The Cat's Little Melancholy / The Angry Little Tiger

Swire, having returned to her office at the Lungmen Guard Department, looked at Hoshiguma with an eager expression and asked.

"?"

"Why are you here? Weren't we supposed to be doing this investigation tomorrow?" Hoshiguma was slightly taken aback when she saw someone who shouldn't be here at this time.

"I just came over to see if there was anything I could do to help," Shi Huaiya replied calmly, blinking her eyes without batting an eye.

"So diligent..." Hoshiguma paused mid-sentence, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, her expression turned somewhat strange.

"Wait, what you said earlier about wanting to become the bureau chief, you weren't serious, were you...?"

"Otherwise, a senior superintendent who doesn't aspire to be a police chief isn't a good superintendent." After hearing Hoshiguma's words, Swire shrugged matter-of-factly and said.

"You Char Siu Cat, you really dare to dream!"

Before Hoshiguma could say anything more, a cold voice, tinged with a hint of disdain, rang out. Along with the voice came a large eye roll.

"What are you saying, you good-for-nothing! I'm determined to get that position, and I'll definitely get it one day!" After hearing Chen's words and receiving a glare from her, Swire snapped back angrily.

"You? Stop daydreaming! Think about it tonight in bed."

"You!"

"It's starting again..."

Watching the two bicker again, Hoshiguma shook her head helplessly.

"Alright, stop arguing."

"Hmph, who's arguing with this pathetic dragon!"

"You Char Siu Cat!"

The two people who were arguing fiercely gave Hoshiguma some face when they heard what she said. After glaring at each other, they turned their faces away and stopped arguing.

"Alright, you two, don't be angry. Old Chen, you go ahead and do your work. I'll talk to Swire about the current situation."

Once Hoshiguma, the peacemaker of the trio, spoke up, the other two didn't say anything more. One continued working with a cold face, while the other turned his head and leaned closer to her, waiting for her to continue.

"... So, what's the situation now? What new moves has that Lungmen Thief made?"

Perhaps because she was getting impatient, Swire, who was standing next to Hoshiguma, couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"The thefts haven't happened again, but that person delivered supplies to the slums again last night." Hoshiguma earnestly recounted the new information he had obtained that day in response to Swire.

"However, for various reasons, the people who were staking out there last night did not see that person."

"So what are the plans for the next step? Should we increase the manpower for a stakeout tonight?" After listening to Hoshiguma's explanation, Swire didn't show any surprise on her face, but asked again with a serious expression.

"Yes, that's the current arrangement. Today's site visit has been cancelled and rescheduled for tomorrow... Tomorrow, the three of us will conduct the investigation in plainclothes."

Upon hearing this, Hoshiguma nodded slightly and recounted all the arrangements she and Chen had made.

"Is the investigation stalled?"

Although she was asking a question, Swire's tone was quite certain at this moment.

"Yes, the people in the slums have become resistant to our inquiries and investigations. Some have even gone too far with their words and actions... They feel that it was our interference that prevented them from receiving this chivalrous thief's [gifts] for so long."

At this point, even Hoshiguma, whose expression had been relatively gentle, couldn't help but frown.

"Sigh... To be honest, although it seems absurd, this was indeed expected. After all, we didn't give these people any benefits like that person did."

As she spoke, Swire couldn't help but sigh softly, her expression becoming somewhat complicated.

However, this situation didn't last long. Lost in thought, she seemed to have thought of something and muttered uncertainly to herself:

"Wait, could this be a scheme by that master thief, offering these people benefits in exchange for their cover-up or even protection..."

"It's unclear whether that person's actions were intended in that way, but it's clear that reality is moving in that direction." After hearing Swire's soft mutterings, Hoshiguma gently shook his head and said.

"Besides that, I also strongly suspect that [this person] might be part of a gang or have accomplices." As he said this, Hoshiguma's expression couldn't help but become strange.

