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

"Hey boss, can we talk about something?"

"?"

"Well, can I rent your food truck for a day? My family wants me to come here to experience life. Everything else looks so difficult, only your place looks simple..." Seeing the female stall owner's puzzled expression, Pado smiled shyly at her and explained.

"..."

Upon hearing this, the female stall owner raised an eyebrow, about to refuse, when she saw the girl in front of her take out a wad of Lungmen dollars from her pocket and hand it to her...

"Don't worry, boss, I definitely won't make things difficult for you! And with all these uncles and aunties around, you don't have to worry about me losing your food cart or anything." To achieve her goal, Pado really put on a naive little girl act.

"If I don't get it sorted out, my family will definitely scold me when I get home today."

After hearing Pado's words, the female stall owner was completely swayed, and her attitude softened. "Then I'll stand aside and guide you, little girl, so you won't make a mistake."

Perhaps because she had received money, the Liboli stall owner was unexpectedly enthusiastic, but Pado didn't refuse, after all, helping is better than not helping.

Immediately afterward, under the boss's intensive training, the cat learned how to make glutinous rice balls. Just as she had initially expected, it wasn't too difficult.

She quickly got the hang of it and soon her stall was quite well-maintained.

Shortly after Pado finished her studies, the workers at the third pier also reached their break time and gradually came out of the pier. They came here to enjoy lunch. The owner used high-quality ingredients and the portions were generous, so there was a constant stream of people coming.

Meanwhile, Maomao was also relieved that her boss hadn't left. If it weren't for her help, she felt she would have been overwhelmed with work.

During the lull between buying and selling, Pado didn't stay idle. He carried a case of drinks and beer and went to look for the workers.

"Hey guys, I have a question. I'm here to gather material for some horror stories. Could you tell me some rumors about the docks? The more outrageous the better." As she spoke, Pado handed the drinks in her hand to the guests at the first table.

Seeing that there was something to drink for free, the guests naturally didn't care whether the girl was telling the truth or not.

The group immediately started talking all at once.

Some say they heard ghosts sobbing in a shipping container at midnight, while others say they heard two headless men talking and ghosts arguing fiercely.

They chattered on and on about a whole bunch of interesting and boring stories, but Pado kept hearing one thing over and over again: the G4 area.

After listening, she immediately expressed her gratitude and then went to the second table.

Same process, same story, same G4 area.

Finally, she got the answer at the third table: blade logistics.

Through intelligence gathering, Patro quickly discovered its real name: a recently registered logistics company – Sicily-Gambino Logistics.

Chapter 146 The Phone Call with Swire

Although she found and confirmed the clues through some tricks, Pado did not dare to slack off.

She was taking this test very seriously. Although it wasn't a difficult task for her, she decided to be meticulous for her own and An Suo's bright future in Lungmen.

Besides, Maomao has already revealed everything about the test. If she accidentally messes it up, wouldn't Swire laugh her to death? And she won't get to eat that big meal that guy owes her. Absolutely not! She can't accept this at all!

So, Pado really worked at the stall all afternoon today, without slacking off or taking a break at all...

If she could, she would have liked to run away after confirming the clues. But that would have been too abrupt.

If I act too suspiciously, it would be bad if someone called the police... And if I happen to run into someone, not only would my whereabouts be exposed, but... just thinking about it is embarrassing!

As she pondered, the cat couldn't help but shake her head, clearing her mind of the jumbled thoughts, patting her face, and refocusing on her "work."

Life is tough, even a cat sighs.

……

The port was bustling with people, and workers came in droves to have lunch here. While busy with her work, Pado observed the surroundings. She estimated that more than 5,000 people had come from this area alone, and considering the area and the number of people needed to maintain operations, she conservatively estimated that the number of people working was around 1,000.

Eight thousand people?

Thinking about this, Pado, who was wiping the table, couldn't help but mutter to herself. Although it was just a rough estimate, weren't there a lot of people here?

Why are there so many people in this loading and unloading area?

However, the cat didn't dwell on her thoughts for long, because the female stall owner standing next to the food cart was waving at her.

The female stall owner, with beads of sweat still clinging to her face and forehead, looked at Pado, who had come to her with a gentle smile, and said happily, "Thank you so much for today, little girl."

"With your help, we earned a total of 3000 Lungmen Dollars!"

Before Pado could react, the female stall owner suddenly bent down and pulled a box from under the food cart.

Although there is storage space under the food cart

The box, which had turned somewhat black from storing coal, was spotless and clean, despite its aged appearance.

"So I definitely can't take your money. Here, this is your reward for helping out today." As soon as he finished speaking, the stall owner opened the box in her hand and earnestly stuffed the stack of Lungmen dollars that Pado had given her earlier, along with some loose change, into her hand.

"...Huh?" Pado was a little stunned when she saw the money suddenly being stuffed back into her hands. After a moment, she reacted and said, "I've already bothered you by coming here to experience life. Please accept this money, boss, as a fee for my studies."

"As for compensation, there's no need for that!"

"No, this is a matter of principle." Upon hearing this, the stall owner showed no intention of compromising and said in a slightly firm tone.

"..."

After some back and forth, when the female stall owner "threatened" to hand over the money to the Royal Guard if she didn't accept it, Pado was finally forced to compromise.

