Chapter 128

Over the next two days, Changping launched a full-scale disinfection campaign. Xu Xiucai was temporarily seconded to assist, mainly responsible for providing disinfection guidance.

On July 8th, Xu Xiucai returned home exhausted.

It was 9:20 p.m. Gao Shengliang was sitting on the couch, checking the electricity bill. Seeing her come in, he asked, “Working this late again?”

“Too much to do. I’ve got to head to the industrial park tomorrow too,” Xu Xiucai replied, collapsing onto the chaise lounge.

She was fifty-two this year, a medical staff member at Changping First Hospital. Technically, disinfection education should fall under the jurisdiction of the CDC, but due to a shortage of personnel, they had to borrow staff from the hospital. The CDC wouldn’t be back to full capacity until next week.

Xu Xiucai took a sip of water and glanced at the bill beside her. “How much this month?”

“One hundred and thirty-three,” Gao Shengliang replied.

With the current nationwide electricity shortage, Changping City hadn’t raised rates, but they had implemented tiered pricing. The first 50 kilowatt-hours cost 0.8 yuan per unit, 50 to 100 was 1.2 yuan, and 100 to 200 was 1.5 yuan… With two air conditioners running, plus the fridge and water heater, their electricity bill had gone up by half compared to before.

Xu Xiucai sat under the air conditioner for a bit, then asked, “Xiao Shuai’s not back yet?”

“He called earlier. Said he’s staying over at a classmate’s place tonight.”

Xu Xiucai frowned with concern. “It’s so hot these days, and he’s still running around outside.”

Her son, Gao Shuai, was twenty-eight. During the torrential rains in Longnan, he had quit his job in Jinghe and come home. With the ongoing economic crisis, he’d found a job as a designer at a local advertising company. It wasn’t glamorous, but it provided a stable routine. However, on the 10th of last month, the company went under due to poor management. After taking a week off at home, he joined the Stray Animal Protection Organization.

She wasn’t worried about his livelihood, but with so many people being hospitalized for heatstroke lately, she couldn’t help but worry something might happen to him out there…

After a moment’s thought, Xu Xiucai dialed Gao Shuai’s number.

“Mom!” came his voice, a bit chaotic in the background.

“When are you coming home?” Xu Xiucai asked, pretending not to know.

“I already told Dad—I’m staying at a friend’s place tonight.”

“You’re a grown man now. Isn’t it inconvenient to crash at someone else’s house? Tell me where you are, I’ll have your dad come pick you up.”

“No need.”

They exchanged a few more words before he hung up.

“That boy!” Xu Xiucai grumbled, clearly frustrated.

“He’s an adult now. No need to worry so much,” Gao Shengliang said calmly.

Xu Xiucai wanted to say more, but could only huff and head to the bedroom to change clothes.

Gao Shengliang went back to reviewing the electricity bill. The power cost had gone up, but the water bill was down by seventeen yuan…

…

“Your mom called?” At the same time, in the parking lot of the Changping South District Industrial Park, a man asked.

“She wanted to know when I’m coming home,” Gao Shuai replied, slipping his phone into his pocket.

The Changping Stray Animal Protection Organization was a nonprofit group. Ever since the floods in Longnan, the survival of animals across the country had been under threat. Wild animals were dying from starvation, and though stray cats and dogs in the cities could scavenge from trash bins, over the past three years, the rate of deformities and disease among strays had been steadily rising.

An hour ago, the organization received a distress call from a local resident, reporting a large number of stray cats and dogs at an abandoned stone factory in the South District. The organization’s group chat immediately sent out a rescue alert. Gao Shuai and another member had been eating nearby and responded right away. A total of seven people answered the call. He and his companion had arrived early and were now waiting for the others.

It was now 9:30 p.m. The man asked, “Got something to do? Need to head back?”

“I’m good,” Gao Shuai waved him off.

At 10:50, two more SUVs arrived at the parking lot.

A middle-aged man stepped out. “Sorry, traffic was bad near the North Ring.”

“We just got here too.”

…

After a brief chat, the group headed toward the stone factory.

The factory was located beneath the South Ring overpass. As the seven of them entered the yard, two sharp barks echoed out. Everyone jumped. Upon closer inspection, they saw two German Shepherds chained up.

“Damn, that’s scary,” the middle-aged man exclaimed. His name was Wang Liang, deputy leader of the animal protection group.

