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

"Meow!"

However, the canned food squatting nearby was not so accommodating. When someone was too lazy to move, it slapped her on the head with its paw and barked urgingly.

"Okay, okay, I'll get up now." After being slapped by the canned food, Pado slowly sat up and stretched.

Although waking up at this time goes against the cat's happiness principle, she did have something important to do this morning; otherwise, she wouldn't have asked the canned food to wake her up.

"Wait a little longer for the canned food. I'll pack up, and then we'll head out. We won't go anywhere else today; let's just grab breakfast in the slums." Pado said to the fat cat beside her as she put on her clothes.

"Meow~"

Upon hearing this, the canned food next to him gently stomped its chubby paws and yawned, but it didn't seem to have any objections.

As for why the man and the cat went to the slums so early in the morning, it was obviously to check on the results of what they had been working on the night before.

If you guys in the slums saw what Pado posted last night...

If the "announcement" is no longer filled with rejection and hostility towards innocent people (Guardsman Police) because of helping them, then everyone will be happy.

However, after watching it, if anyone still tries to cause trouble under the name of "Dragon Gate Heroes," then I won't show any mercy.

Even if the person gets arrested first, she can still sneak into jail and teach them a lesson. After all, if someone doesn't understand human language, then it's better to teach them a real lesson.

……

"Alright, let's go, Canned Food. We still have a lot to do today. After we finish our morning tasks, we need to find a sushi restaurant before lunchtime." After tidying up her living quarters, Pado waved to Canned Food beside her.

"Meow~"

"Hold on tight, let's go!"

As for why Pado had to find a sushi restaurant before noon, it wasn't because she wanted to eat there, but because she wanted to buy it for Sakura, who was far away in Trimont, Colombia.

Because all the "announcements" that the cat posted last night were written by someone else, and that person was Sakura.

So, to express her gratitude for the help, she planned to give Sakura, who was getting tired of the cafeteria food, a change of pace at lunchtime today.

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

Senior Superintendent's Office of the Guard Bureau

"So, you just connected this Padofelis with that notorious thief, which is why your expression suddenly turned so grim?" After listening to Swire's explanation, Hoshiguma stroked his chin and said knowingly.

“Yes, although there’s no direct evidence, my intuition tells me there should be some connection between the two.” Hearing this, Swire nodded slightly, then added:

"Unfortunately, the things she took from my house were too inconspicuous for me to count... So far, including yesterday's canned food, I have only confirmed 4 small items."

"Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that she has also stolen small items from other people's homes."

After Swire finished speaking, Chen, who had been listening in, couldn't help but speak up:

"Should I say Officer Shi is lucky or unlucky, that your house has been robbed so many times?"

"!"

"You damn dragon, how many times have I told you, my surname isn't Shi! And how can you blame me? What kind of thief only steals small items?!" Shi Huaiya, whose sore spot was precisely hit by someone, successfully lost her temper again and retorted mercilessly.

"Alright, stop!"

"You two, you start bickering after just a few words. Alright, alright, we're friends, let's not ruin our friendship."

Seeing the two people about to start again, Hoshiguma couldn't help but rub her forehead, then quickly stood up and stepped between them, separating them.

What a joke! If these two keep arguing, forget about continuing to piece together the clues. Even the mission they're supposed to do together later will probably have to be postponed.

"Who would be friends with this char siu cat!"

"Who's friends with the Fallen Dragon!"

After hearing Hoshiguma's words, the two of them spoke up in rebuttal at almost the same time.

"..."

"Humph."

Then, realizing what had happened, one turned away with a cold face, while the other gave a defiant snort, and neither paid any attention to the other.

"Sigh... Let's get ready a little. It's almost time, we should set off." Looking at her two friends who were arguing like children, Hoshiguma's eyes were filled with so much helplessness that they were almost overflowing.

"As for Padofelis, let's put it aside for now. After we finish dealing with things this morning, we'll find a time to meet with her and confirm things."

"After all, we don't have any concrete evidence to prove that this person is related to that notorious thief."

At this point, Hoshiguma seemed to suddenly remember something, paused slightly, and then turned to Swire to continue, "When that Patofilis was giving her statement, she left her contact information, but we don't know if it's true or not."

"You seemed quite interested in her that night. Did you get her contact information?"

"……Have."

After listening to Hoshiguma's words, Swire remained silent for a moment before nodding in reply.

At this moment, the little tiger admitted that she was a little heartbroken, but she never expected that the new friend she made because of a cat would be like this...

Was that guy stealing some worthless trinket from her? It was trust! What a waste that she bought so much cat food and canned cat food!

"That makes things easier. She probably hasn't found out you know about those things yet. Try asking her out after you finish your work this morning."

"Ah."

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

"Aqiu——"

"I have a feeling that someone is watching me. I don't think I've offended any important people recently, have I?"

Pado, who was eating breakfast at a roadside stall in the slums, couldn't help but sneeze and muttered to herself with a somewhat suspicious expression.