It's understandable that she was suspicious; the main issue was that the amount of supplies this suspect delivered to the people in the slums this time was a bit excessive...

If previously the frequency of the operations meant the suspects only delivered clothing and small amounts of food each time, then last night... the suspects, as if afraid there wouldn't be a next time, delivered a large quantity of substantial food items, including but not limited to flour and rice...

If the quantity of items delivered was small, or the delivery area was limited, Hoshiguma might be able to understand. But this time, not only were the items numerous and heavy, but the delivery area was also very wide...

And while performing the above actions, that person was also able to do so silently, avoiding being seen by anyone...

This led the Lungmen Guard Department to suspect not only that someone in the slums was covering for the thefts, but also that these thefts were committed by a gang... Even if not, there must have been accomplices. Otherwise, it would truly be superhuman for one person to do it alone...

"What details were discovered?"

Hoshiguma's sudden words piqued Swire's curiosity.

"Take a look for yourself. These photos were taken in the slums today." This time, Hoshiguma didn't explain anything further. He simply took out a few photos from the files and showed them to Swire.

"Let me see...?"

After seeing the contents of the photo clearly, a question mark slowly appeared above Swire's head. After a moment, she said in a somewhat incredulous tone:

"Don't tell me everyone else received items of this quality."

"Although we haven't confirmed too many companies, unfortunately, it should be roughly the same..."

"???"

"This... you...?"

Upon hearing this, Swire pointed to the heavy-looking grain in the photo, opened her mouth several times, but couldn't utter a complete sentence. Finally, she managed to squeeze out:

"That person delivered such a heavy item, and our people didn't even notice??"

P. S.: There will be another chapter later.

Chapter 22 The Cat's Little Melancholy

"?~"

Just as Swire had finished talking to Hoshiguma about the situation and was about to return to her seat to start working, her phone vibrated in her pocket, stopping her in her tracks.

Then, so as not to disturb others, she grabbed her phone, turned around, and left the office to answer the call.

Although she hadn't answered the phone or even checked her phone for the caller ID, Swire already knew who was contacting her and what they wanted to talk about.

"Hello."

"It's me, Miss Beatrix. I've taken care of what you asked me to do. Would you like to come back and check it yourself?"

After the call connected, it was indeed as Swire had predicted; it was something she had proactively contacted and instructed them to do.

"No need, I trust you can handle this. Also, just open it when you leave." Swire replied calmly, listening to the respectful voice on the other end.

"Yes, then I won't disturb you any longer, Miss."

"Um."

After hanging up the phone, Swire looked up at the window, a dark glint flashing in her eyes.

Although she is currently focusing more on the affairs and work of the Lungmen Guard Department, it doesn't mean she doesn't care about her family. Swire, she always manages to juggle both.

Slums

After having a meal at noon today, Pardofelis, carrying Canned Food, openly and honestly visited the slum during the day for a brief period of time to conduct a simple investigation.

After all, ever since what happened last time, the cat hasn't come over at night for a long time to avoid being waited for or something like that, let alone during the day like today.

After spending some time gathering information and learning about the recent situation in the slums, Pardofelis was feeling rather uneasy.

Then she wasn't in a hurry to leave. Instead, she randomly found a small teahouse by the roadside, ordered a cup of tea, and sat down.

"..."

At this moment, Pardofelis was staring blankly at the tea that was rippling slightly in the wind, her whole expression looking somewhat resentful.

Because the cat realized once again that being a human is hard, and being a good human is even harder... Sure enough, she still wanted to be a carefree cat who could fill her stomach.

As for why she suddenly thought this way, it's because Pardofelis has learned about the attitude and actions of the poor people she once helped towards the Lungmen Guard Department officers today...

Well, if it's just about protecting oneself and giving oneself some cover, then the cat can understand and accept it to some extent.

However, it is clear that many people have crossed the line...

Even with her thick skin, Pardofelis couldn't help but frown when she thought about the vile words and malicious plans she had overheard in the marketplace that day.

