Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society

Ling An froze at those words.

Wasn't that a pretty wild guess?

The other man hurriedly chimed in. "You've got it wrong. I heard he's Lady Changli's personal pet!"

Whoa!

Ling An jolted.

This guy's take was even crazier.

Just then, a voice suddenly cut in from the side. "You're both wrong!"

The two passersby blinked and said in unison, "Then let's hear it."

"The way I see it, this cat really is something special. There's a good chance some Resonator used their Resonance Ability to attach their consciousness to him!"

"That makes sense. That really makes sense!"

The two passersby mused, "You certainly know more than we do, friend. May we ask your name?"

"Oh, no need to be so formal. I'm Li Rong. Fate brought us together, so tell me, have either of you heard of an organization that might just have something to do with this cat?"

Li Rong's voice carried an enticing note.

"What organization?" The two passersby blinked.

"The Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society," Li Rong said slowly.

"The Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society?" the two passersby murmured.

At the same time, Ling An repeated the name to himself.

He wasn't interested in any organization.

What mattered was that this man claimed it had something to do with him.

How come I didn't know about it?

He had to keep listening.

"That's right. The Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society is a united, caring organization dedicated to resolving people's regrets," Li Rong coaxed.

"Resolving regrets... Li Rong, there's no one else here, so why don't you tell us plainly?" The two passersby were clearly interested.

"Heh, excellent. Let me explain. Life is full of regrets. Have you ever lost someone important and wished you could make things right?"

"We have."

"The Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society helps those in need recover the loved ones they miss. Just like this cat who's become famous lately, it attaches the lingering consciousness of the departed to a body, resolving those regrets!"

Wait.

Ling An could no longer stay calm.

How had they decided he was just some lingering consciousness?

Wasn't that far too presumptuous?

This Li Rong was definitely a scammer. He was riding my popularity to run a pyramid scheme!

If he didn't stop this now, who knew what rumors they would spread about him?

As a Patroller, how could Ling An put up with that?

This was a career achievement delivered right to my doorstep!

He sprang up and landed in front of them, pressing the audio switch as he did:

"You're under arrest!"

All three froze.

"Is that... that cat Patroller?!"

"Go, go!"

Caught gossiping about someone behind his back, the two passersby fled guiltily to the side.

Ling An couldn't be bothered with them. He turned his gaze to Li Rong.

The man hadn't run away.

"Ah, so it's you!" Li Rong greeted Ling An.

Ling An pressed the switch. "You're under arrest!"

"Haha, how interesting." Li Rong waved his hands repeatedly. Rather than showing any fear, he addressed Ling An:

"Mr. Cat Patroller, do you have any regrets?"

Whoa. This guy really had some nerve, Ling An thought.

He was setting up an illegal stall right outside the enforcement office. He really didn't know his limits.

Li Rong continued on his own. "I've heard cats have much shorter lifespans than humans. Surely you have companions you miss too? Would you like to join our Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society? Even companions who've died can be seen again."

You could see the dead again?

Was the Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society's technology really that advanced?

Skepticism crossed Ling An's face.

Seeing that Ling An seemed to be hesitating, Li Rong beckoned, and a timid girl peeked out from behind a nearby building.

"Yuanyuan." Li Rong called her name, then introduced her to Ling An:

"This is my daughter, Yuanyuan. She's usually quite shy. It was only with the Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society's help that I was able to see her again."

After a brief silence, Ling An pressed the switch and asked, "Did she die?"

The moment those words came out, even Ling An froze.

That recording really had no tact at all.

Sure enough, the question seemed to strike a nerve with Li Rong.

He suddenly clutched his head and howled, his eyes filled with pain and turmoil.

In an instant, he entered an Overclocked state.

Fear appeared on the girl's face, but she only stood there in a daze.

The now irrational Li Rong was about to attack his own daughter.

Ling An snorted coldly and prepared to act.

Just then, a charming yet icy voice came from the side. "Stop, Li Rong!"

Ling An looked toward the voice-

A woman with a cold expression was slowly walking toward them.

The first thing that caught his eye was her vivid red hair, which almost reached the ground, secured behind her head with a sleek, austere hairpin.

She was tall and slender. Though her face still looked like a young girl's, every inch of her exuded mature allure.

Ling An stared at her without blinking.

With that outfit and that face, how could he possibly fail to recognize her-

Yinlin!

"You don't want to lose the chance to ever see your daughter again, do you, Li Rong?" she threatened coldly.

At her words, Li Rong seemed to calm down somewhat.

He lowered his head and murmured, "Uh... yes. Sorry for the trouble."

With that, Li Rong turned and left.

Yinlin then looked at Ling An. "Hey, you little pervert of a cat. Have you stared enough?"

Ling An honestly reached out a paw and pressed the gourd:

"No."

Yinlin put her hands on her hips helplessly. "I know who you are. You heard it too. Yuanyuan is Li Rong's daughter, and I have to take her with me."

Ling An said, "Jinzhou Patroller. Upholding justice, punishing evil, and promoting good."

"What a pain." Yinlin pressed a hand to her forehead.

Then her expression changed, and she looked into the distance. "Patrollers are coming!"

Ling An pressed the switch. "I'm a Patroller myself. Madam, you wouldn't want anyone else finding out about this, would you?"

Yinlin felt a headache coming on. She looked at Ling An and coaxed:

"Every new official wants to make their mark. I know you approached Li Rong to investigate the Soul-Return Mutual Aid Society. How about this? Help me get past those two Patrollers, and I'll give you information about the Society. Deal?"

Ling An thought for a moment. "Deal."

As soon as he spoke, two uniformed Patrollers, a man and a woman, arrived in front of him.

The male Patroller still looked like a rookie. He asked awkwardly, "Hello. We heard a commotion over here just now. Did something happen?"

"That's right. If there's any trouble, leave it to us." The other Patroller, an experienced woman, wore a serious expression.

Their gazes moved between Ling An, Yinlin, and little Yuanyuan.

"It's nothing. We were out shopping and happened to run into this little girl looking for her family, so we stopped to help."

Yinlin delivered the lie with perfect ease.

To make it convincing, she bent down and gently gathered Ling An into her arms, flashing a radiant smile.

Ling An felt pressure against the top of his head, and inwardly, he was already ecstatic.

Yinlin's outfit was very unusual.

It covered the places it needed to, while elsewhere there was only a layer of translucent fabric.

And Ling An happened to be right there.

He nodded in satisfaction and pressed the switch:

"I'm Ling An, and I'm very happy right now."