GR 251-275 (Patreon)

GR 251-275

Chapter 138: Gifts and Supplies

After Griseo returned, the previously silent group became active again, and the atmosphere around the campfire turned lively once more.

"Little one, have you had dinner?" Talulah asked with a smile, gently patting Griseo's head as she sat beside her.

Hearing this, the others around also turned their attention to Griseo, with some even standing up to serve the little girl food.

"Well, don’t worry about me; I’ve already eaten outside..." Griseo gently shook her head and replied, facing everyone’s enthusiastic gazes.

However, when dinner was mentioned, the little girl remembered the pile of food and supplies that Sakura had helped her purchase, which were now stored in the system space.

Later, Griseo planned to find Talulah and the others privately to tell them about it so they wouldn’t worry about supplies anymore.

"It’s good that you’ve eaten. Did you have fun outside today?" Alina asked, raising the corners of her lips into a gentle smile.

"Yeah, I had fun." Griseo nodded slightly in response to Alina’s words, then changed the subject, saying, "By the way, everyone..."

As the little girl spoke, those who had been paying attention to her looked puzzled and quietly waited for her to continue.

"I brought you all gifts this time." As soon as Griseo finished speaking, the tall blue knight appeared behind her. However, unlike his usual big sword, the blue knight held no weapons at that moment, only a variety of gifts in different forms.

"Mr. Knight..." Griseo softly called to her knight before anyone could react. As soon as she spoke, the blue knight swiftly distributed the gifts to everyone.

"This..."

Yelena, with a faint smile, was momentarily stunned and speechless as she looked at the heavy white cape that had been handed to her.

She wasn’t the only one stunned—everyone who received gifts by the campfire shared similar reactions. Their expressions varied: some were touched, some surprised, and some even a bit helpless.

"Just going out, and you brought gifts back!"

"Thank you, little Griseo, I love it!"

"Me too, I really like this gift. Thank you."

"Thank you..."

...

"As long as everyone likes it!"

Griseo’s lips slowly curled into a faint smile as she watched the surprised and happy faces in front of her, basking in the warm and lively atmosphere.

"You little one, you didn’t go out this afternoon just to buy gifts for everyone, did you?" Talulah asked with a smile, pinching Griseo’s cheek as she looked at the gift in her arms.

"Well, shopping and buying gifts don’t conflict. I was really happy this afternoon." Griseo blinked her big eyes and explained in a low voice.

Then, as if she remembered something, she took out a large can of candy from the space and offered it to everyone, saying, "Here."

"Is this candy?"

"I didn’t expect you to buy candy, but we’re all adults. You can keep it for yourself."

"Yes, yes. You’ve already given us other gifts."

"Well..." Griseo gently shook her head and said, "I bought a lot."

In the end, everyone couldn’t resist Griseo's generosity, and they reluctantly shared some candy. Even Patriot took a few pieces under someone’s expectant gaze.

...

The warm, lively atmosphere around the bonfire lasted for a long time, until it grew late and everyone was tired, showing signs of disbanding the gathering.

At this moment, Griseo called for Talulah and the others. Unlike when she left that afternoon, this time she also called Patriot and Yelena.

Facing the curiosity of the four and the puzzled looks from others, Griseo didn’t immediately explain but instead whispered mysteriously, "I have something important to tell you."

Finally, the four followed the little girl to Talulah’s tent, still filled with doubts.

…

In the tent—

After Talulah arranged for everyone to sit down at the table, she lowered her voice slightly and asked Griseo with a serious expression, "Little one, what important matter do you have?"

As she spoke, the other three also focused their attention, waiting for the little girl’s answer.

After all, everyone knew that Griseo was a good child. If it weren’t something important, she wouldn’t have gathered everyone together.

"Well, this time when I went out... in addition to buying gifts for everyone, I also asked Sister Sakura to buy a lot of food and supplies." Griseo organized her thoughts briefly before calmly explaining.

"!" ×4

If the previous gifts were just a small matter, then Griseo’s words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, shocking the four people present.

Even the scarlet light in the steady Patriot’s eyes couldn’t help but flicker...

"Ahem..."

Talulah, who was the first to react, cleared her throat and then asked softly, "This is really... So did Sister Sakura tell you what price we need to pay for these supplies?"

Although the Draco heard Griseo say "I asked," she didn’t take it lightly and instead asked in a very businesslike manner.

The others shared a similar attitude, all maintaining a professional demeanor. They didn’t want to take advantage of a child like Griseo, nor did they intend to.

"( ꒪꒫꒪ )"

Griseo was slightly taken aback by Talulah’s question and the others’ attitudes.

"Well... actually, it’s not necessary. Sister Sakura didn’t require anything for those supplies. I bought them to help you and everyone else. I don’t want you to worry about these things, and I don’t want anyone in the camp to go hungry."

After organizing her thoughts again, Griseo spoke seriously to the four people who had been taking care of her.

Before they could refute, the little girl quickly added, "Those supplies are now stored in my painting (space). I can take them out whenever they’re needed."

"..."

Chapter 139: Results and Distribution

After a moment of silence in the tent, the group exchanged glances before Talulah spoke again: "Even if these supplies have nothing to do with the people behind you, Griseo, we won't accept them without giving something in return."

The dragon girl then stood up, walked over to the little girl, gently patted her head, and continued, "We all know you mean well, little one, and we're very touched, but that's not a reason for us to take advantage of you."

"Yes, you're already our partner and family, and we won’t use our relationship to gain benefits," Yelena, who was sitting nearby, added.

The others nodded in agreement, echoing the sentiments of Talulah and Yelena.

"Well, even though everyone feels that way... I really don't lack anything right now. If everyone insists on repaying me, let's wait until Reunion grows stronger," Griseo suggested after thinking it over.

Without giving the others a chance to argue, the little girl quickly added, "Do not think you’re taking advantage of me, because I really want to help everyone here. I enjoy living with you all, and I’ll continue to rely on you in the future!"

"..."

Faced with Griseo's determined words and gaze, the four people present were once again taken aback, their expressions becoming more complicated.

...

In the end, under Griseo’s unwavering determination, Talulah and the others discussed it thoroughly and decided to compromise by accepting her offer.

"In that case, these supplies will be considered a loan from you, Griseo, and we’ll write you an IOU. When Reunion Movement can repay, we’ll return it to you immediately," Talulah said as she pulled out a blank piece of paper from her desk and began writing the IOU.

"Hmm..."

As she watched Talulah and the others seriously drafting the IOU, a hint of helplessness flashed in Griseo's eyes.

Although the final outcome differed from what the little girl initially intended, it still helped Talulah resolve the supply crisis.

"By the way, do you have a receipt for the purchase?" Talulah asked, pausing slightly while writing the IOU, and looking up at Griseo.

For Talulah, even if others didn’t care about such matters, it was better to clarify things upfront to avoid misunderstandings later.

"There’s only a purchase list, no receipt..." Griseo gently shook her head and replied.

The little girl wasn’t lying; she really didn’t have a receipt for these supplies. The grains weren’t purchased in a high-profile manner. To avoid suspicion and protect her identity, Sakura had been very cautious during the procurement. Some sellers hadn’t even met her, simply leaving the supplies in designated locations after receiving payment.

Similarly, the various gifts Griseo had picked up elsewhere in the afternoon had been collected by Sakura in a similar manner.

"Then please provide the list," Alina, sitting next to Talulah, said with a gentle smile after hearing Griseo's response.

"Okay." Griseo nodded and then took out a list filled with writing from the space, placing it on the table.

After a while, the little girl received a detailed IOU signed by four high-ranking members of Reunion Movement. In fact, Talulah had initially wanted to sign only her own name, but the others rejected the idea, arguing, "We are all comrades and family. Why should only your name be on something we borrowed together?"

Once the matter of borrowing supplies was temporarily resolved, the group didn’t leave in a hurry. Instead, they immediately began discussing how to distribute the materials based on the list provided by Griseo.

After all, Reunion Movement was in urgent need of supplies, particularly the precious food in the snowfield. So, after the little girl provided such a large quantity of readily available and comprehensive materials, Talulah and the others naturally needed to discuss distribution.

Of course, they didn’t plan to take out all the supplies at once. Even if there was enough space, doing so would only invite jealousy.

"Ah..."

After playing all afternoon, Griseo, now feeling sleepy and tired, covered her mouth and yawned slightly.

However, despite her fatigue, she had no intention of leaving just yet. She continued to sit obediently on the chair, quietly listening to the discussion, unsure if they might still need her assistance.

After all, all the supplies were still stored in her space...

"If you're tired, little Griseo, you should go back and rest first."

Noticing the little girl’s drowsiness, the attentive Alina paused her conversation, leaned over, gently patted Griseo's head, and whispered in her ear.

"Hmm! No..."

Originally feeling sleepy, Griseo perked up after hearing Alina’s whisper and refused, "Don’t worry about me, please continue..."

"You."

Hearing this, Alina smiled helplessly and stopped insisting. Instead, she adjusted her position and gently took Griseo into her arms.

"Hmm..."

Nestled in Alina’s warm embrace, Griseo didn’t resist at all. Instead, she snuggled closer, burying herself deeper.

"Good girl~"

————————————————————————

The temporary resource allocation meeting finally ended just before Griseo completely drifted off to sleep.

After quietly declining Alina’s offer to carry her back to the tent, Griseo yawned a little and left the warm embrace.

"Well, Sister Alina, Talulah, wait..."

"Good night, little one."

"Well, good night, little Griseo."

After saying goodnight to Talulah and the others, Griseo gently rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked out of the tent.

As she left the tent, the little girl saw Yelena and Patriot walking not far ahead. Perking up a little, she quickened her pace and trotted after them.

"Sister Yelena, wait for me... I have something to tell you!"

Chapter 140: Rest and Thoughts**

"Hmm?"

Hearing the familiar voice behind her, Yelena, who was following her father, subconsciously slowed down and looked back.

Soon, a petite and cute little girl appeared in front of her, and then hugged her cold body.

"Remember... come ....back early...and rest."

Patriot glanced at his daughter and Griseo, not intending to disturb them. After offering this advice, he turned and walked toward his distant tent.

"Well, you should rest early too."

Hearing this, Yelena responded to Patriot's departing figure, then looked at the little girl holding her and unwilling to let go. With a helpless expression, she asked:

"Griseo, what do you want to say to me?"

"Um..."

Faced with Yelena's question, Griseo did not answer immediately. Instead, she first looked around to make sure there was no one else nearby, then took out some items from her space and handed them over.

"Here, these are candies of various flavors. If sister Yelena doesn't like sweet candies, there are also chili-flavored ones here."

"..."

After hearing what Griseo said and seeing what she handed over, Yelena was slightly startled.

After a moment, she finally reacted. With a helpless smile on her lips, she stroked the little girl's head and said: "You called me over and acted so secretive, just to give me more candies?"

"Yeah!"

Hearing this, Griseo nodded her head gently, then lowered her voice and said confidently, "I want sister Yelena to have what others have. Chili candies aren't tasty at all..."

"...You... I am the elder sister, you know."

Looking at Griseo, who was acting like an adult in front of her, Yelena's eyes softened, and her indifferent tone became gentle.

"Well, there's no conflict at all..."

Griseo didn't give Yelena a chance to refuse and directly stuffed several boxes of candy that she had barely managed to hold into Yelena's arms.

After doing all this, the little girl took two steps back, a smile appearing in her big eyes, and said, "If sister Yelena feels guilty, you can spend more time with me when you have free time in the future."

Although she herself had not experienced it personally, Griseo had the lonely memories of "Griseo"... She truly liked the lively atmosphere here and the company of everyone.

"Well, okay."

Facing Griseo's eyes, which seemed to shine like stars, Yelena's eyes flickered slightly, and then she softly agreed.

"Thank you, Griseo."

"No, I should thank sister Yelena and everyone... Really, I'm glad to have met you." Griseo took a few steps forward, hugged Yelena's waist again, and gave her a hug. These words were not just something the little girl said to appease Yelena, but came truly from her heart.

You see, Reunion Movement is not just the place where Griseo's journey began. As the time spent together increased, it also became the place where she found her first and longest-known family and friends on this continent.

"Well, I... no, I should say that we are all very happy to have met you, Griseo." After hearing what Griseo said, Yelena reached out and gently rubbed her little head, responding earnestly.

In fact, when Griseo felt the warmth from everyone in Reunion Movement, everyone also felt the care from her in return... You know, in this situation, love and warmth are mutual.

"Okay, go back and rest early. I saw you dozing off just now." Yelena withdrew her hand and gently reminded.

"Okay, sister, you go back and rest early too. Goodnight..."

"Yeah."

After saying goodbye, Griseo yawned, covering her mouth, and walked toward her tent, with the sky full of stars overhead.

...

After returning to the tent, Griseo moved lightly, cleaned up briefly, and then gently blew out the warm candlelight left by her companion in the tent, quietly climbing onto the bed.

Then, before the little girl could make any move, the heavy quilt corner was lifted first, and she was wrapped in it.

"Woo..."

The sudden "accident" and the incoming warmth made Griseo hum softly.

"It's a little late to come back today, go to sleep."

"Alyona, you waited for me again..."

Listening to the whispered words and the hot breath against her ear, Griseo buried herself in the arms of the person next to her, then whispered helplessly.

"Goodnight..."

With a whispered goodnight, the little girl slowly closed her eyes. She should sleep now.

Not only because she was tired, but also because Mobius might need her tomorrow morning, or perhaps her Uncle Tyrant.

Yes, Griseo left her tyrant uncle at Tremont's place, lying dormant. And tomorrow, the scarlet tyrant will temporarily take on the role of "robber."

After all, it is much more cost-effective than exposing someone else's identity. It's also very convenient to make a big scene, fire, explosion, hijacking, and finally disappearing... It's perfect.

However, although Tyrant has its own consciousness and knows about this plan, to prevent accidents, Griseo had better be awake when the plan is carried out tomorrow morning. So... she still needs to rest quickly.

----

Rhine Lab, Structural Section

Compared to Griseo, who quickly fell asleep, Ifrit, tossing and turning in her room at the same time, was a bit too energetic and even excited.

"Ah..."

After rolling twice on the bed and failing to fall asleep again, Ifrit rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up.

Then she seemed to think of something. She slowly reached under the pillow and took out a small bag of candy, picked one, peeled off the candy wrapper, and put it in her mouth.

Soon, the refreshing sweetness spread in Ifrit's mouth, temporarily calming her restless emotions.

In fact, it really wasn't her fault that she couldn't sleep... This kind of quiet night is the easiest time to think. Moreover, she had received a message from Snake that afternoon.

To be honest, the news that she might be cured of her illness tomorrow made Ifrit very happy.

Because she also wanted to be like an ordinary child, with a healthy body... no longer having to endure pain, and no longer having to stay in her room all the time.

However, while she was happy, she also had a little worry in her heart. She was afraid that after her illness was cured, Silence and Saria would no longer see her...

Chapter 141: Sense of Ritual, Candy Box, and Intelligence

While Ifrit was daydreaming late at night, Silence was also tossing and turning in her dormitory, worried and unable to sleep.

"..."

Lying on the bed with her eyes open as she stared at the ceiling, Silence thought about what had happened during the day. A hint of complexity appeared in her eyes.

But in the next moment, she thought of Ifrit's painful expression, and the emotion in her eyes turned to determination.

"No matter what, I must protect Ifrit!"

Having reaffirmed her thoughts, Silence stopped struggling, closed her eyes, and forced herself to rest.

After all, before everything unfolds tomorrow morning, there is another inspection she needs to help conceal. She needs all sufficient energy she can muster..

————————————————

The Morning of the Second Day——

"Ding-di-"

"Pa-"

Muelsyse, who was awakened by the alarm clock, yawned and fumbled to turn it off at her bedside.

"Ah, why did I get up so soon... I don't want to go to work." Slowly opening her misty eyes, Muelsyse's still sleepy face was full of reluctance.

"Really, I must ask Kristen to approve some leave for me in the future..." After being in a daze for a while, Miss Elf finally woke up completely and muttered softly.

Although she was a little reluctant to go to work, as the director of the Rhine Lab Ecological Section, Muelsyse slowly got up after fully waking and went to wash up.

After spending some time washing and dressing up, Miss Elf planned to go out. After all, she needed to go to the cafeteria for breakfast.

However, while changing her shoes at the door, Muelsyse suddenly remembered something. Her hand movements paused slightly, then she quickly changed her shoes as she stood up and looked at the box of candy on the cabinet by the door.

"Hmph~ You’re such a child with a sense of ritual. In that case, I’ll satisfy you!"

As she said that, Muelsyse reached out and took the box of assorted candies from the cabinet, then opened it skillfully and poured out the candies.

However, a note that was poured out along with the candies caught her attention.

"?"

Curious, Muelsyse placed the candies and the candy box on the table beside her, then picked up the folded note and unfolded it to read.

To be honest, when Muelsyse first saw the note, she thought it was some kind of promotion by the candy company. After all, the candy box was intact and unopened.

However, when she saw the contents of the note clearly, her pupils couldn't help but shrink slightly in surprise.

"This..."

Though she was very surprised, Muelsyse quickly calmed down. She put the note in her pocket and didn't stay in the room any longer, quickly opened the door, and left heading straight to the Ecological Section.

It seems Miss Elf didn’t have the time to eat breakfast this morning.

...

While Muelsyse was discovering the clues left by Griseo early in the morning, Sakura was almost off work at her usual time.

"Good morning, Miss Silence. You look a little tired this morning. Didn’t you get enough rest?" Sakura said softly to Silence, who had a trace of tiredness on her face.

"Well, good morning. I just didn’t sleep well last night, but it’s not a big deal." After hearing Sakura’s words, Silence forced a smile and explained.

"I see."

Hearing this, Sakura nodded lightly and didn’t probe further. Then thought of something and asked, "By the way, I heard that you’re going to start 'treating' Ifrit again today. Do you need my help?"

This question was purely a whim on Sakura's part. In the end, whether she was needed or not didn’t matter much to her.

If she could stay, she would naturally pay more attention to Silence in private when the plan was in progress, adding another layer of protection for her safety.

If she couldn’t stay, it wouldn’t be a big deal. After all, Tyrant was still sensible under Griseo’s command.

"Hmm?"

Faced with Sakura’s sudden inquiry, Silence was stunned for a moment, then quickly responded, waving her hand:

"No, the dose of the drug being injected today isn’t much. Miss Sakura, you haven’t slept all night. You should go back and rest as soon as possible."

"Okay, if you need help, you can call me. I remember that Miss Silence has my contact information." After listening to Silence's answer, Sakura nodded gently and replied.

"Yes, I will. Goodbye, Miss Sakura."

"Goodbye."

Since she wasn’t needed, Sakura had no reason to stay. After saying her goodbyes, she left directly.

"..."

Silence watched Sakura’s departing figure and, after a moment, breathed a sigh of relief.

She had seen Sakura’s strength last time. Today, Ouroboros was coming to "abduct people," and she didn’t dare let anyone stay. If something unexpected happened, it could be disastrous.

Then Silence stood there and restrained her emotions for a while before taking another step towards the laboratory. She still had a lot of tasks to complete before the "treatment" began...

———————————————

After leaving the Structural Section, Sakura didn’t choose to go back to the dormitory to rest but went directly to the Ecological Section. She wanted to confirm whether Muelsyse had found any clues yet.

After arriving at the Ecological Section, Sakura walked in that direction while sensing Muelsyse’s presence.

At this moment, Miss Fox had to admit that sometimes, encounters really aren’t coincidences.

……

Muelsyse, who had been running at a very fast pace, headed straight to the database of the Ecological Section.

When she encountered someone at the corner of the corridor, she subconsciously said, "Excuse me, I have to..."

However, after she saw who it was, she swallowed the words she hadn’t yet finished and changed her tone, saying, "Why is Sakura in the Ecological Section?"

"I just got off work and planned to try my luck, see if I could meet you in the cafeteria." Sakura smiled helplessly, then continued:

"But, seeing how anxious you are, Muelsyse, it seems impossible to have breakfast together. Go ahead and get busy; we’ll meet later."

"Ah, what a pity! Sakura took the initiative to invite me to breakfast!... But I do have something urgent now, so let’s get together later."

After saying that, Muelsyse waved to Sakura with a regretful expression and continued toward her destination without stopping.

"..."

Watching Muelsyse’s hurriedly departing figure, a hint of understanding flashed in Sakura’s blue eyes. Although there hadn’t been much communication just now, she had gotten the information she needed.

Chapter 142: The Truth and Hijacking

After saying goodbye to Sakura, Muelsyse rushed directly to the Ecological Section’s information room. She used her director’s work badge to open the door and hurried inside. Although she had come here a few times before, prompted by Sakura's reminders, this was the first time she had such a clear goal...

Sitting in front of the computer that stored all the Ecological Section’s information, Muelsyse held the mouse with trembling hands and searched through various projects she had bid on, following the clues from the note...

As she searched, Miss Elf kept looking for clues in her mind, but the more she thought, the shakier her hands became...

Suddenly, she remembered a project she had participated in bidding for, but because it wasn’t a primary focus of the Ecological Section, she hadn’t paid it much attention...

"Gulp..."

Muelsyse swallowed lightly, then nervously moved the mouse to check the project she had neglected since the bidding...

"!"

After pulling up the project’s bidding document and reviewing it further, Muelsyse's face turned pale. She was so frightened that she threw the mouse from her hand.

"It's over! Project Diabolic really exists! And it's actually related to Ifrit!! This is bad, so bad!!! The Ecological Section participated in the bidding, and Saria will definitely kill me!"

Sitting in front of the computer, Muelsyse looked at the project in front of her, covering her head with a panicked expression.

What a joke! Others might not know, but doesn’t she know her old friend? If Saria found out she had been involved in something like this, she’d definitely beat her to death!

However, as she carefully read the details of the [Flame Demon Project], Muelsyse's panic gradually faded, replaced by an increasingly horrified expression.

"How could there be such a project... Kristen, what are you doing?" Muttering softly, Muelsyse disregarded everything else and quickly contacted Saria.

"Hello..."

"Saria, I think I know the truth we’ve been searching for..."

"What?"

"Things are complicated. Come to the Ecological Section’s database..."

"Okay."

Hearing her friend's unusually tense voice and the meeting place, Saria also realized the seriousness of the matter and agreed.

