Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Tang Qiu spent some time staking out Cai Xuemin.

At first, she thought Cai Xuemin was a detective from the Yuntang District branch, so she spent most of the day in her cat form waiting around without spotting him. Instead, she saw Lei Yue and Si Zhao several times, each time rushing in and out in a flurry.

The most troublesome instance was when Si Zhao noticed Tang Qiu, stared at her from a dozen meters away for a moment, and then hesitantly called out to Lei Yue, who had already walked a few meters off. “Captain Lei, come look. Doesn’t this cat seem familiar?”

Lei Yue turned back and walked over to Si Zhao’s side. He looked for a while and said uncertainly, “Maybe all tabby cats look alike? I don’t see anything familiar about this cat.”

Si Zhao scratched her head in confusion. “Did I see wrong? I just keep feeling this cat looks a lot like the one that went missing from the He family.”

Lei Yue glanced at Si Zhao and asked, “The He family’s cat still hasn’t been found?”

Si Zhao kept staring at Tang Qiu without looking away as she replied, “Yeah, I’ve helped search twice, but there’s no trace. But He Hongxuan’s kid has stopped crying. According to his mom, that cat we saw that day was originally a stray. Somehow it wandered into their house, and He Hongxuan loved it immediately. They wanted to keep it, but it ran away in less than half a day.”

Lei Yue looked at Tang Qiu for a moment and then said, “So it was a stray originally? Then maybe this one really is the one their family's been looking for.”

Si Zhao caught Lei Yue’s meaning and widened her eyes in surprise. “No way? Did it follow us here?”

Lei Yue grinned. “Who knows? We’re humans—how could we understand what a cat's thinking? Who knows what this cat is trying to do sitting here?”

The two chatted while keeping an eye on Tang Qiu, but Tang Qiu stayed still, lying comfortably on the wall, lazily flicking her tail and telling herself: I’m just a cat. I don’t understand a word you’re saying.

After watching the Yuntang District branch for most of the day, with people coming and going but never seeing Cai Xuemin, Tang Qiu promptly changed her location. She went to the police station that had jurisdiction over the scene of the original body’s death to stake it out.

This time went much smoother. She had just jumped onto the wall via a big tree beside the building, before she could even find a better vantage point, Cai Xuemin rushed out of the gate, jumped into a car, and left with his colleague.

Tang Qiu didn’t follow. Instead, she watched the vehicle disappear into the distance, then looked away and instinctively licked her paw.

Of course, she stopped after just one lick. She stiffly shook her round cat head, a helpless look in her eyes, then jumped off the wall and disappeared into the night.

Having already asked Coach Zhong for leave in advance, Tang Qiu had plenty of time today despite having an operation planned.

She still got up at six, washed up, and went for her morning run. Thanks to her persistent morning exercise over a long period, besides the neighbors in her building, she had also become familiar with many people in the district.

An old man with white hair but a sturdy body, a young man who had just quit his job and was twice Tang Qiu’s width, and a white-collar worker who had to exercise due to polycystic ovary syndrome. All kinds of people, even if they didn’t know each other’s names, would nod at each other when passing by.

When Tang Qiu finished her run and was about to go home, she met Ji Shulan again.

As the weather grew hot, Ji Shulan, who loved to look good, had already taken off her coat, wearing only a white silk blouse paired with a black fishtail skirt. Her seven-centimeter heels clicked loudly, her face fully made up, and a confident smile on her lips.

But when she met Tang Qiu, Ji Shulan’s eyes instinctively darted away, looking embarrassed. Then she forced a smile and greeted Tang Qiu, “Good morning, Tang Qiu. Running again? You’re so persistent.”

Tang Qiu nodded calmly. “Good morning.”

As she spoke, Ji Shulan kept walking forward, clearly not intending to stop and chat. Tang Qiu, in turn, walked straight ahead.

Ji Shulan added, “Well, I’m off to work now. Let’s catch up another day.”

Tang Qiu looked at her and gave a slight nod.

Ji Shulan sighed in relief and quickened her pace as she passed Tang Qiu.

