I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

She planned to go have dinner first, then let the canned food escape after Swire got off work, and then she would go to the vicinity to pick up her own fat cat, who had been locked up because of its gluttony...

As for why she didn't go to rescue the cat before people got off work, it's obviously because it wouldn't make sense. Paddo didn't want Swire to find out someone had broken into her house; that would definitely make her more vigilant.

After all, under normal circumstances, a chubby cat's paws wouldn't be able to open a locked door with canned food; otherwise, it would have run away long ago after eating that stuff, and wouldn't have waited until now...

However, when it comes to rescuing the cat, Pado was speechless and couldn't help but facepalm... Clearly, when they went downstairs earlier, the cat had a chance to escape; with its agility, Swire would have definitely caught it.

Not quite, but because there was food, so...

Chapter 13 The Current Situation and the Rat King's Candy Shop

After the minor incident of the canned food being "trapped," Pado became more vigilant in her subsequent investigations and actions.

Not only that, but the speed of purchasing goods is also increasing rapidly. This week, apart from eating, sleeping and stuffing things into the slums, the cat is either purchasing goods or on its way to purchase goods.

Because of this "diligence," Pado achieved remarkable results in the first half of the mission. Of the 10 deliveries for the first mission, 6 have already been completed, except for the ones that haven't yet been delivered to the slums.

Even Swire's house has been visited by her cat five times so far. However, each time it has only taken some inconspicuous little things.

Most of these small items came from Swire's storage room.

To be honest, that's Pado's favorite spot in the whole house right now. She really enjoys searching for treasures forgotten by her "owner" in those little corners.

Where to settle down

"Ah, I haven't found a way at all," Pado lamented, leaning against the wall behind her.

Recently, through a series of coincidences (good luck), Pado acquired many valuable items. However, despite their value, she neither liked nor wanted to collect them...

However, since the cat had only been there a short time and had attracted the attention of the "Rat King" Lin Gerui, she couldn't sell her stolen goods at all...

Openly, they definitely can't sell them directly. But going through the black market is risky, with the Rat King, the underworld boss, watching closely... no matter how many Pados they have, there's no way to get them.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Canned food, let's go find something to eat and do some research while we're at it." After only a short while of worrying, Pado's face lit up with a smile again, and she gave up on thinking.

Although I really want to sell the items and exchange them for glittering gold or silver coins.

But if they really couldn't sell them, Cat didn't force it. She didn't like letting such trivial things affect her mood. Being happy in every moment was her life's purpose!

"Meow!"

Upon hearing the word "food," the canned food's eyes lit up, and it skillfully jumped onto Pado's shoulder.

------------------

Time passed quickly, and the sun gradually slid down from the sky, leaving only a dim sky and a magnificent sunset.

slums —

Pado, who was walking along a dark alley, seemed to suddenly sense something and nimbly stepped on the protrusions on the wall to silently climb onto the balcony of an uninhabited house.

Not long after she hid there, the dark path welcomed new "passersby".

The cat upstairs secretly watched the "passerby" downstairs until she was completely gone, then muttered to herself:

"Hmm, I'm wearing more and more eyeliner. Honestly, I'm not some big shot."

The people passing by downstairs were dressed plainly and looked like ordinary members of this slum.

However, as the number of purchases increased, Pado, who had been suffering from eyeliner all along, became absolutely certain that the person was Lin Gerui's eyeliner...

"Meow~ Meow meow!"

Just as Pado was muttering and complaining, the canned food next to her suddenly made a soft sound, and then stomped its chubby little paws with a somewhat impatient expression.

"?"

After understanding her cat's full meaning, Pado paused for a moment before saying, "Canned food, I think the first part of what you said is feasible. But the second part..."

The canned goods and Pado just expressed two main points. The first is that the inspections are currently very strict, so the aid supplies can be postponed temporarily, or not delivered on time or to the required standards.

The second plan is to have Pado steal the candy store that the [Rat King] and his informants are paying attention to while they are there! A feint attack to steal the store directly.

"Meow!"

"Hmm... Canned Food, why are you being so proactive today? You're not eyeing the candy at that shop, are you? Cats shouldn't eat too much candy." After understanding what her cat meant, Pado said with a smile, "earnestly."

Finally, after being slapped by the canned food, Pado stopped joking and became a little more serious, saying, "Since we've postponed helping everyone here, it's not a bad idea to go all out. Let's go."

Joking aside, Pado actually knew that the canned food suggestion was the best solution at the moment. In a sense, being a kind of alternative fugitive in the slums, it wasn't really appropriate for her to continue delivering supplies and helping those people.

Also, the reputation progress bar for the cat's first task has been stuck for several days. Based on her previous experience and experiments, she found that to fully increase the progress bar to about 20%, she still had to provoke the tiger.

To make yourself known to those important figures, or even to leave a lasting impression on them...

So far, the closest and most convenient "tiger" to her is only the underworld boss, the "Rat King"...

Without hesitation, Pado took the canned food and carefully left the place.

---------------

In the dead of night, the bustling city seemed to fall asleep, and the buildings that had been brightly lit gradually quieted down.

