Chapter 14 Hawaii (14) Call Keona. ...

If you just let the parrot tell Richie to call Keona, Richie will probably think this silly bird is crazy.

The system and the kitten came up with one bad idea after another, but they couldn't find a perfect solution.

1221 suggested an unconventional idea to the kitten: "Why not skip humans and just do it first and ask questions later?"

"Can we manage on our own?"

I hesitated for a long time.

1221 calculated the probability: "This method has the highest success rate of all methods. Would you like to take a look at my data analysis?"

She's just a kitten, what data could she possibly understand?

"Tell me, what should we do?"

After much hesitation, he finally decided to use every means possible to trick Geona back.

1221: "Go find the parrot next door first."

While Richie was still taking care of Mrs. Mailer, the kitten sneaked over the wall into his yard, where the budgie was idly counting its pile of shiny treasures.

I hadn't seen the cat for a while and thought it had moved elsewhere. But when it came in, its black bean eyes lit up instantly, and it pretended to preen its feathers.

"You've come at the perfect time. Take me out for a couple of flights."

The parrot squawked loudly and hopped around on the perch a few times, eager to try.

"It's possible..." He paused for a moment, "It all depends on whether you, Parrot Boss, are willing to help."

"What are you looking for now?"

"This time it's not about looking for something, it's just about repeating a few words."

She belatedly fed the parrot a nut, watched it crack open the fragrant fruit, and then drank some water from a small ceramic cup to moisten its throat. The parrot asked her, "What are you learning?"

"Of Mrs. Mailer, Carla, and Richie, whose voice do you imitate best?"

"Rich".

"That's what the budgie said with certainty."

"You've spent the most time with Richie, so you must have mastered his voice and tone perfectly by now," the kitten said, sitting up straight and complimenting him.

"I've heard that skilled parrots can be so realistic that they're indistinguishable from real parrots. I wonder if you, as the smartest parrot in all of Hawaii, could do that?"

"certainly!"

The budgie puffed out its chest, its feathers ruffled, trying to make itself appear tall and imposing.

Without even thinking, a string of provocative curses burst from the bird's beak.

Chichi quickly stopped him: "Besides swearing, say something else, like... 'You must come back before the holiday ends.'"

The other person blinked, checked the language system, and then, in a familiar, impatient tone, shouted, "You must be back before the holiday ends! Do you hear me!"

The powerful, rhythmic delivery perfectly mimicked Richie himself, even more so than when the other person imitated someone else's speech.

After a long pause, 1221 exchanged a glance, and it was done.

The next challenge is more practical.

To use the parrot to impersonate Richie and call Keona, they would also need to secretly use Richie's own cell phone.

"Do you know Richie's phone password?" Chichi asked the parrot.

"I don't know the password." The other party pecked at the platform with its beak, imitating a short "click." "It lights up when you press a finger."

"Okay, that's settled then."

Chichi followed 1221 and jumped off the windowsill. Richie was currently busy taking care of a patient next door, so she could take the opportunity to try and steal a cell phone right under someone's nose.

"Wait!" the budgie cried, jumping up and down in frustration. "Aren't you going to untie my rope?"

"I'll get it sorted out after you make that call for me," Chichi said. "Don't worry, as long as we can get away with this, I'll take you flying for as long as you want next time."

The kitten returned to Mrs. Mailer's house and took a look into the bedroom.

Mrs. Mailer was still sleeping, but not soundly. She coughed occasionally and mumbled some incoherently, repeating the names she longed for.

After finishing his work, Richie moved the rocking chair to the bedside in the bedroom and sat on it to watch over the patient as he dozed off.

Whenever he heard the person in bed make a sound, the drowsy old man would immediately wake up, subconsciously raise his hand, reach out, and gently pat the thin blanket covering the other person.

He couldn't leave, so he could only move the chair to the bedside in the bedroom and sit in the rocking chair while the patient dozed off.

His movements were stiff and very careful, almost clumsy.

Sensing that the other person had calmed down again, he withdrew his hand and placed it back on the armrest of the rocking chair, and his heavy eyelids closed uncontrollably once more.

He lingered at the bedroom door, watching this scene unfold.

This is probably the most tender and patient moment for the hot-tempered old man.

At first, the other person would occasionally open their eyes to look at the person on the bed, but later they couldn't stay awake any longer and fell into a deep sleep.

This is a good opportunity.

Holding my breath, I approached the other person cautiously, glancing into their slightly open pocket, where the outline of a mobile phone was clearly visible.

She moved closer to the rocking chair, stretched out her claws, and tried to hook the edge of the phone's soft case and pull the phone out completely.

The pockets are deep, with only a small part of the shell showing. The claws always slip between the smooth shell and the claws, and the claws must also be careful not to suddenly wake humans.

The process was so slow it suffocated the kitten; every second seemed to stretch out.

The sharp claws finally managed to hook the gap between the phone and the soft case, and slowly and gently dragged it out, the tip of its tail taut and straight.

The person in the rocking chair suddenly moved, and the kitten, thinking the other person had woken up, quickly withdrew its paw.

