It's truly a strange feeling.
Late at night, Ryan sat in the small yard, holding the orange cat in his arms with an empty can of food placed next to him.
He had already experienced several " accident " situations, like the time Mobius performed an extreme surgery where every strand of hair was visible. But how should he put it? Her reaction was too indifferent, as if she was attending some academic seminar, which made Ryan lose the desire to probe deeper. But Pardofelis was different; her reactions were perfectly normal.
"Immediate screaming and then throwing things at me, that's more like a girl's reaction. No wonder Mobius, you're an aunt."
Ryan chuckled softly. There were too many weird people around him, and encountering someone normal seemed fresh. Speaking of normal reactions, he suddenly thought about Elysia, the one with the most girlish air about her.
What would her reaction be if she offered the welfare?
Ryan raised his head and gazed at the starry night sky, staring blankly for a long time.
Damn, I can't imagine it at all. Who knows how she would react?
A smile appeared on Ryan face as he turned his head and looked through the hole in the wall. He could see a "caterpillar" tightly wrapped up, with several cats circling around it.
"Pardo, I won't do anything to you. Why are you so afraid?"
"I'm not afraid, I'm just a little cold."
Cold?
Ryan glanced at the sky. It was early September, and Sundown Alley was not as hot as the neon lights suggested. The air was still a bit stuffy, and after thinking for a moment, he let out an irritated breath.
Forget it, think whatever you want.
This normal reaction made him think for a moment because after spending time with stakes and venomous snakes, he couldn't help but think a few layers deeper. What if there was a hidden plot, what if there was a trick?
"Tsk, now you're making me paranoid," Ryan muttered. He then began to dismantle the "Black Blood Gang" wooden boxes and saw that they were full of military weapons and high-concentration illegal substances.
Luckily, you managed to steal all this without getting torn apart yet.
Ryan once again felt Pardofelis luck. The things inside the boxes were enough to make ten gangster revenge movies, and he casually glanced at the inventory list. Due to the familiar place names, his brow furrowed slightly.
New York, Red Circle?
It seemed familiar. He had heard of it before. Running high-purity illegal substances under the eyes of the Fire Moth? Seems like the forces behind this are not small.
But Ryan quickly put the list back down. He wasn't making a drug bust or a cop-and-robber movie, so he didn't have that much time to be a righteous hero.
He then took out his phone and began reading Sakura's action report.
These days, the fox-eared girl had been walking on the edge of the rules. She had killed several outer collaborators of the Fire Moth, but each one had criminal evidence.
The headquarters had become anxious and sent an advisory, suggesting that he follow judicial procedures after gathering the evidence, and that they would definitely bring the bad guys to justice.
But Ryan didn't listen at all. He appeared and disappeared at times, and the intelligence department could only grab at his tail, unable to take any real action.
"Himeko and Hua have been called to the headquarters for a meeting, and another high-ranking fusion warrior has been stationed on the Peninsula. It seems like they really don't know anything?"
Ryan instinctively stroked the orange cat and his brain began to work rapidly. Just like research, combat also requires evidence, and the Fire Moth's response seemed very normal.
"According to the intelligence Mobius gathered, New York is also calm. The fusion warriors that were previously summoned have returned to their posts, and with Hua and Himeko, it's like opening the door wide."
This interesting feedback made Ryan think he was overthinking.
Under such circumstances, he should focus on executing the second plan and go find Aponia. But he still chose to listen to the voice deep within his heart:
"It's better to be cautious. This time, I don't have backup. If they are luring me into a trap, I'll be in danger."
Ryan licked his lips. The source of danger was the Herrscher. He estimated that at least two Herrschers were active now, and facing two alone was not in his favor.
"Not to mention the uncertainty of their strength. If the two sides really join forces, maybe even with the fusion warriors, they could kill me in a short period."
Better to be careful, at least I need to find out the truth. I'll call Elysia for support. Until then, I can't show any weaknesses. The ideal situation is to figure everything out and then set up an ambush for the Herrscher.
Plans began to emerge in his mind, simulating, advancing, while listening to the purring of the orange cat. Slowly, his eyes closed.
As Ryan drifted off to sleep, Pardofelis opened her eyes. She listened carefully for a while, then slowly got up.
Finally asleep, huh? He didn't guess I sleep during the day and work at night.
Meow~
The orange cat lightly came to her side, wagging its tail proudly, as if it were the one that got Ryan to sleep.
"Shh, don't wake him up." Pardofelis carefully got up, tiptoeing to the wall hole to peek into the yard.
Ryan was motionless in the lounge chair, his white hair covering his face. His chest rose and fell slightly, and the moonlight shone on him. His face, with its soft contours, was unexpectedly beautiful.
"He looks like Sleeping Beauty. How is that possible for a man? Maybe he used some disguise technique?" Pardofelis was a little confused. She had no education, so her imagination barely reached the level of "makeup."
Forget it, there are more important things to do.
