The noise was so loud that even the big black dog in the arena couldn't miss it. It turned its head and looked this way. Although it seemed a little absent-minded, it exuded a strange, domineering aura that seemed to say, "You bunch of insignificant humans are quite good at shouting slogans."
The fan club erupted in cheers and screams, their faces flushed and hearts pounding. Even Zhenzhen and Luya couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Looking back, huh? What was I even yelling about? What's so great about it...?
Nuomi, the white rabbit-tailed cat, sat a few meters away from Dahei, tilting its head in confusion, licking its paws, and meowing softly.
After all the cats had taken their turn on stage, the fan groups on the sidelines began to clearly divide into distinct groups, and the host announced the first event of the finals—the speed race.
"As you can see, at the northernmost part of the venue, there is a piece of fresh Arctic fish provided by our sponsor! This fish has tender flesh and is a 5A grade ingredient, which is very popular with cats! In a little while, our one hundred cats will be divided into four groups and set off to select the top ten based on the votes of our audience, who will then enter the final competition!"
Xiao Yuan, nestled in Zhenzhen's arms, poked its furry head out and stared intently at the cats behind the starting line, seemingly wanting to join in as well.
Patting its head, Zhenzhen said, "We'll set one up at our own rescue station later, so Xiaoyuan can play with it."
Luya smiled slightly and said okay.
Big Black was in the fourth group. As soon as the whistle blew, it darted to the finish line like an arrow, slapped the piece of meat aside haphazardly, and turned around to yawn.
At this point, the other cats that had set off had not yet completed one-fifth of the entire journey, and they all stopped and hesitated, wondering whether they should still try to snatch it.
Wen Zheng and Xiao Huangmao stood in the corner near the podium, staring at Da Hei's vigorous and handsome figure.
The blond-haired boy exclaimed, "Big...Big Black is so fast!"
Wen Zheng grunted in agreement and said expressionlessly, "But results have nothing to do with speed."
The little blond boy choked.
Yes, this competition is called a speed contest, but winning first place in speed doesn't mean you've done well in the beauty pageant. People want to see how cute you are while you run!
The blond-haired guy was sweating profusely, thinking, "What if everyone says my older brother isn't cute, and he gets so angry that he causes an explosion on the court..."
Fortunately, his worries were unnecessary. With the votes of millions of viewers, Dahei successfully advanced to the top ten.
Wen Zheng didn't seem happy either, and was looking down at his phone.
With today's advanced camera equipment, even Dahei's blurry speed was captured clearly frame by frame, without any blur. The official Weibo account of the competition was flooded with criticism saying that rankings shouldn't be based on results, but many others countered, arguing that they simply liked the fastest runner—was there a problem with that?
Of course, no problem.
We didn't talk about results in the past because the cats participating in the competition didn't achieve outstanding results.
The tendency to admire strength is a trait ingrained in the genes of animals.
Big Black was as fast as lightning, appearing even more powerful and majestic compared to the slow-moving cats. His henchmen also stood out, leaving a deep impression on many spectators who were simply there for the spectacle.
Wen Zheng's Weibo post has become a popular spot for people to check in.
He looked around, then looked up to see Big Black standing behind the starting line staring straight at him. Wen Zheng gave Big Black a smile that Big Black couldn't decipher, and pointed to the podium.
"Roar." Big Black didn't know what to say, and turned to stare at the finish line.
As the final whistle blew and the obstacles were removed, Dahei leaped high and charged toward the finish line.
The other three shortlisted cats brought by Little Yellow Hair clung tightly to it, and in the blink of an eye, the four cats rushed to the middle section.
That's too fast.
Many people experience an adrenaline rush at this speed.
However, Big Black still wasn't satisfied, and after reaching the halfway point, he even increased his speed by one gear!
Amidst the screams of those around it, it dashed to the finish line like lightning, knocking the "prize" fish to the ground.