Fortunately, the other person just scratched their itchy neck impatiently, then lowered their hand and fell into a deep sleep, snoring.

Chichi's heart was practically pounding out of her chest. Fortunately, the other person's movement caused more of the phone, which had been partially pulled out, to emerge from the pocket, until the kitten dragged the old phone out completely.

"There's no time for drills. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It looks like he won't wake up anytime soon."

1221 said to the kitten, "As long as we unlock the fingerprint lock and find Geona's phone number inside, we'll immediately go next door to find the parrot."

She stared at Richie's large, calloused hand as he dangled down, his palm covered in wrinkles. She held her phone in her mouth, trying to find a tricky angle to aim at his fingerprints.

It's always just a little bit short.

"Stop, stop, stop."

The kitten was startled by the system and almost dropped its phone: "What's wrong?"

1221 looked at the phone screen that had lit up but hadn't unlocked successfully: "I just remembered, if you fail too many times, the phone will automatically lock. You need to seize the opportunity, or you'll be in trouble."

After a long pause, I carefully adjusted the angle and firmly placed the recognition area onto the other person's fingertip.

One second, two seconds...

The screen indicating successful unlocking appeared.

Following the system's instructions, Chichi used his paw pad to open the contacts, found Geona's phone number, and said, "It worked! Quick, let's go!"

Not daring to waste any time, he quietly slipped out of the bedroom and quickly crossed the courtyard to the neighboring yard.

Before making the call, Chichi and 1221 gave the parrot another "training," going over all the possible conversations and questions with the other party to ensure everything went smoothly.

Throughout the process, the kitten kept swiping its paw pads across the screen to prevent the phone from locking again.

"Remember this: you're not just a parrot, you're Richie himself," the kitten said solemnly. "You also need to be adaptable and not let the other side notice anything unusual."

1221: "You can hang up the phone at any time if there are any special circumstances. As long as you return the phone before Richie wakes up, you've succeeded."

The parrot, caught up in the atmosphere, nodded solemnly.

It asked the kitten, "Are you sure Richie won't find out?"

“If you get caught, just say you stole the phone,” Chichi said. “At worst, we’ll just avoid him during our time in Hawaii. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”

1221: "Are you sure you're not afraid? I can see your hands are shaking."

Chichi shook his paws and said, "I'm not afraid of Richie, I'm afraid that Geona won't believe this phone call."

Well, whether I stick my neck out or not, I'll get stabbed anyway.

"It's coming."

He took a deep breath, pressed the call button precisely, and quickly pushed the phone towards the parrot, pointing the microphone at the other party.

"beep--"

The busy tone of the call connected sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet courtyard, each echo pounding on Chichi's heart, making her tail twitch restlessly.

1221, like a fake ball, remained solidified in mid-air.

Finally, before the call automatically ended, it was answered on the other end.

"Rich?" Geona's slightly puzzled voice came from the other end of the line, with some background noise. "Uncle Richie, it's rare for you to call me. How have you been? What's up?"

Chi Chi gave the budgie a look, and it got into the zone, speaking in its familiar, husky voice into the phone's receiver.

“Kiona, listen! You have to go back to Hawaii before your vacation ends. That’s all I have to say.”

marvelous!

Chichi felt as if he had seen Richie himself through the system.

I usually find this parrot too cunning, but now it's even showing that undeniable eagerness.

After speaking, the other person made an impatient smacking sound, much like a human clicking their tongue, which seemed all too natural.

The person on the other end of the phone was clearly taken aback by the sudden command. After a few seconds of silence, he hesitated, fearing that the other party might notice something amiss, his heart pounding like a drum.

The background noise disappeared, as if we had moved to a quieter place.

Geona asked worriedly, "Is everything alright? Is my mother not feeling well? What happened?"

The budgie, receiving a hesitant but encouraging look, finally responded.

"She has a fever for several days and keeps calling your names."

"Rich" said gruffly, "If you still remember her, you'd better come back and see her before she gets too sick!"

"Carla told me she had a fever yesterday, but she said it wasn't serious and the fever has subsided today. Could you please tell me more about her current condition?"

A little flustered by the barrage of questions, the parrot looked to Chichi for help.

He hesitated for a moment before hanging up the phone.

The call abruptly ended.

The kitten looked at the parrot: "Why are you making such a big deal out of it? That line wasn't in our rehearsed script."

“How can we not make it sound serious?” the budgie argued. “You guys are too mild. Of course, we have to make people extremely anxious before we rush back.”

"She called again."

He stared at the phone call that came back shortly after, somewhat hesitant.

“The parrot is right.” 1221. “Don’t answer. Put her number on Do Not Disturb. Let’s return the phone and make sure Richie doesn’t answer it.”

The call logs were deleted without leaving a trace.

The kitten picked up the phone again and sneaked back to Mrs. Mailer's house. Fortunately, Richie was still asleep, so the phone couldn't be put back in his pocket intact and could only be placed on the bedside table.

After returning the phone properly, he ran out, feeling both fearful and hopeful.

Overwhelmed by the tension and excitement, he didn't notice that Mrs. Mailer behind him had opened her eyes at some point.