"System, do you have something against me?
I risked my life, trying to sell my services to two Super A-class thugs!
I barely survived, and this is what you give me?
Tiger God Affinity?
Isn't this thing's alias 'Catnip Incarnate'?
Are you telling me that if The Hand attacks, I should pull out an orange cat from my pocket and convert them with the principle of 'cuteness is justice'?
Or can I rally a hundred responses, commanding the stray cat army in the New York sewers, forming a 'Stealthy Cat Commando' to scratch Thanos to death?
William's mind was so flooded with thoughts it could have crashed his CPU.
But on his face, he had to maintain that 'everything is under control' professional smile, befitting a top venture capitalist.
His persona couldn't break, absolutely not!
"It's a pleasure working with you, Mr. Rand, Miss Ayala."
William put his phone away and elegantly extended his hand.
"Welcome to the 'Hero Partner' program. Our services officially begin from this moment."
Danny Rand's expression was solemn.
He firmly shook William's hand: "Mr. Rodriguez, I hope you and your company can deliver on everything you've promised."
His troubles finally had a seemingly professional solution.
Ava Ayala also, for once, showed a hint of eased expression, gently shaking William's hand.
The moment they shook hands.
She suddenly felt a very strange aura about this man, one that instinctively made her want to lower her guard.
A very gentle, comfortable feeling, like dozing curled up on a sofa on a winter afternoon.
This feeling made her a little confused.
Her vigilance far exceeded that of ordinary people; how could she suddenly feel this way about a 'normal person' she was meeting for the first time?
Just then, an inconspicuous small door in the corner of the dojo opened.
A pure white Persian cat with one blue and one gold heterochromatic eye walked in silently, its elegant cat-like steps resembling a walk on a Paris fashion show.
It proudly surveyed its surroundings, its gaze briefly lingering on its Master Danny and the familiar Ava, carrying a hint of indifference that said, 'You mortals have disturbed my nap.'
Finally, its gaze accurately landed on William.
The next second.
This Persian cat, which looked so noble and aloof it seemed otherworldly, let out a series of 'purring' sounds from its throat, like a tractor engine starting.
Its elegant cat-like steps instantly turned into tiny scurries, almost tumbling and crawling towards William, rubbing its furry head against William's pant leg with extreme affection.
Rubbing wasn't enough; it even flipped over on the spot, exposing its softest, most defenseless belly, its four paws gently kicking in the air, letting out a fawning whine.
The entire dojo instantly fell silent.
Danny Rand and Ava Ayala were both stunned, their mouths slightly agape, their expressions as if they had seen their own refrigerator start telling stand-up jokes.
"Snowball?"
Danny looked surprised, his voice changing pitch.
"It... it never gets close to strangers, even I only get to pet it when it's in the mood."
William looked down at the overly enthusiastic 'ball of yarn' at his feet, his eyelid twitching uncontrollably.
System, you're ruthless.
This terrible ability really works instantly!
He suppressed the urge to complain internally, slowly bent down, and skillfully stroked the Persian cat's chin.
"Animals' instincts are always the sharpest."
"It can sense that I have no ill will and can bring it... a sense of security."
He pulled off such a convincing act that he wanted to give himself a hundred points.
However, what he was thinking was:
Damn, this cat's fur is really nice, shiny and smooth, feels great to the touch... Wait, is this the time to be thinking about this?!
After bidding farewell to Iron Fist and White Tiger, who were still in shock.
William, citing "urgent company business," quickly left the Rand Corporation building.
He needed to find a place quickly to thoroughly investigate what secrets this 'catnip physique' held.
However, as soon as he stepped out of the building's revolving door and onto the bustling street, he felt something was off.
A dozen meters away, an orange cat squatting on a trash can, which had been lazily licking its paws, suddenly paused.
It sharply raised its head, its round eyes precisely locking onto William, its pupils instantly dilating.
"Meow?"
That sound was filled with doubt, curiosity, and a hint of unbelievable ecstasy.
William's heart skipped a beat, and he calmly changed direction, pretending not to see, and walked away.
After only two steps, he felt movement behind him.
He looked back and saw that the orange cat had jumped off the trash can, scurried on its short legs, and was following him at a short distance.
William quickened his pace.
He crossed a road and turned into another street.
At the street corner.
A black cat, which had been fighting with a companion over half a hot dog, suddenly stopped.
It abandoned the food at its mouth and also started walking, silently joining the trailing procession.
Soon, the group gained a calico, a tuxedo... By the time William had walked three blocks.
Behind him, a 'silent army' of seven or eight stray cats had silently followed.
They didn't get close, didn't meow, just maintained a distance of about ten meters, staring at him uniformly with the gaze one would give a moving, walking, top-tier can of catnip.
Passersby on the street cast curious glances, and some even took out their phones to take pictures.
"Damn it!"
William's forehead was sweating; he felt like he had become the 'Son of Jesus' whispered about in all the stray cat communities of New York.
He didn't want to be on tomorrow's news headline with the title: "Mysterious Man Worshipped by Ten Thousand Cats, May Become the New 'King of Ten Thousand Meows'."
He saw a pet store ahead and, without thinking, immediately walked around it.
But even across the street, he could see that the normally lazy cats in the pet store's display window were all acting as if they had been injected with adrenaline, frantically pouncing at the glass.
They meowed like crazy, scaring the store employees into a frenzy.
This ability is highly toxic!
To shake off the 'fanatic legion' behind him, William ducked into a secluded alley.
He leaned against the wall, panting heavily, and only relaxed after confirming that the cats hadn't followed him in.
Just as he was about to leave, a soft, melodious "Meow~" came from above, as if laced with a hint of coquetry.
William's heart jumped, and he sharply looked up.
A pure white Ragdoll cat, with fur as long as a small lion's and wearing a collar embedded with tiny diamonds around its neck, was squatting on the second-floor fire escape.
It looked at him with large, sapphire-like eyes, innocent and yearning.
The next second, the cat leaped.
A graceful parabola.
William instinctively reached out.
A soft, warm ball of fur landed precisely in his arms.
This Ragdoll cat was clearly well-cared for; it smelled of high-quality shampoo.
It found a comfortable position in his arms, rubbed its small head against his chin, purred contentedly, and its tail swayed, hooking onto his arm.
A scam!
This was definitely a professionally trained scam!
Before William could even try to pry this 'sweet burden' off him, a cold, sharp female voice, carrying undeniable authority, came from the alley entrance.
"What are you doing to my 'darling'?!"
William froze, slowly turning his head.
He saw two bodyguards, dressed in black custom-made suits, wearing sunglasses, and built like walls, blocking the alley entrance, like two silent iron towers.
A woman, wearing a tight silk cheongsam, with a fiery figure and exquisite heavy makeup, stood with her arms crossed, staring coldly at him with the gaze of someone inspecting goods.
On the woman's finger was a pink diamond ring the size of a pigeon's egg, emitting a dangerous and expensive glow in the dim light of the alley.
She looked at the Ragdoll cat clinging to William, refusing to get down, her eyes growing colder, as if she were looking at an overreaching thief.
"Put down my cat."
She spoke each word distinctly, her voice devoid of any warmth.
"And then, give me an explanation."
"Otherwise, I promise you'll deeply regret walking into this alley."
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