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

"what!"

Upon hearing this, Swire was slightly startled, and then quickly looked towards Patto's direction. Only after confirming that the person was indeed leaving did she stop wasting time running in that direction.

Of course, before she went there, she didn't forget to leave someone with a harsh remark.

"You idiot, I've told you so many times, my surname isn't Shi! I'll teach you a lesson when I get back!"

"I am waiting."

……

"The taste is really good!"

Following the recommendation of the canned food vendor, I bought some snacks from Pado on the roadside. While feeding Pado, I also had a bite myself.

"Meow~"

The pleasant meal between the two of them didn't last long. Pado's movements suddenly became slightly sluggish, and she subconsciously began to observe her surroundings.

As for why the cat suddenly became alert, it was because she had a sudden, ominous premonition just moments before.

Then, as if confirming her intuition, Pado almost effortlessly noticed the trio secretly watching her from afar...

Chapter 27 Shaking Off Curiosity

After noticing the trio, Pado abandoned her plan to leisurely savor the snacks and turned to leave as if it were nothing.

Before she could go very far, Canned Food, perched on her shoulder and looking back, noticed Swire approaching in the distance and quickly called out a soft reminder.

"Meow~"

Upon hearing the canned food's casual reminder, Pado, who was already somewhat nervous, instantly felt as if she were facing a formidable enemy and subconsciously quickened her pace to escape.

If it had been Swire and the others before, the cat wouldn't have been hiding so drastically...

But that was before. Now, whether it was the feeling she had when she went to buy the goods yesterday evening or the ominous premonition in her heart at this moment, both were urging her to make a quick getaway... Swire must have found out something.

In this situation, how could Pado not comply? She didn't want to go to jail at all, even if she could escape!

Moreover, there is a difference between buying goods from strangers and friends or acquaintances. Cat feels no guilt when facing strangers, but when facing people she has contact with or who she is inclined to befriend, even if they are her friends, she will feel guilty and a little embarrassed.

"..."

Swire, who was approaching Pato, noticed that someone suddenly quickened their pace. She was taken aback at first, then gritted her teeth and quickened her pace to catch up.

If Pado's previous departure could be attributed to her simply leaving after shopping, then this sudden acceleration...

"They're pursuing us so closely, it seems they've really discovered something."

Noticing the person behind her relentlessly closing in, Pado blinked guiltily before lowering her voice and whispering, "Hold on tight to the can, we need to get ready to shake them off."

As soon as she finished speaking, Pado, who had been walking briskly, suddenly exerted force under her feet and darted out like a nimble cat, dodging pedestrians while heading straight for the next fork in the road.

"!"

Paddo's sudden action startled Swire, who was following behind her, and she chased after her without thinking.

However, on this street where there was still a relatively large flow of people in the morning, she couldn't be as agile as Pado. So when she rushed to the fork in the road, the person had already disappeared without a trace.

"hateful,"

Staring at the street where her destination was no longer in sight, Swire couldn't help but punch the wall next to her, saying in frustration.

……

"She ran away? Did she realize something?" A moment later, Hoshiguma, who had caught up, looked at Swire, whose expression was not good, and asked.

"Yes, she must know I know about her theft. Otherwise, she wouldn't react like this." After hearing Hoshiguma's words, Swire nodded slightly and said with certainty.

Although Swire didn't understand how her knowledge had been exposed, she was quite certain that the guy knew based on Patto's previous "fleeing" reaction.

Of course, it's possible that he felt guilty, but in the little tiger's opinion, that possibility was too small... After all, if he ran away just because he felt guilty, wouldn't that directly tell others that he had a problem?

"The strength and agility with which they subdued the criminals... definitely warrants a thorough investigation." Standing to the side, Chen glanced thoughtfully at the aimless, narrow street before him and murmured.

Although she and Hoshiguma were far behind, they still managed to see Padofelis's agile movements.

If Chen originally wanted to investigate Padofelis because he trusted his colleague's (Char Siu Cat's) intuition and speculation, now he has developed his own doubts and interest.

"call……"

After a moment, Swire slowly suppressed her resentment, exhaled a breath of stale air, and then turned to look at her two friends and colleagues beside her, saying, "Let's go. Continuing to stand here is just a waste of time and has no other value."

"Hmm, shall we continue making visits, Old Chen?"

Upon hearing this, Hoshiguma nodded slightly, then, as if remembering something, turned her gaze to Chen Huijie, the leader of the special operations team.

As she finished speaking, Swire, who was standing to the side, also turned her gaze over, waiting for someone's reply.

Although the little tiger has its own ambitions,

She felt a little resentful, but it was a fact that Chen Huijie was now her team leader, and it was necessary to follow the "superior's" instructions in action.

"Let's try a different area and double-check."

When asked by his two colleagues, Chen thought for a moment and then said...

