Zheng Tan had planned to give the old man a few more kicks but the fire was spreading fast. He kicked the knife away, then jumped onto the cradle to look at the baby inside.
He was awake and about to cry. However, upon seeing Zheng Tan, he stopped mid-sob and cracked a smile.
For God's sake, stop smiling!
The fire was spreading, Zheng Tan could feel the heat rising. If they stayed here any longer, breathing would become a problem. He raised the baby up and started running with his hind legs. He jumped over the old man and ran downstairs with the baby,
The old man stirred and staggered to get up. He saw a flash and a black silhouette jumped over him.
The door had hit his forehead and he had knocked his head on a chair during his fall. He was dizzy and couldn't see clearly. He couldn't quite make out the black silhouette, but the thing above it seemed familiar.
It was the large cargo!
Someone took the large cargo!
The old man was dizzy and couldn't quite tell distance. If only he could see a little clearer, he would see the black silhouette was not a human.
Though very dizzy, the old man now recognized the state of the fire and realized he couldn't stay any longer. He stood up shakily and took a few deep breaths, but somehow he was feeling even dizzier.
The room was completely soundproofed so that the people outside couldn't hear the babies crying. Sounds could still be heard through the door, but they were satisfied as long as people outside couldn't hear a thing. So the room had the same old wooden door as all the other rooms. With great luck, Zheng Tan was able to kick open the door in one try.
However, none of that was important now. Zheng Tan just wanted to get the baby out. He came to a sudden stop after the reached the first floor. He had almost forgotten the crowd that had gathered at the door. He couldn't just carry the baby out and walk on his hind legs in front of all those people.
Zheng Tan laid the baby on the floor. The baby giggled while staring at him. Zheng Tan poked him on the cheek hoping to make him cry. If the baby cried, people outside would hear him and come inside, wouldn't they?
Unfortunately, the baby kept giggling.
Zheng Tan was speechless.
With no other way, Zheng Tan stood behind the baby and pushed him forward.
The baby thought Zheng Tan was playing with him and allowed the cat to shove him forward while giggling all the way.
"Hey, is that a kid?" A resident asked.
"I think so. The baby is crawling out."
It was dark indoors, so a lot of details can't be seen from the outside.
The kid was having fun but suddenly the cat stopped shoving. He looked behind him, the cat was gone. Then he looked in front of him and saw a horde of strangers.
The baby finally broke into tears.
Zheng Tan was able to relax when he heard the baby cry. People were already coming inside. He stood on top of the stairs and watched the baby get carried out of the house, then he escaped from the window on the second floor.
It was easier climbing up than climbing down. Thankfully, there weren't any people there to watch him do it. He slid down the wall and jumped on to the ground.
When he made it to the front of the house, people could see the flaming curtains on the second floor and could smell the fire. It was a mess. People were calling to the police and trying to search the house for people. Zheng Tan saw someone had dragged the old man out. He was still breathing apparently but was unconscious.
As he watched on, police cars arrived.
"Huh? I just called the police. How are they here so fast?" someone asked.
Zheng Tan, however, saw Papa Jiao's car behind the police vehicles and felt a sense of relief. The baby would have to leave with the police. Papa Jiao could take him home.
After the fire was put out, Papa Jiao found the baby
who was wailing in the arms of a local resident.
The baby's father arrived too. His tears fell the moment he held his son in his arms again.
Papa Jiao made calls to all the relatives to report they had found the baby, then he noticed a cat paw print on the baby's back. He went to the side and called out, "Charcoal? Come out. I know you are around."
Zheng Tan poked his head out from behind a tree.
Papa Jiao saw him and was about to wave him over, then he saw the cat's face and his expression became very odd.
The baby's father saw the old man and was furious. If the police weren't here, he would beat the man up. The residents were busy watching the police and the baby's father and no one noticed Papa Jiao.
A policeman came over to talk with Papa Jiao.
"We can be sure it's him. He found a few phones in the house but all are damaged because of the fire. The information we need is on those phones and will trace the calling records. However, these people don't use their real names. They change phones and names whenever they feel like we're closing in on them. We can't be sure how much information we can gain from these phones yet."