In that brief moment of distraction, a furry, wicked paw stealthily reached for her breakfast.

"can!"

"Meow!"

P.S.: I haven't been feeling well these past couple of days, so I've been neglecting my updates. That's not good; I need to get my updates back on track. That's all for now, see you all tomorrow.

Chapter 26 Chance Encounter

After a quick breakfast on a street in the slums, Pado began her day.

The investigation included, but was not limited to, taking a stroll around the places where the "announcements" were posted and asking other people for their opinions.

After some investigation, the cat was quite satisfied with the results, or rather, they were within her expectations.

Although many people are still using this incident as an excuse to vent their negative emotions and harbor resentment towards innocent people, things have improved considerably compared to before; at least many of those who were incited have calmed down.

As for the rest of them, just as Pado had planned, she wouldn't interfere if they didn't cause trouble. But if they did cause trouble and implicated others, she would punish them.

To be honest, I really don't want to, and don't really like, doing things like physically punishing others. But this whole thing started because of her, so even though I don't like her, I'll still pay attention to it.

After all, it would be bad if these guys used this as an excuse to vent their emotions and accidentally hurt someone.

If the higher-ups were to conduct a thorough investigation, Pado would definitely be implicated. She didn't want to suddenly find herself wanted throughout the entire city one day.

"Things are alright, not a big problem. Thanks for waking me up this morning, canned food! Is there anything else you'd like to eat? It's on me!"

Looking at the intricate streets of the slum in front of her, Pado turned her head slightly and smiled at the can on her shoulder, saying...

Cat has mostly finished her tasks here this morning, but since it's still early, she plans to continue strolling around and treat her fat cat.

"Meow! Meow meow..."

Upon hearing Pado's words, the canned food, which had been lazily rummaging through its food, instantly perked up and then excitedly chirped softly.

"So many? And... Canned food, how do you remember the snack locations so clearly?!" Pado couldn't help but rub her forehead after hearing Canned Food rattle off a string of names and locations.

"Fine, fine, I'm really fed up with you. But let's make it clear first, we'll leave when it's time, we still need to buy lunch for Sister Ying."

"Meow~"

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

the other side--

"How's the situation over there?"

Looking at the two colleagues and friends who had returned from the investigation, Hoshiguma asked them in a good mood.

Although it's still uncertain how things are going with her two friends, her investigation is progressing exceptionally smoothly. Even though some people are still choosing to remain silent, their attitudes are no longer as harsh or resistant as before.

"Aside from not getting any useful leads on the suspects, we haven't encountered any major problems, and those people aren't as resistant as before." In response to Hoshiguma's question, Chen first shook his head slightly before answering.

"Well, it's similar on my end. Everyone's attitude is much better than before, but we still don't have any clues about that guy. Ah, if only someone had run into him..." As she finished speaking, a hint of frustration appeared on Swire's delicate face.

Ever since Swire began to suspect the connection between Padrephilis and the Dragon Gate Thieves, she had been eager to uncover the truth. However, the reality was that she found nothing…

Chen glanced at Shi Huaiya, who looked sullen, and unusually didn't say anything, but instead began to analyze the situation seriously.

"Although we didn't get any leads, the suspect's letter still played a significant role this time, at least making the people less resistant to us."

"Since they're not so resistant anymore, that makes things easier. We'll send some people over later to help with the interviews and investigations. Of course, security is still a concern."

When the last sentence mentioned safety, Chen seemed to think of something, her expression shifted slightly, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes, but she quickly lowered her eyes to hide her emotions.

Meanwhile, Hoshiguma keenly noticed her old friend's change in mood and looked at her with some concern. However, due to the occasion, she didn't say anything at that moment.

Just as the atmosphere at the scene was gradually quieting down, Swire, who had been standing aside silently and brooding alone since the beginning, suddenly narrowed her eyes and stared sharply into the distance, looking like a tiger that had suddenly spotted its prey.

"?"

Hoshiguma, noticing Swire's change, paused slightly, then followed her gaze with a curious expression. When she saw that familiar yet unfamiliar figure, she couldn't help but ask, "That person... doesn't she seem to be the Padrephilis you mentioned?"

"Um……"

After barely suppressing the urge to rush over and question her, Swire turned her gaze back and nodded to Hoshiguma.

"The suspect just posted the notice yesterday. Whether it's him or his subordinates, someone will definitely come to investigate and verify the results. Why don't you go and test the waters?"

Chen, who had somehow quickly pulled himself out of his emotions, looked at Swire with a serious expression and said...

"Yes, of course I'll go." After hearing Chen's words, Swire couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly before nodding.

Even if Chen hadn't spoken, Swire would have gone over to talk to Padrephilis and probe her. The reason she hadn't gone over immediately was that she was organizing her thoughts and calming her emotions...

"What is Superintendent Shi waiting for? The person is almost gone. If you're scared, I..."

It's not that it can't be done by someone else.

Chen glanced at the person who was about to leave in the distance, then looked at Swire expressionlessly and gave a reminder.