Chapter 10: Let’s Talk About the Rich Lady’s Bounty

Chapter 10: Let's Discuss the Rich Lady's Reward

"Based on the personality traits displayed by the cat's parent in the book, they are definitely the type to vent their anger."

"Even if the kitten didn't die due to persecution by someone, but simply because of hunger and cold, as long as the kitten is gone, the parent, in their heartbreaking sorrow, would surely destroy Tianlanxing to bury it with their beloved child."

"Especially since, from their perspective, there are so many people on Tianlanxing, and if just one person had been willing to lend a hand, their child wouldn't have come to harm. But no one helped, and the cold-heartedness of society has reached such a level. Does such a planet still have any value?"

Thinking of this possibility, Sheng Qingquan felt shivers all over.

By the end of November, even in the warm climate of Yunteng City, nighttime temperatures began to drop gradually.

Young people could still rely on their good health to wear just a thin shirt or even short sleeves, but for the frail elderly and children, a jacket was necessary.

Sheng Qingquan's conjecture could very well become a reality.

Realizing this, everyone became anxious.

"But before that, I need to confirm whether the kitten has arrived on Tianlanxing. What if it's still happily traveling in outer space with its parent?"

"The novel doesn't specify the exact time; the author isn't meticulous. Writing such dangerous content without clearly marking the time and place is unacceptable!"

After skimming through for a long time without finding what he wanted, Sheng Qingquan couldn't help but complain.

But he also knew in his heart that, although he said so, he couldn't really blame the author.

After all, what the author wrote was a novel, not a police report that needed to be filled out with every detail.

Unable to find it at a glance, Sheng Qingquan had to suppress his anxiety, slow down, and search word by word.

"This book is so unintelligent, it's already paid for, why isn't there a search feature?"

"How convenient it would be to use a keyword search."

"Unlike now, it's such a time-waster."

"Wait, here it is."

Sheng Qingquan's eyes lit up, sweeping away his previous disappointment.

Although he still didn't see the exact time, there were a few passages in the novel that described:

["Let's call you Mianmian (soft). It's drizzling today, and your meow is so soft. The name fits perfectly."]

"This was said by Officer Jiang when she named the cat on the day she found it."

["The new cat food from Lion's Family? It's said to be highly palatable and especially healthy. After promoting it for so long, it's finally on sale today. What a coincidence, let's buy a bag for Mianmian and see if she likes it."]

"This was what Officer Jiang thought when she passed by a pet store on her way home from work the day after finding the cat, saw a large poster on the window, and stopped to buy cat food. After the novel reveals that the protagonist is a cat, not a human, the author narrates in flashback the scene where the cat and the person meet."

He hadn't paid attention to it before, but now it came in handy.

Sheng Qingquan quickly took out his phone to check the weather report and the release date of the cat food.

"The weather has been good these past few days, either sunny or cloudy. Tomorrow is cloudy with light rain."

"And the new cat food from Lion's Family has been promoted for half a month, with the official release date announced in the ads being the day after tomorrow."

"Cross-referencing both pieces of information, if nothing goes wrong, tomorrow is the day Officer Jiang picks up the kitten in the story."

"When Officer Jiang found the kitten, the first thing she noticed was how the author described it."

"'Its fur was all matted, its belly as flat as an empty sack, thin and tiny, with a meow so faint it seemed like it hadn't eaten in days.'"

"Otherwise, Officer Jiang wouldn't have thought it was a stray."

"Later, when she took the kitten to the veterinary clinic for a check-up, the doctor said that if they had rescued it any later, the kitten would have starved to the point of serious health issues."

"This means the kitten is already wandering on the planet Tianlanxing."

Sheng Qingquan's face tightened with urgency.

"I'm not sure if going a day early will help us find the kitten."

"What if the kitten hasn't wandered there yet?"

For the bodyguards, this was no big deal.

Given the size of the young kitten and its famished state, even if it wasn't exactly at that location, it probably wouldn't be too far away.

They could just deploy more people to comb the area.

Everyone stared hard at the wall, as if trying to see Sheng Qingquan through it.

They were ready, just waiting for him to pinpoint the specific location.

"Where exactly did Officer Jiang find the kitten?"

"That's a good question!"

Sheng Qingquan was frantic; he had already figured out the timing from the plot. Why was the location still so elusive?

"It just mentions under some tree."

"Yunteng City boasts a 67% vegetation coverage—trees are everywhere! Even in the urban areas, the street trees and landscape trees in the green belts are numerous. Who knows which tree you're talking about?"

Sheng Qingquan took a deep breath, forcing himself to think clearly.

"Since tomorrow's a workday and Officer Jiang's a cop, we should start by checking her usual commute route. Keep an eye out under the trees; we can't miss it."

"Damn, why can't others see this golden opportunity? Otherwise, handing it over would be better—such a crucial mission should go to more capable hands!"

"Unlike now, if I spill the beans, they'll just think I'm nuts."

Practically, it's almost the same as handing it over. Those in the know couldn't help but think so.

In the next room, before the bodyguards could ask, Jiang Zhilan had already chimed in: "I'm working tomorrow, for sure."

"If nothing comes up tomorrow, I'll be at the station all day. Tracing the commuting route is the correct approach."

"There are two routes from here to the police station. One is closer, but it's particularly congested during peak hours. The other is a bit further, the route is also a bit more remote, but it basically doesn't get congested. I usually take the latter."

"But with enough hands on deck, let's cover both, just to be safe."

After all, which road she would take tomorrow, even she couldn't be sure today.

