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

"call……"

Swire ignored the slight unease that arose in her heart when she saw the cat paw stamp on the envelope, opened the envelope, took out the letter inside, and began to read.

[Long time no see, Ms. Swire! I have something to tell you this time: I've been eyeing one of your "treasures" for ages, and after much thought, I've finally decided to go and order it today!!]

Of course, you can refuse. The condition is that you can catch us, as the delivery time is tonight! But if you can't stop us, that's okay too, we'll still pay!

That's all for now, see you later.

However, it would have been better not to read the letter at all, because once you read it, everyone fell silent...

Swire, who was in a pretty good mood today because of meeting the adorable Gretchen, suddenly felt a surge of anger after reading the letter, and her head was buzzing.

Not only her, but even Hoshiguma, who was watching alongside her, was speechless, unsure of what expression to make.

At the same time, she began to wonder again why Padofelis, this "Dragon Gate Thief," was so fond of her family.

Is it because they're rich? But Lungmen has no shortage of rich people... Or is it that they like... the person themselves? But I haven't noticed anything particularly unusual...

While the two remained silent, Chen, who had just sent a message and was waiting for a reply, received a swift response from Pado.

However, the speed of the reply made her glance curiously at her two friends beside her. It wasn't surprising that she was suddenly curious; the message was replied to so quickly, it was as if they had been waiting for her.

The only reason the other side could predict that "Swire" would come looking for her was the letter she had just brought back...

Of course, Chen's sudden curiosity didn't last long before she suppressed it. She quickly looked away and returned her gaze to her phone screen, where a new message had arrived.

"You mean canned food? Of course I can find it, but why are you asking? You're not trying to steal my cat, are you?!"

"That won't do! The canned food is my important companion; I can't let it go!"

"..."

Upon seeing the message, Chen couldn't help but close his eyes and rub his temples. After a moment, he reopened his eyes and began to "deal" with the other end of the line on his phone.

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

Meanwhile, a restaurant in Longmen—

"Miss Phyllis, what are you laughing at? And where's the canned food?" Looking at her cheap boss who was happily holding her phone but was now missing a "keyboard charm," An Suo couldn't help but ask.

To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that Canned Food and Paddo usually get along very well, Miss Purple Rabbit would have started to suspect that the person in front of her was broke and went out to sell the cat...

"I was just teasing you. No wonder Sister Aili likes to tease me so much, it really is quite fun." Hearing this, Pado put down her phone, gently wagged her tail, and explained to Anso with a smile.

"As for the canned food, there was a little mishap when we went out. It's with a cute little girl now, and it had lunch there too. We'll go pick it up later!"

"Hmm... I understand." Hearing this, An Suo nodded slightly, acknowledging the answer. But then, as if remembering something, she spoke softly with a curious look in her eyes:

"So, what was Miss Phyllis doing when she suddenly left? Would you mind telling me?"

"Oh, it's nothing. If you want to know, I'll tell you." With that, Pado casually began to recount what had happened.

P.S.: I just can't seem to adjust my sleep schedule. I'm still wide awake at 3 or 4 AM. I pulled an all-nighter to force a change, but it's still uncomfortable. Best regards everyone.

Chapter 86 Swire: You stole the cat!

Since Officer Chen is so eager to know the location of the canned food and the little girl, I can tell you, but let's wait until this afternoon.

After all, whether it's you and me, that little girl, or even the canned food, we all need to eat.

……

After some back and forth, Chen finally received a positive response from the other end and breathed a sigh of relief, putting down his phone.

Although she didn't immediately receive the information she wanted, it wasn't too late either; at least it was still within her acceptable range.

Surely Gretchen, that unreliable "guardian," can't even take care of things for such a short time...

"Finished chatting? Let's exchange some information."

Swire, who had already finished reading the letter and was now suppressing her surging emotions, noticed Chen's situation, raised an eyebrow, and handed her the letter, saying...

"Yes, and thank you very much."

Upon hearing this, Chen nodded gently, took the letter, and handed the phone to its original owner.

Then, both sides began to look at the "new information" they had just received.

However, everyone remained silent after reading this... Swire and Hoshiguma were a little better off, as their friend had previously reassured them that Gretchen was fine, so this news only made them more confused.

But Chen's situation was different; his head was buzzing twice as much.

"..."

After putting down the letter he had finished reading, Chen rubbed his throbbing temples. After a moment, he said to Swire in a somewhat strange tone, "So, what is it about you that attracts this 'Dragon Gate Thief' so much...?"

"If I knew, would you be asking me? I also want to know what she sees in my family, so I can take advantage of her!" Upon hearing this, Swire frowned and wagged her tail unhappily.

"*Dragon Gate swear words* But she's really giving her too much credit! If she dares to come tonight, I'll catch her and lock her up in jail!!"

Although, due to the various things that had happened before, Swire had mixed feelings about Padofelis.

Since he had indeed managed to steal and deliver, she didn't intend to pursue the matter of him sneaking into her house to steal various trinkets. But, but… this sudden change of heart is just too much!!! It's outrageous!

The little tiger is really angry today. You'd better not get caught by her, or she'll really send you straight to jail! And not only will you go, but you'll get the canned food too! She even stole the cat!!

"Alright, just call us if you need anything." Hearing Swire's words, Chen didn't say anything more, only offering a simple instruction before changing the subject: "Let's put this aside for now, I'll handle this first."

