Oswald

"Ah! Ah—!"

As soon as Miao Mu and the others reached an apartment building, they heard screams, along with the sound of flesh being torn open.

Miao Mu and Jerry exchanged a glance, both pressing their hands to the holsters on their belts. They flicked off the safeties with their thumbs, ready to draw at any moment.

"Hey! Why are you back?"

A figure holding a black umbrella came around from the other side of the apartment building. He was short and somewhat thin, wearing a white undershirt and black dress pants, with a prominent hooked nose.

Jerry relaxed when he saw him, clicked the safety back on his revolver, and casually tugged at his coat.

The rain was coming down hard, and their police uniform coats were already soaked. Miao Mu recognized him too.

The man holding the umbrella ahead was Oswald, the person they had come to find. A broad smile covered his face.

Oswald gave Jerry, who had walked over, a forceful hug, then punched him in the chest.

"I'm so glad to see you! You really became cops?"

Oswald smiled and waved at Miao Mu. "Mu Mu, you're still the same. Come give me a hug."

"Forget it. Is your leg better yet?" Miao Mu holstered his gun and walked over.

The three of them were quite familiar with each other. The place where Oswald lived now was where Miao Mu and Jerry had once lived.

A few years ago, Oswald had been attacked in retaliation and had one of his legs broken. He passed out on the road outside a small hospital, just as Jerry and Miao Mu, fresh from a fight, were supporting each other on their way there.

They had saved him on a whim.

"Come on, come in and take a look at my mansion!"

Oswald smiled as he pushed open the door, folded up his umbrella and hung it by the entrance, then walked inside.

Miao Mu and Jerry took off their dripping coats and hats before following him in. The room still looked the same as before. The floorboards were still warped, creaking wildly beneath their feet.

The only difference was a newly hung oil painting on the wall. It was beautifully framed and glittering with gold, completely out of place amid the surrounding decay.

It was an obvious imitation of the seventeenth-century Italian painter Panini's Interior of the Pantheon in Rome, but it looked quite good.

"So, what brings you to my place?"

Oswald put on a white shirt. His damp hair clung to his forehead, making his nose seem even bigger.

"Ahem, well..."

Jerry looked awkward, unsure how to begin. Seeing this, Miao Mu simply spoke up.

"We're here because of a burglar. Last night, someone robbed our chief, Wei Fei's house. He's furious, and we wanted to know whether you had any leads.

"If the burglar stole something, he'd have to sell it somewhere..."

At that, Oswald raised a hand to stop him, and the smile vanished from his face. "You came to ask me to be an informant?"

"Uh—yes." Miao Mu was a little embarrassed too.

The sky outside grew darker. With the windows shut, the stagnant air in the room felt stuffy and uncomfortable.

Oswald's expression darkened as he stared at the warped floorboards. A cockroach scurried out from beneath them, only for Jerry to crush it underfoot.

"You know we can't walk the same road as the police, much less help them. It would make us lose our authority."

Miao Mu wanted to say something, but Oswald raised a hand to stop him and continued.

"But our friendship comes before everything else. I can only give you one clue. I can't tell you anything more."

Miao Mu hurriedly nodded. Having a local kingpin helping them was far better than searching blindly.

"Go to this address, but don't say I sent you."

Oswald searched his pockets, then took a business card from his wallet: Fesso Grocery Store. The address was also in the Upper East Side, though it was near the garbage mountain.

"Thanks!"

Miao Mu accepted the business card and thanked him.

"Since when did you become so polite? Next time, I'll treat you to dinner. You can keep the umbrella by the door."

Oswald smiled and punched Miao Mu lightly in the chest. Jerry also smiled as he waved goodbye to him.

After the two of them left, Oswald turned to look at the Interior of the Pantheon in Rome hanging on the wall.

"One day, I'll reach the very top. I promise."

After coming down from the apartment building, Jerry put on his police cap, his face full of delight. He seemed to already see the day they became full-fledged officers.

Miao Mu snapped open the black umbrella, and raindrops pattered against it.

"You're really taking it?"

Jerry laughed and moved beneath the umbrella.

"He gave it to us. It'd be awkward if I refused." Miao Mu smiled and handed the umbrella to Jerry, letting him hold it.

But when Miao Mu looked up at the umbrella, he became suspicious. "Oswald... Why does that sound familiar? Hiss..."

Miao Mu seemed to remember something and turned to look back. Oswald, standing by the window, waved at them.

"Well... probably just the same name. He can't be that Penguin, and he isn't nearly that fat." Miao Mu smiled and shook his head.

"What are you talking about?"

Jerry picked his nose and asked curiously.

"I'm saying, what if we run into the burglar and can't beat him?"

"..."

Jerry fell silent. Miao Mu shook his head and headed toward the garbage mountain. It was not merely a name—there really was a mountain of garbage there.

A neighborhood that had burned down in a fire had never been rebuilt, so it became a dumping ground.

Some gangs even dumped bodies there, which had led to packs of wild dogs and coyotes that fed on human flesh.

As they neared the place, Miao Mu suddenly sensed something, though he could not make it out clearly. The silent cheat ability stirred as well.

[ Ding! Hidden Treasure Encounter—obtainable item discovered. ]

Miao Mu stopped and looked around, his gaze landing on the faintly visible garbage mountain. The rain had shrouded it in a thin mist.

"What's wrong?" Jerry asked.

"You go to Fesso Grocery Store first. I have something to do."

Miao Mu stuffed the business card into Jerry's pocket and ran toward the place that had drawn his attention, a hopeful smile on his face.

"Hey! The umbrella!"

Jerry looked at Miao Mu running away, then at the business card in his hand. For a moment, he had no idea what the guy had gone crazy over.

Before Miao Mu even reached the garbage mountain, he caught the stench of decay. It was definitely not the smell of ordinary garbage.

He raised an arm to cover his nose, quickly took off his coat and draped it over his back, then tied the sleeves over his face like a mask before walking closer.

The holster on his belt was open. Miao Mu watched his surroundings vigilantly as the foul stench grew stronger with every step.

Smoke from chemical reactions caused by the rain rose from a pile of garbage as tall as a three-story building.

Miao Mu walked through the area, seeing every kind of trash scattered across the ground. He even spotted a pile of discarded needles.

"Awooo—growl!"

A mangy wild dog bared its teeth and rumbled from deep in its throat. Its red eyes fixed on Miao Mu, warning him not to come any closer.

Miao Mu drew his revolver from its holster, looked around, and made sure no one from the animal organization would come looking for trouble.

Then he fired at the wild dog.

Bang!

The gunshot rang out sharply.

The wounded wild dog yelped and fled, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Only a few drops of blood remained where it had stood.