It's no wonder Chen is wary in this regard; she knows very well what the slums are like and has suffered losses there before... So, just in case, she plans to double-check.

This is to ensure that police officers investigating later will not face such great risks or encounter any problems.

"Yeah."×2

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

the other side--

Following the path, she ran all the way to another street. After confirming that Swire wasn't following, Padre patted her chest and stopped, saying:

"Wow, that was close! Luckily I ran fast. I'll never bring canned food and run so far to find something to eat again."

"Meow!"

Upon hearing this, the canned food, which was perched on Pado's shoulder, protested loudly in dissatisfaction.

“It’s no use protesting. If they figure this out, what if they come and ambush me next time?” As she spoke, Pado couldn’t help but reach out and pinch the chubby face of the canned food.

"Meow meow!"

"Alright, alright, let's put this aside for now. Let's take care of something else first, and once that's done, we'll leave as soon as possible." As soon as she finished speaking, Pado seemed to be guided by something, turned around, and disappeared into a small path, leaving the area.

As for what kind of business it was, it was catching thieves, of course.

Just before, when Padre was being chased by Swire and was running away, she accidentally bumped into someone, or rather, she was deliberately bumped into... At the time, she was distracted and focused on what was behind her, and even though she tried her best to dodge, she couldn't avoid grazing the other person.

The reason why the cat was so sure that the other party did it on purpose was because her wallet was gone, and not only that, the person who bumped into her was a big acquaintance, a certain purple-haired Carter.

At the time, she was afraid that Swire and the others might still be secretly following her, so Pato didn't make a fuss on the spot. But now that she was sure she had completely shaken them off, she planned to go back and chase after them.

After all, no one can take money from a cat unless she does it willingly!

Besides this reason, curiosity also played a role.

At this moment, both Pado and Xiaoshi, who shared her sentiments, were curious as to why An Suo, who had just received a large sum of money not long ago, had started to go down the same old path again so soon.

P.S.: My writing skills are back! But only one update today, two updates tomorrow.

Chapter 28 The Reasons for Going Down the Same Old Path and the Trio Being Targeted

"call……"

An Suo rushed into the deserted alley she had chosen beforehand, and only stopped after confirming that no one was chasing her.

Having learned from the previous experience, this time, after successfully committing the crime, he didn't linger around the scene of the crime. Instead, he ran a long way before stopping.

To be honest, even if I ran this far, I probably would still be caught if I ran into that weirdo again. But, well, no one can always be unlucky...

Last time I stole something, I encountered a strange guy. I can't possibly run into another one this time, can I?

"Phew...cough, I'm exhausted."

After resting for a while and recovering, An Suo muttered something under his breath before reaching into his pocket to pull out his "spoils of war."

"This wallet looks much better than the last one... It's a pity I can't keep it." Looking at the cute light purple wallet with a cat's head printed on it, and then thinking about the other one she was carrying, An Suo couldn't help but mutter to herself.

After venting his frustrations, An Suo finally opened his wallet to check his haul.

Just then, a helpless sigh suddenly rang out in the deserted, quiet alley.

"Oh dear, after all those turns, it's been quite a search for us!"

"!"

The sudden female voice made An Suo pause in his movements, his heart skipped a beat, and he knew something was wrong.

Just as she was about to toss her wallet aside and make a hasty escape, the figure that suddenly appeared before her eyes thwarted her plan, or rather, her anticipated action.

"Hmm... let me think, is it called 'Secret Search'?"

Looking at An Suo, who was smiling but secretly extremely wary, like a frightened rabbit ready to run away at any moment, Pado gently stroked her chin and said.

"Haha, no... I don't have a name."

Upon hearing this, An Suo was startled again, then chuckled in response. Although she didn't know how the person in front of her knew her name, she had no intention of acknowledging him.

Not only did she have no intention of admitting guilt, An Suo was also frantically searching and thinking about her next escape route. Although she was incredibly unlucky to be caught a second time, she definitely didn't want to go to jail if she could.

Although they provide food and lodging, the constant ideological education is incredibly annoying...

"Lying won't work; we already know your name."

After hearing An Suo's sophistry, Pado shrugged and continued, "I have a few questions for you. If you answer honestly, we can let this matter go."

"What... thing?"

"we

"Let me make this clear first, I don't know anything about those important, confidential matters... After all, I'm just a nobody." After saying that, An Suo shrugged helplessly at Pado in front of him.

Honestly, An Suo had originally planned to flee in a frantic escape, but who knew things would take such a turn, and now there's actually a sliver of a chance to confront them head-on.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious that will make things difficult for you."

Pado organized her thoughts for a moment before asking, "I'm just curious, didn't you just make so much money before? Why did you suddenly go back to your old ways?"

"!"

Upon hearing this, An Suo, though outwardly expressionless, was already surprised for the third time in such a short time. At the same time, her wariness towards the seemingly harmless Fei Lin immediately reached its peak.