"Five seconds and nine seconds!!!" The host went wild, shouting at the top of his lungs, "It only took five seconds and nine seconds! This is a record-breaking speed! No cat has ever reached this speed before! Congratulations to our Big Black! You've achieved... ... ... ... Oh, sorry, you're the first to reach the finish line!"
The audience erupted in cheers, and the host was dragged off the stage by the director next to him and given a severe dressing-down.
"Why are you yelling like that?! I already said it's not a speed contest! What's wrong with getting first place?!"
The host said, feeling wronged, "But it's really fast..."
"Did you see Nuomi? Her little paws are so cute moving around!"
"Yes, my favorite white peach is also good. That determined little face of hers is just so cute..."
"Yes, yes, the round candy was good too. It even took the fish meat in the end, haha."
After regaining their composure, the viewers in the Lab Cat camp tried to salvage their image, but they discovered that they couldn't even remember what their favorite cat looked like, even though it had dropped so many places.
All I could see in my mind was a black lightning bolt.
Even though their beloved cat was still as adorable as ever, everything else paled in comparison after that destructive speed was imprinted on their retina.
The voting results took five minutes to come out. Dahei won first place in this event with 60% of the votes, earning 10 points.
Zhenzhen and Luya exchanged a glance and joined the Big Black fan club in loud celebration. The lab cat supporters nearby were completely stunned by the overwhelming result.
In previous years... we've had first place winners before. Why did it turn out like this this year?
No matter how you look at it, that big black cat is just an ugly, unremarkable, and plain-looking country cat. It's neither soft nor cute, so why does it win everyone's favor?
Author's Note: It seems the synopsis wasn't successfully revised. Jinjiang has been undergoing various changes lately, so many things can't be changed easily anymore QAQ
The silly author didn't finish saving up all the chapters because the game was too fun (smashes phone). For the next five days, I'll be writing 10,000 words a day, and there will be small red envelopes for comments every day. I'm really sorry (smashes flag). The update time will be 6 AM from now on, so everyone can just wake up and read it. ?( ?` ) Sending love!
The foolish author, who was being relentlessly attacked by readers, soon coughed up blood.
There's one more chapter coming up!
Chapter 70
Big Black won two more events in a row, and the owners of the other favorite cats couldn't sit still anymore.
I'm Nuomi: Hello everyone, I'm Nuomi Meow~ I tried my best in the competition today, meow? But my paws weren't strong enough, so you don't like me anymore, meow? Nuomi can't even eat fish, meow meow meow...
It was also accompanied by many cute animated GIFs.
Among so many cats, Nuomi is undoubtedly a cat with an excellent appearance. Its white fur is smooth, and its tail is curled up, like an innocent little elf.
With its owner acting so cute, many people were once again captivated by its beauty and began to waver in their opinions.
This year I've been bewitched, like I'm under a spell. It's a beauty pageant, and I've been completely absorbed in the pursuit of higher, faster, stronger...
-Ahhh, my sweetheart, Nuomi!
-No matter how you look at it, Nuomi is so cute... Why did I suddenly feel like I was under a spell before...?
Just then, the cats were having a hooping contest. Compared to Big Black and his little brothers who zipped past in a flash, Nuomi, with its short legs, clumsily took a while to prepare for each jump, making everyone anxious and heartbroken. Until the last hoop, it tripped and fell flat on its face. Then, it stood up in a daze, licked its pink paws, and the audience's hearts melted.
Little Nuomi is so cute!
-It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt, Mommy will blow on it—
I want to put the soft, sticky rice claws in my mouth and suck on them...
As expected, Nuomi took first place in this round.
The blond-haired boy got anxious.
"Brother Wen, do you think we should post something on Weibo too? Those people are just stirring up trouble!"
“Wait a bit,” Wen Zheng said, meeting the gaze of Da Hei who was looking at him. He paused for a moment before saying, “Da Hei will handle it.”
He hadn't slept much, and only now did he feel a belated drowsiness. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he heard the host announce the intermission, Wen Zheng turned around and said he was going to sit under the red roof for a while, and soon disappeared from sight.
