Few women aren't afraid of rats, let alone one this large, and Sister Zhang was no exception.
"Kill it quickly and throw it away!" Sister Zhang screamed.
Fang Yuan sighed, "I don't dare. I'll deal with it after it's dead."
"Well, that's fine, that's fine..." Sister Zhang repeated several times, her eyes seeming to express a sense of apology towards Fang Yuan. After a long pause, she continued, "I didn't expect there would be such a large rat here. Fortunately, you're brave. Are you okay?"
Fang Yuan shook her head. "No, I want to go back to sleep now."
"What about this rat?" Sister Zhang was afraid Fang Yuan would sneak back to the bedroom like Su Ya, leaving her alone. As the manager of the girls' dormitory, it was her responsibility to deal with the giant rat.
Fang Yuan smiled faintly. "Didn't you see that black cat? With that black cat around, do you think this mouse has a chance of survival?"
Sister Zhang, waking from a dream, nodded repeatedly, forcing a smile at Fang Yuan. Like a wild cat whose tail had been stepped on, she scurried out of Girls' Dormitory 441.
Fang Yuan was alone in the hall again. The black cat was teasing the limp giant mouse with a mixture of smug and cruelty. Fang Yuan shook her head with a wry smile, closed the door, turned off the lights, shut down the computer, and quietly returned to her bedroom to sleep.
The giant mouse's appearance perfectly explained Qin Yanping's fainting and the black cat's bite. The nerves that had been tense from the shock finally relaxed a little. So this time, Fang Yuan slept soundly, closing her eyes quickly and falling asleep.
As she drifted off, Fang Yuan heard the screams of Qin Yanping and the others.
When she opened her eyes, it was already daybreak. Fang Yuan stretched, adjusting her internal clock and feeling much better.
"Get out of here, you stinky cat!" Qin Yanping sat on Tao Bing'er's bed, her eyes darting around, as if looking for something to throw at the black cat.
"What's wrong, Qin Yanping?" Fang Yuan was confused.
"Fang Yuan, you still said I told you not to adopt this stray cat. It's a pervert!"
Pervert? Qin Yanping was so anxious that she even applied the word "pervert" to the black cat.
Fang Yuan leaned halfway out to look at the black cat.
It turned out that the black cat had snuck into the bedroom while the girls were out washing up, its claws and mouth covered in purple-black blood. Not only that, it had even brought in a rat's head.
The rat's head was not much smaller than its cat's. Its once cunning, sharp eyes had stopped moving, frozen and rigid, like a tattered boat stranded on the beach. Blood continued to drip from the broken part of the rat's head, leaving a clear trail on the ground.
"Meow!"
The black cat noticed Fang Yuan was awake and meowed happily, as if to claim credit.
Qin Yanping couldn't hold it in any longer and casually picked up a small metal trinket from the bedside table and threw it at the black cat. Her stomach was churning and she was on the verge of vomiting. Fortunately, it was early morning and she hadn't eaten yet, so her stomach was empty. Otherwise, she would have vomited everything.
It wasn't her fault, really. Rats are naturally disgusting to women, especially a dead rat's head. Even worse, the rat's head was so large that Qin Yanping could see it clearly, even the polyp on its nose.
The black cat, struck by Qin Yanping, roared angrily at her, then let out a low cry, seeming aggrieved.
Fang Yuan speculated that the black cat and the giant rat were old enemies, having battled for many days in Girls' Dorm 441. Perhaps the black cat's refusal to leave Girls' Dorm 441 was due to the giant rat.
But why did the giant rat refuse to leave Girls' Dorm 441?
Although the giant rat was larger, the black cat was its natural enemy. Instinctively, it should avoid the black cat and leave Girls' Dorm 441.
It was like the relationship between a sheep and a wolf: no matter how strong a sheep is, even if it encounters a young wolf, it will instinctively choose to avoid it rather than confront it.
What was so special about Girls' Dorm 441 that attracted the giant rat so much that it would rather face its natural enemy than leave?
