About a Thief Ripping Off the Police Chief / The Price of a Key to the Swire Family Home
If it were a regular lock, it wouldn't be a problem for Cat. But a combination lock would take some effort... and besides, she had no idea which safe Exusiai brought back tonight in.
"Fine, I'll just pick one."
After thinking for a while, Pardofelis gave up. She looked at the row of safes in front of her, randomly picked one up, and stuffed it directly into her spatial storage.
What a joke! In the past, a row of heavy combination safes would have been a real challenge for Cat Cat, because they wouldn't be convenient to take with her. But now, she's different; she has a spatial ability!
As for why we didn't pack everything up and take it all with us...
That's simply because Pardofelis was afraid that if she stocked up on too much, she'd be hunted down by the Emperor, the boss of [Penguin Logistics].
Cat is aware of her own limitations. Unlike Mobius and the others who are modest, she is genuinely weak. "The weakest Flame-Chasers" —are you kidding me?
Although Senti Shi had promised to protect her, one can't stay in Lungmen forever, so she decided to leave herself an out, just in case next time.
After selecting a safe to place in the space, Pardofelis continued to explore the large room where the goods were stored.
However, because there were so many safes, she didn't find anything particularly rare outside.
After confirming that there was nothing sparkly or glittery in the building that she could go to, Pardofelis quickly packed up her things, took some snacks from the table in the accommodation area, and quietly left [Penguin Logistics].
After leaving Penguin Logistics, Cat didn't relax immediately. Instead, she cautiously headed straight for the slums... She preferred dealing with goods in "little corners" rather than in the bustling city center.
Moreover, the process of handling this batch of goods might be quite a big one.
Penguin Logistics, Staff Accommodation Area
"...?"
Exusiai, half-asleep, got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. When she glanced at the empty table in the living room, aided by the light of her halo, she instinctively stopped and rubbed her eyes.
However, no matter how many times she rubbed her eyes... when she opened them again, all she saw was an empty table.
"!?"
P. S.: I only barely found my footing towards the end of this chapter. There are just too many characters to write about, and many of them I'm not even a fan of, making it a bit overwhelming. Onward, onward.
Chapter 5: The Incident of a Thief Exploiting a Police Superintendent
Penguin Logistics --
"So, just because I wasn't here last night, our Penguin Logistics got robbed? Or were the goods you just picked up yesterday? How dare you be so brazen?"
At that moment, an emperor penguin wearing a loose short-sleeved shirt, a knitted hat, and glasses asked several of its employees a question.
"Yes, and the thief's target was very clear: yesterday's goods," Texas, the Lupo girl standing to the side, replied earnestly.
"Moreover, I think this person has been watching this shipment for some time, and his intelligence capabilities and physical abilities must be quite strong."
"Otherwise, it would be impossible to pinpoint the location of the goods without damaging the other safes, and then quietly take them away along with the safes they were stored in."
After hearing Texas's words, Croissant chimed in.
Listening to her companions' analysis, Exusiai n't help but speak up and complain:
"So, why did such a skilled thief steal the snacks I just bought?"
"This is indeed quite a while; it's been a long time since I've encountered such a situation." Faced with his employees' flurry of reports, the Emperor tapped the table with his flippers, or rather, his hands, and said:
"However, whoever it is, since they've provoked Penguin Logistics, we must find them and make them pay the price!"
"..."
On the other side--
In the early morning, after dealing with the safe containing the goods, Pardofelis found a sunny rooftop in the slums where she could easily hide and relax.
"Yesterday was definitely worth it! We're rich! We're rich!"
As she spoke, Pardofelis, who was lying on the roof basking in the sun, took out a dazzling gem from her spatial storage and admired it against the sun.
Meow~
To be honest, before opening the safe last night, Pardofelis really didn't know that it contained a box of high-quality, sparkling gems.
Although the cat still doesn't know if the goods it received were the same ones Exusiai had yesterday, it doesn't matter anymore...
She didn't think there was any other cargo that could make her happier than a box of sparkling gems.
"However, if it's a gemstone, it's a bit tricky... It's hard to sell, and I also want to collect it." Muttering to herself, Pardofelis shook her long tail in a conflicted manner.
"Meow~" As if noticing Pardofelis's dilemma, the Canned Food beside her meowed softly twice, offering its "suggestion".
"Hmm... Does the Canned Food mean I'll leave the gems behind and use my own money to exchange for items to help everyone?" Hearing the call in her ear, Pardofelis's wildly wagging tail stopped, and she perked up.
"Meow."
"That's a good idea, ah~ but it's still early, let's take a nap first." With that, Pardofelis yawned and began to slowly clear her mind of thoughts and trivial matters.
However, before she could completely clear her mind, the system's electronic voice suddenly rang in her head, startling away much of her drowsiness.
[Ding, exclusive quest triggered]
[Limited-time mission: Make 10 "purchases" within one month to establish your reputation in Lungmen and announce the arrival of the great thief.]
[Quest Reward: Exclusive Weapon: Dreams of the Past - Night's Eye.]
[Make 10 purchases from Beatrix Swire 'Swire shop, with no time limit.]
[Quest Reward: (Golden) Eden unlocked.]
[Note: The number of purchases for the two tasks can overlap.]
"!?"
After hearing the details of the system's mission, Pardofelis suddenly began to suspect that the system had a grudge against her and Swire...
If there's no grudge, why not just die quickly enough and make a name for yourself? And why did you have to relentlessly exploit Swire?
A thief catches a policeman and tries to fleece him... and does it 10 times! Isn't that a bit exciting?
"..."
After a moment of subtle silence, Pardofelis shook her head, clearing her mind of the jumbled thoughts, and lay down again.
"Forget it, I'll leave these troublesome things to me after I wake up."
What a joke! Nothing is more important to a cat than sunbathing and sleeping soundly.
"Canned Food, remember to call me when it's almost time..."
Meow~
After lazily lounging on someone else's rooftop until the afternoon, Pardofelis finally sprang into action again. Of course, this time her mission wasn't to buy goods, but rather to gather intelligence and scout out the location.
Forget about other rich people, even Swire's house—we don't know where the cat is now. If we want to complete the mission, we definitely need to scout it out.
However, unless absolutely necessary (meaning seeing something she really liked), Pardofelis didn't intend to make a move on Swire from the start. After all, Swire's status was what it was...
If you provoke them from the start, completing the first task will be difficult. The cat can't possibly have two tasks stacked together, frantically Swire, can it?
Putting aside the issue of fame, it's all just cats fighting each other, why the rush...?
Lungmen Guard Department--
"Thank you all for working with us so late today. I'll treat you all to a meal later."
Swire, a young woman with long, curly blonde Feline, spoke to the other officers after finishing her work in the office.
"Yay!"
"Oh!"
As Swire's voice faded, many police officers cheered.
Even her colleague Hoshiguma, standing next to her, couldn't help but remark, "Looks like she'll be able to have a couple of drinks tonight."
"Hoshiguma, you should drink less alcohol," Swire said helplessly after hearing what the person next to her said.
"It's fine as long as you don't get drunk. By the way, Chen, are you coming?" As he spoke, Hoshiguma turned to look at his friend Ch'en, who was organizing documents in the distance, and asked.
"I won't go, I have some things to do tonight." Hearing this, Chen shook her head gently, declining her colleague's invitation.
"Hmph, take it or leave it." Although Chen's answer was not unexpected by Swire, she still couldn't help but let out a soft snort.
"Sigh... I was too talkative, you two stop arguing..." Seeing the atmosphere getting a little awkward, Hoshiguma quickly tried to smooth things over.
"Who wants to argue with her?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Wei raised an eyebrow and said calmly.
"You..."
P. S.: There are so many characters, the graphics card crashed. These chapters are completely pieced together, the quality is poor, and thankfully it took time. I spent a whole afternoon writing them, and the more I wanted to write, the less I could...
Chapter 6 The Price of the Key to the Swire House
"Then I'll head back too, Hoshiguma. Be careful on the road." After watching the officers she had brought out for dinner leave, Swire turned to Hoshiguma, who was still standing to the side, and said.
"Don't worry, I won't encounter any danger in Lungmen." Hearing this, Hoshiguma scratched his head and said with a smile.
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow."
After saying goodbye to her colleagues, Swire glanced at the completely dark sky, then turned and left, heading towards home.
She already worked late today, and then treated the officers to a meal out. Now, Swire wants to do is go home early, take a nice shower, and lie in bed.
Since the dinner location wasn't far from the Lungmen Guard Department building and Swire's villa, and given her frugal nature—preferring to save money wherever possible—she decided to walk home instead of taking public transportation.
However, preoccupied with getting home, she didn't notice that a pair of eyes were secretly watching her, observing her every move.
Pardofelis spent a lot of time in the afternoon gathering intelligence and procuring supplies. After finishing these tasks, she leisurely strolled around the vicinity of the Lungmen Guard Department, hoping to find out where Swire lived.
As for why they didn't just investigate directly, the cat only had one thing to say, "The evil rich people..."
Swire's family owns a vast territory in Lungmen, encompassing several districts. Even with a simple investigation, Pardofelis couldn't figure out exactly where she was currently residing in just one afternoon... So, it was better to try one's luck here and follow her directly.
However, just this one-way traffic jam took up a lot of Pardofelis's time; you could say she was waiting outside while her "target" worked overtime and ate...
However, the final result was good; the cat successfully caught up with Swire on their way home.
"Ah, finally found it~ It wasn't easy, Canned Food." Pardofelis, who was secretly watching Swire enter the building from the shadows, muttered to herself.
Meow~
"Okay, okay, I know you're hungry. Now that we know where it is, let's go. I'll buy you Canned Food."
After understanding the meaning of the Canned Food's noise, Pardofelis said helplessly.
"Meow!"
Let's go.
After saying that, Pardofelis turned around without any hesitation and quietly left the exquisitely decorated residential area.
After all, Cat's target tonight isn't Swire; she's just here to scout out the location and confirm its position. There are more important things waiting for her to do tonight.
After spending some time filling her stomach and the Canned Food, Pardofelis began her busy evening activities.
This afternoon, the main targets of the investigation by the cat were not the wealthy people of Lungmen, and even Swire was only investigated incidentally.
Throughout the day, Pardofelis's main target was the people in the slums. This afternoon, she skillfully used various techniques to mingle among the poor, gathering information and gathering various stories.