Earrings and Suspicions / The Cat's Findings and the Furious Little Tiger ...

"..."

In the still of the night, when everyone was fast asleep, Pardofelis sat on the roof of the low building where she was staying, staring blankly at the new contacts on her phone.

Of course, the reason the cat was staring blankly at the phone wasn't because of a little tiger, but because it was thinking about what had happened that evening.

In short, what happened tonight was an attack. In a sense, it wasn't a big deal because no one died, but it wasn't a small matter either, since many innocent people were injured.

Under normal circumstances, if such an attack were reported and circulated, it would at most evoke indignation, a sense of relief, and demands for severe punishment.

The above scenarios all assume the perpetrator is an ordinary person. But what if the perpetrator is revealed to be an infected individual?

At this moment, Pardofelis could fully imagine the public outcry and subsequent consequences that this incident would cause in the city.

Of course, everything that followed had little to do with the cat, and she had no means or influence to reverse the situation.

However, this doesn't prevent her from having a little bit of thought about what happened tonight and the speculation about its future developments.

"..."

Suddenly, whether she had figured something out or not, Pardofelis, who had been staring blankly at her phone with her head down, slowly raised her head to look at the starry sky with two full moons, and muttered softly:

"Indeed, one shouldn't overthink things... Overthinking leads to unhappiness."

"But... I still want to do something."

"But what can I do?"

Pardofelis rarely worries about this kind of thing, or rather, she hardly worries about anything at all.

Because she has always been very open-minded, and only cares about the present moment, for her, every extra day she lives is an extra day of happiness. If she can also have food to fill her stomach and sunshine, that is more than three times the happiness. She is so happy that she doesn't think about anything else.

Even if tomorrow were the end of the world, it would still be tomorrow for the cat; she's still happy today!

But even with such an open-minded attitude, without any grand ambitions, and believing that "if the sky falls, there are tall people to hold it up," [Empty Dream] Pardofelis still has things she wants to do and small aspirations.

A villa with its lights still on late at night --

"Ah, finally I'm done washing up and can rest."

Swire yawned, ruffled her freshly dried, tousled hair, and murmured softly.

Tonight's events and operations have kept me completely exhausted until late into the night.

If it weren't for the fact that tomorrow's day off was scheduled for Swire, she wouldn't dare to be so carefree with her schedule after she got back, otherwise she would have to go to work with dark circles under her eyes tomorrow morning.

Not only will I be in a bad mood then, but I'll also definitely be laughed at by some lazy dragon...

"..."

Just as Swire was about to turn off the downstairs light and go upstairs to her room to rest, she couldn't help but pause slightly as she passed the table with the tray and decorations.

"Speaking of which, isn't there an earring I've been missing all this time?"

"Never mind, let's talk about it tomorrow."

Swire didn't dwell on the little thing that suddenly came to mind. After turning off the light, she dragged her tired body upstairs.

Because she stayed up late the night before, Swire didn't get up early as usual today, instead indulging herself and sleeping until almost noon.

Ah~

Swire, still half-asleep, yawned and slowly sat up in bed. She glanced at the clock and couldn't help but sigh, "It's been so long since I've gotten up this late."

After regaining her composure, Swire left the room to wash up. Although she was on vacation today, she had quite a few things to do.

For example, you could call a cleaning lady to clean the house, tidy up, and organize various items.

You see, she's still thinking about her missing earring. It wasn't a particularly valuable item, but it was one of her everyday belongings.

Previously, she was too busy and only asked the cleaning lady to help look for it, but in the end, she couldn't find it. Now that she has time, Swire naturally wants to try looking for it again.

Besides dealing with things at home, Swire also plans to go to the Lungmen Guard Department today to see if Hoshiguma and Ryuko need any help.

If there is an opportunity, she wouldn't mind working overtime.

After all, Swire is different from others. Others go to work for money or other reasons, but she genuinely loves her job and is ambitious enough to make it big and powerful, such as becoming the head of the Lungmen Guard Department and then the boss of the Dragon King!

Having planned out her day, Swire stopped wasting time and quickly began executing her plans.

"It's almost time. Let me tidy up a bit and look for my earrings." After quickly finishing her lunch and clearing away the dishes, Swire started organizing her various small belongings.

This is a habit she has developed over a long period of time. In order not to cause unnecessary trouble for others, and because she doesn't like others touching her things, she always tidies up her own things before the cleaning lady comes to clean.

After spending some time sorting out the items she didn't want others to touch, Swire began searching for her missing gemstone earring.

However, no matter how hard she searched, even moving the table where the earring had fallen, she could not find the missing earring again.

"That's strange. I clearly remember dropping it here. Could it have been carried away by a rat?"

"Or perhaps, someone took it..."

At this point, Swire's professional instincts kicked in, and his mind subconsciously began filtering out suspicious individuals...

However, before she could think further, the doorbell rang, forcing her to pull herself out of her thoughts and open the door.

Good afternoon, Auntie. Thank you for your hard work today.

Swire walked into the yard, opened the gate, and invited the housekeeper in with a smile.

"Hehe, Swire. It's nothing, just part of my job."

The housekeeper chuckled twice in response to the young and polite older employer.

"Well then, let's get ready to begin." Upon hearing this, Swire nodded gently and said nothing more. She casually closed the courtyard gate and led the people towards the house.

P. S.: I'm so sleepy, and I'm writing this late again. Sigh, everyone.

Chapter 20 The Cat's Result and the Frustrated Little Tiger

While the housekeeper was cleaning, Swire didn't rest either, continuing to search for her earrings and organize and take stock of her little belongings.

However, it would have been better if we hadn't checked; upon checking, we discovered that several of our small items were missing.

