Tomato and Egg Rice

The three of them shouldered their packs and prepared to meet the BOSS.

The original plan was for the three of them to go to the Cabinet's office together, but halfway to the Council of Five Kings, the lobby manager stopped Xue Ming.

"The boss wants to see you alone."

Jiang Xueming looked left and right, but A Xing and Xiao Qi both looked completely bewildered and confused.

He wondered—did the Little Kitty have some secret to tell me alone? Had the boss discovered he was eavesdropping on something confidential?

Looking at Seventh Brother's expression, it was seven parts calm with two parts panic, one part disdain, a fraction of nonchalance, and a fraction of fear and horror—he was probably thinking about what had happened inside the Dead Puppet Agency.

"Okay." Jiang Xueming was about to hand the bag to Xiao Qi and follow the lobby manager.

The manager immediately said, "The boss instructed you to bring the goods along as well."

Bu Liuxing immediately asked, "Goods? What goods? Ming Ge? What did you bring back from the Dead Puppet Agency City?"

Jiang Xueming's heart sank, and she gripped her travel bag tightly. "I understand."

He didn't say much—just told A Xing not to worry—and then followed the manager into the elevator.

Inside the elevator, the two did not exchange a single word, and the atmosphere became heavy and oppressive.

Upon reaching the thirtieth floor, there is a rooftop terrace with a swimming pool, and further away are the outdoor units of the central air conditioning system.

The boss and the Cat Tree Lady stood by the fence—the lady was holding a handbag in her hand.

Jiang Xueming was roughly pushed out of the elevator by the manager, and stumbled several steps forward before regaining her balance.

He approached the Cat Tree Lady, carrying his travel bag, but before he could ask anything...

"I've been waiting for you for a long time." The BOSS didn't turn around, but just squatted on the shoulder of the Cat Tree Lady by the rooftop railing, looking into the distance.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Xueming felt a chill run down his spine.

He could feel something pressing against his lower back; if he had to describe it, it would be the barrel of Glock pistol.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Xueming raised his hands, signaling his surrender. He thought to himself that the Black Cat was probably indulging in its dramatic impulses again.

Officer Jessica peeked out from behind Jiang Xueming, pressed her gun against Xue Ming's lower back, her expression serious, and searched Xue Ming's body for a long time with her other hand, but found nothing.

So Jessica said, "Give me the thing, let me see it."

"What is this?" Jiang Xueming feigned innocence and helplessness. "You people are really strange. Does the commander like to meet on the rooftop?"

"Don't play dumb! Don't try to get close to me." Jessica rolled her eyes. "Hand over the stuff!"

Jiang Xueming: "Brother Jie... it's me."

Jessica: "I'll make you offer it willingly!"

Jiang Xueming: "Jie-ge, no!"

Jessica: "Let me see!"

Jiang Xueming sighed, thinking that he still couldn't avoid it—he obediently opened his backpack.

He pulled out Glock G26 gun parts from various parts of the bag, disassembled two mini pistols to pieces, and stuffed various carabiner kits and slide grips into the concealed inner pocket of the travel bag.

In no time, he finished assembling the gun, pulled the slide to test the smoothness of the return motion, and finally reluctantly returned it to Jessica.

He had originally been thinking about whether he could sneak a couple of guns from Officer Jessica to take back for self-defense, but in the end, that idea was also abandoned.

The boss, driving the Cat Tree Lady, turned around, her eyes full of mockery. "Pretty nimble."

Jiang Xueming sat on the ground, having just finished assembling the gun, and continued rehearsing his lines: "I didn't go to police academy, I only know a little bit."

"I'm not like you, I'm aboveboard." Jessica kicked her backpack. "Anything else?"

"There's more?" The BOSS was also dumbfounded.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang Xueming rummaged through his backpack and pulled out more than eighty bullet casings, including some Type 56 bullet casings. He had originally intended to use these as parts for ammunition remanufacturing.