The light went out, leaving only a few mottled shadows.

At this time when most people are resting, a nimble figure is still sneaking around the quiet streets.

"Wow, it's so quiet around here, and there aren't any guards. It's just a shame there are security cameras." Pado, hiding in the street, observed the situation around the candy store that had already closed its doors to customers not far away.

"Get the canned goods, turn off the power to the surveillance camera, and give me 10 dried small fish!"

"Meow!"

Upon hearing this, the previously calm Guan Tou suddenly lit up with its eyes and, without needing Pado's prompting, nimbly darted out.

"...a gluttonous cat."

Watching the fat cat rushing by so fast it left a blur, Pado couldn't help but rub her forehead and complain.

However, despite complaining about how greedy the cat was for canned food, it had to admit that it was incredibly efficient when it came to food, and in no time it had cut off the power to several nearby surveillance cameras.

After confirming that there were no problems, Padora adjusted the brim of her hoodie before leaving the alley where she was hiding and heading towards a gangster's candy store.

Unlike Swire, who hadn't stolen the key beforehand, Patto used her old tricks to open the door this time.

"Crack..."

With a flick of her special tool, Pado unlocked the candy store door with a soft click.

She then opened the door a crack and quickly slipped inside.

Because the items she was buying this time were candies, Pado took out a small flashlight and shone it on herself after entering the store.

However, once she could see the situation inside clearly with the help of this beam of light, she couldn't help but widen her eyes.

Chapter 14 The Rat King: Lin Gerui's Wrath

With the help of the light, Pado was able to see the scene inside the store clearly, and she couldn't help but widen her eyes, or even exaggerate to say that her eyes were practically shining.

Because, under the beam of the flashlight, many of the candies or rather the candy wrappers on the store shelves reflected a beautiful light, looking sparkly... which inexplicably aroused some impulses in me (the cat).

"Hehe, looks like I didn't bring any useless tools tonight!" With a light laugh, Pado couldn't wait to run towards the shelf in front of her.

Normally, cats don't need flashlights or similar tools when buying goods, since they can see very well at night.

Today, I brought a flashlight because the place I was buying supplies from was a candy store, so I wanted to add a little bit of a ritual. Who knew that I would accidentally see another side of candy?

But soon Paddo began to have a dilemma, because she discovered that there were just too many candies with shiny, pretty wrappers... so many that if she bought them all, she would definitely be hunted down the next day.

But if we don't buy them all, the cat is really itching to try them... They're shiny, pretty, and edible candies!

"Canned food, what should I do? Should I take it all, or just a little?" Pado stroked her chin, thought for a while, and then turned to look at the canned food that had somehow returned to her side and asked.

"Meow~" Hearing this, Pado licked her chubby paws and let out a soft meow.

"Canned food, what you said is the same as saying nothing at all." After hearing Canned Food kick the choice back to her, Pado scratched her head in frustration.

However, this "dilemma" did not last long. After gazing intently at the glittering candies for a moment, Pado made a decision.

Adhering to the idea that since she was already there, she should prioritize having fun, Pado took her small flashlight and collected the pretty candies from each shelf.

Finally, after storing all the candies she liked into her space, the cat stopped buying more.

"A bumper harvest! But..."

Pado looked at the shop where she had taken almost half of the candy, remained silent for a moment, and then silently took out a thick wad of money from her spatial storage and placed it in the corner of the counter.

If possible, Cat hopes that while she has a good time tonight, she won't be chased down by the "Rat King" Lin Gerui afterwards...

After finishing cleaning up and making sure she hadn't messed up the shop, Pado lifted her foot to leave. However, before she could even step out of the shop, she seemed to remember something, flicked her tail slightly, and quickly turned back to the counter.

Then, she took out the box she had recently used to store goods from her storage space, rummaged through it, and selected a few valuable items that she didn't like and couldn't resell, placing them next to the money on the counter.

"Hehe, here comes the canned goods!"

"Meow~"

After doing all this, Pado happily turned around again and nimbly led her cat out of the candy store.

Before leaving, she thoughtfully restored the door lock that she had previously opened with a special tool to its original state.

……

After finishing her candy store shopping trip for the evening, Pado's concealed presence lingered outside for a few moments before quietly returning to her new secret base, or rather, her new place of refuge.

"Ah~"

"I haven't had a good night's sleep in ages, goodnight canned food." Pado yawned softly and muttered to the canned food beside her.

"Meow~"

----------------------

The next morning—

After having breakfast at home with his wife and daughter, Lin Gerui, the "Rat King," leisurely leaned on his dragon-headed cane and left home, heading towards his destination.

They went to the candy store.

Despite having some connections, Lin Gerui still quite likes being the owner of a candy store.

If there's nothing urgent, he goes there himself every morning to open the shop and then enjoys a leisurely time there.

To Lin Gerui, today was no different from any other day, just another ordinary day. However, this thought vanished the moment he opened the shop door and saw what was inside.

"Damn it, who did this?!"

Seeing that almost half of the candy on the shelves of his store was gone, Lin Gerui tightened his grip on his cane and then shouted angrily.