As she walked, just about to turn a corner, Ji Shulan stopped and looked back at Tang Qiu. She kicked a pebble at her feet with a mix of admiration and frustration and muttered to herself, “Forget it. It’s your own fault for being lazy and lacking perseverance. It’s normal for her to be cold and not remember you.”

As if she had convinced herself, Ji Shulan’s mood lifted. She tossed her hair and strode forward again with renewed vigor.

Tang Qiu had no idea about Ji Shulan’s conflicted thoughts. She went home as usual, cooked, ate, and read, until the alarm she had set went off. Then she meticulously changed and transformed into cat form before heading out.

…

Cai Xuemin was very busy at the police station today. He didn’t get a break until nearly three in the afternoon. But the cafeteria’s lunch hour was long over, so he had no choice but to call his partner, take off his uniform, change into casual clothes, and find a small restaurant nearby for a quick meal.

They were both starving and ate ravenously. The meal took less than twenty minutes before they wiped their mouths, got up, and left the small restaurant.

Looking for shade under a tree, they prepared to smoke a cigarette before heading back. Just as they opened the cigarette pack, Cai Xuemin noticed a person walking toward them from not far away and froze.

He squinted, quickly searching his memory for the person’s face. After a moment, he recognized him, and his eyes narrowed sharply.

But Cai Xuemin didn’t speak. Instead, he nudged his colleague with his elbow and shot him a meaningful look. His colleague followed his gaze and understood immediately.

They exchanged looks, then quietly and without attracting attention, they closed in.

Following their usual approach, they planned to subdue the person first, then confirm if he was the fugitive they suspected. But unexpectedly, the suspected fugitive was very alert and quick to react. It seemed he sensed their intentions. Before they could get close, he darted forward and fled.

Without hesitation, Cai Xuemin and his colleague gave chase, shouting loudly, “Stop! Police!”

On the street, none of the three noticed a sleek, agile black-and-white tabby cat running along the sidewalk, following them.

It was 3:30 PM. Tang Qiu had been following Cai Xuemin for quite a while.

She watched Cai Xuemin come and go from the station, sometimes escorting a prisoner, sometimes returning empty-handed. But every time, he was hurried and tense, looking tired. Only when talking to colleagues did he relax a little, a slight smile would appear.

Tang Qiu watched him from the wall, also observing those around him. She sensed no danger at all until he changed out of his uniform and left with his colleague to eat. At that point, Tang Qiu perked up. She shook her head, stood up, arched her back, stretched her limbs, then jumped off the wall and followed after Cai Xuemin.

While Cai Xuemin was eating, Tang Qiu sat on the steps near the entrance. Occasionally, passersby would stop to pet her. Tang Qiu dodged left and right, annoyed but patient as she dealt with them.

After the people left, the golden retriever tied up outside the shop came over out of curiosity to sniff her. The dog's huge frame was intimidating for a cat, but its clear, harmless eyes made one let down their guard. Tang Qiu dodged a few times and gradually got used to the golden retriever’s company. She lay down, lightly wagging her tail, letting the dog occasionally nudge her with its wet nose.

Finally, Cai Xuemin finished his meal. Tang Qiu was relieved. She immediately jumped up, scurried into the bushes along the roadside, and peered through the gaps at Cai Xuemin and all the pedestrians near him.

Before Cai Xuemin noticed anyone suspicious, Tang Qiu had already spotted something wrong. It wasn’t just the man’s overly alert look—it was also the uneven bulges and sagging in his two pockets.

The left pocket had a square corner poking out. Considering Cai Xuemin’s cigarette pack, Tang Qiu guessed it was either a cigarette pack or a lighter. But the other pocket had an inconspicuous, sharp protrusion. Having carried a dagger herself for a long time, Tang Qiu was sensitive to such things and concluded it was very likely a weapon.

After waiting so long, the prey had finally shown up. Tang Qiu immediately became alert and ready.

She shook herself, flicking off the weeds and leaves stuck to her fur, then, as Cai Xuemin chased the suspect at full speed, Tang Qiu also darted out of the bushes and sprinted along the roadside even faster.

The suspect was clearly familiar with the area. After running along the main road for a while, he decisively turned right into a small alley. This made things easier for Tang Qiu. She bent her forelegs, pushed off with her hind legs, leaped onto the wall in three leaps, and ran quickly and steadily along the top of the wall.

