The System Mistook Me for a Cat

Chu Tingwu didn't let herself remain a "tree" for long.

The next day, she changed her scent, but to be honest, these little creatures were pretty clumsy. When she emerged from the tent, some Red Rain Hawks still flew over and landed on her shoulder. After wobbling their heads on her shoulder in confusion, they turned to stare at Chu Tingwu, eye to eye.

Then, as if sensing the awkwardness, they flew away in a flurry.

Chu Tingwu even thought she could hear them chirping: "Why did this tree turn into a human? Why did this tree turn into a human?"

She thought that was the end of it.

The next day, Chu Tingwu bought a hot dog bun and sat on a bench. A Red Rain Hawk swooped down from the sky, clutching a worm—

It glanced at her.

Then, while Chu Tingwu had her lunch, the hawk ate its lunch by her side.

Tourists passing by saw this scene and excitedly whispered to each other: "That little bird is so cute, and it's not even scared of people... Wait, is it a real bird or a projection?"

Chu Tingwu looked up and gave them a smile. The tourists, feeling a bit embarrassed, lowered their cameras.

But when they returned after taking a detour, they saw Chu Tingwu with a bird on her left and a snoozing tabby cat on her right.

By the time the expert group arrived, this was the sight they beheld.

It was likely because the Red Rain Hawks hadn't flown away for three consecutive days, and their nests were starting to take shape. The experts deduced:

These birds had truly decided to build nests and reproduce here.

This, of course, was not a good thing.

It was still August, and the weather was hot. The lakeside was warm and humid, but by October, the newly hatched chicks would likely perish as the Red Rain Hawks migrated again due to the drop in temperature.

Most chicks died at this stage.

Panicked, their parents would circle the sky, mourning, before they had to leave for their winter grounds.

That's how the expert group explained it to Chu Tingwu.

In reality, Chu Tingwu didn't dislike them; they just had different standpoints. There were no deeper conflicts. The experts offered another solution: to temporarily close the ranch, provide economic subsidies, and ask tourists to leave. They would set up feeding points within the ranch, ensuring the safety of these birds during the breeding season.

If the tourists knew the ranch was closed due to a flock of national-level protected animals suddenly arriving, they would surely understand.

During the discussions, government officials from Qihe City were also present. Chu Tingwu even felt a sense of familiarity.

—After all, adding a new tourism route required approval from above.

They, too, hoped the Red Rain Hawks would stay. Chu Tingwu asked: "How long, though?"

In the Red Rain Hawks' world, they had already reached a "warm breeding ground." These "dumb" creatures wouldn't remember the need to move until it got cold. Without much surprise, they would stay in the area for around two to three months. Chu Tingwu could, of course, place the recent operational reports on the government officials' desks, haggle over the economic losses, and leave the rest to the lawyers...

But she felt it wasn't necessary.

"I think we can build a Red Rain Hawk Museum by the lake," Chu Tingwu suggested. "These birds have come. Before they leave, we can capture their images and videos for research purposes. The observation equipment can also be placed in the museum."

Turning it into a tourist attraction for the ranch, as there had indeed been Red Rain Hawks here.

The government officials nodded quietly.

Chu Tingwu continued: "But besides fixed closure days, the ranch won't shut down. The ranch will take care of feeding them and block off the main area where the Red Rain Hawks are active, prohibiting tourists from getting close."

Which was around the lake.

Chu Tingwu managed to persuade them with data—her observations and tracking records were clearer and more complete than those of the protection organizations. The electronics across the entire ranch could project virtual images anywhere, so naturally, they could also record every bird's route, leaving no room for the most stringent critics to find fault.

Furthermore, they couldn't force Chu Tingwu to comply anyway, as this was her ranch.

But a few remained hesitant because—

"But they're about to start breeding. What if it's outside the enclosure?"

One of the Red Rain Hawks' issues was that, if there was too much human activity around, they might get too nervous and accidentally break their eggs.

Chu Tingwu: "Couldn't we just move their nests and eggs back to the sealed-off area by the lake?"

Some gave her a look, as if thinking she was overly naive.

But Chu Tingwu stared back impassively, and the other party slowly hid their emotions, looking somewhat awkward.

Chu Tingwu: "I'm the boss. Just hear me out first."

As she walked toward the door, she suddenly paused, turning to look at the unfamiliar "professors and experts." Then she added: "Oh, and everyone can stay in the staff dorms for free, but hotel rooms require payment."

It was obvious they wouldn't leave, and while she was generous enough not to charge them for admission, she still had to make things clear.

"I suggest you stay in the hotel, though, as the dorms might not be enough."

Some frowned: With such a vast ranch and daily high traffic, how could it not be enough? Was she trying to push them out?

But upon arriving at the staff dorms, someone discovered: "You have such a small staff?"

The veterinarian: "It's not small."

He ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‍pointed to the robot cleaning the floors, another carrying items, robots checking cow and sheep conditions, and finally pointed at the only human passing by, the equestrian coach, and paused: "Oh, right, he's not an employee. He's just the boss's coach."

