Chapter 10: It’s Him?
Vivian Lowell’s impression of Vance Wyatt inexplicably improved a little.
They took the elevator from the underground garage all the way to the top floor of the building. When Vivian Lowell went out, carrying the cat-fishing pole for Eleanor Rhodes, she saw several staff members.
They were all gathered around the ventilation shaft. When they saw the rescuers had arrived, they all looked over.
"It’s two girls? They look so small and thin. Can they really do it?" one of the female assistants couldn’t help but ask, sounding doubtful.
Hearing the skepticism, Vivian Lowell maintained her professional composure. She gave the assistant a slight smile and said, "We’ve been rescuing cats for five years. We have plenty of experience."
"Please trust us. We will do everything we can to get the cat out of the ventilation shaft."
When the assistant heard Vivian Lowell’s words, she glanced over, clearly not expecting her quiet muttering to have been overheard. She seemed both awkward and annoyed.
Vivian Lowell didn’t get caught up with her. She went to the edge of the ventilation shaft to assess the situation.
The building’s ventilation shaft was on the roof, near the guardrail. It was a very tall building, over fifty stories high, and a landmark in this part of Aethelburg’s CBD.
The ventilation shaft here was quite deep, a good ten feet down.
This ten-foot shaft was made up of connected, pipe-like sections. The kitten was in the second section, so it hadn’t fallen all the way to the bottom.
But...
Even so, the drop was still a solid six feet.
The cat-fishing pole Vivian Lowell and Eleanor Rhodes had brought was also exactly six feet long. All they needed to do was stand at the edge of the shaft, extend the pole inside, loop it around the kitten’s neck, and they could successfully bring it up.
After Vivian Lowell observed the situation in the shaft, Eleanor Rhodes also did a field check and said, "Vivian. We need their cooperation to close off all the connected channels at the bottom of the ventilation shaft."
"That way, if something goes wrong, the kitten won’t fall, get scared, and start running all over the place inside the vents."
Ventilation shafts are usually connected to the central air conditioning’s exhaust system, which is a complex maze. If the cat ran into it, finding it again would be extremely difficult.
"Mm-hmm."
Vivian Lowell agreed with Eleanor Rhodes’s idea and turned to tell Vance Wyatt their request.
Vance Wyatt immediately complied, telling the female assistant who had just been muttering to go and make the arrangements.
The rooftop was still a bit cold in February.
Vivian Lowell and Eleanor Rhodes waited in a corner for a while until the female assistant came back up and said everything was arranged. They could begin the rescue.
Vivian Lowell went to the edge of the ventilation shaft, readied the cat-fishing pole, and slowly extended one end down into the shaft, toward the kitten.
The ventilation shaft was deep, and visibility was poor. Eleanor Rhodes stood beside her, shining a flashlight to help, barely illuminating a long-haired, orange-and-white kitten inside.
It looked to be only three or four months old. It was tiny, filthy, and looked rather pitiful.
Vivian Lowell tried to adjust the angle. Several times, the pole touched the little orange-and-white cat, but because the distance made it hard to apply force, she couldn’t manage to loop it around its neck.
Try after try, failure after failure. Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Vivian Lowell’s face was a bit stiff from the cold. Seeing this, Vance Wyatt grew a little concerned and came over to ask, "Do you want to rest for a bit?"
"I’ve had someone prepare hot milk. You can have some to regain your strength."
Vivian Lowell was about to say that she could still keep going.
But nearby, the female assistant, who was also shivering from the cold, couldn’t stand it anymore. She spoke to Vance Wyatt, "Special Assistant Wyatt, I’ve been standing here for just as long. How come you don’t ask me if I’m okay?"
"Besides, these two have been fiddling around for so long and still haven’t rescued the cat. Are they even capable? Maybe I should just call a professional rescue team!"
After speaking, the assistant gave Vivian Lowell and Eleanor Rhodes a distrustful look.
Eleanor Rhodes was the type to speak her mind and couldn’t stand being slighted. Hearing the assistant’s words, she shot back sarcastically, "Do you know how to rescue a cat?"
"Do you even know what ’professional’ means? If you don’t know anything, then shut your mouth! You’re completely useless just standing here, and you’re blocking our light. Tell me, what’s the point of you being here?"
Within the corporation, the female assistant held a fairly high position, second only to Vance Wyatt, and was used to being respected.
Now, faced with Eleanor Rhodes’s bluntness, the assistant’s expression turned ugly. However, just as she was about to speak, a figure in black appeared from the stairwell.
Upon seeing this figure, the assistant immediately shut her mouth and didn’t dare say another word.
Vivian Lowell hadn’t turned around. She was completely focused on rescuing the kitten in the shaft. This time, she had adjusted the angle and was confident she could loop the pole around the kitten’s neck in one go and bring it up.
"Tanya, the light!"
Vivian Lowell commanded in a tone that allowed no argument.
A flashlight beam from beside her immediately shone down, and then two powerful beams of light converged, both illuminating Vivian Lowell’s fishing pole and the little orange-and-white cat.
Inch by inch, she moved closer. After countless attempts, Vivian Lowell finally hooked the little orange-and-white cat from inside the ventilation shaft and lifted it up.
"Quick, the carrier!"
Lifting the kitten, Vivian Lowell spun around and shouted the order. She quickly retracted the pole, working to free the wildly struggling orange-and-white from the loop.
The moment it was back in the open air, Eleanor Rhodes, who was beside Vivian Lowell, grabbed the kitten with both hands and tried to guide it into the cat carrier on the side.
However.
Just as the orange-and-white’s little rump had entered the carrier, with only its head left to go, it thrashed so violently that its claws swung out and scratched the female assistant who was holding the carrier.
The assistant cried out in pain and dropped the carrier.
The already terrified kitten seized the opportunity, bit Eleanor Rhodes hard, and tried to escape!
Eleanor Rhodes didn’t let go, but she had been using one hand to guide the kitten into the carrier, leaving only her other hand to hold it. Now, with the kitten struggling so fiercely, she was about to lose her grip!
"Vivian, help!"
Eleanor Rhodes yelled.
Vivian Lowell moved in perfect sync, immediately reaching out to help. ’I’m not wearing gloves,’ she thought, bracing herself. ’I’m definitely going to get bitten.’
But it didn’t matter.
’Getting bitten or scratched is a risk I can handle, as long as it’s to save a kitten.’
The very instant Vivian Lowell’s hand was about to shoot out, the figure in the black suit next to her moved. A pair of large hands reached past hers and grabbed the little orange-and-white cat.
"Vance Wyatt!"
Julian Faulkner called out in a cold voice.
Vance Wyatt immediately snapped to attention and picked up the cat carrier.
Enduring the kitten’s scratching and biting, Julian Faulkner put the little orange-and-white back into the carrier.