Chapter 228 Build Trust
Steven squinted through the snowstorm at the giant Mutant Cat, covered in snow.
It wasn't aggressive, just watching them. When it blinked, you could tell it was exhausted.
"Guess the fight with Lily took a toll on it too," Steven muttered.
The cat had gone toe-to-toe with Lily, who wielded a powerful sword, leaving both of them drained and the cat injured.
That's why it was trailing Steven and Cindy. Cindy was the only human it trusted.
Steven saw an opportunity to tame it.
"Let's feed the cat," Steven told Cindy.
He geared up, helped Cindy into a thick coat, and they stepped out of the shelter.
The Mutant Cat let out a cautious cry when it saw Steven, but it was clear it wasn't feeling great.
Cindy, in her wheelchair, waved, "Fluffy, don't be scared! Come here."
Fluffy just stared at Cindy, glanced at Steven, and whimpered without moving closer.
Steven knew it was still wary of him, especially after their initial run-ins at the Innovation Academy.
Steven smiled and opened the door to the extradimensional space. Cat treats, dried fish, and bags of cat food spilled out.
"Good Fluffy! Come eat! If you become my pet, you'll have food and shelter," Steven said.
Fluffy eyed the food, especially the treats. Steven saw its throat move.
Steven thought, 'A cat is easy to deal with if there's food!'
But Fluffy didn't approach. It stepped back, staring at Steven and the food, its eyes challenging.
It seemed to say, "You think you can tame me with this? You're underestimating me!"
Cindy laughed. "Steven, Fluffy's a stray, very cautious. It took me over a month to build trust."
Steven also laughed. "A month? I don't mind, but I'm worried it might attack the village where Earl is!"
He didn't care about the villagers, but Earl was important to him. If Fluffy caused trouble, it would strain their relationship.
He said to Fluffy, "Fluffy, I know you don't trust me yet, but I can give you food. Just promise not to attack the villagers across the river. Deal?"
Steven pointed to the village to the south.
Fluffy looked in the direction Steven pointed, then at the food, and slowly nodded.
"Alright, let's do it that way!" Steven said.
He knew stray cats were hard to build trust with, so it had to be slow.
He had plenty of pet snacks in the extradimensional space, so he might as well use them.
"But such a big cat has a huge appetite. I'll need to find more food for it!"
Steven pulled Cindy's wheelchair and they went back inside.
Suddenly, they heard the girls inside exclaiming.
Steven looked out the window and couldn't see Fluffy anymore.
"Steven, look!" Elinor excitedly pointed to the pile of cat food.
Steven looked and almost shouted, "What!"
The giant cat had turned into a regular-sized Maine Coon!
The women, probably not having seen a cat in a while, were all leaning against the window, eyes filled with love.
"Can it change its size?" Steven was surprised.
If so, it would save a lot of food.
"Of course!" Aubrey laughed.
"Looks like your biology isn't great! If it stayed that size, the Innovation Academy couldn't feed it."
Cindy's gaze softened as she looked at the small Maine Coon.
"I always suspected it could change size. It appears and disappears so suddenly. With such a big body, you'd hear it coming. Even Mrs. Evans couldn't detect it," she said.
"Considering how much it eats, it makes sense," she added.
Steven crossed his arms, grinning. "That makes things easier! How much can a Maine Coon eat?"
Cindy suddenly frowned. "Fluffy is bleeding!"
Steven looked closer. There were patches of blood on its body, frozen but still fresh. Must be from Lily's Dragon Roar.
No wonder Fluffy looked so tired. But it kept eating, indifferent to the injuries, typical for a stray.
Steven decided to give it some medicine tomorrow. Approaching it now would be seen as a threat.
That night, Cindy and Aubrey shared a room. It was large, about 860 square feet, with warm pink and yellow tones. The huge double bed had a soft mattress and a thin velvet blanket, as the room was warm.
The room was neatly arranged with wardrobes, a dressing table, a desk, and some cute plush toys in the corner. It was a bedroom any little princess would love.
Cindy wore white silk pajamas, her long hair flowing smoothly down her back. She sat on the bed, smiling happily.
Aubrey, also in pajamas, sat cross-legged on the bed, starting a bedtime chat. Since the apocalypse, they hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.
Aubrey said, "Cindy, pinch me. It feels like a dream! This morning, we were starving and freezing. Now we're in such a comfortable room!"
Cindy smiled. "Isn't this nice? We have to thank Steven for all of this."
At the mention of Steven, she hugged a pillow, smiling.
Steven's calm, rational, and strong image was deeply imprinted in her heart.
Aubrey sighed. "Yes, Mr. Rogers is amazing! He created such a good shelter in the apocalypse."
Aubrey raised her fist. "I've made up my mind," she declared, "I'm going to work hard and not let Mr. Rogers down!"
Cindy asked, "What did he ask you to do?"
Aubrey replied, "Mr. Rogers wants me to get familiar with the equipment first. Then he wants me to modify some things. Besides helping with equipment maintenance, I'll probably make weapons too!"
Cindy smiled. "Isn't making weapons difficult?"
Aubrey nodded. "Yes. Regular firearms aren't hard to make, but complex ones need professional equipment and molds. Even if we make them based on appearance, the usage errors would be significant."
Cindy suggested, "Steven probably doesn't lack regular firearms. Bullets and bombs might be more useful."
Aubrey realized. "You're right!"
High-tech firearms are hard to make, but bullets and explosives are easier. Even an ordinary demolition expert can make explosives based on proportions. For a professional like Aubrey, making powerful and stable bombs wouldn't be difficult.
"I'll discuss it with Mr. Rogers tomorrow! See what kind of weapons he needs," Aubrey said, smiling.
The next morning, Aubrey eagerly went to find Steven and shared her thoughts.
Steven was very interested. He had been thinking his traps were too simple for stronger enemies. More landmines and explosives would be great.
"Great, make a large batch of these. Be sure to stay safe! Let me know what materials you need," Steven said.
Aubrey patted her chest. "Don't worry, Mr. Rogers, I'm a professional at this!"
Steven's eyes instinctively glanced at her chest, slightly worried about her future children.
"Keep up the good work, I'm counting on you!" Steven patted her shoulder encouragingly.
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