They carefully skirted around the dogs and looked toward the interior of the factory. Though it was technically a stone processing plant, the area was surrounded by a makeshift red brick wall, and in front of it stood a row of prefabricated steel rooms.

According to the caller, he had been driving past when he heard a chorus of barking and meowing and suspected there were animals inside. He thought it was just a typical stray rescue case, but the presence of two chained guard dogs made the whole thing feel off…

“Should we call the police first?” one of the members asked.

Wang Liang didn’t want to waste police resources unnecessarily. After a moment of thought, he said, “Let’s check it out first.”

The prefab rooms were pitch black. As the group approached, the sounds of barking and meowing grew more frantic. Judging by the noise, the situation wasn’t looking good.

They switched on their flashlights and moved forward cautiously. At the entrance, they found a chain securing the door, but the lock was only loosely looped, likely for convenience. Wang Liang inspected it briefly, then unhooked it.

The noise inside intensified.

They pushed open the door.

Right behind it was a light switch. Someone flipped it on.

“Ugh!”

The moment the lights came on, everyone recoiled in disgust. Inside the steel room were nearly a hundred cats and dogs crammed into cages. The stench was overwhelming from the prolonged overcrowding. The floor was littered with unidentifiable black lumps—upon closer inspection, they realized it was animal feces.

The food bowls in front of the animals were empty. Seeing people, the cats and dogs cried out even more desperately.

“Call the police,” Wang Liang said immediately. The animals were skin and bones, some covered in large patches of mange. He didn’t know where they had come from, but this kind of treatment was clearly inhumane.

Ten minutes later, the Changping police arrived at the scene.

“Ugh!”

“Contact the Changping Epidemic Prevention Station.”

“Check the ownership records for this factory.”

…

The police took one look at the situation and immediately sealed off the area.

Gao Shuai and Wang Liang went to the car to retrieve the pet food they had brought in advance. They poured it into bowls, and the animals devoured it ravenously.

By 2 a.m., the police had finished taking photos and collecting evidence. The cats and dogs were temporarily transferred to the stray animal shelter for quarantine. Gao Shuai, Wang Liang, and the others went to the station to give their statements.

While they waited, Gao Shuai kept staring at the chandelier in the room. He had just finished a careful inspection—these cats and dogs had been starving for at least a week. Many of them were in such critical condition that it was uncertain whether they would survive… In his twenty-eight years of life, he had never seen anything so heartbreaking.

At 9 a.m., the investigation into the animal abuse case was completed. Half a year ago, a stone factory had rented out its warehouse to a couple who claimed to be storing screws and bolts. On the surface, they were running a hardware business, but in reality, they were trafficking cats and dogs. It was their first time dabbling in the pet trade, and not only were their sources unclear, but business was also abysmal.

With temperatures rising across the country, many of the animals had suffered from heatstroke. After calculating the costs, the couple decided: they weren’t going to care for them anymore.

Just like that, they abandoned the warehouse and left. If it hadn’t been for the loud barking of a German Shepherd in the yard, the person who reported the case might never have discovered the animals…

“This is outrageous!” At 10:20 a.m., Gao Shuai and the others walked out of the police station.

According to the officers, the couple couldn’t explain where the animals came from, and they might be charged with illegal business operations, theft, and disturbing public order. If convicted, they’d be facing at least two years in prison.

“Sigh.” Everyone let out heavy sighs as they talked. This year’s extreme heat had driven people into air-conditioned malls to survive, but stray cats and dogs had nowhere to go… Since May, the animal rescue center had already dealt with over seventy cases of pets dying from heatstroke.

The rescue organizations were doing their best, but the mortality rate for heatstroke in animals was high. Aside from a few that recovered, most didn’t make it.

“Everyone’s been up all night. Go home and get some rest.”

“If anything comes up, Longxin will be in touch.”

…

At 10:20, the seven of them parted ways at an intersection.

Gao Shuai and Wang Liang headed in the same direction. Wang Liang walked with him for a while. As they were about to split, Gao Shuai looked at him and said, “Don’t dwell on it too much.”

Since they left the warehouse, Wang Liang’s eyes had turned red three times. He was a long-time member of the Changping Animal Protection Station. Though Gao Shuai had only known him for half a month, he could tell Wang Liang genuinely loved animals.