What if something happens tomorrow that causes her to choose another road?

Given the importance of the matter, Jiang Zhilan dared not have any oversight.

"If we can't find it after all, I'll go to work as usual tomorrow. I'll try to act as I normally would. If there's a case that requires me to go out on duty, I'll do so normally, so I don't miss the little white cat."

There's no guarantee she didn't spot the cat while on duty.

Sheng Qingquan and Jiang Zhilan were on the same page.

"If it really doesn't work out, we'll just have to get up early tomorrow and follow Officer Jiang."

"Ugh, as an amateur, tailing a professional cop is just asking for trouble."

Thinking of this, Sheng Qingquan couldn't help but gasp.

"No, no, it's better to find an excuse tomorrow and go to the police station with her openly. Better than getting caught and pinned to the ground with a police hold."

But that's a problem for tomorrow. As for now, Sheng Qingquan is walking along the route to the police station, looking around and starting to search for the cat.

"There are so many trees here. Is it just me, or does it seem like there are a lot of people around? This isn't a commercial street."

"I remember the cat was a little white cat. But after being out for days, it's probably pretty grimy by now. The white fur probably doesn't look white anymore. So I should be looking for a grubby little gray or black cat?"

"And this cat's eyes are gray-blue. Fortunately, the novel mentioned its appearance. Otherwise, it would be even harder to find."

"Not this one."

Sheng Qingquan suddenly saw a little cat under a street tree ahead. He ran over and took a closer look. Though it was dirty, he could still make out its fur color up close.

"It's a little orange cat."

"Keep searching, keep searching. Strange, it feels like others are also looking for something. When I ran over, a few people nearby seemed on edge."

"Some rich lady's offering a reward?" Sheng Qingquan, who was focused on finding the cat, suddenly heard two people nearby chatting while looking around.

Even while focused on finding the cat, he couldn't resist eavesdropping on the gossip.

While still scanning the area, Sheng Qingquan's ears instinctively perked up.

"What's the reward for? A kid? Is this for real?"

"Cut the crap," the person quickly interrupted his friend, "Some rich girl got into a fight with her boyfriend, got mad, and chucked her diamond ring out the car window."

"Now she's cooled off and made up with him. She remembered it was the ring he gave her when he proposed, and now she's desperate to get it back. But the ring is nowhere to be found. The lady searched for a long time but couldn't find it, so she posted a bounty on her social media, mobilizing others to look for it."

"The reward's a cool million. More than the price of the ring itself. Plus, you might get to know the lady and her boyfriend, score some points with them."

"It's a lucrative deal, so everyone who knows about it is coming to look."

"If we weren't childhood buddies, I wouldn't have brought you along. Otherwise, I would have come alone for such a good deal."

At this point, the person didn't forget to emphasize to his friend: "This news isn't known to outsiders. The fewer people know, the fewer competitors. Everyone is tight-lipped."

"Anyway, you focus on looking. If you find it, your job won't be a worry. The lady can easily arrange a job for you. Her boyfriend also comes from a good background, for people like them, these are small matters."

"Besides, with a million bucks, you don't need to work for a couple of years. But let's agree first, if you find it, forget about the favor, but the bounty has to give me a third..."

As they spoke, it seemed like they couldn't find the ring here, so they moved to another place to look.

"Ah, that explains why there are so many people around."

Sheng Qingquan suddenly understood.

Phew, I finally managed to pull it off. The two staff members assigned to act in the play quietly sighed in relief as they walked away.

"This isn’t the cat we’re looking for."

"This one’s not it either."

Sheng Qingquan’s legs were starting to ache from all the walking.

"It feels like I’ve checked every stray cat on the street. Even when someone walked by with a pet cat, I made sure to take a closer look. There was a little white cat, but its fur was sleek and shiny, clearly well-fed—definitely not the one we’re looking for. Plus, the eye color didn’t match."

"It’s already dark, and we still haven’t found it."

Sheng Qingquan felt a bit disheartened and even started thinking about what excuse he could use to tag along with Jiang Zhilan to the police station tomorrow.

"Claiming it’s to report a case definitely won’t fly; filing a false report is illegal. I can’t break the law or bend the rules."

"At the start of the year, I lost my ID card but didn’t realize it at the time. Last month, when I was about to take a train, I realized it was gone. Since it had been so long, I didn’t report it and just got a replacement instead. Could I use this as an excuse to go to the police station now?"

"Wait... is that something moving over there? Could it be a cat?"

Sheng Qingquan saw what seemed to be a cat at the corner of an alley, near the back door of a restaurant. It had been blocked by some clutter before, so he hadn’t noticed it.

"It’s moving around a lot and looks pretty lively. Doesn’t seem like a little white cat that’s been wandering and starving. But I’ll check it out just in case. What if it’s the one?"

"It’s a white cat!"

Sheng Qingquan got so excited that his inner voice grew louder.

The tired staff members suddenly perked up. Did we find it?

"Found it! White fur, gray-blue eyes. Both features match. Especially the eyes—the biggest characteristic of this little white cat is that its blue eyes, even the pupils, are blue. Unlike other blue-eyed kittens, whose pupils are black."

After getting closer and confirming the kitten's identity, Sheng Qingquan, upon seeing the kitten's actions, instinctively slowed down his approach.

"Kitty, what are you doing, kitty?"

"I thought you were a clean-freak kitten who wouldn’t even rummage through the trash when hungry, only eating a full meal after being rescued."

"But you’re actually playing with bugs here."

"And it’s a huge cockroach!!!"