Free Web NovelChapter 160: Chapter 116: Hunted Down Again
The Catwoman Sisters tied the beast meat with grass ropes and placed it on prepared wooden planks. They had come fully prepared this time, but sixty units of meat was simply too much. They couldn’t possibly carry it all and couldn’t help but look to Zhang Peng and Liu Xingxing for help.
Liu Xingxing glanced at Zhang Peng and volunteered to help. He organized his Treasure Hunting Catmen to carry the meat away.
Meng Ni and her sister were surprised to see the Treasure Hunting Catmen. Mengmeng even tried to greet them and strike up a friendship, but the Treasure Hunting Catmen completely ignored them. Once they delivered the meat to the designated spot, they left.
They were now far enough away that the Bone Plate Platform was no longer visible. Only after the Treasure Hunting Catmen had departed did the two sisters use a special method to summon their tribesmen.
This had been arranged before they left. No one had been willing to venture into the forbidden land, so the Catwoman Sisters were chosen for the task. But since everyone loved meat, they were all waiting for it to be brought back.
With their tribesmen there to help, the sisters no longer had to lift a finger.
"Mengmeng, you were too rash!" Meng Ni said disapprovingly once they were away from the Bone Plate Platform.
"Don’t worry, Sister, I’ve got it under control! Look how much meat we got! We can finally eat our fill!" Mengmeng paid no mind to her sister’s attitude, skipping ahead and cheering joyfully.
Seeing her sister’s carefree attitude, Meng Ni sighed.
...
「Undead Fortress, Bone Plate Platform.」
"What do you make of the information from that Little Cat Girl?" Liu Xingxing asked, putting on a pensive air as he watched the Cat Girls depart.
Zhang Peng looked Liu Xingxing up and down, taking in his "master detective" act. "I think you look like a total moron," he said thoughtfully.
The corner of Liu Xingxing’s mouth twitched, but he refused to give up, still holding his pose. "Don’t mess around. I’m being serious, what do you think?"
"My name’s not Watson, so how should I know?" Zhang Peng retorted. He knew exactly what little game Liu Xingxing was playing. ’We’re both Transmigrators. Does he really think I wouldn’t get the reference?’
’How awkward.’ He couldn’t keep it up. Liu Xingxing dropped his serious expression and sidled up with a cheeky grin. "Come on, tell me. How should we handle that other Transmigrator? Do we go to war, or do we try to be friends?"
Zhang Peng shoved him away. "It’s no use us talking about it," he said, exasperated. "It all depends on what the boss thinks, and what the other party thinks. We’re just small fries, so we shouldn’t waste time analyzing it. By the way, you’re still going out to treasure hunt today, right? Be careful. Don’t get caught."
"Roger that!" Liu Xingxing knew that if he got caught, his two hundred Catmen wouldn’t necessarily be a match for them. He dropped the cheeky grin and replied seriously.
Both he and Zhang Peng would be heading out again today. Liu Xingxing was going to hunt for treasure, while Zhang Peng would continue expanding the trade routes. Aided by the map, things should go much more smoothly for both of them.
...
「Dora Catman Tribe.」
"We’re back!"
Spurred on by the promise of food, the voices of the Catmen carrying the beast meat were much louder than usual. They shouted to the others in the Tribe, wide smiles on their faces.
Catmen crawled out of the caves one by one. They looked dazed at first, but then their noses twitched once, twice. Their pupils dilated, and their eyes began to gleam.
’The scent of blood... It’s the smell of meat! And it’s fresh, delicious, mouth-watering beast meat!’
As if they’d had a shot of adrenaline, the Catmen exploded with speed, surging toward their returning companions and surrounding them.
"Did you bring back meat?"
"Let me see, let me see!"
"Don’t push."
The smiles vanished from the faces of the Catmen carrying the meat. They panicked slightly and clutched the food protectively. They didn’t dare just drop the meat in front of their fellow tribesmen—it would drive them into a frenzy, and the meat would be lost. ’They couldn’t even imagine how angry the Clan Leader would be.’
The Catman Race Leader appeared, carrying a club. He rapped his tribesmen on the head, making a "BONK, BONK" sound. Those who were hit immediately snapped out of their frenzy, rubbing the sore spots on their heads and clearing a path for the Clan Leader with sheepish grins.
Only when they saw the Clan Leader did the Catwoman Sisters and the other carriers finally relax. They brought out the meat and laid it before him.
The sight of several hundred pounds of meat made the other Catmen even more excited, but awed by the Clan Leader’s authority, none of them dared to make a move. They could only stand there, drooling.
The Clan Leader was also stunned to see so much meat. ’I never thought some simple information about other tribes could be traded for this much food,’ he thought. ’That Human Merchant seems decent. We should build a better relationship with him. Perhaps the future of the Dora the Cat Tribe will depend on him.’
"Ahem." He cleared his throat. Just as he was about to speak, the Clan Leader saw that little rascal, Mengmeng, skip over to the pile of meat. She started picking through it, separating some pieces from the main pile.
"Mengmeng, what are you doing?" the Catman Race Leader asked, confused.
"I’m taking my share of the meat," Mengmeng said matter-of-factly, looking up at the Clan Leader.
"What do you mean, ’your meat’? This food belongs to the Tribe, and I am the one who distributes it! Have you forgotten the rules of our Tribe?" the Clan Leader said, his displeasure obvious. ’She’s still just a child and needs to be taught some discipline,’ he thought. ’She’s too unruly. I’ll have to find some time to talk to Meng Ni. This can’t go on.’
"Only half of this belongs to the Tribe. The rest is mine!" Mengmeng stopped what she was doing and insisted, her little face a mask of seriousness.
The principle of ownership in the Dora the Cat Tribe was simple: anything acquired through a group hunt belonged to the Tribe. Anything acquired by an individual belonged to that individual alone, and the Tribe had no claim to it.
Mengmeng’s words immediately sparked murmurs among the surrounding Catmen, who began pointing fingers at her. Even the Catmen who had carried the meat shot her looks of surprise mixed with disapproval.