“I’m fine.”

Wang Liang gave a faint smile. He said he was fine, but the truth was, the rescue organization was a nonprofit. Besides public donations, a lot of their funding came from members tightening their belts. Now, with the harsh environment and rising costs of pet food, the organization was running a deficit…

The more Wang Liang thought about it, the more his head throbbed. Two minutes later, he drove off.

Gao Shuai returned home, heavy-hearted.

In the living room, Gao Hongwei was feeding the goldfish.

Gao Shuai glanced around and asked, “Where’s Mom?”

It was the sixth today—Xu Xiucai usually had the day off around this time.

“She went out early. Still working on disinfection tasks.”

Gao Shuai looked at the goldfish and asked, “It’s so hot outside… can stray cats and dogs even survive in the city anymore?”

He’d never raised a pet before. This time, he joined the stray animal rescue purely on a whim. He didn’t think of himself as soft-hearted, but over the past two years, environmental issues had made things so cruel for animals worldwide. He didn’t know much about wild animals, but stray pets were part of everyday life. Now, every time he closed his eyes, he saw the misery from last night.

“Should we get a cat?” Gao Shuai asked tentatively. Right now, he felt that saving even one was worth it.

Gao Hongwei didn’t catch the shift in his tone and replied, “It’s not that we can’t, but your mom’s allergic to cat fur.”

Gao Shuai immediately deflated.

It was true—Xu Xiucai was severely allergic to cats.

“What if I rented a small warehouse and kept a few myself?” Gao Shuai asked, throwing out random ideas.

“If you want to, go for it. Just find a cheap place. But you’ll need to check on them regularly—you can’t just leave them there and forget about it,” Gao Hongwei said without objection.

Warmth spread through Gao Shuai’s chest. But then he thought about all the strays dying from heat and environmental stress, and a deep sense of helplessness washed over him…

They chatted for a while until his phone rang.

Caller: Wang Liang.

Gao Shuai picked up.

“Got time this afternoon? Come by the rescue station,” Wang Liang said without preamble.

“What’s going on?” Gao Shuai asked.

“Check Longbo!”

Wang Liang was in such a rush that after giving the time, he hung up immediately.

Puzzled, Gao Shuai opened Longbo.

Trending Topic #1: [On the night of July 8th, Changping City Maomao Stray Animal Station rescued 130 illegally trafficked pets…]

Trending Topic #2: [Dongshan Technology donates 3 million yuan to Home Stray Animal Station for animal rescue—Protect Animals, Protect Our Shared Home.]

Gao Shuai perked up. Their rescue station was Maomao Rescue Station.

He read the full article carefully, then opened the comment section.

“Kudos to Dongshan!”

“The stone factory case was so depressing. Hard to watch.”

“Sigh, so many animals have died these past few days. And before that too…”

“Three cats downstairs in my complex—one died from the heat the day before yesterday.”

“I’m not even a fan of cats or dogs, but the news lately… it’s been hard to take.”

…

Over the past two months, it wasn’t just rescue stations paying attention to animal welfare—netizens were too. Some people disliked strays, but talking about them and watching them die were two very different things. Now, in mid-July, with mass animal deaths due to heatstroke across the country, people couldn’t imagine what August or September might bring…

“Hope we can get a proper shelter for strays.”

“Set up a warehouse, install some AC.”

“I don’t have much, but I can donate a bag of dog food.”

…

As the discussion continued, netizens began brainstorming solutions. Animals had different temperaments and habits, and while the idea of an animal warehouse might not be entirely realistic, people just wanted them to survive. Dislike was one thing—but they shouldn’t have to die like this.

While the online debate raged on, at 3 p.m., Longxia released a news bulletin: “On the Construction of Home Stray Animal Shelters Across Provinces and Cities.” The core of the “Stray Shelter” plan: to build urban stray animal shelter bases.

Unlike traditional shelters, the Home Shelter Base would be developed by the Longxia Academy of Sciences and could accommodate up to 30,000 strays. The base would feature a newly designed intelligent zoning system, with construction costs ranging between 500,000 to 1 million yuan. Officially described as: a smart, low-cost, temporary shelter base.

Though the full details of the Home Shelter hadn’t yet been released, netizens had only one thought:

Is this for real? Are we finally getting a proper refuge for stray animals?