Chapter 63: Tiger, Who Loves Tigers

In the Shixi Campus, Ou Xiaolu let the car park itself as he led Charles and Arrow toward Izzo’s shop. It was nearly evening, the peak hour for people on campus, yet hardly a soul could be seen near Ou Xiaolu. Anyone who caught sight of Arrow by his side quickly made themselves scarce; even if they didn’t notice at first, their companions would tug them away.

Ou Xiaolu, however, paid this no mind. He strode into Izzo’s shop and called out loudly, “Izzo, one order of tender beef! And do you have anything suitable for this big cat to eat?”

Izzo was startled at first but then came over and patted Arrow’s head. “This big cat of yours is really something.”

After speaking, Izzo winked at Ou Xiaolu. Seeing Izzo’s nonchalance, Ou Xiaolu couldn’t help but smile—this was the first person, since Arrow’s appearance, to approach and interact with the animal of his own accord. Clearly, Izzo was a bold fellow.

Izzo stroked Arrow, and when Arrow showed no signs of protest, Izzo was delighted. He had two large plates of beef brought out and set them in front of Arrow. Arrow immediately clamped down on a piece and began to eat heartily.

Watching Arrow devour the meat, Ou Xiaolu grinned at Izzo. “Looks like you really like him.”

“Of course, I like cats too, but yours is really much too big,” Izzo replied, laughing.

“Yeah, and keeping him is quite the hassle,” Ou Xiaolu said helplessly. “At the very least, I can’t afford good meat all the time.”

“If you can’t afford to feed him, give him to me! I’ve got plenty of meat here,” Izzo said, his eyes nearly glowing as he looked at Arrow.

Ou Xiaolu shook his head. “No way, he’s my brother. But Izzo, do you know any meat suppliers?”

“The boss never sells meat. It’s always the girls who do,” Izzo said, rolling his eyes with a laugh.

Ou Xiaolu was used to Izzo’s jokes, but Izzo quickly caught on to what he meant. “This guy eats a lot, doesn’t he? You’re hoping I can get you some cheap meat?”

Ou Xiaolu nodded in affirmation.

“I’m afraid I can’t help you there. Actually, a friend of mine owns the biggest slaughterhouse near Xinxiang. His place is almost a free-for-all; for customers who come to slaughter their animals, he has only two rules: wait your turn, and leave the heart behind for him—everything else you can take. Thanks to me, he’s granted those customers priority purchasing, which already makes me feel awkward enough. I really can’t do more to help you.”

“No worries, I was just asking. If possible, could you put me in touch with some farmers you know? I can pay for the meat, and if I place regular orders without needing the highest quality, maybe it’ll be cheaper.”

“That I can do,” Izzo said, thinking for a moment before handing over a few phone numbers. “But are you sure? Such a fine big cat, and you’ll only give him regular meat?”

“What else can I do? Should he eat better than me?” Ou Xiaolu glanced at Arrow. “If it weren’t so inconvenient, I’d let him hunt for himself.”

“What’s inconvenient about that?” Izzo asked curiously.

“He might end up hunting people.”

“That’s possible,” Izzo said, stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.

As the two chatted, a few more customers entered. Most were startled to see a tiger in the restaurant, but seeing both the owner and Ou Xiaolu standing beside it, their fear subsided. Some even pointed and whispered at Arrow.

At a table for three, one of the guests glanced at Ou Xiaolu, stood up, and walked over to Arrow, reaching out to touch him. Arrow had tolerated Izzo earlier because it concerned his meals; but to strangers who had nothing to do with his food, Arrow let out a low growl.

The growl startled the man, but instead of fleeing, he looked up at Ou Xiaolu and said, “Hey, Easterner, your tiger’s impressive. Name your price.”

Ou Xiaolu looked at the man and was taken aback—he recognized him. Wasn’t this one of the trio who’d sneaked into the submarine before? How had they ended up in Xinxiang?

Regardless, Ou Xiaolu had no intention of indulging them. He simply said, “Get lost!”

The man’s expression darkened. He jabbed a finger at Ou Xiaolu. “Kid, do you know who I am?”

Ou Xiaolu’s face grew cold, and Arrow stood up as well.

Just then, another man called out, “Tiger, get back here. It’s just a tiger—don’t you have enough at home?”

“Boss, this tiger is special. If I keep him for a while, I’m sure my strength will improve.”

“Forget it, Tiger, we have business to take care of. Guys like this can only survive in places like Xinxiang—back where we’re from, he wouldn’t last a few episodes.”

With that, the trio got up to leave. As he passed, the one called Tiger deliberately glanced at Ou Xiaolu and drew his finger across his throat.

Watching this gesture, Ou Xiaolu felt a strong urge to drag them all out and finish them off then and there. He turned to Arrow. “Any ideas?”

“Take them out!” Arrow replied, opening his mouth. “Set up an ambush somewhere—they’re clearly capable. If we take them down, we can split the experience.”

“Alright, let’s lure them to our valley.”

While secretly plotting with Arrow how to get rid of the trio, Ou Xiaolu continued to discuss ranch owners with Izzo. Ou Xiaolu didn’t want to turn the valley back into a pasture, but Arrow needed meat, so he had to find a legitimate source—he couldn’t really let Arrow go hunting up in the mountains.

The contacts Izzo provided weren’t the largest ranchers near Xinxiang; they only slaughtered every few days, but always had offal to dispose of. If Arrow didn’t mind, the price for these innards was quite low. Of course, since in the Land of the Free, blood and offal were all mixed together, they didn’t taste great.

But Arrow didn’t care. He’d eaten sheep, rabbits—if there wasn’t enough meat, he’d eat innards too.

Having exchanged numbers, and with his own meal nearly finished, Ou Xiaolu set off for the dorm with Arrow in tow. As soon as they stepped outside, Arrow nudged Ou Xiaolu to look left. There, the trio from before were waiting at the door, their faces twisted in sinister smiles. Seeing them, Ou Xiaolu wondered if he shouldn’t just find an opportunity to deal with them once and for all.