Meow!
Lightning stared at the unconscious Dust Ball lying at his feet and asked, "What now? What are we supposed to do?"
Red Packet craned his neck out from Lightning's bushy furs and screamed, "Obviously we run!"
This was a perfect plan. Firstly, Lightning got Dust Ball to accompany him downstairs. Next, he used some catmint to lure Dust Ball into opening an extradimensional gate for Red Packet.
Lastly, the two scheming cats continued feeding Dust Ball with more and more catmint until she finally collapsed at their feet.
This plan went off without a hitch. However, anxiety swirled around him as Lightning looked towards the mysterious and dark sky.
"Will it really be fine for the both of us to leave like that? I heard that the world is swarming with supercats and apostles. It's dangerous!"
"What are you even afraid of? Come with me. I still have about RMB 100,000 hiding in my secret stash. With me around, I guarantee you that you would not go a day without food or drinks. Life with me is 100 times better than your original dull and monotonous life." Red Packet's deluge of lies continued pouring out of his tiny mouth. Meanwhile, he was thinking, "My offensive power is still rather weak. However, this fella's electric ability makes him my perfect bodyguard!"
The night sky was blanketed in darkness as Red Packet threw his body within Lightning's snuggly fur. He then instructed Lightning all the way to an underground sewer.
Red Packet rapidly knocked against the irregular rock wall as a pair of green eyes illuminated from the darkness, "Who am I speaking to?"
Red Packet struggled to find his footing against all those fur as he peered his head forward, "It's me. I would like to book a flight."
The voice echoed from a distance, "Hmph, is that Red Packet? Weren't you captured by the Cat King of the West? I didn't expect you to be able to escape from him. Bravo. Respect."
Red Packet interrupted, "I didn't come here to hear your bullshit. Are you even interested in conducting business?"
"Yes, of course! However, the prize has changed. The price for a domestic flight would be RMB 50,000 each. And overseas flight would cost RMB 100,000 each."
Red Packet's every muscle quivered with indignation, "RMB 50,000? Do you take me for an idiot?"
Amidst the pitch-black darkness, a sea of green eyes began to flicker. There seemed to be tens or even hundreds of cats staring straight at them. Their animosity was palpable. Standing his ground, Red Packet took in a deep breath and declared, "Are you intending to resort to violence? Do you even know who my boss is? It is the Pallas's cat! Do you even know what a Pallas's cat is? He is the king of the grasslands, the king of the Gobi Desert! His bite alone can break a five-inch steel bar into two! "
Meowhaha! A chorus of laughter broke out amidst the sea of cats, "I'm sorry to disappoint you but I'm actually a fan of Animal Planet. Judging from his r*traded looks, I bet he has only just escaped from the zoo."
Red Packet swept his head around only to see Lightning trembling like a leaf. A pool of fur had already accumulated at his feet. He began to scream in his head, "Stop shaking! Can you at least put on a fearsome front? Just open your mouth or snarl! Show your fangs! Just pretend that you are Zhao Yao! If not, both of us are dead!"
Red Packet's threats rang in his head. With every ounce of strength in him, Lightning tried to put a stop to the shaking and drew his lips into a snarl. However, his current expression looked more like he was suffering from constipation.
Despite it, Red Packet continued to scream into the abyss of darkness, "Do you even know what era we are living in? The species doesn't matter! What matters is his superpower! My boss here is the reincarnation of Zeus himself! One bolt of his could easily hit 1,000,000 volts. Even iron melted against him. I already warned you that my boss only got released recently. You definitely would not want to anger him."
With that, Red Packet started to pat against his shoulders, continuing his world-class act, "Boss, please calm down. If you kill them, the police will come after us again!"
Suddenly, Red Packet threw his finger towards the cats lurking in the shadows and demanded, "I'm telling you to arrange our flights ASAP! Even I will not be able to save you if he is angry."
A chorus of discussion broke out amongst the cat. They seemed to be assessing the legitimacy of Red Packet's words. Then, the representative spoke, "RMB 20,000. No more bargaining! This is our cost price."
"Done." Red Packet agreed, "Do I pay using Alipay or WeChat? Let me look for my account."
