Chapter 55: Stray Cats and Stray Dogs
Moira Lynch had no idea what method Shane Rhodes had used, but he had somehow managed to find her over twenty stray cats and more than a dozen stray dogs.
The cats were mostly tabbies, orange tabbies, and calicos, while the stray dogs were all local mongrels—also known as Chinese rural dogs.
However, the stray cats and dogs weren’t in the best condition when they arrived.
Kai York wiped the sweat from his forehead. "This is all I could find," he said. "The rest were either dead or... well, you know. We’ll take care of their food. You just need to focus on training them."
"Even so, taking care of them every day will take up a lot of my time," Moira Lynch said, her brow furrowing slightly.
’It already felt like twenty-four hours in a day wasn’t enough; how could she possibly find time to take care of these stray cats and dogs?’
"Don’t worry, it won’t be for long. We’ve already found a place for them in the villa right behind yours. With a few modifications, it’ll be perfect for animal housing."
Kai York said it casually, but Moira Lynch was slightly taken aback. She knew that someone had been living in the villa behind hers—it was the home of the person who had called on the players to step up and protect the neighborhood.
But for some reason, the family had suddenly left yesterday.
They had left at high noon, during the hottest part of the day, looking for all the world like they were fleeing in a panic.
However, Moira Lynch wasn’t one for prying. She didn’t ask about the family’s reasons for leaving and simply nodded. "That’s good. Wait here a moment."
With that, she hurried up to the second floor, returning a moment later with two German Shepherds in tow.
"I’ve finished training these two. You can borrow them for now."
The two German Shepherds were still quite small, but their eyes were bright and alert.
Hearing this, Kai York’s eyes lit up. The dogs were small, but that had its own advantages.
"What are they capable of?"
Moira Lynch thought for a moment. "They’ll have no problem communicating with people." ’After all, German Shepherds are incredibly intelligent.’
An average German Shepherd has the intelligence of a six-year-old child. But because Moira Lynch often communicated with them using her spiritual power, their intelligence was far greater than that of an average dog, even without any deliberate guidance on her part.
As they were leaving, Blackie and Shadow were reluctant to go with Kai York because of the intense heat outside. Their protests were futile, however, and Kai York led them away by force.
Even though Kai York had said they would handle the food, the sudden influx of so many stray animals still disrupted her life.
Fortunately, her living room was large enough to accommodate them.
With Kai York having come to her door, Moira Lynch didn’t dare use the Water-cooling Stone openly anymore. She had no choice but to turn on all the air conditioners.
Luckily, her house was fitted with heat-insulating mats, so the indoor temperature was already much lower than it was outside. Even without the Water-cooling Stone, it wasn’t unbearable.
She checked on the stray cats and dogs and found they were mostly suffering from mild heatstroke and dehydration. All they needed was water.
Moira Lynch put out some water for the animals and fed them a little cat food. The rest was up to them; they just needed to recover on their own.
The cool air from the A/C was a far cry from the chill of the Water-cooling Stone. But since she was wearing the Illusion Cloak, it didn’t make much difference to her either way.
For the next few hours, Moira Lynch watched over the strays, occasionally using her spiritual power to communicate with them and help them get accustomed to her presence.
Moira Lynch pulled out a tablet and played a wilderness survival video. Watching someone on screen dig a cellar to store food, an idea began to take shape in her mind.
In addition to the front yard, the villa also had a backyard, which was just the right size for a cellar.
If any danger arose, she could hide in the cellar.
For a player, the moment they logged out of the game was the most dangerous. If someone was lying in wait to ambush them, their chances of survival were slim.
Moira Lynch had her pocket dimension, but she didn’t want to reveal its existence. If she could, she would hide it for her entire life. After all, a treasure invites trouble for its owner.
With this idea in mind, Moira Lynch went to the backyard to survey the area. She even took a shovel and dug a few times, but quickly hit stone buried deep underground.
Probing with her spiritual power, Moira Lynch could clearly tell that the ground beneath her villa was all solid rock.
If she wanted to dig a cellar, she would need an excavator and a team of professionals.
She had no choice but to abandon the idea of a cellar for now. Fortunately, the neighborhood was still relatively safe, so she probably wouldn’t need it just yet.
Besides, the game’s start times were unpredictable. Even if she did dig a cellar, she had no idea when she’d be pulled into the game next.
Once most of the stray cats and dogs had recovered, Moira Lynch looked at their filthy coats and decided to give them all a bath.
After communicating with them beforehand using her spiritual power, the bathing process went incredibly smoothly.
Washing, drying, and finally, brushing.
Because of the extreme heat, the stray cats and dogs were shedding like crazy to adapt to the weather. Before long, she had accumulated a huge pile of cat and dog fur.
It wasn’t until evening that Moira Lynch finished washing the last dog.
Because of what had happened earlier in the day, the neighborhood was exceptionally quiet that night. The players and their families all chose to stay indoors.
As for those who chose to leave to buy supplies, Shane Rhodes didn’t stop them. Everyone had to make a living, after all. ’It might even be a good thing for them to leave now; they wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire later.’
At that moment, the neighborhood’s security captain stood beside Shane Rhodes and asked cautiously, "Young Master Rhodes, are they really going to attack tonight?"
Shane Rhodes just gave him a passing glance and said nothing. ’In truth, he wasn’t sure either. Hugh Finch’s Divination Talent had only been able to provide a rough prediction.’
’It wasn’t that a more accurate divination was impossible—the price was simply too high.’
’Take this neighborhood, for example. They had only come here because of Hugh Finch’s divination. But that prediction had cost him dearly—he had coughed up a mouthful of blood and looked as if he had just recovered from a major illness.’
It was from that moment they learned that divination came at a cost. The bigger and more detailed the prediction, the greater the price. Conversely, for small matters, the consequence might only be a bit of harmless bad luck.
Just then, a small German Shepherd came running from a distance and barked once at Shane Rhodes.
"You found suspicious people outside?"
"WOOF." Shadow barked once and nodded its head.
The security captain watched this, clicking his tongue in amazement. "What a smart dog. Is it a Border Collie? Doesn’t look like one. A mutt, maybe?"
Shadow understood the captain’s words. It bared its teeth and let out a low growl, as if to say, ’You’re the mutt! Your whole family are mutts!’