To be honest, Maomao doesn't consider herself a saint. Her motivation for delivering things to the slums was partly kindness and partly selfishness, but overall she was trying her best to help and had a clear conscience.

Even when those she had helped wanted more and became dependent on her, Pardofelis didn't mind and continued to help them as much as possible...

However, she really hates people who, under the guise of protecting her, actually use their own interests to spread malice and attack innocent people.

According to Cat's investigation, in today's commotion caused by the poor, one or two officers from the Lungmen Guard Department suffered minor injuries due to being caught off guard...

Although those who caused the trouble were eventually taken to the police station, she was still somewhat speechless and angry.

"Looks like I need to find a way to teach these people a lesson... I don't want to get myself into trouble because of this." After thinking for a moment about how to handle the situation, Pardofelis lay on the table and muttered unhappily.

After careful consideration, the cat has decided to give these radicals a warning.

Not only that, she plans to be even more selective in choosing who to help; she doesn't want to overlook those who truly need help and end up raising a bunch of "monsters"...

Meow~

Noticing that its companion Pardofelis was unhappy, the Canned Food, which was sitting on the table, stretched out its chubby, furry paw and patted Pardofelis's forehead as if to comfort it.

After spending some more time in the slums and recovering from her initial gloom, Pardofelis left with the Canned Food.

This afternoon, Cat felt that her young heart had been greatly impacted, so she decided to go to Swire 'Swire house before she got off work to cleanse her wounded soul.

Of course, having learned her lesson from being trapped under the bed last time, even though there wasn't much time left to buy supplies today, Pardofelis still went to the Lungmen Guard Department to check on the situation before visiting Swire's house.

Although she could have escaped in that situation, she would never want to go through it again if she could!

Because it was getting late, Pardofelis decided to make things quick this time. After confirming that someone was indeed at work, she headed straight for her destination without hesitation.

"Hmm, the usual Canned Food..."

Meow~

After arriving at a dead corner outside Swire's yard, Pardofelis pointed to the high wall in front of her, originally intending to let the Canned Food standing on her shoulder go in and explore first.

However, before she could finish speaking, the fat cat had already impatiently and skillfully leaped over the wall and slipped inside...

"Canned Food, you... you're really eager and quite adept at it!"

Afterwards, Pardofelis checked the Canned Food to make sure no one was in the villa before nimbly climbing inside. As she landed, she even had time to gently tug at the brim of her hat.

After glancing around briefly and finding no danger, Pardofelis gently turned the key in her hand and walked towards the villa, then skillfully opened the door.

As usual, after going inside, the cat carefully and quickly closed the door to avoid alerting anyone outside.

However, due to her excessive skill and repeated successes, Pardofelis had become somewhat "lax" and failed to notice the small cameras gleaming almost imperceptibly in the setting sun lurking in various corners of the courtyard.

Upon entering Swire's villa, Pardofelis didn't linger or hesitate at all, heading straight for someone's storage room with a clear objective.

After all, I've been sourcing cats from here for so long, and there's really nothing that interests them anymore, but for the sake of the mission... I still have to try my best.

P. S.: I don't want to stay up late either, but my brain just gets slower and slower as the night goes on. Oh well, time for bed. I'll try to adjust my sleep schedule again tomorrow; I've been having a lot of minor health issues lately.

Chapter 23 The Angry Little Tiger

Although Pardofelis noticed the cleaning marks after entering the house, she hadn't paid much attention to it before because a similar situation had occurred, until...

"..."

Pardofelis gazed at the spotless, neatly arranged storage room before her, lost in thought.

Honestly, the reason my cat used to like coming to the storage room was because it wasn't very tidy, and there were always some forgotten little items lying around in the corners.

But now... this place is so clean and tidy that she has absolutely no desire for it anymore...

"Something feels off here today... Is it because it's been cleaned too thoroughly?"