"Both will do. Where are you headed for?"
Red Packet screamed, "Hong Kong!"
Lightning screamed, "Ürümqi!"
The voice turned somewhat hesitant and asked, "So who are we supposed to listen to?"
Red Packet surveyed the situation in the sewer and began screaming in his head, "Who the hell even wants to join you in and graze some stupid grass, but we cannot afford to argue now." He could only bottle up his anger and relented, "Obviously you listen to my boss!"
The supercats hiding in the darkness began to scrutinize Lightning's appearance and commented, "His looks are simply too striking. He can't possibly go through the security check. We need to shave him and put on some makeup on him."
Standing in the corner of a dimly-lit room, Lightning noticed a rainbow cat next to him. It was as if a rainbow had smashed into him, splattering all its colors over him. The rainbow cat muttered, "Your head is really quite big. Let me think of an appropriate haircut for you."
Red Packet chimed in, "Make him look as normal as possible to prevent him from attracting unwanted attention."
"Don't worry, my owner used to be the personal hairdresser for Jackie Chan. My skills are impeccable." Suddenly, razor-sharp claws sprang from his paws as they glimmered against the light. Every slash across Lightning's body would cause a clump of fur to fall to the ground. His claws were no joke.
Half an hour later, the floor was already covered in fur.
Lightning looked completely unrecognizable. There was not a shred of fur on his body.
Rainbow cat screamed, "How is it? He looks just like a Sphynx Cat! No one will even know that he's a Pallas's cat!"
"My fur! All of them! They are all gone!" Lightning stared dumbfoundedly at his own reflection. Without warning, he had already pounced on top of the rainbow cat, stuffing his head into his mouth, "I will kill you!"
"Calm down! Boss, calm down!" Red Packet jumped forward in an attempt to restrain him, "Actually, this look suits you! This is the trendiest look! Every single cat will die for this haircut!"
…
A few hours later, Red Packet was laying inside a flight case, reserved especially for pets. He felt the flight case being hurled into the cabin as it crashed against the ground. Finally, he could breathe a sigh of relief, "At last, I've escaped from the evil clutches of that devil, Zhao Yao! I've finally left Lightning, that fool! Thank goodness I secretly changed my destination at the last minute! Hmph, with my power, I will create a fortune in Hong Kong!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang in his head, "Red Packet, it's me. Can you see me?"
A line etched between his brows as he noticed a strange cat in the corner of the cabin. He immediately recognized it as Lightning.
A beaming smile stretched across Lightning's face as he shouted, "You are really careless, Red Packet! You got your destination all wrong! It should be Ürümqi instead of Hong Kong! Luckily, I spotted the mistake and helped you changed it. If not, we would have been separated."
Red Packet was left speechless.
Lightning continued, "Thank goodness for your contacts. To think that you actually came up with such an elaborate plan. Once we're there, we will be able to reach the vast grasslands, the Gobi Desert, and even the Snow Mountains. I will show you the magnificence of my home …"
Suddenly, another white cat resting inside his cage spoke, "Are you returning home?"
Lightning answered, "Yeah! You too?"
The white cat answered, "Nope, I'm here for a holiday."
"What's so fun about this place?" Another cat interrupted, "I'm just following my owner here. Can you guys introduce some famous attractions in this place?"
Under Lightning's lead, a series of discussions broke out amongst the excited cats. All of them couldn't wait to explore the stunning beauty of Ürümqi.
All except Red Packet. Throughout the torturous plane ride, Red Packet could only endure the exasperating conversations by shutting his eyes, "Another bunch of country bumpkins! I will get rid of all of you the moment we touch down!"
…
Meanwhile, Dust Ball was lying on the ground when she noticed an evil presence looming over her. As she struggled to open her eyes, she saw that pair of vicious eyes staring straight into her soul.
"Zhao Yao! You cannot blame me! They attacked me! They even tried to bribe me using catmint! But I'm not that kind of cat! Obviously, I rejected them! In the end, they simply stuffed the catmint down my throat! I tried to fight against them but they overwhelmed me with their numbers! I really tried my best!"