Furthermore, how could it be so large? Far larger than an ordinary mouse.
Has it mutated?
Obesity, in its simplest terms, means consuming more energy than it expends, resulting in energy being stored as fat.
But this rat seems to have more than just obesity; every organ is significantly larger than its peers.
If it's not congenital, then there's only one possible explanation: an endocrine system imbalance. The hormones that normally control its size have decreased or even disappeared, allowing it to grow indefinitely.
In other words, the giant rat is actually suffering from a diseased condition. What caused this mutation?
Radiation?
This is a common plot in science fiction novels and movies: radiation affects the metabolism of animals, giving rise to a host of monsters.
Is there radiation from a special substance in girls' dormitory 441?
If there is such radiation, what is the source?
Fang Yuan was lost in thought.
Qin Yanping interrupted her, "Fang Yuan, why don't you find a way to get rid of this black cat? It's fine now, after all."
This time, Tao Bing'er and Xu Zhaodi both sided with her. Although Tao Bing'er didn't react as violently as Qin Yanping, she also covered her mouth and slurred, "Fang Yuan, look at this black cat. I wonder where it caught such a large rat? Judging by the way it looks, it must have eaten rat meat. It's been jumping around and crawling around. Who knows if it might spread the plague or some other infectious disease? I think we should send it away."
Xu Zhaodi had just finished washing up and stood at the door with a frown. "I think this rat is huge. The black cat can't finish it all at once, so it's hiding the remaining carcass and will continue eating when it's hungry. We have to find it and clean it up, otherwise, everyone in our dormitory will really get an infectious disease."
Elsewhere, Su Ya sneered, "I don't care what you do. I don't want to see it again after tonight. Otherwise, don't blame me for being ruthless."
From what Su Ya said, if Fang Yuan didn't get rid of the black cat, she would kill it herself.
Fang Yuan believed Su Ya's words were true. For some reason, she had always been afraid of her. She always felt that Su Ya was mysterious and cold, her inner world not as rosy as her outward appearance.
"Then, I'll throw it away after lunch," Fang Yuan compromised.
Sister Zhang, the girls' dormitory manager, suddenly burst into Dormitory 441.
"You're still up? Where's that rat from yesterday? Did you deal with it?" Sister Zhang was unusually affable. In the past, she always had a sullen, gloomy face, as if someone owed her a lot of money. The girls behind her back called her an old maid, saying she had endocrine disorders and a mental disorder.
Sister Zhang saw the black cat, the giant rat head, and the bloodstains left by the dead rat. "Look, it's filthy! You can't stand it. We need to get rid of it quickly. Don't let it rot and stink and cause an epidemic."
All the girls in Dormitory 441, except Su Ya, rushed out to buy disinfectant, rinse with detergent, and, most importantly, find the remaining rat carcasses that the black cat had hidden.
Qin Yanping found the rotting remains of rats in a corner of the bathroom. She pinched her nose, picked them up between two wooden sticks, and threw them into the trash can.
She didn't notice the black cat quietly approaching her, watching the scene with fury. It glared at her for a long moment, then leaped up with a strange cry.
This time, the black cat scratched Qin Yanping's hand.
Qin Yanping screamed in pain, then frantically chased the black cat with the two sticks.
But the black cat cleverly slipped away.
The girls gathered around her, asking what had happened.
Qin Yanping's nose stung as she recounted the story, and she nearly burst into tears. "What should I do? Will I catch the plague? The black cat's claws just scratched that rat."
"Don't cry. What are you afraid of? I'll go get you a few rabies shots, and you'll be fine," Tao Bing'er said dismissively.
"A few rabies shots will really be enough?" Qin Yanping felt an unbearable itch from the black cat's scratches, and she wanted to scratch.
Fang Yuan stopped her.
"Don't scratch, it'll only make it worse. Better get the shots and clean the wound."
Several people accompanied Qin Yanping to the medical school's infirmary.