Chapter 8

Several tens of minutes later, Xie Xubai suddenly received a call from the owner of the pet supply store.

The other party was very sincere and apologetic, explaining that the shop assistant suddenly had an urgent matter to attend to and needed to return to their hometown. They asked if it was convenient for Xie Xubai to do so, and that they would deliver the items to him immediately.

I placed the order on the way back.

Considering he would play with the dog for a while, Xie Xubai specifically told them to deliver it two or three hours later, as it was indeed a bit early now.

But there was no other way; no one was home to receive the goods, so I had to go back first.

After hanging up the phone, Gouzi Ping'an seemed to realize that he was leaving and kept staring at him.

Xie Xubai's heart softened at her gaze, and he leaned forward, half-squatting: "How about a farewell ceremony, like rubbing your head?"

He waited with his eyes closed. After about ten seconds, he felt a fluffy head hesitantly approach him.

It rubbed against his chin from left to right, back and forth, with a sense of reluctance.

"I'll come again tonight," Xie Xubai assured it.

Dog slowly withdrew its gaze only after watching the young man's figure disappear at the end of the street.

'Protect him.' It gestured with its chin toward the shadows of the wall.

Several small figures darted out from within, chasing after the direction Xie Xubai had left in.

Xie Xubai's house is about a ten-minute walk from the alley, which is two intersecting roads away. It's neither close nor far.

As soon as he entered the residential area, he saw a delivery truck with the words "Mission Accomplished" written on it parked downstairs.

The deliveryman stood next to the vehicle, looking at his phone and the building, seemingly having waited for a long time.

"They arrived so quickly?" Xie Xubai was a little surprised and quickened his pace to catch up.

In the shade of the trees in the next building, two strangers, a man and a woman, were watching his arrival.

The woman wore a pink hoodie, had long hair in a high ponytail, and looked like a college student. The man wore a jacket, had short, textured permed hair, and had a rebellious, street-smart look in his eyes.

Upon seeing Xie Xubai appear, the woman in the hoodie's eyes lit up, revealing her amazement at seeing something beautiful.

The man in the jacket moved his finger, and the flowerpot above Xie Xubai began to wobble.

"What are you doing?!" The woman in the hoodie realized what was happening and was immediately stunned.

At the critical moment, Xie Xubai seemed to trip over something and stopped in his tracks.

The flowerpot that was supposed to hit his head grazed his cheek and fell to the ground with a loud thud, shattering into pieces and sending dirt flying.

Hearing the commotion, the deliveryman rushed over and anxiously asked, "Mr. Xie, are you alright?"

"...It's nothing." Xie Xubai looked at the flowerpot on the ground, now a mangled mess, his palms and back covered in cold sweat.

He reacted quickly, immediately looking around.

Fearing being discovered, the man in the jacket quickly pulled his head back and clicked his tongue, "Quite vigilant."

The woman in the hoodie still didn't dare to speak too loudly, glaring angrily at the man in the jacket: "Brother Yan clearly said he's the key to passing the level, and told us not to alert him, and especially not to hurt him!"

"You listen to him so much? What, is he your father?" the man in the jacket mocked disdainfully.

"you!"

The man in the jacket interrupted her again, saying rudely, "Do I need a newbie like you to interfere with what I want to do? Besides, what is Yan Yue anyway? He only has two more playthroughs than me, but he really thinks he's the boss?"

As he spoke, he grinned, his smile tinged with a bloodthirsty glint: "If you fucking bastard any more, believe me, I'll send you to meet the King of Hell right now."

The woman in the hoodie met his gaze and, recalling the brutal rumors, felt a sudden chill.

The man in the jacket was pleased with her pragmatism and proceeded to issue orders: "I just cast an Appraisal spell. That guy's stats are very low, and he doesn't seem to have any special abilities. He's probably just an ordinary person. Once the delivery guy leaves, we'll sneak in and kidnap him."

The woman in the hoodie disagreed with this so-called "test," but she couldn't disobey him, so she kept her head down, angry but unable to speak out.

The man in the jacket knew what she was thinking and sneered.

Of course he wasn't that stupid; flowerpots on the second floor wouldn't kill anyone.

The plan was to injure Xie Xubai so that he could then appear as a hero and save the damsel in distress, making it easier to gather clues. However, the NPC managed to dodge the attack.

But he wasn't like Yan Yue, that coward who was always hesitant and restrained in everything he did.

If it didn't work the first time, the man in the jacket immediately wanted to try again.

The dark thought had barely crossed his mind when the man in the jacket suddenly narrowed his eyes. He spotted a small, thin figure in the flowerbed directly in front of him, looking at him with an ambiguous expression.

With sharp teeth and claws, and its fur bristling, it looks like a cat.

Wait a minute, a cat?!

Xie Xubai is currently coordinating with the deliveryman.

He suddenly heard a heart-wrenching scream, his expression hardened, he said "wait a moment" and rushed towards the source of the sound.

Before even reaching the corner, a strong stench of blood assaulted the senses. The scene that followed was utterly horrific. Blood splattered across the walls and floor, and tattered clothing was scattered everywhere.