If only one or two items were missing, Swire could have simply attributed it to accidental loss, but the disappearance of three items at once raises serious suspicion.

At least she herself began to suspect that a thief had broken into her house...

Moreover, the number of "missing" items is only what Swire discovered with a simple count; it's entirely possible that some items are still missing but she hasn't found them yet...

After all, it seems that the "petty thief" has only stolen small items, things she herself had almost forgotten about.

"..."

Lost in thought, Swire slowly walked out of her room and stood on the second-floor corridor, looking down at the cleaning lady who was cleaning with a slightly inquisitive gaze.

It's no wonder Swire suspected the housekeeper, because the housekeeper was indeed the person who knew the house's structure and details best, besides herself.

It's worth noting that among the items the little tiger discovered were some like that earring, which had fallen and been placed in a small corner, making them virtually unnoticed by unsuspecting outsiders, let alone someone who would intentionally steal them.

Of course, while there may be doubts, Swire would not slander or accuse others without evidence.

However, she was determined to investigate this matter thoroughly. After all, she was a senior superintendent in the Lungmen Guard Department! It would be incredibly shameful if she couldn't even find out that her own house had been burgled!

A sun-drenched rooftop retreat --

Ah~

After stretching lazily, Pardofelis slowly opened her still slightly misty eyes in the warm and cozy environment.

After returning home last night, Pardofelis couldn't sleep because she was thinking about what she could do. So, in the middle of the night, she simply went out again.

As for what he was going out to do, he was obviously going to deliver supplies while the people investigating and surrounding him had relaxed their vigilance these past few days.

To prevent being unable to deliver things for a long time afterward, Pardofelis was busy for a long time last night, only finishing the event just before dawn and sneaking back.

"Oh right! I almost forgot."

Pardofelis, who was sitting up and yawning, seemed to suddenly remember something and became much more awake. Then, she quietly made a connection with someone in her mind.

'... Um, Mobius!'

'What a rare guest! Felis, why did you suddenly think of contacting me? Are you offering yourself to me as research material?'

Although he roughly knew why Pardofelis was looking for him through their telepathic connection, Mobius still couldn't resist saying something with a mischievous grin.

'No, no, no, let's just forget about it!'

Pardofelis, who had originally intended to say something more, was immediately silenced by Mobius's wicked remark, her expression changing abruptly, and she quickly refused.

It's important to know that neither she nor "Pardofelis" had any fetishes related to wanting to be studied, otherwise they wouldn't have been avoiding Mobius.

"Ugh, how boring... I thought Felis had finally come to her senses and wanted to be my guinea pig~"

"..."

Although Mobius's words sounded like a joke, Pardofelis strangely detected a hint of seriousness in them...

"Ahem, let's not talk about that now. My mission is almost finished, and I should be pretty free for a long time to come... If Mobius needs anything related to Originium infection research, I can steal it for you for free... and get the goods in hand."

Pardofelis coughed twice, quickly ignoring Mobius's words, and then revealed the real "reason" for her contact this time.

To be honest, without intending to get involved in the conflicts between the parties, Pardofelis thought about it over and over again that night, and the best answer she came to was to help those around her as much as she could within her capabilities, while also trying her best to "assist" Mobius in completing the research and development of the antidote for Originium infection.

'Heh~ We don't lack anything for Originium infection research, but we're lacking a kitten for other research. Felis, are you really not going to consider it?'

'No, I don't have any cats here! Okay, I've left my promise, I'm going to get busy now, Mobius...' After saying the last sentence in her mind, Pardofelis quickly ended the connection, no longer bothering to find out Mobius's reaction.

What a joke! The cat just wanted to help out by doing what she could, but she didn't want to risk her life... Just thinking about the cold lab benches in Mobius's laboratory made her shudder!

"Luckily I reacted quickly. It's getting late, let's go find something to eat, Canned Food." After finishing her conversation with Mobius, Pardofelis turned to look at the Canned Food squatting beside her and said.

"Meow!"

Upon hearing the word "food, "Canned Food let out an excited yelp and climbed onto Pardofelis's shoulders without hesitation.

"Hold on tight, we're getting ready to go!"

Besides solving the lunch problem, Pardofelis also planned to go to the slums to check on the situation there.

After her sudden outburst last night, all the factions must be in turmoil again. For her own safety, she felt it necessary to check the specifics.

Swire Villa--

"Honestly, they didn't leave a single clue... Could it really have been a rat that carried it away?" Swire, who had just returned from checking the surveillance footage at the property management office, was sprawled on her sofa, muttering "resentfully."

Several hours have passed since the investigation and search for clues began, but Swire hasn't made much progress.

There were no obvious traces or remains in the house, the surveillance cameras in the villa area didn't capture any suspicious persons, and even the housekeeper's words seemed perfectly plausible and without any flaws...

But she always felt that this matter was not so simple, yet she couldn't connect the various clues and lines of thought.

"I refuse to believe this!"

Suddenly, as if struck by a sudden thought, Swire, who had been sprawled on the sofa, sat up abruptly, picked up her phone, and stood up to make a call.

She was determined to resolve this matter; she absolutely did not want to be ridiculed by the idiot dragon.

Finally, after giving instructions via her mobile phone, Swire temporarily put aside her family matters and headed towards the Lungmen Guard Department.

This time, it wasn't just that she wanted to see if she could help, but also because Hoshiguma had messaged her...

P. S.: I've put it on display, but not completely. I've had a lot going on at home lately, plus my royalties this month are a complete mess, so it's in this state now. Updates will return to normal next month.

Chapter 21 The Shocking Char Siu Cat

Lungmen Guard Department--

"I'm here. What new clues have you found?"