Let me tell you what happened before.

Then, Chen began to briefly recount what had happened to his two friends.

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

On the other side of the city, in a unique restaurant—

“???)……

At this moment, Greta, who had already met up with Hua Chenggong, sat at the table in the private room with her cat in her arms, quietly watching the "good show" unfolding before her.

"Ugh, stop talking, you old fogey! I was wrong, okay?!" After being lectured for a while, Xiao Shi couldn't help but cover his head and howl.

“Xiao Shi, you don’t seem to really realize your mistakes right now.” Hearing this, Hua, who was sitting next to him, said in a calm tone and with a serious expression.

"what……"

"Sister Hua, I'm hungry..."

Just as Xiao Shi was getting fed up and was about to think of a way to get rid of Run, Gretchen, who had been silent all along, spoke up to Hua at the right moment.

“…Sigh, never mind, let’s leave it at that and eat first.” After hearing Gretchen’s whispered words, Hua paused slightly, then sighed helplessly and gave up.

"Gresh, have you decided what you'd like to order?"

In Hua's view, the main fault this time lies with herself. If she had trusted Xiao Shi's personality more and ignored Gretsch's advice to chase after him, this "conflict" wouldn't have happened. It can only be said that she let her guard down...

"call……"

Xiao Shi, who was originally preparing to slip away, breathed a sigh of relief after Hua stopped nagging and gave up the idea of ​​leaving.

Of course, once she relaxed, she didn't forget to secretly wink at Gretchen in a corner where the old-fashioned person "couldn't see" and give her a thumbs up in praise.

Greta responded by winking her beautiful eyes at Xiao Shi before pushing the already marked menu in front of Hua and saying:

"Hmm... I've already thought it through. You can continue with the others, Sister Hua."

"Okay, Xiao Shi, see if there's anything you want to eat." With that, Hua picked up the menu that had been pushed in front of her and placed it next to Xiao Shi.

She wasn't picky about food, and she wasn't very hungry either. So she gave the choice to the two "children" present.

"Let me see what's good to eat? But, old man, aren't you going to order a couple of dishes?" Xiao Shi glanced at the menu after taking it over, then turned and asked.

"You guys order, the three of us can't finish if you order too much." Hua gently shook her head in response to Xiao Shi's question.

"Huh? How can that be! You have to order, it has to be fair!" Hua's words had only made things worse, but Xiao Shi perked up immediately. She stood up, slammed the menu in front of her, and said with her hands on her hips.

"We'll deal with the problem of not being able to finish it later. At worst... well, at worst we'll just pack it up!"

Although Xiao Shi didn't want to eat the takeout food at all, she reluctantly agreed in order to get Hua, this old fogey, to agree to her request.

"...Okay, I'll order in a bit."

Upon hearing this, Hua shook his head helplessly and then agreed.

Putting aside the fact that everyone present is of one mind, even if they are not, Xiao Shi's little thoughts cannot escape Hua's eyes. But it is precisely because of this that she is so helpless at this moment.

"Great! Let me see!"

After receiving Hua's reply, Xiao Shi happily sat back down with the menu and started looking through it.

“???)”

"What are Gretsch's plans for this afternoon? Does she need our help?" Hua had just sat up straight when she met Gretsch's pure gaze. Then, as if remembering something, she asked.

"As for the arrangements, I'm planning to take the canned food to Sister Pado this afternoon... ???) Hmm, and wait while I'm there?"

Upon hearing this, Gretchen stroked her chin, pondered for a moment, and then spoke seriously.

"Gresh, what kind of waiting is that? You're clearly fishing!"

Chapter 87 The Intervention of the "Fourth Force"

"Gresh, what kind of waiting is that? It's clearly a trap!" After hearing Gresh's words, Xiaoshi, who already knew the gist of her plan, said without even looking up.

"Hmm... Is Gretsch sure those people will come looking for you this afternoon?"

Ignoring Xiao Shi's words, Hua thought for a moment and spoke again.

“I don’t know, but I trust Tarua and ‘us’ judgment…” Upon hearing this, Gretchen gently shook her head and then spoke seriously.

In addition to the thick stack of letters that she gave Chen today, Talulah also prepared a special letter and some inexplicable instructions for the little girl.

The exact words of the instruction were roughly: "Little one, if you find Chen Huijie in Lungmen and successfully make contact, someone should come to contact you soon. If the person who comes is... well, a hairy woman who calls herself Wen Yue, then give her this letter."

If it's a hairy man named Wei Yanwu, tell him you want to see Wen Yue, then ignore him. Once you see Wen Yue, give her the letter.

If it's anyone else circling around you and disturbing your life, just ignore them while protecting yourself. If you really find it annoying, go find Chen Huijie.

Although Talulah

The identities of Wen Yue and the other girl were not explicitly stated at the time, but Gretchen knew perfectly well that she wasn't just an innocent child...

Therefore, the little girl was not surprised at all that these two people would come to her after she contacted Chen Huijie; in fact, she thought it was inevitable.

Although Wei Yanwu was quite unsuitable as an uncle to Talulah, he was alright to Chen Huijie.

Now that his own niece is suddenly being approached by a stranger like him, who is using the name "Talulah," he would pay attention and investigate, no matter how incompetent he is.