Chapter 39 Thief Cat

An hour passed quietly, and the firewood in the bonfire crackled and popped as it burned.

Yu Xiang nudged Qiao Yan, who was focused on adding firewood to the fire, and looked up at her with a puzzled expression, asking, "Yan Yan, why haven't we caught that little thief yet?"

Qiao Yan stopped what she was doing, thought for a moment, and said, "Maybe the person has already left? Or maybe that little thief just doesn't like canned fruit."

Upon hearing this, Youxiang nodded and suddenly realized, "Oh right, I threw away a can of fish, not a can of fruit. I'll try a different can."

After saying that, she darted down to the tree and replaced the canned fruit in the trap with canned fish.

At that moment, the mutated black cat perched on the tree suddenly saw the canned fish it had been longing for under the tree, and its eyes lit up instantly.

It stood up and carefully licked its paws again.

Hehe, I love this one!

Yu Xiang, holding the canned fruit that had been taken out of the store, skipped and hopped over to Qiao Yan's side, "Yan Yan, you can have this."

Qiao Yan took the can of food. "Thank you, little pomelo."

Yuka turned around and sat down, her eyes fixed on the tree.

Just then, she was surprised to find that the canned food she had just put away had disappeared!

Yuxiang immediately sprang up like a spring, ran to the tree at top speed, and quickly circled the tree once.

She kept muttering, "It's gone, it's really gone!"

Qiao Yan, who had just bent down to open a can of fruit, looked up and saw Youxiang spinning around like a little top under the tree. She quickly asked, "Little Youzi, what's wrong?"

Yuxiang ran over, grabbed Qiao Yan's arm, and said anxiously, "Yan Yan, it's gone, it's gone! The fish can I just put away is gone!"

Qiao Yan looked in the direction Youxiang pointed towards the trap. She had just seen Youxiang put the canned fish in there, but now it had really disappeared without a trace.

Could there really be a petty thief?

Yuka frowned, looking puzzled, and said, "Why didn't my trap work?"

These words immediately reminded Qiao Yan that this trap was specifically designed for people.

So, is this little thief not a human?

Could it be some small animals?

Can small animals open a can of fish?

Yuka clenched her little fist and said firmly, "That thief couldn't have gone far; he must be hiding nearby."

As she spoke, she suddenly looked up. "Could it be hiding in the tree? Yes, it's in the tree!"

Qiao Yan advised, "Little Youzi, why don't you just let it go? It was probably taken by some small animals."

"I don't want it anymore."

Yuka shook her head firmly, then began to climb the tree using both her hands and feet.

Qiao Yan stood under the tree, her hands clenched tightly in nervousness, and whispered, "Little Youzi, be careful!"

Meanwhile, the black cat, easily slicing open the can with its sharp claws, was happily snatching the fish out of it.

It suddenly spotted Yu Xiang climbing the tree, flicked its tail, and accurately threw the empty can at Yu Xiang.

With a loud thud, it hit Yuxiang squarely on the head.

A muffled "bang" was heard.

Yuxiang fell straight down from the tree.

Unfortunately, they fell right into the trap they had carefully set.

With a "snap," the rope tightened instantly, binding Youxiang's feet tightly. She was hung upside down from the tree like a little bat.

Qiao Yan's heart clenched suddenly, "Little Yuzu!"

Meanwhile, the culprit, the black cat, was leisurely perched on a branch, slowly licking its lips.

I'm full!

Immediately afterwards, the black cat leaped up and landed lightly on Yuka's head, which was hanging there, and deliberately patted Yuka's head with its little paw.

Then, using Yuxiang's head as a springboard, it landed lightly on the ground, flicked its tail, and disappeared in a flash.

This happened so fast that Qiao Yan and You Xiang hadn't even had time to react. They only saw a dark shadow "whoosh" past, and they couldn't even tell whether it was a cat or a dog.

Awakened by the noise from the pomelo, Qin Zhuo and Chen Yunfei groggily emerged from the tent.

Qin Zhuo asked, "What are you doing? Making such a commotion so late at night."

Chen Yunfei saw Youxiang hanging from the tree and joked, "Hey, little Youxiang, are you bored at night? You don't need to swing here for fun, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Qiao Yan was both angry and anxious. She glared at Chen Yunfei and said, "Are you kidding me? Instead of rescuing Xiaoyouzi, you're making sarcastic remarks here."

Upon seeing this, Qin Zhuo didn't say a word. Instantly, a bolt of lightning condensed in his hand and struck the rope binding Youxiang's legs with a crackling sound.

The rope snapped, and Yuxiang fell down.

Qin Zhuo reached out and hugged her tightly, saying with a mix of helplessness and affection, "You little pomelo, what have you gotten yourself into now!"

Qiao Yan quickly stepped forward, her face full of concern, and asked, "Little Youzi, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Yu Xiang shook her head in Qin Zhuo's arms, "I'm fine."

After saying that, she jumped down from Qin Zhuo's arms.

At this moment, everyone saw a very clear black claw mark on her forehead, which looked quite comical.

Yu Xiang said angrily, "It wasn't me who caused trouble, it was that wretched little thief who stole my canned fish and..."

After Youxiang finished recounting the whole story, Qin Zhuo understood the ins and outs. He was both annoyed and amused, and helplessly reached out to poke Youxiang's head.

He said, "You're really something, getting bullied by a cat."

Upon hearing this, Yu Xiang's eyes widened, and she asked with a puzzled look, "How do you know it was a cat? I only saw a dark shadow."

Qin Zhuo's lips curled up slightly as he suppressed a laugh and said, "Just look in the mirror and you'll see."

Yuka quickly took out a small mirror, brought it close to her eyes, and immediately saw a conspicuous black cat paw print on her forehead.

She frowned, stomped her feet in anger, and exclaimed, "Ah, that cat must have done it on purpose! It's so mean!"

Qiao Yan gently patted Youxiang's shoulder and softly comforted her, "The cat has disappeared, so we can only let this go. Don't be angry anymore, little Youzi. Look, Qin Zhuo and the others have been woken up by our commotion, so let them go back and rest."

Following Qiao Yan's gaze, Youxiang saw Chen Yunfei standing to the side, his mouth wide open, yawning repeatedly, his eyes so sleepy they were practically slits, as if he were about to fall asleep standing up at any moment.

Yu Xiang felt a little guilty.

It's all that thieving cat's fault.

She said to Qin Zhuo and Chen Yunfei in a slightly apologetic voice, "Zhuozhuo, Brother Chen, you two go and get some rest. I won't disturb your sleep."

Night returned to stillness.

The black cat, which had already fled far away, returned silently at some point and perched back on that familiar tree branch.

That canned fish tastes so good. If I follow them, can I get some more to satisfy my craving?