"Huh..."

After hanging up the call, Muelsyse appeared to lose all her strength, collapsing into the chair.

Then, she couldn’t help but think of Ifrit's brilliant smile that night... Thinking of the agreement with the child, she felt both complicated and uncomfortable.

————————————————

Rhine Lab Structural Section

As time passed, the researchers responsible for this "treatment" arrived, including Silence's teacher, the director of the Structural Section, Ahrens Parvis.

Upon noticing her teacher's arrival, Silence took a deep look at Ifrit, who was sitting with her head bowed in the room, and then "consciously" left the room, retreating to the background.

She had done everything she could; now, the only thing left was to trust Ouroboros.

After all the preparations were in place, someone approached Ifrit's room with a restraint belt, ready to secure her.

However, before he could get close, Ifrit, who was sitting on the experimental bed with her head bowed growled first.

"Don't get close to me!"

As her voice fell, fiery red and hot flames quickly rose around her body. It forces those who approached to retreat, creating a safe distance.

The male experimenter who was forced to retreat had an ugly expression for a moment, then he threatened her in a low voice across the burning flames: "Behave yourself. If you make a fuss, it will only be Silence who suffers."

"You don’t want to embarrass her, do you?"

"!"

Hearing his words, Ifrit was shocked, but instead of extinguishing the flames and behaving, the flames around her body became hotter and spread even further.

The male researcher, who originally had an ugly expression and had tried to approach by threatening, was nearly burned by the intensifying flames and was forced to retreat.

Not long after he retreated, Ifrit's uncontrolled flames ignited various instruments around her. In an instant, a violent explosion swept through the entire room, with the impact mixed with flames rushing out.

As she continued using her abilities and expending energy, Ifrit's pupils, which were originally normal, quietly transformed into vertical pupils burning with flames.

However, someone who had already planned for this did not give her a chance to escape...

A huge scarlet figure quietly appeared behind Ifrit, shielding her from the impact and damage of the various explosions. It quickly injected a vial of medicine into her body.

With the injection of the dark blue medicine, the little fire dragon on the verge of running wild quickly fell into a coma.

After completing this, Tyrant added his own flames to the smaller fire, then picked up Ifrit and disappeared into the destroyed and fragmented room.

And all of this happened so quickly that the group outside, who were affected and frightened by the explosion, had no time to clearly see what had transpired.

...

Silence, who had only been knocked down by the impact in the outer laboratory and was unhurt, quickly stood up and looked towards the room now engulfed in blazing flames, searching for Ifrit.

————————————————

Ecological Section Database

"Your Ecological Section bid for this project! Muelsyse, you’d better give me an explanation!"

After reading all the information about the [Project Diabolic] on the computer, Saria glared at Muelsyse with a terrifSakura expression.

"This... this really has nothing to do with me! I only knew it was a high-profile project at the time, and I just wanted to get a piece of the pie!"

Muelsyse was frightened by Saria's glare and hurriedly waved her hands in explanation, fearing she’d be pummeled by her old friend if she was a second too late.

"You have to believe me. If I had known all this, I wouldn’t have dared to come with you to investigate! Besides, there are a lot of documents on it, didn’t you sign them, Saria?"

"..."

Saria looked at Muelsyse seriously, and after confirming that sbe didn’t seem to be lying, she retracted her gaze and explained with a pained expression:

"When those things were reviewed, they were all written as [Technical Reserve]. I thought it was just one of the countless regular research projects, so I signed it."

"This..."

"Beep!"

Just as Muelsyse was about to say something, Saria's cell phone suddenly rang, interrupting her words.

Chapter 143: Fire Extinguishing and Situation

"I know. I'll go there right now. By the way, help me prepare the fortress."

After hearing what was said on the other end of the phone, Saria's face changed, and she answered seriously before hanging up.

"What happened?"

Noticing her friend's even more distressed expression, Muelsyse frowned slightly and asked.

"Something happened with Ifrit..."

After saying that, Saria did not stop at all and rushed out of the data room directly.

"…"

Looking at Saria, who rushed out and disappeared, Muelsyse's eyes flashed with helplessness. She then shut down the computer in the database, locked the door, and rushed to the Structural Section.

Although she didn’t know the specifics, Miss Elf still planned to go and see.

...

Saria didn't head directly to the Structural Section but instead went back to change her equipment and put on her shield before rushing there. However, when she arrived, she did not see the out-of-control Ifrit as described in the report, but only a ruined room covered by scorching black flames.

"Where is Ifrit?"

Looking at the Defense Section personnel who had arrived earlier and were trying to put out the fire, Saria frowned and asked.

"Not sure. The Structural Section told us that the patient went berserk, but we didn’t see the berserk patient when we arrived."

"…"

Hearing this, Saria subconsciously tightened her grip on the shield. Seeing the flames before her that couldn’t be extinguished at all, a flash of anxiety crossed her eyes, and her expression grew darker.

At that moment, a cold voice, accompanied by a cold current, rushed in from behind, freezing the many Defense Section members who were sweating profusely due to the fire.

"This flame is unusual, Director Saria. Please don't rush in."

"…"

Saria noticed the chill and looked in the direction of the voice, seeing Sakura, who should have been off work and resting. She then seemed to remember something and asked with a serious expression:

"Miss Sakura, I remember your Originium Arts is ice. Do you have a way to suppress the flames here?"

The last time Sakura used the power of the Imperial Spirit Blade Hanyu Bingtian to save Ifrit, she had lied in her report to her superiors, saSakura that the power of ice was her Originium Arts and that her blade was a special casting staff.

So, now facing Saria's inquiry, Sakura was not surprised at all.

"You can give it a try. I haven’t seen such a powerful flame for a long time." Hearing this, Sakura did not give a positive answer.

After listening to Sakura’s response, Saria nodded and then said to the other members of the Defense Section around her: "Stop extinguishing the fire. All of you retreat."

After Saria's order, the Defense Section members, who were holding shields and trying to extinguish the fire, retreated in an orderly manner, pulling back the defense line significantly.

"You try…"

While speaking, Saria stared at the burning black flames that obstructed her view. A hint of worry flashed across her eyes, and she added in a low voice: "Ifrit is still in here."

"Yes."

After listening to Saria's instructions, Sakura nodded gently, then untied the sword bag and took out the exquisite and transparent Yuling sword, Hanyu Bingtian.

Then, she drew the sword without anyone, including Saria, seeing the motion clearly.

The long sword was unsheathed and slashed out. The extremely cold wind and snow instantly rolled up in the room with the sword energy, extinguishing all the black flames wherever it went.

Noticing that most of the flames were extinguished, Saria glanced at Sakura in surprise but did not say much. Instead, she took the opportunity to rush in and look for the person she had been worried about.

Sakura noticed Saria’s gaze and a trace of helplessness flashed across her expression. Finally, she shook her head and followed, helping to extinguish the remaining black flames.

Honestly, Sakura felt that she had restrained her strength enough. The slash just now was merely an ordinary attack...

If she had been serious, the black flames would not have been extinguished so easily but would have been frozen instantly and then chopped into pieces.

...

After searching several rooms that were burned and exploded, Saria found nothing. Her face was terribly dark at the moment...

Because she did not find Ifrit, and even due to the burning of the flames, she did not see any traces.

After checking again and confirming that no clues related to Ifrit were found, Saria turned her head and said to the members of the Defense Section outside:

"Count the wounded, and then check to find out what happened!"

"Yes!"

After instructing her subordinates on various tasks, Saria looked at Sakura, who had been following her, and said: "Next, I will trouble you to check whether there are still this kind of flames around."

"After confirming that there are no missed flames, you can go and rest."

"Yes."

Hearing this, Sakura nodded slightly, then took on the task of investigating.

Of course, this investigation was just a pretense. Just now, she had contacted Griseo in her mind and asked her to order the tyrant to extinguish all the flames he had released to ensure that there were no flames left.

After "checking" the flames, Sakura did not rush back but also checked other hidden dangers and traces. After confirming that there were no problems, she reported to Saria before leaving.

However, before Sakura walked far, she met Muelsyse, who was pacing outside with an anxious look on her face.

When Muelsyse saw Sakura, her eyes lit up, and she rushed over and asked: "Sakura, what happened inside? How is the situation?"

Originally, Muelsyse had planned to go directly to Ifrit to take a look after leaving the data room, but before she got close, she was forced to stay far away due to the scorching air waves and flames. So she was in a distance from the ruins.

"I heard that Ifrit was out of control, but I don't know the details. As for the current situation, although the flames are very hot and terrifying, they are not spreading widely. So, in addition to the loss of equipment, only a small number of people were slightly injured in this accident, and there were not too many casualties."

Looking at Muelsyse, who looked anxious, Sakura described the situation of the accident in a calm and serious tone.

"Is that so? What about Ifrit?"

Muelsyse nodded gently after hearing Sakura’s report, then seemed to remember something and asked hurriedly.

"Ah..."

Hearing this, Sakura sighed softly. Then lowered her eyes and shook her head gently, saying: "She is missing. Director Saria and I haven’t found any trace of her."

"!"

Chapter 144: A Time Suitable for Awakening (Physics)

"!"

After hearing Sakura's answer, Muelsyse was slightly stunned, his expression a mix of confusion, shock, and sadness.

To be honest, before receiving this answer, Miss Elf had already mentally prepared herself, even thinking that Ifrit's physical condition might have completely deteriorated due to this loss of control. However, she had never imagined that the child would disappear entirely...

Whether Ifrit simply vanished or was burned to ashes, Muelsyse didn’t dare to think deeply about it at this moment.

"Don’t think too much. There are no traces left at the scene, no bodies or anything…" Noticing Muelsyse’s distress, Sakura reached out and gently patted her shoulder, offering comfort.

"Huh… I won’t let my imagination run wild. The fire over there should be completely extinguished, right?" Sakura’s gentle comfort helped Muelsyse take a deep breath to calm her emotions before continuing.

"It’s completely put out. Do you want to go and take a look? I can accompany you," Sakura said, nodding gently.

Hearing this, Muelsyse shook her head and said, "I’ll go and check. You don’t need to accompany me. You didn’t sleep all night; you should rest now."

"Don’t worry, I’m not a child. If you want to be serious, I’m older than you, Sakura."

"Next time we have a chance, we’ll make up for today’s breakfast. You go rest, and I’ll see if there’s anything I can help with."

After saying that, Muelsyse did not give Sakura a chance to continue speaking. She cleverly bypassed her and headed toward the location of the accident.

"…"

Sakura watched as Muelsyse left and shook her head helplessly. She then turned around and went back to rest. She had reminded Muelsyse as much as possible. Hopefully, Muelsyse would realize that Ifrit was only missing and not too concerned.

After all, after spending time together, Sakura had come to regard Muelsyse as a friend.

It’s a pity that some things and secrets cannot be shared even with friends.

————————————————

Components Control Section

"This a big commotion. Is the matter settled?"

In the office, Kristen supported her chin with both hands. Her expression was unusually lazy, and she asked the "uninvited guest" beside her.

"Yes, the person has been taken away without leaving any trace. I suppose your dear Saria is still struggling with whether the person is missing or burned to ashes~"

In response to Kristen’s inquiry, Mobius spoke carelessly. "However, you’re really derelict in your duty as the Director. Don’t you want to know how many people were injured or killed in this accident?"

"I believe you will be sensible in this regard. My intuition tells me that you are not the type to kill people indiscriminately. In this case, then Saria can handle it perfectly." Kristen did not even raise her eyelids and said in a calm tone.

"You really trust her." After hearing Kristen’s firm words, Mobius raised her eyebrows slightly, and a hint of ambiguous expression appeared on her face.

Although Mobius did not know whether Kristen was aware that Saria had been investigating the Hayden Laboratory and Ifrit, she could clearly sense the fearlessness in Kristen.

It was as if Saria would not do anything to her even if she knew. In Mobius’s view, this might be the confidence of someone favored.

Regardless of what she thought, Mobius did not remind Kristen of her plan. After all, she also went with the flow of what might happen later.

In her opinion, this incident was an important "growth" point for Kristen. Saria’s departure had caused her to gradually abandon all distractions except her goal.

"Saria is my most important friend…"

Hearing Mobius’s sigh, Kristen slowly lowered her eyes and then whispered word by word, without concealment.

"Heh~"

Hearing this, Mobius chuckled but did not refute.

"…"

But Kristen, upon hearing Mobius’s chuckle, completely closed her eyes. After a moment, she issued her order to leave.

"If there’s nothing else, go and get busy. Aren’t you going to treat that experimental subject?"

"Hmm~ It’s almost time. In that case, I’ll take my leave." Mobius, who had only taken a brief break to come and speak, turned around and left without a trace of nostalgia.

"…"

Watching Mobius depart, Kristen thought about what she had said and felt a bit flustered for no reason.

Is Kristen truly completely confident?

No… not entirely. She was actually gambling, hoping… that Saria will not abandon or leave her.

If she were truly confident, she wouldn’t hide so many things from her long-time friend.

It’s because she knows Saria’s personality and character well, and understands that there is a slight possibility of being abandoned now...

Therefore, Kristen has kept many things from her best friend over the years, such as the relationship between Rhine Life and [Hayden Laboratory], and Ifrit’s [Project Diabolic], etc.

"Ah…"

Sitting in her office chair, Kristen sighed lightly, slowly opened her eyes, and then looked at the ceiling, stretching out her hand as if trying to penetrate the layers of obstacles above her and hold the stars.

——————————————————

Structural Section

After Sakura left, Saria did her best to suppress her anger and investigated many times unwillingly. However, apart from the suspicious point that Ifrit "disappeared," she still did not find any useful clues.

The surveillance did not capture any invasion, and no one witnessed Ifrit’s situation in the flames. There were no remnants left in the burned ruins...

…

"Muelsyse, you watch here and notify me if you find any clues." Saria left her blade at her waist and walked away with a gloomy face, suppressing her anger and holding her shield.

If she had been afraid of missing the best time to find and rescue Ifrit before, now that she could not find any clues, Saria felt it was truly a suitable time for someone to wake up.

Chapter 145: Clash of Concepts (Beautiful Women Fighting)

"Ka--"

Accompanied by a loud noise, the door of the Components Control Section was violently opened by a bandaged hand.

Kristen, sitting in the middle of the desk, was not surprised by the visitor. Instead, she propped up her chin and said with a smile, "Saria, I knew you could handle this matter well."

"Just now, the structural Section submitted a quick report saying that there were some doubts about the cause of this accident. The experimental subject 'on it's own' broke out without any stimulation. Do you have any clues?"

"..."

Saria, with a gloomy face and suppressed anger, did not immediately answer Kristen's question. Instead, she was silent for a moment before saying, "Are you sure she was not stimulated?"

"Oh? Why do you say that?"

Hearing this, Kristen raised her head slightly, looked directly at Saria with a dark expression, and said. After standing, Saria lowered her eyes to meet Kristen's gaze and gritted her teeth as she refuted word by word:

"You told me that she didn't suffer any stimulation when you carried out such a cruel and illegal human experiment, the [Project Diabolic], on a child?"

"[Project Diabolic]..."

After hearing Saria's question, Kristen seemed to suddenly remember it. She looked at the report in her hand with a nonchalant expression and said, "Ah... The report refers to this project."

Then she put down the report, smiled, and looked at the person in front of her, continuing, "Why is this necessary? This is just another cooperation to meet official needs."

"So you knew about it... but you hid it from me."

After hearing Kristen's words, Saria's eyes flashed with disappointment. She then said with an affirmative tone, "No, if I remember correctly, it was a biochemical project. The Defense Section was not included in the internal bidding from the beginning. Director Parvis was very interested, so I gave it to him."

After listening to Saria's words, Kristen responded calmly, "Including condoning him to do illegal human experiments?"

Kristen's rebuttal made Saria's eyes narrow sharply, and she struggled to suppress her anger.

Noticing Saria's expression, Kristen's lips gradually softened. She leaned back slightly and replied expressionlessly, "I already said last time that I trust the judgment of my colleagues. I have no intention of interfering in how experiments are conducted. This applies to all Sections."

"Ka-"

Kristen's words completely ignited the anger in Saria's heart, causing her to clench her fists.

"Your indulgence has made them disregard human ethics!"

"Once the truth about Hayden Pharmaceuticals comes out, Rhine Lab will be dragged into an abyss of no return by you!" At this moment, Saria, unable to contain her anger any longer, roared at her close friend sitting on the high platform with a nonchalant look.

Looking at her close friend Saria with an angry expression, Kristen's lips curled up again. She then raised her voice and replied, "Then don't let the outside world know the truth."

"Kristen!!!"

Hearing this, Saria's face darkened, and she roared her close friend's name angrily. She then quickly punched the load-bearing column beside her.

"Bang--!!!"

Accompanied by a violent explosion, one of the huge load-bearing columns in the top-floor office quickly broke and smashed towards Kristen, who was sitting behind the desk.

Faced with the sudden crisis, Kristen remained perfectly still, her demeanor calm.

The next moment, a mechanical alarm sounded in the huge office.

[Beep——]

[Physical attack detected, emergency defense system activated.]

"Beep——"

"Hua——"

"Buzz——Buzz——"

As the mechanical electronic sound faded, the whole office seemed to come alive. The surrounding walls and ceilings opened one after another, revealing silky "ribbons" inside.

"Shua——!!!"

"Bang——! Bang——! Bang——! Bang——!"

However, these seemingly weak and silky "ribbons" burst out immediately, piercing and crushing the huge load-bearing column, leaving only a pile of rubble.

At this time, Kristen, who had been sitting calmly, slowly stood up, walked to the desk, opened her arms, and asked with a smile, "What's wrong, Saria?"

"What about [Emotional venting is meaningless]?"

Saria ignored Kristen's question and said to herself with a gloomy face, "You installed the [Perturbation] system in your office... It means that you are still afraid of the threats from the mortal world."

"Then, some physical pain may make you sober."

"Saria..."

It appears Kristen was hurt by her best friend's words, and she completely restrained her smile. She waved her hand gently, and with a buzzing sound, the flat ground quickly opened. A platform with a special control device rose in front of her.

"Click."

With a crisp sound, Kristen, wearing the control device on her left hand, pointed at Saria and said, "Look up and look further."

"Ecology, energy, Oripathy... Only by exploring with all our strength and overcoming all these difficulties can we see the day when human ethics is truly saved."

"Shua-Shua-Shua-"

As her voice sounded, a large number of soft "ribbons" in the room attacked Saria like sharp blades.

"Bang!"

After using her solid shield to block all the attacks coming towards her, Saria loudly retorted, "You should lower your head and look at your feet!"

"If scientific exploration ignores the pain and dignity of mankind, you will eventually fall on this land and never see the day you pursue!!"

"Buzz-Buzz-"

Faced with Saria's rebuttal, Kristen's expression did not waver. She continued to control the defense system in the office with her left hand, her face cold. As she did, all the "ribbons" in the office were deployed, swishing through the air and attacking Saria, who was holding the shield.

Just as Saria had a serious expression and raised her shield to prepare for resistance, Kristen's firm voice sounded.

"In order to explore the unknown answers of mankind, I have already made preparations to sacrifice everything."

"Boom--!!!"

Chapter 146: Saria's Departure

"Boom--!!!"

When countless "ribbons" hit Saria's shield, a huge noise erupted, and the violent impact raised clouds of dust in the office. After a while, the dust gradually dissipated, revealing the shield and Saria's figure behind it. Her low voice emerged from behind the shield.

"I know you've been prepared..."

"That's why I've been protecting you and the path you've chosen. Later, this protection was used by you to cover up and conceal a this..."

At this point, Saria raised her head, looked over the shield, and stared into the eyes of the person in front of her. She raised her voice and angrily rebuked, "You've deviated too far!"

"What you're doing now is basically hurting this land and the people we're supposed to protect and save!!"

"Ka--"

"Shua, shua, shua--"

In response to Saria's rebuke, the "ribbons" quickly circled and gathered in the air, weaving into a large net, as Kristen's still firm words continued.

"What hurts people is hunger, war, Oripathy, and an unseen end. My path can make the day of the end come as soon as possible!"

Accompanied by the sound of rustling, a large amount of calcium quickly emerged and gathered, forming a cone in front of Saria. She then exerted force on her calcified arms and fists, punching towards the net in the air. At the same time, she loudly refuted Kristen's previous words.

"The way forward is not just 'by any means necessary.' We could have avoided many sacrifices!!!"

"Bang--!!!"

With a loud bang, the net composed of "ribbons" was instantly destroyed, and even the ceiling behind it was punched out, revealing the blue sky outside.

Kristen looked up through the large hole in the ceiling, glanced at the vast sky, and then slowly retracted her somewhat dim eyes. She stared at Saria rushing towards her, raised her hands, and said:

"The price paid for the detour is even higher."

As her hands were raised, two devices quickly emerged from the empty positions on both sides of her.

"Saria, maybe the hard calcification gives you room to be conservative, but I don't."

Looking at Saria and her fist, who were now close at hand, Kristen suddenly clenched her left hand with the control device. In an instant, the devices on both sides of her body emitted a huge buzzing sound.

"!!"

The next moment, Saria was shocked to find that the calcium attached to her right arm and fist quickly fell off and turned to dust. However, it was too late to react, and her fist had already been swung out...

"Bang--!!!"

With a huge muffled sound, Saria's right fist, now devoid of calcium, hit the transparent wall in front of Kristen fiercely, causing blood to splatter.

Kristen, behind the transparent wall, seemed to have anticipated this and showed no change in expression.

"..."

On the contrary, Saria, who did not pull back her fist and let the bright red blood slide down the "wall," lowered her head slightly and remained silent for a moment. Then she said in a somewhat incredulous voice, "...You applied synchronous resonance technology to [Perturbation]?"

"You said that the purpose of developing the synchronous resonance device is to study the structure of Originium..."

"It is indeed used to study the structure of Originium," Kristen calmly explained. "It just 'happens' to suit my Originium arts?"

At this point, although Saria's tone was still calm, a hint of disappointment quietly emerged in her heart.

"Be cautious in everything; this is what you taught me."

"Bang——!"

Kristen's last sentence darkened Saria's eyes and completely ignited her emotions. She loosened her right hand, letting the shield fall to the ground with a loud noise. Then, she raised her fist and swung at the transparent wall in front of her...