The boss muttered under his breath, "You're really something else."

Jessica carefully put away the spent bullet casings and pistol, then jogged into the elevator. That meant her scenes were over; filming was finished.

She ran into the elevator, made a face at Jiang Xueming, that mischievous boy, and waved goodbye.

The boss said smugly, "Where's what I asked for? Where's the log?"

Jiang Xueming sighed, "Did you bring the Universal Elixir and the Radiant Stone Coins I requested?"

The boss's expression changed, becoming serious. "What do you mean? Did you come here to bask in the moonlight?"

Jiang Xueming: "Give me a chance. I didn't have a choice before, but now I want to be a good person."

The boss grabbed the cat tree's tie, forcing it to squat down. "How could I give you a chance? Last time you stole a gun, I turned a blind eye, but you stole it again this time. Heaven is watching."

The Black Cat came up to Xue Ming, sticking out its tongue and rolling its eyes in a serious manner.

"Fine, go ask Mr. Bourne, go ask Jessica, will they give you a chance? Will they let you be the good guy?"

Jiang Xueming immediately used his mobile phone to call Jessica and Mr. Bourne in turn.

The three parties fully exchanged opinions and reached a consensus on post-incident accountability. They did not demand any form of compensation from Mr. Jiang Xueming and hoped that the boss would not pursue criminal charges against Xue Ming. They wanted Xue Ming to be a decent human being. Oh no, I mean, a good person.

Jiang Xueming shrugged. "Here, an opportunity."

The boss was furious at this attention-stealing behavior and shouted, "Shut up!"

Jiang Xueming quickly continued the act, "So you want me to die?"

"Hmph," the Little Kitty finally managed to deliver its lines smoothly. "Sorry, I'm your boss."

Jiang Xueming: "Who knows?"

Just as the Cat Tree Lady was about to hand over the gun, the BOSS's little paws couldn't hold onto the Glock 17 at all. It had no choice but to direct the cat tree to point the gun at Jiang Xueming's forehead, so as to finish this "Infernal Affairs" act.

Jiang Xueming finally lost his patience. "Alright, that's enough. We've had our fun, let's get down to business."

So he asked the Cat Tree Lady, "Have you always spoiled it like this? Has no one complained about it? Does every passenger have to put up with this? Is it that dramatic?"

The Cat Tree Lady shrugged indifferently.

"Ahem. Ahem." The BOSS cleared his throat and said seriously, "Jiang Xueming, you really disappoint me. This is only the second investigation mission, and not only did you ring the Summoning Bell, but you also stole the armed employee's gun. You knowingly committed this crime. Who taught you to do this? Your waiter? 9527 is a repeat offender. Why don't you learn from her instead of learning from your own good?"

"Have you made any good arrangements for me?" Jiang Xueming asked back.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Thirty seconds have passed--

The atmosphere became awkward.

The boss changed the subject very naturally.

"This time, I brought Jessica over so she could give you a report. From her, I can find out exactly what you did, what intelligence you obtained, and what you investigated—after all, you tore the logbook into tiny pieces of the safety guidelines for the B14 living area, which is a good thing, and I don't know how to thank you enough."

Jiang Xueming said confidently, "I'm very cute, please give me money."

The boss ignored Xue Ming's witty remark and continued, "I'm very, very busy. I don't have the extra energy to deal with these things."

Jiang Xueming asked casually, "So you have time to read so many scripts?"

The boss ignored Xue Ming's rude remark and continued, "I wouldn't do that kind of thankless work if it wasn't necessary. Since you can help me solve this problem, I will naturally reward you."

Jiang Xueming said expressionlessly, "You're getting impatient and starting to explain."

"Enough!" The Little Kitty waved its paws, looking like it had completely lost its guard. "I really don't have that much mental energy to care about everyone at every station! I just want to build roads, I just want to [seek the Way], I want nothing else! Let's get back to the point! Just Jessica's story alone is enough to make me cry for a while!"