She secretly jumped onto the roof, but as if not fully trusting, she looked into the yard again to confirm that Ryan was asleep. Only then did she run along the roof ridge, disappearing into the night after a few jumps.
But at the moment she turned, Ryan opened his eyes.
"Not bad, some small tricks, and good patience."
He sat up and saw the orange cat rushing back in, its fur standing up in shock. It tried to run but ended up floating in the air, its little legs moving but not going anywhere.
"You little stinky cat, acting as her ears, huh? Pretty smart."
Meow meow.
The orange cat stopped struggling, its face full of innocence, looking foolishly cute.
"You even know how to play dumb, huh? You've become quite clever." Ryan hugged it in his arms and walked into the room, scanning the area to confirm that Pardofelis hadn't run away.
Her "treasures" were still there. If she were planning to escape, she would have taken them or hidden them. After thinking for just a second, he made up his mind.
"Back to being a thief, huh? Silly girl, now that I'm here, Sundown Alley is going to be ten times more dangerous. You're no longer a small-time thief."
Ryan didn't scold Pardofelis. She was just an ordinary person, unable to think this deeply.
Based on the timeline, the major forces of Sundown Alley must have already known that a fusion warrior had entered, but they still didn't know his identity or purpose.
"Then they must be racking their brains, trying to find clues from you."
Ryan thought for a moment, put down the orange cat, and his body seemed to blend into the air. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared.
...
Heh heh, lucky me.
Under the cover of the night, Pardofelis hurried through the alley, pushing a cart. Inside it, there wasn't anything valuable—just some rice and pickled meat stolen from a shady merchant.
"Hmph, you hoarders, causing everyone to go hungry. I'm taking this to share with the poor. You could consider it your good deed."
She had been scoping out the area during the day, and took a nap before encountering Ryan on her way home.
It was just a small detour, the work still had to be done. But Pardofelis also sensed an opportunity:
The boss is fake, but Adam is real. Even if she was discovered and put on the wanted list, who would dare come after her?
This is what the book calls "piggybacking on the tiger's power." I've never been to school, but I'm still very smart.
The girl looked around suspiciously, hiding in an abandoned house. She wandered around for a bit, pretending like nothing was wrong.
It was her habit—if the owner of the stolen goods came after her, they would only find the loot, and couldn't do anything to her.
On the street, besides drunkards, there were only her peers. Pardofelis waited for half an hour but saw nothing unusual, so she contentedly returned to the broken house, staring at the hundreds of pounds of grain with concern.
Who should she give it to? Hmm, I have an idea.
She suddenly remembered the patient she had seen earlier at lunch. She felt that it would be best to send the grain to the nursing home.
"Kids are growing, they should be happy to eat this."
Pardofelis imagined the scene for a moment, her eyes like crescent moons. Thinking about it made her feel happy too.
"Boss, aren't we going to net the catch?"
About a few hundred meters away, the bell tower was full of people. On the thermal imaging screen, a small figure could clearly be seen running.
Waniz wore night-vision goggles, his lips curled into a grin, and his scarred face looked like a cat observing a mouse.
"Are you sure she's carrying something in the cart?"
"We traced her actions during the day and found a small-time grain dealer. According to him, it's 200 pounds of rice and 30 pounds of pickled meat."
"Rice and pickled meat?" Waniz quickly turned around, his pale blue eyes looking vicious. "Are you sure?"
"Sure, I swear on my fingers!" The small-time dealer quickly added, knowing that if he was even a little slower, a big-caliber revolver would be in his mouth.
These small-time dealers were dumb, but not stupid enough to joke with their fingers.
Waniz rubbed his bald head and thought it was unbelievable. The "Dusk" boss had sent out an arrest order, and so many gangs were out fishing in the dead of night, all for a small-time thief stealing rice?
Unbelievable, could there be something special inside? Was the rice just a cover?
Yes, that must be it. The "boss" was still unknown, but that white-haired woman was like a monster. Everyone who went to test her for the Black Blood Gang was killed, and not a single person survived.
He thought he had figured it out and raised his hand slightly.
"Take action, remember, we want her alive."
"Yes, I'll get the sniper ready with tranquilizer darts."
The small-time dealer grabbed the communicator, but all they heard was static, which made them confused.
"Boss, it seems the communication is being interfered with."
"Of course, it's a cover-up! Idiot, what good is your leg if it's not useful? Do you want me to take it off?"
Waniz yelled, and the small-time dealer immediately ran out, but slammed into the door, falling to the ground with a thud.
Not just the fallen small-time dealer, but everyone in the bell tower blinked. The door was open, and it was like he had crashed into thin air.
Then, the confusion turned into terror.
A figure materialized from the air, with shoulder-length white hair, crimson eyes, and holding a black scythe.
Elegant, beautiful, yet exuding an indifference to all life, emanating an aura that didn't belong to humans.
Swish.
The scythe swung, and four heads flew into the air. In the crimson fountain, he spoke:
"Do not disturb the good with your evil."