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Looking at Saria's bloody fists after several heavy punches, Kristen "commanded" with a serious expression and a calm tone, "Saria, stop."

However, Saria, resolute in her own ideas, showed no intention of stopping. She continued to punch the transparent wall, gritting her teeth.

"Saria, stop!"

Seeing the bloodstains blooming in front of her, Kristen finally panicked. She raised her voice, trying to stop Saria's self-destructive behavior.

But soon, Saria responded with her actions. There was another loud "bang!" and the once-solid transparent wall was blasted with spider web-like cracks by a punch.

Kristen's pupils shrank, and her expression shifted from panic to shock as she was stunned in place.

However, Saria did not give Kristen time to react and punched out again.

"Bang--!!!"

A deafening, crisp sound rang out as the transparent, solid wall shattered like glass, with fragments flying everywhere.

Saria then retracted her fist and punched again... This time, the target was no longer the wall, but Kristen's delicate face.

The clean and powerful punch brought a gust of wind, blowing Kristen's bright golden hair. However, Saria finally showed mercy. Apart from a drop of blood that hit Kristen's face due to inertia, the fist dripping with blood did not strike her face but stopped just in front of her nose.

"As expected of you, Saria."

"..."

"Ka--"

Hearing this, Saria did not respond. She retracted her fist, stood up straight, picked up her shield from the ground, and left without any reluctance.

"Where are you going?"

Seeing Saria's back as she left without any reluctance, Kristen's heart flashed with panic, and she asked hurriedly.

"I want to leave Rhine Lab."

Hearing this, Saria answered without turning her head.

Saria's answer confirmed Kristen's panic, causing her pupils to shrink. She said with a somewhat ugly expression, "No, you can't."

"I can't let you destroy Rhine Lab, and I can't let you destroy yourself." Kristen's words did not sway Saria at all; her back remained resolute.

"Then stop me here."

"I can't change you here, Kristen. I will use my own method to get everything back on track."

"..."

Kristen was silent for a while. When Saria was about to leave the office, she threw out her last chip and said, "I can find and revive the experimental subject at any cost."

"No need."

"I will find Ifrit, and I will not allow you to touch her hair again."

Chapter 147: Treatment and Linking Clues

The commotion in the Components Control Section's Office was loud, and many employees witnessed Saria with a bleeding fist and carrying a shield exiting the elevator. As a result, various rumors quickly spread among the Rhine Lab employees.

However, no matter how much the rumors spread within Rhine Lab, Mobius was oblivious to them at that moment.

Before Saria and Kristen had their conflict, she had already left the office building and gone to a place she had prepared in advance.

Mobius's secret laboratory—

'Are you ready, Miss [Bright Knight]?'

Mobius, having completed all preoperative preparations, contacted Bianka with a smile in her heart.

'They said not to use this scale... Forget it, I'm ready. You can summon me.'

As soon as Mobius heard Bianka's reply, she did not hesitate and quickly summoned her.

"Long time no see~"

"Okay, stop playing. Finish the treatment quickly so I can leave." Bianka, once summoned, didn't even glance at Mobius and walked straight to the experimental bed where Ifrit lay.

"Tsk, she's getting more and more boring~"

Seeing that Bianka couldn't be amused, Mobius shrugged in boredom, then set aside her desire for games and walked over. "I'm ready for everything; let's get started. It's time to complete the mission and bring that person over. After all, the benefits and conditions have been promised~"

"Yeah."

Hearing this, Bianka nodded lightly and then took out the Black Abyss White Flower from her space.

---

On the other side—

Looking at Saria, who was sitting opposite her and expressionlessly bandaging her wound, Muelsyse hesitated before asking:

"Um, Saria, did you really... beat up Control?"

"..."

Saria did not answer but glanced at Muelsyse.

"!"

Seeing Saria's intense gaze, Muelsyse wisely covered her mouth and stopped asking. After a moment, she whispered, "Forget it, I won't ask. Anyway, this is a matter between the two of you..."

"..."

Saria heard Muelsyse's whisper but did not react. After bandaging her hand, she said lightly, "I'm leaving Rhine Lab."

"?"

Muelsyse was stunned by the sudden announcement from her old friend. Although he knew Miss Elf had been displeased with Kristen's actions in recent years, he didn't expect their relationship to end like this.

"Don't you care about Kristen?"

After coming to hed senses, Muelsyse looked at Saria seriously and asked. This time, she used Kristen's name as a friend would.

"I will take care of her and get Rhine Lab back on track." Facing Muelsyse's serious questioning, Saria nodded without hesitation. "But I have to leave because I need to take care of her."

"..."

Saria's answer left Muelsyse in silence. After a while, she whispered, "Is there no way for you to stay?"

"If I stay here, I won't be able to stop her." Hearing this, Saria shook her head gently, her expression firm.

"Alas... you guys, forget it. I can't stop you anyway. Do whatever you want." Muelsyse, seeing Saria's resolute eyes, gave up quickly, sighed softly, and said.

"Well, I'll trouble you to pay more attention to her in the future."

Saria nodded and then seemed to remember something, whispering.

"Hey, don't. I'm just a small director; how can I manage the Components Control Section?" Muelsyse rested her head on her raised arms and said weakly.

Saria glanced at the "lazy" Muelsyse and, knowing she had heard her words, did not dwell on the issue. Instead, she changed the topic and continued:

"I have a question. Why did you go to the database so early this morning? Did you remember something?"

This question caught Saria's attention after she had calmed down.

In her opinion, Muelsyse would not have gone to the database so early unless she had suddenly remembered or discovered something, especially considering their morning appointment.

"Ah, if you hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten!" Reminded by Saria, Muelsyse sat up straight and became alert.

"Do you remember the little girl named Griseo we met yesterday afternoon?"

"I remember. What's wrong? What does this have to do with her?" Hearing this, Saria frowned slightly and asked with some doubt.

Clearly, she had not connected today's events with the encounter from yesterday.

"You may not believe it, but I went to the database early this morning because of that child. Now that I think about it... that little one is indeed unusual." As she spoke, Muelsyse couldn't help but sigh.

Not to mention Saria, even Miss Elf herself might not believe it if she hadn't experienced it personally.

After sighing, Muelsyse explained the situation to Saria.

"...Did she approach us on purpose?"

After listening to her friend's explanation, Saria said uncertainly after a while, also pondering Griseo's identity and affiliations.

"How should I put it? From the time I spent with her yesterday afternoon, it seems that the main goal of that little one was to buy gifts, and sending us clues was likely just a by-product..." Muelsyse spread his hands helplessly.

To be honest, Miss Elf trusts her intuition and doesn't believe Griseo's joy yesterday afternoon was feigned.

"Can you guess who or what organization might be behind her?" After hearing her friend's guess, Saria nodded slightly and continued.

"It's really hard to guess... but it might be the organization we've been searching for."

"..."

Chapter 148: Guess and Distribution Route

After a brief discussion, they didn’t come to a conclusion, so they temporarily set aside the question of Griseo's identity. Compared to the previous two questions, Saria and Muelsyse were facing a bigger problem at the moment.

“So, Saria, have you found any clues about... Ifrit's disappearance?”

Although Muelsyse seemed to be asking at the moment, her tone was quite certain, as if she were sure her friend had some clues.

The reason she was so certain was, of course, because of Miss Elf's understanding of Saria. If she really didn’t have any clues or guesses, she wouldn’t be able to sit there and communicate “calmly.”

“There are clues, but they are incomplete and need to be pieced together.” Hearing this, Saria nodded and admitted it.

Just as Muelsyse had guessed, she did have some clues. These fragmentary clues were sorted out from what Saria knew after she had calmed down. Moreover, she also had some guesses about Ifrit's disappearance.

“Tell me about it.”

After seeing Saria admit it, Muelsyse asked with curiosity.

“Let me tell you the conclusion first...”

Speaking of this, Saria paused briefly before continuing, “Kristen should know where Ifrit is. Even if she doesn’t know the exact location, she should know who took her away.”

“Huh?”

The friend's first conclusion made Muelsyse's face show surprise.

Saria didn’t care about Muelsyse’s expression but stated her second conclusion with a serious face: “Ifrit should not be in immediate danger.”

However, although Saria inferred from various trivial details that Ifrit was not in immediate danger, it didn’t mean she wasn’t anxious and worried. After all, not being in immediate danger doesn’t mean you won’t be tortured...

It’s just that experiences from childhood to adulthood had made Saria develop a character where the more urgent and anxious she is, the calmer she becomes, though it can’t be seen on the surface.

“It seems that you have learned something from Kristen...”

After listening to Saria’s words, Muelsyse had a moment of understanding, but then asked in confusion, “But why? Is there any benefit for her to let someone take Ifrit away?”

Miss Elf really didn’t understand this.

If the [Project Diabolic] was designated by the superiors (Colombian Ministry of National Defense) and there are benefits in the future, Muelsyse could understand that Kristen took over and let her subordinates execute it. However, she didn’t understand why she would let others take away Ifrit, the experimental subject, and not recover it.

From Muelsyse’s perspective as the Director, she couldn’t see any benefit in this and might even be held accountable by the superiors.

“I don’t know, but since Kristen can acquiesce, it means that the interests involved must be substantial.” After listening to Muelsyse’s words, Saria lowered her eyes and shook her head gently.

At this moment, although her face was calm, her hands under the table had already clenched tightly. The wound was torn, and the bright red blood quickly stained the snow-white bandage red...

“Ah... huh?”

Muelsyse, who was originally planning to lean back in the chair with her arm as a pillow, suddenly felt something. She paused, glanced under the table, and screamed, “Saria! Your wound!”

“… It’s okay, it’s just that the wound broke open.”

“I think it’s a big deal! You should rebandage it quickly. Don’t clench your fist recently!”

Seeing Saria who didn’t care about her injury, Muelsyse felt a surge of anger.

“Saria, you’re not an tin man! It was fine that you searched for clues all night before, but now you’re still ignoring your injury!”

...

Finally, at Muelsyse’s insistence, Saria rebandaged the wound.

“Okay, now that the conclusion is given, let’s discuss the guess. Which organization do you think is responsible?” Muelsyse glanced at Saria, who was no longer ignoring her injury, and continued the previous topic.

“In my opinion, there are two possibilities... The latter is much more likely and reasonable than the former.”

“The first possibility is that the people above intervened to recover the rare [experimental subject].”

“The second possibility is that a new organization intervened. Although I don’t know the name and details of that organization, based on previous events, that organization should also be very interested in Ifrit.”

Faced with Muelsyse’s inquiry, Saria did not hide and shared both of her guesses.

“What previous events? Are you referring to the incident where someone injected Ifrit with a pain suppressant? Has it been confirmed that it was man-made?” After hearing Saria’s guess, Muelsyse gently touched her chin and said.

“Well, if I wasn’t sure before, today’s incident almost confirms that the previous incident was man-made.” Hearing this, Saria nodded gently.

This is also one of the reasons Saria believes that the second guess is more reasonable than the first.

After all, this mysterious organization had a history of coming and going quietly in Rhine Life before the incident. Additionally, this organization is indeed more likely to be involved in such activities than the Ministry of National Defense. It’s just that Saria doesn’t know what this organization promised Kristen...

“Well... I have the same idea as you on this matter, Saria. I believe the latter of the two guesses is more likely. In this case, let’s continue to investigate in this direction.”

After listening to Saria’s words, Muelsyse thought for a moment and said seriously.

“As for how to investigate... I don’t believe that anyone can truly leave no trace or flaw. Since you can’t find anything at the scene, go ask people.”

“Saria, you are more familiar with the Structural Section than I am, so I’ll leave it to you! I’ll go and have a good chat with Sakura.”

After listening to Muelsyse’s “reasonable” distribution, Saria raised her eyebrows slightly, and a strange expression appeared on her face.

“Wow! What’s that expression on your face? Is my allocation unreasonable?! If I ask you, the boss, to ask Sakura, what can you find out?” After noticing Saria’s expression, Muelsyse slapped the table lightly and said unhappily.

Chapter 149: Sakura: the Damn Guy is Actually Me

After confirming the division of labor, Saria and Muelsyse went their separate ways to take action.

Saria went to the structural Section to ask people in the laboratory and find relevant clues. Muelsyse contacted Sakura by phone and made an appointment to meet her.

…

A certain coffee shop——

"Ah~"

"Breakfast has turned into afternoon tea."

Looking at the cake and coffee in front of her, Sakura yawned and sighed softly.

"That’s right, but are you really okay, Sakura? I didn’t expect you to reply to my message so promptly in the afternoon." Looking at her friend who appeared a bit fatigued, Muelsyse looked slightly Shelpless.

She had wanted to ask Sakura out to discuss some details, but She had originally planned to meet in the evening. She hadn’t expected her to reply immediately, so the dinner mentioned in the message had turned into afternoon tea.

"I’m adjusting my schedule, so I didn’t sleep during the day. Besides, with something like this happening... I can’t sleep now." Shearing this, Sakura shook her head gently and said with a complicated expression.

"I understand, I’m feeling quite irritable myself..." After listening to Sakura’s words, Muelsyse nodded in agreement.

Then Sakura remembered something and asked seriously, "So, what did Mu Mu want to ask me this time?"

"Well, I just wanted to ask if you found any clues while on duty." When discussing business, Muelsyse's expression became serious.

"Well... I didn’t notice anything abnormal." Shearing this, Sakura thought for a moment before giving a clear answer. "I can’t guarantee anything else, but I can confirm that since I started the night shift, no one has entered through the door I was guarding."

"Because except for the beginning, I have been guarding the door every night without leaving or patrolling."

"Ah, I still want to complain... Sakura, you are too serious." After Shearing Sakura’s answer, Muelsyse touched her nose and muttered softly.

Miss Elf didn’t doubt Sakura’s words, because she and Saria had already investigated and reviewed many recent surveillance records of the Structural Section long before.

The fact was just as Sakura said—she hadn’t left her post, and she had been very serious during the night watch. Muelsyse had wanted to complain about this before but hadn’t had the chance.

"Since you choose to do something, you naturally have to be attentive." Sakura looked at Muelsyse muttering in front of her, shook her head helplessly, and then answered seriously.

"That’s what I said... but you stayed up all night and didn’t yawn or blink. Aren’t you too serious?" Looking at ber serious friend, Muelsyse couldn’t help but hold her forehead.

To be honest, in this respect, Miss Elf almost saw the shadow of that straight girl in Sakura... Should she say she is worthy of being having a subordinate and boss relationship?

"Forget it, let’s not talk about this." Muelsyse waved her hand gently and then changed the subject. "Whether it was before or after your night watch, the surveillance didn’t capture that guy, and there was no sign of a lock being picked..."

"In that case, She should not have entered through the main door... It must be because they had special abilities, but I don’t know if it’s like mine or a space-type Originium arts."

Muelsyse, who was muttering and connecting clues, suddenly seemed to think of something. She then looked at Sakura again and asked, "Sakura, did you hear any strange noises while you were on duty at night?"

"... No, that’s not right. To be precise, I don’t know. the sound insulation in the structural Section laboratory is very good. If someone really sneaked in by other methods, I might not have heard any communication inside." After thinking for a while, Sakura gave Muelsyse a vague answer.

Sakura neither confirmed nor denied Shearing anything, mainly to muddy the waters and blur the investigation ideas of Muelsyse and the others. After all, she was involved in the matter they were investigating and, in a sense, was even one of the main executors.

"Ah, those guys can’t even figure out the time period of the infiltration? It’s hard..." After Shearing Sakura’s words, even Muelsyse felt a bit discouraged.

"I’m sorry thar I can’t help you, Mu Mu."

Sakura looked at Muelsyse, who was a bit discouraged and slumped on the table, and spoke with a hint of apology in her beautiful blue eyes.

Muelsyse looked at her innocent friend who apologized for not being able to Shelp and slapped the table indignantly.

"What does this have to do with you, Sakura... It’s all the fault of those damn guys! Where did they take Ifrit?"

"..."

After listening to her friend’s indignant words, Sakura touched her nose with a guilty conscience and then spoke to comfort her.

"Mu Mu, you don’t need to be so upset. Since they have taken action, they will definitely leave clues. As long as there are clues, people will always find them. Maybe they will come back later?"

"Oh, if that’s the case... Now I can only hope that Saria can find something." Shearing this, Muelsyse couldn’t help but sigh.

"Yeah."

After listening to Muelsyse’s words, Sakura nodded. However, she knew very well that the situation on Saria’s side would likely be worse. Silence had a deep misunderstanding of Saria while she was investigating frantically outside... If the misunderstanding wasn’t resolved, She probably wouldn’t even give her a good face.

——————————————————

On the other side——

Although this incident did not cause many injuries, the director of the structural Section, Ahrens Parvis, still gave the researchers in the laboratory a vacation and let them go back to rest.

Because of this situation, Saria’s efforts became more troublesome and difficult.

Her initial target was Silence, who usually took care of Ifrit. Unfortunately, because of the vacation, she couldn’t find her for the time being, and no one responded to the messages and calls she sent.

So, she had to settle for the second best and went to find other people in the laboratory to ask about things.

But unfortunately, so far, Saria had not gained any useful information after asking around.

Finally, Saria, who really hadn’t obtained any useful information, decided to go to Silence’s dormitory room again to try her luck.

Chapter 150: Mission Completion and Follow-up

After being distressed over Ifrit's situation, Silence simply treated her scratches, left the Rhine Lab headquarters, and wandered around aimlessly.

Because she always muted her electronic devices during work hours, she didn’t notice that Saria had sent her messages and called her.

If she had noticed, Silence might have been even more upset, as the person she least wanted to see right now was Saria, who made her feel conflicted.

However, no matter how much she wandered, it eventually had to end. Realizing that it was getting late, Silence, having cleared her mind, decided to head back.

It was this decision that led her to bump into Saria standing at the door of her room.

"Director Saria, what do you want to talk to me about?" Silence looked at the person she was reluctant to see and reverted to addressing her formally.

"...Yes, I want to ask some details about Ifrit."

Seeing Silence’s unhappy face, Saria thought she was upset because of Ifrit and chose her words carefully.

"You... ask."

Silence was initially shocked by the purpose of Saria’s visit but then tried to maintain her composure.

"Don’t be so nervous. Ifrit should not be in immediate danger; she was just taken away." Noticing Silence’s uneasy expression, Saria tried to comfort her.

"Hey... why do you say that?"

Silence was surprised again by Saria’s words and asked quickly.

Saria did not answer directly but shook her head gently, then lowered her eyes and said, "This matter involves Kristen. You’d better not know about it; it’s for your own good. As for Ifrit, I will find her and bring her back."

Although Saria wanted to explain everything to Silence, the situation was too complicated.

To protect Silence’s safety, she chose to remain silent about these details.

"..."

After listening to Saria’s explanation and promise, Silence didn’t react much. She just looked down and avoided Saria’s gaze.

Saria’s words didn’t surprise Silence too much, but she still felt a bit disappointed and unwilling. She was disappointed that Saria, whom she had always admired, was truly that kind of person, and she struggled to accept her own vulnerability.

After taking a short while to calm her emotions, Silence said, "Director Saria, if you have any questions, just ask directly. I will tell you everything I know."

"Yes."

——————————————————

The Secret Laboratory of Mobius——

"Hu——"

After carefully emptying all the Originium from Ifrit’s body and healing all her wounds, Bianka, who had been tense throughout, let out a sigh of relief and relaxed.

The delicate operation had consumed a lot of her mental and physical energy.

Just as Bianka relaxed, the long-awaited voice of the system sounded in her mind.

[Ding——Congratulations to the host for completing the task of saving Ifrit.]

[The reward has been issued; please check it yourself.]

"Although the mission has been completed, you should check Ifrit again just to be safe. If there’s any issue, continue. If not, I will go back."

After putting the Black Abyss Flower Flower into the system space, Bianka turned her head and looked at Mobius, who was carefully recording the data.

"Yes."

Hearing this, Mobius, who was absorbed in recording data, did not raise her head.

"..."

Seeing Mobius deeply engrossed in her work, Bianka shook her head helplessly and found a corner in the laboratory to rest.

It must be said that Durandal still preferred someone who was serious and focused at work... unlike the usual annoying "troublemaker" behavior.

...

After recording the data, Mobius quickly checked Ifrit’s body to ensure there was nothing missing.

After confirming that there was no foreign matter in Ifrit’s body except for the [Diablo Fragment], Mobius finally stopped her work and smiled at Bianka, saying, "Okay, no problem. Our [Brilliant Knight] lady can go back now."

"💢You better shut up and go to work."

Hearing the familiar tone, Bianka’s good mood was abruptly soured. After the retort, she had Rita summon her back.

"Heh~"

Mobius watched the place where Bianka disappeared, chuckling happily, and then turned her attention to Ifrit lying quietly on the experimental table.

Although Charmander’s condition had been treated, Mobius still had not decided how to handle her temporary placement.

While conditions had been negotiated with Kristen, establishing cooperation with Rhodes Island would take time. After all, a certain lynx was quite strict in the inspection.

After some thought, Mobius decided to let Kristen handle this issue. After all, they had become partners and Kristen had promised many benefits. It was time for her to fulfill her part.

"Sakura, please help me summon her back~" After making the decision, Mobius called out to Sakura, who had just returned to Rhine Lab.

After returning smoothly with Sakura’s help, Mobius went to the Components Control Section's office again with the prepared data. Of course, it wasn’t the original office...

"You’ve healed in such a short time?" Seeing Mobius return, Kristen’s eyes flashed with surprise. Obviously, she hadn’t expected to see her again today.

"Well, take a look at the relevant data." Nodding gently, Mobius placed the recording device on Kristen’s desk.

Kristen, not one to be overly formal, raised her eyebrows and skillfully picked up the unfamiliar recording device to examine it.

Chapter 151: Ifrit's Awakening

After a cursory glance at the information in her hand, Kristen looked up at Mobius with a puzzled expression and said, "You didn't take out the [Diablo Fragment]?"

"Hehe~ Let's not talk about the fact that the fragment and Ifrit show signs of melding. To put it another way, I have to give you a reason to place her in Rhodes Island for treatment, right?" Hearing this, Mobius chuckled and explained in a playful tone.

"Then you really care about me." After listening to Mobius' explanation, Kristen raised her eyebrows slightly and replied calmly.

However, although she said so, Kristen also knew that Mobius's actions did save her a lot of trouble.