Three people: one running, two chasing—had no time to notice a little cat.

After running about a hundred meters through the alley, they soon reached an intersection. The man again turned right without hesitation. When Cai Xuemin and his colleague reached the crossing, they exchanged a glance and quickly split up.

Cai Xuemin continued chasing the suspect, while his younger colleague took a different alley, clearly attempting to flank him.

Running in the narrow, dark alley, Cai Xuemin could barely see anything. But from her elevated position on the wall, Tang Qiu had a clear view. The suspect wasn’t trying to use the terrain to lose the police; rather, he was using the complex environment to separate the two, then using Cai Xuemin as the weak link to turn the tables and shake off pursuit in an unexpected way.

The evidence was that when the suspect, ahead of Cai Xuemin, reached another bend, he turned left but didn’t keep fleeing. Instead, he hid directly around the corner and pulled a dagger from his pocket, holding it in a reverse grip.

By now, Tang Qiu had silently positioned herself directly above the suspect. She turned to look at Cai Xuemin, who was only a dozen meters from the corner, then looked back at the surroundings of the alley where the suspect was hiding. She confirmed there were no residents nearby, no surveillance cameras, and no pedestrians. Then she dropped down quietly.

The slight sound of her landing startled the suspect in front of her. But Tang Qiu was faster. Before the suspect could turn around, she deactivated her prop and shifted back to human form, then lunged at him with catlike agility.

The suspect was clearly shocked by the sudden appearance of a person behind him. His eyes were both terrified and vicious, and he instinctively swung the dagger at Tang Qiu.

Tang Qiu leaned back to dodge the sharp blade, grabbed the suspect’s wrist, twisted it, forcing him to drop the knife as he screamed. Then she kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying backward.

Just at that moment, Cai Xuemin came running around the corner, and the suspect crashed straight into him.

Unable to dodge, they both tumbled to the ground. Despite the pain in his tailbone, Cai Xuemin ignored Tang Qiu, rolled over, got up, pinned the suspect down, and handcuffed him.

Tang Qiu took the chance to slip away. Thanks to her habit of scoping out the terrain before every move, she was able to get away safely once again, even with the police around and her not being the target.

Tang Qiu ran straight to a street park she had previously scouted. It had multiple entrances and exits, rolling terrain with hills, a lake, and woods. She found a spot not covered by surveillance cameras, sat down to wait out the cooldown, and recalled the messages that popped up on the system interface during her escape.

You rescued Cai Xuemin at 15:35 on April 6th. You have caused a significant impact on Cai Xuemin's fate. You have gained 1 basic attribute point. You have successfully unlocked a special prize pool.

You drew from the special prize pool and successfully obtained the item (Legendary): Intelligent Module, and the item (Common): Fate's Prophetic Eye (single-use).

You saw Yao Yuanhua. Item: Fate's Prophetic Eye – in use. Use failed.

You have caused a moderate impact on Yao Yuanhua's fate. You have hastened Yao Yuanhua's imprisonment. You have gained 1 universal attribute point.

At the time, in her rush to escape, Tang Qiu glanced at the notifications, her eyes widening in shock and delight, but she couldn't stop to check the legendary item she had drawn. Now that she finally had time, she eagerly retrieved it from the system.

However, to Tang Qiu's surprise, this time the item did not appear directly in her pocket like before. Instead, the system interface flickered and a few words popped up: "Intelligent Module installing..."

Tang Qiu was stunned for a moment. Her excitement subsided, and she realized that the Intelligent Module was an item to be used on the system itself.

Tang Qiu couldn't tell if she was happy or disappointed. She was just a bit nervous. Although the system was very useful, it had always been cold, like a passively triggered program that only provided information when it should appear. Beyond that, it was as if it didn't exist. It never responded to Tang Qiu's active calls, nor did it explain anything she didn't understand. Tang Qiu was both delighted by its existence and puzzled by it.

Fortunately, after the Intelligent Module is installed, she believes all her doubts will be answered.

——

Author's note: I'm stuck on the plot. Today's update is a bit short. I'll sort out the storyline and try to update more tomorrow. Love you all.