Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

  Zhang Zian was merely making a joke, keeping with his personality. To hell with talk about cats and dogs cooperating! In this battle against caterpillars, human beings were the dominant players dictating the moves. This was an indisputable fact.

  In the face of caterpillars with venomous hair, both cats and dogs had some weaknesses, not to mention the fact that the number of caterpillars was almost too large to calculate.

  After much discussion, Little White, Zhang Zian, and Vladimir walked out of the woods. The stray dogs and stray cats waiting for them had been a little worried. Seeing their respective leaders safe and sound, they were reassured.

  Little White and Vladimir went over to the stray dogs and stray cats respectively and announced the temporary armistice agreement to them. It caused a lot of sudden conversations and commotion.

  The living thing that had always been regarded as a deadly enemy had suddenly become an ally. This sudden change was hard to accept all at once, both for the cats and the dogs. They were affected by the surroundings where everyone was gathered. They had all regarded each other as a thorn in their sides. Now, they’d changed it to the idea that they needed to shake hands and work together. Even though it was short-term cooperation, such a mind-boggling thought was too much for their relatively simple brains to process.

  Little White and Vladimir tried hard to convince the stray dogs and stray cats respectively. The former relied more on individual authority to suppress all objections and doubts. Whoever dared to stir things up would be attacked with an iron hammer. The latter employed talking. He encouraged everyone to speak their minds freely and then he patiently explained the issues to them.

  Zhang Zian couldn’t help in this regard. He found the nearest commissary on the map and drove in to buy twenty boxes of mineral water. It was imperative to solve the problem of what they would drink first. Before this, they had all been looking for drinks left behind by humans in the garbage dump to quench their thirst. Whether it was Coke, Fanta, or Sprite, as long as it was drinkable, they would drink it.

  When he drove back with water, Little White and Vladimir had already done their best to persuade their own teams. The groups of cats and dogs were not as hostile to each other by now, but they definitely were not close partners. They lay in their respective areas and rested.

  He poured the bottled mineral water into the food bowl and let the stray dogs take turns to drink it. Now that they were fed and hydrated, the dogs started to become slow and lazy in their movements. Their anger dissipated a lot.

  However, it was not possible to rely on his daily purchase of mineral water to solve the problem. First, it cost him a lot of money, and secondly, it cost him time.

  As the stray dogs ??drank the water, he went into the woods and looked in the direction of the ditch. He came up with a temporary solution—his aquarium had a lot of fish, and the fish needed a pump to let the water circulate. He would bring two less-efficient pumps that used more than 100 watts of power to work here and install the filter at the ditch. He would select an area that had fewer caterpillars to pump the water. The stray dogs could then line up to drink.

  Of course, he would have to buy a small generator. One with a few hundred watts of power would be enough. It would use either gasoline or liquefied gas, which was not expensive. For a few hundred dollars, it would provide up to 220 volts of power for the pumps to work.

  It was also necessary to cover the generator with a rainproof cover to prevent it from short-circuiting in the rain.

  Although it wouldn’t last, when transporting food, he could bring along gasoline or replace the liquefied gas bottle. He would not need to buy water and then transport it.

  If no one was guarding them, the pump and generator would likely be stolen in a few days, but fortunately, the stray dogs could be responsible for this. After all, it ensured the survival of their kind.

  Zhang Zian went to see the various things the stray dogs had picked up, like felt pens without the caps, broken headphones, broken speakers, empty glasses cases, vibration equipment with unknown uses, etc…… There was nothing valuable.

  The stray dogs didn’t know what was worth money, and it was like finding a needle in a haystack. There was a low chance that they would find something of value. They were not to blame. Even if a person walked into the garbage dump, it wasn’t so easy to find something that was worth some money. If it were that easy, wouldn’t more people do it? Everyone would then be there picking up garbage rather than going to work in an office.

  He told Little White about the pump and generator. He planned to find time to install it tomorrow. If he didn’t have time to come, he would send the staff to do it. He told him to act as a friendly guide for the Wuling Hong Guang MPV and help restrain the stray dogs so as not to scare the people away.

  As for the empty bottles on the ground, he had to wait until tomorrow when he or the clerk was present and bring the person from the waste collection station here to collect them. They would account for them and pay on the spot.

  The matter here was temporarily settled. He said goodbye to Little White and, together with Vladimir, got back into the Wuling Hong Guang MPV. He also asked Vladimir to dismiss the stray cats.

  He could see that Little White was an authoritarian who could suppress the stray dogs. He could not easily leave the dogs. Otherwise, the entire dog group would fall into chaos. They may even wreak havoc and attack people around the area. Thus, he could not take him away. He could only wait for the situation to stabilize before doing anything else.

  And……to make Vladimir and Little White live together under one roof…… Wouldn’t that mean bringing the war to his pet store?

  Back at the pet store, he asked the staff to pick up the spare water pumps and went to the outdoor equipment store to buy a small generator.

  In the afternoon, he took a short nap before leaving the store. He walked over to Zhonghua Road Primary School.

  On the way there, he observed that there were all kinds of caterpillars crawling on the trees on both sides of the road. They were not abundant, and pedestrians who had passed by the trees did not notice.

  Upon arriving at the school gate, he explained his intention to the school guards. The guards who were informed in advance confirmed his identity and then let him enter.

  He found the teacher’s office. A teacher who was preparing for class received him. She’d heard that he had come to help the school eliminate the caterpillars. Upon hearing this, she rambled on and talked about the impact of caterpillars on daily teaching and life. The children did not dare to leave the classroom during the break, especially the girls.

  Most of the primary school teachers were also females. Upon seeing the caterpillars, they were both disgusted and scared. They had long wanted to eliminate the caterpillars in the school, but no one had taken the lead, and the leaders in the school were slow to act. Every other day, a meeting was called to come up with a plan. Yet nothing happened. Finally, help seemed to have arrived.

  The teachers were more open-minded to ideas, unlike the strict director of the street office. Zhang Zian briefly shared what he had in mind, and they quickly agreed to his plan to remove the insects.

  His plan was very simple. He would either rent or buy a batch of pesticide, inject the diluted cypermethrin inside, and wait for the weekend or after school. Then, several people in protective clothing would start spraying the areas that had the most caterpillars in the school. There would be no further impact on the students who came to school the next day.

  The teachers said that they could buy the things that they needed, and Zhang Zian would not have to pay for them. However, they insisted that he do the job. If they got into close contact with so many caterpillars, they would be sick and suffer from sleepless nights.

  Once discussions were complete, Zhang Zian stood up and left.

  Just as he got out of the classroom office, the school bell rang.

  Little Celery was pulling Wang Yaning out of a classroom. They looked like they were going to the back of the building. Another figure quietly followed them. It was Xu Zhuang Zhuang.