If Ifrit, the experimental subject, had been without any issues, Kristen would have had to spend a lot of time and resources to place her in the Rhodes Island organization.

Now that someone has taken the initiative to reduce her trouble and cost, Kristen is naturally happy to accept it. After all, it's a good opportunity to take advantage of.

"After we agreed to cooperate, I checked the Rhodes Island organization, and I have a question. I wonder if Miss Mobius can answer it for me?" As if she remembered something, Kristen looked up at Mobius and asked.

"What's the question?"

Faced with Kristen's question, Mobius gently blinked her gradient snake eyes and said, "I want to know why you must send Ifrit, the experimental subject, to Rhodes Island. If it's just about medical conditions and care, isn't it completely okay to keep her here?"

After saying that, Kristen looked at Mobius's delicate face seriously, not wanting to miss any changes.

To be honest, if this condition had been proposed casually by Mobius, Kristen would not have found it unreasonable or abnormal. But since the condition of [establishing cooperation with Rhodes Island and sending one person there for treatment] was presented as a requirement during the negotiation, its importance is evident.

But because of this, Miss General is confused...

"Heh~ I thought Miss General would ask some important questions~"

Hearing this, Mobius first chuckled and teased, then slowly lowered her face, her eyes glittering as she said, "If it were just the two conditions you mentioned, then Rhine Lab would definitely be better with me here."

"But... there will be pesky flies here who covet my little white mouse~"

"..."

Looking at Mobius, who had changed her demeanor in front of her, Kristen touched her chin and fell into an awkward silence.

How should she put it?

She had imagined countless reasons and even considered some unknown secrets in Ifrit, the experimental subject, but she never thought the reason would be this straightforward.

"With your strength, you should not be afraid of them." After a strange silence, Kristen spoke again.

"I'm not afraid, but it would be annoying, wouldn't it?"

Hearing this, Mobius, whose face had returned to normal, nodded gently and said, "Besides, I will be devoted to researching the antidote for Oripathy for a long time in the future, and I don't have much energy to take care of a child."

"In this case, wouldn't it be better to find a safe and reliable place to temporarily foster her?"

"I see, it seems that you really value this experimental subject." After listening to Mobius' words, Kristen's eyes flashed with understanding, and she accepted this reason.

"Humph, it's just that it's hard to find a suitable little white mouse~" Mobius snorted and retorted. "Oh, by the way, there's one more thing. Before you reach an agreement with Rhodes Island, the placement of Ifrit is also a problem. If you don't want to take care of her, then transfer someone over."

"Who?"

"Structural Section, Olivia Silence."

---

While Mobius and Kristen were discussing various matters and arranging personnel, on the other side—

Saria asked Silence a lot of questions, but just like with others before, she got nothing.

"Is there really nothing abnormal?"

"Well, I didn't find any abnormalities in the past few days I took care of Ifrit." Facing Saria's final unwilling inquiry, Silence lowered his eyes and answered word by word.

Now Silence has completely misunderstood Saria. In her opinion, someone found Ifrit just to drag the child into hell again and torture her.

In this case, she naturally would not tell the person in front of her what she knew.

"Sorry to bother you today. Don't think too much and have a good rest." Looking at Silence, who has been in a bad mood today, Saria frowned slightly and couldn't help but admonish her.

In fact, if it were normal, Saria might have noticed Silence's abnormality earlier. After all, Silence is a person who can't hide things in his heart and is not good at lying.

However, the situation today is special. Ifrit's disappearance made Saria not think much, attributing all the abnormalities of the person in front of her to being too deeply affected.

"Well, I will. Director Saria, don't worry about it; you can continue with your work." Facing Saria's admonition, Silence nodded gently and responded in a low voice.

"Well, then I'll leave first."

Although Saria was a little worried about Silence's current state, she finally chose not to stay and said goodbye, considering the pile of things still weighing on her.

Watching Saria's departing figure, Silence couldn't help but bite her lip, and the complex emotions that had been suppressed for a long time surfaced at that moment.

...

After discussing matters with Kristen, Mobius did not rush back to work but returned to the secret laboratory outside.

You know, Ifrit is still lying there. Besides injecting the antidote to wake her up, Mobius still has something to tell Charmander.

"Well, here...!"

After being injected with the antidote, Ifrit slowly opened her slightly confused eyes after a while. However, this situation did not last too long, as she soon noticed the unfamiliar environment around her and became alert.

Just as Charmander was vigilantly observing this unfamiliar laboratory, the door suddenly opened...

Chapter 152: Final Arrangement

"!"

"You... you you you!"

Ifrit looked in the direction of the voice. After seeing the person clearly, her pupils trembled.

She stared at the person with shock and couldn't form a complete sentence for a long time.

"Hehe~ What, you don't recognize me after my appearance changed?"

.obius, who had come in with food, was pleased by Ifrit's reaction and couldn't shelp but tease her playfully.

After being teased by Mobius, Ifrit came back to her senses, then stared at the person in front of her with bright eyes and said, "Snake, how come you suddenly grew so big! And... well, Snake is really beautiful now!"

"It's just a disguise."

"But it's very beautiful. Snake is more beautiful than the water elf!" shearing Mobius's indifferent answer, Ifrit hurriedly added seriously.

"sheh~"

Although Mobius didn't show it, a hint of joy flashed in her eyes.

"Okay, eat this; it's almost evening."

As she said this, Mobius placed the plate in front of Charmander.

"Ah, is it already so late? It smells so good!"

"You're fine, but don't eat too fast."

Mobius looked at Ifrit, who was about to dig into the food, and reminded her.

"Got it! Wait... are you alright?"

After shearing what Mobius said, Ifrit quickly agreed, and then, realizing what she had said, looked at her in disbelief, wanting to confirm.

"Well, except for the [Diablo Fragment] in your body, your illness has been cured." After shearing this, Mobius nodded gently and told the truth. she had no interest in hiding such a minor matter.

"Well, although I don't know what the fragment you mentioned is, am I a normal child now?"

While speaking, Ifrit looked at Mobius with an expectant and excited expression.

"Yes, little white mouse, you are already a normal child."

Mobius didn't want to answer Ifrit's obvious question, but seeing her expectant look, she chose not to spoil her fun.

"Okay! Thank you, Snake!"

After shearing Mobius's confirmation, Ifrit stood up on the bed excitedly.

In fact, she originally wanted to give Snake a hug but noticed she was avoiding it.

"Okay, eat quickly. I have something to tell you later, and Silence will come to see you soon."

Mobius looked at Ifrit, who couldn't suppress her excitement, and a hint of shelplessness appeared in her gradient snake eyes.

"Yeah."

...

After Ifrit finished her meal, Mobius gave a simple reminder to prevent Charmander from revealing her identity.

"Got it, I won't tell anyone!" Faced with Mobius's reminder, Ifrit agreed very seriously.

But soon, she seemed to think of something and hurriedly asked, "How should I contact you in the future, Snake? You won't stop visiting me, right..."

After listening to Ifrit's inquiry, Mobius calmly took out a small ornament and placed it in front of her, then said slowly:

"I will visit you when I have a chance. As for contacting me, you have three chances, little white mouse~"

"Hey, only three times..."

Ifrit picked up the special ornament inlaid with green gems and said with a regretful tone.

"Yes, thise are only three chances, so use them wisely~"

"Yeah! I understand."

...

After spending some time with Ifrit, teasing her and taking her out of the laboratory, Mobius left before Silence arrived.

Before Ifrit went to Rhodes Island, she and Silence would temporarily live here, which could be considered hiding from the limelight.

As for Silence's work, Mobius had arranged it, and she could handle the handover later.

---

After leaving Ifrit, Mobius did not rush back but wandered around Tremont, a city she had hardly visited since her arrival. She was in a rare good mood.

After all, a series of events had been set in stone, so Mobius was in a very good mood.

...

Mobius, strolling halfway, seemed to have noticed something and suddenly smiled slightly, then thought to herself: ‘Hua, you're really fast; you've reached Lungmen so quickly~’

‘It’s just a normal tourist speed, not as fast as you and Ying.’ Although Hua did not expect Mobius to contact her suddenly, she still responded out of politeness.

‘Hua, there’s no need to be so modest. Ha~ Speaking of which, we haven’t met in this world yet. Do you want to come and play with me?’ Hearing this, a smile quickly flashed in Mobius’s gradient serpent eyes as she spoke with a hint of "bad intentions."

Although Mobius has the memory of "Mobius," she is still quite interested in Hua, or rather Hua's body.

However, before Hua could answer, Senti couldn't shelp but "viciously" refuse: ‘Don’t even think about it, you guy! the old timer won’t go there!’

‘What a pity~ then... Ms. Miss Herrscher of Sentience, will you be coming over? If it’s you, I'd welcome you~’

‘Even if you call me Ms. Herrscher of Sentience, don’t even think about it!’

‘What a pity~’

While walking around the street, Mobius teased Senti in her heart and returned to Rhine Lab when she was tired.

However, unlike before, this time she did not return to the laboratory but went to her dormitory room.

With little time left in the day and in a good mood, Mobius planned to relax and adjust herself a little.

After all, starting tomorrow, she would devote herself to her busy work and not concern herself with worldly affairs.

What, you ask about the plans that remain unfinished?

Of course, let Sakura handle the surveillance and supervision...

For those matters that have developed to the point of being set in stone, it is more than sufficient to let Miss Fox take responsibility.

Chapter 1

Senti: "You're the one who's stupid and rich! Your whole family is stupid and rich!"

As night fell, the city gradually donned its neon coat, appearing lively and prosperous.

A beautiful girl with long gray hair and red eyes was standing on the street at that moment, shouting, "Wow, I'm really angry. That guy Mobius dared to tease me!"

"If you can't win the argument, Senti, don't get close to me next time. Also, we should find a place to stay," Hua said with a helpless tone, looking at the angry Senti beside her.

"?"

"Old timer, I could've won the argument! I just didn't take it seriously!" Senti, already upset, became completely furious after hearing Hua's "comfort."

"Uh..."

"Hmph!"

...

Finally, Hua spent some time coaxing Senti and then took her to find a hotel to stay in.

Although Lungmen wasn't the final destination of their trip, they still planned to spend some time here before moving on.

So, in this situation, it was more important to find a reliable place to stay.

…

In the hotel——

"Ah, the bed here is quite soft!"

After entering the hotel room, Senti took a look around and then threw herself onto one of the beds.

Hua, who was standing nearby, saw this and just smiled helplessly.

"Speaking of which, are you going out tonight, old timer?"

After rolling on the bed, Senti looked up at Hua and asked.

"No, I plan to rest a bit tonight. If you want to go out, Senti, go ahead," Hua replied calmly, gently shaking her head.

"Tsk, since you're not going, the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience will go out and inspect the place." With that, Senti quickly sat up from the bed.

Unlike someone who was "old and arrogant," Senti had finally arrived in Lungmen. If she didn't take advantage of the night to have a good walk, it would be a shame for the journey she had made.

"Well, have fun."

After listening to Senti's words, Hua nodded gently and then remembered something, adding, "Don't go to chaotic places, and don't cause trouble."

"I know, I know, you're so naggy, old timer."

After Senti agreed perfunctorily a few times, as if afraid of more nagging, she quickly rushed to the door.

"I'm leaving!"

"Bang—"

"Alas..."

Looking at the closed door, Hua sighed helplessly.

————————————————

After leaving the hotel alone, Senti felt something was missing around her, but she was still very happy to stroll around the bustling streets of Lungmen.

There were so many things that dazzled her, and some things even caught her eye and she liked them.

Since she had plenty of money, Senti didn't hold back. She bought everything she liked as long as the price wasn't particularly outrageous, even in doubles.

As for why it was double... of course, she wanted to take some back to show some to the old timer.

"Huh?"

Walking along with her bags full of purchases, Senti suddenly felt something and stopped in her tracks, looking around with a puzzled expression.

But after looking around, she didn't find anything unusual except for the passing pedestrians.

"Is it an illusion? Forget it."

Although Senti trusted her intuition, after not finding anything unusual, she didn't dwell on it.

After all, she didn't think there was anyone in this city who could hurt her... and even if there was, she could just go back to find the old timer.

Soon, Senti put this small incident behind her and continued shopping.

Speaking of which, although her outing tonight was mostly aimless wandering, there were actually some things she had planned to buy before heading out. For example, trendy clothes suitable for both her and old timer.

Although Senti already had the casual clothes she was wearing, which she had bought elsewhere, she had never been satisfied with these clothes.

In her own words, how could such ordinary clothes match the temperament of the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience!

Not to mention Fu Hua—although Senti admitted that she looked good in the robes she always wore, after so long, she was tired of them... she wanted to buy some new clothes for her.

While strolling, Senti came across many clothing stores and got what she wanted, buying lots of clothes that she thought looked very stylish.

"🎵~"

After walking around for a long time and confirming there was nothing else she wanted to buy, Senti, in a good mood, hummed a little tune and headed back along the brightly lit streets.

However, when passing through a busy street crowded with people, a girl with her head down accidentally bumped into Senti, who was carrying a lot of bags.

"Sorry!"

The girl who bumped into Senti quickly apologized and disappeared into the crowd before Senti could react.

"That's really interesting!"

Senti watched the girl's disappearing back, a light flashing in her scarlet eyes, and she couldn't help but smile, as if she had found something intriguing.

...

Somewhere in a dark alley in Lungmen's slums—

"Hehe, it's rare to go there, but I didn't expect to meet someone so stupid and rich, and it was so easy to get away with it."

"And this wallet is so ugly."

In the dark alley, a girl with long purple hair and a pair of rabbit ears on her head, Rope, flipped through a wallet with a special brick pattern and complained.

"Wow, there's so much money. It seems I won't need to steal for a while." After taking out all the money in the wallet and counting it, the girl couldn't help but sigh. Just as she was about to put the money in her pocket and toss the ugly wallet aside, a white hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, and an angry voice quietly sounded in her ear.

"You're the one who's stupid and rich! Your whole family is stupid and rich! And how can you call this wallet ugly? I designed it with great effort!"

"!"

This sudden change startled the Cautus girl. She instinctively tried to shake off the hand holding her wrist but was soon horrified to find that she couldn't break free.

"You..."

Just when Senti wanted to say something, the familiar electronic sound of the system in her mind suddenly interrupted her.

[Ding, (Calico Reviere) Pardofelis, unlocking, current progress 1%.]

“?”

Chapter 2: The Correct Way to Use the Phrase "Ignorant of the Times"

"?"

After hearing the system's prompt, Senti was surprised. But after thinking about it, she realized it was indeed reasonable.

After all, one was a habitual thief in the slums of Lungmen, and the other was a habitual thief on the talented filled Sundown Alley...

"I was wrong, I'll return the wallet to you right now!" The girl—no, she should be called Rope—stared at the person in front of her, her expression constantly changing, and said hurriedly.

"Huh? Do you think this matter can be solved so easily? You tasteless person." Senti quickly snapped out of her thoughts and responded unhappily.

Hearing this, Rope's face changed. She tried to pull her hand back again, only to find that it was still motionless, unable to be shaken free. So, she said in a slightly flattering tone, "Then, how do you want to resolve this?"

"Well... say loudly three times that the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience is the smartest and has great taste!" Senti thought for a moment and then responded seriously.

"Uh..."

After hearing this request, Rope looked at her with a strange expression.

Clearly, this was the first time she had heard this kind of odd request.

"What, you don't want to?"

"No, no, no, how could that be? If the Miss likes it, I'll shout!"

Seeing Senti's gradually unfriendly eyes, Rope quickly relented: "The great Herrscher of Sentience is the smartest and has a great taste!"

"That voice is too soft. Speak louder!"

"The great Herrscher of Sentience is the smartest and has a great taste!" ×2 (very loud)

"That's more like it."

Satisfied, Senti nodded approvingly.

"Then... I've given this back. Can I leave now?"

Rope, seeing Senti’s satisfied expression, tried her luck by carefully handed over the money and the empty wallet.

Hearing this, Senti first took the items and put them away, then said with surprise, "Ha, when did I say I would let you go?"

As she spoke, a special brick with the same pattern as the one on the wallet quietly formed in Senti's free hand.

"You...ah."

Before Rope could finish her protest, the Brick Divine Key in Senti's hand [Infinite Intimidator] struck her on the head, causing her to faint instantly.

"As expected, still ignorant of the current situation." Senti caught the falling Rope with one hand and tossed the brick in her other hand, sighing.

Of course, Senti didn’t strike Rope hard. She merely used her ability to put her to sleep, causing no harm.

As for why she did this...

In addition to wanting a bit of revenge for someone’s "rude words," the main reason was to unlock the character.

Compared to dealing with a conscious and thoughtful person for hours or even days to slowly unlock them, Senti now preferred this simple and rough method.

After glancing around and looking at Rope, Senti finally decided to contact someone first.

'Old timer, I won’t be coming back tonight. I put the things in the system space. If you need them, take them yourself.'

'Ah... you.'

Because of their mutual understanding, even without Senti explaining, Hua knew what had happened to her, or rather, what she had done...

But precisely because of this, Hua felt so helpless.

'Take care of yourself, and deal with Rope... You're currently in the slums of Lungmen, full of all kinds of people. If you leave someone there casually, something will happen.'

'I know, you don’t need to remind me, old timer, I’m not a child!'

'Yes, Senti is no longer a child...'

'That sounds so perfunctory, but I’m serious!"

After arguing with Hua, Senti finally stopped being so ignorant of the current situation, picked up Rope, and slowly left the dark alley.

————————————————

The next morning, as the sun slowly rose, golden sunlight fell on the earth.

“Hmm…!”

Rope opened her eyes slowly, confused. Until she saw the blue sky, she suddenly reacted and sat up quickly.

The first thing she did was check her head… because her last memory from the previous night was of being attacked.

“Huh… I’m not injured fortunately. I don’t have money to see a doctor.” After checking her body and confirming she was fine and had no wounds, Rope let out a sigh of relief.

“But this is… Wait, what is this!?”

Just as Rope regained her senses and looked around, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar “ugly thing”—the wallet.

Although Rope didn’t quite understand why the object that caused her to pass out was still there, she hesitated for a moment and reached out for it.

However, when she got hold of it, she couldn’t help but be stunned.

Although she hadn’t opened the wallet, the weight and years of experience told Rope that there was something inside.

She was silent for a moment, looked around carefully, and after confirming there was no danger or prying eyes, she cautiously opened the wallet in her hand.

Then, what caught her eye was a stack of money and a note.

"Gulp..."

Looking at the stack of money, Rope couldn’t help but swallow. But in the end, she held back and chose to pick up the note first.

[When you see this note, the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience should have already left. The money and wallet are given to you as compensation for making you sleep outside for a night.]

[By the way, use this wallet well. If you dare to throw it away, no matter where you are, I will retrieve it and give you another one!]

————The great Miss Herrscher of Sentience, please take care.

“…”

After reading the note, Rope stared at the ugly wallet in her hand and fell into complete silence.

How should she put it? When she saw [I’ll give you the money], she was ecstatic, but when she saw [I’ll give you another one], she thought of her experience last night, and her hands began to tremble.

“How could there be such a strange person… Forget it, just treat it as a not-so-good-looking gift.” Rope, having collected herself, muttered helplessly.

“But… this should be the first gift I’ve received, right?” Saying that, Rope stood up, put the note back into the wallet, and then carefully tucked the wallet away.

After doing all this, she turned around and left the place.

Chapter 3: Pardofelis' New Life Goal

"Old timer, I'm back."

After returning to the hotel room, Senti waved to Hua, who was sitting by the French window, drinking tea.

"Well, welcome back."

Hua set down the teacup in her hand and smiled at her.

"Hey, just one night later, I unlocked Pardofelis." Senti said, with an expression that clearly expected praise, as she also sat by the French window.

"Well, Senti did very well." Hua glanced at Senti and poured her a cup of tea while praised her slowly and skillfully.

"Of course!"

After hearing Hua's words, Senti nodded with satisfaction. She picked up the teacup in front of her and drank the tea.

"..."

Watching the childish Senti in front of her, Hua shook her head helplessly and then softly said, "Since you're back, let's summon Pardo."

"Okay."

P

Hearing this, Senti nodded gently. She had no objections to Hua's suggestion.

After all, she didn’t dislike Pardofelis. In fact, she even wanted her to "betray" Kevin and become her little sister.

As Senti focused her thoughts, a faint light appeared in the room, and soon, a figure that both of them were very familiar with appeared before them.

"Hey, long time no see, Hua!"

"Meow~"

"Long time no see, Pardo. You still have Can."

Hua looked at the girl and her cat, both smiling and greeting her, and responded softly.

"?"

"What about me!?"

Just as the conversation was flowing harmoniously, Senti, who felt she was being ignored, couldn’t stand it anymore. She slapped the table and looked at Pardo, speaking up.

"Oh, look at my memory. Senti, right? Let me introduce myself. My name is Pardofelis. You can call me Pardo or Felis, whichever you prefer."

Even though she already knew the person in front of her, Pardo still introduced herself seriously, out of courtesy and a desire to build a good relationship.

"What Senti? You should call me the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience!" Senti corrected her, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Uh... that title is fine too."

Facing Senti’s correction, Pardo blinked her beautiful heterochromatic eyes and agreed.

To her, it was just a title, and she didn’t care at all.

"Hmm? Then call me that, let me hear it!"

Senti, who had been rejected many times when it came to titles, was stunned by Pardo's acceptance. She then looked at her with bright eyes.

"Great Miss Herrscher of Sentience? Actually, I think that title is pretty cool..."

"Isn’t it? I think so too, but even the old timer doesn’t want to call me that."

"Maybe it’s because Hua is more introverted?"

Hua quietly sipped tea and watched the two "children" who got along so well, with a hint of helplessness and amusement in her eyes.

————————————————

Eventually, despite Senti’s reluctance, Pardo still chose to part ways with her.

The reason was likely that she preferred the freedom of not having to consider others' wellbeing.

Of course, since they got along so well, before leaving, Senti not only promised to protect Pardo but also gave her a few outfits she had bought the day before.

In fact, out of concern for her new "little sister's" safety, Senti even gave her [Infinite Intimidator] for self-defense.

Thanks to the gift, Pardo didn’t hesitate to address Senti, starting from "Senti," then "the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience," and finally, just "Boss," which made Senti very happy.