There's no way around it. Money is a small matter, but handing it over to the Guard Bureau is a real waste of money! It would be better to give it to the boss or buy some things for some people in the slums.

Finally, after thanking the stall owner properly, the cat ended its clue-gathering session and left to investigate elsewhere.

However, when the topic of the Royal Guard and money came up, Pado couldn't help but think of something. If she remembered correctly, didn't she have some unclaimed bonus for saving someone before?

Before, she definitely wouldn't have even considered this money, but now that she's almost "cleared her name," does that mean she can go to the Guard Bureau or find Fumizuki to collect the money after this test?

Thinking of this, the cat walking down the street couldn't help but show a happy expression.

However, before Pado could reach the next investigation location, she seemed to remember something and temporarily stopped her actions, finding a deserted place nearby.

After confirming that no one was following her, she leisurely took out her phone and made a call.

"beep--"

A moment later, the call connected, and a woman's voice, clearly lowered, came from the other end: "Hey, why are you calling me in the middle of the day?"

"What, can't I talk to Swire for no reason? You know you still owe us a meal!" Hearing the familiar voice on the other end, Pado couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile and said.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Swire on the other end of the line paused for a moment after listening to Patto's words, then said "coldly," "I'm hanging up if there's nothing else!"

"Hey! Wait, don't hang up yet, we have something important to say!" Pato quickly tried to stop Swire from hanging up.

"Say what you need right now. If you want me to do you a favor or to tell you something, no way!"

"Hey, Swire, how could you be so heartless?!" At this point, Patto paused slightly, then suddenly changed the subject seriously, "But this time it's not about that. Swire, do you remember the test I mentioned before?"

"It's started!"

"..."

"When did it start? What was the content?"

"Well, today is just the beginning. I just got back from Boss Wen Yue's place this morning!" In response to Swire's question, Pado organized her thoughts and answered truthfully.

"As for the contents, I can't tell you everything, but I can guarantee that everything I'm about to say is true."

Afterwards, the cat ignored what the other person was thinking and earnestly described and told them about some of the "tests".

"..."

"Alright, that's about it. You'll have to investigate the rest yourself, Swire. I don't believe that someone working for the Guard Bureau like you wouldn't have noticed the recent anomalies in Lungmen."

"Try to seize this opportunity, or you'll never have another chance!" After saying that, Pado fell silent, waiting for what the other person would say next.

"You've told me all this in such detail, aren't you afraid Miss Wen Yue will cause you trouble?"

“Hey, Swire, you’re not an outsider, it’s no problem.”

"..."

Upon hearing this, Swire paused strangely for a moment, then said, "In that case, just you wait! I look forward to bringing you a big meal in prison later!"

Chapter 147 Soul Critical Strike

After hanging up the phone with Swire, Pado quickly left the deserted corner and continued on her way to the next investigation location.

Just like she said, although this mission wasn't particularly difficult, it would be really embarrassing if it went wrong by accident.

Finally, Pado spent several more hours gathering clues in other locations and confirming some things before returning to the port. This time, her target was the G4 area she had previously inquired about.

Upon arriving in this area, the cat found a secluded high spot and began to carefully survey the area.

Then, to her surprise, Patto discovered something unusual. Normally, a port area wouldn't have too many people gathered there, but this G4 area was different.

From a distance, the cat could see nearly a hundred people scattered around the large cargo container area, slowly unloading their goods or simply resting.

In her view, these people's behavior was quite...

It was unusual, completely out of place with the rest of the port area.

As for why Pado thought this way, the reason is very simple: this group of people looked too relaxed. In this port area where everyone is working hard and struggling to make a living, it was very conspicuous…

It was as if they weren't workers here at all...

After confirming that something was amiss, the cat lost interest in moving the investigation location and stayed there to keep a close watch on the situation.

Then, the longer she monitored the situation, the more certain she became of her thoughts and guesses.

Whether it's the "Pado" of her memories or the woman she is now, she has witnessed the lives of too many impoverished people. She is deeply moved by their living conditions and still remembers them vividly.

People always try their best to live... And because of this, they rarely slack off or neglect their work, because the work in their hands is the only tool they have to support their families and survive.

So the moment the cat saw them, it could be said that it sensed something was wrong with them. They didn't seem to be working for a living at all; they didn't have the slightest bit of hard work about them.

Among these hundreds of people, a few dozen, upon closer inspection, possessed a strong and valiant air, making them seem less like good people.

"So, it's that gangster hiding at the dock?" Pado withdrew her head from her observation and muttered thoughtfully.

Although she was almost certain in her heart, the cat didn't immediately make a final decision. Just to be cautious, she decided to go closer and take a look.

After all, she hadn't forgotten that one of her tests was "cleaning up." If these people were indeed her targets, she wouldn't mind dealing with them directly.

Having made up her mind, Pado put away her binoculars and decisively chose an entrance that was easy to move around in and not too many people, and quietly sneaked in.

The trading port of Lungmen is so large that logistics companies often cause delays, forcing various goods to remain in the port area.

In each storage area, the stacked containers of goods often reach heights of over ten meters. They crisscross and stretch endlessly, turning the storage area into a complex, secluded alleyway.