Jiang Xueming: "Okay, boss."

The Black Cat took out an abacus and reading glasses from the clothes on the cat tree. After putting on the glasses, it started tapping away at the abacus.

"OK! Regarding your payment for this trip, I will have your waiter deliver it to you. Enjoy your vacation, Mr. Jiang Xueming."

"Boss, I need to ask you for something." Jiang Xueming stated his other request simply and directly. "I need to go to the Grand Library to study, and I also need to go to the Mimir Hot Spring Market. If I need identification to go to these places, could you arrange that for me?"

The Little Kitty's eyes darted around several times before it immediately replied, "Sure! But let me warn you, these places are crowded—and sometimes people are far more terrifying than anything else you might encounter in the underworld."

Jiang Xueming breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank you."

"When do you need the pass?" The boss yawned, looking extremely tired. "Was it Victor who sent you to these places? Right?"

Jiang Xueming thought for a moment and then replied, "That's right, it was our teacher who told us. As for when we need the pass—it could be as early as a week, or at the latest, could you give me four months to prepare? I feel like my body isn't ready yet."

"No," the boss said, getting increasingly sleepy, as if unable to shake off his drowsiness. "The problem."

After finishing speaking, he fell asleep in the Cat Tree Lady's arms.

Jiang Xueming was filled with doubt, thinking to himself—that legendary terrifying monster, after having its limbs cut off and turning into a cat, really had very weak mental strength, just as it had said, as if it could fall asleep at any moment.

"Can I ask you two questions?" Jiang Xueming called out to the Cat Tree Lady.

The Cat Tree Lady simply nodded without saying a word, focusing instead on comforting the Little Kitty in her arms.

Jiang Xueming cautiously probed, "I still don't know how to address you. You're the BOSS's servant, and you've been taking care of the BOSS, right? It often falls asleep for no reason?"

The Cat Tree Lady immediately spoke up, "There's no need to ask me my name, I don't need it. You can call me [Cat Tree], or [that guy], or if you like, [Anonymous] is fine too -- BOSS has lived for a very, very long time, and the people who have been by its side have changed many, many times. We won't leave our names, lest it remember them and have to mention them repeatedly, starting to worry and immerse itself in the pain of separation and death. It's better to just forget them."

She gently stroked the BOSS's head, rubbing it from the nape of its neck all the way to its tail, her cat-petting technique was very professional.

The Black Cat purred softly in her arms, as if in a dream.

The Cat Tree Lady continued, "It has done so much for this station; without a physical body to support its spirit, it naturally gets tired easily."

"Thank you for your hard work," Jiang Xueming bowed to the Cat Tree Lady, then packed his bags and prepared to leave.

"Wait a minute." The Cat Tree Lady called out to Jiang Xueming, taking a simple foam box from her handbag and handing it out along with chopsticks.

Jiang Xueming caught it and realized it was a tomato and egg rice dish.

The Cat Tree Lady explained, "I didn't remember you last time. Boss said my memory is getting worse and I should remember you because you're a very important person. I have to apologize—you played along with Boss and made him happy. This is my reward for you, don't mind."

"Thanks."

After Jiang Xueming finished speaking, he left.

Inside the elevator, Xue Ming finally breathed a sigh of relief.

--It seems the BOSS didn't discover that he was eavesdropping on the confidentiality agreement of the Dead Puppet Agency City.

Officer Jessica didn't mention it either—it couldn't be better.

When the three met again, A Xing had already received his reward—a black and gold plastic card, which served as a kind of underworld bank card.

The front of the card features a half-body portrait of Black Cat, while the BOSS, dressed in a suit, grins menacingly at the camera.

The back of the card features a bright red, Madness Butterfly pattern and a black magnetic key strip.

According to the lobby manager, the official name of this bank card is [HELL CAT], which translates to [Hellcat/Shrew].

The payment for this investigation will be deposited into your account in two currencies.