"It's a strange, yet grand city! There must be a lot of goods here." Walking through the streets of Lungmen and gazing at the tall buildings around her, Pardo couldn’t help but sigh.

Although she was no longer short of food or money, she still wanted to explore this prosperous city that had once existed only in the game.

"But instead of strolling here, Can, let's head to the slums first."

"Meow~"

...

Pardo then spent almost the entire day getting a rough idea of the distribution and general situation of each area in Lungmen.

As for why it was only a rough idea, it was because Pardo’s time and focus today were mainly on exploring the slums.

After all, compared to the unfamiliar urban areas with tall buildings and prosperity, the dirty and chaotic slums felt more familiar and comfortable to Pardo.

However, after personally exploring it, Pardo clearly realized how terrible the situation was in the slums here... It's one thing to be dirty and messy, but it's a mixed bag, with all sorts of people and events...

What she saw and heard today made Pardo secretly make a decision in her heart.

That is, once she has money and resources, she will help those in need here, to the best of her ability. Just like "Pardo Felice" helped those in need on [Dusk Street] in her memory.

"Speaking of which, since I’ve crossed over to another world, shouldn’t I expand my life goals?"

Pardo, who was sitting on the roof of a building, looking at the false stars in the sky, suddenly seemed to think of something, and then whispered.

"Meow~~"

"Ah, Can, you think I should expand them too? Let me see." As she spoke, Pardo took out the treasure box that had appeared when she unlocked the space, and then retrieved a small notebook titled "Pardofelis: Life Achievements Overview."

Pardo opened the book, looked at the original life goals of "Pardofelis," and said to herself:

"The last few may be tough to complete, but the earlier ones can be reset."

After saying this, Pardo began to mark the completed goals, like [Collect all patterns of coins] and [Collect all kinds of instant canned food], as unfinished.

"Alright, I have new goals! Now, let’s get to work, Can."

After making the changes, Pardo snapped the book shut, stood up excitedly, and pointed at the bustling city before her, speaking to the cat beside her.

"Meow!"

Hearing this, the chubby Can next to her meowed in response, then jumped onto Pardo's shoulder, looking ready.

"Hold on tight, Can. Let’s go."

And so, Pardofelis began her journey of collecting and purchasing in the prosperous city of Lungmen.

Chapter 4: Exusai: "Where are my snacks?"

At night, on a quiet and deserted street, an off-road vehicle was parked silently.

"We got the goods, let's head back." A short-haired red angel girl with a halo on her head, a Sakota, smiled and shook the box in her hand, speaking to her companions who were waiting against the car door.

"Alright, get in the car."

The Lupo girl leaning against the car door responded, then turned around, opened the door, and sat in the driver's seat.

"I'm coming."

With that, the red-haired girl skillfully walked to the other side, opened the car door, and got in.

The car quickly started and left the deserted street in a flash.

However, no one noticed that after the car drove away, a figure landed lightly and silently where the car had been parked.

...

At this moment, in the car that was driving away—

"It's rare for you, Exusai, to be the one picking up the goods today. How does it feel?" The girl with orange horns, sitting in the back seat, asked the short-haired redhead in the passenger seat with a smile.

"It feels okay, but if the [light] on top of my head could be turned off, I think it would feel better." After saying this, the red-haired girl, called Exusai, spread her hands helplessly.

Usually, Exusai is responsible for covering her companions and almost never gets a turn to carry the goods. This time because the cargo was relatively small, so she suddenly wanted to try it.

"It is indeed a bit dazzling at night."

Hearing this, the orange-haired girl glanced at the dazzling halo on Exusai's head and nodded.

...

It took some time for the three of them to return to their logistics company, [Penguin Logistics], with the goods they picked up tonight. In fact, under normal circumstances, except for special orders, they usually don't bring the goods back to the company because most of the time, they arrange the time in advance and deliver the goods directly.

This time, it happened to be a special order, so the goods were temporarily stored at [Penguin Logistics] to be delivered later.

"Ah~ Since the stuff have been stored, I'm going to rest." After leaving the storage room, Croissant yawned and spoke to her partners.

"Me too... I suddenly felt a little sleepy when I saw you yawning, Croissant." As if infected, the Exusai standing next to her couldn't help yawning.

"It's time to rest."

"...."

After chatting for a few more moments, everyone soon went their separate ways, as they were tired after a long day.

As for why no one was on guard at night... it was simply unnecessary. Although [Penguin Logistics] is not a large enterprise and has few staff, as an underground logistics organization capable of delivering anything, the relationships and interests behind it are complex, and it has its own private armed forces.

Under these circumstances, there are almost no people who dare to steal or destroy the place. Even if there are, they would be held accountable or even hunted down.

So, after storing the goods in the corresponding safes according to classification, those who went on the mission went back to rest with peace of mind.

However, this is only under normal circumstances...

In the dead of night, when it was pitch black, a figure appeared in the Penguin Logistics building quietly and stealthily.

"It's really hard to follow..."

The owner of the figure muttered in a low voice, then looked around with eyes that emitted a faint light in the dark, carefully searching.

As for who this figure was, sneaking into [Penguin Logistics] at night, it was, of course, Pardo, who had sneaked in to purchase goods at night...

However, in fact, Pardofelis did not intend to 'purchase goods' at first; she was collecting coins she had never seen before.

But the halo above someone's head was too conspicuous in the dark, and it immediately attracted Pardo, who happened to be nearby at the time...

Then Pardofelis couldn't help eavesdropping and became very interested in the goods mentioned by Exusai. So, this trip to purchase goods was born.

But although it was easy to say, it really took Pardo a lot of effort to follow them here.

...

"Hmm..."

Pardo, who avoided various warnings and blurred the cameras, was now looking at a row of safes in front of her, deep in thought.

If it were an ordinary lock, it wouldn't be difficult for Pardofelis. But a password lock would take some effort... and she wasn't sure at all which safe contained the [goods] brought back by the Exusai tonight.

"Forget it, just pick one at random."

After thinking for a while, Pardo gave up pondering. She looked at the row of safes in front of her, picked one at random, and stuffed it directly into her space.

What a joke. In the past, it would have been difficult for Pardofelis to take a row of heavy safes because it was inconvenient to carry them away. But now, she's different from before. She has a system space!

As for why she didn't take them all...

Of course, it was simply because Pardo was afraid she would overstock and be hunted down by Emperor, the boss of [Penguin Logistics], later.

Pardofelis knows her own strength. She's not as modest as Sister Snake and the others, but she's really weak. The weakest Flamechaser, are you kidding me?

Although Boss Senti said he would protect her, it's impossible for people to stay in Longmen forever, so she decided to leave a way out for next time.

After choosing a safe to put into her system space, Pardo continued to explore the large room where the goods were stored.

However, because there were many safes, she didn't find any rare items outside.

Finally, after confirming that there were no shiny and bright things she liked in the places she could access in this building, Pardo simply collected her tail, took some snacks from the table in the accommodation area, and quietly left [Penguin Logistics].

After leaving [Penguin Logistics], Pardofelis did not relax immediately. Instead, she headed straight to the slums with a cautious target... Compared to handling [goods] in the bustling city, she still prefers to handle them in the "small corner."

What's more, the things she acquired this time might make a lot of noise when handled.

...

Penguin Logistics, Employee Accommodation Area——

"...?"

When Exusai got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she stopped and rubbed her eyes subconsciously when she saw the empty table in the living room with the help of the halo above her head.

However, no matter how many times she rubbed her eyes... when she opened them again, she still saw only an empty table.

"...!?"

Chapter 5: The Thief’s Wool

Penguin Logistics—

"So, I wasn't here last night, and Penguin Logistics got robbed? Or are you saying the goods you brought back yesterday were so important?"

At this moment, a penguin wearing a large short-sleeved shirt, a knitted hat, and glasses asked, addressing the employees in front of him.

"Yes, and the thief’s target was very clear—they were after yesterday's goods," the Lupo girl Texas, who was standing aside, answered carefully.

"Not only that, I think this person had been watching the goods for some time. Their intelligence and physical fitness must be strong," added Croissant standing beside her.

"Otherwise, it would have been impossible to identify the exact location of the cargo without disturbing the other safes. They took that specific storage safe and left silently."

Listening to the analysis of her companions, Exusai sitting on the side couldn't help but interject: "So, why did that powerful thief take the snacks I just bought as well?"

"This is indeed strange. I haven’t encountered something like this in a long time." Facing the report from his employees, Emperor knocked on the table with his fins or hands and said, "However, no matter who it is, since they dared to provoke Penguin Logistics, we must find them and make them pay the price!"

"..."

---

On the other side—

In the early morning, Pardo found a safe place to hide the cargo in the poor area, where she could rest comfortably on the roof in the sunlight.

"Yesterday was definitely worth it; I hit the jackpot!"

Speaking while lying on the roof in the sun, Pardo took out a gorgeous gemstone from her storage space and admired it in the light.

"Meow~"

To be honest, before she opened the safe last night, Pardo had no idea it was full of high-quality, shiny gems. Although she didn't know if these were the goods that Exusai had yesterday, it didn’t matter now...

She couldn’t imagine any other goods that could make her happier than a box of glittering gems.

"However, some of these stones are not easy to handle... It’s not easy to carry them around, and I kind of want to keep them," Pardo muttered, tangling her long tail.

"Meow, meow~" Can beside her, sensing Pardo’s dilemma, meowed twice, offering a "suggestion."

"Hmm... Are you suggesting I keep the gems and exchange my own money for some items to help everyone?" Hearing the cat’s cry, Pardo’s tail stopped moving, and she became excited.

"Meow."

"That's a good idea. Ah, but it’s still early; let’s take care of that soon." With that, Pardo yawned and began to slowly clear her mind of thoughts and trivial matters.

However, before she could completely relax, the system’s electronic voice sounded in her mind, startling her awake.

[Ding, exclusive task triggered]

[Limited-time task: "Purchase" 10 times a month, gain fame in Lungmen, and declare yourself as the thief.]

[Task Reward: Exclusive Weapon: Purana Phantasma: Nighteye.]

[Visit the home of Officer Beatrix Swire 10 times; there is no time limit.]

[Task Reward: (Gold) Eden unlocked.]

[Note: The number of visits for both tasks can overlap.]

"!?"

After hearing the task details, Pardo began to wonder if the system had a grudge against her and Swire...

If there’s no grudge, why is it setting her up to gain so much fame and to confront Beatrix Swire alone? A thief going after the police 10 times—isn’t that a bit extreme?

"..."

After making a delicate expression for a while, Pardo shook her head, tossed the troublesome thoughts aside, and lay back down.

"Forget it; I’ll deal with these problems after I wake up."

No matter how big the problem is, it’s not as important as a good sleep.

"Can, remember to wake me up when it’s time..."

"Meow~"

---

Later that afternoon, Pardo moved again, lazily.

Of course, this time she wasn’t going to make a purchase, but to gather information and scout out the area. She didn’t even know where Swire’s home was, so if she wanted to complete the task, she’d have to do some scouting.

However, unless it was absolutely necessary (like seeing something she liked), Pardo didn’t intend to start with Beatrix Swire. After all, given the person’s status...

If she caused trouble from the start, it would be hard to complete the first task. Pardo couldn’t afford to stack the two tasks together.

Not to mention the issue of fame—why rush and fry all the cats at once?

---

Lungmen, Near the Health Bureau—

"Thank you all for working so late. I’ll treat everyone to a meal shortly; let’s go out together."

Beatrix Swire, a Feline girl with long, curly hair, said this to the other police officers after completing her work.

"Alright!"

"Yeah!"

With Swire’s words, many police officers cheered.

Even the colleague standing next to her, Hoshiguma, couldn’t help but sigh: "Looks like we can have a few drinks tonight."

"You should drink less, Hoshiguma," Beatrix Swire reminded after hearing her words.

"What’s wrong with getting a little tipsy? By the way, are you coming?" Hoshiguma turned to her colleague Ch'en Hui-chieh, who was holding a document, and asked.

"I won’t be joining. I still have some things to take care of tonight," Ch'en shook her head, declining the invitation.

"Hmph, you never like to join us," Swire muttered, slightly annoyed but not surprised by Ch'en's response.

"Well... I’ll try not to cause any trouble," Hoshiguma quickly intervened, sensing the 'tense' atmosphere.

"Who wants to argue with her?"

Ch'en raised an eyebrow, replying indifferently.

"You..."

Chapter 6: The Price of the Key to Beatrix Schwire's House

"Then I'll head home too, Hoshiguma. Be careful on your way back," Beatrix Schwire said, watching the police officers she had taken out for dinner leave one by one. She turned to Hoshiguma, who had not left yet.

"Don’t worry, nothing's going to happen to me in Lungmen," Hoshiguma replied with a smile, scratching her head.

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

After bidding farewell to her colleagues, Swire glanced at the dark sky and began walking home.

It was already late due to overtime work, and after treating the police officers to dinner, Swire just wanted to get home quickly, take a nice bath, and lie in bed.

Since the restaurant was not far from the LGD building and the villa where Beatrix Schwire lived, and because she liked to save money when possible, she decided to walk home instead of taking a car.

However, she was so eager to get home that she didn't notice a pair of eyes following her every move.

---

Pardofelis had spent the entire afternoon gathering intelligence and purchasing supplies. After finishing, she wandered around the LGD, hoping to discover where Beatrix Schwire lived.

As for why she didn't investigate directly, Pardofelis could only say one thing—rich people are tricky...

Beatrix Schwire's family owned a lot of land in Lungmen, with properties spread across several districts. With just one afternoon of investigation, Pardofelis couldn’t pinpoint exactly where Beatrix Schwire lived. So, it was better to try her luck and follow her directly.

It took Pardofelis quite a bit of time to find her "target," waiting for Beatrix Schwire to finish overtime and dinner.

But in the end, it was worth it. Pardofelis managed to follow Swire home as she had hoped.

"Ah, I finally found it. It wasn’t easy, Can," Pardofelis whispered to herself as she watched Beatrix Schwire enter the building from the shadows.

"Meow~"

"Okay, okay, I know you’re hungry. Now that we know where she lives, let’s go. I'll get you your Can food."

Pardofelis sighed as she picked up on the meaning behind Can’s meows.

"Meow!"

"Let’s go."

With that, Pardofelis turned away and quietly left the beautifully decorated residential area.

After all, Beatrix Schwire wasn’t Pardofelis’s target tonight. She was just scouting the location and confirming the address. There were more important tasks awaiting her.

---

After filling her stomach and feeding Can, Pardofelis began her busy evening activities.

This afternoon, Pardofelis’s main target wasn’t the wealthy residents of Lungmen. Swire's was only a side investigation.

From start to finish, Pardofelis’s focus had been on the people living in the slums. She spent the afternoon using various skills to blend in with the poor, gathering information and learning about the situations there.

Compared to her previous general understanding, this time Pardofelis gained detailed insights into the slums—what had happened in different areas, who was in desperate need, who had suffered tragedies, and so on.

As for why she needed this information, it was because knowing more would help Pardofelis provide targeted assistance. Her intentions before going to bed that night weren’t just idle thoughts.

Since she thought Can’s idea was good and had adopted it, Pardofelis was determined to follow through.

Yesterday, she had received a batch of gems that she liked very much and kept. Naturally, she would take money out of her wallet to buy supplies to help those in need.

If you ask why she didn’t just give money directly, Pardofelis would explain that money can sometimes cause trouble. Of course, if there were special circumstances that required a financial solution, she would consider providing funds.

When Pardofelis delivered supplies to the slums, she took precautions to ensure her safety.

She didn’t deliver the supplies she purchased that afternoon directly. Instead, she exchanged some of them with the goods that Griseo had bought for Reunion Movement and then delivered those.

Pardofelis wasn’t foolish. If she bought and delivered supplies directly, it might go unnoticed for a while... but over time, if she bought too many things, someone with enough curiosity could track her down with just a little investigation.

But Griseo’s batch of goods was different. The origin was almost entirely from Columbia. In this case, even if the truth were revealed, there would be only suspicions, with no direct evidence.

"I never thought I would end up being Santa Claus... So tiring," Pardofelis muttered softly, wiping sweat from her forehead after quietly delivering supplies to a needy family.

"Meow~"

"Ah, why are you so relaxed, Can? Can’t you grow bigger and help out like Santa Claus's reindeer?" Pardofelis grumbled, reaching out to grab Can, who was scratching her arm.

"Meow!"

But before Pardofelis could touch a hair, Can displayed an agility inconsistent with its round body, leaping up and darting away as if truly afraid of being caught and used as a mount.

"Can, you’re so fast! Wait for me!"

Watching the fat cat disappear, Pardofelis felt a hint of helplessness in her eyes and quickly followed.

---

After being busy for most of the night and completing all the tasks she had set for herself that afternoon, Pardofelis climbed back onto the rooftop where she had rested earlier.

"Ah~ After being so busy, I’ve finally completed my goal for the night. They’ll be so happy when they see the things I left for them in the morning," Pardofelis sighed, lying on the roof and gazing up at Terra's two unique moons in the night sky.

"Meow~"

"You think so too, huh, Can?"

"Life is so good now. Even though it’s a new city, it’s so free, and there’s no worry about food or drink... but the tasks are a bit difficult to complete."

"Meow meow!"

Hearing Pardofelis’s sigh, Can meowed softly twice, waving its front paws in a gesture.

Pardofelis, understanding Can’s meaning, brightened up but then sat up and began to bargain:

"No! Twenty cans and twenty small dried fish are too much. Five cans and five small dried fish, max!"

"Meow!"

"No means no. The key to Beatrix Schwire's house is only worth that much. It’s not like I can’t open the door myself, so you’re not getting any more!"

Chapter 7: Things That Make Cats Impulsive

Pardo, who should have been resting late at night, perked up again after being reminded of Can. After a round of bargaining, she let a greedy fat cat sneak into Swire's house overnight and retrieve her key at the cost of 7 cans and 10 dried fish.

Of course, the cat didn't plan to keep the key. After getting it, she sneaked to the relevant place and made a copy of it.

"Okay, return the key, Can."

Looking at the brand new key in her hand, Pardo gently wiped Beatrix Schwire's key and tossed it to Can not far away.

"... Meow!"

Can next to her was also quite cooperative. It jumped lightly and accurately caught the key in its mouth.

But after landing, it quickly dropped the key and let it fall to the ground. It then stepped on it with a chubby paw and called out to Pardo.

"!"

"Can, I'm coming back! No, this trip back must be free, and you can't add any more cans or dried fish." Pardo listened to Can's cry and watched its series of actions, understanding its meaning, and said with a little annoyance.

"Meow!"

"No means no. We agreed on a fixed price before. If you bargain again, the canned food promised earlier will be off the table!" Looking at Can in front of her, Pardo couldn't help but play her trump card.

"... Meow~"

It was obvious that Pardo knew Can well. After she said this, although the cat was still a little reluctant, it finally compromised for the food.

Finally, the deal ended with Can returning the key, and Pardo paid 7 delicious cans plus 10 dried fish.

---

In the morning, the bright and warm sunshine evenly spread over the city, adding a touch of warmth to it. "Ah~"

"Meow~"

On the rooftop of an empty building, the cat-eared girl sitting on the mat stretched under the warm sunshine. The chubby cat beside her seemed to be affected by her and lazily stretched its back.

"Although I still want to sleep for a while, Swire should be at work by now. Let's go confirm and then head to her house." Muttering to herself, Pardo slowly stood up and packed away the mat and blanket on the ground.

"Meow~"

"Let's go, Can."

...

After Pardo left the resting place with Can, she wasn't in a hurry and didn’t go directly to Beatrix Schwire's house. Instead, she went out to buy a few things in advance and filled her stomach.

After all, whether it’s for cats or cans, eating is the most important thing in the world.

After a late breakfast, Pardo and the cat first went to the LGD to confirm that Beatrix Schwire had gone to work, then leisurely walked toward her home.

One thing Pardo had to admit: the management and security of the area where Swire lived were quite good. Of course, no matter how good it was, it still couldn't stop her.

And the surveillance here was much less than Pardo expected, probably because it wasn’t far from the Lungmen Guard Department building, and the security was pretty good... But this was just an advantage for her.

...

In a corner where no one noticed, Pardo skillfully climbed over the fence and landed in the yard of Beatrix Schwire's villa with light and silent movements.

Then, after confirming that there was no one in the villa, she went around to the main door, opened it with the key, and entered someone’s home.

"Well... this feels a little unusual."

Pardo, who entered the target’s home without picking the lock or climbing through a window, gently swished her tail, feeling a bit unreal.

In a sense, this was the first time she had entered so easily and brazenly through the front door to acquire goods...

"Forget it, let's see if there are any good things!" Without dwelling too much, Pardo quickly put aside her previous feelings and excitedly began exploring Beatrix Schwire's house.

Beatrix Schwire’s home decoration style was very fresh, with many artistic objects placed and hung around. However, Pardo didn’t find anything that interested her at first glance.

However, just when she was about to look elsewhere, her peripheral vision caught a slight reflection, which made her pause, and she walked toward it.

"Let's see what treasure this is..."

As she spoke, Pardo leaned down and reached under a retro European cabinet with many items on it.

After a while, Pardo retrieved a gem earring that was slightly dusty but still couldn't hide its brilliance.

"Wow, this is a good find. Hehe, since I found it, it's mine."

With that, Pardo took out a small handkerchief with a cat print and carefully wiped the earring clean, then skillfully placed it into her treasure chest.

"It's a pity to find a treasure right at the beginning. Let's go, Can; we’ll explore the rest later."

"Meow~"

After the collection +1, Pardo decided to stop exploring Swire's house.

One reason was that She wasn’t greedy and knew when to stop. The other was because there was still a long way to go. In addition to this time, she would have to come at least 9 more times... If she explored everything at once, it would be less fun.

Then, after carefully wiping away any traces of her visit, Pardo quickly left with Can.

And for the remaining 9 visits, the cat intended to complete them as quickly and carefully as possible.

As for why she wanted to do it as soon as possible, it was, of course, because Pardo had some gems she wanted from Sister Eden... If there were any more...

However, Pardo judged based on her own experience that Eden should have brought some things when she unlocked her.

Speaking of which, when it came to acquiring items from Swire's house, Pardo felt a little regretful. It was a pity that the definition of "home" in the system task was too narrow.

