behind him?!
Lucas hurriedly jumped forward two steps, spinning around just in time to hear a piercing scream.
He saw a dark figure fall from above, landing steadily on the ground and swiftly turning, baring teeth at the person.
"Hah!!!!"
The person was a white man, filthy from head to toe, clearly a vagrant.
At this moment, he was clutching his cheek and screaming in agony, with deep scratches visibly crossing both sides of his face, not even sparing his eyes.
Crimson blood trickled down through his fingers, dripping onto the ground.
Beside his foot, an old wrench lay silently.
"Hiss...!"
Lucas immediately recognized this guy; it was the same person who had tried to extort free meals with threats a few days before!
When did he sneak up behind him?
Seeing the wrench on the ground, he broke into a cold sweat, quickly rushing over to kick the man down and booted the wrench far away.
The screams drew the attention of several women walking dogs nearby.
"Hey, what happened? I thought I heard someone screaming?"
"Do you need help calling an ambulance? My God, he’s bleeding!"
Lucas hurriedly raised his hands. "Ladies, please don’t panic, this is a violent person who just tried to attack me from behind; this little fellow just saved my life."
"Woof!! Woof Woof!!"
"Woo~ Woof!!"
Several dogs curiously approached and took a sniff from afar, immediately assuming a defensive stance and barking at the man fiercely.
The little black cat seemed completely unfazed, just sitting quietly in the roadside grass licking its paws, idly scratching itself.
"It’s him! I’ve seen him; he’s a vagrant roaming around here."
"He’s not just a vagrant, he’s a thief! A robber! I was once mugged by him on my way home from work!"
"Good catch! This little black cat roams around here every day and has never attacked humans or animals; this must be punishment from a witch!"
Unexpectedly, this man was a repeat offender, and not a single person felt sympathy for him. Those initially unaware of the situation lost any trace of pity after seeing the dogs’ reactions and hearing the accusations from others.
The man was terrified inside, with pain stabbing at his face and eyes clearly injured. Fearing the people might call the police, he turned and staggered off.
The police hadn’t caught him before because they hadn’t met him face-to-face, and no one had reported him. Even if they passed by each other, it didn’t necessarily click who he was.
If caught for real, there would undoubtedly be a plethora of charges coming his way.
Having barely escaped with his life, Lucas’s back was drenched in cold sweat. Thinking about how close he was to getting bashed, his legs went weak, and his gaze at the little black cat was filled with gratitude.
"Hey! Wait there! Do you hear me?"
Disregarding the bucket of water, he sprinted back to where he came from.
A few minutes later, he returned holding a disposable plastic box containing several slices of raw beef he had acquired from Lunard. While practicing, there had been many mistakes not fit for sale, so he had taken them.
Seeing him approach with a bowl, the kitten fixed him with its large, glassy eyes, its nose twitching slightly, showing keen interest as it stood up from the grass.
Lucas picked up a slice of beef and held it out. The cat approached to sniff it, then chomped it down, tearing into large bites.
After finishing a piece, the little creature seemed to know the meat in the bowl was for it and reached down and pawed at them, signaling Lucas to place them on the ground. It devoured them clean in no time, then lay back in the grass licking its paws.
Recalling how the little rascal had pawed at the faucet waiting to drink, Lucas picked up the bowl to fetch a full pot of water for it, then resumed filling his bucket.
"No wonder the Great Xia people say black cats are spiritual; who knew even Northern European black cats have the same effect."
Carrying two heavy buckets of water, he turned around every few steps to see if the little one intended to follow, but realized he was being overly hopeful.
Shaking his head, he left.
He resolved to visit whenever he was free and bring some cat treats and canned food since it was his lifesaver.
"Hey, kid, did you just use raw beef to feed that little black cat?"
As soon as he returned to the food cart, Lunard called out.
"How did you know?"
"Duh, I often go to fetch water; that little fellow hangs around the faucet every day, I’ve opened it for him several times. Looks like it’s only two or three months old, it’s made its home over there." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖
Lucas recounted the earlier incident, and Lunard was amazed.
"That little guy looks so scrawny, but has such strong combat power? Daring to take on a grown man wielding a wrench and actually winning??"
"You don’t get it."
Lucas shook a finger, "A cat’s speed is seven times faster than its own body can react sometimes, they move without even realizing it. Anyway, it saved my life this time, so I’ll be partially responsible for its meals from now on."
"I feel like that little guy is interested in you. I’ve been there so many times and it never let me touch it, but you went just once and already petted its head?"