What's going on? The blond-haired guy was confused. Why did Brother Wen seem a little absent-minded? Wasn't he the one who valued our big brother the most?
Yu Jin wasn't there, so Wen Zheng found a quiet spot to lean against.
Bai Shuang, Deng Puyue, and Wendy all came, but there were too many people to meet up, so they agreed to watch separately.
He rested for a while, regained some energy, opened Weibo to check out the online arguments, and thought about a strategy. He wasn't ready to give up on Bei Sining's matter yet.
When another wave of noise rose outside, Wen Zheng, unable to go back to his previous spot, found a gap in the room and happened to see two girls from Xiaoyuan's house being pushed and shoved by the people next to them, so he squeezed over to block them.
"Z-da!" Zhenzhen was extremely excited, her face flushed, and she enthusiastically shoved a small stick into his hand: "Hold it up! It's a light stick from the Dahei fan club! It can project images!"
Wen Zheng: "...?"
How come the two girls suddenly let loose halfway through the game?
Luya excitedly exclaimed, "Z-sama, look! Big Black is about to appear!"
This is the penultimate test, similar to a social skills test. Clara became a long-lasting cat star because she was particularly good at taking care of people in this test and also showed exceptional intelligence in other areas.
A small circle was set up in the center of the venue, with amusement rides and food placed around it.
Cats are not social animals; they have a strong sense of territory and are keen on marking and fighting for their territory.
Before Dahei appeared, more than eighty cats had already entered. Most of them were rather timid, but a few weak but determined cats fought quite a bit and gained more rights to use food and water territories.
Some defeated cats also confront other cats elsewhere, or go up to the territorial cat to rub its neck, lick its fur, and try to please it.
Luya, worried that Wen Zheng hadn't seen it before, explained to him, "When a defeated cat licks its fur for another cat, it's considered an act of submission. But the competition isn't about who's stronger; basically, the cat with the cutest behavior is more popular." She pointed to Nuomi, who got the most screen time, "Like Nuomi, it came up looking silly, and no matter where it went, it got aggressive from the other cats, which was so pitiful and cute... Ah, it also stretched out its claws, and the way it fought was so cute too."
Yes, some of the furry balls look cute even when they're being fierce, and Luya and Zhenzhen both find them adorable.
Wen Zheng perked up a bit and stared at the big black dog that had just entered the arena.
Amidst the breathless silence of the fan club, Big Black strode in with haughty steps. The two little mixed-breed cats that had come in earlier trotted over to greet it, bowed their heads, and followed behind.
The audience was confused. Huh? What happened to the territorial disputes? They're giving up the territory they already claimed? But these seem to be Big Black's cat underlings anyway…
Big Black calmly walked to the center, raised its head and roared. All the cats that were eating, playing, alert to their surroundings, or dozing off stood up and meowed in unison. Then they rushed to the middle, squatted down in two rows on either side, and lay down obsequiously.
“…Ah,” the host stammered, “Well, our Big Black, it seems, became the cat boss without even shedding a drop of blood, um…”
The host didn't know what else to say besides this, because after the cats finished paying their respects, they all returned to their original spots, carrying their favorite toys, food bowls, clean water, and anything else they could to the center, as if offering gifts to the King of Cats.
Big Black sat majestically in place, waiting for its underlings to offer tributes one after another. The cats that entered later followed and lined up until they were all in line. Then Big Black roared again, and they all let out long meows as if celebrating their king's coronation.
At first glance, it doesn't look like a cat at all; it sounds more like a wolf howling.
host:"……"
The audience: "…………"
Netizens: "………………"
The large, dark eyes darted around sharply, meeting the still-silent host's gaze. The host shuddered: "Then, now, we can begin the off-stage voting!"
After saying that, she finally came to her senses and raised her voice even higher, "In all the years of beauty pageants, I've never seen anything like this! It's as if the cats themselves have chosen the most beautiful cat!"