Otherwise, if all the properties of Beatrix Schwire's family were considered home, then Pardo would definitely have started with one thing: the expensive piano worth 1.8 million Lungmen coins in the Square.

Of course, the reason Pardo wanted to take this piano wasn't because she liked it or because of its value, but simply because she wanted to.

Because the fate of this piano in the game wasn’t very good—it was used as a bunker and sacrificed heroically in the battle between LGD and Reunion Movement...

It could be said that 1.8 million was blown up in an instant.

This made Pardo extremely heartbroken... Although she knew it was almost impossible for this to happen again with Griseo around, she still felt a little impulsive when she saw the piano...

Chapter 8: Moving the Cat's Nest and the [Rat King]

After leaving Swire's house, Pardo didn’t stay idle. In addition to secretly purchasing a batch of supplies, she continued to gather as much information as possible about the various forces in Lungmen, both openly and covertly.

Of course, when purchasing supplies, Pardo remained vigilant. If anyone asked, she would always tell them that her [boss] had asked her to buy them. As for the purpose, she claimed not to know.

As for why the cat did this while mingling with the batch of supplies from Griseo... One could only say that it was better to have one more layer of protection than none.

...

As people busied themselves and stayed focused, time passed quickly, and soon they welcomed the day's sunset.

"Finally off work."

After a busy and fulfilling day, Beatrix Schwire dragged her slightly tired body home quickly.

Upon arriving home, the first thing she did was stand by the cabinet, take off the earrings she was wearing, and place them on the small plate on the cabinet for temporary storage.

"Come to think of it, did I lose a gem earring here before?" Swire muttered softly as she removed her accessories and looked at the cabinet in front of her.

"Forget it, it's not very important. I'll have the cleaning lady help find it next time."

Swire didn't dwell on this small incident and was soon distracted by other things. After all, she was hungry and tired from work.

---

While collecting intelligence over the next few days, Pardo also set many goals and began to execute them. After all, she couldn't just advance the second task and abandon her own exclusive weapon.

Of course, the Lungmen organizations and forces targeted by Pardo were not very clean.

Not only that, except for a few things she liked, most of what she acquired were stolen goods or items of dubious origin.

The reason why Pardo chose this was simple—still out of caution.

If she stole something of legitimate origin, regardless of whether it violated her "morality" or whether she would face retaliation, the possibility of being targeted by official organizations was almost 100%.

Pardo didn't want to confront the police or official organizations at all. Not only would it be troublesome, but she couldn't fight back. Even if it was because of Swire, she didn't want to face them in the first place.

If she stole something of illegitimate origin, there would be no worries in this regard, because the organizations that lost things would most likely not call the police.

At most, they would conduct private investigations and seek revenge, but this was what Pardo was least afraid of now.

What a joke—regardless of whether those people could catch her, even if they did, she was now protected by Boss Senti.

In this way, in just a few days, the "goods" of two underground organizations were lost, and the poor in the slums received the second, third, and fourth batches of material assistance.

And Pardo's reputation as a "good-hearted person" spread widely in the slums during these few days.

"Let's go, Can. Let's change places today. We won't stay here anymore." As she said this, Pardo slowly sat up, stretched her body, and then waved to Can beside her.

"Meow~" Hearing this, Can wasn't shy and quickly ran over in a few steps to perch on Pardo's shoulder.

"You ask why? Of course, it's because someone is watching us, and it's not safe to stay here at night. I don't want to take a short break and see the enemy as soon as I open my eyes." After hearing Can's cry, Pardo explained helplessly.

"Let's go, hold on tight."

After saying that, Pardo suddenly sprinted and rushed downstairs with her chubby Can.

"Meow!"

After leaving their resting place of the past few days, Pardo wasn’t in a hurry to leave the slums but found a hotel and slipped in first.

As for why she parked the car on a familiar road, it was because Pardo often came here now. Although the weather hadn't been hot recently, she would sweat a little from being busy, so she would sneak over to take a shower and get dressed these days.

Of course, Pardo paid for it. She didn’t pay in the past because she didn’t have the money or the means, so she just snuck in. But now that she had the means, she naturally paid.

However, the payment method... may not have been conventional.

After washing up and getting dressed, Pardo quietly left the slums in new clothes.

Today or later, she planned to move to another place to rest, because, as she said before... someone was targeting her, and this person was troublesome.

And the one who made Pardo feel troubled and caused her to move was the [Rat King], one of the most powerful gangsters in Lungmen, whose real name was Lin Kojui.

Although the Rat King was a gangster, the people in the slums respected him immensely. Additionally, he had his own spies all over Lungmen, so Pardo's two thefts against "black and gray forces" and four instances of helping the poor were all reported to him.

Suddenly, with such a "variable" appearing, the [Rat King] naturally had to investigate it carefully. He needed to confirm whether it posed a threat to Lungmen. If it did, further investigation would be necessary.

However, what made Pardo most wary was not the [Rat King's] power and position in Lungmen, his spies, etc., but his connections with other bigwigs in Lungmen.

For example, Wei Yenwu, the highest authority in the city and the leader of the Lungmen Guard Department, or the boss of Penguin Logistics, [Emperor], from whom Pardo had stolen some time ago...

Pardo didn't think it was a big deal to deal with these people individually. There were some problems and troubles, but nothing too significant.

What she was really afraid of was if these three sat together in a bar, drinking, calling each other brothers, and then, when finding clues, directly joined forces!

This would be really bad for Pardofelis!

Although Pardo didn’t believe these people could catch her together—after all, she was a first-class escape artist—in such a scenario, the mission would definitely not be accomplished.

Unless she bit the bullet and kept bouncing back and forth between acquiring goods, imprisonment, and escaping...

So, to avoid this situation, Pardo planned to be more careful and vigilant to prevent more of her information from being discovered. At the same time, she also intended to speed up the mission's progress.

Otherwise, given the current situation, the longer the mission was delayed, the harder it would be to complete...

Chapter 9: Rumors and the Emperor's Discovery

In the Lungmen Guard Department, an office—

"Ch'en, have you heard about that rumor going around lately?"

Hoshiguma, who was standing by, noticed that her friend and colleague had finished processing the documents on the table. She hurried over to ask.

"Rumor... which one do you mean?"

Hearing this, Ch'en was slightly taken aback, then turned her head to look at the person next to her.

"Where else? Of course, in the slums. You must have heard about it recently."

"Oh, you mean the 'kind-hearted person' the people have been talking about? Yes, I've heard something." Ch'en nodded slightly, understanding the context, and replied.

"What do you make of it?" Hoshiguma blinked curiously and asked.

"Although it’s a bit strange, nothing harmful has happened, so there’s not much to think about." As she spoke, Ch'en glanced back at the desk, checking for any missing documents.

Ch'en had indeed heard about the matter while on a recent undercover mission. She even looked into it a bit.

However, after asking around, the only information she gathered was that this "good-hearted person" was leaving gifts in the middle of the night, which was strange. No one had reported any related incidents to the LGD in the past few days, so she hadn’t given it much attention.

"True, but I can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t as simple as it seems. Forget it, maybe I’m just overthinking. You get back to work." After saying that, Hoshiguma touched her nose and returned to her position with a helpless sigh.

---

Penguin Logistics—

"It looks like you’ve got some work ahead of you!"

The [Emperor], seated in the boss's chair, propped his head up with one flipper and pushed the information on the table toward the employees in front of him.

Hearing their boss's words, the four employees called to the meeting picked up the documents on the table and huddled together to review them.

"Alright, got it. We’ll investigate."

Texas, the Emperor's top employee who finished reading the intelligence first, handed the documents to Exusiai and nodded to the penguin in front of her.

Unlike the stoic team leader, Exusiai was fully engaged after reading the information. She turned to the Emperor with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"So, if you're showing us this, it means that even if there’s no solid evidence, this person is highly suspicious, right?"

"Yes, the timing is too coincidental."

"Good, I hope I catch this person. If I do, they’ll have to repay me double for my stolen snacks!" Exusiai clenched her fist with determination.

"Seriously, Exu, you're still hung up on those snacks? I could just buy you some later when I'm out, my treat." Hearing her friend’s words, Croissant scratched her head with a helpless expression and suggested.

"No, it’s not the same!"

"Well... as long as you're happy."

As for what kind of information suddenly energized the group at Penguin Logistics? It was, of course, what Pardo had done over the past few days.

If it had been the Rat King or Wei Yenwu, even if they connected the thefts to the slums, they probably wouldn’t have figured out the pattern.

But the Emperor was different... Others only knew about two thefts, but he was well aware there were three, including the one from his own stash.

And he believed that if he wasn’t mistaken, there might have been another theft he didn’t know about.

After all, the pattern was quite obvious. One theft corresponded to one act of help. It didn’t make sense that the thief had only stolen three times but helped four times.

However... Even though it was unclear who this thief was or what organization was behind them, the Emperor didn’t care.

With clues and a direction, it was only a matter of time before he found the culprit.

And if they encountered any troublesome organizations, they could always cooperate with those old contacts to resolve it...

---

A prosperous commercial street in Longmen—

Walking along the roadside, Pardo held a bunch of snacks in her hands. After happily taking a bite of the meatball in her hand, she handed it skillfully to Can beside her and said:

"Mmm, this is pretty tasty. You should try it, Can."

"Meow!"

Faced with the delicious food offered to him, Can didn’t hesitate and took a big bite, eating happily.

Recently, to avoid drawing attention, Pardo hadn’t been staying in the slums. So today, in addition to collecting intelligence, eating, drinking, and having fun as usual, she was scouting for her next hideout.

Since the cat needed to keep acquiring goods, she hoped her next hideout would be as discreet as possible, hidden in plain sight.

Finally, although it took Pardo a lot of time, she found a place that was somewhat satisfactory and made it her new temporary base.

"Oh, I can finally sleep in the sun again."

Pardo, who had secretly climbed onto someone else's rooftop, lay down comfortably in the sunlight and said lazily.

"Meow~"

"You think so too, Can."

Planning to continue her acquisitions in the afternoon, Pardo decided to take a good rest now to recharge.

Because she was being watched by the "big players" and the people in the slums, Pardo’s progress on her first task had already surpassed the halfway mark.

Given the situation, to be safe, Pardo planned to target only the less risky, straightforward jobs for the remainder.

Of course, to ensure the perfect completion of her final task—and for her own personal reasons—Pardo was planning something big before the mission was over... She intended to sneak into Square and 'purchase' the piano she had been dreaming of worth 1.8 million.

As for whether she would return the piano? Pardo hadn’t decided yet. But one thing was certain: the 1.8 million must at least pass through her hands. Otherwise, she would feel it had all been a waste!

Chapter 10: Swire's Suspicion

Pardo, who was basking in the sun at the new place, squinted her eyes and stretched lazily, muttering softly:

"Ah~ It's almost time; it's time to act."

"Meow~"

"Huh? Can, why are you hungry again? Didn't you just finish eating not long ago?" After hearing the cry of the can beside her and understanding its meaning, Pardo said helplessly.

"Meow meow!"

Hearing this, the can beside her stomped its chubby little paws and shouted in dissatisfaction.

"Okay, okay, let's go buy some food."

"Meow~"

"Let's go!"

After the voice fell, Pardo moved quickly and skillfully.

Today is different from the previous two days. Pardo did not look for a new target but planned to visit Swire's home again. After all, she had neglected the place a little to complete the first task over the past two days. Now that she was free, she would naturally go and patronize it.

...

After going around in circles, Pardo finally arrived at the yard of the destination.

"Can, because I didn't go to the LGD to check the situation in advance, as I wanted to buy you food, go in and help me investigate." Pardo turned her head and looked at the fat cat standing on her shoulder, pointing to the yard of Swire's house.

Usually, when Pardo came to Swire's house to 'purchase' goods, she would go to the LGD in advance to confirm Swire's situation. This time, because it was not on the way, she did not go.

However, the movement of the target person is not very important to Pardofelis; after all, as long as Swire is not at home, it is not a big problem.

And now that they have arrived at the destination, the task of investigation naturally falls on the "culprit."

"Meow~"

After listening to Pardo's words, the can that was fed to 80% full gently shook its tail, then used its claws to lightly cross the fence and landed in Swire's yard.

——————————————

On the other side—

"This mission is really terrible. Let's go. I'll take the man back to the station with you." Swire looked at the prisoner being pressed by the police in front of her, and then at her clothes stained with large patches of dirt, and said with some distress.

"Yes!"

After listening to Swire's orders, the surrounding police officers nodded one after another and then pressed the prisoner into the police car.

"Ah..."

Swire watched the situation around her. After everyone got in the car, she followed behind and got in the car carefully.

......

"I'll leave the prisoner to you, Ch'en, for interrogation. I'll go back to take a shower and change clothes."

After escorting the prisoner back safely with the police officers, Swire finally couldn't stand it anymore. She asked Ch'en in the office for help and left without delay.

In fact, Swire is not a person with severe mysophobia. Additionally, she is a senior superintendent and has been on many missions, so her tolerance for dirt is not low.

However, the dirt that accidentally got on her body during this mission was not only dirty but also had a faint smell. This was what she couldn't stand the most.

After all, although she didn't want to inherit the family business, Beatrix Schwire was at least a well-educated young lady.

Before, she could bear to go back to the LGD with the police officers to press the prisoner, which was entirely out of responsibility and diligence. Now that the mission is complete, she naturally can't wait to go back and deal with it.

——————————————

Outside the villa of Schwire's family—

"What's the situation?"

Looking at the can standing on the wall, Pardo asked in a low voice.

"Meow~"

"It's good that there's no one. Then I'll go in too."

After understanding what the can meant, Pardo no longer hesitated. She climbed over the fence in front of her with a light footstep and entered the yard of Swire.

After entering the yard, Pardo went straight to the goal, then opened the door of Swire's house with ease and slipped in lightly.

Of course, as a polite person, Pardofelis also closed the door of the villa after entering to prevent anyone from discovering anything unusual from the outside.

After entering, Pardo began to stroll around and observe the layout of the villa. Last time, she found the treasure too quickly, so fast that she didn't even carefully observe other places in the villa.

It was not until she had a rough walk around the whole house that Pardofelis began to really buy goods.

This time, Pardo's target was Swire's room on the second floor. Based on her many years of experience, she knew that the owner's room must have a lot of treasures!

Although Pardofelis knew that it was not polite to go straight to someone else's boudoir, she was here to buy goods, so she didn't care about this.

After pushing the door and entering Swire's large room with fresh decoration, Pardo began to visit and look around.

Because now is not the past, Pardofelis is not here for money, so she did not turn over other people's things but only observed and looked at the visible items in the room with her eyes.

However, she didn't find anything she liked very much after a quick glance, so Pardo quickly moved her eyes away from the large number of visible items on the surface and slowly looked towards the corner of the room.

At this moment, she noticed a very familiar tail that was slightly shaking under the bed in the room.

"Can, did you find anything?"

As she said, Pardo walked over with a curious expression, then bent down and looked under the bed.

......

"Finally home, I can't stand it anymore. I need to take a shower quickly." Swire, standing at the gate of her yard, muttered while unlocking the door with the key.

"Click..."

After the door was opened, Swire didn't stop at all, closed the door with her backhand, and walked towards her house.

After experiencing the torture of going home again, her patience had reached its limit. Next, she opened the door, closed the door, and went upstairs in one go.

However, the moment Swire held the door handle to open her room, a special smell came from the room, which made her slightly stunned.

However, before she could think more, a faint, disgusting smell drifted out from the dirt on her clothes, making her pinch her nose.

At this moment, although it was a bit unbearable to smell this, Swire temporarily suppressed the urge to change clothes and looked at her room seriously and vigilantly. Swire was in a hurry when she came up from downstairs, so she didn't pay attention.

But the clear and unfamiliar smell that hit her the moment she opened the door made her wonder if something had entered the room...

Chapter 1

Senti: "You're the one who's stupid and rich! Your whole family is stupid and rich!"

As night fell, the city gradually donned its neon coat, appearing lively and prosperous.

A beautiful girl with long gray hair and red eyes was standing on the street at that moment, shouting, "Wow, I'm really angry. That guy Mobius dared to tease me!"

"If you can't win the argument, Senti, don't get close to me next time. Also, we should find a place to stay," Hua said with a helpless tone, looking at the angry Senti beside her.

"?"

"Old timer, I could've won the argument! I just didn't take it seriously!" Senti, already upset, became completely furious after hearing Hua's "comfort."

"Uh..."

"Hmph!"

...

Finally, Hua spent some time coaxing Senti and then took her to find a hotel to stay in.

Although Lungmen wasn't the final destination of their trip, they still planned to spend some time here before moving on.

So, in this situation, it was more important to find a reliable place to stay.

…

In the hotel——

"Ah, the bed here is quite soft!"

After entering the hotel room, Senti took a look around and then threw herself onto one of the beds.

Hua, who was standing nearby, saw this and just smiled helplessly.

"Speaking of which, are you going out tonight, old timer?"

After rolling on the bed, Senti looked up at Hua and asked.

"No, I plan to rest a bit tonight. If you want to go out, Senti, go ahead," Hua replied calmly, gently shaking her head.

"Tsk, since you're not going, the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience will go out and inspect the place." With that, Senti quickly sat up from the bed.

Unlike someone who was "old and arrogant," Senti had finally arrived in Lungmen. If she didn't take advantage of the night to have a good walk, it would be a shame for the journey she had made.

"Well, have fun."

After listening to Senti's words, Hua nodded gently and then remembered something, adding, "Don't go to chaotic places, and don't cause trouble."

"I know, I know, you're so naggy, old timer."

After Senti agreed perfunctorily a few times, as if afraid of more nagging, she quickly rushed to the door.

"I'm leaving!"

"Bang—"

"Alas..."

Looking at the closed door, Hua sighed helplessly.

————————————————

After leaving the hotel alone, Senti felt something was missing around her, but she was still very happy to stroll around the bustling streets of Lungmen.

There were so many things that dazzled her, and some things even caught her eye and she liked them.

Since she had plenty of money, Senti didn't hold back. She bought everything she liked as long as the price wasn't particularly outrageous, even in doubles.

As for why it was double... of course, she wanted to take some back to show some to the old timer.

"Huh?"

Walking along with her bags full of purchases, Senti suddenly felt something and stopped in her tracks, looking around with a puzzled expression.

But after looking around, she didn't find anything unusual except for the passing pedestrians.

"Is it an illusion? Forget it."

Although Senti trusted her intuition, after not finding anything unusual, she didn't dwell on it.

After all, she didn't think there was anyone in this city who could hurt her... and even if there was, she could just go back to find the old timer.

Soon, Senti put this small incident behind her and continued shopping.

Speaking of which, although her outing tonight was mostly aimless wandering, there were actually some things she had planned to buy before heading out. For example, trendy clothes suitable for both her and old timer.

Although Senti already had the casual clothes she was wearing, which she had bought elsewhere, she had never been satisfied with these clothes.

In her own words, how could such ordinary clothes match the temperament of the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience!

Not to mention Fu Hua—although Senti admitted that she looked good in the robes she always wore, after so long, she was tired of them... she wanted to buy some new clothes for her.

While strolling, Senti came across many clothing stores and got what she wanted, buying lots of clothes that she thought looked very stylish.

"🎵~"

After walking around for a long time and confirming there was nothing else she wanted to buy, Senti, in a good mood, hummed a little tune and headed back along the brightly lit streets.

However, when passing through a busy street crowded with people, a girl with her head down accidentally bumped into Senti, who was carrying a lot of bags.

"Sorry!"

The girl who bumped into Senti quickly apologized and disappeared into the crowd before Senti could react.

"That's really interesting!"

Senti watched the girl's disappearing back, a light flashing in her scarlet eyes, and she couldn't help but smile, as if she had found something intriguing.

...

Somewhere in a dark alley in Lungmen's slums—

"Hehe, it's rare to go there, but I didn't expect to meet someone so stupid and rich, and it was so easy to get away with it."

"And this wallet is so ugly."

In the dark alley, a girl with long purple hair and a pair of rabbit ears on her head, Rope, flipped through a wallet with a special brick pattern and complained.

"Wow, there's so much money. It seems I won't need to steal for a while." After taking out all the money in the wallet and counting it, the girl couldn't help but sigh. Just as she was about to put the money in her pocket and toss the ugly wallet aside, a white hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, and an angry voice quietly sounded in her ear.

"You're the one who's stupid and rich! Your whole family is stupid and rich! And how can you call this wallet ugly? I designed it with great effort!"

"!"

This sudden change startled the Cautus girl. She instinctively tried to shake off the hand holding her wrist but was soon horrified to find that she couldn't break free.

"You..."

Just when Senti wanted to say something, the familiar electronic sound of the system in her mind suddenly interrupted her.

[Ding, (Calico Reviere) Pardofelis, unlocking, current progress 1%.]

“?”

Chapter 2: The Correct Way to Use the Phrase "Ignorant of the Times"

"?"

After hearing the system's prompt, Senti was surprised. But after thinking about it, she realized it was indeed reasonable.

After all, one was a habitual thief in the slums of Lungmen, and the other was a habitual thief on the talented filled Sundown Alley...

"I was wrong, I'll return the wallet to you right now!" The girl—no, she should be called Rope—stared at the person in front of her, her expression constantly changing, and said hurriedly.

"Huh? Do you think this matter can be solved so easily? You tasteless person." Senti quickly snapped out of her thoughts and responded unhappily.

Hearing this, Rope's face changed. She tried to pull her hand back again, only to find that it was still motionless, unable to be shaken free. So, she said in a slightly flattering tone, "Then, how do you want to resolve this?"

"Well... say loudly three times that the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience is the smartest and has great taste!" Senti thought for a moment and then responded seriously.

"Uh..."

After hearing this request, Rope looked at her with a strange expression.

Clearly, this was the first time she had heard this kind of odd request.

"What, you don't want to?"

"No, no, no, how could that be? If the Miss likes it, I'll shout!"

Seeing Senti's gradually unfriendly eyes, Rope quickly relented: "The great Herrscher of Sentience is the smartest and has a great taste!"

"That voice is too soft. Speak louder!"

"The great Herrscher of Sentience is the smartest and has a great taste!" ×2 (very loud)

"That's more like it."

Satisfied, Senti nodded approvingly.

"Then... I've given this back. Can I leave now?"

Rope, seeing Senti’s satisfied expression, tried her luck by carefully handed over the money and the empty wallet.

Hearing this, Senti first took the items and put them away, then said with surprise, "Ha, when did I say I would let you go?"

As she spoke, a special brick with the same pattern as the one on the wallet quietly formed in Senti's free hand.

"You...ah."

Before Rope could finish her protest, the Brick Divine Key in Senti's hand [Infinite Intimidator] struck her on the head, causing her to faint instantly.

"As expected, still ignorant of the current situation." Senti caught the falling Rope with one hand and tossed the brick in her other hand, sighing.

Of course, Senti didn’t strike Rope hard. She merely used her ability to put her to sleep, causing no harm.

As for why she did this...

In addition to wanting a bit of revenge for someone’s "rude words," the main reason was to unlock the character.

Compared to dealing with a conscious and thoughtful person for hours or even days to slowly unlock them, Senti now preferred this simple and rough method.

After glancing around and looking at Rope, Senti finally decided to contact someone first.

'Old timer, I won’t be coming back tonight. I put the things in the system space. If you need them, take them yourself.'

'Ah... you.'

Because of their mutual understanding, even without Senti explaining, Hua knew what had happened to her, or rather, what she had done...

But precisely because of this, Hua felt so helpless.

'Take care of yourself, and deal with Rope... You're currently in the slums of Lungmen, full of all kinds of people. If you leave someone there casually, something will happen.'

'I know, you don’t need to remind me, old timer, I’m not a child!'

'Yes, Senti is no longer a child...'

'That sounds so perfunctory, but I’m serious!"

After arguing with Hua, Senti finally stopped being so ignorant of the current situation, picked up Rope, and slowly left the dark alley.

————————————————

The next morning, as the sun slowly rose, golden sunlight fell on the earth.

“Hmm…!”

Rope opened her eyes slowly, confused. Until she saw the blue sky, she suddenly reacted and sat up quickly.

The first thing she did was check her head… because her last memory from the previous night was of being attacked.

“Huh… I’m not injured fortunately. I don’t have money to see a doctor.” After checking her body and confirming she was fine and had no wounds, Rope let out a sigh of relief.

“But this is… Wait, what is this!?”

Just as Rope regained her senses and looked around, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar “ugly thing”—the wallet.

Although Rope didn’t quite understand why the object that caused her to pass out was still there, she hesitated for a moment and reached out for it.

However, when she got hold of it, she couldn’t help but be stunned.

Although she hadn’t opened the wallet, the weight and years of experience told Rope that there was something inside.

She was silent for a moment, looked around carefully, and after confirming there was no danger or prying eyes, she cautiously opened the wallet in her hand.

Then, what caught her eye was a stack of money and a note.

"Gulp..."

Looking at the stack of money, Rope couldn’t help but swallow. But in the end, she held back and chose to pick up the note first.

[When you see this note, the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience should have already left. The money and wallet are given to you as compensation for making you sleep outside for a night.]

[By the way, use this wallet well. If you dare to throw it away, no matter where you are, I will retrieve it and give you another one!]

————The great Miss Herrscher of Sentience, please take care.

“…”

After reading the note, Rope stared at the ugly wallet in her hand and fell into complete silence.

How should she put it? When she saw [I’ll give you the money], she was ecstatic, but when she saw [I’ll give you another one], she thought of her experience last night, and her hands began to tremble.

“How could there be such a strange person… Forget it, just treat it as a not-so-good-looking gift.” Rope, having collected herself, muttered helplessly.

“But… this should be the first gift I’ve received, right?” Saying that, Rope stood up, put the note back into the wallet, and then carefully tucked the wallet away.

After doing all this, she turned around and left the place.

Chapter 3: Pardofelis' New Life Goal

"Old timer, I'm back."

After returning to the hotel room, Senti waved to Hua, who was sitting by the French window, drinking tea.

"Well, welcome back."

Hua set down the teacup in her hand and smiled at her.

"Hey, just one night later, I unlocked Pardofelis." Senti said, with an expression that clearly expected praise, as she also sat by the French window.

"Well, Senti did very well." Hua glanced at Senti and poured her a cup of tea while praised her slowly and skillfully.

"Of course!"

After hearing Hua's words, Senti nodded with satisfaction. She picked up the teacup in front of her and drank the tea.

"..."

Watching the childish Senti in front of her, Hua shook her head helplessly and then softly said, "Since you're back, let's summon Pardo."

"Okay."

P

Hearing this, Senti nodded gently. She had no objections to Hua's suggestion.

After all, she didn’t dislike Pardofelis. In fact, she even wanted her to "betray" Kevin and become her little sister.

As Senti focused her thoughts, a faint light appeared in the room, and soon, a figure that both of them were very familiar with appeared before them.

"Hey, long time no see, Hua!"

"Meow~"

"Long time no see, Pardo. You still have Can."

Hua looked at the girl and her cat, both smiling and greeting her, and responded softly.

"?"

"What about me!?"

Just as the conversation was flowing harmoniously, Senti, who felt she was being ignored, couldn’t stand it anymore. She slapped the table and looked at Pardo, speaking up.

"Oh, look at my memory. Senti, right? Let me introduce myself. My name is Pardofelis. You can call me Pardo or Felis, whichever you prefer."

Even though she already knew the person in front of her, Pardo still introduced herself seriously, out of courtesy and a desire to build a good relationship.

"What Senti? You should call me the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience!" Senti corrected her, somewhat dissatisfied.

"Uh... that title is fine too."

Facing Senti’s correction, Pardo blinked her beautiful heterochromatic eyes and agreed.

To her, it was just a title, and she didn’t care at all.

"Hmm? Then call me that, let me hear it!"

Senti, who had been rejected many times when it came to titles, was stunned by Pardo's acceptance. She then looked at her with bright eyes.

"Great Miss Herrscher of Sentience? Actually, I think that title is pretty cool..."

"Isn’t it? I think so too, but even the old timer doesn’t want to call me that."

"Maybe it’s because Hua is more introverted?"

Hua quietly sipped tea and watched the two "children" who got along so well, with a hint of helplessness and amusement in her eyes.

————————————————

Eventually, despite Senti’s reluctance, Pardo still chose to part ways with her.

The reason was likely that she preferred the freedom of not having to consider others' wellbeing.

Of course, since they got along so well, before leaving, Senti not only promised to protect Pardo but also gave her a few outfits she had bought the day before.

In fact, out of concern for her new "little sister's" safety, Senti even gave her [Infinite Intimidator] for self-defense.

Thanks to the gift, Pardo didn’t hesitate to address Senti, starting from "Senti," then "the great Miss Herrscher of Sentience," and finally, just "Boss," which made Senti very happy.

"It's a strange, yet grand city! There must be a lot of goods here." Walking through the streets of Lungmen and gazing at the tall buildings around her, Pardo couldn’t help but sigh.

Although she was no longer short of food or money, she still wanted to explore this prosperous city that had once existed only in the game.

"But instead of strolling here, Can, let's head to the slums first."

"Meow~"

...

Pardo then spent almost the entire day getting a rough idea of the distribution and general situation of each area in Lungmen.

As for why it was only a rough idea, it was because Pardo’s time and focus today were mainly on exploring the slums.

After all, compared to the unfamiliar urban areas with tall buildings and prosperity, the dirty and chaotic slums felt more familiar and comfortable to Pardo.

However, after personally exploring it, Pardo clearly realized how terrible the situation was in the slums here... It's one thing to be dirty and messy, but it's a mixed bag, with all sorts of people and events...

What she saw and heard today made Pardo secretly make a decision in her heart.

That is, once she has money and resources, she will help those in need here, to the best of her ability. Just like "Pardo Felice" helped those in need on [Dusk Street] in her memory.

"Speaking of which, since I’ve crossed over to another world, shouldn’t I expand my life goals?"

Pardo, who was sitting on the roof of a building, looking at the false stars in the sky, suddenly seemed to think of something, and then whispered.

"Meow~~"

"Ah, Can, you think I should expand them too? Let me see." As she spoke, Pardo took out the treasure box that had appeared when she unlocked the space, and then retrieved a small notebook titled "Pardofelis: Life Achievements Overview."

Pardo opened the book, looked at the original life goals of "Pardofelis," and said to herself:

"The last few may be tough to complete, but the earlier ones can be reset."

After saying this, Pardo began to mark the completed goals, like [Collect all patterns of coins] and [Collect all kinds of instant canned food], as unfinished.

"Alright, I have new goals! Now, let’s get to work, Can."

After making the changes, Pardo snapped the book shut, stood up excitedly, and pointed at the bustling city before her, speaking to the cat beside her.

"Meow!"

Hearing this, the chubby Can next to her meowed in response, then jumped onto Pardo's shoulder, looking ready.

"Hold on tight, Can. Let’s go."

And so, Pardofelis began her journey of collecting and purchasing in the prosperous city of Lungmen.

Chapter 4: Exusai: "Where are my snacks?"

At night, on a quiet and deserted street, an off-road vehicle was parked silently.

"We got the goods, let's head back." A short-haired red angel girl with a halo on her head, a Sakota, smiled and shook the box in her hand, speaking to her companions who were waiting against the car door.

"Alright, get in the car."

The Lupo girl leaning against the car door responded, then turned around, opened the door, and sat in the driver's seat.

"I'm coming."

With that, the red-haired girl skillfully walked to the other side, opened the car door, and got in.

The car quickly started and left the deserted street in a flash.

However, no one noticed that after the car drove away, a figure landed lightly and silently where the car had been parked.

...

At this moment, in the car that was driving away—

"It's rare for you, Exusai, to be the one picking up the goods today. How does it feel?" The girl with orange horns, sitting in the back seat, asked the short-haired redhead in the passenger seat with a smile.

"It feels okay, but if the [light] on top of my head could be turned off, I think it would feel better." After saying this, the red-haired girl, called Exusai, spread her hands helplessly.

Usually, Exusai is responsible for covering her companions and almost never gets a turn to carry the goods. This time because the cargo was relatively small, so she suddenly wanted to try it.

"It is indeed a bit dazzling at night."

Hearing this, the orange-haired girl glanced at the dazzling halo on Exusai's head and nodded.

...

It took some time for the three of them to return to their logistics company, [Penguin Logistics], with the goods they picked up tonight. In fact, under normal circumstances, except for special orders, they usually don't bring the goods back to the company because most of the time, they arrange the time in advance and deliver the goods directly.

This time, it happened to be a special order, so the goods were temporarily stored at [Penguin Logistics] to be delivered later.

"Ah~ Since the stuff have been stored, I'm going to rest." After leaving the storage room, Croissant yawned and spoke to her partners.

"Me too... I suddenly felt a little sleepy when I saw you yawning, Croissant." As if infected, the Exusai standing next to her couldn't help yawning.

"It's time to rest."

"...."

After chatting for a few more moments, everyone soon went their separate ways, as they were tired after a long day.

As for why no one was on guard at night... it was simply unnecessary. Although [Penguin Logistics] is not a large enterprise and has few staff, as an underground logistics organization capable of delivering anything, the relationships and interests behind it are complex, and it has its own private armed forces.

Under these circumstances, there are almost no people who dare to steal or destroy the place. Even if there are, they would be held accountable or even hunted down.

So, after storing the goods in the corresponding safes according to classification, those who went on the mission went back to rest with peace of mind.

However, this is only under normal circumstances...

In the dead of night, when it was pitch black, a figure appeared in the Penguin Logistics building quietly and stealthily.

"It's really hard to follow..."

The owner of the figure muttered in a low voice, then looked around with eyes that emitted a faint light in the dark, carefully searching.

As for who this figure was, sneaking into [Penguin Logistics] at night, it was, of course, Pardo, who had sneaked in to purchase goods at night...

However, in fact, Pardofelis did not intend to 'purchase goods' at first; she was collecting coins she had never seen before.

But the halo above someone's head was too conspicuous in the dark, and it immediately attracted Pardo, who happened to be nearby at the time...

Then Pardofelis couldn't help eavesdropping and became very interested in the goods mentioned by Exusai. So, this trip to purchase goods was born.

But although it was easy to say, it really took Pardo a lot of effort to follow them here.

...

"Hmm..."

Pardo, who avoided various warnings and blurred the cameras, was now looking at a row of safes in front of her, deep in thought.

If it were an ordinary lock, it wouldn't be difficult for Pardofelis. But a password lock would take some effort... and she wasn't sure at all which safe contained the [goods] brought back by the Exusai tonight.

"Forget it, just pick one at random."

After thinking for a while, Pardo gave up pondering. She looked at the row of safes in front of her, picked one at random, and stuffed it directly into her space.

What a joke. In the past, it would have been difficult for Pardofelis to take a row of heavy safes because it was inconvenient to carry them away. But now, she's different from before. She has a system space!

As for why she didn't take them all...

Of course, it was simply because Pardo was afraid she would overstock and be hunted down by Emperor, the boss of [Penguin Logistics], later.

Pardofelis knows her own strength. She's not as modest as Sister Snake and the others, but she's really weak. The weakest Flamechaser, are you kidding me?

Although Boss Senti said he would protect her, it's impossible for people to stay in Longmen forever, so she decided to leave a way out for next time.

After choosing a safe to put into her system space, Pardo continued to explore the large room where the goods were stored.

However, because there were many safes, she didn't find any rare items outside.

Finally, after confirming that there were no shiny and bright things she liked in the places she could access in this building, Pardo simply collected her tail, took some snacks from the table in the accommodation area, and quietly left [Penguin Logistics].

After leaving [Penguin Logistics], Pardofelis did not relax immediately. Instead, she headed straight to the slums with a cautious target... Compared to handling [goods] in the bustling city, she still prefers to handle them in the "small corner."

What's more, the things she acquired this time might make a lot of noise when handled.

...

Penguin Logistics, Employee Accommodation Area——

"...?"

When Exusai got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, she stopped and rubbed her eyes subconsciously when she saw the empty table in the living room with the help of the halo above her head.

However, no matter how many times she rubbed her eyes... when she opened them again, she still saw only an empty table.

"...!?"

Chapter 5: The Thief’s Wool

Penguin Logistics—

"So, I wasn't here last night, and Penguin Logistics got robbed? Or are you saying the goods you brought back yesterday were so important?"

At this moment, a penguin wearing a large short-sleeved shirt, a knitted hat, and glasses asked, addressing the employees in front of him.

"Yes, and the thief’s target was very clear—they were after yesterday's goods," the Lupo girl Texas, who was standing aside, answered carefully.

"Not only that, I think this person had been watching the goods for some time. Their intelligence and physical fitness must be strong," added Croissant standing beside her.

"Otherwise, it would have been impossible to identify the exact location of the cargo without disturbing the other safes. They took that specific storage safe and left silently."

Listening to the analysis of her companions, Exusai sitting on the side couldn't help but interject: "So, why did that powerful thief take the snacks I just bought as well?"

"This is indeed strange. I haven’t encountered something like this in a long time." Facing the report from his employees, Emperor knocked on the table with his fins or hands and said, "However, no matter who it is, since they dared to provoke Penguin Logistics, we must find them and make them pay the price!"

"..."

---

On the other side—

In the early morning, Pardo found a safe place to hide the cargo in the poor area, where she could rest comfortably on the roof in the sunlight.

"Yesterday was definitely worth it; I hit the jackpot!"

Speaking while lying on the roof in the sun, Pardo took out a gorgeous gemstone from her storage space and admired it in the light.

"Meow~"

To be honest, before she opened the safe last night, Pardo had no idea it was full of high-quality, shiny gems. Although she didn't know if these were the goods that Exusai had yesterday, it didn’t matter now...

She couldn’t imagine any other goods that could make her happier than a box of glittering gems.

"However, some of these stones are not easy to handle... It’s not easy to carry them around, and I kind of want to keep them," Pardo muttered, tangling her long tail.

"Meow, meow~" Can beside her, sensing Pardo’s dilemma, meowed twice, offering a "suggestion."

"Hmm... Are you suggesting I keep the gems and exchange my own money for some items to help everyone?" Hearing the cat’s cry, Pardo’s tail stopped moving, and she became excited.

"Meow."

"That's a good idea. Ah, but it’s still early; let’s take care of that soon." With that, Pardo yawned and began to slowly clear her mind of thoughts and trivial matters.

However, before she could completely relax, the system’s electronic voice sounded in her mind, startling her awake.

[Ding, exclusive task triggered]

[Limited-time task: "Purchase" 10 times a month, gain fame in Lungmen, and declare yourself as the thief.]

[Task Reward: Exclusive Weapon: Purana Phantasma: Nighteye.]

[Visit the home of Officer Beatrix Swire 10 times; there is no time limit.]

[Task Reward: (Gold) Eden unlocked.]

[Note: The number of visits for both tasks can overlap.]

"!?"

After hearing the task details, Pardo began to wonder if the system had a grudge against her and Swire...

If there’s no grudge, why is it setting her up to gain so much fame and to confront Beatrix Swire alone? A thief going after the police 10 times—isn’t that a bit extreme?

"..."

After making a delicate expression for a while, Pardo shook her head, tossed the troublesome thoughts aside, and lay back down.

"Forget it; I’ll deal with these problems after I wake up."

No matter how big the problem is, it’s not as important as a good sleep.

"Can, remember to wake me up when it’s time..."

"Meow~"

---

Later that afternoon, Pardo moved again, lazily.

Of course, this time she wasn’t going to make a purchase, but to gather information and scout out the area. She didn’t even know where Swire’s home was, so if she wanted to complete the task, she’d have to do some scouting.

However, unless it was absolutely necessary (like seeing something she liked), Pardo didn’t intend to start with Beatrix Swire. After all, given the person’s status...

If she caused trouble from the start, it would be hard to complete the first task. Pardo couldn’t afford to stack the two tasks together.

Not to mention the issue of fame—why rush and fry all the cats at once?

---

Lungmen, Near the Health Bureau—

"Thank you all for working so late. I’ll treat everyone to a meal shortly; let’s go out together."

Beatrix Swire, a Feline girl with long, curly hair, said this to the other police officers after completing her work.

"Alright!"

"Yeah!"

With Swire’s words, many police officers cheered.

Even the colleague standing next to her, Hoshiguma, couldn’t help but sigh: "Looks like we can have a few drinks tonight."

"You should drink less, Hoshiguma," Beatrix Swire reminded after hearing her words.

"What’s wrong with getting a little tipsy? By the way, are you coming?" Hoshiguma turned to her colleague Ch'en Hui-chieh, who was holding a document, and asked.

"I won’t be joining. I still have some things to take care of tonight," Ch'en shook her head, declining the invitation.

"Hmph, you never like to join us," Swire muttered, slightly annoyed but not surprised by Ch'en's response.

"Well... I’ll try not to cause any trouble," Hoshiguma quickly intervened, sensing the 'tense' atmosphere.

"Who wants to argue with her?"

Ch'en raised an eyebrow, replying indifferently.

"You..."

Chapter 6: The Price of the Key to Beatrix Schwire's House

"Then I'll head home too, Hoshiguma. Be careful on your way back," Beatrix Schwire said, watching the police officers she had taken out for dinner leave one by one. She turned to Hoshiguma, who had not left yet.

"Don’t worry, nothing's going to happen to me in Lungmen," Hoshiguma replied with a smile, scratching her head.

"Alright, see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow."

After bidding farewell to her colleagues, Swire glanced at the dark sky and began walking home.

It was already late due to overtime work, and after treating the police officers to dinner, Swire just wanted to get home quickly, take a nice bath, and lie in bed.

Since the restaurant was not far from the LGD building and the villa where Beatrix Schwire lived, and because she liked to save money when possible, she decided to walk home instead of taking a car.

However, she was so eager to get home that she didn't notice a pair of eyes following her every move.

---

Pardofelis had spent the entire afternoon gathering intelligence and purchasing supplies. After finishing, she wandered around the LGD, hoping to discover where Beatrix Schwire lived.

As for why she didn't investigate directly, Pardofelis could only say one thing—rich people are tricky...

Beatrix Schwire's family owned a lot of land in Lungmen, with properties spread across several districts. With just one afternoon of investigation, Pardofelis couldn’t pinpoint exactly where Beatrix Schwire lived. So, it was better to try her luck and follow her directly.

It took Pardofelis quite a bit of time to find her "target," waiting for Beatrix Schwire to finish overtime and dinner.

But in the end, it was worth it. Pardofelis managed to follow Swire home as she had hoped.

"Ah, I finally found it. It wasn’t easy, Can," Pardofelis whispered to herself as she watched Beatrix Schwire enter the building from the shadows.

"Meow~"

"Okay, okay, I know you’re hungry. Now that we know where she lives, let’s go. I'll get you your Can food."

Pardofelis sighed as she picked up on the meaning behind Can’s meows.

"Meow!"

"Let’s go."

With that, Pardofelis turned away and quietly left the beautifully decorated residential area.

After all, Beatrix Schwire wasn’t Pardofelis’s target tonight. She was just scouting the location and confirming the address. There were more important tasks awaiting her.

---

After filling her stomach and feeding Can, Pardofelis began her busy evening activities.

This afternoon, Pardofelis’s main target wasn’t the wealthy residents of Lungmen. Swire's was only a side investigation.

From start to finish, Pardofelis’s focus had been on the people living in the slums. She spent the afternoon using various skills to blend in with the poor, gathering information and learning about the situations there.

Compared to her previous general understanding, this time Pardofelis gained detailed insights into the slums—what had happened in different areas, who was in desperate need, who had suffered tragedies, and so on.

As for why she needed this information, it was because knowing more would help Pardofelis provide targeted assistance. Her intentions before going to bed that night weren’t just idle thoughts.

Since she thought Can’s idea was good and had adopted it, Pardofelis was determined to follow through.

Yesterday, she had received a batch of gems that she liked very much and kept. Naturally, she would take money out of her wallet to buy supplies to help those in need.

If you ask why she didn’t just give money directly, Pardofelis would explain that money can sometimes cause trouble. Of course, if there were special circumstances that required a financial solution, she would consider providing funds.

When Pardofelis delivered supplies to the slums, she took precautions to ensure her safety.

She didn’t deliver the supplies she purchased that afternoon directly. Instead, she exchanged some of them with the goods that Griseo had bought for Reunion Movement and then delivered those.

Pardofelis wasn’t foolish. If she bought and delivered supplies directly, it might go unnoticed for a while... but over time, if she bought too many things, someone with enough curiosity could track her down with just a little investigation.

But Griseo’s batch of goods was different. The origin was almost entirely from Columbia. In this case, even if the truth were revealed, there would be only suspicions, with no direct evidence.

"I never thought I would end up being Santa Claus... So tiring," Pardofelis muttered softly, wiping sweat from her forehead after quietly delivering supplies to a needy family.

"Meow~"

"Ah, why are you so relaxed, Can? Can’t you grow bigger and help out like Santa Claus's reindeer?" Pardofelis grumbled, reaching out to grab Can, who was scratching her arm.

"Meow!"

But before Pardofelis could touch a hair, Can displayed an agility inconsistent with its round body, leaping up and darting away as if truly afraid of being caught and used as a mount.

"Can, you’re so fast! Wait for me!"

Watching the fat cat disappear, Pardofelis felt a hint of helplessness in her eyes and quickly followed.

---

After being busy for most of the night and completing all the tasks she had set for herself that afternoon, Pardofelis climbed back onto the rooftop where she had rested earlier.

"Ah~ After being so busy, I’ve finally completed my goal for the night. They’ll be so happy when they see the things I left for them in the morning," Pardofelis sighed, lying on the roof and gazing up at Terra's two unique moons in the night sky.

"Meow~"

"You think so too, huh, Can?"

"Life is so good now. Even though it’s a new city, it’s so free, and there’s no worry about food or drink... but the tasks are a bit difficult to complete."

"Meow meow!"

Hearing Pardofelis’s sigh, Can meowed softly twice, waving its front paws in a gesture.

Pardofelis, understanding Can’s meaning, brightened up but then sat up and began to bargain:

"No! Twenty cans and twenty small dried fish are too much. Five cans and five small dried fish, max!"

"Meow!"

"No means no. The key to Beatrix Schwire's house is only worth that much. It’s not like I can’t open the door myself, so you’re not getting any more!"

Chapter 7: Things That Make Cats Impulsive

Pardo, who should have been resting late at night, perked up again after being reminded of Can. After a round of bargaining, she let a greedy fat cat sneak into Swire's house overnight and retrieve her key at the cost of 7 cans and 10 dried fish.

Of course, the cat didn't plan to keep the key. After getting it, she sneaked to the relevant place and made a copy of it.

"Okay, return the key, Can."

Looking at the brand new key in her hand, Pardo gently wiped Beatrix Schwire's key and tossed it to Can not far away.

"... Meow!"

Can next to her was also quite cooperative. It jumped lightly and accurately caught the key in its mouth.

But after landing, it quickly dropped the key and let it fall to the ground. It then stepped on it with a chubby paw and called out to Pardo.

"!"

"Can, I'm coming back! No, this trip back must be free, and you can't add any more cans or dried fish." Pardo listened to Can's cry and watched its series of actions, understanding its meaning, and said with a little annoyance.

"Meow!"

"No means no. We agreed on a fixed price before. If you bargain again, the canned food promised earlier will be off the table!" Looking at Can in front of her, Pardo couldn't help but play her trump card.

"... Meow~"

It was obvious that Pardo knew Can well. After she said this, although the cat was still a little reluctant, it finally compromised for the food.

Finally, the deal ended with Can returning the key, and Pardo paid 7 delicious cans plus 10 dried fish.

---

In the morning, the bright and warm sunshine evenly spread over the city, adding a touch of warmth to it. "Ah~"

"Meow~"

On the rooftop of an empty building, the cat-eared girl sitting on the mat stretched under the warm sunshine. The chubby cat beside her seemed to be affected by her and lazily stretched its back.

"Although I still want to sleep for a while, Swire should be at work by now. Let's go confirm and then head to her house." Muttering to herself, Pardo slowly stood up and packed away the mat and blanket on the ground.

"Meow~"

"Let's go, Can."

...

After Pardo left the resting place with Can, she wasn't in a hurry and didn’t go directly to Beatrix Schwire's house. Instead, she went out to buy a few things in advance and filled her stomach.

After all, whether it’s for cats or cans, eating is the most important thing in the world.

After a late breakfast, Pardo and the cat first went to the LGD to confirm that Beatrix Schwire had gone to work, then leisurely walked toward her home.

One thing Pardo had to admit: the management and security of the area where Swire lived were quite good. Of course, no matter how good it was, it still couldn't stop her.

And the surveillance here was much less than Pardo expected, probably because it wasn’t far from the Lungmen Guard Department building, and the security was pretty good... But this was just an advantage for her.

...

In a corner where no one noticed, Pardo skillfully climbed over the fence and landed in the yard of Beatrix Schwire's villa with light and silent movements.

Then, after confirming that there was no one in the villa, she went around to the main door, opened it with the key, and entered someone’s home.

"Well... this feels a little unusual."

Pardo, who entered the target’s home without picking the lock or climbing through a window, gently swished her tail, feeling a bit unreal.

In a sense, this was the first time she had entered so easily and brazenly through the front door to acquire goods...

"Forget it, let's see if there are any good things!" Without dwelling too much, Pardo quickly put aside her previous feelings and excitedly began exploring Beatrix Schwire's house.

Beatrix Schwire’s home decoration style was very fresh, with many artistic objects placed and hung around. However, Pardo didn’t find anything that interested her at first glance.

However, just when she was about to look elsewhere, her peripheral vision caught a slight reflection, which made her pause, and she walked toward it.

"Let's see what treasure this is..."

As she spoke, Pardo leaned down and reached under a retro European cabinet with many items on it.

After a while, Pardo retrieved a gem earring that was slightly dusty but still couldn't hide its brilliance.

"Wow, this is a good find. Hehe, since I found it, it's mine."

With that, Pardo took out a small handkerchief with a cat print and carefully wiped the earring clean, then skillfully placed it into her treasure chest.

"It's a pity to find a treasure right at the beginning. Let's go, Can; we’ll explore the rest later."

"Meow~"

After the collection +1, Pardo decided to stop exploring Swire's house.

One reason was that She wasn’t greedy and knew when to stop. The other was because there was still a long way to go. In addition to this time, she would have to come at least 9 more times... If she explored everything at once, it would be less fun.

Then, after carefully wiping away any traces of her visit, Pardo quickly left with Can.

And for the remaining 9 visits, the cat intended to complete them as quickly and carefully as possible.

As for why she wanted to do it as soon as possible, it was, of course, because Pardo had some gems she wanted from Sister Eden... If there were any more...

However, Pardo judged based on her own experience that Eden should have brought some things when she unlocked her.

Speaking of which, when it came to acquiring items from Swire's house, Pardo felt a little regretful. It was a pity that the definition of "home" in the system task was too narrow.

Otherwise, if all the properties of Beatrix Schwire's family were considered home, then Pardo would definitely have started with one thing: the expensive piano worth 1.8 million Lungmen coins in the Square.

Of course, the reason Pardo wanted to take this piano wasn't because she liked it or because of its value, but simply because she wanted to.

Because the fate of this piano in the game wasn’t very good—it was used as a bunker and sacrificed heroically in the battle between LGD and Reunion Movement...

It could be said that 1.8 million was blown up in an instant.

This made Pardo extremely heartbroken... Although she knew it was almost impossible for this to happen again with Griseo around, she still felt a little impulsive when she saw the piano...

Chapter 8: Moving the Cat's Nest and the [Rat King]

After leaving Swire's house, Pardo didn’t stay idle. In addition to secretly purchasing a batch of supplies, she continued to gather as much information as possible about the various forces in Lungmen, both openly and covertly.

Of course, when purchasing supplies, Pardo remained vigilant. If anyone asked, she would always tell them that her [boss] had asked her to buy them. As for the purpose, she claimed not to know.

As for why the cat did this while mingling with the batch of supplies from Griseo... One could only say that it was better to have one more layer of protection than none.

...

As people busied themselves and stayed focused, time passed quickly, and soon they welcomed the day's sunset.

"Finally off work."

After a busy and fulfilling day, Beatrix Schwire dragged her slightly tired body home quickly.

Upon arriving home, the first thing she did was stand by the cabinet, take off the earrings she was wearing, and place them on the small plate on the cabinet for temporary storage.

"Come to think of it, did I lose a gem earring here before?" Swire muttered softly as she removed her accessories and looked at the cabinet in front of her.

"Forget it, it's not very important. I'll have the cleaning lady help find it next time."

Swire didn't dwell on this small incident and was soon distracted by other things. After all, she was hungry and tired from work.

---

While collecting intelligence over the next few days, Pardo also set many goals and began to execute them. After all, she couldn't just advance the second task and abandon her own exclusive weapon.

Of course, the Lungmen organizations and forces targeted by Pardo were not very clean.

Not only that, except for a few things she liked, most of what she acquired were stolen goods or items of dubious origin.

The reason why Pardo chose this was simple—still out of caution.

If she stole something of legitimate origin, regardless of whether it violated her "morality" or whether she would face retaliation, the possibility of being targeted by official organizations was almost 100%.

Pardo didn't want to confront the police or official organizations at all. Not only would it be troublesome, but she couldn't fight back. Even if it was because of Swire, she didn't want to face them in the first place.

If she stole something of illegitimate origin, there would be no worries in this regard, because the organizations that lost things would most likely not call the police.

At most, they would conduct private investigations and seek revenge, but this was what Pardo was least afraid of now.

What a joke—regardless of whether those people could catch her, even if they did, she was now protected by Boss Senti.

In this way, in just a few days, the "goods" of two underground organizations were lost, and the poor in the slums received the second, third, and fourth batches of material assistance.

And Pardo's reputation as a "good-hearted person" spread widely in the slums during these few days.

"Let's go, Can. Let's change places today. We won't stay here anymore." As she said this, Pardo slowly sat up, stretched her body, and then waved to Can beside her.

"Meow~" Hearing this, Can wasn't shy and quickly ran over in a few steps to perch on Pardo's shoulder.

"You ask why? Of course, it's because someone is watching us, and it's not safe to stay here at night. I don't want to take a short break and see the enemy as soon as I open my eyes." After hearing Can's cry, Pardo explained helplessly.

"Let's go, hold on tight."

After saying that, Pardo suddenly sprinted and rushed downstairs with her chubby Can.

"Meow!"

After leaving their resting place of the past few days, Pardo wasn’t in a hurry to leave the slums but found a hotel and slipped in first.

As for why she parked the car on a familiar road, it was because Pardo often came here now. Although the weather hadn't been hot recently, she would sweat a little from being busy, so she would sneak over to take a shower and get dressed these days.

Of course, Pardo paid for it. She didn’t pay in the past because she didn’t have the money or the means, so she just snuck in. But now that she had the means, she naturally paid.

However, the payment method... may not have been conventional.

After washing up and getting dressed, Pardo quietly left the slums in new clothes.

Today or later, she planned to move to another place to rest, because, as she said before... someone was targeting her, and this person was troublesome.

And the one who made Pardo feel troubled and caused her to move was the [Rat King], one of the most powerful gangsters in Lungmen, whose real name was Lin Kojui.

Although the Rat King was a gangster, the people in the slums respected him immensely. Additionally, he had his own spies all over Lungmen, so Pardo's two thefts against "black and gray forces" and four instances of helping the poor were all reported to him.

Suddenly, with such a "variable" appearing, the [Rat King] naturally had to investigate it carefully. He needed to confirm whether it posed a threat to Lungmen. If it did, further investigation would be necessary.

However, what made Pardo most wary was not the [Rat King's] power and position in Lungmen, his spies, etc., but his connections with other bigwigs in Lungmen.

For example, Wei Yenwu, the highest authority in the city and the leader of the Lungmen Guard Department, or the boss of Penguin Logistics, [Emperor], from whom Pardo had stolen some time ago...

Pardo didn't think it was a big deal to deal with these people individually. There were some problems and troubles, but nothing too significant.

What she was really afraid of was if these three sat together in a bar, drinking, calling each other brothers, and then, when finding clues, directly joined forces!

This would be really bad for Pardofelis!

Although Pardo didn’t believe these people could catch her together—after all, she was a first-class escape artist—in such a scenario, the mission would definitely not be accomplished.

Unless she bit the bullet and kept bouncing back and forth between acquiring goods, imprisonment, and escaping...

So, to avoid this situation, Pardo planned to be more careful and vigilant to prevent more of her information from being discovered. At the same time, she also intended to speed up the mission's progress.

Otherwise, given the current situation, the longer the mission was delayed, the harder it would be to complete...

Chapter 9: Rumors and the Emperor's Discovery

In the Lungmen Guard Department, an office—

"Ch'en, have you heard about that rumor going around lately?"

Hoshiguma, who was standing by, noticed that her friend and colleague had finished processing the documents on the table. She hurried over to ask.

"Rumor... which one do you mean?"

Hearing this, Ch'en was slightly taken aback, then turned her head to look at the person next to her.

"Where else? Of course, in the slums. You must have heard about it recently."

"Oh, you mean the 'kind-hearted person' the people have been talking about? Yes, I've heard something." Ch'en nodded slightly, understanding the context, and replied.

"What do you make of it?" Hoshiguma blinked curiously and asked.

"Although it’s a bit strange, nothing harmful has happened, so there’s not much to think about." As she spoke, Ch'en glanced back at the desk, checking for any missing documents.

Ch'en had indeed heard about the matter while on a recent undercover mission. She even looked into it a bit.

However, after asking around, the only information she gathered was that this "good-hearted person" was leaving gifts in the middle of the night, which was strange. No one had reported any related incidents to the LGD in the past few days, so she hadn’t given it much attention.

"True, but I can’t shake the feeling that this isn’t as simple as it seems. Forget it, maybe I’m just overthinking. You get back to work." After saying that, Hoshiguma touched her nose and returned to her position with a helpless sigh.

---

Penguin Logistics—

"It looks like you’ve got some work ahead of you!"

The [Emperor], seated in the boss's chair, propped his head up with one flipper and pushed the information on the table toward the employees in front of him.

Hearing their boss's words, the four employees called to the meeting picked up the documents on the table and huddled together to review them.

"Alright, got it. We’ll investigate."

Texas, the Emperor's top employee who finished reading the intelligence first, handed the documents to Exusiai and nodded to the penguin in front of her.

Unlike the stoic team leader, Exusiai was fully engaged after reading the information. She turned to the Emperor with a hint of excitement in her voice.

"So, if you're showing us this, it means that even if there’s no solid evidence, this person is highly suspicious, right?"

"Yes, the timing is too coincidental."

"Good, I hope I catch this person. If I do, they’ll have to repay me double for my stolen snacks!" Exusiai clenched her fist with determination.

"Seriously, Exu, you're still hung up on those snacks? I could just buy you some later when I'm out, my treat." Hearing her friend’s words, Croissant scratched her head with a helpless expression and suggested.

"No, it’s not the same!"

"Well... as long as you're happy."

As for what kind of information suddenly energized the group at Penguin Logistics? It was, of course, what Pardo had done over the past few days.

If it had been the Rat King or Wei Yenwu, even if they connected the thefts to the slums, they probably wouldn’t have figured out the pattern.

But the Emperor was different... Others only knew about two thefts, but he was well aware there were three, including the one from his own stash.

And he believed that if he wasn’t mistaken, there might have been another theft he didn’t know about.

After all, the pattern was quite obvious. One theft corresponded to one act of help. It didn’t make sense that the thief had only stolen three times but helped four times.

However... Even though it was unclear who this thief was or what organization was behind them, the Emperor didn’t care.

With clues and a direction, it was only a matter of time before he found the culprit.

And if they encountered any troublesome organizations, they could always cooperate with those old contacts to resolve it...

---

A prosperous commercial street in Longmen—

Walking along the roadside, Pardo held a bunch of snacks in her hands. After happily taking a bite of the meatball in her hand, she handed it skillfully to Can beside her and said:

"Mmm, this is pretty tasty. You should try it, Can."

"Meow!"

Faced with the delicious food offered to him, Can didn’t hesitate and took a big bite, eating happily.

Recently, to avoid drawing attention, Pardo hadn’t been staying in the slums. So today, in addition to collecting intelligence, eating, drinking, and having fun as usual, she was scouting for her next hideout.

Since the cat needed to keep acquiring goods, she hoped her next hideout would be as discreet as possible, hidden in plain sight.

Finally, although it took Pardo a lot of time, she found a place that was somewhat satisfactory and made it her new temporary base.

"Oh, I can finally sleep in the sun again."

Pardo, who had secretly climbed onto someone else's rooftop, lay down comfortably in the sunlight and said lazily.

"Meow~"

"You think so too, Can."

Planning to continue her acquisitions in the afternoon, Pardo decided to take a good rest now to recharge.

Because she was being watched by the "big players" and the people in the slums, Pardo’s progress on her first task had already surpassed the halfway mark.

Given the situation, to be safe, Pardo planned to target only the less risky, straightforward jobs for the remainder.

Of course, to ensure the perfect completion of her final task—and for her own personal reasons—Pardo was planning something big before the mission was over... She intended to sneak into Square and 'purchase' the piano she had been dreaming of worth 1.8 million.

As for whether she would return the piano? Pardo hadn’t decided yet. But one thing was certain: the 1.8 million must at least pass through her hands. Otherwise, she would feel it had all been a waste!

Chapter 10: Swire's Suspicion

Pardo, who was basking in the sun at the new place, squinted her eyes and stretched lazily, muttering softly:

"Ah~ It's almost time; it's time to act."

"Meow~"

"Huh? Can, why are you hungry again? Didn't you just finish eating not long ago?" After hearing the cry of the can beside her and understanding its meaning, Pardo said helplessly.

"Meow meow!"

Hearing this, the can beside her stomped its chubby little paws and shouted in dissatisfaction.

"Okay, okay, let's go buy some food."

"Meow~"

"Let's go!"

After the voice fell, Pardo moved quickly and skillfully.

Today is different from the previous two days. Pardo did not look for a new target but planned to visit Swire's home again. After all, she had neglected the place a little to complete the first task over the past two days. Now that she was free, she would naturally go and patronize it.

...

After going around in circles, Pardo finally arrived at the yard of the destination.

"Can, because I didn't go to the LGD to check the situation in advance, as I wanted to buy you food, go in and help me investigate." Pardo turned her head and looked at the fat cat standing on her shoulder, pointing to the yard of Swire's house.

Usually, when Pardo came to Swire's house to 'purchase' goods, she would go to the LGD in advance to confirm Swire's situation. This time, because it was not on the way, she did not go.

However, the movement of the target person is not very important to Pardofelis; after all, as long as Swire is not at home, it is not a big problem.

And now that they have arrived at the destination, the task of investigation naturally falls on the "culprit."

"Meow~"

After listening to Pardo's words, the can that was fed to 80% full gently shook its tail, then used its claws to lightly cross the fence and landed in Swire's yard.

——————————————

On the other side—

"This mission is really terrible. Let's go. I'll take the man back to the station with you." Swire looked at the prisoner being pressed by the police in front of her, and then at her clothes stained with large patches of dirt, and said with some distress.

"Yes!"

After listening to Swire's orders, the surrounding police officers nodded one after another and then pressed the prisoner into the police car.

"Ah..."

Swire watched the situation around her. After everyone got in the car, she followed behind and got in the car carefully.

......

"I'll leave the prisoner to you, Ch'en, for interrogation. I'll go back to take a shower and change clothes."

After escorting the prisoner back safely with the police officers, Swire finally couldn't stand it anymore. She asked Ch'en in the office for help and left without delay.

In fact, Swire is not a person with severe mysophobia. Additionally, she is a senior superintendent and has been on many missions, so her tolerance for dirt is not low.

However, the dirt that accidentally got on her body during this mission was not only dirty but also had a faint smell. This was what she couldn't stand the most.

After all, although she didn't want to inherit the family business, Beatrix Schwire was at least a well-educated young lady.

Before, she could bear to go back to the LGD with the police officers to press the prisoner, which was entirely out of responsibility and diligence. Now that the mission is complete, she naturally can't wait to go back and deal with it.

——————————————

Outside the villa of Schwire's family—

"What's the situation?"

Looking at the can standing on the wall, Pardo asked in a low voice.

"Meow~"

"It's good that there's no one. Then I'll go in too."

After understanding what the can meant, Pardo no longer hesitated. She climbed over the fence in front of her with a light footstep and entered the yard of Swire.

After entering the yard, Pardo went straight to the goal, then opened the door of Swire's house with ease and slipped in lightly.

Of course, as a polite person, Pardofelis also closed the door of the villa after entering to prevent anyone from discovering anything unusual from the outside.

After entering, Pardo began to stroll around and observe the layout of the villa. Last time, she found the treasure too quickly, so fast that she didn't even carefully observe other places in the villa.

It was not until she had a rough walk around the whole house that Pardofelis began to really buy goods.

This time, Pardo's target was Swire's room on the second floor. Based on her many years of experience, she knew that the owner's room must have a lot of treasures!

Although Pardofelis knew that it was not polite to go straight to someone else's boudoir, she was here to buy goods, so she didn't care about this.

After pushing the door and entering Swire's large room with fresh decoration, Pardo began to visit and look around.

Because now is not the past, Pardofelis is not here for money, so she did not turn over other people's things but only observed and looked at the visible items in the room with her eyes.

However, she didn't find anything she liked very much after a quick glance, so Pardo quickly moved her eyes away from the large number of visible items on the surface and slowly looked towards the corner of the room.

At this moment, she noticed a very familiar tail that was slightly shaking under the bed in the room.

"Can, did you find anything?"

As she said, Pardo walked over with a curious expression, then bent down and looked under the bed.

......

"Finally home, I can't stand it anymore. I need to take a shower quickly." Swire, standing at the gate of her yard, muttered while unlocking the door with the key.

"Click..."

After the door was opened, Swire didn't stop at all, closed the door with her backhand, and walked towards her house.

After experiencing the torture of going home again, her patience had reached its limit. Next, she opened the door, closed the door, and went upstairs in one go.

However, the moment Swire held the door handle to open her room, a special smell came from the room, which made her slightly stunned.

However, before she could think more, a faint, disgusting smell drifted out from the dirt on her clothes, making her pinch her nose.

At this moment, although it was a bit unbearable to smell this, Swire temporarily suppressed the urge to change clothes and looked at her room seriously and vigilantly. Swire was in a hurry when she came up from downstairs, so she didn't pay attention.

But the clear and unfamiliar smell that hit her the moment she opened the door made her wonder if something had entered the room...