The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Boss, are you alright? I'm sorry I'm late, these cats are hard to find!" Scarface Cat came running over, panting, followed by a group of stray cats, the same tabby cat group he had seen at the village entrance.

The tabby cat strode over with a sullen face and a boisterous gait. "What? I heard from Scarface that you were being chased by humans in my territory? Who did it?"

"Those two!" Scarface Cat excitedly pointed at the long-haired man and the greasy fat man.

Ye Xingluo was deeply moved.

Unexpectedly, Ji Jiangchen arrived so quickly to support him; even more unexpectedly, the scarred cat didn't run away on its own, but instead overcame its fear and went to find the local cat bully!

"You dog thief! You even tried to steal a cat! You have no respect for me!" The tabby cat roared and jumped up, slashing at the long-haired man's back with its claws!

He was facing away from the cats, stammering an explanation that he hadn't broken into the house, when a sudden sharp pain shot through his back, and he couldn't help but yell, "Damn it! Who the hell is scratching me!"

"Hahaha! This show is so lively, host!"

Little White laughed so hard he almost fell over, his fluffy head looking this way and that, and said happily, "Mission accomplished! It's just a pity we can't see the plot, and we don't know what the protagonist did to make such a big fuss!"

"Where did all these stray cats come from?" The police officers were startled, but fortunately, the fierce tabby cat scratched each of them once and then stopped, preventing the situation from getting too chaotic.

The tabby cat licked its paw indifferently and said with an air of dominance, "You were chased in my territory, so I owe you a cat favor."

Tell me, is there anything else you need help with?

Think it through quickly, I'll tell the cat to do it, and there won't be another chance.

"Those stray dogs!" Ye Xingluo said urgently, "We have to lure the police there to rescue them!"

The tabby cat looked annoyed. "Why does a cat have to meddle in dogs' business? I don't know what you're thinking. In that case, let's get the humans' attention and lead them over there."

Ye Xingluo knew she still needed to rely on Ji Jiangchen's strength, so she stood up and kept scratching him with her front paws, then meowed to signal him to come with her.

"Officer, my cat seems to have something very important to report." Jiang Chen interrupted the argument as he listened to the white cat's translation.

The righteous-looking police officer glanced at the big black cat and asked, "Does it need to poop or pee? Or is it hungry?"

Ye Xinglu rolled her eyes and yelled at him fiercely twice.

Finally, at Jiang Chen's insistence, and with a large group of stray cats lined up like road signs and meowing incessantly, the two police officers, who had never seen such a strange scene before, were filled with doubt and took the four arguing people with them. They followed the big black cat and tabby cat leading the way to the front of the detached courtyard in the east of the village.

"Why does it smell so bad here?" Jiang Chen covered his nose with his hand and questioned, "It smells like it's coming from the yard. Could it be that someone committed murder and buried the body?"

The stray cats, some crouching and some standing, all meowed around the large iron gate of the courtyard.

Ye Xinglu strode forward with an air of indifference, patted the large iron gate, and said, "This should be it. The dog smell is really strong!"

Chapter Twenty: The Heart of Cooperation

"Even cats can solve cases?" The righteous-looking policeman was surprised. He took a closer sniff and found a faint stench in the air. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it smelled like some kind of rotting, fermenting meat.

They immediately became alert, went up and knocked on the door, only to find it locked, indicating that no one was home.

The long-haired man and the greasy fat man huddled in the police car, trembling with fear.

Stealing a cat is a minor matter, and there was hardly any evidence to begin with;

The break-in isn't a big problem, since no one stole anything, no one saw it being broken into, and there's room for negotiation. It can probably be resolved by negotiating with the landlord privately.

There's nothing wrong with the dogs in cages all over the yard; they're all stray dogs that were stolen. He insists that he likes to take in stray dogs and raise them, and the police can't do anything about it.

The only problem is the ledger!

The records of the monthly supplies to the dog meat restaurants and barbecue stalls in the city are all on the list, and two of them even had several disputes over the consumption of dead dog meat.

If we follow this line of investigation, the consequences could be dire if it involves food safety issues!

The two of them thought of this at the same time, and their eyes met with a look of fear.

The greasy fat man glared at the long-haired man. If this guy hadn't been so petty and insisted on saying "even close brothers should keep clear accounts" and writing down the amount of every transaction in the ledger, he wouldn't have left any evidence against him!

Why not just do one job, take the money, and split it on the spot? Why bother with all this pretense and keeping accounts?

If this gets found out, we're in big trouble!

"How about we run away?" the long-haired man suggested quietly, noticing that the others outside were all focused on the courtyard.

The greasy fat man thought for a moment, nodded, and quietly opened the other car door.

With their hands cuffed together, the two dared not make a sound and quietly moved down.

“We know the landlord, it’s Da Wang’s house!” the burly man said in a deep voice. “I heard it was rented to two guys who run some kind of business. Wait a minute, I’ll call him right away.”

"Cats have a keen sense of smell; they'll probably be able to detect something."

"Isn't it said that black cats are psychic? Maybe it saw something!"

"Ahem, we are the people's police, we must believe in science and not be superstitious."

"This isn't superstition; science can't explain it! Why don't you tell me why so many stray cats are being led here by the big black cat? It's probably a big case, and you two are on your way to making a name for yourselves!"

