Passing by the place where the Peacock Pheasant was hunted that day, they continued walking for about ten minutes. Near a cliff, Big Beauty stopped, raised its head, and meowed twice.
The meow of a wild cat is different from the clamping sound of a house cat; it has a roguish air.
When Chen Ying came out, he conveniently carried the camping lamp. Even at full brightness, it only illuminated the area around his feet, covering a radius of about one meter, beyond which everything was hazy.
Soon, two larger Cloud Leopards jumped down, each carrying a kitten in their mouths.
Chen Ying glanced at them and was startled.
These cats weren't sick; they were severely injured.
But to be injured and still be alive—what a strong will to live.
One of Chen Ying's advantages is his focus.
Upon seeing the condition of the kittens, he immediately entered work mode.
After quickly dealing with their external injuries, there were quite a few places that needed stitching. However, just stitching wasn't enough; inhalative anesthesia had to be added.
While Chen Ying was tensely treating the kittens, Big Beauty and another slightly larger cat escorted a skinny adult cat down with great care.
Hearing the sound, Chen Ying looked up, paused what he was doing, and took a surgical drape from the emergency kit, spreading it on the ground.
Big Beauty, very clever, used its tail to direct the strong cat to lay the sickly mother cat onto the drape.
Then, four healthy cats formed a semicircle, sitting down to guard them.
After treating the external wounds of the two kittens, Chen Ying melted life-saving medication and dripped it into their mouths with a syringe.
The medication for sustaining life was running low.
He knelt on the ground to relieve his slightly numb and aching back from bending over for so long, and meanwhile took out his phone to call Dao Meihua.
"Is it convenient? Can you arrange to send a piece of equipment and two animal ICU chambers to the zetong river village, the place your cousins rest and resupply midway?"
The reason for calling Dao Meihua was that she knew better what equipment and tools were needed. If he called the two cousins, he'd have to spend time explaining.
After briefly explaining the situation, Chen Ying took a photo and sent it to Dao Meihua.
Seeing the three moribund Cloud Leopards on the ground and the four others simultaneously looking up at Chen Ying, Dao Meihua's heart tightened. She immediately replied that she would personally deliver the supplies to the village.
The kittens were injured; the big cat seemed to be suffering from a heart condition.
After examining for a while, Chen Ying wanted to feed it some medicine, but the big cat struggled, not swallowing.
Chen Ying wrapped it in a drape and held it in his arms to soothe it. "Listen to me, I'll do my best to save them. I just asked my colleague to bring things over, so rest assured that I'll do my utmost to save them. But you also have to hold on; otherwise, if they survive but lose their mother, how will they go on?"
The nearly skeletal mother cat's cloudy eyes fixed on Chen Ying.
Chen Ying did not avoid its gaze and nodded more earnestly. "Really, I'm not lying to you. I can't guarantee they'll survive, but I'll do my utmost to save them."
A nearly inaudible hoarse "meow" squeezed out of the mother cat's throat. When fed medicine again, although swallowing was difficult, it forced itself to swallow.
An hour and a half later, Chen Ying used a coat as a makeshift pouch to carry the mother cat on his back, holding an emergency kit in one hand and a hastily made simple vine basket in the other.
The basket was lined with leaves, finally folded into a square with non-woven fabric. The kittens were placed inside and covered with a layer of gauze.
"I need to take them to the village below to prepare for surgery. Are you coming with me or staying here?"
"They're not going; I'm going with you." Big Beauty flicked its tail and walked ahead. "Without me leading the way, you won't find your kind."
Such intelligence is about university graduate level!
With Big Beauty leading the way, it was indeed convenient. Before long, they returned to the camp.
Everyone was already packing up, waiting for his return, planning to leave after breakfast.
"Are we leaving immediately?"
"Yes, the condition of these three cats is very bad. I must take them out for surgery first. I've already informed Meihua, who is waiting for me in the village below."
"Alright, I'll have Lao Bian take you down. You don't need to bring anything; we'll bring your stuff down to the village."
Without any ceremony, Lao Bian drank a bowl of hot water, picked up his and Chen Ying's bags, and left.
The tent was left for others to help pack up.
Without stopping along the way, they quickly reached the village lower on the mountainside.
Dao Meihua had already arrived and was arranging for people to clean the room and set up the equipment.
"This used to be the village medical room; it was painted last year, and there's nothing inside. I had it disinfected for twenty minutes; it should be fine to enter now."
Dao Meihua didn't examine the three cats, "I also brought a medical team: an assistant doctor and two nurses."
"Thanks, I won't be polite. Surgery must be done immediately."
Dao Meihua pursed her lips into a smile and nodded, "I'll wait for you outside. If you need anything, just let me know."
The mother cat's condition was still under control; as long as the kittens were okay, it could survive.
After entering the operating room, Chen Ying briefly introduced the situation to the three assistants.
All three were skilled Tool Men, familiarized themselves with the situation, and immediately began working under Chen Ying's direction.
The mother cat and Big Beauty were placed in the adjacent room. Before the surgery, the mother cat was given intravenous fluids to replenish its body's nutritional needs.
Big Beauty stayed by the mother cat's side, its big tail draped over the mother cat, quietly lying down so that the mother cat's head rested on its arm.