One type is pyroxene coins. A Xing and Xue Ming's reward for this trip is 8,144 Hui Stone Currency, which will be split equally between the two of them.

Another option is Blood Butterfly Shopping Coupons, which can be used to directly redeem Universal Elixir. The two people receive six vouchers, with each voucher containing 250 milliliters of medicine, totaling 1.5 liters of Universal Elixir, which will be equally divided between their accounts.

The bank card PIN is set to the couple's birthdays by default. Depositing or withdrawing cash, changing the PIN, and retrieving the Universal Elixir can all be done at the Council of Five Kings's counter.

As the lobby manager kindly advised, the purchasing power of Hui Stone Currency varies across different trading hubs, the underground world's transport capacity is extremely valuable, and the shelf life of local specialties differs from place to place. Trying to make money by buying and selling goods from one place to another is very risky, and one should be prepared to lose everything. Furthermore, the regulations regarding smuggling military supplies and contraband are very strict, and Xue Ming is advised not to entertain any ill intentions in this regard.

With the money and medicine safely in hand, Xue Ming also changed the password for HC[HELLCAT] at the Council of Five Kings's counter.

At this moment, he finally mustered the courage to ask—how much money he owed Seventh Brother.

Seventh Brother pulled a bill from his clothes. "Materials for the renovation of the six-story stairwell, TV and DVD decoration materials, aluminum and steel plates, safety ladders and tools, paint, waterproof coatings, machine repair and pipelines, pipe wrenches, screwdrivers, screw grinders, kitchen food and frozen goods, sports and fitness equipment, fertilizer, seeds, tilling tools, festival and celebration music equipment, and finally, the cost of ringing bells and medical services, plus a tractor, a dump truck, and my brotherhood with you, that's 188,888 yuan. I even paid out of my own pocket of over 30,000 yuan."

Jiang Xueming scratched his bald head and did a rough calculation--

--If a trip to a dangerous place like the Dead Puppet Agency could earn four thousand, he still needs to go to...

He fainted before he could finish thinking.

It happened so fast, Seventh Brother didn't even have time to react. He couldn't even catch the meteor.

Just like his mother's sudden death.

Before I could even add any adjectives, he collapsed with a thud.

On the way back.

Seventh Brother laughed maniacally, saying that if the money in the surface world were exchanged for sapphire coins, the exchange rate would probably turn A Xing from a billionaire into a billionaire in debt.

Jiang Xueming sat in the back row, feeling very sad, but she didn't cry.

As he ate his tomato and egg rice, he thought about how he had originally planned to repay a debt of gratitude on this trip, but instead he had incurred even more debts. After working so hard for so long, the boss only gave him so little. He even wondered if the cat had missed two zeros before falling asleep. No, wait, it was using an abacus—in short, Xue Ming felt extremely regretful.

--This is probably life.

The Volga crashed into the ring road.

He looked at A Xing, hoping to find some comfort in her.

Jiang Xueming: "You can't even walk past a girl you see? Can't you have some self-respect? At least you should be able to see two!"

--Ah A Xing is still having a long phone conversation with Miss Wool Sheep. It seems that feelings between people are not always reciprocal.

Upon hearing Ming Ge's reprimand, A Xing suddenly stopped and fell silent.

Another awkward thirty seconds passed.

Jiang Xueming: "Tell me honestly, you only date one girl named Wool Sheep, right?"

Bu Liuxing's voice trailed off. "Uh, speaking of which, we really do get along well. Like Commander Jessica, this Wool Sheep also has a twin sister. Even if I couldn't fight them all, they attacked first—twelve hands in total."

He glanced at Seventh Brother again—

Seventh Brother glanced at the rearview mirror with a knowing look that seemed to say, "If only I had known this would happen."

"It's okay if you can't pay it back!"

This mischievous kid, as usual, [YAHOO], and then immediately tried to contact Xue Ming, who was right next to him.

"I'll take care of you?!"