……

The burly man number two was gossiping with the two policemen; the other was on the phone urging Da Wang, a fellow villager, to come back quickly.

Jiang Chen leaned against the car with one hand in his pocket, squinting at the impatient big black cat.

“Host, there are stray dogs inside, and a few of them look like they’re about to die.” The little white cat jumped out and whispered in his ear, “I found a ledger in the bedside table. It must be a private transaction involving the sale of dog meat.”

I put it on the table under the doorway, so you can see it as soon as you walk in!

"Host, do you think I should go open the door for them?"

He silently gave the fluffy ball a thumbs-up, "No need."

This should be the main character's main quest; let him complete it on his own as much as possible.

Those two wanted to run, how far do you think they could run?

The little white cat followed its host's gaze, its deep blue eyes widening instantly. It puffed out its cheeks, trying to suppress a laugh, "I don't think those two could even escape ten meters. They're so stupid!"

"Even the villains in the daily mission world are so unhelpful, I have no desire to participate at all." Jiang Chen lazily played with his phone out of boredom.

The fluffy little dumpling rubbed its furry face with its paws, wondering if it should choose a more challenging script next time.

As expected, the two were discovered and chased back after running only a short distance. The long-haired man kept shouting that he didn't want to run, he just needed to relieve himself...

The two were quickly exposed by the homeowner who rushed over after hearing the news.

"Xiao Zhang, Xiao Wang, what's going on with you two?" The landlord, Da Wang, sniffed the faint stench in the air and explained while rummaging through his pocket for a spare key: "Officer, they pay rent for this courtyard once a year, we have an agreement."

I don't usually come over to disturb their work and life;

"It's in the agreement; they can't do anything illegal in my house. If anything happens, it has nothing to do with me!"

The two police officers looked at the long-haired man and the greasy fat man with extreme vigilance.

So many things are connected to them, it's definitely not a coincidence!

"Tsk tsk, I think they must have done something bad and the big black cat found out." The burly man number two continued to watch the drama unfold. "They chased after the cat to kill it and silence it! As for how they ended up at my house... we'll have to interrogate them to find out."

Da Wang, trembling, used the spare key to open the gate.

The righteous-looking policeman pushed aside the door and walked straight in. When he saw the situation in the courtyard, he couldn't help but frown.

The huge courtyard was filled with dozens of large iron cages, which were stuffed with all kinds of dirty stray dogs. Judging by the size of the cages, there must have been at least several dozen dogs!

The smell of decay permeated the yard.

Some of the more lively dogs whined and begged for food when they saw people coming;

Many of them looked dizzy and lifeless;

Some were crammed into the corner of the iron cage, their fate unknown.

“Liwang Dog Meat Restaurant, Xinfa Dog Meat Hot Pot City, Taixi Barbecue…” Jiang Chen walked in slowly with his hands in his pockets, picked up a notebook from a small round table under the doorway, glanced at it, and handed it to the older policeman, saying, “It seems they’ve been selling these stolen dogs to these restaurants.”

When it comes to food safety, the police dare not slack off.

He picked up the ledger and looked through it. The amount and quantity involved were indeed substantial, so he immediately contacted his superiors to report it.

[Mission complete! Congratulations on obtaining 'Heart of Cooperation'! You have met the conditions to unlock the second main quest, which will automatically unlock in 48 hours.]

At this point, Ye Xingluo's first main quest was finally completed.

He looked at the countdown timer that kept flashing in the lower right corner of his vision, and felt a deep sense of emotion.

A spirit of collaboration!

As expected, Ji Jiangchen's analysis was completely correct.

Turning into a cat doesn't happen for no reason!

The system aims to help the user understand principles and change from the inside out through various tasks.

The stray dogs have been properly cared for by the police in contact with relevant departments.

The criminals have been arrested, and it is believed that more evidence will be uncovered after interrogation.

After discussing it with Scarface Cat, Ye Xingluo decided to respect Scarface Cat's wishes and not be adopted by Ji Jiangchen. The two cats agreed that he would help Scarface Cat take back the food street territory that evening as a token of his gratitude.

Scarface Cat declined Ji Jiangchen's offer to drive him home.

It still has its eye on the tabby cat's several beautiful daughters. If it could take this opportunity to marry one of them, the beautiful cat would have a powerful backer, a territory, and a very comfortable life!

"Want to date my daughter?" The tabby cat looked it up and down for a moment, then tilted its head and gestured, "Come with me, let them see if you like her."

If there's even a hint of something in your destiny, then we can talk about your territory.

I can't bear to let my daughter go to the city with that poor boy and suffer a hard life..."

Upon hearing that there was hope, Scarface Cat happily followed the group of wild cats and ran off into the distance.

The little white kitten perched on its host's shoulder, licked his face, rubbed against him, and whispered, "Host, I want to be in a relationship too!"

Chapter Twenty-One: Are You Even Capable?

Jiang Chen, who was driving, gave it an inquiring look.

The fluffy little dumpling, who understood instantly, licked its paws helplessly and sighed, "What a pity, it's still a minor and hasn't grown up yet."

I've already asked the experts on the forum.

The support system can grow!

However, the growth rate depends on the number of scripts the host successfully completes; it will grow a little after experiencing about ten successful mission worlds.