But he was currently mainly taking care of the horses as Chu Tingwu's riding skills no longer needed teaching.

Including the security team and cafeteria staff, there were less than twenty people in total, truly a small and elite operation. The hotel, still under construction, would have a separate employee system, with a professional team already hired and waiting for the interior to be fully completed.

Now, with so many people suddenly arriving, the veterinarian was also quite shocked:

"We usually had very few people... With your arrival, even the evening feels more lively. By the way, did you come from the lake area? Basically no tourists go there; we even posted announcements saying it's easy to step in bird poop. So, by going there, you really made it the area with the most people recently—"

Hmm? Why do they all look a bit awkward?

-@@novelbin@@

After serious thought, Chu Tingwu gathered all her employees.

Although she had a company under her name, she rarely met face-to-face with everyone to hold meetings. This time, she first explained the changes brought by the protected animals.

Professor Mi, feeling he was also hired, led his students into the meeting, while his colleagues had already left.

After giving a simple explanation, Chu Tingwu promptly invited Professor Mi to step forward and explain how to deal with these unfamiliar guests and what to do in case of emergencies.

Even though he wasn't prepared, Professor Mi didn't seem annoyed. Instead, he explained in an easy-to-understand way, and as everyone listened closely, only the bored cat Three-Five-Five was sharpening its claws.

After Professor Mi finished, Chu Tingwu stepped up to add: "The temporary protected area we've designated will be fenced off soon. The work inside the protected area will be handled by machines... Oh, my climbing wall..."

Her voice was a bit quieter in the latter part, but the room wasn't large, and everyone could hear it if they listened closely.

Chu Tingwu: "Also, there's one more thing—I need to go back to school next week to report."

Her early admission had been confirmed. Generally speaking, she could either enter school early like Chu Xiao or arrange her schedule herself. However, that didn't mean she could skip the entire final year of high school; the formalities still needed to be gone through.

So, during her absence, the ranch's management would be handed over to—

"Three-Five-Five."

Three-Five-Five: "Meow?"

Three-Five-Five had both paws hooked onto the sofa, and in the moment of distraction, she accidentally snagged two lines into the fabric. Hearing her cub calling, she "duang"ed across the sofa and landed by Chu Tingwu's feet, then raised a paw to pat her shoe.

Although she didn't quite catch what Chu Tingwu wanted her to do, she was very haughty.

The staff: "..." Huh?

Chu Tingwu: "Anyway, small matters can be handled by the system remotely, and major decisions go through Three-Five-Five."

The staff: "..." Oh!

Got it, so there are no big issues on the ranch. Stick to the original plan.

But what the staff didn't know was that Chu Tingwu was serious. She seriously considered letting Three-Five-Five, the cat mother, manage these living beings—the ranch employees, horses, dogs, cattle, sheep, and birds.

Three-Five-Five was powerful and reliable, and Chu Tingwu believed in that.

She had merely come to announce this decision today. So, the next day, she gave Three-Five-Five a new nameplate that read "Provisional Ranch Owner."

The employees didn't seem to object, but Chu Tingwu overheard them murmuring among themselves:

"Our boss... she reminds me of those foreigners who... you know... write their wills leaving their inheritance to their cats..."

While her actions were accepted by Three-Five-Five and the employees, the international wildlife protection organization appeared to have just realized that besides potential stray cats, there was actually an on-duty cat in the park!

She could brazenly enter any area, including protected zones, without being stopped by any fences.

Chu Tingwu watched an Italian man with a big beard nervously crouch in front of Three-Five-Five, who was happily gnawing on some lamb. He was snapping photos while chatting on the phone, continuously exclaiming "Wow, wow," as if the warm, cozy-looking loaf of bread before him could turn into a cold-blooded avian assassin at any moment.

The most vulnerable seemed to be the Red-footed Falcon.

Chu Tingwu also noticed tourists passing by, coming over to take pictures, even posing in front of Three-Five-Five for "check-in" photos— they assumed the bearded man was just a cat lover, staking out this spot to photograph a popular internet cat.

The bearded man groaned in annoyance: "Oh..."

Chu Tingwu: "=="

She stood behind him with her hands in her sleeves, listening as he spoke on the phone:

"But cats... okay, fine, I admit not all are like that... we're kind of at odds here... so I thought I'd seek your help... an animal communicator?"

"I've met a few, sure... admit it, we could do that level ourselves... okay, okay, I'll trust you one more time, someone with a certificate, super reliable, right? In this country? I hope at least this person speaks English. Thanks, White. I trust your word, so let me make that call now—"

He dialed the number.

Behind him, the phone began to ring.

Curiously, he glanced back and saw Chu Tingwu, who gave him an automatic, somewhat perfunctory smile. Then, he saw Chu Tingwu pull out her phone: "Hi?"

"As you see, I speak English."

The person on the other end of the line was standing right in front of him.