"Thank you so much." Papa Jiao paused then asked, "Do you know the cause of the fire?"
"We have a theory. That guy over there likes to drink Chinese wine. The kind he has contains industrial ethanol. He also likes to smoke plus the weather is dry today, or else the fire wouldn't have spread as quickly as it did. The room was full of inflammable items. There were poor quality soundproofing materials that released poisonous gases when they burned. The old man inhaled a lot of poisonous gas, but luckily for him, he managed to get out in time. A nightclub caught fire a while back, things inside burned and produced Hydrogen Cyanide. If that had happened today, the old man would be dead for sure.
Hydrogen Cyanide was a deadly poison. Papa Jiao knew it well.
"How is that guy?" Papa Jiao asked. Now that he knew the fire wasn't started by his cat, he could relax again.
"He's not dead yet, but probably will be soon. The law will deal with him for the crimes he's committed."
It was early October and the weather was still quite warm. Many were still wearing short sleeve t-shirts. They had been moving around, so both Papa Jiao and the policeman were covered in sweat. The policeman was needed somewhere else, so he finished his talk with Papa Jiao and left.
Zheng Tan listened to their conversation and learned that they had been looking for the pedicab driver. They caught him and the middle-aged woman at the hospital and found a brain-damaged baby girl in the pedicab, who the driver was looking for a place to abandon.
Papa Jiao looked over at the crowd. They were either fussing over the baby or fussing over the child trafficker.
"Charcoal, go wait in the car." Papa Jiao led the way to the parked car, whilst glancing at the cat. His eye twitched.
Zheng Tan jumped onto the car and went straight to the snacks. He left a trail of mud prints on the backseat but Papa Jiao didn't say anything.
He picked up the cat. He didn't see any wounds and the cat was jumping and moving normally, not to mention his appetite was amazingly good.
"Thank you...Charcoal!" Papa Jiao eventually said.
This whole thing really was thanks to the cat. If not for the cat, they would never have known to look into pedicabs. He sighed and the closed the car door.
Zheng Tan knew if Papa Jiao could tell he played a role in the rescue of the baby, then he definitely would help him cover his tracks. He could relax now. The baby was safe and sound, so he could focus on filling his stomach.
After he was full, he looked out of the window and saw the crowd had grown. The world never lacked curious people.
He yawned and closed his eyes. He didn't really rest last night, so now that he could relax, tiredness was creeping up on him.
He didn't know how long he had slept when he was awakened by the sound of someone opening the car door. He opened his eyes and saw Papa Jiao. He looked out of the window. The two police cars were still there, but everyone else was leaving.
They didn't go home straight away but went to the hospital where the baby's mother was staying.
"I need to go inside. Are you staying in the car?" Papa Jiao asked.
Zheng Tan twitched his ears and shook his tail. He showed no signs of getting up.
"Alright." Papa Jiao locked the car.
Everyone broke into tears of joy when they saw the baby safe and healthy.
None of this, however, concerned Zheng Tan. He just wanted to go home and take a bath.
Papa Jiao came out of the hospital alone. The baby's family was too nice, the baby's father insisted on thanking him again and again. Eventually, Papa Jiao had to make up a reason why he had to leave.
Mama Jiao was waiting at the door when they got back. The kids rushed down the stairs when they heard the door. When they learned the cat was safe on the phone, they waited for him in the living room. Even then TV couldn't distract them.
"Charcoal!"
Jiao Yuan and Youzi ran to him.
However, all of their faces twisted when they saw him. Zheng Tan suddenly remembered the look on Papa Jiao's face when he had seen him. He first thought it was because what he had done, now he knew something was off.
Youzi pointed at Zheng Tan and said, " Charcoal, your whiskers..."
Whiskers?
Zheng Tan had been too focused on bringing the baby to safety without being seen that he hadn't had time to worry about anything else.
He turned on the spot and jumped back into the car. He stood in the driver seat and stretched his neck to look in the rearview mirror.
He didn't know what to think anymore.
F*ck! His whiskers!