Given this amount of bleeding, it is seriously doubtful whether the victim will survive.

"What's wrong, Mr. Xie... Oh my God!" The deliveryman who had followed him collapsed to the ground, trembling all over in fright.

"Murder! Murder!"

Before Xie Xubai could even speak, he staggered to his feet and ran off in a flash, abandoning the delivery truck.

Xie Xubai: "..."

Perhaps because he had just been nearly hit by a flowerpot and was already frightened, he accepted the scene in front of him well and didn't find it too horrifying.

Xie Xubai tried dialing the police number again, but as expected, the result was: "The number you dialed is not in service."

Helpless, he had no choice but to move the items from the truck upstairs first. Fortunately, none of them were heavy, and there was an elevator.

This back-and-forth process took almost an hour.

When Xie Xubai returned to the "crime scene," the pool of blood had vanished without a trace, but the ground had darkened to a grim shade, taking on an ominous deep red, as if it had swallowed the blood.

Xie Xubai paused for a moment, then sent a message to the pet supply store owner, asking him to send someone to drive the car away.

"When the flowerpot fell, someone pulled me up. You saved me, right?"

Xie Xubai looked at the empty space; all around was silent and there was no response.

He wasn't in a hurry. He opened a few cans, placed them on the ground, and pushed them forward, saying, "Thank you, this is a token of my appreciation."

Then look away and wait quietly.

Five minutes, ten minutes...

Just as Xie Xubai's legs were about to go numb, he heard a faint rustling sound behind him, but he remained patient and did not suddenly turn around to look, nor did he approach rashly.

The animals' eating movements gradually changed from being cautious at first to becoming more relaxed and enjoying their food.

Soon, after the faint sounds disappeared, Xie Xubai turned his head.

There was meat in the can, but it was pale and discolored, like zombie meat that had been frozen for years.

Xie Xubai said nothing, quickly and neatly tidied himself up, and then asked, "Ping An couldn't leave the alley, so he asked you to protect me, right?"

"Meow." A soft meow came from the corner, as if responding to his question.

"Thank you for your hard work," Xie Xubai said. "Do you know where the person who attacked me just now is?"

A round little head peeked out from the shadows; it was a rather handsome tabby cat.

Seeing that Xie Xubai didn't care about their existence and wasn't frightened, he boldly appeared and shook his head at the young man.

Xie Xubai finally saw the true faces of the little shadows. He spread his hands out and stretched them forward, his five fingers slightly bent, like a fishhook thrown into a lake.

The kitten met those clear, curved eyes and hesitated as it moved its feet.

One step, two steps, three steps... Before long, it came to Xie Xubai's hand and was "fished up" by that warm, big hand.

The palm stroked its head, and the well-defined fingers scratched its cheek, making the kitten squint its eyes comfortably.

"Mimi—"

So this is what it feels like when the king is touched? Not bad—

“That person will probably come back to me. I will create opportunities for him to get close to me,” Xie Xubai said calmly. “If he does show up, please remind me.”

"Meow!" The kitten, having eaten and drunk its fill, readily agreed.

The next morning, Xie Xubai made a point of finding a bookstore and browsing inside.

Sunlight streamed through the window into the room, and tiny particles floated in the air.

Few people read physical books these days, and bookstores remain as quiet and secluded as ever. It's easy to notice any discordant noises around you, which also provides an opportunity to strike up a conversation.

He didn't have to wait long before a suppressed, strange cry rang out beside him.

"Hey handsome, you like dogs too? Me too!"

Xie Xubai was holding a copy of "Pet Dog Care Manual" and was somewhat surprised when he saw who had come.

He thought he could lure out the suspicious fat man, but what actually appeared was a female college student wearing a pink hoodie.

Who is this?

Just then, a cat's paw touched his little finger, which was hidden behind his back. The ghosts were reminding him that this was yesterday's attacker.

The attacker was uninjured; was he an accomplice?

What is the connection between these attackers and the fat man?

His mind raced, but Xie Xubai showed no sign of it on his face. He seemed oblivious to the fear and apprehension in the woman's eyes, and casually replied, "Yes."

A smile that is just right, neither too warm nor too distant, is a normal reaction when facing strangers.

The woman in the hoodie forced a smile, a stark contrast to Xie Xubai's expression.

“I really like dogs too. I saw a big black dog around here before and wanted to adopt it, but I can't find it anywhere lately, and I haven't seen any other stray cats or dogs either. Do you know what's going on?”

She stammered out the last word, and even the woman in the hoodie herself felt it was stiff and clumsy.

The young man seemed to have noticed nothing, putting the book back on the shelf, equally distressed: "No, I'm also puzzled, because the stray dog ​​I wanted to adopt is gone too. You know, I had previously bought a lot of canned food and dog supplies."

"You're looking for them, aren't you?" Xie Xubai looked earnestly at the woman in the hoodie. "Could I help you look for them?"

The hoodie-clad woman, who had been trying to extract clues from Xie Xubai, stammered: "...Huh?"

Author's Note: